Nov/092
TV Bracket + Latest Order for new kit
I will be upgrading my computer within the next two weeks. Well, I say upgrading, I’m actually just buying a PC, to run rFactor and COD:MW2 specifically. I’m currently using a top of the range Mac Pro. While it’s performance is absolutely incredible, restarting to do a few laps or to play COD is annoying. I want something where I can just wake it from sleep and do some laps, so that’s where the idea came about.
I’m pretty much decided on the spec now.
- Intel Core i7 920 2.66Ghz
- Asus P6T SE Intel X58 1366 PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard
- WD Velociraptor 150GB 10,000RPM HDD
- ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB GDDR5
- OCZ 3X2GB DDR3 Triple Chanel Ram
- Corsair 650W ATX PSU
- Lancool Dragon-Lord PC-K58 Case
- Edimax EW-7728IN
- Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro CPU Cooler
- DVD/RW 22x Optical Drive
So, based on that, it will rip through any games I can throw at it. I am currently using a 30″ Apple Cinema Display which is the best of the best. The size, and the quality is phenominal. I decided that getting a smaller monitor was a bad idea as it would seem very small. I thought about using my TV, but it’s not Full HD, only 720, so the native resolution is 1280×720. I thought this would be poor for running rFactor, but it turns out that is isn’t. I gave it a go and it looks phenominal.
I realised a couple of things. Firstly, my 2560x 30″ Monitor upscales the game, the graphics aren’t even made into that resolution so while the image is pure, it’s not as good as it could be. The second thing was that my TV has such a low resolution that the game can be scaled down and therefore it looks even nicer. The buttons mainly and the interface, not so much the cars and tracks. Having only a 1280x resolution will also be easier on the graphics card, so thats a bonus.
When I’m playing COD, I’m simply going to switch display’s back to my current one, no way can I play COD from inside my cockpit and at a 1280x resolution!
Finally I can get Windows off my Mac, where it most certainly doesn’t belong!
Initially, I had my TV stood on my cockpit with the stand. But I had a solution that has worked incredibly well. I purchased a tilt/twist/swivel and rotate bracket from Amazon for £45. It’s the most solid bracket I’ve seen. I secured the bracket on the wall at the correct height for my cockpit, so there’s no stand anymore. However the beauty is that my bed is in line with the cockpit, so when I want to watch TV in bed, I can turn the TV around 180 degrees and watch it. If I’m at my PC, I can place it flat against the wall. So it works all ways around. Please ignore the curtains in the picture! My sister moved to Uni and I quickly stole her room!
I’ve also ordered a couple of other things today, while I wait to order my PC. When I’m in the cockpit, I still need a keyboard, just to type in game, but I also needed a mouse. Now, obviously I could just use a USB mouse and keyboard, but that means more wires and that also means putting it ontop of the cockpit, cluttering it up. So I decided I needed wireless. But I found the perfect solution.
A keyboard is pretty bulky and a mouse needs a decent surface to move on, so instead I went with the Logitech DiNovo. It’s a great little piece of kit. Very small, nearly palm sized. It has a small touchpad in the top right which I can use as the mouse, and it can just sit down the side of the seat when I don’t need it. Perfect.
I also ordered an anti-static wristband and mat ready for the PC build. And a headphone to Phono lead so I can use the TV speakers for racing.
Speak soon guys!
Nov/090
ARC Wheel Installation
More detailed guide to installation coming soon, but for now, a few pictures.
Nov/090
Wheel updates & Other Information
Hey guys!
I’ve paid for the wheel, a month ahead of release! ARC are shipping the wheel on Wednesday, so I’m hoping it should be here within the next week or so, cannot wait!
The guy I asked to make me a couple of button boxes has re-surfaced, he was on holiday and had no access to email’s. So it’s back on! He’s making me two button boxes, 6 buttons in each, with a main, slightly larger box housing more wiring and a Leo Bodnar board. This will then plug into my computer via USB. Image attached.
I am buying a new computer in December. I currently have a top of the range Mac Pro. Which does the job perfectly. However, I have to restart into Windows everytime I want to drive, which is totally inconvenient. Also, moving the cockpit across the room each time is frustrating, so keeping it where it is permanantly will be great.
The computer will be a self build, highly spec’d, with Core i5 or i7 processors, 4GB of DDR3 ram, an ATI 5770 1GB and an top of the range motherboard. The PC will blitz anything.
Because of this I wanted a new monitor. So I don’t have to move my current one each time as I currently am. The problem is that my current monitor is 2560x resolution, 30″ screen size. So anything smaller would seem tiny. The only resolution was a TV but I was worried about my 32″ LCD TV resolution, it’s only HD Ready at 720p. I tested it tonight however and was incredibly surprised. Due to the massive resolution of my monitor, it actually upscales the game, so some of the buttons look rough and other things as well. With the TV, and the resolution being lower the game looks even more crisp, not a let down at all. I had expected the car to fill up most of the screen which really wasn’t the case.
So now I’m using my 32″ TV as my gaming monitor. I want to buy a swivel stand so I can turn it around – my bed is the exact opposite way to the cockpit.
Button Box Diagram
Sep/090
Carpeting the back half of the Cockpit
Yes yes, I said no more updates until the 17th, but I found a bit of time tonight and took on the carpeting.
After about 15 minutes I realised I wouldn’t have enough to do the full thing – sigh! I managed to do the back half with a few scraps left over. So I will need to order a bit more.
I started off by measuring the base, adding an extra inch or two at both ends and top and bottom. This would be so it would rise up the sides a little and also hang over the edge, so I could ensure a better line down the front of the cockpit.
I cut this out, sprayed the back with adhesive – which incidentally ran out after covering this piece. Luckily I had a second can, well, my Dad did. I pushed the bottom piece into place, squeezed it into the corners and made sure it was completely stuck on. I had to cut the corners off at the back, so the carpet didn’t scrunch up. For now, I left the overhang in place.
I chose to do the back next, this would overlap the bottom piece and run along the sides of the cockpit by an inch or so. I trimmed the edges slightly to fit in with the two pieces of wood. I didn’t want any scrunching or folds, so this made it need. I used a combination of scissors and a knife.
Next, I chose to do the two small uprights, but only up to the top of the first piece of wood – not the whole side. I used the same process as the bottom. This side bit overlapped the bottom piece than ran an inch up the side. Once this was stuck down, I used a knife to cut at 45 degrees into the edge (corner) to take the excess off this section. I repeated this for the other side.
Following this, the only remaining pieces were the two main sides. Again, I used exactly the same process as before. overlapping each end and then cutting it at 45 degrees in the join to keep it neat.
The final thing to do was to cut the front overlapping sections off. I used scissors for this. There were still a few bits to touch up, mainly at the back with the angled wood. I just cut off small pieces of carpet and stuck them in. Because the carpet is black it totally absorbs any lines.
I don’t think it’s perfect and I will never be a carpeter, but it does the job and it looks the business. All I need now is more carpet for the front! 
Aug/090
Seat Moulding Process
Well, that didn’t take quite as long as I expected it to! After doing a couple of further test runs with the seat mould/vacuum, the actual final mould only took about 45 minutes.
I decided to add some space inhibitors to the bottom of the cockpit. I got them from a Supermarket (they use them at the back of the fridges occasionally). I used it for the same thing here, basically to take up space inside the cockpit, so the seat’s beads could be used for moulding and not wasted filling right to the edges of the cockpit.
I did a test run with these installed and it worked far better than it had done previously. Then I decided to go for the final run.
Firstly, I let all the air out of the bag using the valve, which let the beads completely loose. I then proceeded to mix the resin. The kit provides the exact amounts of hardener and resin – 400ml and 600ml respectively. Pour the hardener in first, followed by the resin. This is thicker and will sink to the bottom. Then I mixed it all for 5 minutes. From the point of mixing, you have approximately 1 hour before the seat is too hard to work with.
Next, I removed the valve from the bag by a simple twist and pull. I lifted the hole over the centre of the bag/beads and began pouring in the liquid using the jug and funnel, making sure not to get the resin on the bag itself. This doesn’t matter, but its best to hit the beads directly rather than pouring it down the sides of the bag.
Next, I spent 15 minutes kneading the bag, mixing up the mix right into the beads. I pushed the corners into the middle of the bag to be sure they were all coated. There is a slight colour to the mix – a light grey, so you can clearly see which beads have been coated and which haven’t. The feeling of the beads was now totally different. They felt far more dense.
I placed more beads on the bottom of the bag, and fewer for the back. Then I placed it into the cockpit. I got in, and got comfy. Then, for the final vacuum. It really tightened up this time. I sat in the cockpit for 1 hour and 25 minutes total. After about 25 minutes or so the seat started to get really hot. And after about 45 minutes it was pretty darn hot. Not burning hot, just hot hot.
I got out of the cockpit and the seat looked great. I will now leave it overnight to properly harden and cure. Tomorrow, I will begin sanding, cutting and removing the excess that isn’t needed.
On Monday, I will receive the suede I have ordered to cover it. Black Faux Suede from Ebay, it cost me £9 plus shipping – £13 total. Very reasonable. This will be stuck on with the adhesive spray I have.
I have also ordered some suitcase catches, which will keep the two halves of the cockpit together, and will look really good.
Anyway, enough rambling, check out the pics!
Aug/090
Seat Kit Arrived & Painting Finished & Decal Designs
-
- Seat Kit
-
- Desktop Files – Decal Images
My seat arrived today. The kit looks great, can’t wait to try and mould it. Will possibly be doing that tonight, fingers crossed! The process seams quite lengthy, but it’s best to be thorough and get it perfect than to rush it. After all, if it goes wrong, I may as well have just thrown £145 down the drain!
I think I will have to add some more wood to the bottom of the cockpit, the seat needs to be raised slightly, the front being level with the entrance to the front half. It might be possible to shift the beads enough to fit it perfectly, but I’m unsure. The last thing I want to happen is for me to end up getting pins and needles/dead leg whilst driving. That would be a nightmare.
I’m also thinking of covering the seat in either black suede or Nomex cloth.
Anyway, the painting is completely finished!
Paint process:
- Sanding
- 1st Coat of Zinsser Grey Primer
- Sanding
- 2nd Coat of Zinsser Grey Primer
- Sanding
- Grey Undercoat
- Sanding
- 1st Top coat
- Sanding
- 2nd Top Coat
- Sanding
- 3rd Top Coat
- 4th Top Coat
Glad thats over! Each of the Top coats required 16 hours drying time in between. Although it will take around 10 days to fully cure.
Last night I drilled a hole in the bottom of the front half of the cockpit for a couple of wires to enter the cockpit. I will finish this off with a silver metal disc, so the hole is completely tidy.
I also spent a couple of hours last night preparing the decal images. This was a fairly length process. Each image requiring the correct size (in CM/MM), a blank backgroud, correct naming etc. Having to pull each one off the internet in a decent size was more difficult than I thought it would be. My desktop is now littered with the files!
In total there will be 37 decals on the cockpit. This seems a lot! However, every decal on one side also needs to be on the other. And then 7 decals for the top. Just like my initial design.
If the printing company can do the job, I’m ready to go!
Aug/090
Cockpit Cowling Design Proposal
Right, as promised I’ve designed the top of the cockpit. A quick photoshop so nothing special! I designed it as it is now, as I hope it will be and as a final product.
Essentially the cockpit top stops short of the edge by 4 or 5 inches, enough to get the wheel under, but I really dont want to see the wheel base at all. So, I will cover it. With another piece of MDF that will curve around the wheel, hiding the base and leaving just the wheel and part of the shaft visible.
Aug/090
Filling • Sanding • Priming
-
- 2 Part Wood Filler
-
- Part 1
-
- Part 2 – The Hardener
-
- Holes Filled
-
- Corner Shot
-
- The back edge
-
- Corner top
-
- Filled screw up close
-
- Cockpit Primed
-
- After priming – from the back
Last night I filled all the screw holes, any joins and gaps. I used 2 part wood filler. It’s basically a putty, and a hardener – hence the ‘2 part’. I let this dry for about an hour or so, and then sanded it all flat. I again used the finer sand paper and then ran over it with an even finer pad.
This morning, I primed the wood with Zinsser BullsEye Primer-Sealer. Doing this will allow the main coats of paint to cover more evenly and the final result will be a lot better.
After this, I have sanded down the ‘grain-edges’. This will allow the second coat of Zinsser to fill better. I sanded down the flat surfaces also just with the fine pad.
I used some caulk behind the obtruding edge on the front section. Allowing me a smooth area rather than a right angled gap and line. I also rubbed some caulk into all of the grain edges – this is basically the equivalent of 5 or 6 coats of paint. The grain will be filled far better with the next coat.
I am leaving that all to harden and dry. Tomorrow I will apply a second coat of the Zinsser primer, followed by another light sand.
Then its down to the red coat, sanding, 2nd red coat, sanding, followed by a final couple of spray layers and a coat of lacquer. The end result should look spot on.
Aug/090
Materials Received
-
- Carbon Fibre Vinyl
-
- Coach Bolt
-
- Transparent Wallets
-
- CF Vinyl Adhesive Back
-
- Spray Adhesive & Carpet
After ordering the materials last week, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see them all arrive by today. I got the last item – the Carbon Fibre Vinyl.
I’ve already put the Aluminium to good use. The carpet was spot on, the adhesive was about 5 times bigger than it looked in the picture and the CF Vinyl is just as I had expected.
I’ve attached pictures of the materials and also of the bolts I purchased for the button box buttons. I also purchased a pack of transparent business car holders/sleeves. One of these will be ideal for putting a track map into and sticking it on the side of the cockpit. They have self adhesive on the back too.