Why Some in the Simulation Industry Dislike Motion Platforms—And What You Can Do About It Motion platforms are powerful tools in simulation, but they often come with a reputation that sparks hesitation—or even frustration—among professionals in the industry. Let’s explore some of the most common concerns and how they can be addressed. 1. Cost: Why…
Engineering the Impossible: A Custom Six-Axis Motion Base with Extreme Offset CG Over the past several decades, Servos & Simulation has delivered hundreds of motion base platforms—most of them custom-built, and many still in operation decades later. Recently, we were challenged with one of our most demanding builds yet: a custom six-axis motion base platform…
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…
So a few months ago, we took on a project to rehab a CRJ-700 simulator that was dead… like dead dead. None of the computers worked…but… So a business associate contacted me about this CRJ system and that he had a buyer for it. Sight unseen, I said sure, it should be fixable. So said business…
Virtual Reality: More Than Just a Visual Experience Virtual Reality (VR) has been around longer than many realize. Back in the early 1990s, we worked on one of our first VR projects—a gimbal-mounted seat paired with a bulky helmet containing dual screens. It didn’t track head movement, but the gimbal followed the visuals, and the…
What Are Feedback Control Loaders—and Why Are They Critical in Flight Simulation? Let’s start with the basics: What is a feedback control loader? No, it’s not a piece of heavy farm equipment. In the world of simulation, a control loader is a system that provides realistic flight control forces to a pilot in a simulator.…
When should a simulator require refurbishment and when should it need to be replaced? That is a problem that every training company has to think about when it comes to aging simulators. With more and more pilots needing training and proper training at that, our aging simulators need some help. If the systems were upgraded…
