UPDATE
- April 08 - I've been having a look at a DIY control
loading (force feeback) system over the last couple of weeks and
have added a few pages of write up - you can get to them here -
DIY Control Loading System
This
section of the Built For Fun site describes a few
projects that are quite a bit different from the other
electric vehicle projects available on the site. I've
had a go at designing and building a couple of DIY
flight simulator motion platforms (or motion bases) to see if it was
possible to build a low cost motion simulator for home
use. I think it is, but these can be fairly complex
machines to build if you want one that works
effectively.
I've built two machines, a 3 DOF "cockpit"
with three independently driven movement axes (below
left) and a more conventional (and probably easier to
make) platform or base driven by a triangle of
supporting linear actuators (below right). Both machines
are 3 DOF machines.
The
projects have included all the main system elements
found in motion systems which are: the Motion Software
to extract flight data from your flight sim program,
closed loop control system
hardware and software to drive the movements, and
the mechanical machine elements and structure that make
up the physical platforms. To an
extent the projects are on-going and I find it difficult
to put them down and stop "fiddling", however I'm
reliably informed by veterans in the field that this is
a common symptom and that the motion platform bug has
bitten!
RIGHT - MY more recently built
platform 2. A more conventional motion base arrangement
easier to build than.....
LEFT - the first cockpit -
more movement range but more restricted space-wise and
definitely harder to build,
click on the images to
go to the pages.
Both
machines are able to run from the same
Motion Software that sources
flight data from either MS FS9/FSX or X-Plane flight
simulator programs. And they can be driven from
the same control and electrical
drive system. The software has been regularly
upgraded as I learned more about the machine and is
available to try and buy.
I've also upgraded the control system to make it more
reliable and easier for me to build - the most
recent version is here, and
the original system is here.
I've tried to make the Motion Software as flexible as possible
so it can be used with your
own platform designs if you want.
I've made many updates and have tried to
clean up the web pages a bit to bring a bit more sense
to them but apologies in advance if it all seems a bit
confusing. Use the links on the left to go to the
sections you are interested in.
I will not be making available detailed
plans for the 1st motion cockpit - I think it is too
complicated to build. However I hope to make plans
available for Platform 2 for information for interested
builders if the current testing goes
well. There are lots of images and movie clips around
the pages to give you an idea how things work.
IMPORTANT - Building a DIY motion platform
is a big project, even for competent DIY'ers. It
involves knowledge of both mechanical and
electrical/electronic systems, it can be expensive and
it can be dangerous to both people and equipment. The
information provided in these web pages is provided
"AS-IS" without warranty or guarantee of any kind and is
provided in good faith to assist other builders in their
efforts. The information does not include complete and
detailed instructions on system building, commissioning
or operation. If you chose to use this information in
your project you do so at your own risk - it is up to
you to properly understand what you attempt to build.
See our full Terms
and Conditions.
LINKS - some DIY platform building
sites worth visiting if you want some inspiration.
