2DOF Frame mover - my compact simulator

Ok im waiting thecnical datasheet from pgsaw. I think he will send to me tomorrow.

If i use Arduino +saber, wich better motor do you advice me? Where i can buy it?

@mirkobastianini - I have the pgsaw 50:1 motors and since the gearboxes just screw together, all you need to do to have a "right" and a "left" is just open one motor's gearbox and flip the big output gear and put the box back together. It's really easy.

And Bernd's point is a good one - if parts are sized for 24 volts, the current is half what you need at 12 volts. It's not a huge deal but wire doesn't have to be as heavy, chokes don't have to handle as much current, and everything gets a bit more efficient.

pgsaw reply to me about this motor:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GEAR-MOTOR-...L-FEED-SIMULATOR-75-80RPM-50-1-/371596157992?

Voltage: 12V Power: 180W
Gear ratio:50:1 Output speed: 75-80 rpm
Free load current: 1.6-1.9 A Onload current: 9-12A
Torque:50-60N.m Shaft diameter: 12.0mm
Weight capacity: 50-60kg

What do you think? Can be good for my simulator with JRK or Sabertooth? Maybe Weight capacity is too small?

That's the gearmotor I see recommended and used here most. It seems to be a good compromise between speed, power, and cost. But as I think it was Noorbeast said, it's all a compromise and what works best for each builder in his own configuration.

Just remember, that what is called "onload current" is probably not stall current. It's probably current draw at some specified load. Stall currents can go quite high. And weight capacity is a little more tricky than just specifying a value. You need to know how it is measured. The number to rely on is the motor torque which puts the number in terms that are easily converted to other situations.

Gear these properly and they could lift a truck albeit slowly. Your control over the weight value comes in terms of center to center distance on your output arms. With that you trade force for distance. Make them long and you can move things a big distance over the output arm swing but you won't be able to do it with much force. Make them short and you can move great weights/forces but only over a short distance. I haven't seen that many specs for C-C distances that people use here but they seem to be in the 50 mm range depending on how the rig is configured.

Anyone else know stall current on these motors?

Little updates...

First of all, i've ordered motors from pgsaw and hall effect pot, like @Zed 's potentiometer. In the next weeks they are arriving.

Next, I've mounted my structure. I have made it more light than before.

I'm so happy about weight of structure under the pivot joint, but i'm not happy regarding the tube goes to the steering wheel/pedals frame. I'm thinking how to make the structure more resistant under the seat.

Frame under the seat will be replaced by a steel frame (now is in alluminium), so I have maked a try to place joint. I think i've put it too much on back of the seat , in fact simulator goes on front.

I added an off center bar from the link arm back to the seat mount, on the wheel arm side, it removed the twist moment from the center bar and supports the wheel arm as well.

@matthew loomis Thank you for your idea.

While i'm waiting to receive motors, I'm thinking about electrical circuit i'm gonna to create and how to protect myself from high current. Each motor absorbs 12A on load. What kind of cable I should use? Wich technique I can use to make a stable and secure circuit and protect myself?

I am mounting the sabertooth near the motors to keep those wires short, and use the biggest cable you can jam into your controller. Dc 24v negative is grounded to frame and power supply. I also have some car amplifier fuses to put inline with the motors. I also wired a mushroom button kill switch, after a "honey, please rush over here and hit that switch" moment. A trick with that to use just 2 wires. One wire on 5v+ the other bend the end of the wire in a "u" shape and connect a1&2 with same wire.

Wait, it's better to keep cable short? I've thinked that it's better to use cables long as possible, to help dissipation.
Anyway, I'm thinking to use 10Awg cable, and buy fuse box and emergency swtich..is enough? Can I do something else?

You don't want heat build up at all. Insulated wire is not a good heatsink. I would double run (2 negative 2 positive) 10 gauge from ps to heatsink.

Think about mechanical safety as well. Motors spin out, things break, levers are just dull scissors. Getting tossed and grabbing onto something that whacks off a finger is not fun.

What kind of technique is "double run"? I don't know it

Wire can be thought of as resistors in series. The heavier the wire gauge, the smaller the resistor value, and the longer the cable the more resistors in series. Short, heavy gauge wire will have the lowest resistance.

Wire resistance turns into voltage drop and heat as you try to push more current through. It's why many power supplies have remote voltage sense capability. The power supply senses the voltage at the load so that it can compensate for voltage drop through the wires carrying the current. The heat lost along a wire is why you can't put more than a certain amount of wire in conduit (fill factor) so you don't overheat the wire.

Matthew is right on the mechanical points too. These things can exert a lot of force and do it quickly and repeatedly. You need to always be mindful of pets, kids, and fingers and install guards if there is any question of anyone or anything accidentally getting in the works. This can especially be a factor for those of us running in VR since we are much less aware of our actual surroundings when in VR and curious kids and pets can get too close without us ever knowing.

What Matthew is referring to is instead of one 10 gauge conductor for each wire from the power supply to the controller to the motor, to instead run two wires for each leg. It's an easy way to up current handling - just add more wire in parallel. If a single wire can carry 15A continuous, adding a second wire on each leg can make that 30A continuous.

It's also important to remember that you won't be pulling high continuous currents with the JRKs. They overcurrent trip at between 30 and 45A and probably most of the time currents will be significantly lower than that. What matters for heating for the most part is average current. Peak currents certainly contribute but during low current periods that heat can dissipate some. If you keep wire runs short, don't wrap them up into bundles, and let them have good ventilation, the bigger consequence will likely be reduced torque and speed under load due to voltage drop in the wire and the effect probably won't even be that big. Lots of hedge words in that but hopefully you get the idea.

I've decided to use Sabertooth with Arduino and HP DPS600. I've painted simple schema about electronic connection that I want to make. What do you think? It's ok? Or I have risk to burn all?

I want to add a emergency switch, two amperometer (one for each motor) and a fuse box...where I should place them in this toolchain?

Your fan switch is located in parallel with the fan when it should be in series. As you have it shown it will short out your power supply when the contacts are closed.

There are two different pinouts on the Hall sensors depending on the part number you got. For E (European), your wiring on the Hall sensors looks correct. The pinout is 1-gnd, 2-Vcc, 3-signal, with the little keyway bar between 1 and 2. As long as you have E parts that looks right.

You don't provide make or model of power supply so no idea of pinout to say there. Not familiar with Sabertooth and the legend near the power connections to the Arduino are hard to read but you might want to double check that. I think you are missing wires too. Someone else would know. It depends on the communication/command type between Arduino and Sabertooth, power connections for the Arduino (if there are any), etc.

Ammeters go in series in the circuit you want to monitor so anywhere in the wiring to each motor should be good. Basically just cut the blue wires somewhere convenient and insert an ammeter.

Fuses also go in series like switches and ammeters. Likely places would be between house and power supply on the hot leg, between the power supply and Sabertooth (and other circuits like your fan), and possibly one in each motor circuit. You want them in the part of the circuit that can supply power and as near that power source as practical. That's why I said in the hot leg of the house supply.

Since you don't sound especially confident with circuitry, and I bet you are on 220 volt house wiring, keep in mind those voltages and available currents can easily kill. As we move to summer in the northern hemisphere, hands may get sweaty which drastically lowers skin resistance and let's currents through the body hit deadly levels fast. Please don't try to work on live circuitry, make sure your line voltage connections are shielded, and just be very careful. Even better would be to find someone local who knows electronics and electricity to help and be present when you first fire up. Not trying to spook you or anyone but house wiring voltages (including USA 110 volts) can kill and you might not get a second chance. People who work with it need to know what they are doing.

The 12 and 5 volt circuitry is much more safe though the power supplies we use can dump significant current. SLA helper batteries can too - even more, generally - and even though voltages are considered safe, the currents can heat rings and watch bands, etc, to high temperatures and you can lose hands and fingers. As an aside, even 12 volts can kill under the wrong circumstances. Some kids thought it would be fun to connect a car battery to buckets of salt water with jumper cables and see how long they could stand holding their hands in to complete the circuit. They dropped their skin resistance low enough to allow enough current through and across their chest that one went into cardiac arrest and died. The point is that if you don't know what you are doing, things that might seem safe just might not be safe at all. Please learn more about circuitry before you attempt this part of the build or get someone local who knows what they are doing to help you.

It's probably stating the obvious but you need to be extremely and overly cautious if you don't understand this stuff. Some practice the "one hand in a pocket" technique around live circuits to keep from becoming a part of the circuit.

The sabertooth arduino combo is super easy. It's easy to add an emergency switch to the sabertooth as well. This is a fully working setup

What a mess...sorry, i'm so tired, but yes, i've made a big mistake in my paint, thanks

Yes, I have E version.

I've writed I want to use HP DPS 600, wich is this model: https://www.xsimulator.net/community/threads/how-to-modify-a-server-power-supply-for-12v.5774/
And this is pinout: http://www.rc-network.de/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1009189&d=1371029528

Sorry, I can't understand what is "hot leg of the house"... anyway, where it's better to put a fuse box, from power supply to motors? I have motors like yours..maybe 20A fuse (even the board is Sabertooth 2x32)?

This can be good? It supports max 30A (my motors are rated 12A on normal using).
https://www.a mazon.it/MICTUNING-Portafusibili-Capocorda-Circuito-Indicazione/dp/B01GRAOUHK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1497717874&sr=8-4&keywords=fusibili+scatola


Thanks @Zed for your lovely suggestions, and thanks @matthew loomis for photo

"Hot leg" just means the supply side and not the return side of the supply. Exactly as you are planning to do.