Simplace Sim Dash
Simplace is an online store that aims to offer the largest and widest range of sim race and flight simulator equipment worldwide. In addition to the products sold in the webshop, they also market products under their own label. They’ve done this before with the Simplace GT3 Steering Wheel LIMITED EDITON and now they’re doing the same with the Sim Dash. The Sim Dash is a display produced by the eponymous manufacturer, a small company run by Jaime from Portugal, and sold in the Netherlands as Simplace Sim Dash. We have received the Sim Dash from Simplace for us to share our experience with you.
Simplace Sim Dash
The Simplace Sim Dash is an add-on that can easily be mounted on your wheelbase and displays accurate telemetry data, for example about the car, the lap times and the track. The SimHub software allows you to design your own display or use templates already designed for this particular dashboard. The Simplace Sim Dash is available in the Simplace web store and has, at the time of writing, a price tag of €345.00.
The Sim Dash consists of a 3D printed housing containing a 4.3 inch 480×272 pixel color LCD USBD480 display and 16 RGB LEDs. Included are 2 sets of carbon brackets with which you can mount the Sim Dash on Fanatec, Simucube and Accuforce wheelbases.
Assembly and Use
Hexagon bolts are included to mount the Sim Dash. Mounting on your wheelbase is not rocket science and is self-explanatory. Simplace has a well-maintained manual on their website for installation on the computer. The device is not plug-and-play, to start using the Sim Dash you need the latest version of SimHub, the USBD480 LCD Driver, the RGB LED CH340 Driver and an RGB LED profile. All links are also in the already mentioned manual. If you follow the step-by-step guide, your Sim Dash will be ready to use in no time in combination with your favorite sim. We did, however, find the manual necessary to allow the RGD LEDs to do their job.
Through various websites there are plenty of varying templates available that you can display on the Sim Dash. You can also customize the dashboards to be displayed so that they display the information you want. It’s use is pretty simple, the SimHub software visually transmits telemetry data from your racing game to the display. All desired information about your car and track can be displayed on the screen. The screen responds very quickly, for example if you press the DRS or Overtake button or if a yellow flag situation arises on the track, this is immediately visible on the screen without any noticeable delay.
Conclusion
This is a very handy add-on for your wheelbase, it is very easy to use and the device does what it is supposed to do. Driving in Assetto Corsa Competizione with the Simplace GT3 Steering Wheel is a wonderful combination and makes your GT experience complete. You can show a lot of valuable information on your display while sim racing without it being a distraction. The RGB LEDs are useful and with the right profile you can display shift lights, flags, pit limiter and much more. We find the price tag of the Sim Dash on the hefty side. We expected a slightly more premium version of the Sim Dash for this price. For example, the housing is a 3D printed version which feels sturdy, but an aluminum milled and anodized version would have looked better. The USB cable is also attached to the back of the housing, in our opinion it would have been better to have a variant with a separate USB connection in the housing. The carbon brackets, on the other hand, are very neatly finished and have a premium look, so we think it’s a shame that this look has not been extended throughout.
Have you become enthusiastic about the Simplace Sim Dash or are you interested in other products from Simplace? We have a discount voucher (promo code) available for you. Check our partners section for more information.
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