Peter`s MULTI SIM PROJECT

I wanna thanks to you guys, all members of this community.
All yours projects and all problems what you had with them before - i was using like a solution in time when develop my own.

Sirnoname many times helped me with any software and hardware problems giving me solution even when something new came up! Egoexpres, bvillersjr, Ferrari_Man - they kept me out of drama! If you will ever have some problem They are going to help you - no doubt about it. THANK YOU GUYS one more times.

I never wrote to Mr. Burns but i want say thanks to him as well. I actually start my project reading about his experiences when he was developing his own. Thanks mate - i really own you ! I am sending everyone new who starting his new project to Mr. Burn`s topic - you will find there lots of solutions.

My Project from basic steps was designed to be as a Multi Simulation Motion Platform.


Whole platform is adjustable in every possible way. If something is not already it can be done anyway. I named it Multi Sim Project because i am going to develop it farther and use it with all known type of simulations. It is already prepared for car ones but i got everything to switch it for flight simulation and as you known from other topic i am trying to get motion from First Person Perspective Shooters - i got special designed arms for controllers to add to the platform.

That is arm with the SCN5 actuator. I have put actuator in the socket to keep straight line between mountings. Bottom of the arm is adjustable to get this more useful when it goes to setting it up.

Top of the platform is adjustable up and down. Also long arms are movable to get right center of chair between supporting legs.

I did it adjustable this way because i am going to use my Sim with projector and bigger screen. I don`t really know how high it will be. Still it is good to have yours body higher from the ground and ability to change it.

Pivot is from car steering wheel. He is pretty big one and that is putting top frame higher than i was expecting but i will change it in future. Everything i bolted down very strong thats why i am not getting any movements to the sides from the top frame.

That is the top frame with chair and back arms. Back arms can be removed and in the future they will be also adjustable for different chair. Arms at the bottom are movable to get precision of the weight when it comes to set it up.

At the front of frame you can see three sockets - they are for arms of the controller.

Arm for the controllers are attached to the top frame to get movements on the steering wheel and pedals as well.

Thing is that very first idea of this type of Sim was to get simulation of gforce working on yous body in a chair. I agree with that when someone is making his project with controllers separated from moving parts. My point is that i am thinking about getting filling of movements from whole car. I decided to do this one day when i was driving on the Track and i noticed that when you are siting in bulked seat strapped by harness belts you are not going to get much from gforce (you hardly move) but you can really fill every move of car`s body. You fill like part of car not like in civil car where belts holding you when accident is coming and you are pretty free on chair. I can say now that it is more fun and accurate. I was using both type of Sim.

I fact yours body works in this way - you getting all vibrations and informations about movement from middle ear but he is getting it from yours arms and legs. About this middle ear - probably that French simulator who works only on the head is because of this ability. Middle ear is keeping yours body stability.

Short story about pedals. I was going to put them opposite than they are in logitech`s idea but i was manipulating with whole unit when one day i noticed some type of pedals on iRacing advert. I find out that they are just g25 ones without cover. Then i remind myself that i have seen something before. I went through all topics and i found it. Egoexpress - big thank you man. He did that long time before - to get those pedals like they are in 90% of cars. Ones again comes true about being careful when you reading (flying through) topics.

Steering wheel and gearbox is on adjustable arm - up, down, front back and angle of wheel.

Going farther by bvillersjr suggestion about protection to pin inside actuator. I have put small round rubber at the bottom of ball joint and harder sponge on bottom of moving arm of scn5. It maybe sounds like it won`t work but i can here that from the sound of SCN5 that they struggling a bit to press it down.

In that place i have question - that is preventing pin on the bottom of SCN5. Is there any pin on the top of arm which can be damaged as well.

I like rubber solution for safety. Im going to do same. With your actuator covers and rubber it is like 20-25mm gone there already so do you use 25% limiter on all your profiles?

No. I am not using limiter at all.
Thing is that i never get movements so close to this point - on all Profiles what i am using right now.

That spongy square cames from washing machine protection. They use them on delivery at the back of machine to hold internal parts (it is quite tough). Round one is same as i use on lower dumper - just cutted in half.

If you thinking about the sockets i have to warn you. If you will use the same aluminum profiles as i did you will have to take off a little bit of scn5 metal part on theirs side to fit them in. I think that will affect guarantee - it should not, because it can happen when you use them in some machine but....who know ?!

Any chance we can see a video about this ?

I still have lots of pictures which need to be shown - but i am working also to get some nice video.


Here are some of mounting types what i did use. They are still in progress. Need some strength improvements.

MEASUREMENTS

All parts are aluminum ones.

- Sockets 50x50 mm (38 mm inside).

- Long arms and legs are from 38x38 mm profiles (32x32 mm inside).

- Round pipes are 32 mm.



Ground platform.
Legs - 260 mm high (adjust safely to 400).
Square bottom - 500x500 mm (cross parts are over this frame and they are 800 mm long).

Bottom frame
Long arms - 1050 mm (50 mm for socket).
Horizontal arms - 480 mm with both sockets.
Back, adjustable part (bottom of scn5 hold) - 2x250 mm with 300 mm pipe inside.

Top frame
480x800 mm - welded with sockets for front arms.
Back attached to this frame - 600x150 (but top for ball joints is 260 mm)
Horizontal arms - 480 mm with both sockets.

Actuators
Socket for SCN5 - 260 mm long (alu 50x50mm).
Adjustable arm - square 200 mm long (alu 38x38mm), round part 300 mm (alu 32mm).


This are drawings which i did use to make whole construction.

You can laugh but i have serious reason to make it this way - baby sleep in a room next to my.
She actually is pretty old (fiancee) but anyway she complains.
Ok....nobody complains and there is no baby - that just me. I wanna do it this way!


Thing is that i am using speakers (occasionally headphones) and it is really annoying that squeaky sound of SCN5. It is actually something more than that. Yours orientation works in simple way - when you hear sound your brain starts to analyze this as a threat, especially when it is loud and high tone sound. In this time he will ignore other informations from environment - not completely of course. Effect in this case will be that your feeling from whole simulation will be some how weak. Because yours process of analyze will be focused on that what is going on - about that sound. More than that - your brain will be some how warned before he will get information from body about movement and it is big chance to have your feeling some how flat or less noticeable. That of course will not stay for long - after some time your brain will get a peace of mind by not getting any damaged from it and will be just cool with it. Then it will start ignore the sound But it is long way to do that and just you have a chance to get that again - next time, next day.

Another thing is that when i drive in real car and i have some disturbing sound from body construction or the engine bay - i am just getting to be more focused on that like on some kind of damaged possibility.

Basically it is more comfortable to use them as quiet as you can get. Maybe they are not looking great anymore but definitely they sounds better - not soundless but more like low tone engine.
Only one thing stays after that mod - heat disperse or actually quite big isolation to prevent from it. I did not get them to overheat but maybe i do not use them for such long time.

To power up SCN5 i used popular adapters (FTDI chip) from eBay and connect them in the same way as everybody doing it. Power supply is MEAN WELL S-100 F-24.

I had problems because of damaged ILK pin on my scn5 thats why i am not using any additional things like Zener diode or Safe Button - just simple straight connection. You can read about it here:

scn5-connection-difficulties-t1345.html?hilit=power%20supply

CHAIR

I bought my seat just as a bargain to have all tests on it - i can easy say that this is not a good choice for long time use. That chair have to many restrictions to deal with all sim ability. It doesn`t recline and that position of the back is not giving you overall touch - thats make you feel uncomfortable and forcing you to bend over. When you loose touch with some parts of the seat back than you loosing feeling of important effects - it is about basic physics: parallel planes. Thats why you really need recline one.
Another advantage of recline style of chair is lack of bucket type construction. Bucket type will give you better hold or push when opposite force effect works to the side but it will also ridiculously restrict your arms movement. Your elbow will constantly touch this part of seat and that will force you to keep your arms outside of chair when they suppose to be close to the body (with easy way to travel from one side to another). Recline type of chair have a shape to hold you without restrictions to your arms and you can easy find the best angle to stay connected with moving parts.

Bucket seats are usually made too small and it is really hard to fit Big Bob in it. What i am trying to explain you its basically that when you will spend more money on more advanced seat you will get more ability....ooo, Comfort and Sense from your sim project.

SCREEN

I am already using 47in LCD screen in Full HD but that will change in time when 3D Ready Full HD Projectors will come. I have some project to get my perfect impression from simulation.

We have great chat about screens right here:
canopy-screen-rear-projection-t1830.html

SIM PLATFORM CONSTRUCTION
Material and labour - 250£ (~400$)
Pivot - 20£ (~32$)
Ball joints (2x) - 10£ (~16$)

SCN5
I ordered them from Frex Japan to UK.
They both cost me 490£ (~700$).
Postage and packaging 65£ (~90$)
Import Tax Duty - 110£ (~160$).
All costs: 665£ (~950$).

ADAPTERS
(2x) RS232 and RS485 to USB (FTDI chip) - 20£ (~32$).

POWER SUPPLY
Mean Well S-100 F-24 - 35£ (~57$).

CABLES
2x USB - 10£ (~16$)
Power cable and other ones - 10£ (~16$)

GAME CONTROLLERS
Logitech G25 - 150£ (~244$)

CHAIR
Full Bucket Seat (not recommended) - 40£ (~65$)

SCREEN
47 inch Full HD LCD screen - 750£ (~1220$)

Whole cost:
without screen and controllers -1060£ (1725$), (1170 Euro)
with LCD and G25 - 1960£ (3190$), (2170 Euro)




now i actually see it.....

Hi skaudt! I guess here is where you will show us your new project, right?
Pls, can you tell me what kind of welding you used for alu?
thx.