MOTION actuator choice: D-BOX / PT-ACTUATOR / SFX-100

[pihops]

ok I am looking into spending $5k in a motion system. I am looking at SFX100, pt-actutor but also a used gen1 d-box

I like the pt-actuator as I am not into building my own system but lately some companies do offer complte kits.

on the other hand i can get a d-box gen1 4450i for the same price. less actuator stroke, used but I have the vibration system build in, so I don't have to worry about the whole bass shacker setup for tactile feedback. also d-box software is not a hack into game telemtry but something more official hopefully easier to setup.

I am curious to hear your feedback on which system is best for the cost.

one thing I am curious about is the push-only vs push/pull of some actuator. I have a hard time thinkign I need the push pull for a 4 actuator system but I see barry from sim racing garage upgraded his gen2 d-box to a gen3 d-box which now offer push/pull actutors...

my rig is a base simlab P1X.

I am playing at night so I need it to be as quiet as possible, and also compact as I have limited space I know the d-box sounds like a winner to me ... tell me what you think !

I am putting a picture of my old rig here for fun.

 

[metalnwood]

Sounds like if you are not building then its between pt and dbox.

Personally I would then go PT. I think Barry also has some PT reviews so you can figure out what the deal is between the setup of both. Either way, its mostly a one off thing. Maybe the PT is not as friendly to set up, I dont know but I do think you have a couple options as to what software you end up using with PT. Barry Manages to do the setup in his videos so it cant to too long a process.

With PT you would also have room to expand with two or three more servos for surge/TL/seatbelt etc, if that takes your fancy down the track. All on the same hardware with the same software. Dbox is really dbox and doesnt give you the other options so you have ot then go outside their eco system if you want other addons later.

 

[Tronicgr_6DOF]

Just a quick note, D-Box will be quiet of course if you don't use the vibration features... And you still have to assemble/mount the actuators same as PT-ACTUATOR..

 

[pihops]

do you guys know why PT-Actuator do not offer the vibration system ? I mean they seem to be the exact same hardware, and they also figured out the software thing.. is it just that simtools has not developped the vibration system..yet ? or is it something else ?

also why are the pt-actuator so much longer than the d-dox system

sorry for all the newbie questions but I have hard time finding information on these decision factors.

 

[Tronicgr_6DOF]

do you guys know why PT-Actuator do not offer the vibration system ? I mean they seem to be the exact same hardware, and they also figured out the software thing.. is it just that simtools has not developped the vibration system..yet ? or is it something else ?

also why are the pt-actuator so much longer than the d-dox system

sorry for all the newbie questions but I have hard time finding information on these decision factors.

The vibration effects from D-box are canned effects. PT-ACTUATOR actually uses real motion data cues from the games for vibration (road surface, offroad)

Some test videos that demonstrate the vibration capability:

And some real game data vibration demostration here:

Thanks
Thanos

 

[DJ_Psymon]

If it was my rig, I would first ditch the DBox gen 1 idea. It's a closed system and extremely difficult / costly / impossible to expand.

Then go for PT for the win on hardware and build quality; or go for SFX100 for best bang for the buck.

Combined with the Thanos controller, both PT and SFX can be expanded very easily! Something people don't think about until they get the quote from DBox to reconfigure their controller when adding an extra axis. Ouch!

 

[Tronicgr_6DOF]

If it was my rig, I would first ditch the DBox gen 1 idea. It's a closed system and extremely difficult / costly / impossible to expand.

Then go for PT for the win on hardware and build quality; or go for SFX100 for best bang for the buck.

Combined with the Thanos controller, both PT and SFX can be expanded very easily! Something people don't think about until they get the quote from DBox to reconfigure their controller when adding an extra axis. Ouch!

True. Just scroll through my YouTube list here to see all kind of different combinations and designs:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnk_yOQnOD_YRxGFI5Z0CvpWGx1GGeXIo

 

[pihops]

I am just really interested in the idea of the vibration in the system, and I don't want to invest $$$ into bass shackers. I see some guys spending a fortune in butt kicker and amplifiers, so if d-box can do it from the get go, that is a big plus.

But I hear you on the expension. the fun part is to keep building

I would just love to read about some sort of implementation of the vibration system for PT-ACTUATORS.

I clearly see in the video you shared that vibrations are possible... now WHY is that not implemented ? I am very curious

I guess it is on SimTools hands to develop such a thing ? They should have a funding campaing to get the project funded, I am sure plenty of PT owner would be ready to add a few bucks into that campaign.



Phil

 

[Tronicgr_6DOF]

To understand the vibrations, think what bass shakers do... they translate AUDIO from the game in vibration... for that to happen in the actuators, the software has to mix somehow low frequency audio from the game (0-100hz usually) into the normal motion cues of the actuators...

D-box uses canned effects for that to avoid uncontrollable mixing of random audio during the game (like music etc). Its just a software thing.

 

[Tronicgr_6DOF]

I talked to Dustin about adding export to the simtools gamevibe plugin to allow mixing in normal motion cues a while back. Perhaps the new simtools 3.0 will have this option hopefully:

SimTools v2 - Game Vibe

yobuddy submitted a new resource: SimTools v2 - Game Vibe - A telemetry driven re-configurable multiple output transducer system for SimTools. Here...

www.xsimulator.net

 

[pihops]

Thanks for your input, at least now I see this is a software thing and hopefully it will be added later on.. may be I should try to start a funding campaign once I get my setup

I am really thinking about the pt-actuator right now, what's the best place to buy them ? only direct on their website ? I don't think they have any US distributor, right ?

also is there any place where people sell these used ? I mean I have never seen a used set for sale anywhere on the sim racing forums...

 

[Tronicgr_6DOF]

Thanks for your input, at least now I see this is a software thing and hopefully it will be added later on.. may be I should try to start a funding campaign once I get my setup

I am really thinking about the pt-actuator right now, what's the best place to buy them ? only direct on their website ? I don't think they have any US distributor, right ?

also is there any place where people sell these used ? I mean I have never seen a used set for sale anywhere on the sim racing forums...

You can contact PT-ACTUATOR on their website... maybe go for the new Scorpion series they have been making:

You will probably not going to find used ones for sale, as their owners are more than happy with them

 

[pihops]

do you know what's new with these 'scorpion' actuators ?

I looked on the website but aside of the high load capacity, up from 150kg (mega monster) to 200kg (scorpion), I could not see the difference, I also don't see any prices yet, but I'll ask them to see

 

[Tronicgr_6DOF]

do you know what's new with these 'scorpion' actuators ?

I looked on the website but aside of the high load capacity, up from 150kg (mega monster) to 200kg (scorpion), I could not see the difference, I also don't see any prices yet, but I'll ask them to see

They use a hex shaped profile for quiet anti-rotation mechanism and better load handling with no backlash.

 

[pihops]

That is very interesting, I mean these guys could really use some Public Relation work to promote their product.

 

[Tronicgr_6DOF]

That is very interesting, I mean these guys could really use some Public Relation work to promote their product.

Have you considered joining the WhatsApp PT-ACTUATOR club? You can ask any details you need from other PT-ACTUATOR owners or even the manufacturer directly there... see contact in information on their website (scan barcode):

Contact - PT Actuator

Contact Phone: Head Office: + 86-516-87086650 Boss Shao : + 86-181-68750685 Email Add: shao@pt-actuator.com ptactuator@gmail.com WhatsApp QR: Sales & Service Caroline: +86-133-9524-4615 Email Add: xieyutong817@gmail.com WhatsApp QR: New to simulation & need consultation service...

www.pt-actuator.com

 

[pihops]

I didnt know about that one... I'll go check it out.. thanks !!!!

 

[Beef36]

D-Box announces it is "The first haptic system licensed by the FIA"

 

[metalnwood]

View attachment 411304

D-Box announces it is "The first haptic system licensed by the FIA"

Well that almost tempted me to pay another $30k but then... maybe not

 

[RCHeliguy]

It makes sense to use your suspension actuators for suspension bumps etc.. That's just part of the road texture that should come through.

However adding vibrations using SimHub, amplifier and transducers doesn't have to cost a fortune and adds feedback separate from suspension queues.

When undertaking a project it's easy to consider that one more thing the straw breaking the camels back making things feel overwhelming. The great news is that you can try to keep things simple and can always add transducers later after you are finished with motion only "if" you feel it's worth trying.