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

Wmacky · Oct 27, 2019

Thinking about physics!

After approx 1 year since starting this project, Today is the day that I'm assembling my P1, and attaching the actuators! There seems to be concern about getting your butt closer to the center of rotation
. (On the car vs in the car effect)

I see people lowering the seat as well as dropping the actuator mounting points. I'm no engineer, but I've run a Einstein style mind example through my head, and I can NOT see how changing the actuator mount point effects anything No matter how many times I visualize it, the center of rotation always remains unchanged, being at the vertical center of the bottom profile with the seat distance from the enter of rotation also being unchanged.

I ask because I would like to mount my cockpit as high as possible for easier entry / exit for my old self!

Wmacky · Oct 27, 2019

OK, I think I figured it out. Because the actuator / profile connection is not hinged, but hard , mounted, The center of rotation moves down much lower.

scoobyzilla · Oct 27, 2019

ColinMac said:
Anybody in the UK about to undertake this? I've printed most of the parts - but am not very technical, and would love to piggy back a components order if anyones about to do it.

Buying the bits was easy, just waiting on my shaft joints from China that seem to be taking an age, but have the motors from china and all the other bits waiting in my office in DE to collect when I next pop over there, on the printing front i have been trying for a month, but finally made some progress I think, so you are well ahead of me! GLWB

metalnwood · Oct 27, 2019

@Wmacky It depends how far away you get. Some people have had quite high seats, some people have started low and I am not sure how much difference it would make trying to get it a little lower.

When building I would start from the premise you want as low as you can go. Why not, nothing assembled yet.

Imagine being on a double decker bus and going around a corner really fast when you are on the bottom, then imagine being on the top. Down the bottom you are going to sway and up the top you have a lot of movement going on.

Similar is a metronome like in picture. That roll is going to feel right when you are at the bottom of the metronome around the point of rotation. the higher you are the more you will feel lots of sway that isn't really there but will be amplified.

Wmacky · Oct 27, 2019

Thanks for the reply.

On the subject of Actuator attachment -

In the name of cable management, do you guys prefer the actuators motor cable side to face inward or sideways parallel to the long profile.?

digitalmonk1973 · Oct 27, 2019

Does anyone have any issues with the sliders squeaking like crazy? Sprayed the with a lot of white lithium grease before assembly and all was quiet but now one of the actuators squeaks so bad it kills my ears. Only on rapid direction changes. Long movements are quiet. What are you guys using to grease the sliders? Should o just use some synthetic bearing grease? Would that affect the PLA material? Most of the assembly videoes dont seem to grease the sliders with anything. Which I found weird

saxxon66 · Oct 27, 2019

digitalmonk1973 said:
Does anyone have any issues with the sliders squeaking like crazy? Sprayed the with a lot of white lithium grease before assembly and all was quiet but now one of the actuators squeaks so bad it kills my ears. Only on rapid direction changes. Long movements are quiet. What are you guys using to grease the sliders? Should o just use some synthetic bearing grease? Would that affect the PLA material? Most of the assembly videoes dont seem to grease the sliders with anything. Which I found weird

It's not meant to be be greased.
Even if you use grease or something similar, I doubt it would last long.

Are you sure it's the slider that makes the sound?
Try to check the clearance of the coupling, sometimes they can make squeaking noise.

Cannot comment on the best lubrication for pla.

digitalmonk1973 · Oct 27, 2019

saxxon66 said:
It's not meant to be be greased.
Even if you use grease or something similar, I doubt it would last long.

Are you sure it's the slider that makes the sound?
Try to check the clearance of the coupling, sometimes they can make squeaking noise.

Cannot comment on the best lubrication for pla.

Thanks saxxon66. I'm prety sure it's the slider. You can feel the sound/vibration if you touch the extrusion as it's doing it. So another question. Should the sliders slide very easily in the profile? Like if you put in the slider should it just slide through either almost no effort? Maybe it's slightly too tight or something? Some of the vids show you need to use a bit if force to get them in. I'm guessing it shouldn't have play in it , but should it be tight?

metalnwood · Oct 27, 2019

@digitalmonk1973 The most ideal situation is that it slides up and down with very little force BUT zero ability to rotate in the profile. Hard to do with prints. Some people end up sanding them down to fit better.

The reality is even if it requires 100 newtons of force to push it in the rail, thats only a small percentage of the force the actuators need to overcome to lift your rig and gravity will ensure it is pushed the other way when the actuators come down.

So if it doesnt fall through the profile by itself, not a big deal. If you have to start hammering it down I would slowly start sanding it down. A bit at a time checking it often.

GFJunky · Oct 28, 2019

Did I read somewhere there is a way to manually move the rig in the software to check for clearance at extremes of movement? Had a look but couldn't see it. Is it an additional plugin, I think I'm on the most recent release 00-08-04.

After a few months of light use I've started doing some tuning from the stock profiles for AC. Holeymoley it gets violent if you turn up the acceleration to max! I'm glad I put my e-stop in a easy to reach location.

Moxley6969 · Oct 28, 2019

GFJunky said:
After a few months of light use I've started doing some tuning from the stock profiles for AC. Holeymoley it gets violent if you turn up the acceleration to max! I'm glad I put my e-stop in a easy to reach location.

Dirt Rally 100% Intensity FTW!!!!

If you haven't tried, your in for a treat, lol

GeniFx · Oct 28, 2019

digitalmonk1973 said:
Does anyone have any issues with the sliders squeaking like crazy? Sprayed the with a lot of white lithium grease before assembly and all was quiet but now one of the actuators squeaks so bad it kills my ears. Only on rapid direction changes. Long movements are quiet. What are you guys using to grease the sliders? Should o just use some synthetic bearing grease? Would that affect the PLA material? Most of the assembly videoes dont seem to grease the sliders with anything. Which I found weird

Mine squicked aswell, so i Sanded them down so they slide with out resistens and that fixed my problem on 3 of the actuators, last on i hade to loosen the TOP mount and wiggel alitel bit on IT so it fell in place in its natural Spot and No tension on the slider and then the sound did go away
Verry importent that its not any tension on the sliders.
Mine is printed in pla and i use the recomended ptfe from 5-56 i think it was.

Related to the placement of the Seat i moved mine down alitel bit (3-4cm) and notised A big difference, before i moved it down i felt alitel like i was on a TOP of A tree swaying but Just alitel bit down and it feels verry good. So for me it made A big difference.
And my Seat was low in the first place.

Wmacky · Oct 28, 2019

Finally, after a year of buying / planning, I'm making some real progress. Much like Mr RCheliguy, I'm building a dual use flight / racing cockpit, just need to figure out the quick change part!

Anyway, of all things, I stumbled upon a few Kart Kraft videos, and got super excited. Didn't think that would be my thing, but I've changed my mind. Was pleased to see it's SFX supported, and it must be unbelievable with motion / FFB / tactle, and VR. I can hardly wait. It really lit a fire. I must get this all done now. I pulled the year old P1 parts out of the box, and did this this weekend.

metalnwood · Oct 29, 2019

@Wmacky dont know if this gives you any ideas but I put a piece of 4040 in front of the seat and left it there. it is tapped in the end so that I can put my warthog stick on it using an m8 bolt. To put it on and take it off takes about 20 seconds.

The throttle is left on permanently and makes a good button box in vr. I use it for turning on/off wind/SFX as well as adjusting intensity for wind and SFX as well.

I found with a formula rim the stick doesnt hit it which is great because once again in VR, I can now use the wheel for a lot of extra buttons in the flight sims. So easy to reach up from the stick and put my hand on the wheel so I know where all the controls are.

20 seconds from flight to racing.. Although - one caveat.. I do use my accellerator and clutch as my rudder pedals because it's too difficult to chnage those out. Ihave to say, it's a lot better than I thought when using them as rudders.. really no disadvantage but if your aircraft relies on toe brakes to help with ground handling then it is a bit harder.

Viper20 · Oct 29, 2019

Hey guys

Newbie to the site this is actually my first post here.I have gotten back into Sim racing and have spent the last few weeks doing a ton of research and i am already falling down the rabbit hole lol. I am currently searching for an 8020 cockpit and then i stumbled upon this forum and the SFX-100 and man i just have to have this! I read through some of this thread but man is it long! I was wondering if there are any updated parts suppliers in the US that i can buy all the necessary supplies from? Also being in the US and 110V i do not have an option to get a 220 outlet where my rig will be so is the best option a step down transformer?

As far as a rig i am currently looking at the Sim Lab P1-X and the 4play racing competition platform. The 4play rig is much cheaper because of shipping and would also ship much sooner. Did anyone here build the SFX on either of these platforms and can make a recommendation?

Im also looking at a new wheel/pedals setup and was thinking about a Fanatec DD1 and the club sport inverted pedals any thoughts on those as well. I have been reading so much that information overload is starting to set in.

Any help would be appreciated
Frank

metalnwood · Oct 29, 2019

Hi Frank. there are a lot of SFX systems mounted to P1. It is pretty popular for that but there ae also a lot of other 8020 cockpits being used.

I don't know the 4play one, I just had a quick look and I dont see why it couldnt be used. I think everyone is happy with their P1 I just cant add anything personally about the 4play.

Lots of options for direct drive wheels, can't go too wrong with any of them.

You are jumping in deep with it. Only suggestion might be to look at something like the heusinkveld sprints just to keep your pedals on the same level as the other gear

HugoB · Oct 29, 2019

Viper20 said:
Hey guys

Newbie to the site this is actually my first post here.I have gotten back into Sim racing and have spent the last few weeks doing a ton of research and i am already falling down the rabbit hole lol. I am currently searching for an 8020 cockpit and then i stumbled upon this forum and the SFX-100 and man i just have to have this! I read through some of this thread but man is it long! I was wondering if there are any updated parts suppliers in the US that i can buy all the necessary supplies from? Also being in the US and 110V i do not have an option to get a 220 outlet where my rig will be so is the best option a step down transformer?

As far as a rig i am currently looking at the Sim Lab P1-X and the 4play racing competition platform. The 4play rig is much cheaper because of shipping and would also ship much sooner. Did anyone here build the SFX on either of these platforms and can make a recommendation?

Im also looking at a new wheel/pedals setup and was thinking about a Fanatec DD1 and the club sport inverted pedals any thoughts on those as well. I have been reading so much that information overload is starting to set in.

Any help would be appreciated
Frank

P1 + SFX100 + HE Sprint + OSW (any) + real leather racing rim (mine is MOMO Monte Carlo) + Buttkickers under seat&pedal for RPM + Valve Index = Heaven!!

Running this combo for over a year and still gives me an ear to ear smile every time I take a seat

BluePotato00 · Oct 29, 2019

Viper20 said:
Hey guys

Newbie to the site this is actually my first post here.I have gotten back into Sim racing and have spent the last few weeks doing a ton of research and i am already falling down the rabbit hole lol. I am currently searching for an 8020 cockpit and then i stumbled upon this forum and the SFX-100 and man i just have to have this! I read through some of this thread but man is it long! I was wondering if there are any updated parts suppliers in the US that i can buy all the necessary supplies from? Also being in the US and 110V i do not have an option to get a 220 outlet where my rig will be so is the best option a step down transformer?
Frank

Here's my USA shopping list:
https://www.racedepartment.com/thre...-simulator-thread.159524/page-98#post-2899157

I've been using a 3,000W step-up converter since I finished my build in January 2019 with no problems. Good luck with your build! It's worth it!

Dave_6 · Oct 29, 2019

Finally got my actuators built over the weekend. I haven't even ordered the motors yet though lol. I'm dreading the wiring step but it probably won't be as bad as I'm thinking it is.