Tactile Transducers

[GrendelsDad]

I have just got into racing sims and having a few old amps laying around I ordered 2 transducers...one for under pedels the other under the chair platform I have built. Nothing fancy just a 6 inch riser. They work great for the racing game I play.

Well of course I decided to fire them up in BOS and holy cow what an impact. The guns when fired from 110 thunder through your feet and chair. You can feel the flak burst and bullets when they hit you. If you are thinking VR in the future i beleve you will not want to play without tactile feedback once you try it. Also you can feel the stalls of the plane which gives you cues to correct sooner too. My wife can hardly hear them as well. Just wanted to let you guys know if you were considering trying this out.

Edited April 27, 2016 by 6./ZG1_GrendelsDad

[Urra]

Can you provide the link for where you got em? Or the manufacturer? Sounds interesting.

Edited April 27, 2016 by roaming_gnome

[GrendelsDad]

Yes...I have aura pro ast-2b-04  from PartsExpress.com  really fast shipping just pick the free option, it took 2 days.

I also have a adx maximus (not sure it that's right its under my chair stand cant get too it till later) 

The maximus is a little stronger but they cost 20-30 more where the aura are only 40 total and even better if you get a couple with one of the amp/bass shaker combos

 

Go to the website and search bass shaker and a bunch of combos with amps that work great come up...I would suggest a 2 channel amp just for versatility sake.  they cost about the same.  Also you want a Sub amp I think is what its called.  forgive me as I am no expert and hope if I say something wrong someone sets me straight.  simple to set up and the way I run mine I need a secondary sound card but there are ways around this too. Just let me know if you don't have another sound card I can tell you how to do it if you need me too.

[GrendelsDad]

Sorry US dollars if you are not from the states.

[Urra]

Midwest here, so dollars fine. Thanks for the info, I'll look into it!

[GrendelsDad]

The dayton audio amps are good from my experience. And cheap.

[seafireliv]

Thanks for the heads up. Looking to trying something like this.

[GrendelsDad]

Take off and landings are great as you can feel when the wheels leave the ground and when the retract all the way.  The cannons are Thunderous when they go off. 

 

http://www.parts-express.com/one-adx-maximus-with-dayton-audio-apa150-amplifier-bundle--300-9014

 

this combo here is what I would reccomend...the 2 channel amp is perfect for getting a second transducer later.  After a while with both I feel like the ADX max.  is worth the extra $ if you have it.  The Aura is very nice in its own right and they offer this combo which is a really good price for the same amp and 2 Aura transducers...

http://www.parts-express.com/2-aura-pro-bass-shakers-with-dayton-audio-apa150-bundle--300-9004

 

I have an AURA 50 watt under the left side of my chair platform riser i built...and the ADX maximus on the right of the riser.  I think because I have 2 different brands that they make slightly differient vibrations and it adds to the engine and overall  effect of the transducers.  Also I have one mounted under my pedals on another small riser i built for my pedals.  Something very satisfying about firing your guns in the 110 and feeling your legs vibrate.  Makes it feel like you are sitting over the guns and cannons. 

I also have one attached to the underside of the desk.  This one vibrates my joystick nicely.  Just beware that vibration for monitors and electronics in general are not good for them.  My monitor is mounted to the wall so it is free of most of the vibration.  So I have 2 amps and 4 transducers total, but 1 or 2 transducers with 1 sub amp would do the trick just fine if placed under the chair and pedals if possible.

Edited June 17, 2016 by 6./ZG1_GrendelsDad

[seafireliv]

A bit expensive on my side, but will look into alternatives.

[GrendelsDad]

Seafire, I have seen a few DYI projects where guys take old sub-woofers they have and convert them to transducers...one guy had a 15 inch woofer acting as a transducer.  If you already have  an amp and old speaker you are half way there.  I will try to dig up the thread I am talking about.

Edited June 17, 2016 by 6./ZG1_GrendelsDad

[SOLIDKREATE]

I need to make a pit with this stuff installed

[Jade_Monkey]

This is awesome! The only problem i see is that my chair is one of those office chairs with wheels, so it might be a bit cumbersome to set it up with all the wires.

Maybe screwing it to the desk would work better for me.

[GrendelsDad]

There are some clever ways to attach to a chair that i have seen...but I also had this issue Jade that is why i just used some scrap wood and put together a small wooden riser(wood will move the vibrations better).  Really you would have 2 wires coming from the chair only.  So not too much just leave yourself some slack in the wire for moving and turning in the chair.  I will post pics of my setup tonight after the SNBF and show you how I have it set up.  The desk is not bad but it will not vibe your body much and I think that is when the effect is most profound.  The one on the desk just vibrates my already vibrating MSFF2.  If I had to put them in order of importance I would say the chair is first, then the pedels or legs(this just really brings you in for some reason/same when driving) then the desk.  All vibrating together is really awesome. 

[Jade_Monkey]

I looked at the specs and I was hoping someone can help me determine if with my current hardware I can drive one of these transducers without purchasing any AMP as I'm very happy with my current setup. I am not very well versed with the audio and power specs to figure it out on my own.

 

I have the Audioengine D1 DAC which takes the audio signal though USB. It has a headphone AMP in the front and two lines to my speakers, the Audioengine A2 (the old model, not the A2+ which have their own DAC).

 

If you use the Headphones, then there is no signal to the speakers. I use the headphones for BOS to not bother my wife and also because I have the TrackIR pro clip (?) attached to them.

 

After thinking about it, I guess I would have to use the headphone jack in the D1 and split it to drive the Headphones and the transducer from the same source. Is that even possible? Will that have enough power?

Edited June 18, 2016 by Jade_Monkey

[Sokol1]

ButtKicker is "RTU" and not too expensive.

 

http://www.thebuttkicker.com/simulation-kit

 

BTW - Don't know if this game has support or not (don't support Gametrix JetSeat).

[Jade_Monkey]

ButtKicker is "RTU" and not too expensive.

 

http://www.thebuttkicker.com/simulation-kit

 

BTW - Don't know if this game has support or not (don't support Gametrix JetSeat).

Thanks!

 

It's a bit over what i was hoping to spend for something like this. I'm ok with the $49 for the ones suggested in the thread. Regardless I'll take a better look from my PC, im on my ohone right now.

 

Hopefully it would be something like plug to an audio line and be ready to go without an additional AMP.

[seafireliv]

Seafire, I have seen a few DYI projects where guys take old sub-woofers they have and convert them to transducers...one guy had a 15 inch woofer acting as a transducer.  If you already have  an amp and old speaker you are half way there.  I will try to dig up the thread I am talking about.

 

Well I decided to buy a proper Bass shaker (it was quite cheap at £20). I`m hoping that my stereo system will work with it since the wiring all looks there. Like Jade I have a comfy wheel swing chair too, but also a more basic standing chair I use. Just gotta decide which chair I`ll use then start DIYing the things togther! Hopefully I won`t need an Amp.

Edited June 18, 2016 by seafireliv

[GrendelsDad]

Nice Seafire...keep me updated...I dont have one on my chair so I am curious to see what you come up with.

Thanks!

It's a bit over what i was hoping to spend for something like this. I'm ok with the $49 for the ones suggested in the thread. Regardless I'll take a better look from my PC, im on my ohone right now.

Hopefully it would be something like plug to an audio line and be ready to go without an additional AMP.

Jade they do make some that are very low wattage and those may work how you described but I am not sure?

Jade the way I run mine is to mirror the audio with the stereo mixer setting in the windows sound settings and change it to play out of the rear audio jack and hook DAC up through that and It would work....i use the same method to get audio out of my speakers.  Only difference I see is that I use a second sound card instead of front audio jack which just gives me more options on outputs thtas all.  Your way should do just fine I would think, but hopefully an expert could chime in.

[seafireliv]

Finally set up! I was waiting for the amplifier that took until today to arrive (two weeks)! I was using my stereo system, but it didn`t have the power and would often shut it self down. Even when it worked it wasn`t really giving out the bass rumble which i was looking for. This little amplifier does the job and really gets the rumble out!

 

I tried it on a couple of fps shooters and you really get the feel of your gun firing and the boom of explosions. Flying in IL2 is wonderful as you get that slight rumble of your engine which represents the feel of your aircraft and the kick of your guns.

 

Thanks again for your heads up.

[GrendelsDad]

Its a blast right!  Wait till you hit that heavy flak run!

[Skoop]

Never thought of this until you mentioned it here, could be a nice compromise to not having a reliable force feedback stick. Does this work well with headphones ?

[GrendelsDad]

Yes skoop it really is nice with headphones too.  I like that you can dial the setting in with vol.  and the crossover if the amp has one.  Also have my MSFFB attached to the desk that has a transducer and it compliments the FFB nicely. 

[Jade_Monkey]

I just got it set up last night as well!!

 

Look at what you have done Grendelsdad!

 

I use it behind a lower back support pillow i use in my office chair.

 

Its great, but there are a couple things i wish it could be better:

 

- the engine rumble drowns out most of the other effects. Although its probably very realistic, its also a pity.

 

-there is a tiny but noticeable delay between the sound on and the vibration, enough to distract me sometimes.

 

Are you guys using any sort of low pass filters?

 

I might want to filter more sounds to just get the really deep bass. Any suggestions?

[GrendelsDad]

Jade congrats and welcome to the next level lol. My amp has a cutoff at 50hz I believe. I will check later. I have been messing with the setting and I think between 50-60hz seems to be a good cutoff. I think some amps have a switch to help with the slight delay but it may just be the delay from the stereo mixer in windows. Which I have noticed in music more so than games.

Edited July 19, 2016 by 6./ZG1_GrendelsDad

[Jade_Monkey]

I think im using 100hz filters which would explain a lot of the noise coming in. Its not too bad for other games, but maybe not the most apporpriate for flight sims.

[GrendelsDad]

Jade if you go to the windows sound manger and open the stereo mixer setting,(properties) advanced tab,uncheck "enable audio enhancements" under Signal Enhancements.  Maybe this extra processing will cause slight loss in volume but seems to play a little closer to in sync.  Just a quick test on my part it may be placebo too.  Maybe having multiple shakers it is less noticeable for me?  Jade I would think you would lose a lot of the engine rumble as it seems to really increase as i increase the filter setting.  I think an adjustable filter would be best just to find that sweet spot as I am sure each audio device and game its a bit different.

Edited July 19, 2016 by 6./ZG1_GrendelsDad

[GrendelsDad]

Would love to see pics of your chair Jade and Seafire. I will be cleaning up my wiring later and I will take some photos as well.

[GrendelsDad]

sorry started posting in another topic lol.

[SCG_motoadve]

How can I make this work with the Rift headset?

I have no idea how this works but would like to have some extra feedback, and since the Jetseat its a constant rumble and this method has different rumble for guns, flak, engine, I think I prefer this one.

 

Not a clue how to make it work though.

[Jade_Monkey]

From my experience with the Vive, you can set up the audio to be mirrorred in two outputs, one for the headset and another one for speakers (or transducers).

 

I was able to do that in Steam VR settings. 

 

I'm sure there is something like that for the Rift.

[SCG_motoadve]

Yes they have that option for the Rift.

I am getting the Buttkicker, will report how good or bad it is.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

[TheSNAFU]

I don't have vr but do have the Buttkicker 2 and love it. Greatly

improves the overall simulation. I don't play without it.