My motion platform project video

[Dutchboy]

This is my first post here, so I should introduce myself. I'm a flight sim nut like most of you, and I live in Canada. My goal is to create a small craft cockpit with a motion platform. It will be a generic cockpit with "modules" for either stick or yoke, and LCD panels for display and guages.

My start point is with the motion platform, and I will build the cockpit on top of that after it's completion. The platform will be 28" wide by 52" long.

I have been working on the software for my platform, and have come a long way. I am using simConnect and C# for all communication with the simulator, and you can see my first run at controlling my mini-prototype platform here:

www.simulatormotion.com

I'm having a few issues with some of the math involved, and which numbers to base the movements off of. If anyone has any insight into what the best parameters from simConnect would be to use, then that would help quite a bit.

Thanks, and I look forward to sharing my progress with the group.

Dutchboy

[AndyT]

Very nice. I like that you built small to test and work out the bugs first.

[Roland]

That looks very good. Seems that Simconnect data rate is quite fast. Do you have any numbers on the data rate? How did you do the interface to servo's?

I'm not sure what data you have available in Simconnect. For a list of what we have worked on with Portdrvr utility, see http://www.simprojects.nl/motion_software.htm and http://www.simprojects.nl/portdrvr_utility.htm
(still lots of things to be done)

For the actual results, you will have to do many tests with the cockpit and yourself placed onto the motion platform. Since you will be sitting above the rotation point, during (for example) a roll, your body will be experiencing rotation, but a lot of sideways motion as well. Especially with quick movements, this will give some unexpected side effects. Lots of tweaking will be required. Your system seems to have much programming flexibility. Very well done. Welcome to the club!

Roland

[Dutchboy]

Thanks for the kind comments everyone.

I used a Mini SSCII servo controller (http://www.seetron.com/ssc.htm) to control 2 servos via RS232 serial port (9600 baud)

I have found that simconnect is easily fast enough to keep data streaming to the platform. I'm still not convinced that having the pivot below the platform is the way to go yet, considering I want to possibly use this for a vehicle/boat sim as well.

[Dutchboy]

Here is a list of the parameters I'm currently using to control the platform.
Roland is correct, I will need to tweak this once the platform is complete and I can feel the motion.

latitude
longitude
altitude
bank angle
pitch angle
gear position
velocity body x
velocity body y
velocity body z
acceleration body x
acceleration body y
acceleration body z
rotation velocity body x
rotation velocity body y
rotation velocity body z
incidence beta
incidence alpha

[Tim]

Here is a site that uses a similar configuration.

http://www.inmotionsimulation.com/index.html

Looks like the pivot point is below the platform.


Richard

[Dutchboy]

Thanks Tim (Richard)! That Piper Cub sim is exactly what I would like to do. I notice they have it on a 3 DOF platform. I may have to rethink my platform a bit.

Dutchboy

Here is a site that uses a similar configuration.

http://www.inmotionsimulation.com/index.html

Looks like the pivot point is below the platform.


Richard