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Motor suggestions in USA

Discussion in 'DIY Motion Simulator Building Q&A / FAQ' started by thechemist, May 16, 2015.

  1. thechemist

    thechemist New Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
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    Hello, I got the sim bug and want to build one but every time I get past the design in my head I am unable to locate a motor for the build ( located in USA ).

    What I am looking for in a Sim

    I want to build a either a 3DOF with loss tracking or 5DOF
    It will be used for racing and flight simulators
    I want the pedals / steering / joystick to be attached to the seat
    Noise is not a priority but would prefer quiet motors instead of noisy ones
    U-join under seat design ( could change )
    Needs to support 220LBS ( 100KG ) person
    Would prefer smaller footprint but I am aware that will be very hard with a 5DOF
    Screens will be stationary and will not be attached to the sim

    What I have on hand

    2 Arduino Leonardo
    2 Arduino Uno's
    2 PC & Power Cooling 1KW PSU's ( +5V @ 30A, +12V @ 72A (80A Peak, Huge Single Rail), -12V @ 0.8A, +3.3V @ 24A, +5VSB @ 3.5A VSB@3.5A )


    What I have ordered

    6 Monster Motos


    The Seat

    I want to use either Procar Pro Sport series 1790 seat ( $140 shipped )or the Procar Drifter seat ($180 shipped )since it's a decent budget fixed back seat.


    The motors I am looking at right now.

    Ramsey 12v Winch Motor 2 Ball Bearings 6HP MBJ4409 MBJ4410 $87 Shipped
    Unit TypeAlternator
    Part TypeUNIT
    Voltage12
    Free running Speed2100 RPM
    RotationBI
    KW6.0 HP

    12V Gear motor with worm gear $108 shipped
    180Watts
    25:1 Ratio
    150-160RPM
    Hole through the double sided shaft
    Load 30-40Nm

    If you have any suggestion on motors I can purchase in USA I am all ears or any input about the design is welcomed.

    ** I will update with links once I am able to, pics of items below**

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: May 16, 2015
  2. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    My Motion Simulator:
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    From experience I can say that the 180W 25:1 motors would not suit a full frame compact design with a 100KG user and heavy peripherals, but are great for a shoulder, knee or foot mount designs where there is more leverage.

    While not compact a shoulder mount with traction loss and heave as @Pit has recently completed is highly effective, though keep in mind that the heave motor would need to be powerful: http://www.xsimulator.net/community...raction-loss-finished.5276/page-12#post-77858
    Last edited: May 16, 2015
  3. thechemist

    thechemist New Member

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    Ok thanks for the information, right now the motors are dictating which way I have to go unless you think the 12v winch motor I posted would be strong enough for semi compact design with shoulder mounts with a smaller than average degree mounted rods.
    Last edited: May 16, 2015
  4. speedy

    speedy Well-Known Member

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  5. thechemist

    thechemist New Member

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    Thanks, I already spoke with him prior to making my first post and at first it seemed like the route I wanted to go but after looking at other sims like @Pit and another user with 5DOF I want to expand on the @noorbeast design by putting the motors from the front seat to the back shoulders but at around 10 degree angle.

    Also making a base so that I can do traction loss while still maintaining the heart of the system where the peripherals are attached to the seat while with a minimum footprint without sacrificing how the sim functions and feels.
    • Agree Agree x 1
  6. Pit

    Pit - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Gold Contributor

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    Hi I am very busy and on the way so only a short comment: the Ramsey 12v Winch Motor 2 Ball Bearings 6HP are way tooooooooo strong, to drive this bitch of a monster you need 12 MotoMonsters........IMO :)
    • Agree Agree x 1
  7. thechemist

    thechemist New Member

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    Ok thank, they also have a 2.5hp variant but I am assuming that is still overkill?
  8. thechemist

    thechemist New Member

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    Attached Files:

    • $_57.JPG
      $_57.JPG
      File size:
      45.6 KB
      Views:
      450
    Last edited: May 16, 2015
  9. Pit

    Pit - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Gold Contributor

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    one you should know already my 750 W winches (~1 HP) at full load they would draw 120A continuous current. Second not only the needed current could be a problem, think about the PSUs or batteries you will need to power them.
    At least the heat will be a very big problem (winches under full load will be very hot like other big motors) and at ultimata your wall socket is limited by 10A (220V), I am running 3 winches, one gear motor, PC and other stuff and I am already at 6 A (continuous!), 9A peak.
    If you will plan to build a 3DOF IMO you have to implement a spring to reduce vertical weight. Please inform yourself about approved 3DOF concepts, and before that please read why a seat mover (and only the seat will be moved) is very immersive and tricks the brain in a very impressive way. You have to decide what you would like to do more: racing or simmering. If both, a 3DOF would be mandatory, if racing is not so "important".
    • Useful Useful x 2
  10. thechemist

    thechemist New Member

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    Thanks for the detailed information pit. I will definitely read up more on the suggested topic.

    I would mostly use it for racing right now but I cannot predict the how well say star citizen or elite dangerous will feel with the new VR's.

    If you are saying that the 1hp motors would be a lot of trouble maybe the .35hp I listed above would work, the only thing that bothers is me is that motor is rated at high rpm and it might not have enough torque to move a more compact sim with less leverage.
  11. Pit

    Pit - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Gold Contributor

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    My winches do not make any troubles, IMO they are strong enough to lift 100 KG, and I am speaking about only one motor which lifts the weight. I would like to underline that 1PS meets all requirements and is easy to manage.
    BTW for racing simulation you need less angular degrees of DOF than for flight sim.
  12. thechemist

    thechemist New Member

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    That is what I was thinking but if I am already taking up so much space, time and money, I wanted to also incorporate flying into the sim.

    I haven't used many sims, only one when i was younger and it was a 2DOF racing sim. I am not sure if having a sim where the pedals and feet move with the seat will help in immersion or just make things awkward.

    I have also stumbled upon a motion platform idea and wanted to know if 3 winches would work on something like this and I would just abandon tracking loss unless i could incorporate it into the sim without much trouble.

    I would like for that platform to be more responsive but not jerky.

  13. thechemist

    thechemist New Member

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  14. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    My Motion Simulator:
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    Once you figure out what design you want to go with come back to motor options then. The 3DOF in the video is AC powered.
  15. thechemist

    thechemist New Member

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    Yeah I seen that but I wanted to know if 3 winch DC motors would do that and if that would even be a good idea ( pros and cons ) going DC vs AC route.
  16. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    I get why you are interested but design has a critical part to play in the answer to those sort of questions. Would winches drive a design like that for gentle recreational or commercial flight simulation, where speed is not critical, most likely so. Can they drive it for hard core racing where speed is critical, not so sure they could.
  17. thechemist

    thechemist New Member

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    Thanks, I just wanted to know if DC motors would be strong enough , well optimal for the platform Sim.

    I want to make mine as low as possible to the ground without sacrificing movement if I went that route and displays wouldn't be mounted on the platform.

    If powering the platform Sim will prove to be a lot off hassle I will move on to another design, I just want to keep my options open.
    Last edited: May 16, 2015
  18. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    No, most 3DOF platforms are AC.
    • Agree Agree x 1
  19. Alechivo

    Alechivo New Member

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    Excelente video del prototipo.
  20. garyswindell

    garyswindell New Member

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    Winch motors can produce amazing torque - as long as you have HUNDREDS of amps to dump into them. I looked into them for another project but gave up due to this problem. 200 amp h-bridge is no small task.