LINAK LA36 Actuator - 150 mm/s - 250 N - 12 or 24 V DC - 5A

I am planning to build my own full motion car racing simulator using x-sim but I am totally newbe

Since I am representing the actuator brand LINAK in Belgium, Holland and Luxemburg, I have no other choose then using our own LINAK actuators in my simulator.

Enclosed you find the datasheet of the LA36. Basicaly the specs come close to interesting : 150 mm/s - 250 N - 12 or 24 V DC - 5A - xxx mm stroke - ...

I can supply this actuator in any custom version (stroke, feedback device, rod ends, …)

I you have any futher (technical) question on the LA36, please ask or consult our website http://www.techline.linak.com/

Who wants to help speeding up my project in setting up and testing our LINAK LA36 actuators in a x-sim simulator and afterwards exchange knowledge (preferably somebody based in my neighborhood).

Please present yourself and boost my project !

Feedback device/signal to choose from on a LA36 :
1) Digital - Relative - 2 channel pulse train in Quadrature - voltage level 12-24 V same as supply voltage - max. frequency 26 Hz - generated by Hall device
2) Analog - Absolute - 10-turn 10K potentiometer

An optical encoder has typical a much higher output frequency compared to the Hall device used in this LINAK LA36.

Up to which frequencies is the windows software able to poll ?

It is likely that you have to use a PWM interface to control the actuators dynamically (variable speeds and accellerations). The PWM signal jams alot the pot signals.

I've used some firgelli acutators which had the pot wires in the same cable with the motor wires, and I had to seperate them in order to get a stable pot value.

I do recommend you Tronicgr' AMC.1.5 controller and h-bridge, as Sirnoname mentioned before.

Thats why an external decoder chip is used, instead of windows.

Regards
Christian

On the LA36, the potmeter signal comes standard on a seperate signal calbe.

In the industrial applications where we did used a PWM power stage to varia the actuator's speed, we haven't seen the potmeter signal beeing distorted by the PWM.

A seperate power and signal cable (eventualy shiedeld or screened) should prevent this issue from occuring as you write.

hi million dollar question how much would the LA36 actuator cost and its comparison to the Firgelli Actuator :

We build the actuators on demand.
Price is heavily influenced by the size of the production batch.
If produced per piece, price > SCN5.
If produced per 100 pieces, price would go to Firgelli.
And of course is the price determined by which options you do choose:
- Potmeter feedback or Hall feedback
- Limit switches to be read out or to disconnect actuator power, incl. the power diodes (all nicely builded in)
- Stroke
- Speed / Force
- Cables
- …
I suggest that before I mention prices, we together first determine the right specs for the LA36 (to get best practice in combination with the hard- and software here offered). Then test the performance of the LA36 in real live by one of the experts here in the forum. When this is done and positive I’ll try to make of special price for the members of this X-sim forum (with the purpose to produce them in a bigger batches).

OK for you ?

Hi There pgodefroy, Fair answer, im in the manufacturing bussiness so i can relate to batch size and cost ... Would be great to have another option regarding Linear actuators Priced for the Average DIY Sim Builder :clap: so if Sirnoname and Christian check the specs you have listed and agree that its as least as good as the firgellie option then that cant be a bad thing for the simmers .. Thanks for the Answer :

What for a drive do they have built-in? Leadscrew, ballscrew or other?

@wannabeaflyer

The Linak actuators are rather designed for industrial applications and therfor more rigid I guess, while the firgelliauto' are made as cheap as possible (plastic ACME nut and rod guidance) for TV lifts e.g.
Sure they therefor will be much more expensive than the firgellis.

Honestly, I think 150mm/s usable for a SimforceGT simulators (the firgelliauto are much slower), but it wont be comparable to the SCN5. And unless one has to pay the price for single units, I rather would recommend the SCN5 currently. As well I am not sure how the Linak acutuators with DC motors perform in comparance to the SCN5 with stepper drives.

However, the SCN5 modell row has a weakpoint. They have do not have bigger models with more power. So for applications that require more than 10kgf, they are not strong enough.

For such appliations the Linak are getting interesting. For example as a pneumatic cylinder replacement for the RnR simulator or others. But it is a pity that the Linak' are not faster than 150mm/s.

@pgodefroy
Is there an option for faster actuator speeds?

Well, just my opinion

Regards
Christian

The 150 mm/s is today the highest speed we have in our standard LA36 range. I'll check if we ever made a faster version as a special (but I doubt).

Can someone list me up the needed specs for the actuators for the different Simulator models ?
Simulator model - Number of actuators needed - Sketch simulator/actuator setup
For each actuator : Ideal stroke length [mm] - Speed [mm/s] - Force [N]

Thanks for initiating me !