1 USB com port for all SCN actuators

I came up with an idea to connect all SCN actuators to one USB converter. The idea would be to make an USB converter from USB capable PIC-micro and add to its UART a multiplexer for N number of rs-485 converter chips. SCN code may need to be altered on x-sim (or not). on x-sim all SCN actuators would be mapped to the same USB com port and the PIC-micro would then relay the message to the correct actuator, which could be left at the same default address as the PIC-micro would handle all that.

When a call to actuator number 1 would come the PIC would send the message to its hardware rs-485 chip via the multiplexer and alter the address on the message if needed plus do the crc calculations. X-sim could also be modified so that all the timing of the rs-485 could be changed via somekind of messaging on the PIC.

Didn't realise they where so cheap. This would not make much sense then. My only wish was to use only one USB-port and a central communication point as I somehow don't like the idea of using multiple USB-ports and adapters, though I and almost everyone I suspect have more than 10 of them to use on ordinary PC... Allthough it would be nice to have one USB to four RS485 adapter

One LTC485 chip would cost around 2€(there would be need for four of them if one wants a USB2FOURRS485 adapter) and then there would be need for a 4-to-1 and 1-to-4 multilexers (?$) plus PIC-micro (5$ ?) and the cost of a PCB plus some bits and pieces. I'd quess it could be done with say 20€-30€?

The SimXperience SX-3000 and SX-4000 supports 3 and 4 actuators, on a single USB port:
http://www.simxperience.com/Store/tabid ... fault.aspx

A much easier, faster and reliable option without any PIC-micro.

I have two SCN5 on one RS485 converter. Didn`t do much - just connected them same way as it was to just one of them and it works. Still had left and right output and everything looks fine. I am using that blue one.

What you're actually saying is that you can't tell the difference between 80 outputs/sec and 180 outputs/sec which would indcate that something is wrong with either your rig or your motion profile.

I say this because using two actuators on a typical RS-485 adapter feels terrible since it reduces your output performance by 50%! If you can't feel this, then maybe you are plagued by mechanical slop, bouncing aluminum sim, or perhaps a mistake in the motion profile.

If you are going to use off the shelf adapters, you should use one per actuator to get good performance. The SX-3000/4000 is the same as three or four individual RS485 adapters but only uses one USB cord, and actually provides better performance (250 outputs per second according to X-Sim on most PC's) than using up 4 individual USB's.

Yes it works like that. Output is around half of the maximum one. I am not about to keep it like that - it was just a test. Yours adapters are actually killer performance so i am not even trying to compete with them (by any way). :thbup: