3doF platform with Ian's motion software

[Roland]

My third platform type with pitch, roll and heave is getting there. Thanks to Ian's motion software, the interface to FS is now getting much more straightforward. I only needed about 15 lines of GWbasic code to get everything up and running, and the results are not bad at all!

I've made a short demo movie, that explains the basic signal flow and some of the motion cues during flight. You can check it out at

YouTube - 3doF flightsimulation motion platform

more details are on my website.

[Jim NZ]

Looks great Roland ,, well done.
I knew something was in the wind as you guys have been quite for a while now. :) :)
Great stuff Roland (and Ian)

Jim

[AndyT]

Excellent Roland! Great work!

[Mike.Powell]

Outstanding post, Roland. I'm impressed not only by the project, but also by the use of video to more fully communicate what the project is and how it performs. You continue to set new standards for the flight sim hobby community.

[Spatate]

Awsome video... very instructive...

that's almost EXACTLY what i want to do... so be prepared for MANY question :-P

btw...

are they wiper motors? if not what type?

[Roland]

Thanks guys, and Mike, nice to see you here!

I must say, the motion building has really taken off lately. Lots of great ideas flying around, and good work on the software side as well. Ian's insight on motion physics has been very valuable.
This weekend I visited FS Weekend in Lelystad Holland, and also there were some experiments with homebuild linear actuators shown, driven by old vacuum cleaner motors! This flightsim community is full of ingenious people!

[Roland]

Awsome video... very instructive...

that's almost EXACTLY what i want to do... so be prepared for MANY question :-P

btw...

are they wiper motors? if not what type?

They are DC servo motors. I got them from junkyards.
~~Most details are on my webpages, so please read them thouroughly~~
Ian's website lists manufacturers for standard DC motors, so you could check there for info. His DC motors should work on my rig as well.

[Dutchboy]

Very nice. I noticed that it sort of rocks a bit when it is finished moving. Do you notice this in the cockpit? Or does it add to the effect?

[Roland]

Very nice. I noticed that it sort of rocks a bit when it is finished moving. Do you notice this in the cockpit? Or does it add to the effect?

You are right, there is some swinging motion, due to the fact that the platform hangs on 3 V-belts. Although it is not very annoying during flight, I will try to reduce this effect by placing some sort of guidance system under the base, still under development.

[Prof Bill]

Congratulations Roland on your progress to date!
Ian's software has certainly made a major conribution to new initiatives in platform building!

I was recently given a couple of boards to experiment with that support an add-on heavy duty motor controller that might be useful to some constructors to investigate and build also!

I cannot find a direct link to the article on line so I located a copy of the EPE August 2005 magazine. The total cost is about £37.00 (UK) and the bare board is available from EPE.
The article is written by Ken Ginn.

http://www.epemag.wimborne.co.uk/projects.html

Projects in the August 2005 issue of EPE Magazine
Motor Amplifier — A heavy duty speed control add-on for radio controlled combat robots. Interfaces with a simple primary speed controller. Operates from robot's on-board 24V d.c. supply, drives a 150W permanent magnet motor and can interface with common RC speed controllers. Forward and reverse control. Our Motor Amplifier design has been battle-hardened and thanks to its paralleled MOSFET output stage is as near bomb-proof as we can make it

Bill.

[meo_udon]

http://www.youtube.com/v/ysBgRe1W1C0

This 2DOF platform use Ian software too.

[dodiano]

This one is really impressive man:

YouTube - 6DOF Motion Platform Model

Regards,

Roberto

[marcofa]

Where I can find Jan's software?
Thanks
Marco

[Matt Olieman]

If I can only hook up those servos to my pit :roll: I don't know if they would make them big enough. :o

[Roland]

Ian's motion software can be found here:
http://buggies.builtforfun.co.uk/Sim/sim-downloads.html

He's also working on a new design 3DoF that is more conventional. Check out the Platform 2 drawings and description on: http://buggies.builtforfun.co.uk/Sim/index.html

When building 3DoF motion platforms that require relatively low power drive, the key is weight balance. Both Ian's and my design make use of a bungee cord systems that counters the mass of the platform. Thus the servo's only need to accelerate the platform mass according F=m*a. I did some rough drive calculations with some interesting results. Details can be found on: http://simprojects.nl/platform_drive_calculations_iii.htm

[Mike.Powell]

...Details can be found on: http://simprojects.nl/platform_drive_calculations_iii.htm

This is a very nice overview of the analytic process applied to motion systems. This sort of approach leads to better understanding and ultimately to better, safer projects. Roland's site is an outstanding resource and should be required reading for anyone thinking about a motion system.