DIY 2 DOF Racing Seat

Hi folks,

today the first electronic components received.
Hopefully the Arduino will be here tomorrow. Until now i have the IBT-2, Pots, Servo Motors, USB Cable and the Jumper wires (?).
My goal is to build up a little Mockup for testing purposes. Until now i understand how the Hardware works. So the big "?" is in getting everything working together.But first things first.
I want to post as many and detailed pictures as possible, so everything will be understandable without to many words...

Linear Pots / 10k​

USB Cable / Racing blue​

The Servo Motors / 5 Volts operating voltage


The IBT-2 H-Bridge


Jumper wires / Dupont wires

​

Bye
ML​

Hi folks,

today the Arduino UNO received. Sitting here with a cup of coffe, i am thinking about getting parts together.
At first i downloaded the Arduino IDE SW. After installing i now have this Icon.
I guess the first step will be to get that Arduino Desktop Icon onto or better into the UNO. Lets try.

So this one needs to get...
​

into here...​

Now truthfully...
I´m that sort of Hardware Guy who works with wood and steel. So give me the time to load that Software...

Maybe it is easier to get that kind of sticker into the Arduino.
But i can not find the right connector and there came no adaptor with that little PC.



Last time I wrote "first things first"...
So now its time to read the manual.

Be sure i know what do.

Bye
ML

Hi folks,

after hours and hours my first Mockup finally works.
Yesterday I worked nearly 4 hours to understand the Basics of SimTools. Today I spent a few more hours on SimTools and Arduino so finally i´m able to control the small SG90 Servo Motors manually and they work with Live for Speed, too.
I´m (and my neighbour, too) so happy about that progress.
Within the next days i want to build a nice looking mockup with a small Seat etc.
But now I need to get into Live for Speed...




Bye
ML

Hi folks,

yesterday I build the "Mockup" out of Lego parts. The SG90 Servo motors have some issues in keeping their right position. Will mean that i changed one Servo motor due to that problem. On this side of my Lego seat everything works fine but the ohter motor still has this issue. E.g. you hit the cars brake, the servo is pulling up the back of the chair an directyl goes fully down (hope you understand). If you watch the Video you can see what happens.
I think that issue depends on the price i payed (nearly 3€ each) for the Servos.

Today i tried out the movement of each Axis separately to find the right setting. I guess if you try to set up to much at once in SimTool, there will be no way to find out the right setting for yours.

Just played with keyboard (man, thats ugly)...





Bye
ML

Good afternoon !
That's right, it's on the right track.

Good luck !

Good morning folks,

yesterday the wiper motors arrived. These ones are made for the Mercedes W202 series.
Independently of that, these motors are indicated with 60 watts /12 volt. Of course there were no information about torque.
We will see what happens.

At first i will have to ground isolate the motors and within the next days i want to modify the heatsink for the H-Bridges. The original heatsink maybe work but there was no thermal compound on it so i will do that later with a new type of heatsink which will be used for both H-Bridges.

Here you can see (or not see) the missing thermal compound.



The H-Bridges will be mounted on this heatsink. It´s an older one from a defective Graphics card. Before this one can be used, i will have to grind of the tapped spacers. New mountig holes will be drilled and tapped, so the PCB can be fixed and therefore the 8 Pin Connector has to be isolated as well.

Bye
ML

Hi folks,

things are getting a bit greasy now.
I partly disassembled the wiper motors (not ground isolated) to change the internal wiring. So right now the soldering iron is heatig up.
As you can see below, the feedthrough is completely filled with solid resin.
A few days ago i lend my Torx Tools.

Yes, you know it.

Sometimes it´s better to have a second pair of tools...
Due to that the "gearbox" will be disassembled within the next days in order to rewire the cables (two needed, four left).
Maybe i can show more effort on Sunday.


The opposite carbon brushes are for high speed application. The one which will be remainig shall be disassembled as a "spare part".



The clearance hole will have to be prepared, too. Actually it will connect the PCB via the screw to GND. So everything around that hole will be removed.



Here is the resin filled feedthrough.


Bye
ML

If you need more infomation or have a special question about my Project, please feel free to ask.
Actually i have just shown a few things which will have to be prepared before everything can be put together.
Within the next days (or weeks) i can show you e.g. the process (my way) of grinding away those tapped holes of the heatsink i will use for the H-Bridges.
As you know, there are a lot of possibilities to do things.


Yesterday my neighbour came along to take a seat (in the seat...).
Well, i think we need some butter to get him in.
And out...


Bye
ML

Hi,

now all useless (i hope so) parts have been removed.


The connection (red circle) must still be removed so there will no short circuit when fastening the PCB to the gearbox.
Due to theres no soldering joint for the other carbon brush, the joint (blue circle) will be connected to the surrounding conductor track.



Anyone needs parts ???

Bye
ML

Thats´it for today
Time to lean back

Hi folks,

i just opened the gearboxes of the wiper motors...


Here you can see those two abrasive contacts. Due to theres no need to keep them, they will be cut off. The green and red cables (with flat plugs) will be interchanged because green is actually connected to red and vise versa (don´t like disorder).

Here the abrasive contacts are cutt off and the flat plugs are interchanged.


Yellow and green cable can be cut off and will be removed. Maybe i can use them later...



I was thinking about removing the axle to build a mechanical connection für the Pots but i decided not to let the gears run in an opened gearbox
(the white cap would be missing). The gearwheel is made out of some kind of plastic, so theres no need to let dust or other pollution inside the gearbox.
When the lever is made it will be tightened with a screw and i am thinking about welding some kind of joint on it so it can be connected to a pot.
There are still things waiting to be prepared (like the inner PCBs of the motors). So i may change my thoughts about mounting the Pots etc.

But now i am waiting for the Pizza delivery.

See you

ML

Hi folks,

today there was time to work on the motors...

You can be glad i am no dentist.
The conductor paths were removed with a Proxon/Dremel Tool.



In between i measured the isolation so theres no need to disassemble it again.


It was a little bit fiddly to hold back the carbon brushes while installing the shaft.


An finally we have 2 ground isolated wiper motors.


Well, theres actually not so much effort i can show but within the next days there will be more time to make some progress.
I think the next thing will be to flat grind the heat sink and get the SMC3 into the Arduino.
Alongside i am working on an equipped violin case for Vampire hunters (maybe theres space within the forum to show it) so different kind of works will be accomplished together (e.g. flat grinding the heatsink and a knife blade).

Bye
ML

Hi,

just tried out communication between SMC3 / Arduino and my PC.
Last time (2 weeks ago) i had no idea why it didn´t work. Actually i just had to change the "COMM_PORT=3" within the .ini from 7 to 3.
Sometimes it is easier to work when reading the instructions CAREFULLY.
But for real, i need to grab some food. Otherwise i can´t work properly...


It´s alive... (so far)

Hi,

was thinking about how to mount the H-Bridges on the big heatsink. I guess theres´no good way to do that.
I dont´want to do this in an unsatisfactory way so now the original heatsinks will be used.
Therefore i mounted 2 pieces of silicon insulation (foil) on the heat sinks to avoid premature death of the H-Bridges. Hopefully that works.
In the past i used this insulation foil for a HiFi Amp i build so the foil was available anyway.


Thats how the H-Bridges arrived.
Check yours as well before using them...



The insulation foil has one adhesive side (makes life much easier).


Ready to use.


If you are interessted in this nice Cutting Mat, you can purchase it at "buttinette".
Your writing desk will be thankful. Well, it has metric squares on it. May not fit for everyone...

Bye
ML

I fired up my forge to make the lever arms for the wiper motors. The mounts of the motors are conical so it would not work really good to fix the lever with only a screw. So i brought the raw lever arms to temperatur an punched through an 8mm pre-drilled hole. Of course with an conical hole punch...

The hole punch




My Gas Forge


When you hit the lever with an hammer the marked spots (inside the hole) will have to be filed until it fits.


Within the next days the lever arm will be flat grinded to a nice finish.


When the arms are flat grinded i want to weld on Screws as a mounting point for the university ball joint. I have M12 Screws but maybe that is a little to much... We will see

That´s it for today

ML

Hi folks,

i just build a "quick and dirty Mockup 2.0" so i can start testing the whole system like it will be working in the final seat/frame... thing...


The baseplate is a scrap piece of OSB. The plywood boards carry the wiper motors.
As you can see i fixed a short piece of Pneumatic hose on the shafts. Their inner diameter is 6mm so they fit perfectly on the pots shafts.



The inner hole was drilled with a 30mm Forstner bit. Before that i draw a circle to mark the mounting holes (a circle has 360 degrees. So when you need to drill 3 holes the distance between those holes will have to be 120 degrees. 360 / 2 = 120. Of course you need to measure the diameter from the center of the shaft to one mounting hole [of the motor]). The blue hose was heated up to get it on the 8mm shaft.


The pots fit perfectly. They can be turned easily. I already had 2 steel brackets with a bigger hole (was me).


The steel brackets will be fixed with hot glue BUT before that i will have to mount and measure the Pots.


Mounted and...


...measured.
YES, I KNOW...
Not perfect... Lean back...



so the next thing will be to prewire everything.
But now theres a coffee waiting for me...

Bye
ML

PS: This is a test: Tom (my neighbour), are you up to date ?

What a good coffee...

Of course i don´t wire things before they are not fixed.
Hot glue is my friend.

Here we have a PC Power Supply. 500 Watts max.
There are 2 Connectors with yellow and black cables which deliver 12 Volts. Those 12 Volts will be used for the wiper motors.
But before the Power supply can be used there are two cables that will have to be connected (next time).



Everything glued to the OSBoard.




ML

So i prepared the wiring for the "final Mockup 2.0 testing phase". Maybe tomorrow there will be enough time to get the motor moving.

These cable deliver 12 Volts and will be used for the wiper motors (of course, these cable will be connected to the H-Bridge).



Because the motors will not have to move load, the wires are tinned together (not recommended for High Amp usage).
When the Component are connected finally the cable will be equipped with a plug or an end splice.

THERE IS A BIG ISSUE... OMG...


As you can see the cables are ONLY FOR CPU USAGE



Now i need to think about solving this problem..

ML​

Good morning folks,

at first i wish you all a good christmas time with your family and friends.
A few posts above there was a mistake i made. There i divided 360/2 which gave a result of 120. Of course that´s not right. 360/3=120...

So after a good night i had an idea to solve the above mentioned cable problem:

I just "renamed" the H-Bridges so theres no more problem by using the "CPU Only" Cables.
Yes, sometimes i´m sooo smart.



The green and black (GND) cables from the Power supply (PSU) are connected together to establish permanent "Power On Mode".
For testing purposes the whole assembly is switched on via main switch of the PSU.
The final assembly will include a separate switch.






I connected the Arduino to the +5 Volt of the PSU due to the H-Bridges also need +5 Volt. The H-Bridges will be powered by the Arduinos´+5 Volt...
(actually I don´t know anything about the power consumption of the IBT-2).
The Connector i used isn´t made for that kind of usage. So for testing it shall be OK.



The IBT-2 and the Arduino are connected to Power. Yesterday i removed the yellow cables (+12V) due to starting up the SMC3 testing procedure
(This time i read the instructions BEFORE).


That looks so ridiculous.
Will be glad when it comes to final assembly…


So i will have to check the connections before starting the testing procedure.
Hopefully it will work without any problems. And as you know, the biggest problem is almost the person in front of the keyboard...
That´s it for now.

See you
ML

Hi folks,

here are the news.
Everything works fine now. OK, i had a lot of issues. But first things first:

On sunday i got ill. So it was very hard to keep a clear mind. As you can see above, the wiring was a mess. Now it is too, but i did it a better way (yes that´s possible).
Last time everything was just put together. With this setup there was no way to get any useful results. So today i soldered most cables together or screwed them together with luster terminals. Every Connection is fine now (although some of the dupont wires have a very high internal resistance / e.g. 6 Ohms per cable [not every cable!]).
Next problem was that one motor (black cable ties) turned in the wrong direction. Well, this was easy to find out, because the (green) feedback line of SMC3 Utility has shown a different way of movement. Means that the blue (motor) line went up und the feedback line (pot) went down. So i only had to change the +5 Volt ang GND Cable on that one pot.
At last i found out that the motors were turning to far. First i didn´t know how that could happen. After thinking about that problem i found out, that the blue hose didn´t fit as tight as i thought. So for now they are "fixed" with a grey cable tie (see in video) and i am glad to present my working "Mockup 2.0".

As you know, the final assembly will be made as solid as possible/needed.



Bye
ML