RacingCUBE

I just bumped into this.. Looks interesting, was suprised to see whole platform moving forwards-backwards

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/370152296/racingcube-an-affordable-and-fast-motion-platform

nice concept

yes, good idea

about $2880 AU plus freight. reasonable

PArdon?

ok

I agree this is an interesting concept. But like most any design, it has a few issues imo.

To start with, it doesn’t heave. But at their offering price, I will say I wouldn’t expect it to.

Next issue is, while it can do over 360 degrees of yaw, it is not continuous and causes it’s power cable to wind around the base of the rig. I’m not sure this would pass Underwriters Laboratories testing here in the US and receive a passing grade. I can see the possibility of frayed wires and possible degradation of the wires insulation over time. When running an AC voltage of 110 or higher, the last thing I would want as a manufacturer is the higher risk of an electrical shock to my customers due to this design. And what if you set the wheels for surge and sway instead of yaw? What will keep the power cable from getting in the way and getting pushed around and possibly damaged that way too? It may be over concern on my part but it looks like a possible lawsuit in the making.

Another issue is the use of moving monitors; they must remain lightweight and so, inevitably small. It’s may not be an issue to those that aren’t already accustomed to using larger screens, but I don’t think I would be at all satisfied now that I’m used to a 67” monitor which seems to be the perfect size imo (at about 5 feet out). For a while I was even running 67” triple screens. At over 200lbs total, I’d like to see this rig handle them. Of course, you could instead use the rift or something similar instead.

But I wonder, if you are running with the wheels set for surge or sway, what safety features are implemented that keeps you from running it into a wall or possibly a bystander? When using the rift you wouldn’t even see it coming! I see more possibilities of lawsuits.

Also, what titles are supported with their software beside LFS? They seem to have forgotten to mention those on kickstarter at least! They do say it is compatible with “other” software, implying more titles that way? But would you pay their asking price without knowing all the titles they are directly supporting or where to legally get the “other” software for other titles? Me, not!

I like this original design! it's refreshing
and that's cheap when you calculate the cost: the margin is low... probably too low to ensure a sustained commercial activity IMO.

and like @BlazinH, I think it rather for Occulus users rather than triple-screens
and I would have add proximity sensors! (mandatory) One hour race and a real crash into my dinning room wall... no good WAF!

Seen lots of kick starters for motion sims, let's see if this one actually delivers on it's promises. Agree, that cable is a worry .

Interesting concept but has issues as stated and the Only way that Yaw wouldn't be CRAZY distracting would be with VR, seeing the room Spin behind the monitor's would be Extremely bad for immersion.

Hi . I'm the one who built and designed the racingCube . First of all , I would say that anyone who has actually tried my sim was absolutely amazed at it’s driving characteristics. That's good enough for me.

The cable is not an issue, because the frame on the rig is 10mm above the floor and the cable is 25mm thick. The monitors are Asus ve228, the weight is 4 kg and has been tested by throwing one to the floor from two meters height four times. It went apart each time. It was assembled, tested and it’s still working!
For software, each customer will receive his own personal SimTools 2.0 license.

Thank you.

Hello @T frank , it is a good concept you have there. It would be interesting to see how many other designs you have been through to get to this. Yes there will be comments about the ride.
Id be a little concerned about the room needed though, but that would be in the instructions Id guess.
Also, do you have a recommended max weight driver, as I know from experience, different drivers can affect the point of balance.
Otherwise, as said, good concept.

Hi @T frank. I’m glad to hear that people are liking it! But how many, if any, have ever driven other simulators and have other experiences to compare it to I wonder. My personal opinion is a full heaving rig is a completely different driving experience and makes full rotation yaw seem like a gimmick although a heaving rig is generally much more expensive than yours. Your rig does appear to have decent speed to it however.

I noticed the frame is low and there are guides around the wheels in order to keep the power cord away. I’m not sure how this assures that their won’t be any issues with wire fraying and insulation degradation though considering you don’t know the condition of all surfaces it may be used on. Were you able to obtain a UL safety listing on your product then? Were you able to secure product liability insurance also?

They seem robust. But can you run larger monitors than those if wanted? What is the maximum weight recommended for monitors?

I’m glad to hear this! So I assume you will have 100% support for Simtools 2.0 on your own website then? It’s been a while, but last I talked with yobuddy and the team about it, I was told they were considering starting a separate website for Simtools commercial support. But to my knowledge it has not yet come to fruition. Any further news on this @yobuddy or @RaceRay?

Also, you didn’t mention anything about what safety features you have implemented to assure that your rig doesn’t run itself into a wall or possibly a person. Can you comment on this too please?

Thank you.

Regarding the cables, the rig will be fitted with a suitable cable carrier. We still consider different types. There is a big emergency stop at the steering wheel, and we don't recommend larger or heavier monitors. It can carry 130 kg all included, all depending on how the weight i distributed and of course, max load will influence on its performance.

Support for SimTools 2.0 will be on our website as soon the product is launched. I have seen the website for SimTools 2.0 , and been told about the features. It looks very promising.

Until reaching the consumers, it is still a prototype and we are working hard to meet all requirement. Thank you for helping improving our product! All help are appreciated.

Thank you for your reply @T frank and you're welcome for the feedback! May I ask though, if you are not implementing proximity sensors or some other way to stop your rig from or when hitting something, what footprint is required for each of the operating modes (yaw, surge, and sway on the back wheels)? I'm sure potential customers would like to know this information to determine if they have the required space available for operation.

The sway and surge is 2.5 m to each side. The final range is not decided yet and will be determined with final approval, and the user will then be able to choose a range going from zero to maximum range. I did not mention any sensors, but this will also be decided with final approval.
Thanks,
Tommy

@T frank , what motors do you use for this please?