Room Design

The first thing to consider when you start planning your simulator is where you will put it in your home. This is not a small item and careful consideration needs to be given to where it will be placed, power supply and how you will "live" around it.

Placement:

(In Development)

Power Supply:

The sim will run off of a standard 120 volt home power outlet (Here in the U.S. that is). However I do not recommend that you plug directly into the wall. You will want to protect you valuable  electronics by using a quality surge protector. A sudden voltage spike can completely fry your sensitive hardware. Surge protectors work by detecting and rerouting the excess voltage away from your equipment. Take time here to do a little homework and buy a good one. After all, why would you put a cheap $5 lock on a door to protect $5,000 worth of tools? It's only going to keep the honest people out. It is ultimately my suggestion that when the sim is not in use, that you simply unplug all of its components from all outlets when not in use. Yet, while it is plugged in, you will defiantly want the protection a surge protector provides.  

When shopping for a surge protector, there are few key elements to look for. First, make sure that the item is UL Certified. Also look at the item's Clamping Voltage. Any one with a clamping voltage below 400 volts is probably fine. It should also protect for at least 600 joules, yet the higher the better.

As for the power outlet requirements, you will only need a total of 2 grounded outlets; one for the computer and one for the monitor.