Where to attach DIY bass shaker on OMP seat

[girarcat]

Hi there,
I'm considering building my own bass shaker set using a couple of these shakers:

Order Dayton Audio BST-1 Bass Shaker

Buy the BST-1 online at SoundImports ✓ Same day shipping ✓ Low shipping rates

www.soundimports.eu

One of them will be bolted directly under the pedal tray. The other one, I intend to attach it to the bottom of my OMP TRS-E bucket seat.
The bottom of the seat is a flat fiber surface, which looks like the perfect spot for the rear bass shaker. The ideal solution would be to drill some holes to the bottom of the seat and bolt the shaker in place. However, I'm not sure I'll be able to remove all the cushioning to do so, plus I'm afraid the fiber might crack.
I was considering as the easiest solution to just stick the shaker to the bottom surface with velcro tape, double sided tape or even just some glue. Not ideal, but much faster.

Do you think this might be a good solution or it can bring problems? Not sure if the fact of having a layer of tape between shaker and the actual bottom of the seat might create undesired vibrations and rattles or dampen excessively the effect of the shaker.

 

[jonkrmr]

Using a strong double sided tape will not adversely affect it but might not stay on for long term. Depends on kind of tape, weight of shaker and position (under seat is the worst as all of the weight of the shaker is pulling straight down on adhesive).
Good for use on small units and as temporary mounting until you find the ideal position for the shaker.
Hard mounting is best once you find good/ideal position for larger shakers. Drilling through fiberglass or composite material of the seat should not cause it to crack and should be fine long term if mounted correctly (use of oversized washers on bolts on both sides if needed depending on brand/type of shaker being used).
Ideally, you want the shaker as close as possible to the body part you want the effect to stimulate.

 

[MarkModdy]

I use industrial strength hold Velcro, works a treat for good fixing… not falling off but removable if required.

 

[girarcat]

I use industrial string hold Velcro, works a treat for good fixing… not falling off but removable if required.

Thanks! That's nice to know. Could you provide a link to the exact velcro type you are using?

 

[CRMS]

Google is your friend, I think -

Heavy Duty Velcro Tape - Industrial Strength Velcro

Discover the fantastic range of heavy duty Velcro Tape available. Browse our industrial strength VELCRO® Brand Tape today to find great deals!

www.fossewaytapes.co.uk

 

[MarkModdy]

This is the one I use https://amzn.eu/d/9aJVBBX

 

[MarkModdy]

It’s stickier than a very sticky sticker thing!!!

 

[Novopaine]

I'm 99% sure there's a foam-rubber padding glued to the bottom of these shakers. I don't think the Velco will stick that that reliably. Even if the adhesive held, I doubt the foam would. You could try to remove the foam padding, but that may void your warranty. If you do go that route, make sure you remove all of the old adhesive so that there's a squeaky clean surface for the Velcro to stick to.

I have the Aurasound bass shakers, which are basically the same as the Daytons. Mine weigh just over 3 lbs, or 1.4 kg. They are pretty bulky, so make sure that wherever you intend to mount them you have plenty of clearance.

I'm using the Extreme Outdoor Velcro, 15lbs/6.8kg, to mount some small transducers to the back of my seat, and it's held up amazingly well. I'm not sure I'd fully trust a heavy bass shaker hanging upside-down though.

Another possible option is to install the bass shaker(s) to a piece of plywood, and then bolt that under the seat mount. This is how I originally had mine mounted. Plywood + a little foam-rubber (tool drawer liner) to reduce the chance of rattling, four holes, bolts, t-nuts, and you're in business. It's not perfect, but it works.

 

[MarkModdy]

I have 2 of the Dayton BST2’s on the back of my seat https://amzn.eu/d/cVsmwdN and 2 Reckhorn BS-200i’s https://shakercentre.co.uk/product/reckhorn-bs-200-bass-shaker/ under the bottom of my seat all held on with the velcro I linked to in my post… my experience with these 2 different tactile transducers is when they were stuck with that Velcro they are going nowhere at all…

They have been stuck on the seat for over 3 years now…

In fact to remove them I needed to use a kitchen knife to prise them off the bucket seat, with much swearing and perseverance to do so

I tried a number of very strong double sided adhesive tapes and pads etc, but all failed with the heat of the transducer, ambient heat in the room or generally being underpowered to hold the weight of the tactile units.

However as you rightly say the BST1’s may have a foam cover on them, I can’t comment on this as I don’t have these particular transducers. I can only give my experience on the 2 transducer types linked above so your experience may vary on the BST1’s.

And as you also rightly say you could void any warranty by damaging this foam covering in anyway.

Yes the foams adhesion to the bst1 transducers could be the weak point in any bond to the seat (but the glue on the velcro or the Velcro connection to itself won’t ever give up grip, trust me on this as I speak from experience, once stuck it’s like a bloomin limpet mine)

My Dayton bst2s are also partially covered with foam too I believe.

Personally I don’t remember having thoughts of voiding any warranties when I fitted my 2 different types of tactile units, but maybe I’m just cavalier and didn’t worry about possible negatives (such as voiding my warranties by using velcro and damaging any covering on the tactile unit itself) as I pushed on with the use of the velcro.

I do know I thought that using the velcro was the lesser of 2 evils, with the worst one being to take the seat off my rig, and then seat cover off the bucket seat and to then drill holes into the seat itself, or just push on with the use of velcro instead.

Luckily 3 years on now I have been lucky and my transducers haven’t failed and so no warranty issues have been experienced.

However your mileage might vary… I can only speak of my own experience with the 2 different tactile units I have linked to… so you makes your choice, pays your money and takes a chance…

 

[CRMS]

I've got the very similar size/weight Aura Sound AST shakers. On a flat fibre surface, you could use a sealant adhesive such as Stixall or CT1. Use it round the metal rim putting a filet on the edge and through the bolt holes to act like screws. Once that is cured it is not coming apart easily. The fibre surface will likely break up first if just pulled off.
I'm trying to think of a better solution to hold one in position of the sloping back of my seat. At the moment, leaning back in the seat tightens the strap ensuring good contact. Would the velcro stick to mock suede fabric? I could get the seat cover off and sew the velcro onto the fabric.

 

[Novopaine]

My Dayton bst2s are also partially covered with foam too I believe.

The BST-2s are only partially covered with foam, as you mentioned, whereas the base of the BST-1s are fully covered in foam. The Velcro should theoretically be capable to hold the BST-1, but I stand by my opinion that clean metal surface is needed for the Velcro to be reliable.

I don't know if removing the foam would be enough to void the 5 year Dayton warranty, but it is technically a modification. I think it all depends on the local laws, and how fickle Dayton is on RMAs should the product fail for an unrelated reason.

 

[girarcat]

Thank you all for your help. I'll definitely go for the Velcro option, which is by far the easiest one.

I'm pretty sure I can handle the foam cover on the BST-1s. If the Velcro tape won't stick, I'll just add some strong sealant glue which I'm pretty sure will stick without problems, or I'll just go ahead and remove the foam. I'm not worried about voiding the warranty. It's just a 50€ component. If it decides to fail at some point down the road, so be it.

I can see most of you have the BST-2 instead of BST-1. Do you maybe recommend going for the BST-2?

I can see they are somewhat cheaper, being 35w instead of 50w. I thought 50W should be better, but I don't know anything about transducers, so just asking. I'd like to keep things simple and use only one transducer under the seat and another one under the pedal plate, using this small inexpensive ampliffier: https://www.amazon.com/Nobsound-Bluetooth-Amplifier-Wireless-Receiver/dp/B06Y67PZB1, that’s why I assumed two 50W transducers would be the best way to go for me.

Thanks again!

 

[girarcat]

Just occurred to me, thanks to what @Novopaine suggested, I could use a VESA plate bolted directly under the seat mounts, where I could bolt the transducer in place.

https://www.amazon.es/conecto-Adaptador-Universal-adaptadora-400x200/dp/B0BJW176NG/

In terms of driving feedback, which do you think is the best option? Transducer attached directly to the seat bottom using heavy duty velcro, or bolted to a metal plate mounted under the seat mounts?
I assume the first option will transmit more vibrations to the driver, since it would be attached directly to the seat instead of it being attached to a plate which is only attached to the seat by both sides...

 

[blekenbleu]

In terms of driving feedback, which do you think is the best option? Transducer attached directly to the seat bottom using heavy duty velcro, or bolted to a metal plate mounted under the seat mounts?

How, if at all, is the seat isolated from larger mass?
For example, folks generally want seats to resist longitudinal deflection when braking
and also not deflect much vertically. Consequently, isolation for lateral haptics...

 

[girarcat]

How, if at all, is the seat isolated from larger mass?
For example, folks generally want seats to resist longitudinal deflection when braking
and also not deflect much vertically. Consequently, isolation for lateral haptics...

Hi! I'm not sure I'm following you on this one.
If I went the Vesa plate route, I would attach the plate under the seat mounts. This would mean the vibrations created by the transducer would only be transmitted to the rig and seat through the relatively small area of contact between the Vesa plate and the rig, as opposed to the other option, where the transducer would be attached directly under the bottom of the seat.
Not sure if the Vesa option would attenuate the haptic feedback a lot more than the other option?
This is my rig. In red you can see where I would mount the Vesa plate:

There's a guy on Youtube who did something similar. It would look like something like this:

 

[blekenbleu]

Not sure if the Vesa option would attenuate the haptic feedback a lot more than the other option?

Bolted solidly to frame sheet metal, your seat can only move by flexing that frame,
which severely impacts haptic energy transfer.

Many seat bottoms have sinuous (zigzag) springs:

.. far better to attach transducers to those than to seat frame...

 

[CRMS]

How, if at all, is the seat isolated from larger mass?
For example, folks generally want seats to resist longitudinal deflection when braking
and also not deflect much vertically. Consequently, isolation for lateral haptics...

My seat, car type adjustable runners mounted on 2 transverse beams, is mounted on 4 rubber mounts. They have been fine with braking forces.

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www.polymax.co.uk

 

[girarcat]

Bolted solidly to frame sheet metal, your seat can only move by flexing that frame,
which severely impacts haptic energy transfer.

Many seat bottoms have sinuous (zigzag) springs:
View attachment 798604
.. far better to attach transducers to those than to seat frame...

Thanks! I'll go the Velcro route, then, with the transducer attached directly under the seat bottom. That's your recommendation, I gather, isn't it?

 

[blekenbleu]

That's your recommendation, I gather, isn't it?

As directly to your bottom as practical.