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

anton_Chez · Feb 7, 2019

I do think the delivery process is probably mostly to blame, considering mine supposedly went out a couple of days after the payment had cleared if going by the DHL tracking advice.

I must say though I had a great experience with DHL when my OSW was shipped. As opposed to UPS who I wanted to send a hit squad after for messing me around with my HE gear. Took around a week from payment to arrival from SimRacingBay so all good there.

Mascot · Feb 7, 2019

Just gathering the fixings from my buckets of stuff. Is there any reason why spring washers aren't specified in the fixings list instead of flat washers? I'd have thought they'd be a good idea with all the shaking and vibrating, but maybe the additional torque required to 'nip them up' might damage the 3DP parts?

MrRoper · Feb 7, 2019

I think they would be fine, a flat washer underneath would prevent them damaging the plastic

C64 · Feb 7, 2019

MrRoper said:
I think they would be fine, a flat washer underneath would prevent them damaging the plastic

I think they would be ok... but the plastic does act a bit like a "nyloc" so the likelihood of the bolts vibrating loose is small. When I took an actuator apart last weekend none of the bolts had loosened. A additional spring washer for the bolts going into the 100x100 would be a good idea.

Mascot · Feb 8, 2019

I think I will add a spring washer for anti-vibration to all the fixings just to be safe, they cost pennies. I actually need to add one for each of the 32no main M8x40 cap-head socket screws as I already have a bag of M8x50s, but they aren't threaded full-length and the thread starts about 2mm lower than ideal. If I add a spring washer and sink the helicoils a couple more turns then they'll be perfect.

Mascot · Feb 8, 2019

Probably covered in the gazillion pages prior, but... what's the recommended lube for PLA sliders? I've heard PTFE dry lube spray will work, but can't imagine it lasts for very long. Wouldn't a grease applied to the slider and smeared along the internal contact areas of the Kinetik extrusion be a better long-term bet? And if so, what grease is most suitable and won't attack the PLA? The web is full of lots of contradictory opinions on what is/isn't safe.
I want to avoid having to take the actuators off to re-lube the sliders if at all possible, and obviously want to avoid any squeaks whatsoever..!

HugoB · Feb 8, 2019

Mascot said:
Probably covered in the gazillion pages prior, but... what's the recommended lube for PLA sliders? I've heard PTFE dry lube spray will work, but can't imagine it lasts for very long. Wouldn't a grease applied to the slider and smeared along the internal contact areas of the Kinetik extrusion be a better long-term bet? And if so, what grease is most suitable and won't attack the PLA? The web is full of lots of contradictory opinions on what is/isn't safe.
I want to avoid having to take the actuators off to re-lube the sliders if at all possible, and obviously want to avoid any squeaks whatsoever..!

I too have done some searching on the interwebz, it turns out Nylon is the most chemical resistant filament, so if you want to experiment with lube, that would be your safest bet. But for PLA and PETG, PTFE dry lube is undoubtedly the best. The developers of the SFX100 have recommended it and theirs is holding up for a long time already.. My PETG without PTFE dry lube was squeaking very loudly in operation but after application it has stayed completely silent for months. I’d go the tried and tested path

Mascot · Feb 8, 2019

HugoB said:
I too have done some searching on the interwebz, it turns out Nylon is the most chemical resistant filament, so if you want to experiment with lube, that would be your safest bet. But for PLA and PETG, PTFE dry lube is undoubtedly the best. The developers of the SFX100 have recommended it and theirs is holding up for a long time already.. My PETG without PTFE dry lube was squeaking very loudly in operation but after application it has stayed completely silent for months. I’d go the tried and tested path

Thanks, I'll stick with that.

anton_Chez · Feb 8, 2019

I've not had any noise coming from my actuators. I was stunned at how silent they were when I first put everything together. I did use some dry silicon spray for the slider walls and I think I sprayed down the inside of the profile as well. I don't think you'll need too much, especially if you have sanded your sliders down to a nice fit.

The spray helped the hammer work better on mine, you see.......

Mascot · Feb 8, 2019

anton_Chez said:
I've not had any noise coming from my actuators. I was stunned at how silent they were when I first put everything together. I did use some dry silicon spray for the slider walls and I think I sprayed down the inside of the profile as well. I don't think you'll need too much, especially if you have sanded your sliders down to a nice fit.

The spray helped the hammer work better on mine, you see.......

Your are pretty much jammed in then Anton? Do they move freely at all?
You seriously had to hammer them in?

anton_Chez · Feb 8, 2019

I make it sound worse than it really was. To get them in, it's pretty hard if they aren't millimeter perfect, so they at least need a tap rather than a push to start them off. To push them through out the other end, I used the handle end of a screwdriver tapped with a hammer. So, they are very snug, but once you tap them you can feel that they do slide under the force. So the servos power acts like 1000 hammer taps. I've never felt the need to worry about them. The profile is so smooth on the inside combined with the spray that there shouldn't be an issue. I mean others have complained of squeak and mine don't at all. You would think if there were resistant forces in there it would make some sort of noise.

Mascot · Feb 8, 2019

anton_Chez said:
I make it sound worse than it really was. To get them in, it's pretty hard if they aren't millimeter perfect, so they at least need a tap rather than a push to start them off. To push them through out the other end, I used the handle end of a screwdriver tapped with a hammer. So, they are very snug, but once you tap them you can feel that they do slide under the force. So the servos power acts like 1000 hammer taps. I've never felt the need to worry about them. The profile is so smooth on the inside combined with the spray that there shouldn't be an issue. I mean others have complained of squeak and mine don't at all. You would think if there were resistant forces in there it would make some sort of noise.

Ah, mine are a very close but loose fit, ie they can freely fall through under the weight of gravity.

Steve D · Feb 8, 2019

Mascot said:
Ah, mine are a very close but loose fit, ie they can freely fall through under the weight of gravity.

That's fine mate. Mine were exactly the same after sanding. Sprayed the sliders a couple of times, letting each coat dry and applied a liberal spray inside the profile. Not a squeak since during gameplay motion. Start up and power down is louder.

Mascot · Feb 8, 2019

Steve D said:
That's fine mate. Mine were exactly the same after sanding. Sprayed the sliders a couple of times, letting each coat dry and applied a liberal spray inside the profile. Not a squeak since during game play motion. Start up and power down is louder.

Cool, thanks mate!
How did your anti-vibration pads perform in the end? No cracks in the lounge ceiling?
I must admit that falling through the floor and landing downstairs is the one thing I'm still slightly concerned about..

Steve D · Feb 8, 2019

Mascot said:
Cool, thanks mate!
How did your anti-vibration pads perform in the end? No cracks in the lounge ceiling?
I must admit that falling through the floor and landing downstairs is the one thing I'm still slightly concerned about..

They work very well mate and help spread the load as well as reducing vibration from upstairs. Before I made them up you could definitely hear one or two creaks and the more intense movements from the actuators from downstairs, albeit at the higher intensity levels, which you can tune down of course. That's not the case any more and the 'noise police' leave me be!

Insert Coin · Feb 8, 2019

@Steve D Picture please (or did I miss it)?

leeroy605 · Feb 8, 2019

Profile and other bits from Kinetik arrived yesterday!

Ordered Monday and was shipped out the same day, seems they've upped their game a lot since the horror stories I've read in here about lack of communication and slow deliveries. Barely any scratches on the parts either. I'm from the UK in case anyone was wondering.

Oh and I got a free pen

.

However this poses a problem, I was expecting it to take weeks to come and was quite happy to wait for it so I could order the next bits as it arrives to spread out the cost of the project. Clearly that's gone out the window...

Mascot · Feb 8, 2019

Got an idea for some extra damping below the feet. I happen to have four 130mm diameter discs from a suspended floor system (nope, no idea why I've got these), so pop a round piece of 10mm thick self-adhesive neoprene on the underside (smaller than 130mm diameter to allow for compression spread and to hide the wonky scissor cut)...

...flip it over and plop the washing machine bumper on top (which gets nicely located by a couple of perfectly-positioned nodules) and voila!

The neoprene on wooden floor should also grip and help to stop the cockpit from wandering... shouldn't it?

Steve D · Feb 8, 2019

Insert Coin said:
@Steve D Picture please (or did I miss it)?

Here you go.

15mm anti-vibration foam + 3mm mdf + heavy duty carpet tile.

Took my inspiration from Henk's @HoiHman's solution and apart from the dampening benefits, there's not been a mm of movement of either the foot or the pad.

Mascot · Feb 9, 2019

Steve D said:
Here you go.

15mm anti-vibration foam + 3mm mdf + heavy duty carpet tile.

Took my inspiration from Henk's @HoiHman's solution and apart from the dampening benefits, there's not been a mm of movement of either the foot or the pad.

View attachment 290428

Wow, that looks super-neat Steve. How did you get such clean edges? Ref my idea above I'm thinking some proper anti-vibration foam might be a better bet, although the high-density neoprene (used for industrial gaskets) seems pretty good. Where did you source the foam from?
I'm also thinking 130mm diameter (actual 100mm diameter neoprene) might not be enough to spread the load sufficiently, so I might ditch the discs and go bigger. Shame, as they look quite neat.