Mclain: Finally Doing it

Hey Guys,

I build my first non motion sim when the Logitech G25 came out. Motion platforms has always been a dream, but time and money never alligned for that.
Now with having access to a Bambulax X1 Carbon, a Lathe, various mills etc, i think its time to start cranking.

I'm very much intreged by Peacemakers unit, but also FlyPT's one and i like the MotionXP ones.

Normally i would start designing stuff with Inventor and try to get the final form digital, before ordering anything. But since most of the stuff is already done multiple times (and im appearantly too stupid to get a working image in FlyPT mover), i'm taking the mechanic route instead of the engineering route.
Just start and fix issues when i have to cross that bridge. Peacemaker has shared some files from his rig and actuators which will be used as a template.

So im putting in the order this week at an Ali supplier for 6x 750 watt motor with driver, 550mm spindles, enough extruded aluminium to build base and platform plus some stuff i need to get started.

One of the differences will be the mounting of the actuators to the base. I think i will be using a universal joint with flanges. As a mechanic, i think these things are awesome reliable.
Not sure i will be using the base frame like Peacemaker, or will go for the Motion XR with the triangle from the inside. Think that looks awesome.
Allot of stuff will be printed, others will be laser cut and welded together.

Im planning to build it around my Playseat with G29 for now, as those dimensions work pretty well here with several users. Seat and pedals will be made to be able to adjust. Might do the same with the Steering wheel in a later stage.
Will be using Thanos for control and although im making it Multi monitor, the idea is to use the Quest 3 as a screen.
Offcourse it will need all the bells and whistles the further i will develop it, cause the g29 is childsplay compared to many things i see on your rigs. But lets first get some motion before pouring in huge amounts of money for steering wheels etc

If you have a better idea for designing than inventor, please let me know.

Hoping to get the basic stuff ready while stayin around the 2.5k mark.

Been a few days since i started the project.

Looked at allot of other topics and they all start with building one digital and drawing it up in Sketchup of inventor. Its really awesome to see and hopefully i can get my head around this and find time to (learn to) design my own one like this.

Ive also seen great 3d printed version to scale.
Ive went for the other route. Peacemaker shared some files on his Rig and i though, with no more then 30 bucks on expendable material, i can make a 1:1 mockup, and so i did.

Its a big thing... It fits in the narrow side of the room, but seems like it will never get the full motion options with it sitting there.
Trying my best to work out FlyPT to define the setup im going to build. Still need to figure out allot of stuff and see what program gives me the minimal space when the rig is moving around.

Other thing i need to think about is what i want the Rig to do.
What level of Roll is what im looking for. I think the current setup gives me a roll of 26 degrees. Is that enough, or should i modify it to get near the MotionXP specs of 32 degrees.
Ive never driven one, so i dont know. But its also something you dont want to do twice because you didnt pay enough attention the first time.

So lets go over the list i've ordered so far.

6x 750 Motors with the White Drives
SFU1610 spindles, 600 and 700mm lengths
8mm and 12mm rods
Linear bearings

3030,3090 & 30120 profiles, 10M each
Loads of Brackets, nuts, screws etc.
some Covers in red to make it look fast.

Parts are ordered at Alibabba, so it will take a month or 2 for them to arrive.

Plenty of time to get the final version ready on paper.

Counter is at 1820 euro at this moment, but will be needing to pay taxes on it, and i have no Controller yet. But i have a Surplus on Profiles of 40% of what i would need, 2 sets of linear Ball screws(600+700) and enough nuts and screws to build a car.

Im also trying to find the right U joint and im also already looking into seats. And i must say, i love the look of this seat, buts thats really way way way too expensive. So if anyone has a cheaper option which has these "patches" of padding like this seat has, let me know. CHeers

Needs to be comfortable yes, thats why my preference is going to be a car seat from a production car. This is one of an GTR Nismo, but its extremely expesive. I have enough friends in de rally scene who have seats that no longer can be used. But those arent always that comfy.

As for the Links:

Aluminium profiles and accesoires i bought at this store on Alibabba:
https://hantejs.en.alibaba.com/inde...fe3NmGNJ0&from=detail&productId=1600914549638

Motors, rods, linear bearings etc are from this suplier:
https://ntl-bearing.en.alibaba.com/...70e76e9WyKNbx&tracelog=from_orderlist_company

Link to the Excel sheet:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SobLMUQtdR4iKCfUtmGzFY90CUfl9GUB?rtpof=true&usp=drive_fs with the prices and quantities

Try it before you buy it. These Recaro seats are not comfortable at all. Saw one at Nismo Showroom and had the opportunity to test an simrig at Subaru HQ with the Podium Seat, the foam inserts are hard and uncomfortable as hell. An Pole Position or Sportster will be a much better choice.

ordered some U-joints for the setup. Gumz-9
26x48/71
Could get them where i ordered the motors, adding 60 euro to the price for 14 pieces.
Will be printing the holder, maybe using metal links to hold them in place as we see in driveshafts.

Ive been fumbling around with FlyPT, checking dimensions and setup limits.

ive come to the conclusion that even the Peacemaker setup (with a smaller footprint) the room around it is limited in the narrow part of the Attic. So i'll be moving my work space out of the wider area(dormer) to the narrow side of the attic and build the Motion platform in the Dormer, giving me a work space of 2.8x3.2 with a height of 2.6 in the dormer.

So since ill be in the wider area, ill adapt my setup accordingly. So the footprint is probably going to get bigger, and the rig is getting other specs as well. Looking into motionxp territory. So 620mm range , 700 heave , almost 32 degree roll and up to 35 degree pitch.
Ive added a 750mm SFU2010 to my order to see how that will work. Got allot of stuff to play with and allot of things to draw.

Ive been doing quite some reading and looking at other 6dofs.

Especially Dirty's 2nd 6Dof is very nice. I like the way he put the Motors on the side and uses a single rod to drive the platform. Not sure if i like the Square actuator tubing. His platform however is Extremely eleganty created in form of Geometry. Really like that idea. Contacted him for more picture or if he is willing to share a drawing.

Also came across a 6Dof from Dynamic 4S... That thing needs a consent form filled in before taking it for a Ride. I love that idea. Would love to eventually create a beast like that.. 1000mm heave and probably 2G acceleration hahah

Updated the parts list.
Added 6x SFU2010 750mm, 6802 bearings as well as Ujoints with prices.

Also changed the Linear rods. Ordered 2m lengths, to get 3x 660mm. But since i want to aim for a bit more travel, i changed them to 3x 750mm per ordered length. I think they liked that idea as shipping is easier then, so no additional charge for that.
And i found a Ujoint that i want to use . Gumz-9. 25mm Cups and 60mm width.

Also checked for Carbon tubing as a nice finish for the actuator housing. 80mm Diameter, 1mm wall thickness, 700mm lenght 31 dollar a piece.
As its not a structural piece, just cosmetic im playing with the idea of making it out of transparant acrylic and adding leds.

Just remember, this isn't a five minute job, (I've been over two years at mine) and you'll be fine. Anyway now you've ordered all those parts you just have to do it.

Im aware that it wont be a 5min job.
Although making the mechanical platform is relatively easy and isnt that time consuming if you plan it right and have the right skills and tools. Its the actuators that will be a bit of a challange to get right.
So im hoping that by the end of the year i have the base, platform and actuators ready.
After that the real challange begins with setting it up, calibrating it, which is the part that kinda scares me. Its kinda out of my comfort zone i think....
Then there is enough work to be done by putting the seat, steering wheel, pedals and monitors on it. I guess this is a job thats never finished.

I dont have the illusion ill be racing online in my rig this year, so dont worry haha

I did the electronics part first, as that was the bit that was newish territory, I knew if that was done the rest would be easy. So my rig is up and running. Its building a helo thats slowing me down.

You shouldn't concern yourself with getting stuck, you are in good company here, and peeps will talk you through any issues you have or get.
Look forward to watching your progress.

I've noticed hahaha.

I'm a hybrid mechanic/ rebuilder in real life.
So I'm very familiar with the mechanics of engines, transmissions and drive trains.
But I have an degree in electronics and worked in computers the first 12 years 9f my career.
Now my core business is a combination of rebuilding transmissions and drive train parts, diagnostics, electronics repairs and software modifications (tuning and diagnostic purposes).

If I see how much information people are sharing, I don't think I will get stuck for long.

Next to all that I developed a love for fixing known issues and creating special tools for transmission rebuilding, using mostly inventor, bambulab and lathe / mill.

But if I look at some detailed drawings here I'm like, I'm the noob. Where the hell did they learn to create such awesome drawings and assemblies..

Luckily my brain likes most aspects of building this thing, so information is being obsorbed as it's a brand new sponch.

And it's amazing how much information and wisdom I've already gathered just by looking at builds and going through topics.

Very exciting stuff

Ok, i did something.... Changed my order. Instead of the 80ST-m02430 aasd15 set, im now getting the ST110-m06030 ASSD30 set. . I reckenoned that with my idea to upgrade later to more heave, i might produce a bottleneck with the st80 motor. So i asked and for 410 dollar i could go to 1.8KW with matching drivers. As they can run at half the power, i can still stay within sane limits, But i could go to SFU3220 for example and stil stay in the same acceleration region as with the 750 watt motor and SFU1610, but much more torque to play with. Could even go to a 25 pitch.
Not saying im going to be using the full send to the moon package speed and power, but it gives headroom to have options.

Will update the part list(did that yesterday to accomodate the addional stuff).

Also ordered 800mm alu tubes 2mm thickness for 9 dollars each

Don't worry. 1.8kW is plenty of power. I've decided to use 1kW instead of 750W because I also build a two-seater. I have 20mm pitch screws but I'm not worried about torque or power. Theoretically, 400W servos would still be fine to move a 150kg rig with 10mm pitch screws.

Yeah, but im taking the cautious road with allot of Head room. Since i saw the Dynamic 4S platform, i know that there is a way to get the platform likes its not bound to the laws of pysics.

So i want to make sure i have enough power, and best way is to revolve my design around a capable motor. St130 would be overkill, but ST110 is perfect. It can perform like a 750 motor. And it doenst matter if you throw a 10 , 20 or 25 pitch at it. But when i look at 800 or even 900 mm range, an SFU16 could create issues.
So yeah, 1.8kw might be overkill, but then again, for 410 dollar, its a nice upgrade.