Cheap motion using junk, things about jimspage Questions etc

[Jim NZ]

Hi Guys and welcome to to the world of cheap motion. There are heaps of brilliant idea's out there but not many on the net.
This would be a good place to toss ideas, thoughts, links etc around so toss them in and see what we can all learn from one-an-other.
Playing with junk is great fun... Makes the old brain think on a different level.
I'll hang around this forum if anyone wants to pick my brain, BUT I can be away for a week at a time.
Get going, collect some junk and toss the idea in.. we all want to learn to do it better and cheaper.
:shock:
Jim NZ
www.jimspage.co.nz

[W9XE/Project777]

Funny motion platforms was mentioned this week. A friend of mine sent me a link.

http://www.force-dynamics.com/video/force-dynamics_301-lfs-1.wmv

He is not a sim builder but new I was. This video is using one for a car but could easily be used in a fighter, helicopter, or any single seat aircraft.

[W9XE/Project777]

Jim

While checking membership site's I did get a shot of your motion sim. This is really good. I know someone who is looking at motion for fighters. Will pass this on. Would be neat to have about 3 or 4 players using something like this. So much simpler than most. Great idea!

keeps us informed here if you progress into a version 2 :D

[Jim NZ]

Hi Larry
Yes there are a lot of cheap and easy methods out there.. some really ingenious.. I think we just need somewhere to toss these idea's around and this is a great place to do it.
Not everone has a lazy $20,000 (and thats the cheapest) around to get motion going.
Some people also just like making do with "junk" and putting in their own ingenuity to end up with the same result.... I actually found making do with "junk" very rewarding and the whole thing ended up a very enjoyable sidetrack from the real mission.
I have had e'mail and photo's from guys who have made moving sims using car jacks, a wire sort of winch thing and one was even using the moters out of car window winders... all were absolutely brilliant.

It will take a while for word to get out that there is a "cheap motion using junk" forum where they can toss their ideas in and develop them further.. We all want to furthur our fun in the hobby.
I plan to do a big update on my site with FAQ's and will then point everyone to this forum as this side of our hobby needs some good exposure for everyone to read and take part in.

Thanks for allowing this to happen.... You guys are great... Jim www.jimspage.co.nz

[W9XE/Project777]

Jim:

Thanks for the kind words about IFSBI. We would not be here without the support of builders like you that have ideas that get put into practical use.

We appreceiate all your support and comments. We are trying to bring in as much information for the builders as we can find. Now we are working hard on the tutorial section . If you have any tutorials that you would not mind sharing pass them on and I will get them posted.

Regards

[Trevor Hale]

I heard someone used an old Junked "Craftmatic Bed for their platform." Wonder if you can find those in the scrap heap..

Trev

[W9XE/Project777]

Now thats interesting. I have an adjustable bed but I wouldn't want to use it for a motion platform. Very slow :lol: and was very expensive.

[Jim NZ]

Trev,
Believe it or not the theory is quite sound... The movement in beds is generally done with a 12 or 24 volt DC linear actuator thru a built in power supply... Probably other methods too but I dont know.
Now linear actuators are used in small to medium moving platform commercially but the ones in beds are of a very low duty cycle... to quote one supplyer.... 2 in 18... that means it can only operate for 2 minutes and then rest for 18 minutes !!
The bed ones here in NZ (cant remember the brand) have, after a real indepth search on the net, have a habbit of going on fire !!! Probably due to the duty cycle or sheets getting wrapped in the works... dont know.

As Larry says, they are slow, but the actual movement is depending on a messy formula of force applied, speed, and how far from the pivot point(presumming you are pivoting it.)
They are generally rated in Newtons (or kilo-newtons Kn) if you find a labell.. divide the newtons by 9.81 to get the Kgs it will lift. (general guide only)

Anyway if you find some, have a play but remember the duty cycle. The good thing about them is a DC moter is easy to control.

So Larry has a moving bed huh ??? The mind here is racing... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Get that junk moving Trev... find an old bed or better still pop around to Larry's bedroom when he's flying. :lol:

See ya's JimNZ www.jimspage.co.nz

[Trevor Hale]

Jim, Thanks for the info. Something about "Fire" In your description is what might prevent me from using such an animal. Duty cycle is definitely a concern, we can't have the sim go up, but not come down, although it would be neat hitting my fire pull switches.

I winder though Jim if those motors could be replaced with a standard wheelchair motor. From looking at one the other day, I would think that the shaft of the low duty cycle motor would be removable, and refixed to a wheelchair motor (also 12V or 24V) and they wouldn't have a duty cycle.

Well good thoughts,

Staying away from fires for now!!!

Trev

[Matt Olieman]

What about a waterbed....... :lol: Just kidding :wink:

[Jim NZ]

Hi Guys Was just updating my web site and had the sudden thought when going thru all the E'mails I've had to deal with, that the naming on this thread could be a bit "putting off'ish" to the simmers that have built great platforms cheaply but it hasnt been out of junk.

These guys are also the ones we want to hear from and share knowledge.

Lets hear from them, even if its just a theory, toss the thought around.
Some-one else may have done it before and succeeded.

So,,,, about these linear actuators ???? Any one been down this road ???

:lol:

JimNZ www.jimspage.co.nz

[Matt Olieman]

:D Junk is not necessarily bad. We've built a lot of cockpits out of someone Else's junk :)

BUT, Jim you have an excellent point. See you there.....

[wannabeaflyer]

Hi Jim sorry to be a pain but just needed some more tech advice ...Basically spent the last week scouring the net for more info and am looking at how to implement a 3DOF sim based on your design but cant seem to find out how the Heave axis is implemented on your system.... have sourced or
should that found a breakers yard which may be able to get me 3 off Steering boxes and Pumps for a BMW 7 series inc pipes and Arm also 3 off Windscreen wiper motors from the same type of car .. Prop Shaft as well so looking good For the major Elements Coil Spring ???? still trying to work out size Etc .Have a basic Concept and outline Drawing for the Actual Sim Platform But need to Tidy up a load of little details before Metal is Cut .Wood is Chopped , House destroyed LOL:-) .Any info would be Greatly Appreciated as always Hope one day to do you proud... PS as my existing simulator was built around IO Cockpit Interface Cards ( Spanish Company who supply IFC cards Ready Built ) OPENCOCKPITS.COM was wondering if any one has been down this road using your Mechanics and theres electronics One last idea would a Mcpherson Strut ( Coil spring / Damper assembly Typically used for Modern Suspension units ) be suitable for Central support ( With Universal joint Fixed to Floating End ) Spring rating to be sorted.. :?:

. Just a thought :wink:



Very Best Regards ( Wannabeaflyer)

[Jim NZ]

Hi Calvin, first of all, yes I have got your email but Ive been away for a week and am just back now. Thought I would answer the forum first. Will get back in more detail when I get onto your email.

The trial sim I built was only 2DOF's (no heave) and it sits on a car driveshaft. I am building YAW into my next one (long story as to why) but if I was going to add heave, I would use "lemon tubing" (it is used on the power take-off (driveshaft) on big mowers (and other impliments) that are behind tractors. There are 1,2,4,and six sided types. I would have used the 6 sided one and put a small truck driveshaft universal fitting on the top. Just under that there would be a disk that was on the top of the spring. etc etc. Getting the right strength spring will be a mission in its-self !!! probably have to get one made ???

The cards from opencockpits.com, I dont know anything about so maybe someone else could fill that in.
One output card that looks very promissing is from www.flightdecktechnology.com and that is because you can feed in macro's. Ultimately this card could make my second (motion) computer unnessesary as (if) the macro is versatile enough, it could do the hole control bit. I am researching this at the moment so will keep you informed.

You seem to be making great progress in finding the bits and thats the main battle.... keep it up.
Will send you an email in a day or two.. or three ...
Cheers ... Jim NZ.
www.jimspage.co.nz

[wannabeaflyer]

Hi Jim Just an Update from a happy Chappy :D Had a Play with CHcomm and Hyperterminal yesterday ...We Are talking Major league Grin Here :) Actually got the Scuse the Expression Damm thing to work ( sorry guys just Riding a high at the moment ) Things are starting to come together Will Keep you Posted :wink:

[Jim NZ]

Calvin, what can I say.... How do you Aussies put it ??? something like "bonza ripper dude" or " keeooool Mate"
I got the feeling there will be no holding you back now !!!! You can actually see progress, and yes,, its a **** of a thrill.

Great stuff Calvin. keep us posted.

Jim NZ

[Jim NZ]

Hi Calvin, Sorry to flick you back here but Greg is on another angle (a rather interesting one) and I didnt want to change the flow of his forum there.

Now your steering box's. ... Mine had a 90 degree swing to the arm and it took 6 turns (at the steering wheel end) to do the complete 90 degree swing. That makes it about 24:1 ratio.
Your idea of including heave (and Roland is dead right here) brings a problem of weight bearing down on the steering box's. it would probably be too much even if they were power assisted ones. Commercial makers use a tube thing (square tubing or "lemon tubing") coupled with a spring to assist in the weight distrubutiion, but, but, you would have to do some homework here.


Using an electric motor to drive a power steering pump is not just a mater of throwing it together.. You will need to work out...

The speed of the pump versus the speed of the input wiper motor (Can it keep up with the volume/pressure)
The horsepower required to drive the pumps (Power steering pumps run at anywhere between 600 and 1600 PSI.)
Andd thats just 2 that rattle to my brain. I havent been down that road yet but I would work it out first before spending any money.
I suppose though, if you dont try anything, you wont be any further ahead. Probably just buy one and sort it out first before buying 3 of them ???

All is not gloom and doom though ,, there are 3 other guys that I know of that are actually going down that road of using power steering box's so hopefully they will pop when they get it going and fire some results into the forum.

Now the wiper motors ... Torgue ... I havent the faintest idea here Calvin !!! But probably they are very much of a muchness as they all do the same type of work (Move 2 blades across a windscreen) The thing here to look out for is how you are going to mount it and how you are going to couple it to the steering box. Some would be **** and not worth the bother. .. Just compare and see what will suit you.

I hope thats of help Calvin, Tread carefully if you have to BUY them as its "see how it goes" sort of engineering. !!

Cheers ... Jim NZ

p.s. Ive been away a few days for work :(

[wannabeaflyer]

Hi Jim Again you came up with the goods as they say .. Welcome advice from a level head Lol:-) i intend to this weekend haggle like mad witjh the guys and see if they can let me have the units on a sale or return sorta deal, that would allow me to try out the operation config before commiting to the full kit ... Cant seem to find much info ( Free Info ) as to how to implement the Heave function so looks like this will be a two stage project ( 2 axixs learning Prototype) Full Monty to follow.. :) Have now oredered My K74 Relay Card kit which should be arriving any day now and the post office guys say i have a parcel to be picked up ( should had em send it to work ) so that most likely my 2 Off Motor controller Boards ( Hope it comes with the Extra Device to allow Greater Current Peak.. Staill Looking Around and may have to bite the Bullet with Classic Flight as they seem to have a design for Heave which could be Useful , Will Keep You Posted ... General shout out to all the Veiwers has any one out there got any ideas regarding how we could get the Heave Function implemented on Jims Motion Platform :?: Cheers Guys

[wannabeaflyer]

Hi Guys just got my K74 Parallel port 8 Relay output card built from a kit supplied by Quasar Electronic's Here in the UK ,, hoping that the package i will pick up from the post office tomorow will be my 2 Motor controller Boards From DSE in New Zealand both items as recomended by Jim ...Relay board works a treat kIT WAS EASY to put together and once FS204 & CHcomm were runing switched over to my Platform Controller PC running GWbasic + Motion .bas ...i gotta say it Like the Guys From The A tean=m used to say " i Love it when a plan comes togather " :D so as isaid above this is the easy part the Mechanical bits to follow once the software and Control systems have been tested, Would still love to hear any thoughts about different drive configurations or ideas as it all goes into the melting pot mix it around and something good pop's out LOL ;-) i know they seem tedious posts but its nice when things can be seen in action so just wanted to share the moment ... :P

[Jim NZ]

Calvin ... I wish I were a fly on the wall and seen your face when the relays started to click and clack intune with the roll and pitch.
Its a great feeling isnt it ???? You done well .... I can see your grin from here. !!!

I really cant understand why more simmers havent used this method for motion because it is so simple to get going !!!
Its not complicated like other ways ... Just get one thing going at a time like you have and you will be moving in no time.

Well done Calvin .. Keep us posted...


BY THE WAY EVERYONE ... chcomm3a.zip is now available from www.flightsim.com at long last !!
chcomm3a.zip is actually chcomm3 rehashed with an automatic free key for FSUIPC so it loads and runs automatically.
Thanks to Peter Dowson, Claude Hanssens and Erich Leonhard. ... Thanks Guys !!!!
Get there and download it, read the doc's and you will be hooked on just how easy it really is.

Jim NZ

[wannabeaflyer]

Hi jim .... motor control boards are here and guess what i'll also be maiking this weekend :D cnat seem to find CHCOMM3 @ the website link any clues as to how dep it's buried LOL:-) :oops:

[wannabeaflyer]

Sorry about the errors in the last post guys .. a little too comfortable , coffee, magazines , haste makes waste :)

[Jim NZ]

Calvin .. It is there, even listed under "hot files for yesterday"

At flightsim.com you need to register (free) then go thru to the files section then
do a search for "chcomm3a.zip"
Dont forget the "a" (after the 3) or you will download the old one.

Just a wee hint Calvin ... the variable speed units ,,... You dont need them to get the whole thing running.
Get the whole platform running without those units and then fit them,, as the motion platform will work fine except the starts will be jerky and the speed too quick.
Fitting them after keeps the commissioning very simple to track faults and of course, the less electronics to blow up due to a "wee" mistake you might have made. !!!

Keep fiddling ... Jim NZ

[wannabeaflyer]

Hi Jim ... been a busy boy this weekend ...got my bits for the 1st phase build ( 1 off Steering Box ...Prop shaft with Universal Joint, Wiper motor assembly , 2 Off Motor Control card kits ) now looking at the connections from the relays to the control card and Micro swithces... ( A Little head scatching going on here not down to the info you have given, just me trying to get my head round certain connections) :oops: seems i have to Tap into the outpiut of the 12Vdc Regulator , Remove C2 and add a Power Diode and Cap across the Motor Output of the Control extend Off PCB to Motor reversal Relay .. 2 things where the info from DSE conflicts with your Working Model...They indicate the diode /Cap be fitted to the Motor and they show 2 possible connection for the Motor i.e < 10amp connect to = & - Terminals of Motor control Card and > 10Ams to be Connected to the Source and Heatsink terminal which i gather will be the Drain.. i know you made it clear this was not a beginners project so i respect that just trying to understand why certain approaches were taken.. PS Did you fit the Fuse as supplied with the kit.. have taken some photos of my collection of bits so far now have to figure out how to go about posting them on the forum.. Building the second kit at present and will be placing an order for the other 2 the=at i forgot later this week :o

[Jim NZ]

Hi Calvin, sorry for delay.. work !! anyway, at the progress you are making, its probably working by now. !!
I used the > 10 amps ... electrically they are both the same and the only difference is, the >10amp is connected to the mosfets directly so there is no large load going thru the tracks on the printed circuit board. (avoids burning up the copper tracks if there is a fault or intermittant large load)
The C2 thing ... I suggest you build the board as designed in the kit, and then once its all going, bring in the refinements (the wiring to the "action"relay.) Your going thru a huge learning curve here and its best to keep it simple and then "refine" later, rather than incorperating "tricks" right from the start.
The diode and cap across the motor ... As I used the >10amp method, this leaves the holes free on the PCB where the motor could have been wired to (<10 amp method) so I just used them, remember, they are electrically the same so it was quite conveniant. Remember to fit the diode the right way round :lol: :lol:
The fuse !!! was that what it was :D :D I ended up with 4 spare fuses !! But no, I didnt use them,, I like to live dangerously !! The thrill... you know Calvin ?? But there are fuses at the power supply to protect for big faults.

Hope everything is going well ... whens take off ?? ... Jim NZ

[Roland]

Hi Jim,

I noticed you have updated your website. It really is a great source of information. Thanks to your software examples, I've made good progress on the motion interface, finalized enough to start work on the mechanical side of the platform. A folded cable-pulley system this time, that should fit in my attick. see http://www.simprojects.nl/new_ideas.htm

Just a note: I had to update my links to your site, as you have changed the name of http://www.jimspage.co.nz/intro.html to http://www.jimspage.co.nz/intro.htm (just one letter different, but someone might think your site went down)

Rgds

-----------------
Roland
www.simprojects.nl

[Jim NZ]

Hi Roland, and when I first read your posting, I though,, "oh, bother" ... When I done the update, I thought I would tidy up the system (some were htm, some were html) and I never even gave it a thought as to the consequence. !!! I went staight back and changed the intro page to take either htm or html ... so hopefully the link problem is fixed.

Now talking of updates....

Your site is brilliant Roland, and with the constant updates and fresh idea's you are throwing up, makes it a site I am following when ever I do a "have a look around" I particullary like your idea of the new pitch method. !!! Although it wont suit me with the rebuild, it certainly has merrit for other motion pit builders.... So easy to do !!

Last friday seen the old "box" sim finally stripped down to nothing and Saturday seen the start of the new one ... Stay tuned ... and the same as you, although not as serious, height is a problem. It is surprising the room you need for a moving sim especially when you add 360 degree yaw .... My garage has a low ceiling so the challenge is there to overcome.

Great work Roland... Great website (they are a lot of work, arent they?) and you got heaps of fresh idea's... keep it up.

See you .... Jim

[Jim NZ]

Hi Guys... Just a note to let you know, I have updated my site.

You will have to click "reload" or "refresh" to see them if you have been in my site before. (Not sure how to get over that problem if I do an update.) :?:

As I was wrecking my old sim, I took some good pictures of the drives so they may be of help to others.

Keep fiddling !!! :D

See you ..... Jim NZ
www.jimspage.co.nz

[wannabeaflyer]

Hi Jim Hope this E-mail Address is still Valid , been back to your website actually i look in every day and saw some great updates , Photos were like they say Spoke a thousand words got a lot of tips from seeing the dismantling Photos , Absoloutly great stuff from you as always. i have not been draging my heels just hassle sourcing the bits , Bought all my relays and have am constructing my delevopment wiring layout. Been to loads of Boot sales and picked up bits and pieces that will come in handy , Also got my Steering Box and Propshaft. A Good friend of my has phoned to say he has some Angle iron 1 1/4" x 1 1/4 " so that will help no end ...... Progress is being made but their never seems enough time LOL:-) ..Nice work on the start of your New Baby , bet your gonna have some serious fun and Head scratching . thought i'd attach some pic's of some of the bits just for your amusment :-) Keep up the good work Cos your setting the standard . Hope you get these cos i know you mentioned on your website that the usual ****heads :oops: have spolied a good thing for a lot of people . er Guys How do you Post Pictures On This Forum D'Oh :?:

Best Regards

[Jim NZ]

Hi calvin, Wondered where you had gone ... but you are obviously busy getting the bits together.
Yes I got your email and the pictures and things are definately all go over there alright !!!
I got to admitt when I seen the wiper motor without the "crank" I paniced, but then I seen it at the bottom of the pix. ... whew !! a real important bit that is. :!:

Pictures on the forum need to come from a link from a site somewhere else but suggest you open up an albulm here at ifsbi.com and put them there for all to see. (Now theres a wee challenge for you )

The steering box looks a good solid one Calvin ... well done there .. and you have vertually all the mechanical bits you need now. :lol: So after you finish with the soldering iron, all **** will break loose. :wink:

Yes ... my old sim.. wrecking it was a bit sad, but that has been overcome with the excitement of actually starting the new one and of course the new one was always the focus of what I wanted. Boy, has the design changed over the years :!: :!: :!:

Keep us posted Calvin and open up a photo albulm here and post your pictures. ... Your progress is a great value to others that are watching.

Cheers from NZ ... Jim NZ
www.jimspage.co.nz

[jabomeister]

just an idea here...could you simulate motion without really moving?
Say you get a set of harnesses which can tighten to simulate pitch up- i.e. pushing you in your seat, or go loose, to simulate pitch down.
Along with those, your seat cushion has two sections that can inflate, front and back. Front inflates to simulate pitch up, bottom inflates to simulate pitch down. Thus in pitch up your legs would go up a bit, while the seatbelts push you tight against the back of the chair.
In pitch down, the back cushion pushes your butt up, making your torso lean forward and literally hang from the harness.
Well, this is my idea for simulating pitch changes...just an idea :)

[Jim NZ]

Hi Jabomeister .. Sorry for the big delay .. Been in Australia wrestling some kangaroo's , chasing snakes and drinking beer ... on return, sent away for a week with work.

I suppose your idea has credit but I think it would be big job just to get it to go ... and then you would probably be disappointed with the sensation. Motion in any sort of simulation is a compromise and the amount of money or effort put into can get you closer to the real effect. Your "motion seat" concept reminds me of the "force feed back" joysticks etc that when they first came out, some people though they were amazing, others thought they were just ???
I do know of a guy that is using that same seatbelt idea to add to his motion platform to mimic the effect of an arrestor cable when landing on a aircraft carrier. Anyway, its really, what ever turns you on ,, go for it !!! It would certainly be better than no effects at all !!! :D

To those waiting on an update on my website ,, I have thrown in a few pictures of the new motion base.
They are in the "Where to from here" page.
http://www.jimspage.co.nz/where.htm

See ya's
Jim NZ
www.jimspage.co.nz

[Roland]

Hi Jim,

Just had a look at your updates on your page: Hats off, it's looking great!! Looks like you are taking care of more driving power (dual motor wiper units).
A couple of questions / comments :
You mention that you are developing a new interface, faster than CHcomm. This really is good news as the 0.2msec update speed of current CHcomm is indeed an issue. You also say that you want to use visual basic iso gwbasic because of speed limitations of gwbasic. I'm not sure where the limitations of GWbasic (in the RS232 data receiving PC) are, as my experience with portdrv utility (update speed 40msec) have not shown any speed limitation with gwbasic in the receiving PC; actually I had to limit the speed of the platform to make sure I don't feel the digital noise of the FS data. GWbasic can update my parallel port DAC's ( http://www.simprojects.nl/parallel_port_dac.htm ) within 40 usec. on a pentium 200Mhz. But maybe I'm overlooking something. The parallel port dac's that I'm currently using are working really well. Didn't need the isolation after all. Now using 2 dac's but the concept is good for totally 4 dacs, so you could drive pitch, roll, yaw, heave all independently. The interface is dead cheap I expect component cost would not exceed $25 ~ $30 for 4 dacs. homebuild that is. The PWM power drive ( http://www.simprojects.nl/electrical_drive.htm ) is another matter. Probably better to buy than to build.

Just some thoughts.

Presently working with the portdrvr utility maker on some interesting modifications.

Cheers,

Roland

[Jim NZ]

Hi Roland, great to hear from you again and thanks for the comments on my progress.

Yes Chcomm is a bit slow (but still very useable) at about 220 msec's on my test's so I took the bull by the horns and developed my own (I call it Jimcomm) everytime I have a fiddle with it I get it faster .. currently about 90 to 80 Msec's but I might be reaching the limit of speed going thru FSUIPC ... don't know ???? Will get back to it one day.

Once I got that running, I hooked it to a much revised and added-to gwbasic program and I kept getting "buffer overflows" after a while, so I assumed the loop speed was too slow to keep the serial buffer empty. ???
You are getting great figures with your loops so I might revisit this and see what I have done wrong. There certainly seems plenty of speed there and one great advantage with Gwbasic is its easy to modify "on the fly".

I had a re-read of my updated page and deleted all the "I'm gonna" things ... (hate pages that say that .. it tells you nothing) but when I wrote it, I just thought I would toss my plans in as, (I gotto admit myself) I have been keeping a low profile mainly because of work.

Now... Roland .... you got a brilliant site and full of real good info ... how do you find time to do it all ??? I know websites are a **** of a lot of work !!! but your updates are the end result of hours fiddling with soldering irons, spanners etc !!! Great stuff .. you are a credit to the cause. !!!

Keep us in touch with that DLL thingy..

See ya ... Jim
www.jimspage.co.nz

[Roland]

Hi Jim,

You definitely are more software savvy than you had us believe. I'm not sure what GWbasic causes to give you buffer overflows, could it be the speed of the PC, or the amount of data that you're trying to send? Never did a baud rate calculation, but the 4 byte data the Keith is sending via portdrv has not given my setup any issues. I have the baud rate at 9600. That should be ample for sending 4 bytes per 40 msec, which is around 800+ bits per second. The GWbasic code itself is probably PC clockrate dependend. Maybe try a faster PC would give some clues. Also running the code compiled gives considerable speed increase. For the FS interface, I know that Keith did a lot of tricks to make his utility so fast. I you want to get in touch with him, let me know. On the FSUIPC you could get in contact with Pete Dowson, he is very helpful, has a special forum where he answers all kinds of questions. http://forums.simflight.com/viewforum.php?f=54&sid=9574c17c4552c01f6c534f96bbff6c8c

Whatever you put on your website will be interesting. I personally love your metalworking tricks and smart use of car parts. Ideas and future plans are always vague, I also try to set some targets, only to fail miserably, but the good thing there is no boss pointing to some fixed deadline you have to meet.... That's why it's called hobby!! Though the wife may sometimes wonder.....

Keeping the website up to date is not such a hassle: I'm using Frontpage which is not a bad program to work with. It's almost like writing a report in Word. Uploading is a breeze, as it automatically looks for updates. There is some extra overhead, but who cares....

For my motion electronics I can imagine there is some difficulty for people less familiar with using electronic components. I could try and make some decent PCB layouts and partslists, so they would be easier to build, but so far no special request, I guess most motion builders are using different approach.

Anyway, likewise keep us posted on the Jimcomm. It has lots of potential.

Rgds Roland