Showroom 6DOF Project - Design - Build - Race

Hello everyone!

My brother and I, we join the xsimulator community ... Our plan --> build 6DOF platform. Fingers crossed

In short, this is the master list...
​

Platform:

• Rotary Stewart Motion 6 DOF with servo actuators through planetary gearbox - DIY
• Steel Main Frame - DIY
• Aluminium Top Frame - DIY
• 3x Displays - BUY

Peripherals:

• Steering wheel - servo motor with 11.5Nm and FOC motor controller flashed with custom firmware - DIY
• Handbrake - 1x Load Cell with 2x buttons, aluminium frame with adjustable tension and damping - DIY
• Pedals - 1x Load Cell (Brake) and 2x Hall-based pots (Accelerator and Clutch), aluminium frame with adjustable tension and damping - DIY
• Shifter H - for 6 hears + R, aluminium frame with real-life feeling - DIY
• Shifter Seq - up and down detection, aluminium detection with pre-tension - DIY

Controllers:

• 6DOF Thanos as controller - BUY
• USB BoB - Peripheral connections (brain and electronics for Pedals, Handbrake, Control Box, Shifter, etc.. ) - DIY DIY

PC (unclear, but deff not DIY)

Power Supplies (unclear, but deff not DIY)

And master timeplan!
​

Timeline plan:

1. Handbrake (done, tested along with G27, works well with genuine feeling)
2. Pedals (ongoing)
3. USB BoB (ongoing - concept electronics done, alpha tests ok, new batch coming)
4. Seq Shifter
5. FFB Wheel (ongoing)
6. Main Platform
7. Bot Platform
8. H Shifter

We have access to laser cutting, laser etching with next to no costs. So that will be of huge help!

About us
Short about us, we are (in average) in mid twenties, working full-time job as automotive electronics engineer and automotive maintenance / machining technician. We have already finished 2 CNC machines, few RC airplanes, restored 2 VW Golfs (mk1 and mk2) and so on and so on. Needlessly to say, we are pumped


Looking forward to join you!

Thanks for the kind words!
Yes we are really documenting, drawing, modelling and reviewing everything before really ordering.
Also did some quick and clean concepts, tested it to see if we are moving in right direction.

Just as you said, to avoid any unwelcome surprises

Update #1 - Custom USB BoB

As mentioned, we decided to make custom USB BoB. And whenever you make something, first you need to define what you want to achieve - specifications. And the picture shows more than thousand words



Idea was to make ultimate expansion board, easy to use, robust and with more than just basic functionalities. Versatile. Board shall contain:
- pedals (1x load cell for brakes and 2x potentiometer for accelerator and clutch pedal)
- shifter (8x analog inputs with software defined thresholds)
- handbrake (1x load cell, 2x buttons)
- CAN (unlimited expansion possibilities))
- USB connection to PC
- ESP for WIFI and Calibrate-by-app
- Controls (at least few Encoders,/Potentiometer and some Buttons)
- I2C expansion (e.g. for OLED display)
- Power Supply
- Indicator LEDs


So we have done some concepts in the past few weeks, ordered PCBs from JLCPCB and did some software for verification of the design. So far, so good! Hooray.

So last weekend (incl today) I spent designing the target PCB with all connectors... and so Jeronimo was born

The front is plain 2-4mm (adjustable) single plate. It can be either aluminium or acrylic or even wood. Its meant to be removable so we can drill holes and make slots for possible buttons, potentiometers and encoders (these are not visible on the model, as that is planed for later)



Ooopsie, that's just the aluminium case...
The back side of the case contains the PCB. It is multi-layer and satisfies generic electrostatic and impedance standards. It has several connectors and expansions possibilities.

- 1x DB9 connector for pedals (3x load cell / potentiometer)
- 1x DB9 connector for shifter (8x analog inputs with software defined thresholds)
- 1x DB9 connector for handbrake (1x load cell / potentiometer, 2x buttons)
- 1x RJ45 (ethernet) connector for CAN (unlimited expansion, 2 amp max)
- 1x USB Micro B connection to PC
- 1x ESP01 connector for WIFI and Calibrate-by-app
- 1x Control Board Expansion (2x Encoder, 2x Potentiometer, 6x Buttons)
- 1x I2C expansion (e.g. for OLED display)
- 1x Power Supply Jack (5-12V)

Or better yet... in picture!



So design is frozen, PCBs soon ordered and meanhile we will continue on Pedal and Handbrake assemblies!
Stay cool!