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Question Motor Cutting out / Refining Sim help

Discussion in 'DIY Motion Simulator Building Q&A / FAQ' started by Max Klumpp, Oct 9, 2025 at 10:42.

  1. Max Klumpp

    Max Klumpp New Member

    Joined:
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    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor, Arduino
    Hi all, I've finished making my sim and it's working most of the time. However, I've found a few 'problems' that I'm not sure how to resolve. Just a bit of background, I'm using 2 wiper motors and IBT2s for the motion.

    1. Motors - I've found that now and then, the motors just randomly cut out and stop providing support. It doesn't happen all the time, mostly just after I get back into the sim. It holds for a bit, then it droops down, and I have to reset the motors in smc3. I thought this was due to the extra weight and the motors not matching the needed current; however, I found that when using ACC, when I go into the pits, it droops down, even when just driving through the transit lane. I looked through some previous discussions and saw someone suggest lowering the FPWM value, so I'm going to try that.

    2. The motions seem very notchy when racing. I'm not sure if that's a game, software, or mechanical thing, but if anyone has any thoughts on what to change, that would be helpful

    3. The motors are getting quite hot after little use. Is this normal for wiper motors? I'm planning to run some fans over the motors and electronics to keep some airflow, but I'm not sure if this is just bypassing an underlying problem of some sort.

    As always, any help is much appreciated - especially any tips with SimTools and SMC3 settings, as they are confusing to me. :)
    Max Klumpp, Oct 9, 2025 at 10:42
    #1
  2. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    My Motion Simulator:
    3DOF, DC motor, JRK
    Can you please post pictures of your rig so we understand the design, and also pictures of all of your settings.

    Wiper motors are not very powerful, so it is important to minimise load on them.
    noorbeast, Oct 9, 2025 at 11:10
    #2
  3. Max Klumpp

    Max Klumpp New Member

    Joined:
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    +1 / 0 / -0
    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor, Arduino
    upload_2025-10-10_9-45-51.png upload_2025-10-10_9-47-20.png upload_2025-10-10_9-48-30.png upload_2025-10-10_9-49-12.png upload_2025-10-10_9-49-45.png

    hopefully these help, let me know if you want any other specifics
    Max Klumpp, Oct 10, 2025 at 00:51
    #3
  4. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

    Joined:
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    Occupation:
    Innovative tech specialist for NGOs
    Location:
    Tasmania, Australia
    Balance:
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    Ratings:
    +11,077 / 56 / -2
    My Motion Simulator:
    3DOF, DC motor, JRK
    As I mentioned wiper motors are not very powerful and in your rig they are placed near the pivot point, which means they have little inherent design leverage and are under more than necessary strain, particularly in a full frame rig design.

    Extending the bottom frame and mounting the wiper motors near your feet would greatly reduce the load on them.

    With your SMC3 settings can I suggest you change Fpwm to 25, then go back to basics and refine from there.

    The signal also looks to be noisy, so you may want to look at cable management and shielding, some Ferrite magnets on cabling may also help.
    noorbeast, Oct 10, 2025 at 01:43
    #4
  5. Max Klumpp

    Max Klumpp New Member

    Joined:
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    Balance:
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    +1 / 0 / -0
    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor, Arduino
    Great ill have a look into making those changes, thanks for the suggestions
    • Like Like x 1
    Max Klumpp, Oct 10, 2025 at 01:50
    #5