Recently, I have been addicted to the games Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator. When I was purchasing equipment, I bought everything from steering wheels to turn signal stalks to steering wheel brackets. I would advise friends who have not yet gotten into the game to think twice . Later, because I often delivered goods for more than 36 hours in game time(the real distance is about 1/6, so it took at least 6 hours in the real world), my butt often hurt, so I started to seriously consider buying a gaming/eSport chair.
But! It would be more fun if you could DIY something you can buy! Isn’t it?
Warning: Only DIY players with certain hands-on skills are capable of complete this. If you don’t have the ability to do it yourself, there are already modified ones on the market.
This article will teach you how to make a great gaming/eSport chair yourself on a minimal budget. Don't worry, just plan it out. You might not need to use a welding gun (at least you don't need one).
Why are car seats a great material for DIY gaming chairs? Where can I get them?
The materials and design used in general seats and their fatigue resistance cannot be compared with car seats. The main reason is that car seats were designed with the idea of not letting drivers feel tired after long hours of riding. Generally speaking, American car manufacturers place the most emphasis on long-distance creature comfort, while European car manufacturers place more emphasis on secure passenger on a curvy road, and Japanese car manufacturers place more emphasis on fuel efficiency and detail finishing, so their seats are relatively light. However, there are still differences for cars with different design concepts. For example, Toyota Alphard's seats may not consider weight, while Ford Mustang's seats place more emphasis on sportiness.
In fact, many German car models have their original front seats made by Recaro, and many other European car manufacturers also use Faurecia's car seats (please refer to the analysis of the main competitors of car seats ). So unless you really love the look of racing seats, in fact, if you go to a car junkjard and pick a front seat of a European imported car, it is either produced by Recaro or Faurecia. The most advanced electric racing chairs currently are high-end products jointly produced by Recaro and Porsche . Domestic e-sports peripheral manufacturer Thermaltake has also launched a very beautiful electric racing chair with Porsche Design . But in comparison, it is obvious that the car seats pulled off the car are made of thicker and better materials. In terms of support and long-term riding comfort, the car seats still win.
Because I am interested in car repair, I often travel a lot to buy and sell cars. I have sat in many different car seats for a long trip. At present, I prefer Citroen seats. Since everyone has different preferences, you can go to a car junkyard and pick a chair you like. For example, Saab 9000 Aero chairs and Renault Scenic chairs are all time favorite, so they are usually sold out as soon as they appear. If you browse the Internet, you will find that many people are selling them.
Please note: Racing bucket chairs are designed to be extremely enveloping, which greatly limits the placement of your arms and places high demands on your body shape, so they are not recommended for use in gaming or office settings.
▲The left one is a low-end Herman Miller chair worth more than NTD. 5,000, and the right one is a racing chair modified from the front seat of the Citroen C2 car. The Citroen seat can be found NTD. 3000 for a pair. The quality of the materials should be obvious at a glance. However, the fabric of the Citroen C2 chair is a very special material that is difficult to wash. After washing it hard, it still looks a bit dirty.
What parts do I need to modify my car seat?
After choosing the chair you want, what should you equip it with to make it work properly? You need to consider the following parts (from top to bottom):
Armrest : I felt it was necessary at first, but after installing it, I felt it was cumbersome. It is used to rest your hands, but it is rarely used. I suggest you don't waste money on it.
Seat Adapter Plate : This is the only part that needs to be customized. It is used to connect with the seat bottom plate. How to customize it will be detailed later.
Seat bottom plate (also called seat chassis) : There are several specifications for this chassis, the main differences are the screw hole positions and whether it has a rocking function. It should be noted that if there is a rocking function, the height of the seat bottom plate will be a little higher. If the seat height allows, it is really more comfortable to have a rocking function, basically you can lie flat and not fall back. This is generally a feature of higher-end gaming chairs or office chairs.
Air bar : There is basically only one specification, and you only need to pay attention to the length and load-bearing capacity. Generally, people under 90KG, with a 15KG-20KG seat, are still within the load-bearing range of 65KG - 110KG or 140KG for general air bar. Some high-load-bearing air bar has an upper limit of 160KG, which is suitable for people with larger bodies. In addition, the air bar is the main part that determines the height of the seat, so you must pay attention to it when choosing.
Chair claws : The load-bearing capacity of chair claws is basically sufficient, so just pick the one you like. However, you should also pay attention to the fact that the choice of chair claws will also affect the overall height of the seat.
Rollers or fixed feet : Some people don't like chairs that roll around, especially those who occasionally use them to drive trucks to deliver goods. Fixed feet are a good choice. As for rollers, there are several types, some are particularly suitable for carpets, and some are particularly suitable for wooden floors that are not easily scratched. When purchasing, it is best to think about what kind of floor you will use in the future.
▲The chair is very easy to disassemble and assemble, please refer to the above YT video.
Measuring is the most important step before assembling a chair
The height of a general office desk is usually 75cm, while the minimum height of a general fixed office chair is 45cm. So the first thing to add is the height from the adapter base to the seat surface.
Before measuring the chair, the rails need to be removed. The main things to measure are the height of the front seat and the screw holes needed to fix the chair.
There is a very useful little trick for measuring the screw hole position. First, find a piece of thick cardboard or corrugated paper of a carton, and then press the chair on it. Then use a pen to fill each screw hole. In this way, you can find each screw hole and the distance relationship between them. Finally, you need to draw a drawing, which is extremely useful for subsequent planning. It is recommended that you must draw it to avoid wasting time and money.
▲It is more accurate to measure after removing the rails.
▲Measuring the screw hole positions one by one is not only cumbersome, but also easy to measure incorrectly.
▲The author first covered the corrugated paper with white paint, and then measured directly on the paper. This will be much more accurate.
▲Example measurement table.
Chair planning, height and screw hole locations
Some people may be lazy and just dismantle a chair with a damaged seat. This is actually possible. However, if the original seat cushion is too thin, it will be quite different from the car seat, so please pay special attention.
However, the recommended solution is to limit the height of the front of the seat to a minimum of 45cm. You need to add the height of the seat bottom, air bar, chair claws, rollers or fixed feet, and the height of the front of the seat. This minimum height must be controlled at 45cm. If you are like me, the minimum height accidentally exceeds the limit to 50cm. When people sit on the chair, their feet will be a little suspended, which is not very comfortable. Please pay more attention.
Also, consider your chair. If the seat cushion is very thick, it is recommended not to install armrests, otherwise it is really stupid, and it only serves a decorative purpose. Or you don't need to add armrests at all, which feels useless.
▲The ideal seat pan position should be directly below the buttocks.
Customization of seat pan adapter plate
Next, you need to design the adapter base plate and pay special attention to the fixing holes of the seat chassis you plan to use in the future. You can measure the length of your thighs and calculate whether the center of your buttocks is just above the air pressure rod/seat chassis when you sit on the chair. This is crucial. If the center of gravity is not placed properly and is too far forward, there is a risk of the seat falling backward when it is laid flat in the future.
Next, the seat pan adapter plate is the most customized one. Some people in Taiwan are doing this customization, but the price is relatively expensive. I directly found a Chinese manufacturer to order a complete set. The shipping cost to my home is about NT$800. I can start assembling it right after I get it, which is very convenient.
If you have the environment, you can also buy steel plates and drill holes yourself, or take the seat chassis and drawings to a steel factory to help you customize it. Then buy some screws and nuts from a hardware store and you can install it.
▲The adapter plate, seat chassis, air rod, chair claws and roller dummy assembly are completed. Please ignore the word "Front" as I later discovered that it was on the wrong side.
▲I searched for a long time in Taiwan but couldn't find a suitable manufacturer. However, there are several manufacturers on Taobao that sell products that include adapter steel plates, so I just asked them to make it for me.
Assembly and finished product appreciation
The final assembly is actually not difficult. Just turn it over and tighten the screws and you can use it.
▲Turn it over and screw the armrest and base together. To make it easier to screw in the screws, I temporarily fixed them with a zip tie. After screwing in the screws, I cut them off.
▲Finished seat picture (front)
▲Finished seat picture (after)
▲ Diagram of actual use in the office
▲You can just lie down and rest during lunch break, which is really convenient.
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