My SFX100 Ultimate rig

[DJ_Psymon]

Update 10/10/20: Now completed with Traction Loss and Surge platforms; running at 90% of 110m travel with Thanos + SimTools; and a new fully anodised rig

 

[slikk66]

How dare you buy nicely machined parts! You should send thousands of dollars to random Chinese emails via PayPal and hope for the best like everyone else!

Honestly the whole "put it on github then tell people how to use it" thing is kinda dumb. It's out there already so they should just do their best to have people always link back to the source, but if someone doesn't want to buy a 3d printer, or send money over PayPal to China, they shouldn't have to. Especially when these guys appear to be honoring the agreement and not using their actual pieces.

If the goal was for the creators to get some money out of their invention, then they weren't very good in that regard, they could've done more.

If it was just to not allow anyone else to make money, seems kinda silly and naive.

I ordered all my parts from China, printed my stuff and assembled it all, but went with the thanos board for the spike filter, auto calibration, and extra 10mm of stroke availability. Seems perfectly reasonable to me. If that makes me a jerk, rude etc to some people, I don't see it, but also really don't care, the plans are online for free!

 

[d69morpwr]

I built my SFX100 system..
printed 3D parts..
sourced all the items from the list.

Then I bought the Thanos controller..

Why?
It was an easier and safer option.
I wanted assurance that my investment wouldn't become useless if the creators decided to stop supporting the software.

Simtools isn't going anywhere..
and the Thanos controller with its auto calibration and spike filtering make using the rig stress free.

I'm now considering upgrading to the aluminium parts for longevity.

I did all the things you mentioned here for the same reasons and don't regret any of it. Zero issues with any of it and I don't need to worry about anything breaking. Just turn it on and race.

 

[mechsicko]

I went a different route on my SFX unit (80mm extrusions, 150mm stroke, 1610 ballscrews, 3.5nm motors...) but went with Thanos controller for the same reasons as anyone here... longer stroke, safety, flexibility of software and hardware too since I plan on adding surge/sway/yaw at a future date. It was a no brainer, and a small price to pay for peace of mind, especially compared to the costs of the total system. I worked for E2M Technologies making big boy 6dof systems for a few years and place high value on having a quality controller.

Thanos has also been instrumental in making diy motion platforms feasible for more than a decade before SFX project existed... it's honestly weird to me when I see him getting grief by certain folk. I remember posting links to his pvc 2dof pit in like 2008 when torturing wheelchairs and wiper systems using Ian's controllers and Pololu components were commonplace, watching the xsimulator community grow from those seeds.

Anyhow, nice pit op..

 

[rikirk]

The rig is a masterpiece and the pedal set is the cherry on top.
Congratulations and thanks for sharing!

 

[DJ_Psymon]

Thanks for the detailled reply, I had no idea eracinglab offered to build complete custom rigs. they really need to feature your rig on their website !

Can you show us how you setup the motor servo/controller ? knowing you I bet you have something super nice and clean

I think the motor are ok, but the servo/controler cabinet is too big to my liking, I guess that explain the lower price compared to the compact d-box servos, but I just don't like to see such bulky equipment when comon sense can't rationalize why these are so bulky.

Why did you decide to go with SFX100 instead of let's say PT-actuators ?

BTW: I can't wait to see how you can MOTORIZE YOUR MONITORS !!!!!

I just have a standard computer rack cabinet. I felt the same and not wanting a bulky cabinet. But after having used it for a while now, it's actually not that bad. Especially after I placed it vertically, it takes less floor space and it's actually not that much bigger than my PC. I'm actually replacing it with a bigger one as it's currently not big enough to store 6 drivers and other bits & pieces.

Being totally new to motion at the time, I didn't know what to expect from a motion system vs the price. And I was not ready to spend a few US$k without trying the system. But the only thing I could get my butt on to try was a the DBox, which was disappointing TBH for US$8k! So I decided to build the SFX100 instead and see what it's like. This worked out perfectly and one of the benefits that I hope to get with this aluminum SFX system is that it should have a much better resell value, which will be a huge benefit when I want to upgrade to PT or other systems in the future.

I might have to delay or even ditch the monitor project. I just don't use the monitors enough and with TL + Surge, monitors are still a little too low even at highest setting. So I'll need to build a new monitor stand. At this point I just want to stop rebuilding and start sim racing soon!

 

[Tronicgr_6DOF]

This worked out perfectly and one of the benefits that I hope to get with this aluminum SFX system is that it should have a much better resell value, which will be a huge benefit when I want to upgrade to PT or other systems in the future.

Just to note, using the AMC-AASD15A on your actuators will result in little if no maintenance, as the hardware filters will protect the leadscrew and bearings from hits or grinding motor vibration, and when you decide for upgrade, the reselling value will be higher if not same, given the actuators will be still practically like new

I'm using same actuators for several years now, and didn't needed to add any lubricant or replace any mechanical part. Its amazing that they are still silent and smooth like new!

PS. Remider that my controller was just designed to be plug and play with AASD-15A servos, no matter if you are using 100mm stroke actuators or 400mm stroke actuators, or 5mm leadscrew or 25mm leadscrew... it was designed to fit all, not just "some" DIY projects and designs... My work on the matter goes back 15 years now... see the first steps here before DIY options existed: https://forums.parallax.com/discussion/78127/interfacing-with-microsoft-flight-simulator

 

[CC]

I’ll never have the time or the money to invest in such a beautiful looking rig although yes it’s a dream to feel such sensations although I feel really pleased with my own rig,

I saw the op post and thought wow what a beautiful piece of work just stunning,

but then had to back step 4/5 time’s was just confused reading the 1st page and don’t really understand all the SFX100 stuff tbh,

the guy purchased and built a SFX100 rig and all the parts was 3D printed correct
But he decided he wanted stronger parts so had the same parts CNC and anodised?

he already supported the project in the 1st place but wanted more longevity from his rig,

is this not like me buying a 175.000$ Porsche GT2 and buying a upgraded titanium full exhaust pipe from a 3rd party supplier ? who in which never give Porsche money each time they sell a system which be all custom fabricated work, sorry just feel confused to what got said but like I mentioned don’t fully understand the origins of the SFX

from my understanding unless something is patented then nothing was copied because no one owns any designs,

anyways amazing looking rig well done.

 

[TBH10Coy]

I'm in the process of building an SFX-100 (is it?) and my Thanos controller arrived yesterday. Looking for the STL files for the controller box, I stumbled across eracing-lab and this thread. In honesty, as much as I am super grateful to the SFX-100 designers, and in a way I have enjoyed the crazy parts list and 3d printing- a kit from eracing lab would have been much simpler, has aluminum parts over dodgy PLA- and, dare I say it- is cheaper than what I have paid so far. If I had known about it 2 months ago- it is probably where I would have gone.
To add my tuppenceworth on the "profit" topic. Ultimately, the full DIY option is still there, but this option makes things better for simmers- by offering another option. Let's be honest also- if the kit is the price it is, the margin must be pretty thin!

 

[ThugUK]

I’ll never have the time or the money to invest in such a beautiful looking rig although yes it’s a dream to feel such sensations although I feel really pleased with my own rig,

I saw the op post and thought wow what a beautiful piece of work just stunning,

but then had to back step 4/5 time’s was just confused reading the 1st page and don’t really understand all the SFX100 stuff tbh,

the guy purchased and built a SFX100 rig and all the parts was 3D printed correct
But he decided he wanted stronger parts so had the same parts CNC and anodised?

he already supported the project in the 1st place but wanted more longevity from his rig,

is this not like me buying a 175.000$ Porsche GT2 and buying a upgraded titanium full exhaust pipe from a 3rd party supplier ? who in which never give Porsche money each time they sell a system which be all custom fabricated work, sorry just feel confused to what got said but like I mentioned don’t fully understand the origins of the SFX

from my understanding unless something is patented then nothing was copied because no one owns any designs,

anyways amazing looking rig well done.

The SFX100 was designed through trial and error and great expense and time by one man (mainly), called Saxxon who built this creation from parts you could obtain off the shelf, which he coupled with parts that he had designed himself and give the designs free so anyone could build them cheaply using a 3d printer. Once assembled this could be ran off a piece of software that Saxxon also designed and offered for free.
This was to bring affordable motion to the masses as a DIY project that Saxxon didn't financially benefit from as everything (design and software wise) was free.
OK, you could 'buy' an upgraded piece of the software by means of a 'donation' (i wont go into the ins/outs of whether it was truly a donation or not), but in the main there was no financial benefit to Saxxon.

Seeing that they could make money off this design, some people/companies would copy Saxxons design and sell it complete as a 'package', therefore creating money and making a business off someone else's design and generosity. Some improved on the design, but ultimately they made money off the SFX100.
Some, like Thanos saw a way to make money from something that he had already build and would come into the SFX100 forums and push his own product making it sound as though it was 'needed' and far better (in some cases it is, and in some it is not) and basically taking the mic out of Saxxon and laughing at him. I may be wrong, but i dont think he was a RD paid vendor prior to the SFX100, so that shows how much he made from someone else's design. I am not dissing his controller as its clearly very good, just his work ethic (but that's business i guess).

The issue isnt really in the OP himself (but also it is) as he has built the SFX100 as per the designers wishes 'initially'. Its the fact that he then put money into the pockets of those who profited off this 'free to the community' project, showing lack of respect and gratitude to Saxxon, the person who put motion in his house.

Is it any different to buying a third party case for your mobile phone? Yes and no. A third party case is to fit something that someone has already made (lots of) money on, where this is making money off someone who wanted to give something to the community and like it or not, i am sure no one can disagree, he has put motion into the hands of the general simracer (whether they have built it themselves or bought it as a package), and if it wasn't for Saxxon ALL of these 'pre-built' kits would not be alive today making money and Thanos would not have sold as many controllers as he has.

As for a patent, if you have designed something then you automatically own the the design and the patent.

 

[HoiHman]

Just to note, using the AMC-AASD15A on your actuators will result in little if no maintenance, as the hardware filters will protect the leadscrew and bearings from hits or grinding motor vibration, and when you decide for upgrade, the reselling value will be higher if not same, given the actuators will be still practically like new

I'm using same actuators for several years now, and didn't needed to add any lubricant or replace any mechanical part. Its amazing that they are still silent and smooth like new!

Well that's a load of



I have been using my SFX100 Actuators (as intended with the arduino and SimFeedback) without maintenance or even taking them apart. I did check one actuator once. And it's still in the same shape as when i put it together almost 2 years ago.

@SaXXXon design is pretty genius and these actuators and servos are overbuild for the purposes we use them for.
The SFX100 actuators are maintenance free if build them as designed independent of what controller you are using.

The SFX100 was designed through trial and error and great expense and time by one man (mainly), called Saxxon who built this creation from parts you could obtain off the shelf, which he coupled with parts that he had designed himself and give the designs free so anyone could build them cheaply using a 3d printer. Once assembled this could be ran off a piece of software that Saxxon also designed and offered for free.
This was to bring affordable motion to the masses as a DIY project that Saxxon didn't financially benefit from as everything (design and software wise) was free.
OK, you could 'buy' an upgraded piece of the software by means of a 'donation' (i wont go into the ins/outs of whether it was truly a donation or not), but in the main there was no financial benefit to Saxxon.

Seeing that they could make money off this design, some people/companies would copy Saxxons design and sell it complete as a 'package', therefore creating money and making a business off someone else's design and generosity. Some improved on the design, but ultimately they made money off the SFX100.
Some, like Thanos saw a way to make money from something that he had already build and would come into the SFX100 forums and push his own product making it sound as though it was 'needed' and far better (in some cases it is, and in some it is not) and basically taking the mic out of Saxxon and laughing at him. I may be wrong, but i dont think he was a RD paid vendor prior to the SFX100, so that shows how much he made from someone else's design. I am not dissing his controller as its clearly very good, just his work ethic (but that's business i guess).

The issue isnt really in the OP himself (but also it is) as he has built the SFX100 as per the designers wishes 'initially'. Its the fact that he then put money into the pockets of those who profited off this 'free to the community' project, showing lack of respect and gratitude to Saxxon, the person who put motion in his house.

Is it any different to buying a third party case for your mobile phone? Yes and no. A third party case is to fit something that someone has already made (lots of) money on, where this is making money off someone who wanted to give something to the community and like it or not, i am sure no one can disagree, he has put motion into the hands of the general simracer (whether they have built it themselves or bought it as a package), and if it wasn't for Saxxon ALL of these 'pre-built' kits would not be alive today making money and Thanos would not have sold as many controllers as he has.

As for a patent, if you have designed something then you automatically own the the design and the patent.

Well said

 

[CC]

The SFX100 was designed through trial and error and great expense and time by one man (mainly), called Saxxon who built this creation from parts you could obtain off the shelf, which he coupled with parts that he had designed himself and give the designs free so anyone could build them cheaply using a 3d printer. Once assembled this could be ran off a piece of software that Saxxon also designed and offered for free.
This was to bring affordable motion to the masses as a DIY project that Saxxon didn't financially benefit from as everything (design and software wise) was free.
OK, you could 'buy' an upgraded piece of the software by means of a 'donation' (i wont go into the ins/outs of whether it was truly a donation or not), but in the main there was no financial benefit to Saxxon.

Seeing that they could make money off this design, some people/companies would copy Saxxons design and sell it complete as a 'package', therefore creating money and making a business off someone else's design and generosity. Some improved on the design, but ultimately they made money off the SFX100.
Some, like Thanos saw a way to make money from something that he had already build and would come into the SFX100 forums and push his own product making it sound as though it was 'needed' and far better (in some cases it is, and in some it is not) and basically taking the mic out of Saxxon and laughing at him. I may be wrong, but i dont think he was a RD paid vendor prior to the SFX100, so that shows how much he made from someone else's design. I am not dissing his controller as its clearly very good, just his work ethic (but that's business i guess).

The issue isnt really in the OP himself (but also it is) as he has built the SFX100 as per the designers wishes 'initially'. Its the fact that he then put money into the pockets of those who profited off this 'free to the community' project, showing lack of respect and gratitude to Saxxon, the person who put motion in his house.

Is it any different to buying a third party case for your mobile phone? Yes and no. A third party case is to fit something that someone has already made (lots of) money on, where this is making money off someone who wanted to give something to the community and like it or not, i am sure no one can disagree, he has put motion into the hands of the general simracer (whether they have built it themselves or bought it as a package), and if it wasn't for Saxxon ALL of these 'pre-built' kits would not be alive today making money and Thanos would not have sold as many controllers as he has.

As for a patent, if you have designed something then you automatically own the the design and the patent.

Yeah but totally raping the guy in the op is heavy handed lol
I mean when all said and done he upgraded his own rig for personal use
I’d probably go cnc myself if I was to build something similar it’s stronger and frankly looks better,

The guy not selling anything or gaining anything from it he simply shown what he built lol crazy reading these 1st few pages.

 

[DJ_Psymon]

I’d probably go cnc myself if I was to build something similar it’s stronger and frankly looks better,

Well then I hope you either already own and know how to operate a CNC machine, or you're pretty wealthy. Because if by the logic of these blind sighted ritual followers, the only way you are "allowed" to built your SFX100 oops, low cost motion system, is to actually own a CNC company and a dozen other factories

 

[Tronicgr_6DOF]

Well then I hope you either already own and know how to operate a CNC machine, or you're pretty wealthy. Because if by the logic of these blind sighted ritual follower, the only way you can built your SFX100 oops, low cost motion system, is to actually own a CNC company and a dozen other factories

Why? I thought everyone can cast aluminum extrusions at home by now!!! And cut and temper leadscrews on their garage lathe!!

PS. DJ, I think you should rename the thread title, as it's clearly not sfx100 build, by some standards... some new title recommendation: "My Thanos infinity rig" (snaps fingers and all else go away... lol)

 

[Michael Krone]

Well this was a fun read... Not.

Very nice rig, jeez.

 

[CC]

Well then I hope you either already own and know how to operate a CNC machine, or you're pretty wealthy. Because if by the logic of these blind sighted ritual follower, the only way you can built your SFX100 oops, low cost motion system, is to actually own a CNC company and a dozen other factories

I have a degree in engineering cnc is child’s play, have no interest in building one anyways was saying if I did cnc would be the route.

 

[slikk66]

The issue isnt really in the OP himself (but also it is) as he has built the SFX100 as per the designers wishes 'initially'. Its the fact that he then put money into the pockets of those who profited off this 'free to the community' project, showing lack of respect and gratitude to Saxxon, the person who put motion in his house.

The naivety is off the charts man, fr

 

[CC]

The naivety is off the charts man, fr

Yeah not really seen this type of thread before wants closing before gets out of hand seems very sour and touchy thread no part of it’s a pleasure to read.

 

[5-Card-Major]

Here's a little sneak peak on the current rebuild I can’t wait to put this beast in action
Now just waiting for the new brackets for the seat ‍

View attachment 399016

I am loving the colors... Sweet.

 

[5-Card-Major]

I have no skin in this game, and just read through the posts...

I think a little Oscar Wilde tidbit quote fits this thread pretty well....
"The truth is rarely pure and never simple."

 

[RCHeliguy]

This type of discussion makes me never want to build a DIY or close to it motion rig.