PICS
03/09
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This is all about noise. The speakers built into my seat back and bottom for vibration are really great and add to the realism. The problem that has always bothered me is the level of sound they produce. Although it's muffled under the cushions, cranked up they can get pretty loud. Then I read about transducers, the sound suddenly became unbearable and I saw the light, I had to have a set of Transducers, that's the way to go. Transducers impart vibration instead of sound, the perfect solution. |
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Transducers are pretty expensive so I knew I wouldn't be purchasing a retail unit right off the bat. You can Google to research them on the net. There is a relatively cheap ($85 to $120) system called the Butt Kicker that attaches to an office chair but I didn't think it would do the job imparting the vibrations and thumps needed in my pit. |
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I turned to the internet once again and found several articles for building homemade transducers. They were mainly for home entertainment system seating and one was adapted for simulation gaming. An example of a home made transducer is shown attached to an office chair. I've listed the sites on the Links page. This is how I did it. |
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First you need to find one or two old speakers anywhere from 8" to 10" will be fine. I had a couple of 10" woofers from an old speaker box. It doesn't matter if the cones are damaged because you'll be cutting the cone away. You can see this in the photos posted here. |
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After you cut the cone away all you need to do is make a cut in the voice coil large enough to get 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. |
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I purchased some stock 1/16th inch metal straps from the hardware store to make supports to hold the bolts and nuts that are used to mount the transducer to my seat. 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. |
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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 set but is suspended by the bolts at approximately where the washers are. The vibration and motion is transferred through those bolts to the seat. |
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You will also need a low power subwoofer amp capable of delivering low frequency range, the transducers produce vibration in the 10-60Hz range. Low power can be in the 20 watt range as it really doesn't take much to get the transducers vibrating. I thought this would not be enough power but I have a 40 watt amp that I barely turn past the halfway point before the shaking gets severe. |
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Here the transducer has been wired and tested and is ready to mount to the seat. I have built two of these one for the seat back and one for the seat bottom. These can also be mounted to the bottom sofas in a home entertainment center as well so they really do the job on a simulator setup. |
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Here the transducer is mounted to the bottom of the seat. I shortened the bolts so they did not protrude through the other side. Mounting was done the same way to the seat back. Again these are 10" speakers but 8" speakers will work just as well, I had 10's that's why I used them. |
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System install complete, cheap and ready to rumble. Engine vibration, runway thumps, hard landings, machine gun fire, explosions all can be felt. Surprisingly adjusting to the level just above noticeable and tweaking the frequency cutoff on the amp is the trick. Too much and it rattles my whole pit in some aircraft. This is a great DIY project I recommend to anyone even if it's just a transducer on the bottom of your chair. Happy hunting |
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