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

 

[sjb266]

UPDATE:

So i got it all up and running tonight and did some laps in AC and iRacing..

It's amazing!

Took me a few laps to get used to it as it's so different to the seat mover.. it really is a totally different sensation that provides a whole different set of motion cues that drastically enhance the feel of driving..

Having it set up on 1200 as per the beginner settings is enough for me for a while I don't think i'll be going stronger any time soon..

It's quite astonishing that something like this has been developed and released to the public as a DIY... I've got the actuators on my small 4040 rig with a G29 and a 27" monitor and it's so sweet...
I can't imagine how cool it will be when I transfer them to the VR rig with shakers etc..! Simvibe and belt tensioner will be the icing on the cake!

For anyone remotely interested in motion you owe it to yourself to try this out.. I really didn't know what to expect having never driven a platform motion setup... but being able to feel elevation changes and feeling the car nearly go up on two wheels over curbs is amazing!

Now I do have some issues to sort out but I think they're more to do with my dodgy makeshift setup I put together for testing.. So I will address tomorrow and resume..

But definitely worth the wait!

As i've mentioned i'm going to try and develop a box for all the electronics that will remove the need for the breadboard and DB25 breakout.. but that's a few weeks away...

 

[anton_Chez]

I use external earbuds already. I take the Rift ones completely off. Better for immersion and also not as hot on my head. The Rift ones are OK but earbuds for me is best, block out any noise coming from tactile units, V3 and other stuff.

 

[RaceNut]

For anyone with the SFX-100 and RaceRoom, there are some cars that provide amazing drive-train flex for testing purposes (And for fun!). There is a Porsche GT3 car with massive elastic feel that needs to be experienced and one of my favorites is the Xbow; the drive-train flex is much less but, the way it shudders on shifting gears when the Rev's don't quite match is superb and feels just like my son's BMW 325i with the D-box system.

From my experience, RR doesn't offer much in the way of surface texture detail but, the larger bumps are nice and the drive-train effects are worth checking out, especially if you already have some RR content. There are new GT4 cars coming with a new tire-model, clutch model and new sound-related improvements.

 

[Ringorian]

just my 2 cents about Sway / Surge ... dont underestimate ? the effects if you have em dialed in right .. i like sway more on that thing than on my previous 4 seatmovers

 

[Steve D]

Oh bollocks... reading all these extremely glowing reports now has me seriously contemplating jumping on board. Damn you all!

Quick question; what level of DIY, technical and electronics knowledge and skill is required to undertake this project? 3D-printer aside, are any specialist tools required? In essence can a ham-fisted novice complete this project, supported by advice from others where necessary, if sufficient time and care is taken?

Cheers!

 

[Boondocker]

For what exactly ?

I was going through the list and most posts are all for Australia or EU. I need to sift through the list again and build my own spreadsheet of what can be sourced here in the US and China.

 

[metalnwood]

Oh bollocks... reading all these extremely glowing reports now has me seriously contemplating jumping on board. Damn you all!

Quick question; what level of DIY, technical and electronics knowledge and skill is required to undertake this project? 3D-printer aside, are any specialist tools required? In essence can a ham-fisted novice complete this project, supported by advice from others where necessary, if sufficient time and care is taken?

Cheers!

Yes, people with no experience in any of it have put them together. Just a bit of time required watching videos, reading the wiki but nothing you cannot do with hand tools. Heck, even if you had to go spend $100 on a few tools it's a great price.

You will be fine

 

[C64]

Quick question; what level of DIY, technical and electronics knowledge and skill is required to undertake this project? 3D-printer aside, are any specialist tools required? In essence can a ham-fisted novice complete this project, supported by advice from others where necessary, if sufficient time and care is taken?

Cheers!

No electronics knowledge needed whatsoever, no soldering required. No specialised metalworking skills, no complicated processes or complicated / intricate assembly work. I think the only specialised tool that would be useful would be a crimping tool to put “U” shaped connectors on the end of the mains electrical plug wires that power the servo controllers. No expensive hand tools needed.

I think the steadily increasing number of successful builds and lack of reports of failures or stalled builds is a good indication of how straightforward this project is to complete. It took me 1 weekend ( 2 days ) to put together on my dining room table.

The biggest hurdle is printing the parts, they are very simple prints ( well designed ) that do not need any special ( difficult to use ) filament or advanced printers, PLA works perfectly well.

It is an incredibly satisfying project to complete because you end up with an exceptionally good motion rig supported by an ever increasing community of successful builders.

 

[anton_Chez]

I'll end up with a set of these one way or another. Even if I keep the V3. I'll just keep both. I don't even need to turn both on at the same time. I can run one or the other without touching a thing.

 

[GEEDOGG]

We will see Henk, ill gladly be that guinea pig

I find the wiring on the arduino board a bit crap, they cant be bolted down. Now ive soldered them but also that aint perfect.

Alex I saw these in a few of the DIY screenshots I ordered them so I can screw the connections on the Arduino https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BSFK3RK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=A3IRH1M32QHQ71&psc=1

 

[HoiHman]

Got an answer from the supplier of the servos about mounting the control units on the rig.

 

[sjb266]

Oh bollocks... reading all these extremely glowing reports now has me seriously contemplating jumping on board. Damn you all!

Quick question; what level of DIY, technical and electronics knowledge and skill is required to undertake this project? 3D-printer aside, are any specialist tools required? In essence can a ham-fisted novice complete this project, supported by advice from others where necessary, if sufficient time and care is taken?

Cheers!

It's a great opportunity to learn too.. it's great fun putting it all together..!

On another note..

Got all the issues sorted today.. one of the DSUB breakouts was dodgy and was causing the Arduino to power down.. I made a cable to by pass the breakout and all works well..

It's interesting full platform motion... in some ways it's just untouchable copmpared to a seat mover.... obviously the feeling of being in a sprung chassis is the major drawcard and I can't believe the detail it provides..
Conversely though, and as Henk has stated, the feeling under braking is limited to chassis dive and you don't really get any g-force simulation as you do on the V3.. so for me I really miss that...

I think Henk has nailed it with his setup and I can't wait for the GS5... from reports it's looking pretty good and the two together really should be the sweet spot (with simvibe for revs and gear change)

sidenote - upon further investigation the seatbelt tensioners around don't really fit the bill for me at the moment so i'll just have to wait for the GS5!..

I will keep playing tonight and give some more thoughts tomorrow..

EDIT - another thing.. the rig I am using is really light (50KG max) and although some have mentioned that the more rock solid the rig the better the result, I feel like the reduced workload for actuators and motors and the inherent flex in the rig design may be beneficial.. (might have to stiffen up the old ARB at the rear though!! ) ....having said that the rig might all fall apart in a couple of days...!! Just thought i'd put it out there!

 

[HugoB]

No electronics knowledge needed whatsoever, no soldering required. No specialised metalworking skills, no complicated processes or complicated / intricate assembly work. I think the only specialised tool that would be useful would be a crimping tool to put “U” shaped connectors on the end of the mains electrical plug wires that power the servo controllers. No expensive hand tools needed.

I think the steadily increasing number of successful builds and lack of reports of failures or stalled builds is a good indication of how straightforward this project is to complete. It took me 1 weekend ( 2 days ) to put together on my dining room table.

The biggest hurdle is printing the parts, they are very simple prints ( well designed ) that do not need any special ( difficult to use ) filament or advanced printers, PLA works perfectly well.

It is an incredibly satisfying project to complete because you end up with an exceptionally good motion rig supported by an ever increasing community of successful builders.

I do concur +1

My building place was the floor in front of my rig or when my back started hurting, the little space in front of my keyboard

You can assemble them with pretty much the same tools you need to assemble IKEA furniture. A powerful electric screwdriver can save you lots of time. And so does a long bit extender like this:

It was fun, I’m almost a bit sad that it’s over now. The printing was very interesting, I had no experience here, but the internet is your friend and anybody with a normal functioning brain will manage. The parts are not tricky, if you just copy all the settings from the GitHub guide on top of your standard PLA settings.

The electrical stuff is also not difficult, you just have to check everything 10 times before you plug in the power. If it all looks like in the guide and on the pictures of other people who succeeded, it works. If you’re not experienced with electrics, just take your time, work meticulously and leave no bare wire cores expired.

After preparing all the tools needed and sorting the screws I managed to assemble all the actuators in less than 2 hours (I cleaned the hollow shafts beforehand with an old sock). Also get a bottle of isopropyl alcohol to clean the shafts that need to be coupled. I also roughened them up with sandpaper (thanks HoiHman) and grooved them with a file. Hope they grip forever now. Also you’ll need some Loctite for the fixed bearing nut. That’s all actually!

 

[AlexP37]

Got an answer from the supplier of the servos about mounting the control units on the rig.

Still gonna try it, like i said i am stubborn.
D-box also mounts its electronics on a rig, ofcourse they might be made for it.

We will see what happens.

Thanks for asking though.

 

[HoiHman]

Still gonna try it, like i said i am stubborn.
D-box also mounts its electronics on a rig, ofcourse they might be made for it.

We will see what happens.

Thanks for asking though.

Great, maybe in time i will do the same. If the answer was " no problem " i would start modifying my rig next week already.

 

[Insert Coin]

Just a thought: put a box under the seat, on the floor...? It will be out of sight and it doesn't 'rattle' with the rig. Not suitable for moveable rigs of course.

 

[GEEDOGG]

Reading all these positive successful build posts has me very excited. My motors arrive today and hopefully my electrician can make it by this weekend to run my 220v line I('m in the U.S.) and if all goes well I may be up and running this weekend. Another thing what type of grease do you need for the ball screw I purchased a grease gun and grease nipples but not sure what type of grease to get.And as an alternative to running a 220v line do you think a step up coverter like this would work? https://www.amazon.com/LiteFuze-LT-...ransformer&dpPl=1&dpID=51XCuhZOi2L&ref=plSrch

 

[Antracing]

Hi all, balls deep in this now, last parts printing and just waiting for the motors to arrive......

I have one question if anyone can help - I have connected the arduino and openned the software but there is no com port to choose from to upload the firmware to the arduino?

Also thanks to all who put this together

 

[Wmacky]

Reading all these positive successful build posts has me very excited. My motors arrive today and hopefully my electrician can make it by this weekend to run my 220v line I('m in the U.S.) and if all goes well I may be up and running this weekend. Another thing what type of grease do you need for the ball screw I purchased a grease gun and grease nipples but not sure what type of grease to get.And as an alternative to running a 220v line do you think a step up coverter like this would work? https://www.amazon.com/LiteFuze-LT-...ransformer&dpPl=1&dpID=51XCuhZOi2L&ref=plSrch

Are you using the Euro parts list or have you found closer suppliers?

 

[Ringorian]

Hi all, balls deep in this now, last parts printing and just waiting for the motors to arrive......

I have one question if anyone can help - I have connected the arduino and openned the software but there is no com port to choose from to upload the firmware to the arduino?

Also thanks to all who put this together

Installed Arduino Software ?