convert chinese made 3dof movie ride motionplatform to sim use

[simppa]

I am quite novise in motionplatforms. Chinese manufacturer do pneumatic an hydraulic units. Units include cylinders, valves, feedback sensors and completed metal parts assembled.one example picture attached. Now what shoud i ask from manufactuer so i could find out how to interface with flightsimulator. 3 dof hydraulic platforms are around 1000 euros in china.3464
Chinese manufaturer mentioned that they are able to produce per customer blueprints too. I wonder if it is worth start developing .Can somebody give webpages where interfacing sofware and hardware info available.

[kermit]

Hi,
It`s all depending on what you know about the basics of hydraulics , pheumatics and electrics,
if you have no knowledge about these things or know how to calculate forces,speeds ,flows weights etc ,
then I would advise you to stay away from these platforms and learn the basics first.

Is it for hobby or do you want to make a living out of it?
Also you have to calculate shippingcost
If you want to start with one then ask a forwarder for a LCL shipping quote with all the customsdocumentation.
It will not be cheap

But you could ask the manufacturer the W.L.L. for the platform ,
wich powerpack(pulse steered or continued driven with returnvalve) you have to use to have a certain speed and excelleration, voltage/ amps, depending on loads and other things.
Do you know the total weight of the cockpit
will it have a proportional valve(electric driven or by hand) but if the platform is about 1000 euro ,
I think there will be no proportional valve delivered with the platform.
Normally a quality electric prop valve Bosch Rexroth or Brevini with pressureswitch will cost around 8 to 1100 euro a piece( but if you are a handy person you could turn a hand driven valve into a electric at lower cost)
wich cilinders are used high/low pressure,Dimensions, CE certification,Safety-features.
structure qualitychecks, used materials
Also if you want to make a living out of it, and sell within the E.E.G you have to comply to the machinedirective 2006, there is a new guideline
greetz

[simppa]

i have done some basic course work on pneumatic and hydrulics, but associated electronic is quite little.What do you mean by abbreviation W.L.L
there is little bit problem with comunication with chinese. They do not know exact words and my english aint too great either.
Quate from chinese manufacturer what it includes.
Our platform includes ,mechanism feedback hydraulic pump station, Servo controlling System

And strong electricity controlling system, the hydraulic valve is 3 and 5 hydraulic valve



The sensor is Resistance-type displacement transducer connect with computer is RS 232interface

those electric proportinal valves aint too expensive in china of course china made.What comes to european certifications most of do have CE certifications. I do not have any plans to do it commercially , but would be great to have cheap alternative to hobbiyst.

[Badge]

I would go to the mfg outline your needs and have them create the tech info if they are mfg these then they should know what it is you need it to do. The most important thing they need to know is the weight you expect to mount on top of it. 2500-3000lbs (Assuming a full FSTD) and pitch and roll +-25deg.

[kermit]

W.L.L. Working Limit Load
Its a safety feature that is the sum of certain calculations of strengh of materials used at certain forces.
The outcome is the maxium load you can use on that platform at certain speed and forces.
If the platform comes with a 3/5 valve it will not have a proportinal valve, but a valve that works with stages (stop and go`s) .
If its a plug and play type platform its really cheap, will it have a testcertificate? if not please order one when purchasing a platform.

I`m building a platform myself, and will be driven by electric/hydraulic system,
using 12 volt wiper motors for converted hand driven proportinal valves.
And a powerpack with returnvalve.
The drivesystem itself will be tested on the testrig where I`m working,
the platform is finished and mounted ready for the drives.
I started to look for a electric driven platform but couldn`t find the motorcontrollers and PLC that could handle the load I`m working with.
For now I still need to figure out some little bits and bobs

[jirehone7]

Hello Simppa may I kindly have the website address for this chinese manufacturer.Many thanks

I am quite novise in motionplatforms. Chinese manufacturer do pneumatic an hydraulic units. Units include cylinders, valves, feedback sensors and completed metal parts assembled.one example picture attached. Now what shoud i ask from manufactuer so i could find out how to interface with flightsimulator. 3 dof hydraulic platforms are around 1000 euros in china.3464
Chinese manufaturer mentioned that they are able to produce per customer blueprints too. I wonder if it is worth start developing .Can somebody give webpages where interfacing sofware and hardware info available.

[Prof Bill]

Has anybody had any success in contacting and/or locating the manufacturer in China?

We have people who visit occaisionaly and may be able to see what is really on offer!

Bill.

[jirehone7]

Not yet Sir.still waiting

[Airhogg]

Here's a site I found today that looks pretty interesting. They offer software and hardware controllers as well as plans for "do-it-yourself" motion platforms. I'm in the infant stage of trying to figure this stuff out myself, but would love to move forward with it if there is an affordable way.

http://buggies.builtforfun.co.uk/Sim/index.html

Here's another one...

http://www.simcraft.com/star.html

One more....

http://www.d-box.com/gaming/en/products/home-gaming-series/gph-120/

[Prof Bill]

I know Ian at http://buggies.builtforfun.co.uk/Sim/index.html

and he really understands what is needed in an articulated 3DOF platform.
He has made a new controller board which saves the novice much work, is very cheap and helps get you up and running very quickly!
His software and the user interface he provides are excellent value.

Well worth looking at seriously!

Bill.

[wannabeaflyer]

i would second that ( prof Bill ) i have all of ians Stuff in my 2 dof Platform cockpit and the only reason my project is at a temporary halt is actuators ( i have some fitted but am worried about their capacity to shift all the weight if the occupied platform is unbalanced ( my design issue nothing to do with Ians Stuff ). the ready made/tested controller PCB he sells is a godsend to the Novice platform builder, and his whole system concept is about as simple,Do able and affordable as they come ( i'd go as far as to say Bang For Bucks, This side of free you wont see anything out there to match it ) will Post some pictures of the monster as she stands later when i get home , the upshot is Ians Project is great, easy to use , very flexible and great value for money ( if only i could find actuators that wont bankrupt me LOL:-) . Just my 2 Cents worth but have to say you wont go wrong going down that road ..

[Prof Bill]

Looking forward to seeing the photographs!

Bill.

[wannabeaflyer]

Did Not get home yesterday so will dig them out or re-take some later no laughing at the monster i call it an unfinished ( spot on ) work in progress Concept dubrie wottsit but she's all my own handiwork :-) look past the current build and realise what it will be once all the tweeking / mods / cnc panels are in place Cheers .

[simcraft]

project is at a temporary halt is actuators ( i have some fitted but am worried about their capacity to shift all the weight if the occupied platform is unbalanced

( if only i could find actuators that wont bankrupt me LOL:-)

The Actuators are the heart of any motion platform and typically 60% to 90% of the cost. The factors to consider come down to capacity, performance, and cost. Designing a system that requires high force (more capacity) to move or hold the occupant, at least one of the other two will have to be sacrificed (lower performance or raise costs), there is just NO WAY around this problem.

This problem becomes magnified exponentially when the architecture of the system requires force just to hold the system in equilibrium. Basically, is the platform "doing work" and how much, when it is not in motion? The advantage (in my very biased opinion) of low force actuation systems, like our center of mass architecture (http://www.simcraft.com/architecture.html), is that this system is always in equilibrium. All of the capacity of the actuator is transferred directly to performance for quickly moving and accurately positioning the system. Using lower capacity also reduces costs.

Every builder has to figure this out for themselves and evaluate how much mental effort, physical resources, and treasure they are willing to invest in exploring a solution. SimCraft's philosophy is to provide a benchmark for informing the DIY simulation community, so sim builders can intelligently compare their options. To this end, we offer our motion systems as DIY kits for a center of mass sim design, for builders who want a proven and supported solution to start enjoying their simulator sooner; instead of spending the months (and years) on designing, engineering, sourcing, prototyping, modifying, and building your own solution.

In the past fives years of designing and building motion platforms, we have learned many lessons and have developed many motion chassis designs (http://www.simcraft.com/motion_chassis.html) that are publicly available for the DIY community.

Good luck on your journey towards a more immersive simulation experience, it is a truly rewarding pursuit.

Michael Boardman (http://www.linkedin.com/in/mrboardman)
SimCraft Information Officer

[wannabeaflyer]

Thanks Michael , great info and were always staved of Good Pointers when it comes to Motion Sims and DIY designs ( or should that be in my case DIY aster :-) ) have added a Few Picture of my dusty Creation in the albums section ( i guess Search for Wannabeaflyers album will get you there ) been a long time since i posted stuff in the album section so Please no laughing ... basically she is in the state she is in because i decided to make my own CNC router so that i could machine as many of the bits i designed for my cockpit .. the monster that you see is another evaluation stage (( testing Controller - Feedback - Power supply and Motors )) i knew i would need to Beef a few things up so welder Bought , CNC Made (well WIP ) and Interface cards Sorted.. Have built 2 x 30 Volt Power supplies to drive the Motors but stopped the project for a while trying to sort out the feedback Sensor ( the current gearing does not allow me to fully utilize the 10 Turn Pots that i hoped to use ...( this is where the CNC kicks in .. it will allow me to design and make my own gearing to suit so hence the sidetrack . But For the greater Good ).. i have posted these pictures to sort of show members that even though i appear to be a Major league Lurker :-) i am actually doing stuff ( just lots of bits hoping soon it will all come together ) so look beyond the dust and the temp cluttered Workshop and see the basis of my project ( PS the Actual C of G of the platform is adjustable by a DC Motor which will allow for Altering of the Position when the cockpit is occupied at startup before being locked in place for Motion ) the word nutty professor came to mind LOL:-) this method i hope to ensure that the platform is balanced as best it can be so minimising the load on the current actuators ( still some trials to do in that area ) but now and then i get these lightbulb above the head moments :-) Cheers guys feel free to Comment just dint slaughter me :-)

[Roland]

Nice pictures ! Thanks for sharing!

[wannabeaflyer]

Cheers Roland my Company Muirheadaerospace is actually Part of the AMETEK Group and im a keen Lurker at your site and follow you projects with the greatest of admiration and in eager anticipation of what your doing next .. Love the new actuator and Hope that it mayb be the answer to my Holdup regarding my system ... to be fair i have not load tested the Parvalux Gearbox -Permanent Magnet 24Vdc Motor set up yet but should be making some progress soon . Thank you more for sharing your work your site has been bookmarked and visited regualrly Quality stuff and Great presentation . Cheers