Geko GS105

Hi, @RacingMat. Can you give an analysis of sensations from the use of this simulator? What are its advantages and disadvantages (in your opinion)? Can you compare it with the classic 2-DOF and 3-DOF and 6-DOF?
And do you have some video with Geko???

Next weekend Sunday i'm gonna try the Geko seat at my pal Tim.

He build an entire new rig around the Geko GS105. I'm very curious how it compares to my GS-4.

LOL I found a GS-4 to be a good back massage and about it, compared to a seat mover , poor but if you had nothing , its better than that.

The GS-4 Performs like expected and is especially great in the long corners and under braking, but it's not a seat mover.

That's why i working on the plan of adding a seatmover to my rig: http://www.xsimulator.net/community...nt-gs-4-rig-need-ideas.6294/page-2#post-70309

It will be very intresting to see how GK105 will perform. Ik will post my findings here next week.

Last Sunday i drove down to Belgium and spend some time in the GK105.

The seat looks a bit like a sofa, but that back is loose. When you get in the seat you have to put on belts around your shoulders (like a backpack). Before you enter the game, you feel a bit like a ninja turtle with a heavy shield on your back, because the back of the seat is hanging on your shoulders. When the game is started up the seat powers up too and the back pushes you to the front to the default position.

While driving the seat has all the regular motion effects, but only at your back. The seat is very still when moving. At first i really had to get used to the fact that only my back was moving, while my legs are still.

After doing some hotlaps for a while i was getting more and more immersed and into the game. The seat was doing the "mind trick" en giving me enough feedback of the forces that were applied to the car. The trick is that you really have to fight the seat when it pushes you left or right.

I can only compare the GS105 with the GS4, not with an actual seat mover.

Here are the pro and cons compared with the GS4

+ much much quiter
+ cheaper
+ more moving motion
+ more tactile feedback

-only the back is moving
-botton seat is stationary
-the harness is very difficult to get- in-/out
-not a racy look ( sofa seat vs race seat)
-stress on back

Would i trade the GK105 for the GS4? NO

I had to get out of the seat after 1 hour of driving because my back was starting to hurt. Because your uper body moves while your butt stays stationary, it puts a real strain on your back.

The GS-4 simulates the Gforces you feel when you are in a corner. The GK105 simulates the muscle power you use when you are in a corner.

Compared to the GS-4 i'm missing the moving bottom panels of the GS-4 too much. The combinaton of bottom and back panels does the "mind trick" better for me.

The GS-4 is more subtle, the GK105 is more violent (like a seat mover)

Hi!
I have tried geko105 and full 2DOF simulators :
I agree with @HoiHman

Geko advantages are:

- very silent,
- very powerful,
- easy to use,
- compact with a good WAF
- the muscles trick the mind very well!
- first price for commercial dynamic simulator
​

drawbacks for me

- in a 2 DOF, anybody can have a go and have fun instantaneously
on the contrary you cannot jump into a GEKO and have fun. It requires to train!
As the seat back is "free", you HAVE TO keep the central position and fight the forces.
Normally the seat back should stay still and in the middle position. If not it bumps to the limits: it's noisy and simulatingly inefficient
I found very hard to feel where is the central position... and it bother my mind too much. Maybe I should have trained more?
- it requires a real physical engagement! too much for my fun in my opinion
- it hurts my back as it has to be tensed all the time
- the harness is not a racing harness and I didn't felt at ease to breathe
​

Conclusion IMO:
full 2DOF cannot sustain long forces... but are fun. I'm unsatisfied
frex like 2DOF may be a bit better (because legs and arm muscles are involved) : I wish to try one day
gSeat like GS4 are simple to use and give sustained forces: I've started to build one!

yours
Mat

I ran my GS105 for about 60 hours. One of the actuators failed. Actuators are simple small 24v motors with nylon pinion and rack mounted on what looks like drawer slides and aluminum angle. Not very robust. Looks more like low cost Chinese construction than European. No labels on motors.Sensation OK but hard to separate important cues of braking and steering from road bumps. IMHO concept is good..execution not so much.

I received the Geko Motion Simulator system a few months back and tried it with both FSX (Steam) and Prepar3D as well as DCS. In one word...OUTSTANDING This IS a game changer. It works so brilliantly. This adds so much to the immersion. I am very very happy with my purchase. I also use it with driving sims e.g. Assetto Corsa and the rollercoaster No Limits 2 which is excellent in both these simulations as well. Any motion simulator is as good as the amount and type of software it supports and it supports a wide variety. This does Cars, Planes, and Rollercoasters that is why I didn't get the GS4

OK, but it still looks like your fighting to hang onto the wheel, so how about it RacingMat? And does the bottom part of the seat move as well?

The bottom part of the seat does not move, but a lot of people use the buttkicker 2 like this guy:-
http://www.projectimmersion.com/rig.php#motion
I initially bought it with a view to playing flight sims prepar3D/FSX and it works a treat i.e. turbulence, wind, take off etc
I've used it with DCS and it is spot on. I can't wait till Elite Dangerous/Star Citizen has telemetry support.

+ Telemetry for me is very good in conjunction with my (Steering Wheel - T500r and Flight Stick - Hotas Warthog)
+ Price
+ Flexibility (i.e. flightsims, Cars, Rollercoasters) I use it with two different wheelstandpro's. (flight and Driving) So not bolted on
+ Variety of software compatibility (inc DCS, Prepar3D, No Limits 2 (only current motion simulator/software that support this, Simvibe only support No Limits 1).
+ Works seamlessly in conjuction with Simvibe (with Buttkicker 2)
+ Small Footprint
+ Blends in well with my living room (the girlfriend doesn't mind :-D) I haven't got a dedicated games room. I don't particularly want it to look like a racing car because I play flightsims as well.

- Although the price is probably the best out there for what it is, it still cost me £1400 including postage :-|
- You have to re-adjust the belt any time another person is using the simulator

@Roy : yes bottom is still
I can tell you that you don't hang onto the wheel because your upper torso is mainly centered
on frex seat mover, you may hang more onto the wheel...

@TrickyTreesUK : do you find it's easy to feel where is the middle/central position to prevent to go to the limits?
You don't have back stiffness either?

@RacingMat

I've been flying/Racing with the Geko nearly everyday since I received it in January with no backache at all. I can't fly or drive without it. In an answer to your first question I can feel exactly where the central position is, there are no issues with that whatsoever.

Fine! I'm glad you found what you need with Geko

I think about mount a geko on a 2DOF simulator.
Maybe it can combine the advantages of both systems.
Or maybe not...
What do you think about that ?
Anybody knows if it is a good idea ?

Have you used a Geko seat yet? My impression (I just got one) is that putting it on a 2DOF tilting rig might end up feeling strange since the back is already moving quite a bit. I don't know if anyone's actually tried it, though.

Thanks for your answer.
No, I 've never used the Geko, it's why I ask.

My 2DOF is a T1000 with 2 actuators on the front :

My idea is to use the geko to emulate the constant G forces, and the 2DOF for pich, roll and heave.
But as you said maybe it will be strange, or maybe it's just a question of good setings...
I will try to test a geko system in my country.

Stroutmail, did Geko ever replace your broken actuator? Could you find a replacement? Could you fix it?

How have others found the durability of their Geko rigs?

I'd be curious to see a picture of the actual actuator, Stroutmail.

Cheers,

FC