Last time, we figured out that the phidgets controlled everything and that there were all of these phidget files… sigh… (If you haven’t been reading this series on the CRJ, please read 1 thru 3 please.) Return of the Phidgets Rick (my lovely programming engineer) wrote a small but significant program that allowed us to…
In my travels on the internet, I have witnessed DIY’er attempting to make motion base platforms from various items. From drill motors to wood, these systems are ingenious, but in my opinion seem unsafe and will not last over the long term. Let’s explore why… What does it take to build a motion base? At…
Motion Base Platforms have been apart of the flight simulation industry for a very long time. Longer than one might think… The simulation industry is relatively old (almost 100 years!), but not quite as old as planes have been in the sky. The follow article is an except from wikipedia in regards to the history of…
Back in 2015, we went to Harris Corp in Melbourne, Florida to check a high angle six axis motion base platform system that we installed in 2003 to inspect it. The customer said that it was working fine and had been in constant use for these years. The system is used for Sea State 6…
What are some of the reason that people in the simulation industry hate motion platforms? Let’s explore… 1. Cost! Why are they so expensive? 2. Installation… what is required to install a system and what support does it require? 3. Maintenance… Why does it cost so much to operate one? 4. Properly follow motion cues……
Over the past decades, Servos & Simulation has produced hundreds of motion bases. Most of them custom… most of them last decades. Recently, we were asked to build a custom motion base with a very specific set of criteria. It needed to be a six axis motion base platform, the CG was offset 40″ from…
Once again in our ongoing segment on how to bring a trainer back to life… we begin where we left off… with nothing in the simulator (buttons, switches and the like) except the glass working….Step 7 – Phidget and Project Magenta LandSo here we were and not a switch or button to be working… I…
Last week, FIT’s Human Spaceflight Lab had an article written about what they were doing. A few years ago, Mr. Doule came to us with an idea… an idea of something that he required, but wasn’t quite sure as to how to get there. Take a look at the article and how Servos helped them…
What should one look for when purchasing a Motion Platform… Here’s a short list. How long has the manufacturer been in business? Does the manufacturer actually do their own in-house engineering or are they reselling the system (this matters)? What does the motion platform use for moving the axis? Is it hydraulic, electric, pneumatic or…
So getting back to the CRJ refurb…The buyer decided to get it working again…Step 3 – Reverse engineering the whole system (hindsight being 20/20, the overhead panel was the best place to start)Starting with the overhead panel, I wanted to see what parts were used to make it work. It was the easiest piece to…
