Tech PEB's Motion Simulator thread (for Racing Games and Flight Simulation)

[PEB]

Well, Logitech revealed what it's been working on with Herman Miller. It's $1500 but it has a 12 year warranty.

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/logitech-herman-miller-embody-gaming-chair

Nice chair but talk about missing the mark in gaming but for the office it will find a market.


She never says how much but an easy 30k for the setup. She is a professional driver though so not much problem for her to buy.

 

[PEB]

My latest effort putting together a direct drive steering wheel an mounting it on my simulator. It will cost me just around 400 bucks vs 1100 for one from fanatec. I just ordered parts to build the actuator including 3D modeled parts that I designed sent them off to be CNC. Waiting for those likely at least a week or 2 for them and I am waiting for some other parts ordered online. So I figured why not make a mount for a 7nm servo that I am designing a controller for it to use. The hole where the servo mounted came off a little off center not a big deal would make another one tomorrow if not the day after just wanted to see if it fit OK the steering wheel shaft and quick disconnect I am 3D print should be ready in a few days. Getting some new computer parts including a newer i5 CPU clocked at 3.9 ghz and 16gigs of ram. The new setup supports up to 128 gigs of memory.





This is the guy working on one type of direct drive controller.

 

[PEB]

Motion simulation taken to the 9th degree LOL need a vomit bag. Getting in an out of that thing must be fun.

 

[PEB]

I 3D modeled my own flange and sent it out to be CNC and got them back today in 4 days amazing. My next step is carbon fiber pipes instead of steel.



Here they are being milled before I picked them up.

 

[PEB]

@PEB you might want to check out GamersNexus new video. They go in hard on MSI, and justifiably so.

As I pointed out I built dozens of machines with MSI an ASUS motherboards over a decade ago. These where largely the best motherboards mostly ASUS was the go to. I ran a multiprocessor MSI motherboard with duel opteron CPU's. Built a number of them back in 2003 to 2008. I built plenty of MSI boxes for customers people loved them I was using mine for gaming an video editing. ASUS board was more then double the price an lacked overclocking and memory cooling.

I posted this photo of a machine I could run today from 14 years ago.


My actuators are running great for my simulator. Quiet an smoothly with 350 lbs of lifting capacity.

 

[PEB]

Here is my updated actuator lifting the full side of my simulator "around 120 lbs" of weight did not add any weight to the seat no controller tied to it so it drops fast. But it's pretty quiet in operation and much smoother then earlier versions with the carbon fiber pipe on it.


It has my new 3D designed parts on it such as the flange in the photo.

 

[PEB]

Wild stuff and most of this is running off of PC hardware and a 280 dollar controller impressive. Most of these simulators run into the millions and millions, these guys still wildly expensive but vastly cheaper then other choices airlines had to pick from in fact the board I am using is the same one.

 

[PEB]

Here I'm testing the PC simulator interface for the first time. It works yeah!! Still need to figure out the pc software for it. Fun times ahead documention lacking.

 

[Brampton_Boy]

Here I'm testing the PC simulator interface for the first time. It works yeah!! Still need to figure out the pc software for it. Fun times ahead documention lacking.

I don't even know what it is I'm looking at, but it looks bad ass. The Ultrawide looks amazing

 

[PEB]

I don't even know what it is I'm looking at, but it looks bad ass. The Ultrawide looks amazing

My motion simulator I am building piece by piece. The plan is to mount the linear actuators that I 3D modeled then made CNC parts for to move the platform. Hopefully everything starts to move the platform over multiple positions during gaming. The actuators will be positioned on the 4 corners of the platform to move it.

The ultra wide is Samsung 49 inch monitor and I designed the platform to also support a 5 foot high projection screen an 4k short throw projectors.

 

[PEB]

Some specs the actuators support up to 500mm of movement and can handle up to 350 lbs each. The total it can handle is around 370kg weight including the platform, seat and 49 inch screen. Don't want to go much more then that weight even though could go to over 400 kg.

 

[PEB]

This is one impressive build.

 

[PEB]

It's working in game now. You can see how it translates game to positional information. Yes it's a mess off a video holding keyboard while trying to film lol. I just ordered an additional motor piece by piece.

Better video.

 

[PEB]

Just got Assetto Corsa running with the 2 actuators. Don't mind the driving still waiting for the TDD to be shipped " Direct Drive Controller". Driving sucks because I am holding the phone while trying to drive with a keyboard lol.



This is at the higher end the 80,000 US Vesaro Stage 7

 

[PEB]

Made some improvements and changes before I start attaching my actuators.
Funny video driving off a cliff.

 

[PEB]

Here I am doing first tests of my actuators running on my simulator. It's being pushed hard because it's basically lifting 80 percent of the platform with one actuator. In real world this will not happen and will be much less noisy. This sounds a lot louder then it is in person for sure. I have to work on that annoying ticking sound coming from the actuator. I know what is causing it just no simple solution other then to remove the motor.

 

[PEB]

Got two actuators running in game testing while I continue tweaking things. I tuned down max movements to 70 percent for testing. Really running great so far. Only two actuators running 4 in total plus one for direct drive.

 

[PEB]

Another in game test under much more hostile conditions then the first one as I continue working on the design. BeamNG really puts the actuators to the test under very hard level changes.

 

[PEB]

Testing the actuators with me on it for the first time. Running great while running Assetto Corsa. Still working on my steering wheel and wiring for it. Hopefully next week or two the steering wheel will be done. I should say bump in the road.

 

[PEB]

Anyone wondering what games are supported for simulations here is a list.

I found some Opamp upgrades for Creative Sound Blaster Z, Zx, ZxR & Asus Xonar Essence STX sound cards which got me thinking. Some motherboards, mostly Gigabyte, allow you to change Opamps but does anyone actually do it?





Don't know if I've said it yet but this looks pretty cool. Have you been doing the CNC work or are you farming it out? I've got an old Bridgeport and have been thinking of retrofitting it to a CNC machine.

Thank you I have been farming it out due to cost. I found someone who is really inexpensive to mill my parts I designed. Got myself a really cheap 3D printer to test fit of parts before milling. I have tons of expensive electronics equipment such as testing an assembly because that's more my area of expertise. They make some low cost desk size CDC machines though for me seem interesting.
Here is my flanges being milled.



EDIT: If interested there is a YouTube page devoted towards converting old mills to CNC machines I believe? I used to work for a company that designed an built 5 axes CNC machines. I worked on the 32 bit controller "state of the art at the time Motorola 68030" The things weighed upto 3 tons huge machines.

Cheapest decent size 3D printer on the market getting tons of use. It took me a year to decide what cheap 3D printer would fit the bill.

Here I am printing a button box for a steering wheel someone I followed designed. There is also shifting paddles and 3D printed mountings for my direct drive wheel I am working on.