1. Do not share user accounts! Any account that is shared by another person will be blocked and closed. This means: we will close not only the account that is shared, but also the main account of the user who uses another person's account. We have the ability to detect account sharing, so please do not try to cheat the system. This action will take place on 04/18/2023. Read all forum rules.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. For downloading SimTools plugins you need a Download Package. Get it with virtual coins that you receive for forum activity or Buy Download Package - We have a zero Spam tolerance so read our forum rules first.

    Buy Now a Download Plan!
  3. Do not try to cheat our system and do not post an unnecessary amount of useless posts only to earn credits here. We have a zero spam tolerance policy and this will cause a ban of your user account. Otherwise we wish you a pleasant stay here! Read the forum rules
  4. We have a few rules which you need to read and accept before posting anything here! Following these rules will keep the forum clean and your stay pleasant. Do not follow these rules can lead to permanent exclusion from this website: Read the forum rules.
    Are you a company? Read our company rules

Got a giant CKAS 6DOF base, now what?

Discussion in 'Commercial Simulators and Peripherie' started by Dingle Hopper, Feb 16, 2023.

  1. Dingle Hopper

    Dingle Hopper New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2023
    Messages:
    4
    Occupation:
    Engineer
    Location:
    California
    Balance:
    46Coins
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    My Motion Simulator:
    AC motor, 6DOF
    I picked up a giant used CKAS W2 base, it's the 480kg one. Runs on 220V, it's BIG. But it's very bare, literally just a Y shaped plate of steel to bolt down to. It was an excellent deal that couldn't be passed on.

    It had a servo control that burned out, I replaced it, and now it's back running.

    https://ckas.com.au/6dof_systems_36.html

    I've bolted up a seat and I'm starting to breaboard some stuff on it, it runs DCS like a champ with the "native" drivers, and is a lot of fun in VR, but I also want to run some more low end games like "City Car Driving" but there doesn't seem to be any native support.

    Now, I don't really want to say anything bad about the site and the software, but navigating and understanding the business and licensing model is harder than figuring out the American health care system and about as convoluted, plus the odd and disconcerting "coins" not to mention the workflow (although somebody posted a nice block diagram) and by the way, what's the relation to the seemingly defunct and hardly working x-sim.de website? Anything? Also, did I see correctly that somehow there's some kind of subscription somewhere? I really hope I'm wrong on that.

    Here's the rig. No VR motion compensation aside from mounting the tracking cameras on the rig itself which is mostly OK actually. But it's an original RIFT, which there are many better headsets out there, but inside-out tracking is going to bite me and I'll need to compensate.
    [​IMG]
    At some point it will probably be an OpenVR solution with a "virtual tracker" that comes out of the SimCOR UDP stream, but that's for the future.

    It looks like some people have some CKAS systems running in the community, but I also saw some unresolved or at least undocumented drama about what's considered a commercial system or not, re: licensing.

    I need certainty when it comes to spending money. I don't have any problems with people monetizing their work, that's great, but I need to understand it and I don't like surprises.

    And I want to play that stupid driving game in my garage.
  2. Dingle Hopper

    Dingle Hopper New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2023
    Messages:
    4
    Occupation:
    Engineer
    Location:
    California
    Balance:
    46Coins
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    My Motion Simulator:
    AC motor, 6DOF
    OK great, so does this mean my post won't be allowed to be...posted? because I link to the CKAS website?
  3. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2014
    Messages:
    20,460
    Occupation:
    Innovative tech specialist for NGOs
    Location:
    St Helens, Tasmania, Australia
    Balance:
    144,596Coins
    Ratings:
    +10,741 / 52 / -2
    My Motion Simulator:
    3DOF, DC motor, JRK
    There are some limitations on new members to prevent spam, please see the FAQs here: https://www.xsimulator.net/communit...ed-posts-needed-before-links-can-be-used.150/

    While I recall discussions about CKAS and the likes of SimTools I don't recall anyone knowing for sure how to communicate with a CKAS control system.
    • Agree Agree x 1
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2023
  4. Dingle Hopper

    Dingle Hopper New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2023
    Messages:
    4
    Occupation:
    Engineer
    Location:
    California
    Balance:
    46Coins
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    My Motion Simulator:
    AC motor, 6DOF
    This is the busted drive in question. The MCU upper left mounted at a 45 angle wasn't coming up, was in some odd boot loop. 24V and 5V rails were fine. Nothing looked burned, the big caps were checked and were within 5% of rated value. I suspect that the oscillator wasn't starting or by some freak thing, the chip lost its firmware load. Anyway, $600 later the machine is back.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
  5. Dingle Hopper

    Dingle Hopper New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2023
    Messages:
    4
    Occupation:
    Engineer
    Location:
    California
    Balance:
    46Coins
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    My Motion Simulator:
    AC motor, 6DOF
    That might be true.
    Communication is accomplished directly from a USB serial port, with commands coming in formatted as plain comma separated text at however many hundred Hz it can manage (for smoothness) and I don't imagine UDP is much different. It works pretty well - a .lua file is set up in DCS for example, and the game then formats UDP data that goes out to the localhost version of the SimCorDX software, which is little more than a glorified UDP to Serial bridge in our case.

    In short, the platform is quiet easy to talk to (even with an Arduino!!) But until I try it, the notion of it "just working" from xsim from a couple of people doesn't hold a ton of water for me.