Showroom 12v Winch Motor Driving Simpit

I am another long time lurker and have finally decided to build a motion platform...ok, truth is that my wife finally said go ahead

I have been building an enclosed race cockpit made with MFD, the build thread can be found here:

http://insidesimracing.tv/forums/topic/ ... entry84148

As you can see, I am not new to building cockpits (I have built two others as well). I am looking forward to my first motion platform though.

I had not thought about motion when I started that build but after racing in it for a few weeks I find that I would really like motion. Knowing that the entire thing would fold in on me if I tried to add motion to that rig (not to mention the weight issues) I have decided to start a steel framed motion rig instead.

Thanks to BSFT for his advice via PM I think I know what I want to start with.

A couple of years ago I bought some 24v 200W wheel chair motors but with one thing and another they sat under the workbench collecting dust. Time to put them to use.

I plan on using an Arduino Uno and h-bridge motor drivers. Thanks to eaorobbie and aarondc for their great work with the Arduino. I already have an Uno card in a drawer, I bought to mess around with but again never got around to it. I have used a dozen of the Teensy++2.0 controllers for a flight sim project and they are Arduino compatible. And of course it is much cheaper than the Arduino but that doesnt matter in this case.

My biggest issue at this point is whether to build my own drivers or buy a couple. I am not going to use the Pololu JRK 12v12 for obvious reasons, so I have been looking for other pre-made motor drivers. Pololu has the 24v20 driver and there are many on Ebay (from China) that range from 12-36v 15a (peak 30a) drivers for about half the price of the pololu 24v20. For 25.00 I think I would rather go with the Pololu 24v20, has anyone tried the Chinese made h-bridge drivers?

http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/759

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-36V-Dual-15A- ... 19deb343a8

I have plenty of R/C servos in the shop (I also build giant scale R/C warbirds) and will try to cobble together a copy of what eaorobbie and aarondc have been doing. I will also check to see if I can get access to the beta software but hopefully I can get it to work with x-sim. Since I really have no programing skill and the current script appears to be written for Simtools but again I need to learn more about using that system.

As soon as I have something in Solidworks that I want to show (ugly mess right now, lol) I will post pictures of that.

I will also post pictures and videos of the ardiuno/R/C servo prototype later this week.

Thanks again to everyone on this forum who has gone before me, I learn from their mistakes and their successes.

Test Edit

Ok to drive 24v there is a new motion controller on the market that will open up 24v simple builds for all sim software. Check out the Kangaroo driver from Dimension Engineering , this will allow you to hook up a sabertooth motor controller to control 2 dc motors with pots as a servo that can be sent simple servo commands.
I have a Kangaroo, yet to spare the funds to buy a sabertooth to actually test it.

Current script will work in X-sim too. As is.

excellent news eaorobbie! Thanks.

Question for you: if the Arduino will run the h-bridge why bother with the motor controller?

I have spent the afternoon trying to remember how to build a proper sketch in order to do a solidworks weldment. Hopefully something to post soon.








EDIT: added an er were it would do the most good.

Welcome to the forum dude.
Rob is one of the guru's here on things arduino.

As for sketch design, I still use a thing called pencil and paper.

Hi BSFT, thanks again for your help, yes I have been eagerly reading Rob and aarondc's threads about using the Arduino.

Pencil and paper?! What are these things of which you speak?

I own a small custom cabinet shop (that is where all my toys come from) and have been using pen and paper to create my elevation drawings for years. I am struggling to learn a new medium for several reasons, one of which is that it is fun and this project gives me a very good excuse to learn.

Anyway, after an afternoon of smoke coming from my ears I endeavored to produce these drawings. The motion base is drawn in ISO 20x30x2 tubing and the motion platform is done in ISO 20x20x2.2 tubing. I am actually going to use all 20x20x2.2 tube but chose the wrong size when doing the weldments. I can fix that the next time I go into the file. I do want to double check with the buddy who is going to do the welding, he is a professional fabricator who owes me a few favors. He really knows his stuff.

I am going to do a mockup for these in wood just to make sure the fit is good for me (I am a very big guy).

The extra tall framework in the front of the base allows me to mount a 55 Samsung 3D plasma up there, a few people have had pretty good luck using them for gaming and even if the 3D doesn't pan out I still have a 55 screen! And if I am especially good it might be fruitful and multiply, lol (it could happen...).





EDIT: Just got official permission to use the 55 Plasma for the motion pit!!

Lol , official decision, sound like the wifes the accountant, lol, here too.

The only reason I looked into the Kangaroo motion drive was to replace the aging k8055 from the site as its no longer supported in the new software and is our only reliable way of driving 24 volts, beware the pololu gear will drive 24v as stated but if back current from motors freewheeling charge the battery past 24v's even as little as 0.1v the pololu cards can get up set and hang and will need a reset in order for them to continue, plus another user has had issues with them, they don't like to have too many amps drawn through them either. I recommend sabertooth motor controllers as they will handle the 24v well and can push big amps if needed but are not a cheap item, hence a lot of people go back to building in 12v, a lot more friendly. Beware of Chinese h bridges they might say they do something and the truth they actually can't , look for something someone has proven as a safe bet. Don't want to discourage you without people giving it a go we will never know, same thing for me discovering the Jrk12v12 and producing the first jrk 12v sim nearly 5 years ago.

My experience with ard is helping to develop motor drivers and mainly used to run my dashboards in xsim, soon will be sim tools supported when we have time. My original code for my sim model was done nearly 5 years ago when I was first learning and after it was rudely remove from another site , I decided I should re release it here for all.
To my surprise Aaron picked it up and has made it future proof for all of us to use. This code will only drive servos , no dc motors or h bridges, I would recommend using prilads firmware and tools to drive dc motors with the Ard. this has been proven in two different system to work very nicely and his excellent in answering questions, another member who has helped us all grow and move forward.

Back to the Kangaroo, its a full motion controller that we can actually talk to in simtools or xsim via uso commands, the ard is not needed in between but to keep things simple it can be used in the other fashion. So can jrks.
The Kangaroo gives you the means to use a sabertooth motor controller and have limit switches to sense max and min and stop the motor if it gets out of control, plus we can use either encoders or pot for the feedback signal, best of all it has an in built tuner, basically set it all up set the min and max limit switch and press the tune button and wait a little bit while the motors move back and forth sensing its max setting and setting its own pid, these are the things most users seem to have big issues with, plus no card building needed and its a proven system by the manufacture.
And can easily run 24v at high amps.

Model looks good , I found solid works way to hard to get my head around, I'm use to be a draftsperson and when I was practicing AutoCAD was still a V2 in Dos, actually found Google sketch up to be easier to use, Love the work ya done. Thought the screen mount was way too high but can understand now after reading , 55, lovely.

Keep us all informed, looking good.

Great looking frame design.
A 55 telly will really be in your face.

Please excuse the crudity of the miniature prototype motion rig. I was rushed for time.

As you can see, there is plenty of room in this design to add more monitors beside, above and below the main monitor (well, not really below the 55, lol).

I too am attempting to move my platform using the arduino and R/C servo setup ala eaorobbie and aarondc.

But I hit a snag. Unfortunately the script does not seem to work with X-Sim 3 (which all that I have access to at this time). Not sure what is going on but I am sure it is my fault. X-Sim 3 does not recognize any input from the Arduino on the serial port.

Anyway (again), here is the miniature prototype. I used a ball link as the center pivot and like Rob, I used ball links on the servo arms and seat mounts.

like the scale model, do you have an old action figure to put on it as test pilot? That would look really cool.

ha! I had thought about that but couldn't find one

Still beating my head against the table trying to get Rob and aarondc's arduino script to work.

X-Sim 3 is setup for left and right actuator, I am receiving telemetry from the game (using Race 07 for testing), USO see's the arduino and I have the comm settings correct (I think).

I am pretty sure the script is working as for controlling the servo's as both snap to their mid-points when I start it.

Am I forgetting something?

Dunno, but ask Rob and Aarron about ard code.
Now you have a working model, once code works with #$%^ (swearing) alternate software, ask Rene for access to simtools. Much better running than ........
(curses under breath) software.

If only I had experience with SimTools or x-sim I could really do some fancy stuff heheh.

Basically x-sim 3 sends data to the Arduino which then processes it. We need some way of knowing what Xsim is sending to work out why the Arduino is not processing it properly. Alas, your Serial port is connected to the xsim software, so you can't connect it to a serial monitor (easily) to see what is being sent.

Makes me think I should do something clever and hmmmm....

Does your Arduino have a second UART you could hook up to another serial port to see what's happening?

Also: dayam dude, that prototype looks fricken awesome!!

Ok the data packet to send for this a little different in Xsim.
1. set up the maths for 2 axis.
2. then set the uso for each axis, I would send a pic but since being removed from xsim I no longer have access to xsim, lol, sim tools is way better anyway.

3. In uso you will need 9600, no paraity, 1 stop bit. on the comport set on the ard plus needs to 8 bit, dec.
4. The datapacket to send in xsim is R~a01~~ L~a02~~.

Should work, use to move with my first code with the datapacket to send as R~a01~ L~a02~.

Try to catch me on Skype where I can kindly give you one to one information, anytime Im online.
Sorry will not post xsims information as I no longer support that software in a public way.
Maybe ask Rene nicely for access to sim tools and I will gladly post the screenshot showing the setup information.

Gentlemen, thanks for the supportive posts.

Rob, that is how I had it set up with the exception of the data packet information. Even with that pasted into the proper entry I am not getting any output. Is that the complete information needed at that point? I pasted R~a01~~ L~a02~~

Course, once I have access to SimTools I am not going to bother with X-Sim anymore so the point might be moot at this point. Thank you again for responding with helpful advice though.

Raceray, I look forward to being able to access that part of the forum. Is there any other type of log-in that I need or should I just have patience and wait a while?

No worries, and thanks again.

Ok once you have Sim tools installed, its fairly easy to set the axis assignments to the way you want it to move. Then set the interface settings to this, and with Aarons last revision is where I did video test, of his revised code. Then test with the output, once happy, as if the packet rate is too quick as in ms then the movement can be a little crazy so it can be adjusted by this. Then patch a game for motion and test the model with profile editor. Can explain more but once you have access you will see the write ups take time to read them.



Welcome to Beta :

Thanks Rob! I will get that set up as soon as I return home. My wife volunteered me to help her with an information booth at the county fair. We both teach at the local college (she is full time I am part time) and there is some (little) hope that we might attract new students..... :

Of course this help solidify her willingness to let me take the 55 plasma out of the living room and put it in my shop instead :clap: