Jan - Feb
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The Pit Newsletter
Welcome to the Bi-monthly newsletter.
In this issue I show you how to add a DIY transducer to your chair.
The newsletter will give you insight into the different types of flight simulation, technical articles, tips and reviews.
We will also look at the products, accessories, hardware, software and just about anything that makes the world of flight simulation more realistic and enjoyable.
The newsletter will also keep members abreast of what other enthusiast are doing in the community.
Your newsletter .... We invite you to participate and email any stories, interesting tips, events, announcements or any contributions you feel may be of interest to the flight simulation community. Please email any contributions to: newsletter@kwikpit.com
A Plug .........
The KwikPit Company was created and is
ran by a flight simulation enthusiast. Our goal is to introduce
products that add to the enhancement and fun of flight simulation
without the complexity or high costs.
We hope you enjoy our unique line of cockpit products. We have strived to keep prices low as compared to anything else on the market.
Check out our products at www.kwikpit.com thank you for your patronage.
Regards,
The KwikPit Team
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New Year Greetings Hello to all hope everyone is looking forward to the new year. It's been an exciting year for the KwikPit Company. We've been developing some new ideas and attempting to streamline our operations. When I say we I mean me and my wife as this is a home based operation. We build the units by hand and keep a very small inventory and replenish as the need arises. I'm a flight simulation enthusiast and got tired of using a desk for my gear and having to remove it when I was done simming. I scoured the internet but couldn't find anything affordable, most cockpits were replicas of the F-16 and cost hundreds of dollars. The field has expanded today to include many types of setups for the home. The KwikPit is still an excellent choice for an extremely affordable compact cockpit setup. New products continually hit the market for Flight Simulation and Racing Simulation consumers. Many are affordable and some not so affordable. So for the new year I challenge all those who have an idea for a cool product for our hobby to think about making your idea or product a reality. The more gadgets we have out there the more fun the hobby. Develop your idea, build a prototype, produce some units, do it from home, keep it simple, that's what I and others have done. Your idea may be the next revolution in gaming or a "Why didn't I think of that" either way it's worth the adventure. Now for the fun. In the following article I'll give you an idea on how to create a seat that rumbles and vibrates and adds a new dimension to Flight or Racing simulation. This idea has been around for a while and uses a regular office chair. You can find more information by Googling the internet. |
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DIY Rumble Seat
First you'll need an old 8" speaker . It dosen't matter if the cone material is damaged because you'll be cutting it away.
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 Here the transducer has been wired and tested and is ready to mount to the seat. These can also be mounted to the bottom of sofas in a home entertainment center as well so they really do the job on a simulator setup.
An example of a home made transducer is shown attached to an office chair. this unit really adds to the realism in your games, give it a try. A search of the internet will give you all the info you need or email me at kwikpitc@kwikpit.com with any questions. Hope you enjoyed the article.
Add Realism To Your Games!
For more information or to purchase got
to:
This newsletter was produced by:
The KwikPit Company
Phone: 888-371-8821 |
What
we're talking about here are transducers. They impart vibration
instead of sound to the seat. You feel all the bumps, gunfire,
explosions and typical noises in the sim. There are commercial
units available like the "Butt Kicker" that run between $85 to
$100. The unit is OK but this is about building your own
transducers which is a lot more fun.
Remove
the cone material and make a cut in the voice coil big enough to
slip a bolt in. Center the bolt and make sure it is vertical and
not leaning to one side or the other. Coat this with a couple of
thick layers of epoxy glue and let it dry as shown.
Purchase
some stock 1/16th inch metal straps from your local hardware
store to make supports to hold the bolts and nuts that are used
to mount the transducer to your chair. It was a matter of
getting the balance of how many straps to use. Too many and the
unit was too stiff, to few and it would bottom out under
testing. One strap going each way seemed to work out just right.
Bolts
were mounted to the straps so the transducer could be mounted.
The bolts shown were replaced with shorter ones
for seat mounting. The unit does not bolt directly to the seat
but is suspended by the bolts at approximately where the washers
are. The vibration and motion is transferred through those bolts
to the seat or a peice of wood attached to the seat.
You
will also need a low power subwoofer amp capable of delivering
low frequency range, the transducers produce vibration in the
10-60Hz range. the amplifier is connected to your computer sound
card. Your stereo system will work if it has a subwoofer
channel. Power can be low, in the 20 watt range as it
really doesn't take much to get the transducer vibrating. I
thought this would not be enough power but I found 40 watt
Dayton amp that I barely turn past the halfway point before the
shaking gets severe.
Here
the transducer is mounted to a section of wood that will be
attached to the bottom of the office chair. I shortened the
bolts so they did not protrude through the other side.
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