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8020 Aluminum 6DOF Build

Discussion in 'DIY Motion Simulator Projects' started by mayhem, Jan 6, 2017.

  1. mayhem

    mayhem Cobra Commander

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    Hi everyone,
    I'm starting to plan for my build, and have created a very rough SketchUp of what I intend to do from the frame standpoint at least.

    I'm using the concept that @SilentChill laid out here with a tweak in the form that I'm going to be using 8020 extruded aluminum rather than building out of wood or welding steel.
    Several reasons for that which we talked about when I had a thread on the subject:
    -A bit lighter, but if built correctly won't suffer a great deal more deflection that common steel materials others are using
    -I can disassemble, reassemble to physically move the platform or add attachments as I go along with a minimum of drilling and no welding: I intend to build in the garage but move to a downstairs area after.

    The downside of course being the cost to build with this material. To offset that I'm doing a few things: leveraging an existing 8020 rig (you'll see that origin in my mockup) building what remaining I need from used sources and elongating the duration of my project over the year rather than doing one all at once purchase. Because of that, it's also important for me to build in usable stages which I would still be able to play with even before it becomes an articulating platform.

    So I again apologize for the crudeness of my drawing here, and the fact that many of my corners are not even lining up (I'm a SketchUp rookie), but here it is:
    • Like Like x 2
  2. mayhem

    mayhem Cobra Commander

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    Forgot the pictures

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  3. SilentChill

    SilentChill Problem Maker

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    Good luck with your build look forward to the progress :) Have you decided on motors and drivers ? also are you using VR or monitors ?
    • Agree Agree x 1
  4. mayhem

    mayhem Cobra Commander

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    No final decisions on motors and drivers just yet. What I can say is that I'm looking to your designs as well as others around linear actuators. Specifically these three threads:
    https://www.xsimulator.net/community/threads/6dof-sim-linear-actuator-diy-sabertooth-arduino.9392/

    https://www.xsimulator.net/community/threads/diy-linear-actuator-design.8221/

    https://www.xsimulator.net/communit...tooth-2x60s-was-mms-and-arduinos.6948/page-25

    I'm leaning toward the use of sabertooth over the mms given your experience dealing with Alibaba. If I do go with the mms I would build the test unit someone else shared here, but at the end of that day I'm likely to spend the additional money and save myself the heartache of half of them being DOA or soon to be dead.
    So, with that i might pair them up with these: https://smartmotor.en.alibaba.com/p...le.html?spm=a2700.7803228.1998738836.8.NeUjEE as @baykah is doing in his project.

    What I know about myself is that I'm typically not an "original" thinker when it comes to these things. I can MacGyver a few things together but I don't have an academic background in engineering like many here on the forums. But I am VERY good at following in the footsteps of someone who has documented their steps well and perhaps filling in a few blanks for myself. That's what I'm hoping for here.

    I'm going to go a rather low tech way of weighing in the rig for a better assessment of what I need. As I mentioned, I have the existing 4play 8020 setup and even with my seat, wheel and pedals it's light enough that I can pick it up myself stand on a scale and get a good idea of what I'm in for.

    I also realized that I need to do some reward on my drawing. The bar I have running across my legs is going to be too low for legs to get in there, so I'm going to need to break that up, probably double up my wheel base mount and supports for those ends.
    • Like Like x 2
  5. mayhem

    mayhem Cobra Commander

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    Also, you asked about what I'm using.
    I currently have a Oculus Rift Cv1. I will have a small monitor (Asus 27" also attached for getting started) though this may or may not be sitting on finished rig. Might swing over from the wall or be free standing.

    Otherwise I user a Fanatec v2 base and v2 pedals, typical shifters and brakes as well as a Hunsaker Sport seat (took the passenger out of my car, trying to build and equivalent experience to save on a few track days.)
    • Like Like x 1
  6. bruce stephen

    bruce stephen Hammer doesnt fix it, must be electrical

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    Exciting. I'm eager to see your finished project. I believe this will be the first 80/20 6dof here. IMO your monster moto fears are a bit exaggerated. Yes just build a test bench, and buy with eBay or Paypal for ease of return if they ship you dead ones. I'll post some links later when I get home of the seller I have used several times.
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  7. cfischer

    cfischer Active Member Gold Contributor

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    I am wondering why the triangle where your actuators connect to your seat is spread so far apart. I have seen others do the same but it seems to me like it would be better to make it smaller/lighter/stronger.

    Edit: oh and cheaper...
  8. mayhem

    mayhem Cobra Commander

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    Great question. And I do agree on all of these points and will make adjustments for them. My next step from a design standpoint is to download simtool and get it working with SketchUp to test out the clearances. I'm on a MAC, and simtools is a .exe, so that's taking me a little longer to do.

    What I was really attempting in this model was present the "worst case scenario" in regard to the material that I would need to order. Have not made my order just yet as thoughts continued to roll in. My end result will be tighter on the sides, and hopefully getting that base footprint down closer to 5 and a half feet.
    I may also add some diagonal supports under the "wings" though to help with those week points. I got a little more concerned with those after watching @SeatTime doing his lead test video early on in his project and breaking the frame. Unlike his welded design, mine would only be bolted in these locations, so some added support would likely be good.

    I'm going to work out a weight estimate before I build and then do a final weigh in once constructed and post those results here.
  9. cfischer

    cfischer Active Member Gold Contributor

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    My initial reaction would be to go with a box setup like this. Get rid of the wings.

    20170108_105542.jpg
  10. mayhem

    mayhem Cobra Commander

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    I want to get it as close to possible in that regard. What's going to work against factor, I would imagine, is that if I want to have a lower center of gravity (by positioning my attachment points up top) then I will have a rotate conflict with my articulation arms as I'm moving around.
    I'm going to have this sitting on a hexagon (messed up in my initial drawing and did an octagon) and the most forward arm would either be under the front pedals, or I need to have a larger hexagon to place them outside of it.

    I should have a new drawing up tonight showing what I'm talking about. Many thanks to all responding. It's great for an amateur like me to have an open conversation with others interested in the same thing; throw a few ideas up against the wall and see what sticks.
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2017
  11. mayhem

    mayhem Cobra Commander

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    Here are my latest drawings, drawing in the wind design a bit and making my base platform smaller.
    Again, this is building off of the dimensions of my existing 8020 rig and so that kind of dictates the overall size. I did widen that rig just a bit, going from 20" wide to 22" wide, and gave it a little more length of the seat mounting in the event of taller players.

    With that in mind, it then became a matter of fitting my triangle rig on top of a hexagon with the corners matching the center of those sides. The end results is an overall footprint that will be 64" wide x 71" long.

    In these drawings I've highlighted where my arms would be. And you may be correct about not needing the wings. Once I have this working with simtools I'll give it a few twists and turns to see if there is any conflict going that way. If it works, then I'll leave those off and make a more simplified and ridged, but lighter design.

    Attached Files:

  12. mayhem

    mayhem Cobra Commander

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    For those interested. Attached is my sketchup file currently in progress.

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    • Informative Informative x 1
  13. mayhem

    mayhem Cobra Commander

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    So I've finally sourced the 80/20 that I need for my first phase.
    This does not yet include the additional hardware and brackets I'll need (that's coming soon).

    Extruded Aluminum Parts List
    1.5 “x1.5” Aluminum (ultra light)
    (2) 35” – Platform Frame Bars (PFB)
    (2) 60” – Pedal Mount Frame Bars (PMFB)
    (2) 22” – Seat Cross Bars (SCB)
    (2) 14” – Pedal Mount Cross Bars (PMCB)
    (2) 7.5” – Front Pedal Mount Riser Bars (FPMRB)
    (1) 7.5” – Long Shifter Bar (LSB)
    (1) 6” – Short Shifter Bar (SSB)
    (2) 5” – Steering Wheel Adjuster Bars (SWAB)
    (4) 3” – Wheel & Pedal Mount Bars (WPMB)
    (1) 3” – Steering Pivot Bar (SPB)
    (1) 19” – Steering Wheel Mount Bar (SWMB)

    1.5 “x1.5” Aluminum (regular)
    (2) 3" small mount blocks
    (6) 32" Base

    1.5”x3” Aluminum (regular)
    (2) 22” – Steering Support Side Bars (SSSB)
    (1) 19” – Steering Wheel Mount Bar (SWMB)
    (1) 19” – Front Platform Cross Bar (FPCB)
    (2) 13.5" front wing
    (2) 21" angle wing
    (2) 38" front to back
    (2) 48" angle front to back
    (1) 42" Under Support
    (1) 26" Rear Support
    (1) 15" Rear Rise Support
    (2) 3" mount blocks

    You'll see that I tried to use either the "Lite" or "Ultra-Lite" version for the carriage, but used the standard 80/20 extrusion for supporting parts. This was for deflection. In comparison to 1.25"x1.25" steel, the extruded aluminum at 1.5"x3" would actually have less deflection.
    Why order now rather than wait for what my final model is going to look like? I decided to go with ordering too much rather than ordering too little. As I'm ordering this as used elements off of eBay, the cost actually isn't the extrusion, but the shipping. So when I saw a seller who had a lot of bits and pieces to sell, and was willing to combine shipping, I seized upon that.
    I figure when it comes to this, it's like an erector set. I'm ceretain I'll find something fun to do with whatever is left over.
    • Agree Agree x 1
  14. mayhem

    mayhem Cobra Commander

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    A note on the weight of the rig thus far. I used an extremely scientific method for measurement today: I weighed myself on a bathroom scale (200lbs) and then picked my existing rig with all equipment (wheel, base, pedals, seat, vr, keyboard/mouse etc) and did the same. Currently that weighs in 100lbs.
    I calculated the potential added weight of the carriage based on the specs for the extrusion I was adding (1.3433lbs/ft for regular). Again, this doesn't include the hardware and brackets that will be required for those portions, but that is going to be anywhere from 35lb on up to 75.

    So total weight of the suspended unit (with player) I'm estimating to be 335-375lbs.
    • Like Like x 1
  15. SilentChill

    SilentChill Problem Maker

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    Wow is that not a bit heavy ? That would be around 170kg top end of your estimate. I can lift my entire platform with everything on it
  16. mayhem

    mayhem Cobra Commander

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    While I don't doubt that you are correct and I have some trimming out to do in comparison to other builds going on here, I think you're reading that a bit wrong. 170kg would be with the player sitting inside of it. My body is 91kg of that total.

    The top end of my carriage is 79kg, and so I am also able to pick up mine with everything on it. Hopefully it comes in closer to 61kg and the end, but we'll see. Even at that, I'm assuming that others are building even lighter, more responsive designs.

    I didn't have any other comparisons to go off of when it came to other builds, so thought I would be the first to offer up.
  17. SilentChill

    SilentChill Problem Maker

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    Yeah no worries just have to see how it goes :thumbs
  18. mayhem

    mayhem Cobra Commander

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    Tell you what @SilentChill. If it melts my motors I'll just turn my rig into this:

    haha!

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  19. SilentChill

    SilentChill Problem Maker

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    Hahahaha no you won't melt it just get good motors :D
  20. xeg1101

    xeg1101 New Member

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    Did you ever end up finishing your rig?