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Question Can I change motor direction in FlyPT for one Linear Actuator?

Discussion in 'DIY Motion Simulator Building Q&A / FAQ' started by Tim Herschbach, Apr 26, 2025 at 00:14.

  1. Tim Herschbach

    Tim Herschbach Member Gold Contributor

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    I've constructed rack & pinion drives from the ali wheel chair motors but because they behave like actuators (not a rotating crank), I'm setting up the rig in FlyPT as a 2DOF linear actuator rig. However, because the motors are mounted mirrored, one is reversed. I already swapped the power to the motor but realized I need to change the polarity of the hall sensor too, so before I mess with that, is there an easier way to do this within FlyPT? Seems like there should be a way to reverse a linear actuator's direction like you can reverse the motor's direction when setting up the 2DOF rotating rig.
  2. Tim Herschbach

    Tim Herschbach Member Gold Contributor

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    Or is there a simple way to do this in the ard sketch?

    EDIT: I'm not even sure how to reverse the output of the hall sensor... from what I'm seeing you can't switch polarities. So I'd either have to mount it facing the other way, or do it in software it seems? Or get crazy and just put a twist in the o-ring. :D
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2025 at 00:25
  3. Attyla.pl

    Attyla.pl Active Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor, Arduino
    See, I think in arduino smc3.ino you can reverse the movement of the motor.
    Possibly in flyptmover swap direction

    Attached Files:

  4. Tim Herschbach

    Tim Herschbach Member Gold Contributor

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    That's a rotating DoF. I need it for a linear.

    I suspect it's easily done in SMC3 but my coding ability isn't great so if anyone knows how to do it off hand, please let me know.

    In the meantime, I put a twist in the o-ring and it's working perfectly!
  5. Attyla.pl

    Attyla.pl Active Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor, Arduino
    Just edit the draft smc3.ino in line 13 and delete the // characters
    Motor 1 will move in the opposite direction of the instructions sent from the program.
    Note, I have not tested this function personally reverse Motor 1 direction.png
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  6. Tim Herschbach

    Tim Herschbach Member Gold Contributor

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    Easier than I expected, thank you! The o-ring twist is putting a small amount of friction on itself so not the ideal solution.