Joyrider-JRK-12vDC motor Build

Hello everyone, I'm currently in the middle of building a Joyrider motion platform. I wanted to start this thread to post my progress on this build as well as ask for help on some of the issues that I might have. When I started looking into building one of these things I found these types of threads very useful. The thread I found most useful was cgodwin's thread on his build. I ended up ordering a lot of the same parts except the DC motors that I couldn't find anywhere. I ended up buying more expensive worm gear motors that someone suggested in another thread. So here are the parts that I have ordered for this build.

2x JRK units
https://www.pololu.com/product/1393

2x 12v worm gears
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GEAR-MOTOR-...LL-FEED-SIMULATOR-75-80RPM-50-1-/371596157992

2x DPS-600PB, 47A at 12.15V
https://www.serversupply.com/produc...rcNXwnAFHQQJJdOQKhEb2wNS65vsLEB3GPBoCTgbw_wcB

2x Pot: TT Electronics 6127V1A180L.5FS
https://www.digikey.com/products/en?keywords=987-1392-ND

I should have everything in the next two weeks so I will be able to start making some more progress. I have some pictures of the build so far.

The only problems I had in the build so far is the position for the rudder pedals and I had to extend the width of the gimball frame. I based everything off the joyrider design from the PDF file that I spent 15 dollars on.
http://www.acesim.com/main.html
I don't know what caused the cockpit to be to wide, but it was an easy fix. I just used the left over 3inch PVC pipes that were 1 3/4th an inch longer and that gave me enough clearance. Another thing I did not plan on was the location for the Rudder pedals. I wanted to use this for racing and flight simulators so I planned on using a wooden plank bolted on to the cockpit frame, but this put the pedals to close to the seat and they aren't located under the seat. Instead they are positioned directly in front of the seat now. I gave up on the idea of being able to swap out the different pedals because I'll mainly use this for flight sims.

Now the next things that I'm working on is where to position the motors, how long the rods and levers will have to be, and how to construct the frame that will hold the motors in place. I wasn't sure about if I wanted to use steel or aluminum for this part of the build. I'm leaning more towards aluminum because it will be easier to cut, drill, and machine. I don't plan on doing any welding, and cgodwin pointed out that steel would be cheaper. I just don't know if I would be able to cut through it with just a jigsaw. I don't have a lot of tools on hand.

A new joyrider builder, Yay !
I made a fixed cockpit inspired from it :

I still have some work to do on it and hope to motorize it one day, but I think it will stay on the floor for a while.

Good job!

Here is an update to my build. I have added mounts for my controls, keyboard, and rudder pedals. I have added mounts for the motors that I put together using bolts and steel bars. I am using the rod ends that cgodwin suggested. I also have everything wired up and the things seem to be working the way they should. I had some issues with getting the server PSU wired. I followed this tutorial that was provided in this thread for this.


https://www.xsimulator.net/community/threads/how-to-modify-a-server-power-supply-for-12v.5774/

Thank you Slider!
I was an idiot and skipped over some of the parts because I was not planning on installing a switch. So, I ended trying to only connect pin 4 and 8 together which did not work. After going back over the tutorial I corrected this and wired the four pins together. I also had to go back and resolder one of the pins for the power because I guess I did not do such a great job the first time around.

The point I am at now is getting the JRK's configured properly. I used this tutorial to setup the JRK in the configuration utility.

https://www.xsimulator.net/community/threads/playseat-to-2-dofseat.5401/page-2#post-56352

The issue I have now is that when I get to the last part of the tutorial and go to click on "detect motor" I get a message that promts me to return the lever to the center position. I do this and then click okay. I get this message "center the output, then click ok" As other people in another thread suggested and pointed out the lever as well as the pot need to be center. I have tried to find the center using configuration utility and the plots. So, at this point I used a multimeter to determine the center but I get I only get one value and it doesn't change depending on how I twist the knob. I'm not even sure I have the pot connected properly to the JRK or maybe it may be an issue with my questionable soldering skills?

In any case here are some pictures of the progress I have made, and a video of the roll axis in motion. I am able to power the motor by clicking on the run motor option in the JRK utility app so I got that going. However, if you notice in the video it makes a strange noise for a few seconds before it can start to move, but after it begins to move it seems to work fine. It does seem to move rather violently, and I will have to reinforce some of the brackets that hold the rods in place. At least I haven't blown anything up yet.

Your rig looks nice.
But in the video (seconds 7 to 10) it seems that the frame oscillates/swings quite some time after the motors have stopped moving. At least this is my impression. Or did the motors induce all this swinging?

Hey MarkusB, I'm pretty sure the motors are causing the shaking. Though the cockpit does shake whenever the motor for the pitch moves. I think I have too much weight on the front of the cockpit frame.

So, I have an update. I managed to sort out all the issues I was having with the JRK config app thanks to the advice here on the forums. I started to set up a profile and get simtools setup. Here is a video of a DCS flight in the A-10 taking off and then landing.