My newbie 100 questions thread.

Hello everyone.It's nice to meet you.I have been looking through this site watching videos,looking at pictures,reading threads and have some questions with many more to come.There is so much information here with a lot not in English so I will thank you now for your patience with me if it appears that I'm not taking the time to research before asking a question.

The design I have in my head now is with 1 lift point in the rear at centre and 2 just forward of the seat much like the D-Box 200/500.Are the SCN5 actuators capable of supporting the platform,seat and person by them selves?

If not then what actuators would be more appropriate?

I am not looking for a lot of movement compared to some projects that I see here.Would wiper motors do the job?

Would I need a spring under the platform?

Has anyone tried 2 wiper motors on each push rod?

All wiper motors are not created equally.How would I determine the power and torque when shopping for them?

More questions to come.Thanks for now.

Johnny

How heavy is the platform? Using springs would definitely help a lot. You have to look at their datasheet to see how much torque they have. 2 wipermotors for a frex type system have been used before. Only way to determine the power of the motors is to look at their data sheet or actually measuring with an arm and increasing the weight on in.

Hi Frakk,,thanks for dropping by.I have not determined the weight of the platform yet because the plans are still in my head and not finalized but I would want a 110 kg person to be able to drive my simulator,add approximately 40 kg for frame pedals and seat=150 kg.

I'm quite sure now that if I'm going to use wiper motors as actuators I will need springs under the platform to help support.Possibly one in the centre with 3 or 4 weaker springs around the perimeter.This is a test project to make a motion simulator inexpensively.I would seriously consider investing in the appropriate linear actuators to operate the simulator eventually.

I have read how to test the torque of a motor by attaching a 1 foot bar then clamping it into a vice and applying it to a bathroom scale.I will just have to read more about electricity.My father was an electrical engineer but he passed away years ago and it's been 35 years since I took it in school lol.I have a few old power drills around with big electric motors.Another option I suppose.

I have seen the 2 actuator frex style designs but the ones I have seen are 1 wiper motor for each bar that pushes up.I have yet to see 2 wiper motors attached to 1.

I am of course open to any suggestions or criticism along the way.I am interested in everything anyone has to say with regards to my project and hopefully it will progress from a dream to reality with many pictures to share.

Johnny

Have a look here.
http://www.jimspage.co.nz/motor.htm

or you can use 24v electric wheelchair motors with the gearboxes attached, which can be obtained from ebay or other similar sites.


Senetor.

Hey thanks senetor,,the steering box is an excellent idea and the wheelchair motors look like they would do the job.it was also interesting to see how the wiper motors were coupled together.

Thanks again for the input.

Johnny