NeoTokyo 3-DOF(traction loss) wiper motor Rig

[NeoTokyoNori]

Hello sim racers,
I will be posting the plans and updates on my up-coming motion Rig here.
It is currently a static rig based on aluminium profiles, G27, and DIY parts.



The plan is to built it up in stages/phases as I go along.
So that it is extensible/flexible for future upgrades and mods.

Phase 1: Static rig
Phase 2: 2-dof chasis
Phase 3: 3-dof traction loss chasis
Phase 4: ?

MY LIST OF GOALS/ REQUIREMENTS
1. Compact as possible
in order to fit in a tokyo apartment room
to keep weight to minimum - see 2

2. Quick, responsive movements
particularly want good feedback on braking force, traction loss

3. Structural stiffness is important
eliminate flexing, "squishiness", chattering, etc as much as possible

4. At least 10 degrees pitch (fwd and back ), 10 degrees roll (L and R )

5. Setup that is optimized for Rally driving, on WRC3, Dirt, RBR etc

6. Use car/bike parts as much as possible - junk or otherwise

7. Keep cost to minimum - since its a hobby afterall

8. Learn as much as possible about the tech and science involved while having fun.


The system is based on Sirnoname's Arduino XPID,
and thanks to inspiration from yokoyoko's rig as well as support from many members here.

After struggling through the manuals and buying parts, laying things out and debugging,
So far I have managed to do some initial tests,
and get XSIM, XPID, the motor drivers, and the wiper motors working together.
As you can see in the screen cap the potentiometers are moving in sync with the motion inputs.



Still working on many details and trying to settle on the final measurements of the motor arms and brackets...

That's it for now!

UPDATE 2012-04-02
So after being a complete wise-ass and suggesting to prodigy that "hey, you can try to repair your damaged JRK by soldering some microscopic surface mount devices!" it looks like I have to eat my own words and taste my own medicine, because I have managed to blow up a surface mount device on my G27 wheel pcb

LoL.
Somehow I think I let a stray wire coming from the car battery touch the usb connector of the G27. Yes it's amazing !

So far, I can see that:
The markings on the PCB are U7 and U6, which suggest they are integrated circuits.
The marking on the device (chip) itself, which is toasted, says "V08 68P"
The device has 5 pins.

I found a G25 pcb that someone marked up, for some reference.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anachrocomputer/5120265086/

So the pop quiz now is, what is this surface mount device

UPDATE 2012-04-13
My G27 wheel decided to play dead.
So among a bunch of things to try to resurrect it, I contacted logitech.

The short version of the answer I got is:
"...we don't advise our customer to open the device.
It automatically voided the warranty. I am sorry about that. "

I wasn't ready to spend nearly $300, which I need to spend on building up the rig.
So I had to dig deep, and learn about smd components and circuit boards fast...

I managed to identify the damaged smd, with great difficulty
and the help of an application engineer at IC chip maker Maxim.

This is it:
NXP 74LVC1G08 which provides one 2-input AND function.
http://www.nxp.com/products/logic/gates ... G08GV.html

I sourced the part, which I got today.
I managed to remove the burnt smd, which crumbled to pieces, and left a couple of the contact pads in ruin.


Even with some exposed trace wires, I managed to solder the new smd into place,
and was able to check that the connections are working, without any shorts.
Nothing else on the board has any physical damage so:

if this works then
today is my lucky day
end if

But no such joy! The wheel is still not recognized by the pc,
So it looks like the main MCU failed somehow.
With all the over-voltage protection that should be built in the board, I cant believe this has happened!

I looked into the part, which I found out is this :
ST72F651AR6T1 : ST7 - LOW-POWER, Full-speed Usb 8-BIT MCU With 32K Flash, 5K RAM, Flash Card I/F
http://www.st.com/web/catalog/mmc/FM141 ... partnumber

But the MCU probably has to be programmed anyway, so there is no point of just getting the part.

I have no idea if this is different from a power on/off, but I found that it is possible to reset the MCU
http://www.st.com/st-web-ui/static/acti ... 042515.pdf

I looked on the usual sites for a replacement main board, but no luck..
The best I can hope for now, is to buy a replacement motherboard from logitech..
Otherwise my sim racing life has been set back big time!

UPDATE 2012-04-14
I have had no choice but to read through the data sheet of the microcontroller, and go deep, way deep...

Worst case scenario is that the MCU is physically damaged.
Better case scenario is that the MCU got stuck in "HALT mode",
and that I can get it to come to life again, by doing a hardware reset.

Referring to the data sheet :
8.3 HALT MODE
The HALT mode is the MCU lowest power consumption mode.
The HALT mode is entered by executing the HALT instruction.
The internal oscillator is then turned off, causing all internal processing
to be stopped, including the operation of the on-chip peripherals.

The MCU can exit HALT mode on reception of either an external interrupt on ITi,
an end suspend mode interrupt coming from USB peripheral, an SPI interrupt or a reset.
The oscillator is then turned on and a stabilization time is provided before releasing CPU operation.
The stabilization time is 512 CPU clock cycles. After the start up delay, the CPU continues operation by servicing the interrupt which wakes it up or by fetching the reset vector if a reset wakes it up.

I must somehow bring my baby back to life !!

Trying to find out if "power on reset" happens on this mcu, when it is powered on/off...

[prodigy]

Hey, it's a good start. I really like the big handbrake and shifter. A real Rally enthusiast
If you're going to make something like yokoyoko, it will look good for sure.

What's the big red knob behind handbrake?
So, you're in testing zone right now, best luck in next steps

[yokoyoko]

Hi,

I am happy you start this project!

How did you mount the motor directly to the aluminium profile and how is the pot connected?

[motiondave]

nice setup, the static frame looks good.
it will be a good frame to "motion".

[NeoTokyoNori]

Hey, it's a good start. I really like the big handbrake and shifter. A real Rally enthusiast
If you're going to make something like yokoyoko, it will look good for sure.
What's the big red knob behind handbrake?

Hi, thanks prodigy,
the big red knob behind handbrake would be
"the big red knob that a sim rig must have in order to be complete "

ha ha, actually it is a battery disconnect switch that real racing cars use as the emergency shutdown.
It is perfect for our sim rigs too, if you are using a car battery in the circuit. I am using it exactly for that purpose, and I do like the look.

;) Hi,
I am happy you start this project!
How did you mount the motor directly to the aluminium profile and how is the pot connected?

Hello yokoyko,
My aluminium supplier here provides options to CNC machine the parts, so I can get them to drill holes in to them, which is great.

I used a pulley system for the pots, with one pulley mounted directly over the end of the motor shaft.
I think you can see the pot attached to the profile in the picture.
It is disassembled for the moment, so I will have to get another picture later.
I had a fun idea for it which I think you would like too.

nice setup, the static frame looks good.
it will be a good frame to "motion".

Thanks motiondave,
There are so many things invovled in getting all this to work, that I don't know how you guys manage to pull it off sometimes! I hope that I can pull it all together and "get motion" as smoothly as possible.

As always you're inputs are appreciated

[prodigy]

There are so many things invovled in getting all this to work, that I don't know how you guys manage to pull it off sometimes! I hope that I can pull it all together and "get motion" as smoothly as possible.

You know, when I first join this forum, all happy that I'm gonna do myself a simulator and then saw X-Sim program, I thought there is no chance I could make this working. All those forces and numbers and stuff, completely unknown for me, and now, X-Sim seems like a piece of cake Of course, there are some advanced options like memory injector, but I've never needed to use that since we have big variety of plugins. If the game supports it, Sirnoname supports it

One thing to mention which you probably knows already, watch out for earth isolation on wipers

[NeoTokyoNori]

One thing to mention which you probably knows already, watch out for earth isolation on wipers

Actually I didnt so thanks !

[NeoTokyoNori]

Update 2013-04-02
So after being a complete wise-ass and suggesting to prodigy that "hey, you can try to repair your damaged JRK by soldering some microscopic surface mount devices!" it looks like I have to eat my own words and taste my own medicine, because I have managed to blow up a surface mount device on my G27 wheel pcb

LoL.
Somehow I think I let a stray wire coming from the car battery touch the usb connector of the G27. Yes it's amazing !

So far, I can see that:
The markings on the PCB are U7 and U6, which suggest they are integrated circuits.
The marking on the device (chip) itself, which is toasted, says "V08 68P"
The device has 5 pins.

I found a G25 pcb that someone marked up, for some reference.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anachrocomputer/5120265086/

So the pop quiz now is, what is this surface mount device

it may be a voltage regulator, that is going into the mosfet..

[prodigy]

Oh man, what a luck, it looks nasty..

I remember Mario here from forum done similar mistake with his G25, but he ended up buying another one used from E-Bay.
viewtopic.php?f=37&t=429&start=20#p5820

Regarding earth isolation on wipers, yokoyoko explained in his project a way how to do it and test if there's a leak on the simulator frame, a multimeter is one way to check. It can be a messy job, you'll need to open wipers and de-solder some points, attach wire directly to brush, it depends from motor to motor. I had luck that I didn't blow something up like mine G25 or something else because I didn't check for leakage, there was electricity in my whole frame and I was dumb enough to realize that only after I saw that my G25 is acting crazy.

[NeoTokyoNori]

Oh man, what a luck, it looks nasty..
I remember Mario here from forum done similar mistake with his G25, but he ended up buying another one used from E-Bay.
http://x-sim.de/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3 ... t=20#p5820

Wow, he got 50% off a new G27 too
I wonder what kind of charms he used ?