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DD - OSW Simucube/IoniPro Build

Discussion in 'Direct Drive Wheels' started by Grimspyder, Aug 4, 2020.

  1. Grimspyder

    Grimspyder New Member Gold Contributor

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    I finally got around to getting the DD Wheel put together.
    I was really surprised how well it works. WOW!!
    I had originally planned to use the BIG Mige and thought that is what I had ordered but, when the servo arrived it was the small Mige, after checking the emails it turns out that I did order the large Mige but in the quote it listed the small Mige. I wasn't about to try and send it back, due to all the time, and ass pain that would have come with. So I just kept it.
    But' I cant even imagine how much stronger the large Mige would have been. At a 100% the small Mige, its like being in a physical fight!
    I actually keep mine set about 80% - 85% depending on the game. I want it to feel more realistic and I've never felt a steering wheel fight you as much as this Wheel does. and I say that having been to both ON and OFF-Road driving schools. But' I've never driven an all out professional Race Car so maybe that is where I'm wrong.

    I'm going to post the parts I used in my build and some pictures and explain some issues that had hopefully it can help someone else. I used a lot of info on SilentChill's thread along with links he had on his thread as well.

    (FYI, I am in no way any type of electronics or electrical expert, I have just always played and repaired all of my own electronics. So i have a little experience. Playing with live current is very dangerous, If you do not feel comfortable around electricity, don't mess with it. Always take the proper safety precautions and double check everything. Electricity is unforgiving at best you will fry what your working on, at worst it can Kill.)


    I ordered the Mige and the Power supply thru Lisa zhan email: hzmgdjzhan@gmail.com
    The Simucube and IOINI came from Granite Devices (obviously) https://store.granitedevices.com
    The rest of the parts came from Amazon, It just made it easier to throw everything on a wish list and order everything at once.
    Amazon parts:
    Black Nylon Flat Round Washer Clear Plastic Spacer Countersunk Thickness Fender Gasket Ring for Screw Standard Fastener Hardware Tool Assortment Kit Set Assorted 350pcs M2 M2.5 M3 M4 M5 M6 M8
    -
    Hilitchi 460-Piece M3 M4 M5 Stainless Steel Button Head Hex Socket Head Cap Bolts Screws Nuts Assortment Kit
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    20 Pcs Snap on Ferrite Core Cord Ring RFI EMI Noise Filter Suppressor Cable Clip for 3.5mm/5mm/7mm/9mm/13mm Diameter Cable, Black
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    URBEST Inlet Module Plug 5A Fuse Switch Male Power Socket w Switch Plug 10A 250V 3 Pin IEC320 C14 Connected Terminal Crimps and Wires
    -
    DRRI LP20 Outdoor Waterproof Connector 2 Pin Power Industrial Circular Connector fit Furrion RV Solar Port
    -
    18 awg 0.75mm² Silicone Electrical Wire 2 Conductors Cores Wire 20ft 18/2 Gauge Soft and Flexible Hook Up Stranded Tinned copper wire
    -
    Red Sign Mushroom Emergency Stop Push Button Switch Station 1 NO 1 NC 10A 660V
    BNTECHGO 12 Gauge Silicone Wire Kit 7 Color Each 3 ft Flexible 12 AWG Stranded Tinned Copper Wire
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    Noise Suppressor Power EMI Filter Termianl Single-Phase Line-Conditioner JREle AC 115/250V 6A JR-M006-A
    -
    Jienk DB15 Solderless Male RS232 D-SUB Serial Adapters, 16mm thinner 15 Pin Port Terminal Solderfree Breakout Connector Board with Case Accessories(2 Pack)
    -
    C2G Replacement Power Cable For Computers, TVs, Monitors, & More - 6' Black Universal Cord Works With Any 3 Pin AC Power Connection - 14 Gauge Wire
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    Cooler Master Elite 110 RC-110-KKN2 Midnight Black Steel/Plastic Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case
    -
    This is what i was quoted and paid for the Mige, cables, and 10000ppr encoder.
    The unit price for 130ST-M10010 with 10000ppr encoder with 2 pcs 3 meters cables cost US$215.
    The total weight of one unit is about 14.5kg and UPS shipping to USA cost US$163.
    -

    The PSU I ordered after I ordered the Mige and had it added to Mige shipment so I'm only posting the Quote for the PSU itself.
    MEAN WELL Industrial DIN Rail Power Supply with PFC, 48 Volt 10 Amp 480 Watt - NDR-480-48 cost US$79 per piece.
    -

    Case and PSU assembly
    Pic1.jpg Pic2.jpg Pic3.jpg Pic4.jpg Pic4a.jpg

    The case i purchased to put all of the electronics, came with a fan (Issue with the Fan at the bottom ) so I dissembled the PSU and mounted it on a top rail so it would have good air flow across the internals.
    To attach the PSU to the rail, after disassembling the PSU ( be extremely careful if you decide to disassemble the PSU, they have capacitors which hold a charge and they can KILL YOU! ) i used the the top rail to mark where i would drill the holes in the aluminum housing. While the PSU was apart i added Thermal grease to the PSU heat-sink. The stuff that was on there was horrible stuff and was just enough to just stain the metal.
    I put the bolts thru the Aluminum housing and used a nuts to secure the bolts to housing prior to attaching to the Mini ITX case. This would allow me to be able to remove the PSU at a later time with out fear of the bolts coming loose inside the PSU.
    I also used Hot glue on the head of the bolts prior to reattach the plastic sheet which acts as insulator between the aluminum housing and the PSU circuit board. This was just my OCD making sure i would never have any shorting issues.
    Then i attached the PSU to the top rail on the Mini-ITX case in front of the Case fan (came with the ITX Case )
    -
    Simucard Install
    Pic5.jpg Pic6.jpg Pic7.jpg Pic8.jpg
    To install the Simucard i paced the card in the case and marked the holes and drilled holes in the case and used bolts to secure it in place. One thing that I did on the Simucard to of the bolts holes are for ground. The bolt holes for those specific holes. I made sure to remove the paint from where the head of the bolt would come incontact with the case so the Simucard would have good grounding points.
    I used plastic washers for the spacing on the bolts to get the Simucard in the correct place.
    To create the shield for window where the Simucard would sit and where I would attach the ON/OFF switch and the Emergency stop connector. I used a piece of manila folder to create a template, then cut a piece of plexi-glass out to fit in those spots.

    Wiring

    The wiring is pretty straight forward once you realize that the colors aren't exactly right and they are not what you use to verify the connections, In the Diagrams there are numbers that are next to the colors, those are accurate based on what the cables actually show. I was pulling my hair out, trying to make sure I was wiring everything correctly. Last thing I wanted is for this thing to go up in a Plum Of Smoke!!! ( ask me how i know, that $h!t happens )
    This are the diagrams i used to do the wiring.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    This Pics where taken from SilentChill's thread, He got them or someone else placed them on his thread, But they where a great help.

    Pic9.jpg Pic10.jpg Pic11.jpg Pic12.jpg Pic13.jpg
    You will notice that in my case i have a noise filter. I hate tracking down and correcting noise interference, That's why i always use the largest wire I can, the Ferrite Core Cord Rings, and multiple good grounding points. Was it necessary? Truthfully, probably not. But its an expense that i will always add in.
    One thing to look out for, if anyone has grounding or wiring issues. While I wiring everything together I was testing the connections with a multi-meter, and noticed that one of the grounds appeared to be in the wrong place ( that's when i realized that the numbers next to the colors where correct and colors didn't really matter ). Well, I took apart the Mige cable and saw that the ground for the Shell ( the metal of the connector ) was soldered onto the retaining ring for the connector. That soldering point was garbage, as soon as I touched it, it came apart. I soldered it back together and now its solid. If any one has grounding issues, it might be something you might want to look into ( it was the Data cable not the Power Cable ).
    -
    Setting everything up
    I thought that the wiring was going to be the hard part. No! not at all. Getting the software, firmware, seemed to be more of an issue.
    My main issue was, that for some reason I had originally thought that to program and update firmware I had to use the X4 connector on the Simucube. I must have read or thought i read that. But that was wrong, which lead me down a path, a very long path which made me think i needed a SimpleMotion V2 USB adapter. Turns out you do not need it. ( But as luck would have it, I ordered it, before i realized i didn't need it. Its nice to have extra parts, that you don't need :rolleyes: ).
    What I needed to do was attach the my USB cable to the X3 connector on the Simucube card ( that would have saved me HOURS!!! and the attempt to build an adapter cable :mad:)
    After I figured that out it was actually pretty straight forward. (Lies, it took me awhile to get everything running ;) )
    [​IMG]
    SimuCUBE pinouts and wiring

    Pic13.jpg
    Links
    Here are some links to some of the files you will need.
    SimuCUBE firmware releases
    Granity Software so you can upgrade firmware
    Small MIGE 10000ppr Default Settings
    iRacing software that auto sets you cars settings irFFB.exe


    So that's about it. Hopefully this helps someone.
    If something is wrong, missing or I posted something on here which isn't allowed let me know, I will correct it.
    If anyone is on the fence whether to get or build a DD wheel. GET IT!!! it so so cool.
    I cant wait to get home and get around to building the 6Dof motion sim. I cant even begin to image how amazing everything working together will be.

    ** So the Fan that came with the case is 12v I eneded up just attaching the fan to my PC's molex adapter with a an extension I made so it could Push the 12V needed for the Fan. I originally was going to buy a voltage reducer and attach it to the PSU and run the fan that way. But it will be easier to just buy a 5v Fan and wire into the Simucube. It has a spot specifically for a 5v Fan. For now the fan works great the way it is.
    ** The case comes with a LED light which i tried to wire into the emergency stop 5v pin, but I guess the LED was 3v ( shouldn't surprise me it was for the LED portion of a motherboard ) So eventually it blew.
    ** When I wired the ground of the Noise filter and the PSU, I attached them both to a single point in the case which i removed the paint and bolted down. Grounds are extremely important with electronics in metal cases for no other reason that a loose wire or a short can charge that case with a current and if there is no ground, If some one touches that case now they are the grounding point. ( ask me how i know :blush ) It is very dangerous.
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    Last edited: Aug 4, 2020
  2. John Beardmore

    John Beardmore New Member

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    Great write up and it has given me confidence to build my own.

    Regarding the wiring and colours. I have pre-wired cables, I assume you did.
    Did you want to know the wiring colours / numbers so you could double check everything?
    Do you have any EMI issues?

    Thanks
  3. Grimspyder

    Grimspyder New Member Gold Contributor

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    Sorry, I never saw your post.
    Did you get your DD Wheel built? If So how did it turn out?
  4. John Beardmore

    John Beardmore New Member

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    Thanks for the reply. I recently moved house so my build is on hold while I sort out my workshop and do essential house jobs.

    Hopefully I will get back on it in a few months.