2DOF seat mover build

nice work! you're almost done. I hope everything work out fine!.. I wanted to ask you about that Jegs seat, is the same I've chosen for my sim, I just ordered to amazon but is still on the way to my country, I can't start building the platform because I couldn't find any data about the exact dimensions on the seat, at least the support holes in at the bottom, is it much trouble for you to give me that data? I just need the dimensions and the space between the holes for the screws, thanks!

Alright, I'm back to the grind again. School has been a bit slower lately, and I've taken a break from the other projects I'm currently working on. I have a new motor controller to replace the one that over-heated last test run. I also have fans. I have to test the controllers that are hooked up (I forgot which one still works.... remember to take good notes and label everything well, folks!). After replacing the bad one I will re-run the tests with the SMC3 utils. I've been redesigning the potentiometer mounts to have a bit more control/precision as well as safety measures in case the motors keep turning. I still need a few materials to build and implement them, but should be easy enough. Hopefully good news to come in the proceeding weeks!!!

So sorry for the late reply.... I haven't been on the forum for quite some time. I assume your seat has arrived by now. Best of luck on your build!!!

The new motor controllers are hooked up! Everything is wired up working correctly...ish (more on that later). The new potentiometer mounts are much better though they still need some minor optimization. I cut small discs out of wood to mount on the motor and on the pot. I can adjust the size difference to dial in sensitivity. As of now I'm using a rubber band as the drive belt. They seem to work quite well, but I'll be testing out various materials with less elasticity. The rubber bands are nice because if the motor continues spinning then it doesn't force the pot to keep spinning once it hits its limits. I've included pictures of the new pot mounts and the whole wire setup for testing. Wire management will come after I'm sure everything is working.

As for initial testing with smc3 utils, the right motor is functioning perfectly. It starts, stops, and changes directions according to the potentiometer position. The left motor, however, will work for a couple cycles then the motor controller and fan plugged in to the same power supply will shut down. I haven't gotten the multimeter out yet, but since the fan turns off I assume it's the power supply that is cutting power. I will swap power supplies and test again to narrow down the possibilities. The other problem I'm having is the second potentiometer. Sometimes it works as it should and sometimes it doesn't register a signal at all. The first pot works fine every time, but when the second stops transmitting signal, the first one will control both motor 1 and motor 2. I imagine it's just a setting somewhere, but if anyone has suggestions then I'm open to them.

Mind you, this is testing for the first time after plugging in to smc3 utils, so I expect most things to be a bit wonky until the values are optimized. I'll read through some guides and post an update in the coming days.

Double checked wiring and settings in the smc3 util software. After some slight adjustments everything seems to be in working order. The motor controllers are running nice and cool thanks to the fans. The rubber bands are working pretty good. I'll need to carve out better tracks in the wood pulleys so they don't slip off during operation. I'm uploading screenshots from the smc3 software demonstrating motor/pot interactions.

I've moved on to testing in SimTools. The 'output testing' results look great. The pitch and roll seems to be working as anticipated. I'm also trying to simulate heave using the same axis as pitch. I have Project Cars downloaded for game testing. As of now there is very little movement within the game. I suspect this has to do with tuning center settings. Updates to come.

On another note.... I have found some weak points in the rig after running it with my weight on it. Nothing serious, but there is a little bit of reinforcement needed in a couple areas before I feel totally comfortable with it. Mainly, the tie rods I am using to connect the motors to the back of the seat have extra play in the joints. I'll weld on some flat iron to prevent this movement and all should be fine. The attachment of the knuckles to the back of the seat are slightly worrisome as well. There is not a significant amount of surface area connecting the two, so I'll reinforce those in some fashion just as a precaution...

I have continued testing using the link recommended by noorbeast (thank you for that). The motion is working much better in the game. I've only run a few laps on the test tracks as of yet.

The rig is bulky enough to be a pain moving from the garage to the living room, so I have to do my testing in limited time windows. The right motor has a tendency to overshoot forward and clip out the pot. Also, after 15 or 20 minutes of testing with my weight it will only move forward and not 'pull' the seat back resulting in movement only from the left motor. Not sure if it is from the overshooting or if the controller is still getting toasty. I've redesigned the fan enclosure to act more efficiently and will test more as time permits.

Rubber bands as pulley belts have had ups and downs. They are super convenient and safe; however, sometimes the elasticity will cause the motor to 'rock' back and forth to find the stable point. No big deal, but it's a little funny being in the seat as it happens.

I've reinforced the weak points stated in a previous post. Everything seems extremely stable and strong now (fingers crossed).