simulator

SFX-80 a modded version of the Opensfx motion platform

Adding motion to the simulator seemed like a really fun thing to do. Commercial systems are hugely expensive but I’d seen a few DIY projects online which looked like they would cost maybe $1 to $2k or about the same as a race weekend. So started thinking about designing my own actuators for a platform similar to the ones used in flight simulators etc. These can control motion with 6 degrees of freedom (6DOF) by allowing the platform to move up & down, left & right, forward & backwards, and also rotate along the axes of those directions too (yaw, pitch & roll).

I got to the stage of ordering servo motors and other parts and then came across opensfx.com which is an open source design for a DIY motion platform using their SFX-100 linear actuators which was ready to build, complete with all hardware and software and they even gave shopping lists for all the bits. It wasn’t quite the full 6DOF platform I was thinking of but it was more compact, much faster to get going and videos I’d seen looked really impressive.

I modified the SFX-100 actuator design to use the motors I had bought and changed several other parts so that more compact, lower cost and more easily available 80mm profile could be used. I’ve now built the full system and have it working well with my sim rig. It pretty much worked first time (see EMI notes below) and was really funny to drive the first few goes with a VR headset. I was surprised at how quiet it is too as the first actuator I built made a fair amount of noise when tested on the bench. I saved about £200 overall on the parts by using the smaller profile and 80ST motors. Motors and all mechanical parts came from one very helpful supplier in China.

In keeping with the open source ethos of the original project I’m making the design freely available. I’ve christened this version SFX-80 for the obvious reason.

Parts list for one actuator:

  1. 80ST-M02430 servo motor 220V 750W with AASD controller. Ask for shielded leads to reduce problems with EMI.
  2. 1605 Ball screw 250mm long machined for FK12 ball screw support. Ball nut is 30mm diameter by 45mm long. Ball nut must not have flange!
  3. FK12 ball screw support bearing.
  4. Precision hollow shaft 30mm diameter, 20mm bore, 270mm long with bevelled ends
  5. LMEK30UU (30*47*68mm) linear bearing
  6. Coupler 19mm to 10mm. Coupler diameter 40mm by 55mm long.
  7. Aluminium profile 80×80 section by 190mm long.
  8. 5 x 5 mm square steel keyway cut into 20mm length for the ball nut
  9. 27mm ID x 3.5mm cross-section Nitrile O-ring for bump stop
  10. M6 x 100mm Stainless Allen bolts for motor mount (4 required)
  11. M5 x 65mm Stainless Allen bolts for internal piston (4 required)
  12. M8 x 30mm, M8 x 35mm Stainless Allen bolts for top and bottom mounts (4 of each required)
  13. M6 x 30mm Stainless Allen bolts for linear bearing (4 required)
  14. M5 x 25mm Stainless Allen bolts for FK12 (4 required) heads need machining down to fit FK12 or could use M4 x 25mm
  15. M8 Form B Stainless washers (8 required for top and bottom mounts)
  16. M6 Stainless washers (4 required for linear bearings)
  17. M5 nyloc nuts and washers for the piston assembly with washers (4 required)

The holes in the profile need to be threaded using an 8mm tap. The top and bottom mounts need threading with 5 and 6mm taps. You’ll have stronger wrists after doing a set of 4 actuators 🙂

Please email us at hello@fastmateracing.com for the files

2023-10-09T12:12:06+01:00May 19th, 2020|simulator|

VBO logger

Simulator plugin for Assetto Corsa (new version 1.05 added 22/11/20)

I built a home simulator shortly after starting racing and have upgraded it a lot and developed things for it over the years. At some point I started tinkering with the car physics models and wanted some way to compare game and real world data. The result of this was a plugin for Assetto Corsa that logs sim data e.g. driver inputs, tyre temperatures etc. into VBO files. Friends and fellow drivers also found the plugin useful to improve their lap times on the simulator so am releasing it free for anyone to enjoy.

To make it really useful I wanted to align Assetto Corsa data with real-world circuits so the files could be overlaid and directly compared. There is more to this than it seems because the game does not use real-world coordinates.  So, the game track data has to be converted into GPS coordinates aligned correctly with the start/finish line and I also often found that the in game circuits were rotated e.g. North was down or some random direction. I use a non-spherical model for the world but it probably isn’t really necessary to use this level of accuracy for a race circuit. The code also works out headings and combines G forces etc.

simulator driving

The FastMate VBO logger is a plugin for Assetto Corsa that captures data from your simulator so you can compare it to real life driving at that same track.

It’s free to download here

Please email us at hello@fastmateracing.com for the files

The app file will be sent to the email you’ve entered. Please check your spam folder if you don’t receive it in a few minutes. The app is supplied as a ZIP archive and the recommended way to install is using Assetto Corsa Content Manager but you can also extract the contents directly into the Assetto Corsa app folder. See pictures below for installation hints. Make sure the app is enabled in Content Manager after installation.

Files are stored in the VBOfiles folder inside the VBOlogger app. Drive at least 2 laps to make sure start/finish line is crossed at least once. Logging can be stopped in game by clicking on the VBOlogger app window.

You can check VBOlogger is running by pressing the home key in game which will show the Assetto Corsa console and it should show a message like ‘Jim Irlam’s VBO logger….’ with name of track. Debug messages will also be displayed which may help if installation was not completed correctly.

Most UK tracks are supported plus Zandvoort. It is also possible to add tracks using the User Tracks file and will add instructions for this soon.

Content Manager Install
Direct app folder install

2023-10-09T12:14:03+01:00May 14th, 2020|simulator|
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