Step by Step... approaching to Thanos work.

Hi!...

As i can't test it right now, this is dead at combat part list after connecting the pololu following the schematics...
1 AVR 8535 dead by first degree burnings. We will miss you, bro
1 Red Led, injured but dead later. Left a woman (green) and child (green) alive, poor guy.
1 Pololu Dual Driver at the U.R. at the moment, seems to be critical. Tomorrow morning doctor will see him, but i'm afraid he is not very optimistic about.
The RS232 seems ok, and thank's god, when i ordered the 8535 to a german shop (in spain it's impossible) i asked for TWO... so the brain is programmed again without problems.

i will not blame nobody than me, becouse it was SO CLEAR when you look at the info pololu gave me... again, one thing to learn: double check, triple check - check until you are pretty sure of what you are doing before Mr Electron comes to the party. :clap: specially when you have the oficial schematics. And yes, i think we need to change that jpg right before some people goes to the pololu choice... DonCorleonez, learn from this experience!

I've just began this afternoon to work on the TronicGr driver. I've etched and drilled it... there's not rest for the true simulator builder. :hi:
Pololu... Rest in Peace. We will remember you. Your family and friends.

Regards
Oscar

I repaired that schematic. It should be ok now.

That's why most of the times I prefer to release information on projects and interfaces, only after I have tested myself. I have aside many things yet to share but not before testing them and write some decent manual-instructions about them. Most of the people fiddling with motion simulators don't have the experience to understand how to read schematics and make proper connections out of them. But unfortunately to actually make motion simulator you have to understand and learn how it works first!

Oscar, you said a word that describes the DIY best: Builder!!
Here a sign we have to place for the newcomers: NOT for copiers! Builders only! :lol:

Best Regards, Thanos

Hello there Oscar!
I wish I had spoken up... I tried using the Pololu and I also ended up with 2 burned Atmega chips, and 2 burned LCD's! I had no idea the problem as my electrical experience is not very good. I assumed it was due to me using a >22khz crystal and the Pololu was only rated to 10khz. I should have known to double check the schematics better and catch my own mistake...So sorry!

I have moved onto the H-Bridge by thanos.

Dave

Hi....

Time goes by slowy, and so my project...

Unfortunately i couldn't do much things on the joyrider, becouse i was working on a different project... the last week we were the first live radio program broadcasted on a submarine at 15m under the water, at full speed and connected by the army satellites... :clap: That was a very, very, very interesting DIY (nobody did it before so we had to figure out a lot of things) and just a note: submarines have a very basic communication bandwidth, crypted and with a hell of different protocols... let our digital equipments talk with army protocols is something i will tell to my grandchildren when i become a grandfather 8)
This is me and the submarine (a little of self steem, if you allow it...)



It was very weird being under the water with stress movement on the 3 axis... but very funny to see our faces turning green :uups:

Anyway, let's focus on this project:
I received the IRF4905 and the IRF3205 (a better replacement for the IRFZ44 as TronicGR suggested on his topic), so i have a the DSMhb finally complete.
Here's a picture of it, mounted and ready to run:




As you can see, it's pretty similar to the one TronicGr did and suggested all over his topic... let's see how it works in some days.

Talking about the Joyrider itself, i have brought some blind nuts (i don't know if that is the name), becouse i destroyed a couple of trousers while working around the joyrider... and my wife told me it was enough money wasted for waste more on clothes.
The pictures are very bad, sorry about it, but i think you will see the point:


The last upgrade:
The bank motor is almost done... i've changed the motor position as TronicGR told me, and now i just have to do the reinforcement stuff. In a couple of days i will begin the roll motor.



To end, the picture of the first light of my joyrider:

With the 24Hz crystal, running the v.1.0 firm and the potentiometers moving the numbers... (waiting for the hall sensors)

I will try to post some advices later on... until then, regards to everybody!!!
Knob2001

Hi!....

Post for a little advices and better resolution pictures :hi:

The bank motor is getting completed as the reinforcements are nearly done... i need to try some stress tests, but for now is pretty unmovable. Note the angle TronicGr told us in his site: Whatever you will use to move the frame (wire, rope or the bus belt), the pulleys must be a little inside the frame becouse it will move on the x axis when moving (not as much as on Y axis, but enough for push the whole motor structure)
This is my bank structure so far:

and this one on a non orthodox position... i really needed to put it on that position becouse it was the only way to insert the roll structure i will show you later:


On the roll side, and due the lack of space i left when i built the frames (i really don't know what happened yet), i'm doing it just the other way around TronicGR did, i mean, instead on the inside of the large frame, my design is on the outside. What i have to do becouse of this? If you see, my main pulley is too far away from the desired place, meaning i will need to buid an intermediate pulley to let the wire (or belt in the mid-future) to reach the vertical plane of the roll structure.
Half work done in the next picture:


Tip of the day: watch out for the angle when you attach the roll structure... let the bubble be in the middle to keep things balanced. Letting the motors balance the sim will end with a lot of amps drained from your batteries. The more the motors have to work, the less electricity you will have to play.
This is my bubble in the middle moment:


Going back to the electronics stuff, and after sending the pololu to the heaven of the good burned circuits, i realized there's no way to put the AMC with the DSMhb on my refurbished box.
On other DIY forum i'm posting (Audio related amplifiers), a friend gave me a list for different enclosures. All of them are very good, so if you need a beautifull box for your home made devices, look at this places:
http://www.hammondmfg.com/scpg.htm
http://www.hifi2000.it/
http://www.teko.it/teko_products.php?fa ... =&lang=ing (look un right side for pictures menu)
Some of those can be asked for online here:
http://www.modushop.biz/ecommerce/index_l2.php
http://www.audiokit.it/ITAENG/Cabinet/H ... FI2000.htm

and last, the truly enclosure orgasm:
http://www.schaeffer-ag.de/index.php?id=97&L=1
You can even download a program to design the holes you want, and let them do all the hard work...

Pretty complete post today, with full quality pics... i will return to the bed with my wife to let her know i'm still alive and this machine has not kidnapped me yet.
Good night from a nocturnal city right now.
Knob2001

Your posts are great..I think I have read them 25 times already, but as more as I read more I have to study..
I am building my own sim, I just started a post about it:
basic-2dof-configuration-and-faq-t1555.html

I am having a hard time building Thanos AMC, I tried to order online from PCB makers but the price is a bit salty down here in Brazil.
Do you know where I can find the RN-VN2 Dual Motor? I cant find anywhere. Is this the only alternative for Thanos AMC?

Thanks

Hi cauehawaii,

Its not nice to hijack other's threads, but I'll answer you questions since you seem to go to wrong direction on your cockpit type selection.

First the universal joint 2DOF platform you have chosen to make is intended to be used with powerful AC motors (and a little expensive: 4000euro for 2 motors and two VFD drives!!)

You should follow Oscar's choice to also make a joyrider balanced type cockpit that car wiper motors are capable to move it.

You can order the AMC1.5 PCB from Germany here: pcb-etching-service-t710.html

To drive the motors you can use Pololu Dual VNH2SP30 motor driver carrier or if you can handle DIY, you can make my h-bridge design:
http://www.x-simulator.de/wiki/Dual_Mos ... y_Tronicgr
tronic-s-diy-dual-mosfet-h-bridge-dsmhb-t820.html
This board can be ordered too from the German etching service I mention above.

I don't recommend using the RN-VN2 motor driver boards cause they cannot handle correctly the high frequency PWM signals that AMC1.5 produces on 12v wiper motors...


Regards, Thanos

Hi!... :hi: :hi: :hi:

Joyrider is getting more and more completed with the pass of the days. So let's see what i've been doing on my little spare time:

On the mechanics side, i have both roll and bank frames ready... remember that my joyrider differs from TronicGr one becouse my frame dimensions are smaller, so i had to mount the bank structure outside the roll frame, instead of inside. You can see a picture (bad picture btw):


and a detail here (i really love simetry):


Be carefull becouse the metallic structure that holds the motor underneath the frame (you can't see it on the picture, sorry), may hit the joyrider structure when moving. On the other way, the higher you put the motor, the less length of the pulley belt and thus the more power the motor will need. My bank structure hit the joyrider base on a 50º and -º50 dregress, allowing a decent inclination. As TronicGr tells, a relay is something to have in mind (the circuit is completed with a diode) to let the motor run backwards in case the relay stop the movement when it hits the structure or physical limit you would want.

TronicGr updated his joyrider with two bus belts instead of the metal rope... i'm still trying to find those belts (more or less), in my case: One of 250cm length and the other about 200cm length. They are too big for a normal car parts shop, or at least it's what they told me on my nearest shops.

Anyway, the metallic rope works like a charm for now, let's see what happens when the structure moves again and again.

Talking about the electrical stuff, i received a RS amidata order with a lot of parts for the AMC box i'm buiding as a enclusure. On the next week i will show you some of the connectors i have choosen and the layout of the whole box. Inside the RS order came the hall sensors you will need if you want to upgrade the Potentiometers feedback of the AMC.
To mount them i followed a different way of TronicGr just becouse i threw all the old computers parts to the rubbish before starting this project and i don't have any metal parts like TronicGr used on his joyrider.

This is what i have used: (Ikea DIY... that is something i will not do again if i have the money to buy it already mounted)


As you can see is just a metal part that comes on all the bookshelves to screw it on the wall. I have more than four in a box (god save my wife and her tidy little boxes). If you bend it you have a perfect and strong bridge for the sensor, letting it be near the magnet without danger of hitting each other. Some views of it:



The magnet is a Hard disk magnet. If you have some HD's at home and of course, you don't need them, you can dissamble it and take the magnet like this:


This is the way i managed to mount the magnet:


For closing this new update, i want to introduce you my personal Beta-Tester. He is very professional indeed, and his help is invaluable.
Put a beta tester on your life!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:


Regards,
Knob2001

Hi every body!

I just noticed, When your sim is going to turn or tilt to the side.. your pitch motor and its construction will not turn with the sim. whouldent this be a problem when the sim going to pitch and tilt at the same time?

I dident think of it befor I looked closer on Thanos joyrider and noticed that his complete pitch structure whas moving..

I dont know if anybody understands what im trying to tell.. because my english is really bad this late.. And I can always blame on the fact that I live in Sweden


And OT: I'm graduating in 3 weeks and then I going to be unemployed for some time.. and i think i'm going to try building my own motion sim, based on the joyrider.

Hi Thend,

He IS moving the whole pitch structure as well!! Its just mounted on the outside of the thick bank frame structure cause some miscalculations made his cockpit a little short, with little space in the the inside.


Thanos

Hi!...

Thend, as TronicGr said, my pitch motor follows the movement of the structure... my design is quite different from TronicGr original one as i left not as much space as i thought. Anyway, the way it works is the same as doing inside the frame. How you attach the pitch motor to the structure is another history, a big WTF! will escape from your lips two or three times, and is something i recommend you to do with someone else helping you.

I have change the Hall sensor frame becouse TronicGr told me that to get the best results from the sensor is rotating it at the same axis as the magnet. I'm on the beach right now (holy holydays :clap: ), so when i return to my place i will show you all the upgrades i've made to the simulator in real pictures.

See you soon.
Regards
Knob2001

Hi Knob2001, I am new to this forum and I am earger to by this joy rider w/ 2DOF...... I've order the circuit broad from expresspcb.com and I am just wondering if you can point me to the right direction of which exact resistors and capacitors and other components am I suppose to get... I hope u can point me to the right direction. thanks

Hi!...

madpcsupreme, i strongly recommend you to read the TronicGr topic about the AMC motion controller. I know there are more than 67 (right now) pages, but all the magic about the controller is inside the topic.

On the first page there is a part list with all the stuff you will need to build it:
tronic-s-amc-motor-motion-controller-with-pwm-servo-output-t559.html

Once you check the list, probably you will not find very easy one or two components... again, reading the whole topic will give you all the answers, as i only have the answers to my case.

Anyway, the first and only good advice i can give anyone about the hardware of the joyrider -> TronicGr original topic... the rest is kind of chaotic troubleshooting for later on once you have something real on your hands.

Welcome to the forum, madpcsupreme, and prepare yourself to this huge DIY... whatever you need, feel free to ask :
Regards
Knob2001

Hi!...

After this mini holydays, back on work and some upgrades on the joyrider :clap:

On the hardware side, i think it's a good idea to have the AMC and the DSMhb on an enclosure becose there's a lot of amps running here and there. Following the DIY spirit of the whole project, i made my own aluminium box. The material is just 2mm thick, easy enough to work with a light driller.
After searching for some different types of connectors, i've choosen those you can see on the picture:


The connectors for the battery and for the motors are female powercons from neutrix. I was looking for small and secure connectors... so i added another two XLR (audio pro) 3 pins connectors for the Hall sensors. I added 2 -15 max- fuse (one for each motor), and the female connector for the mains power. As i have a little child jumping over whatever he sees, i added a key to the power as TronicGr did on his enclosure.

On the front of the box, i just put the serial adaptor (usb very soon), and the 5 leds (4 of the DSMhb and the green from the AMC).

The inside could be a little anarchy but i think there is enough room for everything. I have to install the fan over the DSMhb and i'm thinking to leave the LCD screen inside, as it only works as a monitor for the axis data and it will be disabled while the motors are running.

As i talked on the last post, TronicGr told me the best resolution you will get from the Hall sensors is rolling it on the same Z axis of the magnet, instead of moving the sensor along the x or y, i mean, just rotate the magnet or the sensor without vertical or horizontal displacement between them.

This is what i think is the best way to accomplish it:




Notice the magnet doesn't touch the sensor, just move it a milimeter to have the best data. Again, i did it using those fantastic Ikea metal furniture stuff i found on a box.

Things to to on coming days:
XLR male on both sensors
Powercon male on the other side of the motors
Cut the aluminium box on the top to allow the DSMhb fan breath
My dad gave me an empty car battery so i have to recharge it
Press the 'On' button and let the joyrider fligh across the universe.

So... on the next days, i will check out those TODOs one by one with some more pictures to show you how i'm doing it.

Regards
Knob2001

Really nice updates!

Inspiring Idea about the aluminum box whuld be cool to do a box and have a USB hub in it too! so you can connect the AMC board and your joystick/steeringwheel in to the box as well and then only connect ONE! USB cable to the computer

Regards
Oliver

Good idea! The less stuff hanging around, the better... i will add that to my TODO list.

Regards
Knob2001

Hi, I am now collecting 19 monitors and thinking that I'll want to do a triple screen setup. I believe that will give me 16lbsX3 +18lbs stand = 66lbs weight in the front. I have a idea of moving the center point forward 2 to balance the weight... I havn't start to build the frame yet... I am wondering if I have the right concept.


Thanks,
Ray

P.S. Did any1 notice that there is a new racing sim coming out soon? the Need for Speed shift... the previiews are very promising...