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Systems Overview
This project, just by its nature, will be presented a little differently than
our other projects. The scale of this project presented some difficulty to
properly report using our normal format and delayed us while we made a more
flexible framework. So what we have done (Microsoft take note) is take the
entire project and broken it down to a bunch of subsystems, and basically
produced a mini segment for each section with full documentation and pics and
plans. This overview of systems is in essence the master plan.
When we started this project we thought to our self... (Microsoft take note
again) "Yah that should be easy, quick and cheap...". Well, it turns out maybe
it's not as easy as we expected (hooray for scope creep!), Although the
prototyping wasn't so cheap, learning from our mistakes allows us to present
you a cheaper way of doing it. When we started we were going to use a Microsoft
sidewinder force feedback joystick to produce a 2 axis system. Seriously, what
could be cooler than playing Mechwarrior 4 or a flight sim and having that
level of simulation? Well turns out this stuff is time consuming, expensive,
and no one (that we found) has ever done it on this scale.... so when we
started we had to do a lot of testing of different ideas, and methods to
achieve our goals. Our first attempt literally tore itself apart and caught
fire! I guess we missed a critical update there somewhere....
So we decided to scale our second first shot (we'll call it beta2) at this to
more or less prototype the best way to do it for real... so if a 2 axis system
was so easy to do... it must be easier to do a one axis system! Well what good
would that be?! Racing sims. Now I am not a big racing sim fan. I am not a car
guy in general... in fact I dont know a geek out there that hasn't mocked the
aerodynamic idiocy of a front wheel drive car passing by with one of those huge
spoilers on the rear. But the concept of a racing sim really started to become
more and more tasty as I started to realize all the fun I could poke at car guy
stuff. And ultimately that was the deciding factor.
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Raw Fabrication
For starters... you don't have to be a grease monkey to be able to use tools.
Seems that gear heads think that geeks can't use tools or weld... well
"someone" has to build and design the tools to be gear head friendly. This
project has some basic raw fabrication of the frames and some of the moving
parts that require welding and cutting of steel. It's not hard work... it's
actually a lot of fun if you have the right tools. We used some nice welders
and steel cutting band saws, but you can use a $14.99 jigsaw from your local
S-Mart and a steel cutting blade to cut the materials, use it, and return it
back if you need to. They take anything back. Or the more ethical thing to do
is get a friend to do the welding for you. (Inventgeek
does not condone the buying, using and returning of crap to S-Mart or other
mass distributors of near worthless junk. )
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Motion Systems
The heart of the beast. Too much power and it violently tears itself apart. Too
little and it's like a 25 cent underpowered ride in front of the local grocery
store. This was the trickiest system to do. Not due to complexity, but more
doing it on a moderate budget. We tried linear actuators, and hydraulics and
even high end high torque motors for wheelchairs. All had major draw backs,
cost and speed being the most common. But we finally found a well rounded
solution using a modified winch for an ATV. (The utility type... not your wife
on a bad day.)< br>
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The Platform Assembly
The platform assembly is where the majority of the systems are actually located
and the user interacts with those systems. After some careful thought and
consideration for dimensions and the amount of space we had to work with we
were able to accommodate space for all the goals of the project on the deck of
the platform assembly. The platform assembly its self doesn't consist of more
than a steel frame, a few boards, some automotive carpet and a good racing
chair. But if not built right it would be heavy or not strong enough to support
the forces that it would have on it. Also some planning and consideration to
allow this to be adjustable as possible so more than just the builder can use
it comfortably
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Steering Wheel Mods and Mounting
System
The brains of the entire mod. We chose to use a Logitech Momo steering wheel
for many reasons. Its performance and capabilities are unmatched for starters.
And its built very well. But after some research we were able to find a
comparison review of several racing wheels on tomshardware.com. In the review
they tore a bunch of wheels apart. This gave us the ability to pick and choose
features and to see the internals long before we had to choose. So in the end
we found the electronics, the ability of right or left handed shifter and
duality of internal controls for the gear shifter, and the interface to the
internal motor was ideal for what we wanted to accomplish from the hardware
standpoint. But the real kicker is the ability in the configuration software to
adjust the force output upwards to 110% of normal. This allowed for a recover
in signal loss from the mods. This wheel worked out so well it was like it was
built for it.
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The gear shifter and control panel
One of the main factors for choosing the momo racing wheel was the electronic
setup for the gear shifter. We had 2 sets of all the controls thus allowing us
to relocate one entire set to a more ergonomic layout. While I was at it I
decided to go to AutoZone for some parts for this project and I couldn't help
myself... I found a really great bling-a-rific shifter knob that had LEDs in it
and light up all bling bling like... so I modified the shifter internals a
little to allow for the new knob to be installed and presto! Instant.....
Shifter with lights in it. I hear its really popular on the other side of the
tracks. While we were there we also picked up some switches for the entire
system. (Once again with bling in mind)< br> |
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The gas and brake pedals
While some of the mods for this system are really basic it really adds alot to
the entire experience. Not to mention it let us use more of those high
performance auto parts from S-Mart that seem to be so popular in the local
racing circuits. You know like the single use plastic spinning hubcaps! Some
are cosmetic, some are functional. And in the true car culture attitude... most
are totally unnecessary. But the proper placement of the gas and brake pedals
makes those 100 lap races more "endurable" ;
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Sound System
Every good simulator should have a great sound system. So our kinda good
simulator should have a kinda good sound system then as well. After some trial
and error we found the best way to set up the sound system for optimal
immersion on a budget. We used just a basic creative 5.1 sound system, and with
some careful placement of speakers we actually got some good results. And it
puts enough bass out to rumble your guts just like that 4 cylinder with turbo
and the stovepipe sized exhaust system that the neighbors all laugh at.
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Visual Systems
So with all the attention to creating motion, and sound we found the 19"
monitor we were using during the testing phase to be a bit on the anemic side.
So we used a prior project that we did and slightly adapted it to fit this
project. The poor man's LCD projector was a great fit. Nothing quite like
playing your favorite game on a 100" screen. I will admit it was cool enough to
really get me hooked on the Need for Speed Underground game. (For about 15 min,
then my Attention Deficit Disorder set in like wild fire on nitrous.)
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Final review and assembly
In this section we basically make sure all the needed extras are there and that
we haven't overlooked anything important. There was alot of stuff we actually
had overlooked and had to address before we proceeded to live tests. Like a cup
holder! The last thing I want to do is getting locked into a 100 lap NASCAR
race without my Mt. Dew... I would fall asleep at the wheel and slam into the
wall and flip several times sending jagged flaming bits and piece of the car
into the crowds! And we just can't have that regardless of the TV ratings.
(Unless I turn off vehicle damage)
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Tools that we used ( I.E. you may want to use as well
)
One note on power tools: use them at your own risk. Be sure to read and
understand any and all documentation on the tools you use. No amount of
documentation can make up for experience. Regardless, there are many people
with serious eye injuries at the school of hard knocks. If you don't know what
you're doing, don't do it and find some one that can help.
When working with metal be very careful. Metal chips, welding sparks or metal
fillings in the eye or slivers in the skin have been known to cause moderate
discomfort in some people in the state of California. Many times you usually
can't have a MRI for months after playing with steel in any really significant
way. Also, getting through security at airports could result in unwelcome
searches.
Drill + assorted bits
A few cans of spray paint
Metal cutting band saw
Mig welding + welding helmet
Circular Saw
High Speed Hand Drill
Jig Saw
Screwdrivers
Volt O' Meter
Staple Gun
Assorted Sockets and wrenches
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