SimShaker Cockpit Shaker Project

[Snacko]

First off, I want to cover myself and say this is just how I setup my system. I am not responsible for what you decide to do for your setup. You need to read and understand how amplifiers, soundcards, and transducers work. Or you could end up damaging your equipment.

 

This winter I decided to try out SimShaker for Aviators (SSA) by building my own Amp and Shaker setup. I have a Volair Sim cockpit, and I really didn't want to use the JetSeat in my chair because it already fits me perfectly. So, I decided I would just add Transducers to my cockpit.

 

Since I am not using the JetSeat, and am building my own Transducer setup, I only needed the SSA Sound Module. It supports mono or stereo output, so I decided to go with a stereo setup. Only certain shaker effects are supported for stereo since not every effect would happen on just one side of an aircraft.

 

After researching the architecture and hardware design, here is the setup I decided on:

 

Sound card

Sound Blaster Audigy Fx soundcard. Any sound output separate from your speaker's sound card will do. You could use a cheap USB Soundcard, or HDMI output from a monitor has been suggested.

 

Amp:

Pyle 2x75w @ 4 Ohms Per Channel ($55.00)

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/597468-REG/Pyle_Pro_PCA3_PCA3_Mini_2_x.html

 

I cannot remember where I ordered these amps. But I think it was Parts Express or some audio site that specializes. Because I remember calling them to ask some questions. I had read that the watts that most manufacturers publish for their amps are usually overstated. And several forums that I read said they usually reduce the amps by 20%. But when I called and asked about the Pyle amps(because they are cheaper), the rep told me that they usually expect about 50-60% of the specified watts. So a 75watt amp would actually give you about 40-45watts. And when I told him my setup he said it would be very hard for me to blow my transducers with this amp. And this Pyle amp shakes my bass shakers great. I usually only have the gain at about 50-60% on the amp, and control the output using Voice Meter Banana controls from there most of the time. I rarely adjust the amp.

 

It is important to read up about how resistance works on speakers/transducers. Basically you can wire them in series or parallel to adjust the Ohms to match what your amp can handle. The way you wire them can divide or multiply the Ohms. So, pick the setup you want, and then pick the transducers with the Ohms to match your Amp.

 

Transducers:

Dayton Audio TT25-16 or TT25-8 PUCK Tactile Transducer Mini Bass Shaker ($13.00 each)

http://www.daytonaudio.com/index.php/catalogsearch/result/?q=puck

 

AuraSound AST-2B-4 Pro Bass Shaker Tactile Transducer ($45.00 each) Specifications: • Power handling: 50 watts RMS/100 watts max • Impedance: 4 ohms • Usable frequency response: 20 to 80 Hz • Fs: 40 Hz • Force peak: 30 lbs. per ft. • Dimensions: 6.2" dia. x 2.5" H.

http://www.parts-express.com/aurasound-ast-2b-4-pro-bass-shaker-tactile-transducer--299-028

 

Look at the manuals for both transducers. The AuraSound manual shows diagrams for wiring the transducers to adjust the Ohms using Series, Parallel, and Series-Parallel layouts. Here is a page from the Dayton Audio Puck manual. You can see how you can wire them so they match the 4 ohms that the amp can handle.

 

 

At first I was trying to find one larger Amp that could handle everything and had the correct watts and ohms for all of the transducers(4xTT25-?? Pucks + 2x AuraSound AST-2B-4 4ohms). But I soon found it hard to find an exact or even close match for watts and ohms, and the amps at that level were super expensive. So, I ended up going with 2 of the above Pyle amps. And actually I like that because I can now adjust my 4 pucks, which are on the foot pedals and hotas separately from my chair. But for someone starting out, you could just get one Pyle amp and 4 of the $13 pucks and see how you like it.

 

 

How to mount the Transducers?

At first I was trying to figure out the best way to mount the transducers to the chair. I was thinking it would amplify the shaking if they were mounted to an extension like a Buttkicker. That was wrong. Mounting them directly to the chair worked best. Here are my two tests that failed.

 

 

 

And this is what I ended up with. Mounted on both sides.

 

 

So, I ended up mounting the AuraSound Transducers directly to the metal plate on the sides of my chair base. Then I mounted the Dayton Audio Pucks to the Pedal Plate and Hotas. The instructions say to mount the pucks into holes that you cut. I went out and bought an expensive hole saw to cut the exact size hole they specified only to find out that the hole was larger than the puck. I thought it was going to fit snugly into the hole and had to be exact. It doesn't. So you can save yourself some $$ by just cutting a round hole with a jigsaw.

 

 

 

And the pucks were a little too wide to fit on my hotas plates, so I added some wood to mount them and painted it black. It sticks out about an inch, which is ok. Here you can see where I am measuring the wood to cut to mount the puck on one of the hotas plates.

 

 

That's about it for setting up the hardware. I read a post on one forum where a guy was saying that most people forget the most important thing about a shaker setup. He said it was very important to lift the couch, chair, ect.. up on something so it can move. I was looking at different ways to do this, then went out to my garage and cut 2 pieces about 5 inches long off of a 1 inch PVC pipe. I thought I would just test his theory with lifting up the back of my chair since lifting my entire rig was going to be quite a challenge, using rubber feet or whatever. This made a huge difference, and I haven't change it since.

 

 

Now to adjust your sound so you only send the lower hrz to your shakers. Voice Meter Banana (VMB) is an awesome tool that lets you take audio sources and adjust them and send the out to other devices. I have my primary speakers on my pc set to one VMB input, and I have SimShaker SSA sent to the second VMB input. Then I send the speaker out from VMB to my speakers sound card. And I send the SSA output Equalized and then sent out to my Sound Blaster which goes to my 2 amps.

 

 

With the click of one button in VMB you can send your primary speaker sound out to your Soundblaster also. Send it to both your speakers and to your shakers. So, if a game does not support shaker output, you can just send the game's sound to your shakers and it works pretty well. Or if you are watching a movie you can have your chair shaking.

 

 

Test your setup:

Here are two clips that I liked. Start with your Shaker volume down low until you see what happens. Keep your hand on the volume so you can turn it down quickly if needed!

 

 

(Various Frequencies) Be very carefull with this audio/video! Turn DOWN your volume!! Keep your hand on your volume so you can turn it down if things start to shake too much! Edited March 15, 2017 by Snacko

[BigMillerTime]

Question, you might be able to provide some insight. I have a similar setup as yours, but how would I go about passing DCS to my shakers in VMB but then wanting to listen to music during flight, but not want it rumbling the rig?

[Snacko]

Question, you might be able to provide some insight. I have a similar setup as yours, but how would I go about passing DCS to my shakers in VMB but then wanting to listen to music during flight, but not want it rumbling the rig?

 

Look at the attached pic. Once it's setup like this, you can decide to send your speaker output to A1 only, and your SSA to A2 only. All of your speaker sound would only go to your speakers. That would be your game sounds as well as any other audio.

[BigMillerTime]

Thank you. But I need DCS to also go to the Shakers for engine rumble and other audio that SSA does not provide. Does that make sense?

[Snacko]

SSA now had Engine Rumble with the release.

[BigMillerTime]

Thanks Snacko. I'm not sure about that one. Maybe for 1 or 2 airframes but surely not for all. Thanks for your time. I'll continue on my search for passing DCS audio to my 4 shakers, while looking for a way to not have teamspeak or music passthrough.