Hello, after reading about everyone’s tactile setups (a big thank you to Mr Latte and everyone else for sharing), I thought I’d share where I’m at with mine. I also grabbed an assortment of Dayton exciters and will offer my initial thoughts on those.
First, the exciters. I’ve attached a couple comparison shots so you can get an idea of the width and thickness of these, ranging from the tiny 9mm models to the 32mm models. They are roughly ordered left-to-right in terms of my subjective preference (looking for a mix of vibration strength / response curve below 100Hz, small form factor, low heat buildup, and low audible noise), with my favorites on the right.
View attachment 309173
View attachment 309174
I found the <10W models to be suitable for direct skin contact, such as haptic touch, but not able to transmit vibration through any objects. In the 20-40W range, there are a variety of models, some of which I ruled out after quick testing either because the vibration felt weak or they produced substantial crackling noises. My favorites in this category were the DAEX32U-4 and DAEX25FHE-4, so I’ll describe those.
They’re a little smaller and slimmer than the Dayton Puck, and quieter (these two models produce less of the “crackling loose speaker wires” noise). The DAEX32U-4 has very strong output compared to the other models (think 2x stronger). It also runs very hot under sustained load, which makes me worry about using it for a constant RPM effect unless the power is kept low and multiple units are paired up. I suspect the DAEX25FHE-4 (and some of the other vented, metal shell) models can dissipate heat better, though have weaker output.
They need room to oscillate - if you stick these under a seat cushion, you’ll feel nothing, because they are unable to move (as opposed to the Dayton Puck, which has a shell it can move inside). Ideally, they also should be attached to a surface with some flex that they can resonate, because they are a bit lacking in mass compared to a Puck or Buttkicker piston - if you attach them to a very solid object (I tried directly to each pedal, my shifter, and my handbrake), the effect will be weak, at best like an Xbox or Fanatec rumble motor, at worst only a mild tingle that gets lost among other effects.
Attached to the back of my seat, I can feel them, though I’d say you need a pair for the effect to be strong enough to notice when not run in isolation. They seem great for this mounting location, but I’m disappointed that they underperformed when attached to solid objects or placed under seat cushions.
How about the Dayton Puck, for comparison? Well, the Puck has an annoying crackling noise, which makes placing it within two feet and using without headphones a bit of a problem, unless you keep the power level fairly low. I have three pucks mounted to my three pedals, and at that distance the noise isn't terrible, but I do make a point of not emitting signal to them if I'm not actively pressing the pedals. I have four under my seat cushions, but I have the volume turned down on these, which keeps the noise (and vibration) to an acceptable level.
The Puck’s greater moving mass and hard shell are more suitable for where I want it mounted than the exciters. The Puck’s frequency response range is narrower than the exciters, and it has a very strong peak (a less flat curve), which means you need to tailor your effects to its strengths a bit. It is also prone to bottoming out, which makes a grinding sound - I actually like this for my brake pedal, so I intentionally bottom that one out, but it’s a balancing act to keep the others from doing this while still being strong enough. Which is stronger, between the Puck and exciters? It depends on where and how you mount them.
As for driving them, I tried the Nobsound, but for my particular setup, I like an amp that automatically powers on when I turn on my power strip, so I can turn all my amps on/off together. The Nobsound doesn’t remember its last state. I found the Dayton DTA-1 to be powerful enough even for the 40w exciters (too much sustained power, e.g. a loud RPM effect, and they start to burn up, anyway), as well as for the 8-ohm Dayton Pucks, and it has a physical power switch.
My current setup:
4x LFEs, one at each corner. Suspension and wheel slip. The front ones are each mounted on a separate piece of wood extending out from my pedal plate. The rear ones are each mounted on a separate piece of wood sandwiched between my seat mount and the chassis sliding rail, extending outward.
3x Dayton Pucks, one per pedal:
Clutch - RPM, when pressed
Brake - slip (front combined R/L as mono), muted when brake isn’t pressed (this fires when you lose front traction, ABS kicks in, wheels lock, etc.)
Gas - RPM w/ shift indicator filter (it ramps in as you get close to redline), when pressed. This one is attached with 3M VHB tape, seems to be good so far.
1x LFE and 1x Clark 239 under the seat. The LFE runs wind (low-frequency rumble at high speed), gear shift, and RPM low-frequency when the car isn’t moving (I don’t like a constant RPM at speed). The Clark runs high-frequency RPM, again when the car isn’t moving.
4x Dayton Pucks, two under my butt cushion, two under my shoulder cushion. The butt rumblers run stereo rear L/R wheel slip, and the shoulders run RPM w/ shift indicator filter.
I'm currently using an SB Omni for my extra audio channels, but it has a tendency to disappear or stop working when my computer reboots or wakes from sleep, so I'll switch to a PCIe audio card soon.
View attachment 309175
View attachment 309176
View attachment 309177
View attachment 309178
What I’m thinking about changing:
I don’t like the Clark under the seat for RPM - if I enable it while the car is under motion, it makes it harder to distinguish the rear left/right suspension and slip effects. I may move it to the seatback, and have a filter so that it is active either when the car isn’t moving, or when moving and you approach redline (I don’t like a constant, strong vibration).
I’m switching to a GS-5 seat soon. I’d like to re-evaluate the seat cushion rumblers at this point. The GS-5 has proper mounting points for the Dayton Pucks, which also look like they might be suitable for exciters (there looks to be enough clearance for them to oscillate under the plates). The butt rumblers running wheel slip feel unnecessary, though - they do a fine job in isolation, but I feel like my rear LFEs handle this effect a little better. I may also drop the shoulder pucks in favor of moving my (stronger) Clark to behind the seat and letting it handle the RPM shift indicator effect instead.
That leaves me with room to mount under-cushion transducers, but nothing in particular that I’m wanting to run there yet. G-forces are interesting and I’d like to try this, though I’m unsure whether they will add to or detract from the GS-5’s own G-force effect. Something interesting to try would be routing surround sound audio to these.
I’d like something for my shifter and handbrake. I tried individual exciters on each, but they were unable to transmit vibration through these. Dayton Pucks on each would likely work, but the noise might drive me crazy. I’m now thinking a single, larger unit (mini LFE / mini concert / etc.) under the shared mounting platform they sit on. I’d also like to find a solution to know when I have my hand on either, so I can dynamically choose which set of effects to route to the shared unit - maybe a capacitive touch sensor (like the lamps that turn on when touched).
All of the tactile effects are generated by my own custom software. I write software for a living, so this is half the fun for me
