EPLab SimFlag PRO
Recently we have received the EPLab Race Display PRO from Simneeds, in collaboration with EPLab, for testing and review. At the same time, they provided us with the EPLab SimFlag PRO. The SimFlag PRO is, as you might guess, a small RGB Matrix LED panel that serves as a flag light to display your favorite sim’s ingame flags in real life. Now it’s our task to try out this accessory and share our thoughts on it with you!
EPLab SimFlag PRO
The EPLab SimFlag PRO is a Matrix RGB LED panel with 64 RGB LEDs in a 74x75x65mm housing. The housing of the SimFlag PRO is 3D printed and in our case has optional alcantara fitted all around. Included is a bracket that you can mount on the back of the SimFlag in four different orientations. Two T-nuts and corresponding bolts are also included with which you can easily mount the SimFlag PRO on an aluminum extrusion profile. Finally, there is an extendable USB cable attaches to the back of the SimFlag with a dust-tight connection. The accessory can be used via SimHub or iFLAG software and according to the available information iRacing, Assetto Corsa, Assetto Corsa Competizione and RaceRoom are supported. The standard version of the EPLab SimFlag PRO is available at Simneeds for €95 at the time of writing. The price for the alcantara version like ours is €110.
The SimFlag PRO is neatly packaged and delivered in a compact white box. On the white box you will find a sticker of the SimFlag PRO and a smaller sticker with the colors of the Italian flag; a nice detail that shows that the accessory was designed and produced by EPLab in Italy. The box also contains a very brief instruction and a download link to the required software. You will also receive this in your e-mail when you purchase the SimFlag.
Our first impression is pretty good; it is a nice compact accessory and the finish is generally okay. The alcantara upholstery on our model gives it a more premium feel than the bare 3D printed texture does. Unfortunately, the alcantara on the underside of the SimFlag is not neatly finished with our copy; there is a small bulge visible and the area where the alcantara connects is not clean looking, there is a small gap visible. There is again a small sticker with the Italian flag on the bracket, which we think is a nice and subtle detail.
Mounting & Usage
We have mounted the SimFlag PRO on one of our FormulaSimRigs Avanzata cockpits. The mounting itself is a easy; mount the bracket on the housing, place a T-nut in the aluminum extrusion profile and bolt it down. Still, it was a bit of a puzzle for us where we wanted to place the SimFlag. The main reason for this is that you can only place the SimFlag straight on a profile with the supplied bracket, while we would have liked to mount it at an angle, next to or above our screen, to ensure that it still faces us. Unfortunately this was not possible, a small point of feedback that we also mentioned with the EPLab Race Display PRO. The connector of the SimFlag PRO is in the middle of the back of the housing, this can also make placing the accessory more difficult since it will have to protrude somewhere to be able to connect it. That said, we also realize that the connection below, above or on the side of the SimFlag would be less ideal in other circumstances. Once mounted, it of course also looks sleeker when the cable is not visible. Finally we mounted the SimFlag PRO to the pedal deck of our FSR Avanzata rig so that it shines through the legs in the face. However, we have mounted the accessory upside down because otherwise the protruding housing on the top obscures the view of the top row of LEDs from our point of view. Unfortunately, this does make the less neatly finished alcantara visible.
Installing the SimFlag PRO is a breeze; just install the supplied driver and load the supplied profile into SimHub. There you can choose which information you want to display on the RGB panel, both with and without a game is running. When there’s not a game runing you can make your own animation or drawing which you want to have visible on the panel. When a game is running you can check or uncheck the following categories; Gear, Flags and Spotter Overlay. The available flags (yellow, green, blue, white, black) speak for themselves and can be turned on and off individually, the Spotter Overlay visually shows when there is a car to the left or right of you. Finally, when there is no flag or spotter activity, you can show your gears on the panel, which you can select in several available fonts.
The color representation of the RGB Matrix LED panel is okay. Red, green and blue in particular are displayed beautifully bright and vibrant. Yellow leans more towards green and own composite colors such as purple lean more towards white. The brightness can be set very high but also very low, which makes the accessory pleasant to use in both well lit and poorly lit areas.
When it comes to using the SimFlag PRO we can summarize it easily; the accessory does exactly what it’s supposed to do and does it as expected. We initially used the SimFlag in Assetto Corsa and Assetto Corsa Competizione and think it is a very nice looking addition to our cockpit, and it reduces the chances of missing a yellow or blue flag a little bit as well. If you like to go for maximum immersion and turn off the entire ingame HUD, the value of the SimFlag will of course increase more. A small downside; the black-orange flag (also called meatball flag) as is given in ACC when your car has heavy damage is not supported with the supplied preset. Since SimHub also works with the F1 games, we also started F1 2021 and the SimFlag PRO works fully in that too, which means that you can also see the flags, gears and spotter on your SimFlag PRO in this game.
Conclusion
The EPLab SimFlag PRO is an accessory that does what it promises. With the RGB Matrix LED panel you can not only display the ingame flags, but also your gears and a simple spotter. Installing the SimFlag PRO is absolutely a breeze with the included driver and preset. We think the accessory also looks like a cool addition to our cockpit. The finish of the alcantara is not so well done on our model, which is a shame because we mounted the SimFlag PRO upside down, making this minor flaw more visible. We don’t necessarily think that the SimFlag PRO is an absolute must on every sim rig, but it certainly makes the experience and immersion that much more fun. With the spotter functionality, this accessory can also be a valuable addition when you do not use on-screen indicators.
The EPLab SimFlag PRO is available on Simneeds for €95 for the standard version. The EPLAB SimFlag PRO with alcantara finish is available for €110.
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