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

driver74 · Nov 1, 2019

saxxon66 said:
SimFeedback does support a 3 actuator setup.I implemented it as a budget option.

Fun fact, I had a 3 actuator setup in the beginning while waiting for my 4th to finish printing.
It felt ok, you will get all effects and some axis will have slightly more range.
The three points will stabilize by itself.
That will prevent any lifting of the ground.
And I would recommend this setup for a flight sim platform.

There are also some drawbacks.

You need to balance the COG in the center of all 3. In our setups that will bring actuators very close together because the width will determine the max distance.

One actuator has to take the double load of the other two.
This is not a big problem with our very strong servos but it was in my older DC TriMotion setup.

The main reason we do all use a 4 actuator setups is that is feels more connected.
Yes I know this is not a scientific argument and I can only speculate why it feels different.
I think the position of the actuator is responsible for this and some slightly out of sync movements (with respect to the other actuators) will give you a different sensation.

The axis of rotation is in the middle between two actuators. If you look at the wheelbase of a car in relation to the driver you will likely want your rotation axis right in front of your seat.
This is not simple to achieve with a 3 actuator setup.

And last but not least, our actuator can shake/rumble. Having 4 doing this at all 4 corners is better.

We do all use the 4 actuator setup, this makes profile sharing easy, even we do not have the exact same setups.
With a 3 actuator setup you will need to do some modifications by yourself.

It is a great way if you are on a tight budget and you can upgrade any time later.

Awesome; Thanks a lot, that all makes good sense. From the profile sharing point alone, I will definitely go with a 4 actuator setup (Although I still may consider leaving a 3 mounting point option available for flight & additional testing later on)

I cannot thank you enough for all you’ve done for the simulator community.

GeniFx · Nov 1, 2019

See A New version of the software is released do this change the profilen in any way now?

Viper20 · Nov 2, 2019

Hey guys

Does anyone know if Nascar Racing 2003 will work with the SFX?

Michael Roitman · Nov 2, 2019

Insert Coin said:
A picture of the 230 V net line close to the servo driver, before the Schaffner FN 2090 net filter:
View attachment 329356
The 230 V net line close to the wall outlet. filtered by the Schaffner FN 2090 net filter:
View attachment 329357
Both measured with the EMI probe touching the power line.

ive been having issues with my Valve Index and gray-outs happening. I have a PT-actuators rig with 4-DOF and Traction Loss Platform.
I noticed when i physically touch the TL platform, i get a gray out, but when i touch my sim-lab rig sitting on top of the TL platform, the gray-outs stop. So it seems the TL platform is giving off Interference. Should i just connect a cable to the Traction Loss Platform and ground the cable? Thats what others are telling me to do. Also when i touch the cable with my body, the gray-out stops as well

any help would be appreciated.

Michael Roitman · Nov 2, 2019

Viper20 said:
Hey guys

Does anyone know if Nascar Racing 2003 will work with the SFX?

you’re probably better using the thanos controller and converting the SFX-100 actuators to use SimTools. It’s more of an open source option and there’s over a hundred games it works with as far as i know. Thanos in this thread can help you with that.

Furnace Inferno · Nov 2, 2019

Paul Clark said:
Hi there - love the box for the power and serco controllers - can you share the dimensions and where you bought it from - thanks

Just got it from amazon, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unpainted-...HMF2ARW1JMP&psc=1&refRID=442D99FR90R0F8Q6F0HZ
I would suggest getting something slightly taller though as the lid doesn’t fully close because of the d-sub cables, although it does mean it gets a little more airflow

Dimensions are 39x29x22cm LxWxH. 24cm height would work perfectly.

Ringorian · Nov 2, 2019

driver74 said:
Would you possibly happen to have a link or any one of those people you could put me in touch with? I’m very curious of what their findings were.

@driver74 i was the guy who tested the 3 actuator version .. if you like cars go for a 4 Actuator Setup ...
We like to get small bumps etc and we await them best synced on every corner .. when you drive over a kerb front right you expect a direct "reaction" front right .. that is not the point when you have one in front and two in the back, cause the 2 in the back has to do the little roll which gets lost until its reaching front right ..
If you turn it arround (one in the back) you will miss some other things ...

driver74 · Nov 2, 2019

Ringorian said:
@driver74 i was the guy who tested the 3 actuator version .. if you like cars go for a 4 Actuator Setup ...
We like to get small bumps etc and we await them best synced on every corner .. when you drive over a kerb front right you expect a direct "reaction" front right .. that is not the point when you have one in front and two in the back, cause the 2 in the back has to do the little roll which gets lost until its reaching front right ..
If you turn it arround (one in the back) you will miss some other things ...

Sounds good; thanks for the feedback.

Insert Coin · Nov 2, 2019

Michael Roitman said:
ive been having issues with my Valve Index and gray-outs happening. I have a PT-actuators rig with 4-DOF and Traction Loss Platform.
I noticed when i physically touch the TL platform, i get a gray out, but when i touch my sim-lab rig sitting on top of the TL platform, the gray-outs stop. So it seems the TL platform is giving off Interference. Should i just connect a cable to the Traction Loss Platform and ground the cable? Thats what others are telling me to do. Also when i touch the cable with my body, the gray-out stops as well

any help would be appreciated.

Ground everything where possible. Keep the servo cables away from other cables (USB, VR).

pass-low · Nov 3, 2019

metalnwood said:
Could be a bearing and it may only show itself up when it is under load. I would first look at the fixed and bearing, the one connected to the same end as the coupling. It could be a small misalignment of the axis running through the screw but thats part of the problem with cheaper bearings. It's not something I would worry about unless the sound really annoys you, you may not hear it when the rig is actually running properly..

Were any of your sliders particularly tight? Another possibility is a little bit of stiction that might appear as a creak now and then.

would help if you had a small video with the noise.

the slider didn't feel too tight when i did the strip down a couple of days ago, took a little bit of a shove to get in initially as i didn't make a note of its orientation when extracting but when fully in the profile was moving freely and i gave the slider some more spray before inserting,

here's a you tube link of video of the clicking noise
i was sat in the seat and played back a replay file

its between
0:10-1:30

1:30 onwards then there's a lot of actuator move as i crashed with no clicking

motion plays just like normal, just like a "real car" funny noise turn the stereo up a bit

BluePotato00 · Nov 3, 2019

Below is a link to the full RaceDepartment thread with images and searchable text for offline viewing and searching. File is 247MB:
https://www.sendspace.com/file/kaxsfl

Moxley6969 · Nov 3, 2019

Thats a Strange one, That imo doesn't sound like its the actuator....Tho, maybe you got a Bolt slightly loose and the FK or Linear bearing mount are wiggling just so slightly ? did you grease your Linear bearing ? maybe a balls hung up and dry ?

Insert Coin · Nov 3, 2019

In addition to my previous post EMI in pictures, this shows the effect of using EMI shielding tape (tape is connected to ground at the servo driver side). Thanks to @Flag Ghost for the idea.

Servo power cable, shielded by tape:

Unshielded part of the same cable (I ran out of tape

):

Shielded part of the servo encoder cable:

Unshielded part of the servo encoder cable:

Conclusion: this tape works REALLY well. Highly recommended on the servo power cables. It doesn't look very neat, but it works!

Available on AliExpress or Amazon.
If you want to shield all power and encoder cables, including the part after the connectors, you need about 30 meter of tape (40 mm wide). If you only tape the power cables you need about 15 meter.

Taping all 3 meter cables takes about 2 hours. Put the cable on the floor (not on carpet) and hold one side of the cable down with a weight so you can pull the cable a bit. Cut 30 cm. of tape and glue the side of the tape along the cable. Roll the cable on the floor so it gets wrapped with tape. Repeat with another 30 cm. of tape which should overlap the previous piece for about half a centimeter, until the whole cable is wrapped.
Connect the beginning of the tape to ground: strip a ground wire for a centimeter, spread the strands a bit and tape it with a piece of the same shielding tape onto the wrapped tape so the strands connect to the wrapped tape. Connect the wire to ground.
Check with a multimeter: the end of the wrap on the cable should be connected to ground.
If you tape the part of the cables after the connectors (the cables that go into the servos): make sure there is a connection between that shielded tape and ground.

papasqueeze · Nov 3, 2019

Hi all been using the SFX 100 for a few weeks, I've just re wired into a network case

I have a problem where one front leg goes too high? Causing the over front to just be dangling, I've check all wiring and it looks good,

It's a bit like the motor isn't turning back down properly, I've had it off and jogged both ways and it works fine

It really is like it's wired the wrong way but it's all good

Any ideas?

metalnwood · Nov 3, 2019

pass-low said:
the slider didn't feel too tight when i did the strip down a couple of days ago, took a little bit of a shove to get in initially as i didn't make a note of its orientation when extracting but when fully in the profile was moving freely and i gave the slider some more spray before inserting,

here's a you tube link of video of the clicking noise
i was sat in the seat and played back a replay file

its between
0:10-1:30

1:30 onwards then there's a lot of actuator move as i crashed with no clicking

motion plays just like normal, just like a "real car" funny noise turn the stereo up a bit

Interesting, I can't say that I know what could be making that noise from the actuator. I also would tend to think that it could be coming from something else. These sounds can be pesky little things to tie down exactly where they are coming from.

If it was me I would be looking to make sure all the bolts were tight on the connections. If your rig i 8020 then the angle brackets are all tight and possibly checking that both sides of the bracket have good contact with 8020. Sometimes you can do one side up tight and there is a small gap on the other side. You can still do up the other bolt tight but it cant close the gap. If you are new to 8020 you will be surprised that the bolts may not be as tight as they were when you did them.

Insert Coin · Nov 3, 2019

papasqueeze said:
Hi all been using the SFX 100 for a few weeks, I've just re wired into a network case

I have a problem where one front leg goes too high? Causing the over front to just be dangling, I've check all wiring and it looks good,

It's a bit like the motor isn't turning back down properly, I've had it off and jogged both ways and it works fine

It really is like it's wired the wrong way but it's all good

Any ideas?

Did you set the parameters on that servo driver correctly?

papasqueeze · Nov 3, 2019

Yes I've been using it

I'm not getting a negative number on the controller when system is on, I can change controller input cable (d25) and the fault will will move to that controller so I'm guessing something to do with circuit board, I'm going to move it away from controllers see if that helps

Rubinhofan · Nov 4, 2019

Does anyone made some progress with noise reduction of the 10 kHz electric noise?

Insert Coin · Nov 4, 2019

papasqueeze said:
Yes I've been using it

I'm not getting a negative number on the controller when system is on, I can change controller input cable (d25) and the fault will will move to that controller so I'm guessing something to do with circuit board, I'm going to move it away from controllers see if that helps

It might be a defective Arduino.

Insert Coin · Nov 4, 2019

Rubinhofan said:
Does anyone made some progress with noise reduction of the 10 kHz electric noise?

Well, sort of... I moved the cabinet with the servo drivers to the adjacent room, drilled a hole in the wall and routed the cables through the hole. I'm not kidding. Now the whine can hardly be heard.