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

Thanks for the reply @nclabs @prodigy @Avenga76

Not worried about the sound level at all, maybe during night races i have to shut them down though.
I'm using closed headphones and will upgrade to OR CV1 as soon as it's available

@nclabs since your rig is pretty simular i have couple of questions

- you're not worried about harming the SCN6 at all? Are the that much better build than the SCN5
- Can you sit in the seat without wobble when the SCN6 are power off
-How far approximately do the rods come out when you power them on?
-Can you post a picture how you mounted the Acculators?
Thx



@Avenga76
Thanks for the example of flex, you can assume they know what they are doing.
I was looking a special made damper todag, but that is a VERY expensive solution.

I did this very simple test to see how much damping the one single rubber isolator gives



Looks pretty good don't you think guys? A higher rubber isolator should give even more damping i guess

"this video is private"

on the subject of noisy equipment, even my converted brick spreader actuators are noisy like some one cutting wood with a hand wood saw.
In your design and build of a simulator, you would need to consider where it is going to be used and what times as well. If it is inside near a person sleeping, you need a quiet as possible. Hence Id suggest DC motors.
However, if you can afford actuators (mine were for free so I am not complaining) and you have a place in a garage or room that is further away from others resting, then, noise should not be too much an issue. My "brikie" sim is in the garage so I can play late at night and not bother anyone, except the cockroaches and red back spiders.
Still I found my old DC motor sim was actually a bit better in motion than the actuators. But with what I have, a linear speed difference of 250mm per second with actuators to 350mm per second compared to DC motors, I can live with.
Back to motor RPM, its a point worth noting, it may be that motors with an actual speed of over 4000rpm, like the motors on the "brike" actuators are 4500 rpm, it could be that the JRK doesnt like having to change direction and maybe the higher RPM is part of that. Its a hard thing to say.
As Avenga found out, just work with PID and slow them down a bit, work with profiles to suit and it seems to fix it.

It should be available now.

About the noise level: My rig is one floor down and i have noise isolating pannels in front of the door at night.

I can run simvibe (at half volume) and the GS4 (which is a noisy little bugger)

My wife has pretty good ears, but she sleeps through it all. High pitch sounds travel less far that low pitch ones, so maybe i can even run with acculators at night.

hammer on rubber on vice is sort of an example, but actuators will squeak and make noises at different levels.
2 examples of what I mean

@bsft

Thank for giving me a heads up for what i'm getting into.

In my opinion there is something wrong with that rig in the video though.


I'm expecting to have more squeaking noises like this:

As @bsft just said, you can use all the dampers you want but it's the actuator itself that mate most of the noise. The rubber feet/dampers are really good to stop the vibration of the rig to the floor, with the right feet you can make it basically inaudible for the close rooms (in that case vibration pass through wall a lot better than sound waves). I use my simulator in the middle of the night and no neighbors ever complained.

No, I'm not worried to brake the actuators, I have a pair of SCN5 since 2 years now, no dampening, just 90% (of simtools) of the stroke to preserve the mechanical stop, and I never had an issue. This things arer really reliable, I even bended the sensor wheel and it's still working! lol! The SCN6 are made just like the SCN5, only bigger, stronger and heavier, so, I know that it will be reliable as well. We (me and a friend of mine) I have those since more of 1 year. PS: only in one actuator we have (from the beginning) a strange little "play", anyway not a big deal.

On the SCN5 when you seat without power, and you are not perfecly balanced, you go backwards (or forwards) with the SCN6 it depends on the king of simulator it is. We made a 2DOF full frame motion simulator and you can sit on it with no power and you are going nowhere. For a 2DOF seat only motion simulator it would be the same, or even harder, but I don't have a direct experience.

When you power on the actuators (just power on) the rods goes nowhere, just stays in the same position where it were before the powering on. To make them move you need to run simtools.

Unfortunatly I can't post a picture (we are still planning the commercial strategy) but I can say to you that the actuators are mounted on the front of the frame, and they easily lift the steel frame, the wheel+pedals and the driver with no effort (keep in mind that underneath the frame there is a cardanic joint).

Thanks @nclabs

So, you planning a D-box style. Pretty cool

Am i correct in my post above. A good build SCN montion rig should only squeak, like the video i posted above.
My rig is already mounted on isolators.

What i really meant to ask : What's the default position of the rod, when running in simtools.
Do you start half way with about 75mm extended, so the motion can go both ways.


I need approximate starting position to build some brackets for the SCN6.

Gr

Henk


PS: Do anyone have a internet adress where you can buy a good universal joint?

Yeah, I want to build a dbox like motion simulator, but it is different from the one we made. The dbox is still a work in progress.

A motion rig with SCN5 actuator should have the actuator squeak + the wheel's force feedback noise and nothing else. Only if some moving parts (like the joint) if not well lubricated can produce some other squeaks, a little bit of oil and you are done.

You need to start at the half of the stroke, for the 150 mm is 75 mm, but I have the 100 mm version so it would be 50 mm. In this way you can simulate the same amount of g force in both direction.

The joints I have were from a local store of mechanical parts.

I used a universal from a 1970's Datsun on my rig.

But yeah, any local mechanical or automotive parts place will have a wide selection of universals.

Thank you very much

Automotive parts store (where we buy all our stuff) doesn't have it. Maybe i have to go out and search myself. I was hoping the "golden ebay buy now" link

Not the parts Store, the junkyard, A retail Brand new joint would be Big Bucks.. Junk boys should charge you 20$

Thanks Nick

I will try to get one next week at a junkyard.

It doesnt have to be a particular brand, just cheap.
Rear wheel drive shaft should give you 2 universal joints.
Ring around a few places.

I had a fun time getting a UJ from my local junkers. The conversation went like this:

JY: "Hello **** Auto wreckers"
ME: "Hi, I'm after a tailshaft with the UJ attached, model car not important.."
JY: "What car is it going on mate?"
ME: "It's not, I'm just after a tailshaft"
JY: "Ok... what kind of car is it for?"
ME: "It's not for a car, it's for a motion platform" (5 minutes explaining what one is)
JY: "Ok, hang on I will get one of the boys to take a look" ( Puts phone on the table)
JY: "Hey it's Frank, you were just speaking to Joe, what car did you say this was for?"
ME: "Sigh, Tell you what I'll drive down and have a look around myself. Cheers.." <clunk>

I kid you not... Next time I will just call up and say "Tailshaft for Ford Falcon please. Any year."

What a classic, that needs to be written up in the FAQ - Hints on ordering a 2nd hand tailshaft for a sim pivot.
Still having trouble typing from the laughter. To be a fly on the wall and here that one , well ya would have fallen off.
Classic.

Sounds so familiar - still had the same conversation when I went there in person. Watch out just saying UNI for a ford falcon any year, as some are made of aluminium - makes it hard for most of us to weld .

I had a similar problem, until I went down to the wreckers, went into several, "just want a tailshaft, cheap, no specific model". They got quite upset, must affect their OCD I think. I found a yard, I walk in, "cheapo tailshaft please" , "yep over there" $20. Same deal with steering knuckles, I just want a few, "done, let me get Mick to take some off for you" , $10 each.

Yeah, mine was off the drive shaft on an old RWD Datsun we had laying around. We have had done a 5 speed conversion on the Datsun so we had the drive shaft just laying around. Just chopped it off and bingo bango job done. Got it for free.

Any RWD drive shaft will do.

Called the local junk yard and the conversation was just like @Archie mentioned

Turns out he didn't have anything for me

I do not have a lot of time to go shopping for one, so i will try to send my dad to another junker and see if he can find one there next week.

The pivot is basically the starting point for all the other parts i need.....

I have found a webshop where i can order all the metal parts i need water cut and predrilled.

This basically means i can order my own custom made brackets for the SCN6 acculators at a very reasonable price for around 15 euro each.

They will look something like this. I can even have slots in them: