DIY ffb wheel, stepper driver?

[sjaak11]

Hi,

I'm looking into building a direct-drive FFB wheel like the OSW (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=osw+wheel), but on a budget. The OSW uses a servo motor and costs around € 1.000,- in total to build. So to keep the price down I'm looking at steppers, which are also used in the AccuForce direct-drive wheel, so in theory it should be possible.

I found a controller which translates the games ffb output through USB to a PWM signal here (in German though): https://forum.virtualracing.org/showthread.php/92420-DIY-USB-Force-Feedback-Controller

I'd like to use that controller to power a stepper motor like this: https://www.omc-stepperonline.com/h...pper-motor-13nm1841ozin-34hs595004s-p-57.html

The missing link here (apart from an encoder to send the wheel position to the PC) being a stepper driver, which I know nothing about. I'd like to know what to look for in a stepper driver apart from the right amp/voltage rating for the motor used. For example, the creator of the FFB controller told me that a stepper driver might need a "torque mode" for it to work (can't find a lot of info about that either though).

In case you're not familiar with FFB wheels; the game used determines a torque output based on what happens in the game and your steering wheel position, basicly simulating what you would feel through the steering wheel in a real car.

I hope this is the right forum category to post this and that the links are ok.

 

[dr pepper]

Welcome.
I tried to get the schematic from that site, but I'm not a member.
I'm thinking there are 2 o/p's from the usb device pwm and direction, and the encoder feeds back the position.
You could convert this to inputs suitable for a stepper motor driver module, which tend to be direction (needs no conversion) and step pulses, the pulses step the motor, so you'd need a system that converted a pwm signal into a pulse frequency, the best way to do that would be to use a micrcontroller, that would be reasonably complex.
What is your level of electronics experience?

 

[sjaak11]

Thanks for your response, this probably tought me more than 2 weeks of searching on Google.

I've re-uploaded the folder with the schedule to two websites, hope you can download from one of them:
https://www.megafileupload.com/rG61/Anschluss.zip
https://www.filedropper.com/anschluss

I have no experience at all in electronics. So I'm trying to figure out what parts are needed, get a bit of knowledge about how it works in theory, order it (not short term though), and then let a skilled electrician I know wire it all together.

The creator of the USB device sent me a link to a stepper driver that might work, perhaps it includes a microcontroller? https://en.nanotec.com/products/1041-smci36-schritt-und-bldc-motorsteuerung/
I've seen drivers go for much cheaper though, but I'm not sure what the added cost and work for a seperate microcontroller would be.

 

[dr pepper]

Hmm my virus package doesnt like those.

The nanotech driver looks to have a canbus interface, if your sim software or maybe usb converter can communicate over can then theres a good chance it will work.

 

[sjaak11]

This better? I've unzipped the files
**broken link removed**

Does this tell you any more?

 

[dr pepper]

Nope those sites all seem to be disliked by antivirus.
If your usb convertor is compatible with can busd then it might work, if not and you have little electronics knowledge then you'll have to find someone who's done it or similar.