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3DOF and no idea what I am doing ;-)

Discussion in 'DIY Motion Simulator Projects' started by gandolfo_o, Sep 9, 2018.

  1. gandolfo_o

    gandolfo_o New Member

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    Hey Folks,

    now that I have all the parts together, I will try to build up my own 3DOF plattform mover (I think it is).
    First I build up the Rig to drive without motion and I love it.
    I have used Alu profiles I-Type for the Rig, Thrustmaster TS-PC Racer Wheel and Thrustmaster T3PA Pro pedals. And I am driving with my Oculus so I don't need a monitor attachement.
    Next thing to do is building up the motion. For that I use 3 winch motors with 95 Nm torque Max. and 55 rpm, a sabertooth 2 x 32A and a SyRen 25A, two 12V power units with 600W.
    Also ready to use are some different Arduinos.
    Now we come to the funny part, bring it all together. To support the motors, I bought 4 steel springs with a capability of 30kg each.

    Going to be fun, I think.

    MotionSimulatorParts-1.jpg MotionSimulatorParts-5.jpg MotionSimulatorParts-4.jpg MotionSimulatorParts-3.jpg MotionSimulatorParts-2.jpg
    gandolfo_o, Sep 9, 2018
    #1
  2. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    My Motion Simulator:
    3DOF, DC motor, JRK
    noorbeast, Sep 9, 2018
    #2
  3. gandolfo_o

    gandolfo_o New Member

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    gandolfo_o, Sep 9, 2018
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  4. gandolfo_o

    gandolfo_o New Member

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    DE410DAA-3127-47DF-B93F-8C98F5A0FCA2.jpeg Who would have thought…
    After nearly 3 years I have an update on this project.
    I have finaly finnished all mechanical works, including the milling of the crank arms and now looking forward to do the electrical part.
    For the positioning I am going to use 3 hall sensors (6127v1a360l)

    Attached Files:

    • Like Like x 1
    gandolfo_o, Jun 24, 2021
    #4
  5. gandolfo_o

    gandolfo_o New Member

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    Ok, some things have changed in the electric department from the start 3 years ago.
    The Sabertooth 2x32A is now a Sabertooth 2x25A, because a sharp object felt on the first board leaving a hole in it.

    Now everything is cabled and maybe the cables are at the right place, who knows, we will see.

    When I powered the whole thing without the Arduino, the motor that is connected to the SyRen start running, while the two motors at the Sabertooth stayed off, which I definetly prefer, when there is no steering signal.

    Is that a knowen „problem“? Or is there something wrong with my board?

    BFB30558-69FA-49B6-ABF6-1BF82E05992F.jpeg
    gandolfo_o, Jun 25, 2021
    #5
  6. Bontekop

    Bontekop New Member

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    How did you connect the SyRen motor driver? Which mode did you select with the dipswitches?

    According to the manual: S1 is the primary input, and must always be connected. If you are running in analog mode, it is important to have the signal wires to the motor driver connected before applying power to the device. Otherwise, the motor may start unexpectedly.
    Bontekop, Jun 29, 2021
    #6
  7. gandolfo_o

    gandolfo_o New Member

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    Ok, it tooks some time, but now at least something moves. I am now using SMC3 from @RufusDufus but to be honest, something is still wrong. Just look at the Video attached. Only one Motor is moving at all and it is just stuttering around…
    Has anyone had the same problem?
    • Like Like x 1
    gandolfo_o, Sep 18, 2021
    #7
  8. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    My Motion Simulator:
    3DOF, DC motor, JRK
    A couple of thoughts.

    If those are wiper motors have they been ground isolated: https://www.xsimulator.net/community/faq/wiper-motor-mandatory-ground-isolation.25/

    Your SMC3 settings seem odd, how did you get them? For example I would have expected a higher kp, probably zero for ki and kd, and 1 for ks, same with oter settings, they just seem odd. So I would suggest stepping back through the SMC3 setup from scratch:
    1. Disconnect the motor power supply
    2. Make sure Simtools is not running – we’re not ready for that yet!
    3. Wire up the Arduino (with SMC3 installed) to your H-Bridges and connect to your computer via USB
    4. Run the Windows SMC3 Utility software and make sure it communicates with the Arduino (There is no need to set baud rates, they are not configurable)
    5. Set the Kp, Ki, Kd, PWMmin, PWMmax, PWMrev to 0 for ALL motors (This will make sure the motors don’t move)
    6. Set Clip to 255 (you need to do this first) and Limit to 255 (This will give you plenty of margin if something goes wrong while setting up)
    7. Turn on the power to your motors – nothing should move at this stage!
    8. Set Kp to about 400
    9. Now slowly, increase PWMmax… at some point the motor should start to move. When it does check the “Green” feedback line is moving toward the “Blue” target position.
      • If it is then that motor and feedback is wired correctly - proceed to test other motors.
      • If it is moving away turn off motor power immediately (or quickly reduce PWMmax again). In this case you need to either reverse the wires to the motor being tested –OR– reverse the +5V and GND wires to your feedback pot for the motor being tested (do not do both). Restart the test from the beginning.
    10. Do the above for each motor
    The second SMC3 post details what each of the settings does, so you can dial them in for your specific hardware: https://www.xsimulator.net/communit...driver-and-windows-utilities.4957/#post-48121

    In the end the settings will be somewhat unique for your specific for your hardware, so don't copy this, it is just more along the lines of what I would expect:

    [​IMG]
    • Informative Informative x 1
    noorbeast, Sep 19, 2021
    #8