1DOF/Tactile Build Thoughts and Questions

So I've ordered all the parts for a 2DOF seat shaker as per my other topic, but during testing I used a smaller wiper motor. Since i ordered several of the motomonster boards, I have an extra one.

I have a rocker game seat that folds in the middle in a MDF frame that I used as one of my earlier non motion rigs. I was thinking about connecting the wiper motor to the top of the seat back to provide some tactile shake and a little kick when braking and accelerating .

-Would i just use the regular SMC code and connect only one motor?
-Which axis would best suit this style? I was thinking surge.
-How do i determine how big of a power supply to use for a small wiper motor? from a 77 vw van



I realize this won't provide full motion but thought it would create a sort or tactile feel to an otherwise static rig.



Any additional thoughts and considerations?

as far as i know the answer is yes... use only one axis in simtools and asign as many force you want to experiment to that axis i should work... just be carfull not to kick your own spine (i mean punching your back?? you should smood the forces so you dont get hurt :d

Interesting Concept!

You could go with the tried and true HP server PSU that many people on here use, they can usually be found for cheap on ebay depending on where you live. I'm personally using a 12V LED power supply. I'd say shoot for at least 240-300W of power at least (more can't hurt). The surge axis probably would suit you best, you might be able to mix a little bit of heave in there too if you wanted.

How do you plan on mounting the motor to the seat?

i was trying to not spend any more money on this one It really was just to use up spare parts.

For power supply i was thinking of either an old PC power supply or a large wall wart that i would salvage from something else.

Good though on the back kicks, i'll certainly try it out maybe without even sitting in.

Since my PGSaw motors didn't come maybe today I will see if i can figure a way to mount the motor. I was thinking of some sort of springs behind the seat to just allow for a little tug for acceleration and likewise a little push for braking. And then hopefully some road texture feedback.

Well if you have an old PC power supply lying around, you could use the 12 volt rail from that and see if it will work.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Convert-an-ATX-Power-Supply-Into-a-Regular-DC-Powe/

This instructable says he got 20ish Amps from the 12 volt rail of his old PSU, which would probably be about enough for what you're trying to do

ya i'd come across that previously. I appreciate the direct link. I think that is the way to go since i have some kicking around. Just looking at the motor and seat now to see if i can come up with simple way to mount it.

well quick and dirty mount. Now i have to scavenge and see what i can locate to connect to the seat

it for sure has some flex at the mount point but i'll see how the unit works before i get too creative with a better mount style

Well i was hoping i could get away without attaching the pot. My thinking was it would always think it was in the middle and just move a little bit. Anyways, tested now with Live For Speed and the concept will work really well.

Needs some better solutions for the mount too. Flimsier than i originally thought but for a quick proof of concept Im pretty happy. I'm going to build a better mount system and scrounge a better pot as the 50k is super sensitive and difficult to get to stay at centre.

Glad to see that it works! Does the seat back have some sort of frame integrated into it? If you could screw/bolt into that it'd be a lot more secure I'd imagine

Unfortunatley the seat frame is really thin strip on wood. Not too much to grab onto. I got it rigged up a little better but the issue is still not having a pot. I found a 20k pot in an old steering wheel so I'm going to see if it works better than the 50k. Otherwise I may have to break the no spending to buy a pot

made things a little more solid and reworked the actuator arm. Still need to find a way to connect the pot since there really isn't anything coming off the shaft except for the 10mm nut. I think this is going to work well

I think the pot is backwards. Did I see somewhere that i can just reverse the +5V and ground at the pot connections to correct this?

You can either swap the +/- 5v on the pot ,,,or swap the wires on the motor,,,,,

ahhh of course. Thanks! I got caught up thinking about the details didn't see the easy way out since i just have slide terminals on the motor.

that was the ticket. Motion works and pretty well.

Build list:

MotoMonster
Arduino Duielimove
18k scavenged Pot
1.8 amp laptop power supply
"Rocker" Folding Game Seat
VW Van wiper motor
Bits of plywood and 2x4



It sure wakes up a static seat and can be built for next to nothing. I will start to play with effects and amounts to fine tune it. Will also need a better Pot to motor coupling system. My hot glue doesn't stand up for long.

So after a little drive around it does work really well, however its a little weak on the braking forces if one pushes back into the seat. As long as you sit mainly on your butt and let the back move with you it give a great feeling for whats happening in the sim.

So far I have a combination of surge, heave, roll and pitch and the axis limited to 45%

(and i'm only one more post away from trying out something other than Live For Speed

well because the seat is folding i was just trying to provide some very minimal cues to wake up the static seat. Too much travel makes the seating position uncomfortable specifically forward. There is only a 3" travel possible backwards with the way it is set up. Also, since i am sure the power supply is a little light duty for the job i was trying to keep the motors effort down.

I was thinking more the concept of a G-Seat where it just pushes against your body but not with a lot of motion.

Certainly interested in any thoughts or comments on tuning. This was the first time i played with SimTools and have tried a few combinations.

Thanks for the suggestions. Time to do some reading on the software side. After I checked that anything worked on the motor side I've been focused on building and haven't had anything to tune yet.

I'll give those a try and report back