Pololu servo controller USB

Hi got the bodnar card connected it to the PC with a pot and can use it to move my test sim and it works.

I have 2 x 2 sabertooth cards , a 6 chanel USB pololu card, a bodnar card 12 bit,a Velman card k8055. a 90% built 3 dof sim. All the advice in the world for other cards I do not have. I their a way of connecting the feedback to the out put in the x sim software. Yes or no.

Remember I know I can build a 2 dof system with the velman and the saber tooth cards but that's not what I want.
Or do I need to get a second velman card that apparently has a flaw with timing.Or can someone please tel me how to find the post with the modifications to the servo where the motor and pot is removed I have seen it but I cannot find it .

If I am to direct please forgive me I am locked in a room for to long with a simulator and it is starting to talk back to me I think.

lol kenneth atleast u still have your humour and your sim is actually talking to you, mine is a mirage laughing at me its just bits I have accumilated since january.

Anyway I cannot help much more maybe the other guys can with your question.

I suggest u look into the arduino uno before you buy another k8055 from what I see it has atleast 4 pwm outputs, 6 analogue inputs better than the k8055 and cheaper so you will only require the one board. I just read it has a stable 5v for your PWMs which is where the k8055 had failed me.

dunno sorry.

Adgun thanks for the heads up on the roboclaw very intresting

eoarobbie thanks for suggestions, afraid its only a simple motor controller from pololu at 24v

mate the k8055 are just no good in this version of xsim, to drop that one.
Time to look for a microcontroller thats x-sim compatable, If ya have a GOOD electronics knowledge build the tronics he always pops in to answer questions and is very helpful. Or to me JRKs are the simplest to get running.
Arduino uno is a little harder to play with as you need to write a code to take the values x-sim is sending through uso commands and then give the right signals to sabertooth to drive the motors. Once code written it will handle 2 - 6 DOF. Till then ya really need to listen to sirnoname and bite the bullet if ya want to shut your sim up and start giving it a good thrashing.
Again sorry.

So let me put this in perspective

don't get a sabertooth card I did £200 no feedback
dont get a k8055 card i did £39.99 software issues and only 2 inputs
dont get a bodnar i did £29.99 no use to this system
dont run a 24 volt system as no driver cards with feedback i did £30 each ebay
The above training to date has cost me £360

Now I know what to get a pololu 6 servo card and 3 JRK cards 30A cards so they will run my system that was 24 volt :- cards £29 pololu and £84 each for the pololu jrk's that will be just under £300.

The lesson here is to understand the system and the requirements before getting your money out . Read listen understand and then buy simple chi

How did you pay £200 for a sabertooth, mine was £85 for a V2 2x25 the new one direct from dimension engineering.

Kenneth I am going down the Arduino route, its looking really easy to me now. I wont waste my expensive sabertooths just the k8055 I bought plus I will have full PID control over them with quadrature encoder readouts on each of my 4motors through Arduino. This makes for the best quality simulator you can have.

Dont know how much these encoders are going to cost but I have started sending email enquiries.

Turns out one of the places I emailed is more or less in my back yard.

Can anyone else comment if these encoders will be suitable for arduino.
http://www.retemurt.co.uk/enp103c66/Encoders-4T260-Encoder-Electronic-Incremental
http://www.retemurt.co.uk/enp106c66/Encoders-4T764-Encoder-Electronic-Incremetal

sabertooth I got 2 @£100 each
I am trying to get them exchanged for 3 x Pololu SMC04 High Power with Feedback at £85 each

My final system will be
3 x Pololu SMC04 High Power with Feedback£85 : £255
1 x Pololu Micro Maestro 6-Channel USB Servo Controller £22
3 x DC drives £30 : £90
3 x 10k pots £5:£15

All other components to date have been scrap recycled from my work place

I don't know if u missed it but that card you mentioned is limited to 16v and your motors are 24v which will limit your speed and you won't get the most out of your motors potential.

hi BartS
I,am curios about the price of those encoders.
Let us know.
regards Ad

sure no probs Ad.

I will either post here or pm you the details.
The encoders I am enquiring about are specifically for a 10mm shaft so hopefully it is also suitable for your application.

Hi Bart

Yes I did see the voltage and I will have to drop it by half that is why I am looking to get 30A units. I am also intrested in the encoders.

Hi Kenneth any more updates on your progress, so far I am playing with Arduino Uno its a great little microcontroller its potential is endless maybe limited by inputs and outputs but then I can upgrade to an Arduino Mega anyway it only cost me £18 on ebay. I have a PHP web programming language behind me which has helped alot with the arduino programming language but theres still alot to learn. Currently I'm learning values sent from xsim to arduino.

hi now got it all running
1 x 6 channel pololu usb
2 smc004 pololu
1 12v12 pololu
x sim software
amasing

Hey Kenneth,

I'm very pleased for you, I'm progressing very slowly seams I have now to order the Arduino Mega as the uno only has 1 serial port and I need 3 but wow its an very impressive microcontroller the question is what cant you do with it. Programming in C is a pain its very picky language with data types.
So how many wheelchair motors are you using 3 or 4 ? And do they feel powerful enough, what are they rated at powerwise watts amps volts?
Do you have a PID controller implemented in your design? If you dont thats the next step apparently PID can make your sim ver accurate.

And can you do a video, I'm dying to see your creation.

gday bart,

Uno would of worked just send both axis commands to one serial port, actually more efficient.
Uno capable of running 6 motors with the help of 74hc595 ic's i have used them in my dashboard designs, 3 guages only using 3 wires.
But the mega just has a few more output pins and will do exactlly the same job.
Just have to mount my guages into a dashboard and will be free to start coding the Arduino for motor control, which will inturn talk to a sabertooth 25amp unit. Untill i can source the problem i have with tronics h bridge.

Kenneth look to see a wiring diagram or photos or vids of it in action or just the motors moving with x-sim. Cannot figure out what ya using to feedback the postion to the controller as the 6ch pololu is only for controlling servo's, yes ya can hook the jrk12v12 to the 6ch pololu if ya need to but x-sim will talk to it directly with uso commands, the SmallMotorControllers ??? smc004 from what i know is either a 18v15or .... , and they dont have any position feedback ??? so im a little confussed on how ya done it mate.

Hey Robbie,

This is all cool stuff, I'm writing code for potentially unlimited motor inputs from x-sim to arduino. I'm a PHP & Javascript web programmer by nature so just have to get the jist if programming in C but its not to difficult making the jump across.

Perhaps we can cross integrate our code to build the ultimate X-Sim Arduino Controller.

The way my coding direction is going : axis information can be 8 bit, 16 bit or 32 bit, unlimited axis imported and stored in an array to be manipulated into any output at end of loop.

I just hope the arduino is quick enough to cope with it all the way I'm aiming.

I will share some code soon.

I bought an LCD4884 for debugging and it is very handy can also do menus and graphics but its taken up some needed pins hence awaiting a mega which also facilitates multiple serial outs rather than switching in out.

Hi

I am using 10k pots to feedback to the 12v12 and the SMC04 do have a feedback option

The system is all running on 12volts

I have used ball screws with the motors connected to them with the feedback on the ball screw. I have 115mm travel on the bank and 250mm travel on the pitch .

I am running 3DOF the system is surprisingly accurate to the on screen motion. So much fun at the moment I will be getting a safety belt as 3 of us have almost fallen out of it when pushing it to the limits.

I am away for the next two weeks when I get back I will post pix and videos.

I do how ever have a query and that is how to limit the travel in the x sim software I need to do this on the SMC04 not on the 12v12 as the management software can do this for me .

So here it is the seat and screen are not the final option.

the pc driving the sim is inside the panel on the back and so are the drive units and the interface card for x sim

well done mate, comple appoliges for previous comments
Top looking sim mate.
Didnt know the smc04 had feedback, could ya post pololu link to cards ya might have stumbled upon a better solution than the jrk. well done.
A wire up diagram would be nice, plus the basic profile ya using to drive it, to show others how ya communicating with cards.
Well done mate :clap: :clap:

I also must appologies, I didnt expect the proffesionalism in the build.

I still cant work out in the pics is that a gas shock or actuator, to look at it it is very confusing as to how it works!

But hats off to you it is very original and a new design and should be highlighted on x-sim, looking forward to seeing a video of the movement if you can provide cos I just cant workout what is what. this is defo a flight sim 3dof, I had the idea it was a simforce gt + 1 dof and not a joyrider style for som reason.

I hope you look forward to my instalments as I have a 4 motor 3dof coming up, my pace of development has increase but I am a perfectionist and like to iron out the smallest of unsatisfactory results. I cant say when it will be ready but it will be very good and original, Im currently looking at suspended drive rods with pid and a real all 4 wheel suspension setup drive system. Its mostly fictional right now but I'm working on a model of the final dev.

I got an arduino mega 2560 but for some reason it seams a lot slower than my uno at processing x-sim data on the LCD4884 that I had on the uno previously, theres always bugs all along the dev, its never easy.

Anyway with 4 300watt 24v motors Im expect pret acurate motion transfers.
You definatley proven your capabilities as a sim builder keneth, I just hope to see a video of your movement.

Yes, great looking job there, will be good to see some action.