The SimFeedback-AC DIY Motion Simulator thread

sjb266 · Sep 17, 2018

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:

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

HoiHman · Jan 5, 2019

Steve D said:
Try using a shorter sensor mount Henk. The shorter you can make it the less the potential vibration. I've got mine as short as possible on a camera mount and I haven't experienced a single stutter and that includes in RaceRoom. Saying that I have dialled down the intensity in Simfeedback but in conjunction with my NLRv3, it still feels damn good!

I needs to be at least that high to look over my wheel Steve, but the way i experience the occassional stutter makes think a lower sensor position will not fix it. This afternoon i did a 30 min and a slow down/stutter only once. I also heard the "USB disconnect" sound, but everything was working fine after 2 sec.

Then i paused the game and started a USB logger, but from there on everything was as smooth as butter.

Can't wait to try out the Net filter.

Will do some more testing tommorow, it looks like mounting the sensor on the rig is very good option. I'm not prepared to turn down the motion however. I like it at full speed.

Only with the monitor mounted on the rig, i need to turn the motion down

even though it's very good supported all around

C64 · Jan 5, 2019

Steve D said:
Try using a shorter sensor mount Henk. The shorter you can make it the less the potential vibration. I've got mine as short as possible on a camera mount and I haven't experienced a single stutter and that includes in RaceRoom. Saying that I have dialled down the intensity in Simfeedback but in conjunction with my NLRv3, it still feels damn good!

You can unscrew the sensor base from the sensor head, there is a threaded section approx 50mm below the sensor head in the shaft... will allow the sensor head to be mounted on a threaded bolt.

HugoB · Jan 5, 2019

HoiHman said:
I needs to be at least that high to look over my wheel Steve, but the way i experience the occassional stutter makes think a lower sensor position will not fix it. This afternoon i did a 30 min and a slow down/stutter only once. I also heard the "USB disconnect" sound, but everything was working fine after 2 sec.

Then i paused the game and started a USB logger, but from there on everything was as smooth as butter.

Can't wait to try out the Net filter.

Will do some more testing tommorow, it looks like mounting the sensor on the rig is very good option. I'm not prepared to turn down the motion however. I like it at full speed.

Only with the monitor mounted on the rig, i need to turn the motion down

even though it's very good supported all around

That’s a seriously impressive rig @HoiHman !!
I love the dedicated ‘Reset HMD’ button!

razzta01 · Jan 5, 2019

Michal Burisin said:
Ahh, thanks for great explanation!

As I wrote SFX100 I meant the variant of these effect created by the actuator - motion (actuator), rumble (actuator tactile) and how does it feel.

What I like on wheelslip generated by tactile, I can feel the wheels slipping throught the pedal, it's very detailed feeling which is really helpful.

On braking I use around 32 Hz and it feels like the car is trying to grab the surface, so also nice tactile effect.

Do these 2 effects - wheelslip, and braking g-force feel good using just the SFX100 (motion or rumble) or tactile is better option?

I'm asking, because I mostly read that SFX100 handles bumps, roll, pitch etc. superbly, but haven't read much about other minor effects, which adds to immersion.

@SaXXon: thx for great explanation!
@michal: can you post a pic of your software parameters. I am just finishing the build of my first actuator and have not had time yet to install the software. Will be doing it shortly so it would be a great help for me to setup everything faster.
Rgds

cprelot · Jan 5, 2019

hey guy's I can't get the simfeedback working on Project car2 and Dirt Rally...
he can only work on Iracing so far
I stop the profile the rig goes down , then select and activate a new profile, start the rig goes up and when I start the game I feel nothing
usualy I start the game from Sim commander since I have an accuforcev2...
can you point me out what I should check please
thanks

edit: I set the driver to 1500 rpm should I go up to 3000?
I tried different profile from Discord forum but not working

Michal Burisin · Jan 5, 2019

razzta01 said:
@SaXXon: thx for great explanation!
@michal: can you post a pic of your software parameters. I am just finishing the build of my first actuator and have not had time yet to install the software. Will be doing it shortly so it would be a great help for me to setup everything faster.
Rgds

I was mainly asking @HugoB about the tactile he just installed, I'm not in progress building of SFX just yet, but the tactile part is of interest to me. You'll have to ask guys who are done already.

C64 · Jan 5, 2019

This is not strictly an SFX100 thing but may help others with pedal control now that your pedals are moving about, I added heel rests in front of my HE pedals, I had tried using the base of the pedals as a heel rest but it was not very good. The result is I can fix my heels against the heel rests and still work the pedals accurately when everything is moving about.

sjb266 · Jan 5, 2019

anton_Chez said:
View attachment 284598
A little experiment I did today after reading a couple of threads elsewhere that peaked my interest. I've bought a couple of springs from the hardware store today and used left over bits and pieces from the chassis build to re-create other people's attempt at a passive seat belt tension system. I've tested this slightly today and it seems to be worthwhile doing, considering the $18 investment and around 10 minutes of your time.

I think I had the same springs from Bunnings! I ended up just bolting the harness straight to the rig in pretty much the same place you have... I found I got much better tension on surge with no springs - hardly felt any with the springs... Been running it for months now and it's a great setup..

I don't run much, if any, surge on SimFeedback now... On some car/track combos I have some pretty nice (if subtle) motion going on..

anton_Chez · Jan 6, 2019

@sjb266 Yeah that's where I got them from, obviously! I've not tried without the springs yet. I was running it that way a while back but I think my harness was not as good back then and I now have a better idea of how to mount it. Also the post process effects were not available back then so the feeling should be a little different.

Do you think it would make a difference mounting to a fixed surface ones my actuators are up and running? Seems to me that you wouldn't since you yourself don't run much surge effect from the actuators. The only difference anyone will feel is if they are using a decent amount of feedback for brake dive.

I'll try removing the springs and see how it feels. My shoulder straps sometimes come a little loose and I have to re-tighten them to achieve maximum hold and feeling. Does this happen for anyone else? My harness doesn't need to be wrapped or threaded, it just has mounting points on all ends and it's already wrapped for user adjustments. From reading it seems pretty normal to have to adjust them while driving. I know safety is not a concern, it's more for the immersion of the movement in our case. If anyone has a motion capable system and doesn't have a harness you owe it to yourself to try one!

anton_Chez · Jan 6, 2019

@BluePotato00 In AC are you using the AI driver to test your motors? This gives telemetry feedback as if you are driving. If you are not physically driving your car in iRacing and PC2, then maybe the game is not sending telemetry to Simfeedback. Even though the light is green, I think that means that Simfeedback is available to accept telemetry, not actively receiving and processing it in real time. That's what the little graph is for, to see exactly what the sim is sending in telemetry.

You might have already worked this out but if AC is working then something to do with configuration is the problem, nothing hardware related. When I got no feedback from games, and I've only tried AC at this point, it was because my Arduino had dropped out and would basically show the little orange light as solid until I unplugged and re-plugged the USB connection.

MADShootStuff · Jan 6, 2019

It works! It works! It freaking works!
Got everything all wired up, individually tested power on each controller, added one at a time until all 4 were on, jog tested each one, configured the settings for each one, installed Simfeedback, flashed Arduino, Start\Stop tested several times, and then....... AC with AI - all motors moving as it went through the first turn at Spa!
Not going to let it run too long because the motors are just sitting on a board unsecured but I cant believe it all worked first try! Whooooooo!

federico m caruso · Jan 6, 2019

BluePotato00 said:
Do the servos from Alibaba include a power cable?

Being in America, I'll be going the step-up converter route, using this 5000W unit from Amazon, which should be sufficient given the power draw shared by another post, "the highest draw was off track with large bumps and violent movements, I saw one peak of 180W".

Perhaps I could even get away with the 3000W step-up unit, but that one only has 2x 220V outlets (the 5000W unit has 4x outlets).

What goes between the step-up converter and the servo motor controller box (in other words, how do I get power to the servo motor controller box? The OP in this thread had a link for these crimp terminal connectors, but I don't see that on the GitHub shopping list.

Thanks again to the community for your help.

H ey on this case how the 220 converter is working ? you think it will do the job or stood i get somebody to come and do the wires i hope you got your problem fix i am from lancaster pa

MADShootStuff · Jan 6, 2019

@BluePotato00 Curious about your experiences so far - just got caught up on the thread after my initial excitement about everything working.
Have you had any issue with the converter tripping breakers on initial startup? For me, it seems that about half of the time so far when I power up the converter the breaker is tripped and then it's fine once reset. I know this has to do with the initial inrush of power needed to create the EMF and the part of the power cycle that the device was in when it was powered off last - just wondering if anyone else is seeing this with step up converters and I think we're the first two using them.

Steve D · Jan 6, 2019

Steve D said:
I've received my Schaffner EMI filter today but as everything is now working without any issues I'm going to leave alone for now. A quick question though, should I decide to fit it one day.

Currently I'm using 4 x power leads to the motor controllers rather than the daisy chain method and I'd prefer to leave things that way. These are plugged in to a multi-plug extension lead, which is solely used for the controllers and this, in turn, is plugged in to a dedicated wall socket.

If I were to cut the extension lead in two and insert the filter, (for continuity I'd need to split the earth wire from the input side of the filter and join it up to the output side of the extension cable), do you think the filter would have the same affect as per the daisy chain solution above?

Thanks.

Hi,

Further to my post above, below is a pic of my EMI filter wired directly in to an extension lead which will be used to plug in the motor controllers only. (I currently use 4 x power leads rather than daisy chain them together) The extension lead will be plugged in to a dedicated plug socket and no other device will be plugged in to this circuit.

On the input side of the EMI filter are live, neutral and earth wires and on the output side, live and neutral only. So I've extended the earth over as shown.

Can anyone see any issues with this set up please?

Thanks!

HugoB · Jan 6, 2019

Steve D said:
Hi,

Further to my post above, below is a pic of my EMI filter wired directly in to an extension lead which will be used to plug in the motor controllers only. (I currently use 4 x power leads rather than daisy chain them together) The extension lead will be plugged in to a dedicated plug socket and no other device will be plugged in to this circuit.

On the input side of the EMI filter are live, neutral and earth wires and on the output side, live and neutral only. So I've extended the earth over as shown.

Can anyone see any issues with this set up please?

Thanks!

View attachment 284715

I’d say that’s the only correct way to wire it up

Wago connectors are a good choice here. Give it a little pull to feel if all the wires are held tightly

Looking forward to your results! I still have to wire mine up. Especially since my OSW just arrived, I’m slightly suspicious about EMI now..

sebna · Jan 6, 2019

HugoB said:
I’d say that’s the only correct way to wire it up Wago connectors are a good choice here. Give it a little pull to feel if all the wires are held tightly

Looking forward to your results! I still have to wire mine up. Especially since my OSW just arrived, I’m slightly suspicious about EMI now..

I am not an electrician but that is 230v. I would protect it better. I would use crimp connectors like below to join the cables and also I would give them another layer of protection by covering the crimps with the heat shrink. Never too much safety with 230v:

BluePotato00 · Jan 6, 2019

MADShootStuff said:
@BluePotato00 Curious about your experiences so far - just got caught up on the thread after my initial excitement about everything working.
Have you had any issue with the converter tripping breakers on initial startup? For me, it seems that about half of the time so far when I power up the converter the breaker is tripped and then it's fine once reset. I know this has to do with the initial inrush of power needed to create the EMF and the part of the power cycle that the device was in when it was powered off last - just wondering if anyone else is seeing this with step up converters and I think we're the first two using them.

I turned on the step-up converter (mine is 3000W) while setting up and wiring about 20 times and never tripped a circuit breaker. The longest I've had it on is ~30 minutes testing motor movement in a number of sims, so probably only 5-7 minutes had the motors spinning.

For power, I ended up using a single power cord coming from the step-up converter and used 5-port wago connectors to send off 4 sets of wires to each servo controller box.

BluePotato00 · Jan 6, 2019

federico m caruso said:
H ey on this case how the 220 converter is working ? you think it will do the job or stood i get somebody to come and do the wires i hope you got your problem fix i am from lancaster pa

No issues so far, but I can't say I've really been taxing the system yet. I did crash on purpose a number of times to see the motors get some serious motion, but I'm still running them at 1200rpm.

BluePotato00 · Jan 6, 2019

I found this nice set of images here to help me understand the various settings I see in SimFeedback.

Given these images, I understand how the four actuators can replicate (1) roll, (2) pitch, and (3) heave, but why are there settings in SimFeedback for surge and sway? The actuators will not allow the rig to move forward to backward or left to right. Do surge and sway do nothing, or are they "simulated" effects? Are they better kept off (muted) to leave more motion for the "real" roll/pitch/heave effects?