where to begin

[Mr. Midnight]

well folks i have been doing some research on how to start this project.

to start off im not looking for a whole lot of movement, just enough to make it more real.
i dont really need quick response as for i will be mostly be flying the heavies.

so i wont need the maximum percentage of degrees.

i need to be going down the runway and as i rotate i need to move up maybe 10 to 15 degrees.

the same turning left or right and landing.

and i know you folks are saying is he nuts thats all i want:)

1. i will be the only pilot, so one seat.

2.cocpit will have the usual .

this is what i need to make it real to me. ( mind you this is what i need to be real for me)

so here goes , i like to have front view , left front , right front, leftside and right side, so i will be needing flat monitors light as possible.

mcp , overhead, center console.

this will be all tightly compact i know , and light weight as possible.

as i said im not looking for that quick response , just enough to make it more real, and fun.

as far as electronics no problem in getting all that to work.

3. my spare bedroom demisions are 12by 12' 8 foot ceilings.

4. what type of motors will work well ( i heard wheel chair motors would do fine).
5. how many motors will it take to get up down and side ways.
6.how should my platform look to accomodate just me and the cockpit.
7. is this possible to do this as compact as possible and as little weight as possible.

8. what will be the best way to start this , im thinking on the frame work .

well now that im confused can someone point me in the right direction so that i can decide on the right set up for me, or will i have to go back to just flying motionless:)

im embarking on somthing very difulcult i know , but i thought hat when i go into simming.

so folks there you have it, so after you get off of the floor laughing tell it to me straight, oh and i will be doing this from scratch on a poormans budget.

i know i will have to spend a bunch of money, but where ever i can do it myself i will.

Thsnks.....Robert

[warvet]

Robert,
Also i highly recommend treadmill motors very durable and easy to work with. Also I just happen to have a bunch of them :) Let me know if interested

Tim

[AndyT]

You will need 2 motors for Pitch and Roll. If you feel free to modify and paint the room, you can use 3 motors and 3 projectors. That would give you unlimited Yaw also.

You would have to modify the room into a relative circle by rounding the corners, hiding the door... Thats simple carpentry. Add the three projectors on top of the sim to give you a full 180 degree view and you will have a sim that pros will envy.

Round out the joins to the ceiling also. Get rid of any mouldings in the room that would mess with the projected picture.

Of course, this is more of a dream setup, but it is very acheiveable. It will just take some time to build. Room first, then platform, then the sim on top. This is actually what I have planned when I get enough room to do it.

Lots of work but awesome results.

[Roland]

I suppose you have checked out the few sites with info on motion platforms. From those I think you can make your choice.
With only pitch and roll axis, the weight of the platform is supported by a centerpost, like Jim's. This setup can take a lot of weight, which you probably have with all visuals and consoles.

Just a note: Motion isn't the wholy grail. I have a fairly complete but low cost system, and I find the items in importance order:
#1: Good visuals
#2: Good sound
#3: Good vibrations
#4: Good motion (where the smaller cues like touchdown, turbulence, runway bumps are more important (convincing) than the big motion cues like rotation during turns, pitch during acceleration and braking and long stroke heave)
#5: feel of controls (force feedaback)
#6: other senses (ventilation, temperature)

And ofcourse the feel of being inside a cockpit, real dials, doors, seats, lighting, smell of kerosene) rated somewhere between #2 and #3

But in terms of fun to build and tweak the system, motion is by far the most addictive.

PS: Scenery visuals for single seater can be greatly enhanced by multiple LCD's with fresnel lenses.

[mauriceb]

. If you feel free to modify and paint the room, you can use 3 motors and 3 projectors. That would give you unlimited Yaw also.

.


Moving platform with 3 projectors = very bad idea unless you are also able to have 3 projection screens attached to the sim & moving with the sim. Otherwise, major motion sickness :D

But having 3 moving projection screens would be a logistical nightmare to build if only because of the space requirements. I would think LCD or plasma screens would be the only viable method aside from very expensive collimated displays

Maurice

[AndyT]

Maurice,

After building the shell, mount the three projectors on top of it. It will take some time to get it all aligned just right, but any 3 projector system is going to take time to get right. And using Sol7 will help also.

[Mr. Midnight]

well i really appreciate all the help here and it really comes to deciding on which way to go.
i think i will go with the flat screens.
so now i will need to decide on motors or servos, the reason on servos i read a post some time back on servos like they use in rc planes, just get bigger ones that can handle the weight.
if not motors , wheel chair motors , threadmill motors whatever can handle
my weight (160lbs) plus cocpits weight.200 400 lbs, i may be way off on this number.
so a starting point should be a type of platform and motors.
as for motion sites i have visited several, and it seems to come down to what you need and wants are.
so i guess i will measure out what my platform size will be , and then determine what motors to use.

and is there a site where i can get some ideas, from and kind of follow through with.

Thanks...Robert

[mauriceb]

Maurice,

After building the shell, mount the three projectors on top of it. It will take some time to get it all aligned just right, but any 3 projector system is going to take time to get right. And using Sol7 will help also.

The projectors are not the issue Andy... the 3 screens are the problem. They have to move with the sim platform otherwise the projectors will be projecting all over the place as the platform & the projectors move.

Maurice

[warvet]

Yup Maurice is 100% right when it comes to this mr. Midnight. we have done literally years of research on this issue and discovered many things including the vertigo issue that Maurice is describing. It is a known fact that that all sceens must be attached to the motion system and timed to work with the motion exactly or it will create nausea and motion sickness results. This is jmo mind you.

regards Tim

[AndyT]

The projectors are not the issue Andy... the 3 screens are the problem. They have to move with the sim platform otherwise the projectors will be projecting all over the place as the platform & the projectors move.

Maurice

Exactly. Thats why you modify the room into a circle by doing some basic carpentry. Hide the corners, edge of the ceiling... Its not that hard. Once you have a circle, then just paint it with a good screen paint and the walls become your screens.

[AndyT]

What causes the vertigo is the inconsistancy of the screen surface.

If there is a spot on one of the screens (somewhere on the wall) then your mind tries to focus on it and in so doing creates a false sense of direction. Once that happens, its very easy to get motion sick.

The same thing is found in sea-sickness. People look at the water and the boat is moving in a diffeent direction that what their minds think it should. Remove the reference points, (spots on wall, bad join between panels...) and you remove the minds ability to focus on it.

If you have done a good job of carpentry, then you should have no problem with it.