Speed Simulator for Racing Games or Coaster Simulators

Intro: Speed Simulator for Racing Games or Coaster Simulators

a simple project, a fan is going to blow air into your face according to the in-game speed. Easy to do and funny!

STEP 1: Disclaimer and What You Need

hi!

first of all the disclaimer:

***Disclaimer*** The following is for informational purposes only, I take no responsibility for what you do with this knowledge.


it is just a prototype in the pictures, i did not care the welding and soldering so its a bit a mess. :)


what you need:

- 1x DC-Motor 10 or 12V (10 is better)
- 3x 6A diodes (in my case i needed 6A diodes, you will select yours according to the power of your motor)
- you can use a diode-bridge instead of the 3 Diodes.
- some meter of wire
- 1x old Hi-Fi.
- 1x switch(optional)
- 1x plane model propeller

STEP 2: How It Works

a normal speaker, has a coil, inside a magnet. when current flows trough the coil, a magnet field is generated wich pushes the coil out of the magnet, moving the membran. then, the current flows in the other direction attracting the coil and taking the membran inwards.

if we apply this current coming from the hifi to a DC-motor it will only vibrate, and maybe play the music. basically the theory behind a DC motor is the same like on a speaker, but in rotary way instead of linear way. by adding the diodes, the current will only flow in on direction, so the motor is going to be "pushed" always in the same direction and not backwards. basically what happens is that when your car ingame or your coaster is going faster, the motor and the tires are louder, and that makes the motor spin faster blowing more air against you.

ATTENTION! this kind of propellers are only helt in place by pressure. the motor MUST spin clockwise (on a NORMAL propeller) else it is blowing in the wrong way, and the force generated by the air's resistance could make the propeller come off and shoot into your face! if the direction is correct, then the air is going to stick the propeller on the motor even more!

STEP 3: Soldering the Diodes and the Switch.

ok, don't ask me for what the diode in the middle is good for! i don'T know, the fact is that with that one in it spinns better and faster. i don't know much of electronics, but the diodes, let only half of the current flow to the motor, and in the part where no current is flowing the motor is spinning and acts a s a dinymo. so actually it should be a shortcoming but it works much better than without! maybe somebody can explain this to me :)

ok, solder the diodes like in the picture and if you want you can add also the switch!

pay attention to solder the diodes the way needed to make the motor turn in the correct direction!

STEP 4: Making the Basis

i did not enter the materials for this step in the list because here everyone will have its own solution. and it does not affect how it works. the important thing is that it has to be heavy!

i welded a peace of steel to a heavy steelcap and on top of that a washer with 2 drilled holes for the screws.

STEP 5: Last Things

ok, nearly finished.. stick the propeller on your motor, and hook up the cables to the hifi! now connect the hifi to the pc and play!

IMPORTANT: if the hifi stops to play after some seconds simply swap + and - cables! should fix the problem!

remember i said that a 10V motor is better than a 12V one? this is because the hifi puts out 12V ONLY if the game is putting out the maximum possible volume and the hi fi is set at the maximum volume. and that never happens so a 10V motor will work better because 10 V is reached more often!

this rig is amazing, and even more if combined with the vibrating chair! (https://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-your-officechair-into-a-simple-motion-simulat/) the simlualtor in the clip is "no limits coaster". there are some demo versions around.

thats it, remember to vote and post a comment.. :)

bye

sharky

Comments

[dvburke4]

Hey, I love your DIY's and am building a simulator after your ideas... I have been looking at you Speed Simulator, and I was wondering how do you connect the motor to the hifi? Can you show a picture or show me how to connect the fan through the hifi, an then through to my computer. Please! I need the help...

[sahilnarang]

hey what is hifi

[Hacker95XP]

Ma questo bisogna connetterlo all'uscita audio del pc?

[tzaq93]

Hi ! Nice tutorial but i don't understand how to connect the motor to the pc? does it work if i connect it to a 3.5 jack and then plug it into the audio card? if this is correct, i think it would be posible to connect it even to a mobile phone that has a 3.5 hub? a hi-fi = a sound system? or it means nothing? i see that in the second picture you've tagged a shadow with hi-fi.. :|

[sharkyenergy]

hi! thanks for the comment! DO NOT connect your motor to the soundcard! it will most likely kill it! you need an amplifier. there are several kinds of amplifiers, even a car amplifier will do. but it is much easier to use a comon "bedroom sound system" that has a line-in. basically what you do is connecting your soundcard output to the line-in of the amplifier. then you unplug the speaker wires that are plugged into the back of your sound system, and connect the motor instead. if you have further questions just ask.. :)

[krapu]

there is a problem, this stuff only works with the sound... if we play to a car's game, there is always sound, so the modulation of motor is always at the max...

[sharkyenergy]

not esactly.. this works with teh volume.. so the more sound, the faster it turns. if you are driving faster the motor of the car is louder, and teh speed of the fan is faster.. :)

[A.C.E.]

this would definately work with x-plane because you have that freaking annoying roar, but that is usually why i switch to the outside view just to make it shut up lol. and outside is where the wind would really be maybe if i got real close to the plane... well whatever good instructable 4.5 stars

[sharkyenergy]

thank you very much! :)

[tudgeanator]

Does any one know how i could work out the 'impedence' of the moter so i would know how to place it instead of a speaker?

[jj32x]

hi
I would hazard a guess that the reason the motor works better with the extra diode is because of back emf (a.k.a counter emf, cemf and counter electromotive force). also if you used a stepper motor and the right circuitry then it would change speed depending on the frequency. that would be better in a way because on car/bike games the faster you go the higher frequency the revs get to (until you change gear).

[kiranshila]

cool its Kumba

[RidoKilos]

I laughed for about 3 minutes at this... "...come off and shoot into your face!" lol Really a cool idea by the way.

[sharkyenergy]

thank you very much.. :) let me know if you intend to build it.. :D

[superquack11]

where did you get the coaster game?

[sharkyenergy]

its "no limit coaster simulator". its a really good, cheap simulator

[Coffee bean]

that is cool

[Fizzxwizz]

How much larger of a scale can this be preformed on? For example, one of those fans that stand up and are plugged into an outlet in the wall.

[sharkyenergy]

hi! if you use a diode bridge and some huge powermosfet there is virtually no limit to the size.. :)

[Grey_Wolfe]

The best thing about this is that it is something that absolutely no one needs, yet we all would love to have one. lol Excellent idea, btw. You should think about prettying it up and getting a patent. Companies like MadCatz would sell something like this. Just a thought.