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Universal Joints

Discussion in 'DIY Motion Simulator Building Q&A / FAQ' started by Ferrino, Aug 6, 2010.

  1. Ferrino

    Ferrino New Member

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    Can anyone please recommend a good quality universal joint that could be used as a pivot (and easily available to order online)? Also, what is the best way of mounting this (to a steel frame)? I like the idea I've seen of welding square brackets to each end of the joint and then bolting each face to the base/seat frame.

    Thanks!
  2. Frakk

    Frakk Active Member

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    It would be very helpful if you posted your country. Some of us might have access to good joints in our country, but that might be useless for you.

    I would work backwards. Try looking online and see what is available to you locally. Auto part stores and local mechanics are a good place to look. Find out your options, compare their prices, then get the best you can buy.

    I remember there were discussions about the joints some time back, try the Search the site text box above and type universal + joint maybe?
  3. bvillersjr

    bvillersjr Active Member

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    I was never able to find a good deal on a good quality universal joint when purchased in a quantity of one. I have seen other ideas posted here also, but none of them were very robust. Your best bet may be to talk to your local car parts store and see what they have that is within your capability to mount accurately. This part of the reason why I created the Universal Motion Seat Kit. In some countries, these parts are very difficult to obtain. Since you are in California, you should have a vareity of choices.

    The optimal mounting will depend on what style of universal joint you buy. In my case, I required extreme precision, so a laser cut and jig are used, then welded.
  4. netwizrm

    netwizrm Member

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    Thanks Guys!

    Bernard,

    Through all your testing and staging before you decided on the universal Joints for your final product, what was the
    advantage over the Neoprene/Durulene base mounts?

    I would think that rubber mount used by Mr. Burns would add to a more qusioned / dumper feel? And the elasticity would
    work pseudopodically with the actuators?


    What’s your thought?

    thanks

    Robert
  5. bvillersjr

    bvillersjr Active Member

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    Good question.

    I had the same thought initially. It seemed logical to me as well, but in practice it was more costly and did not offer the same feel.

    The universal joint by design prevents rotation that would otherwise break the actuators since the actuator shaft CANNOT be twisted in any way without causing damage.

    On the contrary, the Neuoprene mounts will twist and break the actuators and therefore require the purchase of two steel rods, and four ball joints to prevent the rotation. The ball joints alone total more than the cost of the U-Joint.

    This rod and ball-joint mechanism of preventing rotation never seemed to be as consistent as the U-Joint. So for example, if your rod was adjusted slightly too long, the the rotation is not prevented evenly and you would wind up with a non-linear and very strange feeling.

    I didn't want to wind up in a scenario where one SimXPerience branded simulator felt different from another simply due to the way that they were assembled. I opted for the U-Joint mostly due to the consistency.

    Somewhere in these forums, there was a video that someone posted where you could actually see the strange movements due to the improperly adjusted rods and ball joints.
  6. dhweizel

    dhweizel New Member

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    I think the same that bernard (my sim uses an u joint like , a cruceta in spanish) but be carefull with the end play because a little in the joint are several milimeters in the tip of the seat

    Sorry about my english

    regards
  7. bvillersjr

    bvillersjr Active Member

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    Yes, it's best to use a U-Joint designed for a car because they haver no play. If they did, there would be a loud clunking noise when shift from neutral to drive or neutral to reverse which would cause the joint to wear quickly. Automotive universal joints do not have this slop.
  8. Ferrino

    Ferrino New Member

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  9. Fahim

    Fahim Member

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    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LAND-ROVER-DEFEND ... 563c9b7e4c

    Land Rover universal joint.

    BTW. I noticed that when you put a bar from the universal joint to the side of the simulator to stop it spinning.
    ..... That it causes a FLEX.

    Why is this. When I am rotating the chair FREE hand (without actuators mounted to the seat) , that some points when I push the chair back and whilst it is back, i then move the chair left to right. There is a flex that is stopping it.

    That is the draw back to having the bar from pivot to simulator?
  10. netwizrm

    netwizrm Member

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    Thanks for clearing this out, Bernard!! :cheers: