Considering selling the motion rig that I've built over the last year. Not sure where to start really...
The base is constructed from the steel chassis of a mobility scooter bolted to an mdf assembly for the motor mounts with a steel brace bar at the front, there is very little flex during motion, it is very stable and doesn't rock about.
The motion platform is constructed from steel box section welded and bolted together with a grp bucket seat (weighing 5kgs) and custom welded triple monitor stand and wooden steering mount point. It has alloy checker plate for the floor. I spent alot of hours finding a solution to making the steering mount sturdy and after a number of iterations have found a great solution, couldn't be more solid, if you shake the wheel... the whole platform moves! Pedal Mount is also mdf with wedges for the right pedal angle, pedals could be abit more solid but perfectly adequate and i dont notice much flex. Seating position is perfect for me at 5'11" and I also weigh a hefty 95kgs and the motion is very strong! I have had my mates from 5'6" to 6'2" in the rig and just required them sitting more upright or slouching in the seat for a comfortable driving position.
The rig is joined together with a car u-joint which has a sleeve which takes an insert from the platform, i have designed it this way to aid in dissassembly/transport, etc... It has sadly caused a slight bias in the angle of the platform, i have compensated for this with other areas (pushrod length which is adjustable and x-sim calibration). In an ideal world this would be welded flush and then the platform would be perfectly balanced, but it works perfectly well as is and again this was my first time, so there was bound to be slight issues.
The monitors are 2 x Dell 19" and 1 x HP 19", The HP is a different size so you will have to use these monitors with the rig, modification would be possible though. They are lined up pretty well and look great in both rFactor and iRacing. Angles are slightly off side-to-side as this was my first attempt welding a symmetrical monitor stand, but you do not notice it, I'm just trying to be painfully honest so there are no surprises for the buyer. Monitors are held on by VESA mounts and are removable for transport/storage.
I'm planning to include all parts of the rig in the sale, everything! However, would be open to selling without certain things if asked. Using a Thrustmaster F430 Wheel and Pedal set (well used), the steering mount is crafted for this but should take other steering/pedals no problem. I built the Gaming PC myself and includes the following spec:
Intel Core2Duo 3ghz
8gb DDR3 Ram
80Gb SATA HD
AMD Radeon 6850 1GB ( Runs rfactor and iRacing at 80fps+ at monitor's native resolution 1440x900 / Plenty of AA ASF, etc... on )
DVD Drive
D-Link Wifi Dongle
The motor control PC is a basic HP laptop, not sure what the spec is but it has wifi and runs x-sim plenty fast enough.
Right, to the business end... The motors are two pretty bad ass ZYT-90s, from Motion Control Products. I believe these have been used by a few members in their builds and I find them to be massively strong and completely quiet, I actually couldn't believe how quiet they were, a small whirring noise comes from the gearboxes, thats it. They have the MCP4 Alloy Gearboxes with a 50:1 ratio. I am using 3 turn 5v pots for feedback, mounted on brackets. I have used a pulley system to attach the pots to one side of the gearboxes output shafts. It seems to work well enough, bit quirky though, I have seen better solutions, so could be an area to look at for improvements.
The gearboxes output shafts are connected to the pushrods via keylocked taper bearings which the drive arms are welded to. The pushrods then connect to the drive arms with M12 rose joints. Same at the top but they are connected to a threaded bar running the width of the platform just behind your feet. I have added some stabilizers using skateboard wheels and plates of metal attached to the platform. This helps stop the rig moving when getting in and out and also has given more uniform motion.
The motors are powered via 2 x 12v12 JRK Motor controllers, with custom massive heatsinks and a twin fan plate on the enclosure for cooling. These are connected through high amperage relays to a brand new car battery which is then in parallel with a 650W PSU kicking out 45amps continuous (supposedly). I have a couple of switches connected to relays on both sides of the battery to enable an easy boot up procedure and protect against voltage spikes. Just flick one switch after the other and open the lid of the laptop. Reverse the process for shutdown. I have run the rig powered up for 16 hrs with intermittent motion use with no problems whatsoever, i have also played continuously for 3 hrs with no loss of power or movement (I got motion sickness!! 3hrs is too long! iRacing is addictive
Also, including 10m USB extension cable for steering wheel and 10m VGA cables. This tidies everything up nicely with just a single bundle of wires coming off the rig for power and input (as seen in first video).
I have only programmed basic motion profiles at the moment but the driving experience is fantastic, the braking and acceleration is particularly impressive and you definitely feel the bumps and G-force where expected.
I have only used the rig with motion for about 8 hrs so the motors, and pretty much everything is nearly new, apart from the monitors, steering wheel and pcs. I worked out I spent nearly 70 hrs on the build and at least that again in R&D
Forgot to mention that the whole rig is very light, weighing less than 40kgs.Here are some videos:
I am only selling as I would like to build another maybe and I find the excitement in building the rig rather than driving it, it seems. I'm not sure how much it is worth, any valuations from experienced members would be greatly appreciated?
The rig is located in Wimborne in England. I will consider shipping it anywhere, so msg me and i can get a quote. Any questions let me know on +44 (0) 7825 416102 or pm.
£ OFFERS
Again, thanks to the community for all the help over this past year. Here's to the next one!
Cheers,
Ben
P.S. Sorry for the length of this post but wanted to give a full and honest description.
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