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Wannabes 4 DOF Actuator/Sim Project

Discussion in 'Motor actuators and drivers' started by wannabeaflyer2, Sep 8, 2019.

  1. wannabeaflyer2

    wannabeaflyer2 Well-Known Member

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    He's at it again guys , more Dreaming and Tinkering , lets just say he cant leave well enough alone ,

    This thread will be an attempt on my part to document my 5 DOF Race car simulation Platform ..

    Basically Temporarily jumping ship from 6DOF to this Option , ( you knew he was Gonna do this) :)

    OK guys basic Outline ... Having seen that AC servo motors have now fallen into DIY buget range and with the work Done by SFX 100 Crew , I have opted to try my hand at this ,
    MY 6 DOF is still here and any improvements I can get from this new Motor/ Controller Combo will be fed in that direction .

    OK long story Short the basic system will be based on my Cut down 6 DOF actuator with some minor Changes.
    The Motor will Now be an AC servo Motor ( with Built in Encoder ) and bought as set with Controller AASD15A for circa £195 exc taxes & shipping)

    Im Aiming to make This setup within a Budget of Circa £350.. all up Per actuator including controller .

    The system interface will Be the New AMC-AASD15A controller Designed and sold By Thanos and Other than my Hamfisted mechanical skills , it should be very very close to Plug N Play ( I say Close Cos you have guys like me that will miss / Mess stuff up LOL )

    4 of My wannabe SFX actuator to Replicate Suspension and othr Physics of race car and 5 Axis for Traction loss .

    Grand Plans but devil will be in the detail ..

    Just a few Pics for now of my Actuator Build and Better detail, and design for platform and actuator will follow in coming posts :)

    Parts Links and costs will be added as I continue posting , though at the moment, I have been using a lot of items I hoarded over the years , but suffice to say the Links/ Sources/ any Cad plans will follow

    SEE POST #16 FOR LATEST CAD DESIGN (BOTH VERSIONS HAVE BEEN MADE 02/11/19)

    Attached Files:

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    Last edited: Nov 2, 2019
  2. wannabeaflyer2

    wannabeaflyer2 Well-Known Member

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    Hi Guys not slowed down just in the ordering bits and waiting for deliveries to come through ,cad drawings almost finalised so will post those soon for viewing . Cheers team
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  3. hannibal

    hannibal Active Member

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  4. My.stAr

    My.stAr Active Member

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    Hey @wannabeaflyer2 ,

    nice to see you working on something new...
    So what about the AMT102 encoder? In this wetup you won't need it, will you?
  5. Thanos

    Thanos Building the Future one AC Servo at a time... or 6

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    My Motion Simulator:
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    No, no need for encoder or limit switches anymore.

    See how this principle works on this early video:


    And here some videos how it calibrates the home position on an actual actuator:



    Thanks
    Thanos
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  6. hannibal

    hannibal Active Member

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    wow.. no limit switches nor pots... i didnt even finish my build and i feel like a dinosaur.. lol
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  7. wannabeaflyer2

    wannabeaflyer2 Well-Known Member

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    Hi Guys micro update as the parts are starting to filter in , 1605 x 250 mm leadscrews all delivered and All Motor / Controllers ref AASD15A Ac servo motor Set on its way ,
    9U server cabinate Bought to house the electronics should be here in a few days, a lot of items sailing from China LOL so update may slow down a wee bit ,

    Just opened the 1605 x 250mm ballscrew and Ball nuts , came from euro but suspect Chinese warehouse in the supply chain , not a complaint as ,at the end of the day you get what your willing to pay for ( MONEY IS AN OBJECT IN THS CASE) seem ok but also seem Different Cosmetically to those I have bought in the past , so time will tell once I start ramping up their use ..

    will update this posting as and when parts and idea get introduced ..

    the design using 20 x 60 Aluminium profile seems good but I may need to rethink how im going to secure it to the Sim Cockpit Structure as they are both different types of Profile and Not sure if 6mm hardened steel Bolts I selected will handle the weight of the Platform & Crash test dummy ( That'll Be me then ) at full Speed ( Dirt rally Style )

    Catch ya soon guys

    Plastic Flexing Time :)

    Attached Files:

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  8. wannabeaflyer2

    wannabeaflyer2 Well-Known Member

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    Hi @My.stAr I bought all the AMT and started connecting them to my Current 6DOF actuator and then saw the Info regarding the AC servo Motors ( which to me sorrta cut out a lot of the Bits n Bobs ) and so I Jumped ship as it were,

    The ultimate plan will be to mod My 6DOF actuators to be driven using these new AC servo Motors and the benefits they bring ..

    The 6dof is still there ( not Running But Assembled but always had this thing about optical encoders feedback systems and now thanks to these AC servo sets they are in range ( not Cheap But the system electronics will be simplier ( yes its AC mains so caution required and if required get Contractor to check install / Safety ) but watch this space :)

    Thanos;s New Controller refAMC-AASD15A actually allow you to set the length of the actuator travel , so in theory the motor transplant idea should be fine , it just need a Support frame so that all structural Weight is diverted around Motor ... or Keep same Config but Mount Motor on the side of the Actuator And then belt drive .... this way I get best of both worlds , Now all I gotta do is learn how to use simtools & FlyPt Mover LOL

    hmmmm there's that term Madman again

    Attached Files:

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    Last edited: Sep 18, 2019
  9. wannabeaflyer2

    wannabeaflyer2 Well-Known Member

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    back again Crew :) bits starting to turn up, so a lot of background stuff going on. All controllers and servos now in hand so wired up the Controller cabinet whilst still waiting for actuator bits .. Not much tech detail at mo but be assured once im at that point i'll cough up learning and setup info ..

    slight change in actuator design ( Actuator frame mounting issues) so decided to go with 100x100 z250 Extrusion as SFX100 original design but using my CNC router to make alternate end plates and Anti rotation inserts .

    Cad drawings done but wont publish these until the 1st Actuator has been built ( just to make sure it all fits as it seems to in my mind :)

    Big up shout to Thanos for the rapid delivery of the AMC-AASD15A controller (Tis a thing of Beauty ) .. still waiting for some EMC line filters for each Servo driver ( more precaution than requirement ) and then Update some of the Servo Controller Parameters before real testing can commence ..

    Watch this space :)

    Attached Files:

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  10. hannibal

    hannibal Active Member

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    looking at my building... i feel so analog! lolol

    thanos reached out to me from day one about products.. i wish i had taken it up. i was overwhelmed with prices... but DIY is not for everyone. i didnt realize it was this hard!

    but im still chipping away at my build, following you, sixdegreesofflight and silentchills design
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  11. wannabeaflyer2

    wannabeaflyer2 Well-Known Member

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    Hey @hannibal nothing wrong with the route your taking good buddy , at the end of the day were makers and the fun is the challenge of seeing the finished article assembled bent twisted moulded created by our efforts , Ya gotta take pride in that , im a self confessed tinkerer and a never finisher LOL ..

    But have to admit for me actuator tech equipment pricing has sorrta shifted in right direction for some of the DIY crew and gotten me hooked on this new development, so Plenty of plastic bending ( as in credit card flexing ) You Tube watching and general lust factor ...did i mention no wife LOL . so yeah im doing this but will also be looking to be using these servos to convert my 6DOF actuators to AC servo drives .

    Mr Tech hoarder May well have to sell one at the end of the day but i enjoy the making phase LOL ...

    still gonna say watch this space :) cheers
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  12. wannabeaflyer2

    wannabeaflyer2 Well-Known Member

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    Getting Closer to seeing this SFX variant being assembled , Im using Delrin (Engineering Plastic of Choice for me ) as it cuts well on CNC and Not too expensive . so the plan is there will be no 3d Painted parts in this version but as mentioned , I tend to Design and make stuff around equipment I have hence the DIY CNC router comes into play ..

    More parts arriving but tech and build info will follow . High Five to @Hoddem as he's also working on a variation of the SFX type actuator , and has done an excellent Post Covering this ..

    Just a few pics of more parts this time Cheers

    Also took the opportunity to do a quick mod to my 6DOF Actuators by swapping the DC motor for an AASD15 Servo Motor and it only needed the Motor Mounting plate Updated, so it look like an easy swap out in my case , ran out of Couplers but the actuator upgrade looks fine .. So almost 400mm range ( +/- 200 each way) on the 6 DOF unit and 150+ MM on the SFX wannabe Actuator LOL :)

    1st stage Electrical hoo up and test this weekend hopefully ..

    Cheers Crew

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  13. Thanos

    Thanos Building the Future one AC Servo at a time... or 6

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    I think you should jump to 6DOF as soon as you can, or have both and keep the 4DOF for racing cars simulation and the 6DOF for flights simulation!

    Great work!!

    Thanks
    Thanos
  14. hannibal

    hannibal Active Member

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    stop trolling @Thanos ! :p

    btw, dont you guys feel like iron man building all these contraptions?
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  15. Thanos

    Thanos Building the Future one AC Servo at a time... or 6

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    Yes, too bad we don't have a J.A.R.V.I.S to help as well... :p
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  16. wannabeaflyer2

    wannabeaflyer2 Well-Known Member

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    Hi Guys micro update .. electrical wiring done and now onto updating driver parameters before Full on Motor jog testing and then to see if i can get connected to FlyPt Mover ,, Still waiting for Actuator Parts but thats to be expected , Have attached my simple wiring diagram for viewing , so as always guys feel free to Critique the content and ill improve the presentation ..

    Updated Cad Drawings :

    There should be 2 versions available
    1 assembly using Openbuilds 20 x 60 Extrusion ( 4DOF V2)
    2nd assembly Based on SFX 100 (Kinetik Extrusion) ref 23/09/19

    Attached Files:

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    Last edited: Nov 2, 2019
  17. wannabeaflyer2

    wannabeaflyer2 Well-Known Member

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    He's back But in a Good Way LOL , Ok had some feedback regarding the wiring diagram and one of the pointers was that i needed to mention that the RFI filters are Optional ( dependant on if you experience Noise or VR signal Dropouts etc and may Help ) also Noted was the emphasis on good grounding and fitting a mains RCD, as a lot of issue some guys have experienced have been based around the Dreaded GROUND LOOP Scenario , so it all boils down to obviously safety and good Practise , Thanks Guys
  18. SeatTime

    SeatTime Well-Known Member

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    Can your 240V outlet handle the load? As a aside, I went to the trouble of running a new 15amp 240 outlet (RSDs are a standard fitment in OZ for most electrical circuits) up to my sim room (on second floor) to run all my sim gear (9 motors) and ended up never using it :rolleyes: as it is all running on solar/batteries.
  19. wannabeaflyer2

    wannabeaflyer2 Well-Known Member

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    Hi @seatime Thanks as always for the input , in my case im lucky that i have a 32 amp Cooker supply that i can add a fused spur to if required , this is my basic setup wiring ,
    also lucky for us in UK i have wired up my House with 2 separate 240Vaac 16 amp Ring mains ( Upstairs and Downstairs split ) so i can as suggested drag an extension from Upstairs and split the load if need be .. the downstairs Cooker 32 Amp feed will be 1st choice if required in my case though .. Cheers
  20. adgun

    adgun Active Member

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    Hi wannabeaflyer2
    I dont know if you ordered all the motors because 400watt motors will do the job to.
    You get 1.25 times the peakforce from a Dbox actuator at rated power with a 400watt motor.
    There is no need to use 750watt motors.
    With youre 6dof you can use a 400watt motor with a 1610 ballscrew
    750watt motors for a light 6 dof makes only sence with a 1616 ballscrew
    There is no need to draw so much current
    regards Ad