The SimFeedback-AC DIY Motion Simulator thread

[sjb266]

Hey guys. Thought I’d create a thread for those taking the plunge into this brilliant DIY project..
I will be starting mine soon and I know there are others thinking about it.. so feel free to share your knowledge and experiences so we can all enjoy this platform to its full potential. A huge thanks to the developers who have really knocked this one out of the park!

Website: https://opensfx.com/2019/02/20/welcome-to-our-new-site/

Github: https://github.com/SimFeedback/SimFeedback-AC-Servo/wiki

For all the internals for the actuator contact Amy - skye@ntl-bearing.com
She can supply everything you need. Just remind her you want the ends of the shafts chamfered and make sure she sends the right sized ball screw - we have had a couple of issues reported. She is very helpful though and the cost is pretty good.


Huge thanks to @RowanH for writing a comprehensive user guide which can be accessed here - https://www.rowanhick.com/sfx-100-build-and-running-guide

In addition, @anton_Chez has contributed a list of post numbers for some of the important settings etc..
Post #320 SFX-100 thread
Post #327 SFX-100 thread for Discord correlation
Post #339 SFX-100 thread
Post #418 SFX-100 thread
Post #424 SFX-100 thread
Post #439 SFX-100 thread
Post #449 SFX-100 thread
Post #517 SFX-100 thread
Post #554 SFX-100 thread
Post #580 SFX-100 thread
Post #826 SFX-100 thread
Post #837 SFX-100 thread
Post #864,866,867,868,870,887,889,897 SFX-100 thread
Post #911,914 SFX-100 thread
Post #988,992,998 SFX-100 thread
Post #1147 SFX-100 thread
Post #1492 SFX-100 thread
Post #1511,1517 SFX-100 thread

I will try to keep this page updated with links to source the parts in other parts of the world. Just post whatever links you have and i'll add them here.

Please note: Not all the parts listed below are essential for the project. For the essential parts refer to the original shopping list.

Australia:

• O-Ring - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Kit-419Pcs-O-Ring-O-Ring-Black-Rubber-32-Sizes-With-Case-3-50mm-W8D7/223152697816?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
• D-Sub breakout board - DB25 25pin Female Adapter RS-232 Serial Terminal Module Breakout Board Connector
• Emergency Stop - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Reliable-Emergency-Stop-Push-Button-Box-600V-Switch-for-Elevator/192115082001?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
• Arduino Wiring - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/40-pcs-Dupont-Cable-20cm-Jumper-Wire-for-Arduino-RPi-breadboard-AU-Stock/202436863098?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=502467628096&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
• Breadboard - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mini-Solderless-Breadboard-400-Contacts-Tie-points-Universal-Available-New-lemon/123145741183?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
• D-Dub Cable - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Black-D...h=item3f6ace6403:g:038AAOSw9mpaSsU2:rk:1:pf:0
• Screw Shield for Arduino Leonardo - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-Scr...h=item25a9d471a4:g:5BgAAOSwraJbc9rC:rk:1:pf:0
• Arduino Leonardo Replica - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DIY-Eduino-Leonardo-Module-with-USB-Cable-for-Arduino-ATMEGA32U4-Blue-Black/132719951279?epid=916281063&hash=item1ee6b9bdaf:g:2QUAAOSw5iNbWv6b:rk:123f:

Thanks to @AussieSim for the following links:

10A power lead(s) * 4
https://www.jaycar.com.au/2m-black-mains-extension-lead/p/PS4152

Top quality wire stripper
https://sydneytools.com.au/product/boxo-cutws205-multifunction-wire-stripper

RCD/safety switch power block
https://www.bunnings.com.au/arlec-4-outlet-heavy-duty-portable-safety-switch_p4420028

WD-40 lithium grease for the ball screws
https://www.bunnings.com.au/wd-40-specialist-300g-high-performance-white-lithium-grease_p6100408

Vibration pads
https://www.bunnings.com.au/whites-on-site-100-x-12-5mm-rubber-anti-vibration-mat-4-pack_p3961547

WD-40 Dry PTFE spray for the slider (free shipping)
https://au.rs-online.com/mobile/p/lubricants/7577134/

Arduino Leonardo (free shipping + frequent 10-15% off discount)
https://www.arrow.com/en/products/a000057/arduino-corporation

DB25 cables * 4 (free shipping)
https://www.arrow.com/en/products/ak401-2/assmann-wsw-components-inc

PETG * 3 (free shipping)
https://www.arrow.com/en/products/petg17bk1/mg-chemicals

WAGO-like connectors to avoid a breadboard (perhaps use genuine ones if you are doing 240V AC)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32906719488.html

D-Sub breakout boards * 4
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32297675967.html

3D printer Creality Ender-3 Pro
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32918302452.html

Wires from Arduino to D-Sub breakout (remove black plastic from the WAGO end)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32887680826.html

Crimp connectors for AC wire leads
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32813550981.html

 

[saxxon66]

EDIT: Oh, stupid right in front of me, bult length 42mm it should be.

I've decided to build this thing up and already ordered several items and warmed up my 3d-printer.

One question though, I have found different types, or rather sizes, of the SFU1605 ballscrews, hence I noticed the model number can be either SFU1605-3 or SFU1605-4.
I have tried to find the difference, and found out that the bult length on 3 version is 42mm, while on the 4 version it is 50mm.

Does the length matter of the bults? I have not looked in the STL-files yet..

The longer version does not fit.

You have two options

1) Modify the slider part to fit the length of the nut
2) swap them against the right one that fits

Going to modify, you will lose 8 mm of travel, you can compensate for that in the software later.

 

[Jean-Paul Lanaux]

Thanks to all of those in this community who describe their experiences and knowledge so we can have a hopefully successful build.

I'm introducing myself. I'm new here and just ordered the majority of the parts and a printer. I read this entire thread yesterday which took about three hours (some skimming, some reading closely).

I'm in the USA and will be powering my rig via 110 following BluePotato00's shopping list.

A few starting questions. Looking at a few shopping lists - I'm confused. When looking at the servo driver wiring schematic (Fig 2.1.1), there are three components shown which do not appear on any list (air circuit breaker, median filter, and electromagnetic contactor). Are these being left out of everyone's installation?

Should we be finding the Center of Gravity of the loaded rig (with the driver), and then equally space the actuators from the CG?

 

[anton_Chez]

Depending on the chassis you're mounting to, you might find that it's a case of where you have room to mount them around other things like pedal and monitor mount uprights rather than a perfect COG. I'm not sure any of us have worried about getting it millimeter perfect.

But then again if you've read the thread properly you'll know full well to not listen to anything I have to say.......

 

[HugoB]

I've never thought about COG.. but it might explain why some of us have rigs that walk around the room? What's important to note though is that the distances between your actuators play a role in maximum roll and pitch angle. Also the placement of the actuators play a role in the character of the motion, according to the developers. I haven't tried changing my placement, I just copied the setup from one of the beta testers (he published his placement geometry in the German forum).

Concerning AC servo controller wiring, if you just wire it up like all the others, you will be fine, it works. Optionally you can install a net-filter before the controller, this has helped some people with EMI issues. I'd say, try the standard setup and see if it works for you.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[BluePotato00]

Looking at a few shopping lists - I'm confused. When looking at the servo driver wiring schematic (Fig 2.1.1), there are three components shown which do not appear on any list (air circuit breaker, median filter, and electromagnetic contactor). Are these being left out of everyone's installation?

I did not include them in my installation and all has been working well for a couple weeks. Even woke up this morning to see that I accidentally left my step-up converter and servo motors on all night.

Should we be finding the Center of Gravity of the loaded rig (with the driver), and then equally space the actuators from the CG?

I'm certain my actuators are not centered over my center of gravity. My front actuators would have to move much further back (maybe around my knees) to hold equal weight as my rears. Might do that in the future.

 

[Specialist68]

Example my rig

150 cm totaal rig length
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
79 cm center rig in balance
-----------------------------------------------------------
63 cm center rig + person balance
------------------------------------------------

It al depends how much weight you have on the rig,
My rig is 88 KG with Heusinkveld pedals shifter handbrake+ direct drive + chair
The Mige motor its self is 12 kg!
Then your own weight so total weight of 176:4 actuors=44 per actuator
So I think placing them right is crucial so they wearing equal out on the bearings

 

[C64]

Should we be finding the Center of Gravity of the loaded rig (with the driver), and then equally space the actuators from the CG?

Good luck with the build

I don't think CoG is important, more important for the driver to be seated towards the centre point of the actuators ( longitudinally), in reality I think most people are seated a bit behind this. The other thing that makes a difference is to try and make your seating position as low as practical relative to the actuators - gives a feeling of sitting "in" the car rather than "on" the car.

 

[anton_Chez]

I did this based on your advice in the Discord. So rapped that I did.

 

[Jean-Paul Lanaux]

For any who want to find the CG (EZ way) lay your flat rig out on a level surface. Put it on a pipe and roll it along the pipe until it is balanced (while you are sitting in it). Mark the center. Place your actuators equal dimensions from this point and your actuators will all be lifting equal weight. I am assuming that you want the actuators spread as far as possible while maintaining equal spacing from the CG.

 

[HoiHman]

There's no real need to exactly determine the COG for this system. The servos are more than strong enough to overcome any (reasonable) weight difference. They work in a position based system, which means the driver tell the servo where goes, it does just that.

The load difference does not have as big as an impact as on a seatmover system where COG is king.

If you spread the actuators as far as possible you will have less available rig movement with the same settings. What you see with most builds is that the rear actuators are at the far back and the front actuators are positioned near the wheel deck. This will give you a good enough weight distribution, while also giving you enough degrees available for pitch and surge.

Mounting the seat as low as possible has nothing to do with how the actuators will handle the weight, but more how the movements of the SFX100 are experienced.

The lower your seat is, the more you will feel being in the car instead of being on top of it.

 

[sebna]

Quick question about SFX-100:

Currently I use 75mm in diameter rubberized wheels underneath my my rig if I need to to trolley it around. The whole wheel assembly is 100mm high. I would like to keep them on the rig when I put the SFX-100 on it.

Would it be possible? Or would they interfere with most maximum retraction during simulator use? I guess I am asking if anybody knows what is the minimum throw of the pistons during the simulator use (not when SFX-100 is shut down)?

I remember reading that Henk is using a separate trolley which he puts under the rig and then when the SFX100 shuts down and the pistons retract to parking position the rig then sits on the trolley and he can wheel it away. So I know similar idea is possible but I wonder if I could leave my wheels permanently on the rig?

EDIT:

Also on the shopping list it says I should get 32 of thread inserts (https://www.kinetikmsystem.de/en/detail/index/sArticle/3163/sCategory/424).

Can those get damaged during install - should I get few extra or is it ok to go for 32?

EDIT2:

For those with sim-lab P1 or rig based on 40x160L profiles. How many corner brackets have you used per actuator to secure it to the 40x160L? So shopping lists says 16+ of t-slots so at least 4 corner brackets per actuator but with 40x160L we can go easily 8 per actuator.

Cheers

 

[BluePotato00]

Also on the shopping list it says I should get 32 of thread inserts (https://www.kinetikmsystem.de/en/detail/index/sArticle/3163/sCategory/424).

Can those get damaged during install - should I get few extra or is it ok to go for 32?

All 32 of mine came perfect and undamaged. You could get a few extra for peace of mind.

For those with sim-lab P1 or rig based on 40x160L profiles. How many corner brackets have you used per actuator to secure it to the 40x160L? So shopping lists says 16+ of t-slots so at least 4 corner brackets per actuator but with 40x160L we can go easily 8 per actuator.

Even with 4 brackets per actuator, mine don't budge. If you're connecting to 40-160 profile, then I think one on the top and bottom (on both sides) will be sufficient.

 

[RowanH]

"Giving back" to the project I've brushed off my old technical writing skills from back in the day and written up a tutorial on setting up and using SimFeedback. Especially for those new or thinking about jumping in - this will tell you *almost* all of what the software can do and how to set it up - based on my learnings doing it and reading between the lines on the wiki and various forum/discord posts.

https://www.rowanhick.com/2019/01/25/simfeedback-tutorial

Note I've not done sound based stuff yet or setting up a custom effect. That will be for another update.

Note: all my other blog posts about it here: https://www.rowanhick.com/sfx-100-build-and-running-guide

 

[BluePotato00]

"Giving back" to the project I've brushed off my old technical writing skills from back in the day and written up a tutorial on setting up and using SimFeedback. Especially for those new or thinking about jumping in - this will tell you *almost* all of what the software can do and how to set it up - based on my learnings doing it and reading between the lines on the wiki and various forum/discord posts.

https://www.rowanhick.com/2019/01/25/simfeedback-tutorial

Note I've not done sound based stuff yet or setting up a custom effect. That will be for another update.

Note: all my other blog posts about it here: https://www.rowanhick.com/sfx-100-build-and-running-guide

Another post I look forward to reading in full! You mentioned your method of determining the COM port early in the post.

A useful free tool downloaded from the Windows Store, Arduino IDE, can give you a more dummy-proof determination of one's Arduino COM port:

Edit: Also, you have a missing link in this section:
"Physical servo drive RPM setting. The suggestion is start at 1200rpm, and increase to 3000 rpm [linky]. I’m sure most people just went straight to 3000rpm.. official recommendation is get used to things first at 1200, then increase."

 

[sebna]

All right then. Ordered placed for the profiles and other parts from Kinteic.

Rest will have to wait but I am "booked" for my build

Cheers

 

[anton_Chez]

Thank you @RowanH cannot wait to get stuck into that. I've started playing with it too and I feel like I definitely could use a few different opinions and suggestions on what to do.

With the COM port, I've only ever had the one show up in the list and it's always been the Arduino unless of course it wasn't plugged in.

Also @sebna you can use more brackets but a few things to note. You probably don't need them and also if you put 8 you are not getting your actuators as low on the bottom rail profile as you possibly could.

 

[RowanH]

You're welcome guys ! Hope it helps. @BluePotato00 good spotting, have corrected the missing link, will add a note for the arduino com trick.

 

[Steve D]

"Giving back" to the project I've brushed off my old technical writing skills from back in the day and written up a tutorial on setting up and using SimFeedback. Especially for those new or thinking about jumping in - this will tell you *almost* all of what the software can do and how to set it up - based on my learnings doing it and reading between the lines on the wiki and various forum/discord posts.

https://www.rowanhick.com/2019/01/25/simfeedback-tutorial

Note I've not done sound based stuff yet or setting up a custom effect. That will be for another update.

Note: all my other blog posts about it here: https://www.rowanhick.com/sfx-100-build-and-running-guide

That Sir, is absolutely superb! Huge appreciation for the time and effort you've put in to that.

 

[sjb266]

"Giving back" to the project I've brushed off my old technical writing skills from back in the day and written up a tutorial on setting up and using SimFeedback. Especially for those new or thinking about jumping in - this will tell you *almost* all of what the software can do and how to set it up - based on my learnings doing it and reading between the lines on the wiki and various forum/discord posts.

https://www.rowanhick.com/2019/01/25/simfeedback-tutorial

Note I've not done sound based stuff yet or setting up a custom effect. That will be for another update.

Note: all my other blog posts about it here: https://www.rowanhick.com/sfx-100-build-and-running-guide

Very very impressive Rowan! What a fantastic resource for this system.. Look where we are after 4 months since the thread started.. You guys have all been fantastic in your input and the thread hasn't once gone off the rails which is an impressive feat for 100 odd pages..!

Here's to 100 more! :clink:

 

[Mr Latte]

"Giving back" to the project I've brushed off my old technical writing skills from back in the day and written up a tutorial on setting up and using SimFeedback. Especially for those new or thinking about jumping in - this will tell you *almost* all of what the software can do and how to set it up - based on my learnings doing it and reading between the lines on the wiki and various forum/discord posts.

https://www.rowanhick.com/2019/01/25/simfeedback-tutorial

Note I've not done sound based stuff yet or setting up a custom effect. That will be for another update.

Note: all my other blog posts about it here: https://www.rowanhick.com/sfx-100-build-and-running-guide

Just seen it for the first time, excellent work indeed, very much appreciated.
Has helped spur my own interest more and Im sure others too that have been considering getting into it.
Look forward to your future updates.

It is remarkable what this project achieves for the price it can be built compared to other solutions.
I love seeing peoples own builds incorporating it.