I'm looking for the cheapest and hopefully easiest way to build a motion base for an in-home simulator. Electrical actuators seem to be the best because they are maintenence free, oiled for life and quite. A friend however said they can't hold much weight and hydraulic or pneumatic systems would be smoother and stronger. Servos are expensive and difficult to program. I'm an amateur with no knowledge of programming or hydraulics. I'm great with computers however and am willing to learn what it takes, I just don't know what to learn. I'm looking for a motion base with two degrees of freedom that can hold around 700 pounds. All I want is pitch and role using pneumatics, hydraulics, actuators, plc's, whatever. What's the best technology, what do I need to put it all together, and where can I find the equipment I need? Thanks in advance, Tim.

 

Not having all of the information, I would lean
towards electrical actuators with ball screws and a 2 axis motion control board, such as a Galil or Delta Tau.

 

dear Tim,
I once spent some time trying to design a low-cost, home-built full-motion flight simulator.
Main issues:

1. motion platform: any solution (electric or hydraulic) is expensive.
Hydraulic is the best, but amateur piping may be dangerous due to the high
operating pressure. Pneumatic solution is not suggested, actions are not
quick enough.

2. to simplify mechanic assembly you may want to evaluate a reversed,
simplified (3-axis) Stewart platform, using hoists and cables: try
http://www.troatie.com/papers/motionbase.pdf or search the web for Stewart
platforms.

3. regardless of the solution, once you have all the mechanics set up you
need to get the data from the simulator (aircraft, car, etc) as fast as you
can, process the data as fast as you can in order to issue motion commands
very quickly. The whole system (sw+hw+mechanics) must be highly responsive.
Personally I found a blind alley when trying to extract acceleration data
from PC-based flight simulators such are MS Fligh Simulator or Laminar
Research X-Plane: the acceleration value cannot be read directly from the
simulator and calculation based upon speed sampling needed too a large
interval to result a "realtime" value.

4. Last but not least, you must start creating motion cues. On motion
simulators you do not simply reproduce the attitude from simulator data
(e.g. 10° bank of screen = 10° bank on the platform) but you must rather
"fake" the brain convincing it you're performing a turn by providing the
necessary perceptions.
Example: a +10° climb attitude can give the acceleration perception during
take-off, when the aircraft is actually still leveled on the runway. The
eyes see a thing, the body feels another. Not an easy job, providing wrong
or delayed perceptions you may even induce vomit.
There's a lot of programming behind the motion cues, but it is perhaps the
most exciting part of the job.

I can be contacted here:
luca.gallina (at) runmode.com

best regards
Luca Gallina

 

Hi Tim,
Are you looking to build a powered platform ?
There is something you may want to look at

http://www.acesim.com/main.html

This is the cheapest and easiest way to build a motion platform.

Actualy, I'm considering my self to build a powered platform following a similar design.

Will be glad to share ideas with you.

What sim are you planing to use with the platform ?

Drit
[email protected]

 

Hi Tim

We have been manufacturing motion bases for 10 years, The best system is a gearbox system, no maintenance, quiet, reliable.
There is a lot to know and understand, in regards
to motion bases. We can custom build a base for you, or purchase our standard 2 dof that will handle 1000lbs for $5200.00
you call me 705 876 0226

 

Hello,

I live in France and i am thinking about a motion platform too (with 2 or 3 axes).

I wonder if it is possible to build a mass-balanced platform like "acesim", but with stepper motor on each axis.

What do you thinh about that?

 

Hello Mike,

Do you have a web site?

 

Hey chamois,

I live in Brussels, and I'm thinking to build the same platform as you.

here my e-mail [email protected]
maybe we can put our ideas together.

Dritan

 

This is laughable. Stepper motors are for small things. Your kidding yourself. For serious things you need to use mid sized DC motors and then the controllers are expensive as hell. For smooth operation Precision look up stuff on the following: Fluid Power, hydraulic component, including pumps, motors, valves, cylinders.

 

I'm sorry Anonymous but you are wrong. There are steppers big enough to turn you around.

Drit

 

Beyond the HOW of a motion platform, does anyone know if there is an existing "software" that would make the actual control and motion cue part of the motion platform work, along with extracting the data from FS2004. Another words, is there an "easy" software system to drive whatever servo/digital actuators, without getting into major programing. Seems like someone must have access to the software systems that these 15k "Home systems" are using. All we would need to worry about is the platform and the type of servo or other drive we'd need to do the physical work.

 

Steve,

As far as I know...
There are three parts in the motion controll software for flight sims.
1. Flight data extraction from the flight sim.
2. Motion cues.
2. Actuator control.

For FS2004, the first one is provided by MS, another option is FSUIPC. The second, you will have to design it your self. And the third one is provided by the company which makes the actuator controller. Even if you get your hands in an existing one, I don't think it will be much use to you unles you have the same controller. This is what I have understood during my research

Do you know Acesim? http://www.acesim.com/main.html
and Rock & Ride?
http://shop.rightthing.nl/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=8
How about making ONE of those two?

Regards
Drit

 

Drit,

Thanks for the info. I do know of the JoyRider, and the gimble/self centering platform theory. I am more focused on SIMCRAFT's version though. I don't really like the moving chair idea. I am hooked on a full platform with an actual full size cockpit. (Big Dreams... LOL...)

http://www.simcraft.com

These guys are very helpful, and I am sure that their ideas and software will be the heart of my project in some form or another.

I have done some more research and found that some of the process really isn't as bad as I thought. The Extraction is as easy as FSUIPC. All my 6 DOF information is already there. Taking that information, and writting some code to do the math and read cylinder position data will now be the next step.

I'd love to figure out how to drive this system with gearmotors (Gaint stepper motors or such). This would eliminate the need for all the pneumatic issues (Pressure regulation, position feedback, and compressor noise) But would increase the cost due to motor control units and control boards. Pneumatic system is a simple relay board controller, which are under a $100.00. Position feedback could be read via a serial port or even a joystick pot. input. The cylinders themselves can be as little as $30-$130.00 each. Vs. $500.00 for each motor and controller.

Now, it is just a matter of running the numbers and getting that information to trigger the relays under the correct conditions and timing. (I know nothing about programming, and don't know where to even start!) But, I understand what has to happen and even how the data will be used to drive cylinders (position feedback, and rate of movement). So, I am back to the original problem, PROGRAMMING. C++, visual Basic, other? I don't know any of them, but I see that learning one of them is key to ever making this project come to life.

So, My current situation is to figure:
1. what to program the translation program in (refering to using the extracted date to trigger the relays of the pneumatics and read the cylinder position information)

2. is there a cheap way to use electric motors instead of pneumatics to elimatine the rate of positional transitions? (I don't know any good way to regulate psi via computer control cheaply)

Any ideas?

 

Steve,

I think for a nono programer (such as my self), VB would be the best choice.

And I think that there are cheap motors and motor controlers.

But again, take a look at this,
http://www.cyberspace.de/homepage/index.html
(it's in German) it's a "Soft motion" controler for the Rock & Ride chair, I don't like the chair idea either, but I love it's parts

You can use the cylinders valves and everythink else for another platform. And I think you can build a biger Joyride made of aluminium, to fit a full scale cockpit.

Regards
Drit

 

I also have been interested for years in developing a platform.. I have looking into pneumatics with Linear Resistive Feedback but the cost can be easily $1000 per cylinder.

These guys look interesting: http://www.servos.com/domframe.htm

I have no idea what there cost is but I am going to research it... They use a geared motor with feedback approach.

 

Steve,

I have the same project idea as yours (joyrider for a full cockpit with rnR technology). But i does not like "hard" motion with their 7 positions. I was looking for a thing to make soft motion. Thanks for the link. I can dream again!

Philippe (Chamois)

 

Tim,

Check out these guys - http://www.classicflight.co.uk

they make the kind of thing you want - seems they'll sell the parts too - based in the UK.

Rich

 

Hello

I build hydraulics simulator for sale at less than 8000 Euros.

More information on this site.
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/magie

Eric

 

Hello

I'm french, i manufacture hydraulics simulator for less than 10 000 Euros.

see http://perso.wanadoo.fr/magie

Eric

 

Have you seen that?

http://www.classicflight.co.uk/MDrive3.htm