BFF Motion Driver V2.6 introduced direct support for Dyadic SCN5 linear actuators. SCN5 actuators are attractive for lower load systems because they have built-in servo controllers and can operate directly from the motion position demand outputs from the BFF Motion Driver without other servo controller hardware.

 

SCN5 Actuators have a relatively low load capacity (~10 kgf) and are commonly used in 2 DOF racing sim motion seats. They might struggle on a full 3 DOF motion platform with an active heave axis and the main focus of this article is on their use in a 2 DOF (pitch/roll) set up. This will be of interest to builders with existing SCN5 powered seats who wish to try a dedicated flight motion driver.

 

 

The actuators can be connected to the Motion Driver PC using manufacturer supplied adaptors and cables or a lower cost USB-RS485 adaptor and DIY cabling. On my tests I used 2 x 150mm stroke SCN5 actuators connected using a single Devantech USB-RS485 adaptor to the driving PC. They are powered separately from a 24V DC supply; I use a lead-acid battery pack.

 

 

The basic system configuration is as shown above. Each SCN5 is given a unique address on the data bus (Termi-BUS) and is instructed by the motion driver software through the single RS485 adaptor. Parameters such as active stroke length, motion speeds and accelerations and servo loop gain are all adjustable through the motion driver configuration settings to allow optimal tuning.

 

The BFF Motion Driver - SCN5 Actuator Start Guide has more details on the use of SCN5 actuators with the v2.6 motion driver.

 

The V2.6 Beta software can be downloaded from the downloads page here. Please note it is Beta software and may contain bugs - take care in its use and please report any issues you find.

 

The download package includes sample .bff configuration files for use with 2 x SCN5 actuator rigs - more details in the Start Guide. You will need to experiment with the settings and read-up on the general motion driver cue settings to get the best configuration for your system.

 

The V2.6 Beta software for MS FS9/X. You will need Pete Dowson's FSUIPC installed in your FS software.

 

Many thanks to Toni o'Kelly for beta testing the SCN5 interface.

 

Falcon F4-AF Beta Driver Version

 

I've now upgraded my old Falcon F4 v1 motion driver to V2.6beta. It has all the same data output options as the MSFS V2.6 and it is available to download and try from the download page.

 

Falcon F4 exports a rather limited data set compared to MSFS and X-Plane and this has affected the motion driver functionality a bit. Please read the information document in the driver zip archive. The main effect is that the Visual System Motion output can't be supported with the limited flight dynamics data available so I have disabled it on the Falcon F4-AF driver. I'll reinstate it as soon as I can figure out how to get the data I need.

 

However the main motion drive output is mainly unaffected - although the way the driver has to handle in-game pauses is slightly altered.

 

SCN5 Actuators

 

For a great resource on the use of SCN5 actuators in DIY racing sims see -

 

X-Simulator SCN5 Hardware Thread

 

To download the Dyadic PC Tools Software go to this page - this set up software should also be available from your SCN5 supplier.

 

http://www.automation4less.com/servact1.htm

 

Main SCN5 distributer - http://www.miraiintertech.com/home/scn5.php

 

 

 

 

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