sagrada
New Member
Hello All... I'm in the process of building a 6dof Motin Platform to support my full-scale 737 Sim.
Posts: 43 
|
Post by sagrada on Sept 1, 2015 23:44:58 GMT
Hello Guys, Thanks Thanos for the info on posting photos and videos. Here is my first photo of my 6dof Motion Platform Project. As I mentioned in my previous post, I am now in a testing phase to validate the configuration of the motion platform motor/gearbox layout, and to verify that there is no mechanical interference of the six Actuators with the gearbox Levers. I am most concerned about the potential for mechanical interference as a result of extreme Lever movements - especially those that might occur due to a system or component failure, eg. Position Sensor failure, etc. To guard against an unforeseen interference problem, whereby an Actuator might encounter a Lever, I have constructed the Upper Platform structure as a wooden framework. The thinking here is if there is a mechanical interference problem during this initial phase of testing, the wooden frame of the Upper Platform will crack or break, thereby sparing damage to the expensive motor/gearboxes. The wooden Upper Platform is strong enough however, that once mechanical interference of the actuators is confirmed to be a non-issue, I will then attach one of the 737 seats in its correct location and level as it would be in the Sim's flight deck. This will allow me to personally experience the effects of the "motion cues" generated by the BFF 6dof motion software that I am using with FSX. At that point, I will be able to refine the motion cues. In this regard, I should mention that the 6dof motion platform test layout is facing my 737 Sim, such that I am in-line with the FSX display, hence I will be able to correlate the felt motion cues with what my eyes are seeing. I fully expect to get a bit of Sim sickness in this process. As a point of reference, the layout shown in the photo below has the motor/gearboxes arranged with an 8 feet diameter, with the Upper Platform arranged in a 6 feet diameter. You will notice that I do not have the motor/gearboxes bolted to the floor. In fact, the motor gearboxes are mounted to a wooden base assembly, which I can "nudge" to a new location on the floor if necessary. This is because as I conduct testing of the 6dof motion platform, I expect that I may have to make some layout adjustments to the platform layout, which may also involve making a new Upper Platform. The steel Levers (6" radius) and Actuators (2" diameter) however are of final design, and all platform adjustments will be made to accommodate these finished parts. The motors that I am using are from AutomationDirect, and are Marithon, BlackMax Series 1.5HP 3-phase 240VAC motors. These are driven by Hatachi WJ-200 2.2KW VFDs. The VFDs of course are driven by the AMC120usb controller. Thanks Thanos for the wonderful design on this controller. I decided on a fairly massive Grove gearbox. This is a "double reduction" type of gearbox, that uses a helical worm on the primary side and a standard worm on the secondary side, which has a 180:1 gear reduction at the output shaft. With the 1.5 HP motor, the output shaft of the gearbox produces approx. 10,000 in.lb of torque. I calculate that this is approx. twice the torque needed for the completed motion platform (approx, 1,800 lbs) in actual operation. In addition, the high gear reduction at the output shaft bodes well for the 737 flight simulator, as my goal is to have more of a "gentle movement" of the flight deck, yet responsive enough to induce adequate acceleration to give the pilots a "sense" of motion. The output shaft of each gearbox is 1.875" using a steel Lever that is 1.5" thick, with a 2" extension for the 1" Rod Ends to attach to. I am using rod end extension parts to get additional angular movement of the actuators, which makes for a 3/4" grade 8 bolt that has a yield strength of 130.000 lbs. Each gearbox has a double-shaft to allow for the Hall-Effect position sensors to be mounted and calibrated. Each Hall-Effect position sensor is mounted to a precision shaft adapter, but its mounting plate is "flex-mounted" to a main mounting bracket. This is important as this configuration allows the Sensor to "float", which prevents undue rotational stress/wear due to mounting tolerances. The position sensors are of the type that Thanos recommends, and are of the bushing type, which are fine when used with a flex mount setup I described. It's important to note here that a position sensor failure in a motion platform setup can result in "runaway" Lever movements, so it is critical that these position sensors be mounted securely and properly wired to the AMC1280usb controller. The layout shown in the photo is what has been initially designed for support of my full-scale 737-800 flight simulator, which will weigh approx. 1,800 pounds with two people on-board. The final form-factor and construction of the Upper Platform will enhanced to best support the flight Deck Base of the simulator, which will extend upward approx. 12" to the flight deck floor. In this current design configuration, the height of the Upper Platform is 32" above the Sim Room's floor. The thickness of the completed flight deck will be approx. 12", which means that the seated Pilot's "eye-point" will be about 90" above the Sim Room floor. The design of this 6dof motion platform will allow for a maximum of 12 degrees of tilt. This means that the Pilot's head will move about 48 " of movement for full Roll / Pitch tilt in the course of about 2.5 seconds time. Fortunately, the 737-800 normal mode of operation will not be making these kind of radical movements. Time will tell if this 6dof motion platform configuration will truly yield the result and immersion effects I am looking for. Hopefully it will be worth the investment. I will post a short video later in the week showing how the platform moves as interfaced to FSX. By the way... My sim project is located in my home in Las Cruces, NM USA. Cheers, Mike  |
|
|
|
Post by bernard on Sept 1, 2015 23:54:16 GMT
hi all I too a using the same board except my system is Hyd with 60 inch stroke good luck with what you doing looks cool
|
|
sagrada
New Member
Hello All... I'm in the process of building a 6dof Motin Platform to support my full-scale 737 Sim.
Posts: 43
|
Post by sagrada on Sept 1, 2015 23:54:40 GMT
Hello Leandroter7,
The simulator software I am using is FSX, and the flight model for the 737-800 is Sim-Avionics version 1.56. I run two computers for this setup, one very high-end computer for FSX, and a standard computer for Sim-Avionics. This computers are locally networked together. The outside display for FSX used to be three 70" LCD HD monitors, driven from a single NVIDIA GTX980 graphics card. A couple of weeks ago, I sold the monitors and changed the display over to a 220 degree wrap-around HD projection system using three Optoma GT1080 short throw projectors - still using the same GTX980 graphics card in the FSX computer, which is set for a fixed 30 fps rate in Surround mode (5780 x 1080 screen resolution). There are special consideration when projecting onto a curved screen, and I chose PixelWix warping and blending software to obtain a seamless display. All this display stuff is still in the construction phase, and the 220 degree screen/projectors will ride with the Sim on top of the 6dof motion platform.
Mike
|
|
sagrada
New Member
Hello All... I'm in the process of building a 6dof Motin Platform to support my full-scale 737 Sim.
Posts: 43
|
Post by sagrada on Sept 8, 2015 20:17:35 GMT
Hello Folks,
My 6dof Motion Platform project continues - sometimes at a very slow pace, but I manage to make incremental blocks of progress. In this post, I thought I would share with you the projection display setup I plan on using with my 737-800 Sim, that will sit atop my completed 6dof motion platform.
The video below shows my "first test" of what will eventually be a 220 degree wrap-around 12' diameter curved display. This first test is mainly to interface the projectors and begin to become familiar with the warping software.
The system consists of a 3-projector system using Optoma GT180 HD projectors ($700 ea.) These are "short-throw" projectors and have a throw ratio of 0.49. This allows for the projectors to be placed inverted and project onto a suitable screen - in my case - a 220 degree curved screen with a diameter of 12'. I am interfacing the projectors to my FSX computer with an NVIDIA GTX980 graphics setup in an NVIDIA Surround mode. This allow for a display resolution of 5780 x 1080. Although I am using this for a flight simulator application, it would certainly apply to a race car sim setup.
The curved screen requires special "warping software" to align the display and "blend" the 3 separate displays from each of the projectors. For my setup I am using Pixelwix EVO warping and blending software. In my test video below, I am projection against the wall of my Sim Room. This is by no means ideal, but at this time, it serves the purpose while I build up the actual 220 degree curved screen that will wrap around the cockpit of my 737 Sim.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video. My 6dof motion platform is in the same room, so it's tight working space. I'll report more on the platform next week, as I expect to conduct initial tests with all the motors/actuators operational interfaced to FSX.
Mike
|
|
|
|
Post by vicpopo on Sept 8, 2015 21:54:45 GMT
Impressive work !
|
|
|
|
Post by clyevo on Sept 10, 2015 7:40:15 GMT
Hello Folks, My 6dof Motion Platform project continues - sometimes at a very slow pace, but I manage to make incremental blocks of progress. In this post, I thought I would share with you the projection display setup I plan on using with my 737-800 Sim, that will sit atop my completed 6dof motion platform. The video below shows my "first test" of what will eventually be a 220 degree wrap-around 12' diameter curved display. This first test is mainly to interface the projectors and begin to become familiar with the warping software. The system consists of a 3-projector system using Optoma GT180 HD projectors ($700 ea.) These are "short-throw" projectors and have a throw ratio of 0.49. This allows for the projectors to be placed inverted and project onto a suitable screen - in my case - a 220 degree curved screen with a diameter of 12'. I am interfacing the projectors to my FSX computer with an NVIDIA GTX980 graphics setup in an NVIDIA Surround mode. This allow for a display resolution of 5780 x 1080. Although I am using this for a flight simulator application, it would certainly apply to a race car sim setup. The curved screen requires special "warping software" to align the display and "blend" the 3 separate displays from each of the projectors. For my setup I am using Pixelwix EVO warping and blending software. In my test video below, I am projection against the wall of my Sim Room. This is by no means ideal, but at this time, it serves the purpose while I build up the actual 220 degree curved screen that will wrap around the cockpit of my 737 Sim. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video. My 6dof motion platform is in the same room, so it's tight working space. I'll report more on the platform next week, as I expect to conduct initial tests with all the motors/actuators operational interfaced to FSX. Mike It will be challenging to mount the projectors on the moving platform. "DoctorD" at xsim forum done this but had few trouble with the vibrations affecting the images. And a very short projecting distance would not allow the screen to be as big as you had projected on the wall in the video. Of course these wont be a problem if you plan not to mount it on the moving platform. Do you have a sketch on how the final product of the sim? Just interested to see since all your parts are design quite nice and professionally. |
|
sagrada
New Member
Hello All... I'm in the process of building a 6dof Motin Platform to support my full-scale 737 Sim.
Posts: 43
|
Post by sagrada on Sept 12, 2015 0:57:36 GMT
Hello clyevo, You are correct to point out that mounting a projection screen has some important issues - vibration being significant. In the case of my 737-800 Sim project, I considered vibration of the main systems of the Sim, and determined that they will not hold up to high levels of vibration. In this regard, I chose to do two things: 1. Limit systems vibration only to an isolated section of the Sim that supports the Rudder system, the Control Yoke, and the Pilot's seats. In these area, I will induce "flight vibrations" via the BFF Shaker module using a ButtKicker audio transducer. When the vibrations are balanced correctly with other flight activity as interfaced with FSX, the vibrations induced in these area provides a nice increase in sim immersion experience. Subtle changes is flight operations , eg. changes in engine thrust, speed brakes, gear, taxiing, etc. are felt, and physically associated real-time with the flight - this combined with the visuals outside the cockpit make for an interesting dynamic. 2. I decided that since my 6dof motion platform will be dedicated to the 737 flight model, I would limit how aggressive the actuator movements would function - essentially making them quite noticeable, but without any destructive vibrations. This will also bode well for the major external systems connected to the Sim cockpit, which are the three projectors and the display screen. These systems are fixed to and support with a steel frame weldment, and "ride" with the Sim. Of course, time will tell whether or not these consumer Optoma GT1080 HD projectors are able to hold up, but I am hopeful. Below is a CAD sketch in xps format that shows the final location of my 6dof Motion Platform / Sim combination. Sim-Room-1.xps (59.2 KB) Regards, Mike |
|
sagrada
New Member
Hello All... I'm in the process of building a 6dof Motin Platform to support my full-scale 737 Sim.
Posts: 43
|
Post by sagrada on Sept 12, 2015 1:22:17 GMT
Hello Folks,
I recently had an issue with USB virtual serial port operations between the BFF 6dof motion software and the AMC1280usb controller. On occasion, the communication to the AMC1280usb controller would simply stop, after which it would not restart reliably. I tried many things, including Device Manager settings, changing COM ports/settings, etc - nothing seems to work to resolve this random problem.
I then started to check the interface between the two computers I am using with my Sim - namely, the FSX computer for the flight simulator, and the Sim-Avionics computer for the 737-800 flight model. These two computers communicate with each other via a local network. It turns out that one of the modules controlling gauges in the flight deck was using the same Com port as the BFF 6dof motion software. It seems that there was something going on with FSX's communication to the flight model that caused a conflict with the motion software sending data to the AMC1280usb controller. When I changed the Com port in the flight model computer, I no longer had a conflict, and the 6dof motion software now seems to reliably talk with the AMC1280usb controller.
This solution doesn't entirely make sense to me, but it seems to explain the problem I was having. And... It may be specific to my Sim setup only. In any case... If you encounter USB problems using two or more computers in your Sim setup, you might investigate USB communication interaction when using one or more USB virtual serial interface.
Mike
|
|
|
|
Post by vicpopo on Sept 12, 2015 12:48:53 GMT
Hi Mike ,
I 've got also randomly communication problem with xsim and amc1280usb .In device manager the amc1280 was always recognized as com port but when starting xsim , xsim says no amc connected .I click several times on " try an hardware rescan" and after three , four times the hardware is well recognized .I contacted Thanos to report this.
I should now inform Sirnoname from this troublshooting .
|
|
|
|
Post by tronicgr on Sept 12, 2015 13:19:22 GMT
Hi Mike , I 've got also randomly communication problem with xsim and amc1280usb .In device manager the amc1280 was always recognized as com port but when starting xsim , xsim says no amc connected .I click several times on " try an hardware rescan" and after three , four times the hardware is well recognized .I contacted Thanos to report this. I should now inform Sirnoname from this troublshooting . Xsim is different software. When using x-sim 6DOF plugin, you should disable all other plugin and auto detection as it might try to open again the same COM port. Thanks Thanos |
|
|
|
Post by vicpopo on Sept 12, 2015 20:01:09 GMT
Hi Thanos ,
I just always only have the 6dof plugin checked !
For the auto detection I didn't know that I could disable it .Will have a look !
|
|
sagrada
New Member
Hello All... I'm in the process of building a 6dof Motin Platform to support my full-scale 737 Sim.
Posts: 43
|
Post by sagrada on Sept 13, 2015 1:57:42 GMT
Hello Folks, Today I finished up the rest of the interface wiring for my 6dof motion platform. Tomorrow I will make and install the mounts for all the Position Sensors, then begin sequential VFD testing wtih the AMC1280usb controller (A1 and A2 are already working nicely). If that goes well, then I will start testing the flight simulator software as interfaced with FSX and the BFF 6dof motion software. Hopefully, I there will not be any problems with the above testing. If I have success in this initial testing, then I will build up a mockup of the 737 flight deck base and mount a seat in the Pilot's location. Since the motion platform is directly facing in-line with the FSX screen display, in this configuration, I will be able to "ride the platform" while it is moving according to the motion cues sent during an actual sim flight, which I hope will give better sense of how the current motion cues are synchronized with the visual display. I'll have the necessary Kill Switch at the ready in case the motion platform needs to be immediately shut down. Below are some photos showing the 6dof motion platform in its BFF "Hold" position, which has the Upper platform 25" above the floor. When the rear Actuators are fully in the UP position, the max tilt is 12 degrees as expected. With this amount of tilt of the platform, I need to be very careful where the completed Motion Platform is located within my small Sim Room, as the height of the Sim will be another 7' above the Upper Platform. The second photo shows the AMC1280usb controller in its own shielded electrical box. All the cabling to the VFD cabinet are shielded, with the shielding grounded at the AMC1280usb controller GND. I have not seen any electrical noise problems in my testing of VFDs #1 and #2, but it may be another case with all the VFDs / Actuators operating in some capacity. Hopefully, I will not have any electrical noise issues to deal with. The third photo shows my VFD Cabinet. This setup is fed by a 240 VAC 120 amp circuit, brought in as two separate circuits of 60 amps each for VFDs 1,3,5 and VFDs 2,4,6 respectively. I expect that the duty low duty cycle will not be a problem in terms of "tripping" the circuit breakers under normal operation. For safety reasons, I have wired each Position Sensor with Fwd.Rev Limit switches to prevent Lever rotation going beyond normal movement. I also have a Kill switch wired into the AMC1280usb controller. In addition, I have a Master 240VAC Power Kill switch if all else fails. Both Kill switches will quickly be accessible while seated in the Cockpit in the finished Sim. Normal ops with the BFF 6dof motion software will allow for a Hold position (all Actuators in the Low position), and a Drive position (all actuators in the Neutral position ready to receive motion cues). In addition, I have some concern about the elevated mass of the Sim structure, and the physical impact that various force vectors might have on the mounting . The "center of mass" of the completed Sim with its display system is about 92" above the floor, roughly on center of the Upper Platform layout. Since the mass of the Sim, with two people in the cockpit, will be approx. 1,900 lbs. The problem to consider is having this mass in motion, in any particular direction, and then directing this same mass to reverse direction. This is representative of the motion dynamic to be expected with the 6dof motion platform. The practical problem has to due with the mechanical integrity of the physical mounting of the Motion Platform frame that is bolted to the concrete floor of my Sim Room. In my case, each motor/gearbox/Lever/Actuator assembly weighs about 300 lbs. (total of 1,800 lbs), this plus a 1" thick steel mounting plate for each motor/gearbox - weighing about 120 lbs. each, adding another 720 lbs to the lower part of the motion platform system, plus the steel frame work supporting and interconnecting all the motor/gearbox configuration, with an estimated weight of about 500 lbs. Roughly... This represents a total motion platform lower weight of about 3,000 lbs (center of mass about 15" off the Sim Room floor), which represents an opposing mass for Sim inertia (applied as constantly changing force vectors) to overcome. This will be further strengthened/stabilized by using 12 concrete anchors, strategically placed, to hold down the 6dof motion platform to the Sim Room floor. The above consideration is serious business as there will be resonant frequencies associated with the motion dynamics, which could represent very high stress levels that will need to be brought under control and stabilized. As a practical example, a friend has a commercial servo-driven 3dof motion platform with fairly high response time. He too has a 737-800 Sim mounted on top of his motion platform. At one point, he was calibrating his motion cues and encountered a case where too much acceleration was induced into the motion platform mounting structure, resulting in a few of the concrete anchors pulling out of his concrete floor - the Sim literally bouncing off the floor! By the way... I did some static testing of Actuator position interference by moving each motor manually to turn the Actuator Lever through its full range, and I did not see any problems with mechanical interference, but that simple test doesn't mean that there might be a mechanical interference due to the dynamics of the motion platform moving under FSX control. This manual test was done to check if there were any gross mechanical interference problems if one of the motor/gearbox/Sensor segments fails, and the Motor continues un-commanded in one direction or another. Further testing and careful monitoring is needed before I rule out mechanical interference Regards, Mike    |
|
|
|
Post by vulbas on Sept 15, 2015 19:37:17 GMT
i love  |
|
sagrada
New Member
Hello All... I'm in the process of building a 6dof Motin Platform to support my full-scale 737 Sim.
Posts: 43
|
Post by sagrada on Sept 17, 2015 3:45:44 GMT
Hello Folks,
After a few days of wiring and debugging cabling issues, I was able to achieve initial success in getting all the actuators operational with my 6dof Motion Platform project. Below is a video showing some of the testing status at this point in my project.
The first segment of the video shows all the entire system operational as interfaced with FSX using the BFF 6dof motion software with the AMC1280usb controller. I was pleased with how smooth the actuator movements were for a so-called normal flight in the 737-800 Sim. It was as I expected them to be.
The second segment of the video shows a view of the Upper Motion Platform with the FSX display in-line in the background. The video camera is on a tripod on the floor behind the motion platform, facing the flight sim display. This gives an idea of general movements associated with turns.
The third video segment shows the 6dof actuators responding to more aggressive motion cues as a result of flying straight-and-level in turbulent weather. I was again pleased with the fast response times of the actuators (for a 737 application). The rest of this segment shows a bit about some of the 6dof systems. As I commented in previous posts, the motor/gearboxes are currently mounted on wooden bases in this initial testing phase to allow for easy relocation of each motor/gearbox section of the platform. It turns out that there is no apparent mechanical interference in the system as shown. I might make some slight adjustments in the 6dof layout, but not anything radical.
The last video segment has the video camera mounted on a tripod secured to the Upper Platform, with a flight taking off and landing at Gilbrater Airport. The camera is placed where the Pilot's "eyepoint" would be in the cockpit of the completed 737-800 Sim. This was to help see if there were any major out-of-sync movements of the motion platform with what was happening in the flight's display with FSX. I was pleased that in general, it appeared to represent what might be close to correct motion cue setting in the BFF 6dof motion software in the completed system. Refinements made to the Motion Cues will only be possible when I'm actually sitting in the finished cockpit of the 737-800 Sim. My goal prior to that is to have the motion cues as close as possible before subjecting myself to the possibility of getting "sim sickness" testing this thing.
I will continue this phase of testing, making design refinements as necessary. My next step will be to design and build up a wooden mock-up of the 737 flight deck base in preparation for creating the steel weldments necessary to complete a proper Upper Platform structure, to which the Flight Deck will be mounted.
While all this is going on... I am currently in the process of fabricating a mock-up of the 220 degree wrap-around screen for the projection display. For now however, projecting on the wall works quite nicely as I can easily check out various other Sim systems. Anyway.... That's the progress thus far.
Regards,
Mike
|
|
|
|
Post by tronicgr on Sept 17, 2015 10:33:32 GMT
Great job Mike! Amazing quality and best description of the various components of the platform on mechanical as well in electrical level! By the end of this project you should have enough video material to create a small documentary on the subject!
Thanks
Thanos
|
|
