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2DOF seat mover build

Discussion in 'DIY Motion Simulator Projects' started by Dane Anthony, Feb 4, 2019.

  1. Dane Anthony

    Dane Anthony New Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor, Arduino
    Hey everybody,

    This is my first motion simulator build. After reading through a large amount of threads I've decided to start with a simple seat mover using worm gear motors. Wiper motors seem like they would eventually need upgrading so the extra money for good motors seemed like a valid choice. I will be using an arduino uno in combination with monster moto controllers for the motors.

    So here's the first post of the build. I bought some 1" square metal tubing for the frame. I've cut the pieces for the part of the frame where the bucket seat will mount and will be welding them shortly. The seat and pedal setup will all be attached to a single plane of the frame(go kart style) unless I decide to raise the seat up a few inches. I extended the sides of it out far enough to more conveniently mount the harness.

    Metal was from home depot ~&17 per 6 ft section
    Additional metal was from Amazon ~$14 per 4 ft section after buying all of home depot's supply

    I cut the metal with an angle grinder then used a grinding wheel to take off sharp corners and clean up the areas that will be welded together.

    Hopefully I'll get this welded and drill the seat mounting holes out within the next few days for my next post.

    Attached Files:

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  2. Dane Anthony

    Dane Anthony New Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
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    The seat bracket is welded and drilled out. I've also bolted angle iron to the front for mounting the steering wheel and pedals. For the main joint I'm using part of a CV assembly from what I believe is for an ATV side-by-side. I made a small metal bracket and drilled out a hole for the CV. This bracket will be bolted on after I find the center of mass. The idea is to be able to disassemble the rig enough to easily fit it in a vehicle for transport.

    Note: This is the first thing I've ever welded, so I'm aware of how ugly these some of these welds look. My brother had to fix some of them... 20190203_123134.jpg 20190203_124837.jpg
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  3. Dane Anthony

    Dane Anthony New Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor, Arduino
    Also I've created a small bracket for the shifter on the side. It is also bolted on. I used angle iron and square metal tubing for the main frame and particle board as a platform for the shifter to sit. 20190206_174733.jpg 20190206_174743.jpg 20190206_174824.jpg 20190206_174907.jpg
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  4. Ijanen

    Ijanen Living Room Mechanic

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    My Motion Simulator:
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    What kind of universal joint do you have? In the picture, it looks like
    it's a drive shaft from a front-wheel drive car. These are not suitable
    because they can twist. If so, it's better to get something like that.

    Attached Files:

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    • Informative Informative x 1
  5. Dane Anthony

    Dane Anthony New Member

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    Hi Ijanen,

    I was unaware of this, so thank you for the heads up! It is an outer CV joint from an ATV side-by-side. However, I do have a u-joint like the one in your picture as a backup, so looks like I will be using it instead. Thanks again for the insight!
    • Like Like x 3
  6. Dane Anthony

    Dane Anthony New Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor, Arduino
    I just finished making the steering wheel mount. I used a piece of angle iron and some square tubing to make a clamp that will tighten on the frame (in picture). I welded another piece of tubing on this that supports the platform of the steering wheel. This setup lets me adjust the position of the steering wheel up, down, forward, and backwards to dial in a little bit of comfort. I believe this design will be sturdy enough as is, but I can't predict what will happen once the rig is moving.

    I guess I should also mention that I'm using a Logitech G29 steering wheel and shifter. It was the setup with the best reviews in my price range.

    I am currently building a platform for the pedals. I'm going to take them out of the stock enclosure and flip them upside down. I've also began putting together the base of the rig where the motors and electronics will be housed. I'll post pictures once it is finished.


    20190209_103638.jpg 20190207_154349.jpg 20190207_154528.jpg
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  7. Dane Anthony

    Dane Anthony New Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
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    Alright, it's been a bit since I've posted, but here is the update. I've attached a harness for the seat and began working on the base of the sim. 20190209_104419.jpg
  8. Dane Anthony

    Dane Anthony New Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
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    Here is the evolution of the base. I'll have to add on some extra length to the front and sides to ensure it's stable enough under operations. I've also switched the CV style joint out for a standard U-joint as the CV joint gave unwanted rotational movement. Everything was pretty much made of 1" square tubing with some additional thick metal strips to reinforce the column that will be holding the seat. 20190216_141955.jpg 20190226_171207.jpg 20190309_153232.jpg
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  9. Dane Anthony

    Dane Anthony New Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor, Arduino
    Here is a picture of the seat mount on top of the base 20190226_180047.jpg
  10. Dane Anthony

    Dane Anthony New Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor, Arduino
    I decided to try and make mounts for the motors out of square tubing and angle iron. I think it will work fine so long as I can attach them to the base well enough. 20190311_173005.jpg 20190311_172954.jpg
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  11. Dane Anthony

    Dane Anthony New Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor, Arduino
    I've attached the motor mounting brackets to the base of the frame at the angle calculated from SimCalc. Next step will be attaching the motors and connecting them to the back of the seat. I'll have to go pick up some materials to get to that part, but once that is done, it'll be ready for electronics! Hopefully I can start testing out simtools early this summer.

    Attached Files:

    • Like Like x 1
  12. Dane Anthony

    Dane Anthony New Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
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    Getting nearer to the end. I've finished pretty much all of the frame/mechanical portions with the exception of fine tuning connections from the motors to the back of the seat.

    Here is what it looks like without the motor rods attached. I still need to add a couple more tubes on the base for support when the rig is motion (want to tip forward at the moment), but that should be fairly simple. I also plan on using threaded rod and hex nuts to lift this up off the ground by 6-10 inches with adjustable "feet". I cut the threaded rods last week and just have to drill out holes, so I'll update that once it's done.

    20190427_111021.jpg
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  13. Dane Anthony

    Dane Anthony New Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor, Arduino
    Here is the design for attaching the motors to the back of the seat. I cut some square tubing and attached them at an angle to the back of the seat frame. Then I drilled 1/2" holes and welded in a ratchet knuckle. This gave more than enough range of motion and appears very sturdy. The rods I used are tie rods from a front wheel drive van that I've welded to steel rods to lengthen them out. These will be attached to some cut pieces of angle iron that move with the motors and also welded to the knuckles at the opposite end. This design has worked when moving them by hand, but we will see how it fairs in testing under real conditions ie. using motors which are much faster and stronger than my hands... fingers crossed!

    Attached Files:

  14. Dane Anthony

    Dane Anthony New Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
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    Last update before moving forward...

    I just sent out an application for the simtools license, so hopefully I'm far enough along that they will approve it.

    The last parts of the build before actually testing are as follows...

    1. finish attaching motors to back of seat (almost done, just have to smooth out mechanical connections to work optimally)
    2. fabricate a potentiometer mount that connects to back of motor (already have design and materials, just have to sit down and build it)
    3. wire up electronics (I have all the wiring diagrams and components I need and have already modified server power supplies to work, just have to sit down and solder things)
    4. assemble entire rig
    5. begin testing/tuning (I imagine this will take quite a long time)
    6. discover all the mistakes in my designs (I imagine this will become apparent fairly soon)
    7. cry a little
    8. fix the flaws
    9. rush the tuning procedures because I'm too excited to start using this
    10. begin inexplicably fun times


    It'll take a while to finish this as my free time is scarce these days. I will try and post updates at each step (except for the crying, I don't need you judging me!!).
    • Like Like x 1
  15. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    My Motion Simulator:
    3DOF, DC motor, JRK
    Nearly there, but you will need to complete your build to the testing phase, as it is one of the eligibility criteria for a free DIY SimTools license: https://www.xsimulator.net/request-diy-key-simtools/
  16. Dane Anthony

    Dane Anthony New Member

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    Noted. I will tie up the loose ends before submitting again. Thanks!
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  17. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    My Motion Simulator:
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    Just checking on your progress, any updates?
  18. Dane Anthony

    Dane Anthony New Member

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    Hey there,

    Yes, I've actually made a bit of progress. The wiring is done, and everything was getting power. I'm using two 750W HP server power supplies, two monster moto controllers, and an arduino uno. I've uploaded the SMC3Util code to the arduino and established connection on my computer. I'm experimenting with a potentiometer mount using metal spacers welded onto a hex nut. The nut is threaded on the rod being driven by the motors. The spacer has a hole drilled through it with a metal wire pushed through the split shaft potentiometer as well as the holes. This wire has enough stiffness to drive the pot, but will bend and pull through the drilled holes if the motor continues turning past the pot threshold. I will probably change this design in the future to something a little more robust and precise, but this works fine as of now.

    However... I haven't posted any updates because I shorted out one of the motor controllers when I was setting up the SMC3 parameters. The other controller is working just fine (tested it on both motors). I've since ordered and received a new controller but have yet to wire it up and test it out again.

    Attached Files:

    • Like Like x 2
  19. Dane Anthony

    Dane Anthony New Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor, Arduino
    Just an update, so it doesn't appear that I have abandoned all hope... I've been super busy with school, work, and other projects I've been working on.

    I did successfully test the motors using the SMCUtil. Response looked fine, just have to adjust the parameters to smooth out the motion. However, the motor controllers are getting too hot. I have aluminum heat sinks on them, but that is apparently not enough. I'll probably have to build a small enclosure and put a computer fan or two on it.

    Hopefully I'll have some time to put into this in the next month. I'll post updates once I make some more progress including results from the motor tests.
  20. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    My Motion Simulator:
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    Sounds like you are nearly there, you are correct MMs do need fans as well as heat sinks.