Hexapod help - Supplier has done a runner!

Yes, yes...I know....serves me right for trusting a unknown supplier in the first place!

However, before I get started, let me try explain what it is I am trying to do - then hopefully somebody can help me out in the path of least resistance.

So day to day I design and build the large visual systems for professional race teams and automotive OEM's - as well as military flight, ships bridge and Air Traffic Control towers etc... and my company resells all the bit n bobs that goes into making that happen.

I partner with a good few motion platform providors, all with budgets way way outside of my own.

So I decided to build a few 'simulators' of my own - to then donate to a new foundation I have created seperately and start a young driver acadamy. All going very nicely and feedback has been great.

However, I wanted a 6 DOF hexapod (to go between car and aircraft cockpits) so I can use the same visual system as a driving sim, or a flight sim. Naming no names (yet)...the hexapod I purchased was built and all OK, but it has sat static until such a time I was happy with everything else.

Well now I am and the system performs great and is well calibrated (AC Pro and rFpro)...but the company that sold me the motion platform is now dead...no answers to email, phone, Skype, messages and website is offline.

So I am stuck with a pretty solid chunk of metal with no software to drive it.

Attached are some pics of the set up. I was just wondering as this is absolutely not a commerical activity (the visuals are for sure, but motion I have no need for in my 'real' projects) then I could swap out the motors for others and then use SimTools for the software with the correct motor control units?

Probably a bit too simplistic as right now I have no idea of the motor spec or gearing (although I can easily measure that.)

The other way is to just purchase an off the shelf system, but this time from somebody who will stick around for a while. But I would like to explore options of re-using this first of all before I have to tear it down and re-build.

Thanks..and be kind...I know I messed up
-Andy

Hi Andy.

I understand the headache of sourcing parts from "not well known vendors" but maybe you are are in luck, as the servo drives look like Syntron MDBOX from what little I can see on the photos.

Please share better photos of the servo drive panel and any stickers on its side that may help identify them more accurately.

If they are the MDBOX units indeed, I have controller solution for them that you can use to interface with Simtools and FlyPT mover motion software...




https://github.com/tronicgr/AMC-MDBOX_FIRMWARE

If you don't want to share that much here, PM me, its ok.


Thanks
Thanos

Yep, they seem like the units you have listed...here is a better picture of the front panel.
I obviously have two of these units as a Master/Slave combo with 3 motors per unit. All wired up and pre-terminated ready to be connected to the motors. I just have to run power to each unit...although with the lack of a manual from the original vendor anymore details you need or want is a bit tricky to get hold of.

If slightly easier then PM me for my email - I have absolutely nothing to hide with this, so happy to keep this thread visible for all to see if it helps the community too.

Thanks man - a potential life saver! Or life killer if it all goes badly wrong!

No worries... The AMC-MDBOX controller was designed to offer extra safety features and can be even interfaced to Bajer E-stop remote box.

You can see more information about the controller on this older manual for the 6DOF part:
https://github.com/tronicgr/AMC-MDB...er/AMC-MDBOX manual - 6DOF 300mm v4_short.pdf

And more new information as the unit was redesigned for easier wiring in this newer manual:
https://github.com/tronicgr/AMC-MDBOX_FIRMWARE/blob/master/AMC-MDBOX 4DOF manual v5.1 short.pdf


The MDBOX units can be reset to factory values and reprogrammed with some simple parameters that I offer along the AMC-MDBOX controller so you can communicate to each other. In this arrangement, the AMC-MDBOX controller is the master control unit and the two MDBOX 3in1 units are slave devices.

The AMC-MDBOX controller is older than my current AMC-AASD15A controller, but its still updated and also has the latest Spike Filter features.


Here is a old test video with perhaps exactly the same MDBOX unit you have with a 400mm stroke actuator



If you are interested PM me to discuss and arrange a unit for you.

Thanks

PM sent...looking forward to getting this sorted out.

Who is the company that have let you down ?

Where are you located ?

Doesn't really matter who let me down at this point. They seem to be dead and buried so no chance of them doing the same to others. A shame as they did some in the sim and theme park markets - mostly in China though.

Located in Finland, but a Brit ex-pat.

Well, Thanos has sorted me out with a controller - so hopefully in a few weeks I can share some updates of the sim finally working as it should.