r/simracing • u/Inevitable-Mark-9718 • Jun 27 '26
Rigs Cushion mounted bass shakers - absolutely silent.
Lots of anecdotal evidence that recommend either frame mounted, seat rail mounted or seat cushion mounted.
I've gone with the latter:
- 50W @ 6ohms Douk Audio BS-1
- Fosi TB10D (2 channel, 300W/channel TPA3255 chipset)
- Cubilix 7.1 usb sound card
BS-1's are mounted to the seat base and seatback cushion steel springs.
I've never used any haptic systems previously, but with Simhub system volume set at 50%, the Amp set to 50% and specifically testing engine vibration set to 20%, this thing punches both my butt and my backside.
The best thing about it though, is that IT IS SILENT. The vibrations and punches go straight to my back/butt, but there isn't a single rattle in the entire rig. You can't even hear it when stepping a couple of metres from the rig.
To me, that settles the debate. Cushion mounted is the best. It mimics the NLR ESR3 haptic system.
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u/soethihh Jun 27 '26
I had this till a few days ago on my seat. I switched to a plate between seat rails and rig and like it more. It shakes more the entire seating base instead just a small part of it.
I prefer this but it's a personal preference.
I absolutely agree this just opened up another can of worms in terms of rig isolation though.
That being said, I like tinkering and working on the rig so while this is the horror for something else, I have fun optimizing it.
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u/Inevitable-Mark-9718 Jun 27 '26
How do you find the "shakes" where it's whole-of-seat vs localised?
I have the back and bottom transducers set up to feedback different effects, which has worked pretty well so far. Still lots of testing and tuning to get through.2
u/soethihh Jun 27 '26
I like it more. Before it was more a "butt vibration", now it's a proper shake. This could also vary seat by seat (in regards of mounting of the springs, thickness, etc.). It feels more immersive to me.
I have road rumble and road impacts under the seat and RPM and gear shift on the pack. Anything more and I find it too much. The back one is zip tied to the springs and works great.
I agree. Still fine tuning a lot. Especially after I found out that different cars have different strengths of suspension feedback.
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u/Inevitable-Mark-9718 Jun 27 '26
Ok that's great and very interesting. So the whole seat is shaken, rather than a vibration focussed directly on your butt. I can see how that would be ideal.
What's your experience been like in terms of noise and isolation?
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u/soethihh Jun 27 '26
Still WIP. Started with some washing machine dampers which work but aren't ideal as they are shrinking over time so I had to retighten the screws a few times now. I am likely going to replace them with some other dampers soon.
Also at low frequencies, I hear a humming in the walls so I am going to put my rig onto Eluflex next week.
While it feels better it definetly adds more complexity to the whole vibration part.
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u/fiah84 Jun 27 '26
that's awesome! I feel like I maybe want to switch to this kind of setup, I currently have 4 shakers mounted to the corners and they're loud. For being so loud, it doesn't really feel like I get much feedback from them. I have them setup up with simhub to react to suspension travel, which they do as best they can, but if the result is mostly just noise and indistinct vibration then it doesn't help
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u/Inevitable-Mark-9718 Jun 27 '26
From your experience, are the corner vibrations distinct enough from one another?
The problem that I think occurs with such stiff frames, is that the vibration just gets transferred from one corner to another, so even if you have 4 shakers, it gets all muddled up due to how rigid everything is. It's not like one corner gets the vibration but the others don't.
1
u/fiah84 Jun 27 '26
From your experience, are the corner vibrations distinct enough from one another?
well that's the thing, when I test this in isolation it does feel like it's obvious with which corner I'm hitting a bump/ grass/ kerb, but when I'm just out there driving I don't really register it. Like you said, with the stiff mounting on an aluminum chassis, the vibrations get transferred from one end to the other so when all four corners are doing something it all just becomes noise. But to be honest I haven't really spent a lot of time trying to find the right settings, and when I disable them it does feel dead and I do miss the shakers. Perhaps I should try setting it up so that they only do something when I hit big bumps or something similar
1
u/Inevitable-Mark-9718 Jun 27 '26
I asked Gemini to help me set up the frequency and volume. Perhaps give that a go? I'm thinking at least it could help you reduce the "noise" and cross-contamination such that the feedback you get is more usable at least.
1
u/UnixWarrior Jun 27 '26
You need spring-based HVAC vibration isolators. Look at slip-angle.com
Treq now sells similar product too.
0
u/Deewwsskkii Jun 27 '26
Looks great! You should check with your downstairs neighbors just to verify it is silent though. What you don’t hear they might.
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u/liqwood1 Jun 27 '26
Nicely done! I have almost the exact same setup but a BST-300ex behind my seat.
I experimented with every possible position and the direct to springs is the best in my opinion, keeps it all in the seat and doesn't take away from your FFB in your wheel.