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Adding 2DOF motion to my 80/20 GS-4 Rig

Discussion in 'DIY Motion Simulator Projects' started by HoiHman, Feb 4, 2015.

  1. HoiHman

    HoiHman Active Member

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    Always wanted a motion rig, last september i bought a GS-4 (one of the last ones) and it's awesome.:)

    I have been bitten by the bug, and i want to expand to full seat / frame motion.

    Two problems :
    1. i do not have a lot space
    2. the rig is not a permanent one.


    Here are some pictures to illustrate my space problem:

    The front of the seat almost touches the sides of drawer kabinets of the desk.
    There is no room for seat movers at the front of the seat.



    [​IMG]



    There's no room behind the seat either to mount any seat movers

    [​IMG]



    I have to disconnect the seat everytime and slide it onto a cart and move it out of the office.
    (that's why i only want a very limited amount of electrical connections)

    [​IMG]



    I have to move the seat through this a door and a very narrow corridor beside the counter to the other room. That's also why i need to maintain a very small footprint.

    [​IMG]


    I'm still exploring the option of a DIY motion, but i looks pretty difficult:

    -No room in front of the seat for movers
    -No room at the back of the seat for seat movers
    -Almost no room below the Seat
    -Weight : The seat already weight a ton.... :) don't want to add to much too it otherwise it will be impossible to get it on the cart.
    -Minimal amount of electrical connections to be made when installing the seat in front of the desk

    The seat is already at it's lowest level possible and my knees are now about 5cm clear of the desk.
    If i raise the seat any higher, my knees will touch the bar of the desk when the seat moves.



    The seat is mounted in a backward angle on the frame.

    [​IMG]

    The seat angle is the sweat spot for me and i definatately want to keep the default stationary angle the same.

    Noorbeast already pointed me to these awesome projects:

    bsft's racer :http://www.xsimulator.net/community/marketplace/desk-racer-2-dof.91/
    noorbeast: http://www.xsimulator.net/community/threads/dx-racer-compact-simulator.5866/

    However i think that i need seatmover that moves the seat from below the because that the only area i have some space left. Another option would be mounting 3 or 4 acculators to the seat frame only (D-box style)

    Is this possible?
    Any ideas, suggetions would very welcome :sos:sos:sos


    Thx

    Henk
  2. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    You already have a really cool rig @HoiHman, thanks for sharing the pictures.

    That is very tight for room and some things would have to change, such as the Buttkicker underneath being in the way of any sort of pivot point. Can you actually give some dimensions and angles of the seat and base and how close it actually is to the cabinets and door behind it. We first need to establish if it has enough room to actually move.
    Last edited: Feb 4, 2015
  3. HoiHman

    HoiHman Active Member

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    Thanks Noorbeast,

    The rig is not setup at the moment and i have a couple of busy days ahead. I will do some measurement this weekend when everything is installed and post back

    Awesome thanks again.
    • Like Like x 1
  4. eaorobbie

    eaorobbie Well-Known Member SimTools Developer Gold Contributor

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    My Motion Simulator:
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    Recommend a seat mover setup like @bsft deskracers , those gs4 are not light and another factor if your over 100kg(sorry) its not going to be easy or cheap.
    • Agree Agree x 3
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  5. HoiHman

    HoiHman Active Member

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    I had another look and i can use the the GS-4 mounting bracket, to adjust the angle of the GS4 exactly how i want it and still have a flat mounting spot for the piviot.

    [​IMG]
    After i have done the measurements (this weekend) i will get back to you.
    I will also try to make a sketch up of the rig, so it's easier to see how much space there really is.

    I'm under 100kg :) but ....... with the 4 BK mini LFE's and a BK advance + some 80/20 mounted to the GS-4 i think to total weight will be pretty close.

    I know it's not gonna be cheap, but afterall this is an expensive hobby :D
  6. bsft

    bsft

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    @Avenga76 converted a GS4 to motion 2 DOF. A bit of a headache though.
  7. Avenga76

    Avenga76 Well-Known Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
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    I have been talking to @HoiHman via PM on the ISRtv forums.

    His biggest problem is space so I suggested he look at one of your Deskracer designs @bsft

    He is about 30kg lighter than me so it could work.
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  8. bsft

    bsft

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    @HoiHman , whats the current width of your setup as I see you have a shifter fitted to it, so how overall wide is that?
    Whats the inside width of the doorway you navigate it through?
    My seat on the desk racer is 430mm wide, but the overall bottom width is 655mm wide allowing for bolts sticking out.
    http://www.xsimulator.net/community/threads/desk-racer-2dof.5326/
    You need to allow room out the side on the bottom for the motors to sit.
  9. HoiHman

    HoiHman Active Member

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    @bsft, my setup is currently 450mm wide (shifter excluded)

    The narrow passage i have to through is 750mm, so i guess the max width i could go would be somewhere around 650mm.
    I'm trying to make a floor plan and do some meaurement from there on and post back.

    Gr


    Henk
    • Like Like x 1
  10. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    My Motion Simulator:
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    On my sim the base is 500mm and the maximum width is 640mm, without the HOTAS controls.
  11. abs

    abs Active Member Gold Contributor

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    hello HoiHman

    you should go with a setup that looks like stage 1 .
    look at my avatar that back was added to a existant rig the fames size are different . I started with 30 mm section aluminium and day i decided to go for motion , so i used a 45 mm section (40 mm would to the job). you could build the back side and use a desk for the screens as you do already.
    actuator snc5 100 would be good enough as you have g seat already doing motion. i believe the feel is enough . SNC5 are easy to set up but a tad expensive. I know some people bought those from frex . they sell them a bit cheaper otherwise more expensive is from Mirai Canada.
    if you go for traction loss it take a bit of hight (about 3 to 10 inches) to your rig. You might consider something permanent not movable or hardly movable.
  12. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    @abs there are significant space constraints @HoiHman outlined in the first post. There is not the room behind the sim for a shoulder mount seat shaker setup:

    [​IMG]
  13. bsft

    bsft

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    nor is there room to allow the seat to move back and forth
  14. HoiHman

    HoiHman Active Member

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    Ok guys, i have done some measurements and it look like i have little more space, still not much though.:)

    To make things worse, it still has to be possible to walk behind the seat because it's a passage to our garage. Because of safety reasons, i do not want to mount power electrical motors a couple centimeters from where my kids have to pass through. Podmeters or wires could easily be knocked of what someone has to go pass through behind the seat.

    So stage1 SimX style is the only option, but i can't move the mounting points as far back as usual.

    Will it still work ok then ?

    My idea is to mount the entire frame a the existing seat rails and have to stabilizers at rear where the acculator bars are fastened. The normal seating position will be when the seat rails are as far back as possible.

    When someone has to pass through, i have to get out and unlock the rails from behind to move the entire frame. This means the seat rails will be mounted backwards.:confused: This should give about 20cm room at the back and should just enough to get through.

    I spent all day converting the measurements, i did yesterday, into a google sketchfile and even made a 3d sketch of my GS4 (a lot of work) . The seat is a the perfect seating position and at the right hight and angle.

    This gives me a better insight of what's possible and what the measurements would be.

    I went for the maximum with of 72.9 cm, which i probably still could get through the door and the narrow corridor. That will be even a thighter fit though.

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    I'm thinking of SCN5 100mm, the total length of the acculator bar is 706 mm, which is pretty short.
    I would also need dampers ofcourse.

    The max hight of pivot is 105mm and i should have a front clearance of 59mm between the seat and the 80/20 frame (yellow bars)

    Here the link to the sketchup file
    http://www.mediafire.com/download/kskmh894lbi0bkj/GS4__Stage_1_style_motions.skp

    Tips are VERY welcome
    What did i not think of, please find the flaws in my design :sos


    Gr


    Henk
  15. SeatTime

    SeatTime Well-Known Member

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    For something that heavy go for the scn6. Also make sure your pivot is at the point of balance.
  16. bsft

    bsft

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    Why even SCN6, just 12v 200 watt motors with 50:1 or 60:1 gearboxes.
    Also why not make a frame like the desk racer?
    http://www.xsimulator.net/community/threads/desk-racer-2dof.5326/
    I recall you said you were under 100 kg in weight.
    It could be about 650mm ish wide.
    Even with a GS4 seat its feasible.
    Avenga had to go rear mount as he is a larger chap.
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  17. bsft

    bsft

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    Rear mount like that will work, but as mentioned, lean towards SCN6 (if you wish to spend that sort of money) or large DC motors.
  18. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    I totally agree with with @bsft, with the space constraints a DeskRacer style is the most compact and leaves the greatest room available for the seat itself to move around. It would also be a lot safer for children and people trying to get around it.

    It is still not clear to me how much space for movement is available at the sides to the cabinets. In the photos it looks like they could be moved out a bit but I am just checking to be sure.
    • Agree Agree x 1
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2015
  19. HoiHman

    HoiHman Active Member

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    @noorbeast

    I put the desk in the sketchup and i measured the distance between the seat and the (fixed) cabinets under the desk.

    In my ideal seating position the seat is about 15 cm in front of the desk

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    My main issue with the deskracer solution is still the safety concern. If i were to put rods and motor at the front, there is still a risk of my feet getting stuck between the bars.

    Motors & rods at the back are too close to the feet of people that need to pass trough, the SCN6 motors move linear and are placed higer, thus giving less risk of injuries.


    Do you guys think the 6cm clearance between the bottom of the seat and the 80/20 at the bottom would be enough if i use 15cm acculators?

    My design would allow a max hight op the pivot of 105mm, is that enough?
    If i were to go for the SCN6 acculators, would i also need dampers??

    Gr


    Henk
  20. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    My Motion Simulator:
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    I don't get your safety concern about catching your feet on a compact DeskRacer design, you would have to bend your legs behind you to do that. However, by all means do build what you think best suits your needs and please do post details as your build progresses.

    [​IMG]
    • Informative Informative x 1