Authorised Vendor Thanos AMC-AASD15A 6axis Servo Motion Controller

@Tronicgr_6DOF Why the recent jabs at the SFX stuff?

There's no need to do that. Both systems can co exist at their price points and anyone that does their research can work out the pros and cons of each.

It'll be a shame to see people taking sides or start knocking others that may have made different choices :)

I just placed the safety notice from their own page as a reminder. People using both systems may forget and I sure do not want them to have to repair things, instead of focusing in their simulation gaming.

And apart of that, I have been calling out this VERY important safety issue since before even I finished designing my controller. Imagine having 3D printers that didn't have this home calibration routine, do you seriously think people would remember to push the axis to home position EVERY TIME they needed to print something?

Also the "Emergency stop" just disconnects the Enable line of the servos, leaving the actuators slide down by the weight of the platform that may not always stop on home position but a bit higher. So if you press the emergency switch during race, you will lose motion for the duration of the race and otherwise you will have to quite the race, get up, step down on the actuators really well, and reactivate the interface via software.

This is not jab, this is serious. People were complaining about it, and I listened to them and made sure to add every little safety and feature request into this during design phase. Can't just throw an incomplete piece of hardware to the users and tell them that's it, use it as is or f-off. That's not how it works. No matter how you improve the software, its like building on sand... Even if they claim its open source and free (reality: closed source, closed firmware), talking money from the users comes with responsibilities as well, no matter if they are call them "donations". Continuous development and support is the core value of advancement of the simulation community.
 
All good points, Thanks and I'll take you at your word.

Might be a good idea to put these points to the SFX creators if you haven't already and you feel that the safety concerns are that serious.

I'm not looking to be confrontational and just pointing out out that your posts could be perceived as inflammatory to the general negativity in the two threads over the recent period.
 
:laugh::laugh::laugh: Lets re-define DIY. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_it_yourself

A community member buys servomotors, servo drives, leadcrew parts, 3D prints, and additionally uses the AMC-AASD15A... Someone just said that it automatically becomes commercial product then!!! :roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::laugh::laugh::laugh:

Parody DIY WIKI.jpg
 
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Firstly, thank you for the community for all their posts, feedback and assistance, threads like this are a great help for people planning their own motions projects.

I can see that most people using Thanos' AMC-AASD15A servo motion controller are building or using actuators. I have seen a few projects like Wojciech Komorniczak's and Grigory's 6DOF, that use planetary gearboxes with AASD servo motors and lever arms. Whilst I appreciate these do not offer the range of movement of an actuator, I like the resolution and speed of movement this application offers, along with a slightly less complicated construction, avoiding building or purchasing six actuators. Both these projects have used servo drivers that are controlled by step/dir signals with Arduino.

Would it be possible to set stop positions using the Thanos AMC-AASD15A servo motion controller using lever arms? I can see from the threads the controller seems to set the position for fully retracted/extended on an actuator when the servo stops rotating. With lever arms, can this only be achieved by having fixed stops for each servo to calibrate the extremes of either end of rotation? I would really like to use the Thanos controller because it solves a maze of wiring but I am unsure if it will be suitable for my planned application. I can see there are only two left for sale from the current batch. If it is likely to be possible to use it for a lever arm 6DOF platform I would like purchase one of these before this batch sells out.

Many thanks for reading, any advice greatly appreciated!
 
Firstly, thank you for the community for all their posts, feedback and assistance, threads like this are a great help for people planning their own motions projects.

I can see that most people using Thanos' AMC-AASD15A servo motion controller are building or using actuators. I have seen a few projects like Wojciech Komorniczak's and Grigory's 6DOF, that use planetary gearboxes with AASD servo motors and lever arms. Whilst I appreciate these do not offer the range of movement of an actuator, I like the resolution and speed of movement this application offers, along with a slightly less complicated construction, avoiding building or purchasing six actuators. Both these projects have used servo drivers that are controlled by step/dir signals with Arduino.

Would it be possible to set stop positions using the Thanos AMC-AASD15A servo motion controller using lever arms? I can see from the threads the controller seems to set the position for fully retracted/extended on an actuator when the servo stops rotating. With lever arms, can this only be achieved by having fixed stops for each servo to calibrate the extremes of either end of rotation? I would really like to use the Thanos controller because it solves a maze of wiring but I am unsure if it will be suitable for my planned application. I can see there are only two left for sale from the current batch. If it is likely to be possible to use it for a lever arm 6DOF platform I would like purchase one of these before this batch sells out.

Many thanks for reading, any advice greatly appreciated!

Hi Andy,

Yes, you can use external signals to calibrate the home position of the actuators that is needed for rotary systems like when using planetary gearboxes. You can wire simple tactile switches (endstop switches) directly on the AMC-AASD15A controller on the locations on the photo below for each servo:

External home calibration inputs - for limit switches.jpg


Otherwise you will have to add some physical end-stop metal bar to block 360 degrees rotation to be used as home position as well and relay on the internal torque detection. Just be aware that the torque is multiplied after the gearbox and might be harder to stop than the linear actuators internal end-stop.

A good reduction rate would be between 20:1 to 50:1 depending on the load you plan to have on your platform and the speed you need.

Thanks
Thanos
 
G'day Thanos,

I bought your 2.04 version controller a while back and tested it with my unrigged SFX-100 motors and Simtools 2.4 without issue. (both Simtools output and actual game data worked well.) I set them aside and built my rig and added the motors, updated to 2.07 and started testing. Now I cannot get Simtools output or game data to drive the motors. The park, and standby button drives the motors as expected. Simtools - Tuning center displays commanded output but the motors/motor controllers do nothing? Any help would be appreciated.

2.04 tested with only 4 motors.
2.07 tested with 5 motors, 4DOF + Surge

Cheers,
 
G'day Thanos,

Tested it with my unrigged SFX-100 motors and Simtools 2.4 without issue. (both Simtools output and actual game data worked well.) I set them aside and built my rig and added the motors, updated to 2.07 and started testing. Now I cannot get Simtools output or game data to drive the motors. The park, and standby button drives the motors as expected. Simtools - Tuning center displays commanded output but the motors/motor controllers do nothing? Any help would be appreciated.

2.04 tested with only 4 motors.
2.07 tested with 5 motors, 4DOF + Surge

Cheers,

Please reset the default parameters in the AMC-AASD15A by holding the "EXIT menu" button while pressing reset button, as soon it displays "Default parameters are restored" you can release the exit button.

Also make sure any emergency or other switches you use for park/standby or Force Offline are Normally Open type (NO).

On Simtools, make sure you are selecting the correct COM port and you are Saving the settings. Also close Simtools and run again after saving to open the COM ports correctly. If you still have connectivity issues, see if you can communicate with the AMC controller via the AMC Tool. You should be able to read the firmware version and the state of the parameters of the controller:
https://github.com/tronicgr/AMC-AAS...ools_interface_plugin/AMC_Config_Tool_1_1.zip

Thanks
Thanos
 
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G'day Thanos,

I bought your 2.04 version controller a while back and tested it with my unrigged SFX-100 motors and Simtools 2.4 without issue. (both Simtools output and actual game data worked well.) I set them aside and built my rig and added the motors, updated to 2.07 and started testing. Now I cannot get Simtools output or game data to drive the motors. The park, and standby button drives the motors as expected. Simtools - Tuning center displays commanded output but the motors/motor controllers do nothing? Any help would be appreciated.

2.04 tested with only 4 motors.
2.07 tested with 5 motors, 4DOF + Surge

Cheers,
What is the cost of SimTools to get it to work with SFX100 and all the current games?
 
G'day Thanos,

The "force-offline" switch was tucked away out of sight and mind, and ON!... :redface:
Of course your controller works as anticipated. And without the fear factor because of the enable, bump-stop calibration and E-STOPs. It is an absolute dream to setup and use. It has made my SFX-100 project so simple. I can now concentrate on completing my g-seat knowing that the SFX-100 motors are all working as they should.
Many thanks for your efforts!

Cheers,
 
Here is a quick presentation of a 6DOF platform that can be used for race of flight simulation. You can always use your own recessed frame instead of the one provided but the thing about the existing frame is that is very light and modular for easy shipping in a crate. These new actuators offer huge motion range and speed (800mm/s) and combined with these heavy duty universal joint can support even a full size Cessna cockpit.


Motion controller: AMC-AASD15A

Actuator specifications:
-Foldback
-600mm stroke
-800mm/s speed
-Ball screw 2525, lead pitch 25mm/rev
-Motor 2.5kw
Looks so nice but I am worried about the power consumption, 6 servo motors with 2.5Kw each is a lot of power.
 
The servos consume more power as you load the platform more. If you mount a simple light cockpit they will not need more power than the SFX100 rigs ;)

I'll find out the max load in kg that this platform can handle...
This could be a definitive 6DOF platform, something I am dreaming about.
Do you have some specs like pitch/roll/yaw angles, heave/sway/surge travel and measurements? Can this platform be shipped dissembled? Looks too big to enter in a regular house front door.
 
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