Motion Drive 3.0 - User Guide

Manual Operation

The Manual Operation sheet will become familiar to you as you work through the various stages of setting up and testing your platform prior to running it on full automatic. The page is reached by clicking on Options then Manual Operation. Upon opening, the sheet shows a number of elements that are needed to run the platfrom under manual control.

There are two areas of the page where you enter some specifics about your proposed manual operation, plus buttons to commence that operation.

Select Drive Mode

Two modes of manual operation are allowed for - operating each drive individually or in combinations; operating the platform in its designed axes or a combination of axes. By default when the page opens the selection is made to operate the platform by its axes. If you wish to operate the platform drives individually, then simply click on the radio button and that mode will be set.

Operating Drives Individually
In this mode the power signals that you send are transmitted directly to the drive(s) that you have chosen to use. There is no alteration of the power signals by any of the various factors or settings (Platform Settings, Simulation Settings or Aircraft Settings). This should be kept in mind when using this manual operation mode. This mode is therefore very useful in setting up and testing some of the basics on your platform (even including calibrating DACs).

Operate Drives by Axes
In this mode the power signals are affected by two of the settings - Platform Power (see Aircraft Configuration) and the PNRatio (see Platform Configuration). If using this mode to establish the PNRatios, the Platform Power should be set to 100% and modest values entered for the power of the manual run.

Choose Power and Runtime

For each manual run you need to enter how much power you want to apply to the platform and for how long the run should go on.

Power
Clearly when operating individual drives, you will need to find a good value to use for controlled useful runs. This value will depend on what you have established as your MMTs, as it will need to be higher than that value. The value will also depend on how long you set the duration - the longer the duration the lower the power value needed. The values to be entered are designated in terms of 8bit binary word values from -255 (full power in reverse) to +255 (full power forwards). (If you are using bipolar DACs you should still enter values here as between -255 and +255, Motion Drive adjusts the values to suit).

When operation by Axes is chosen, the power value labels will show for Roll, Pitch & Heave. Simply enter the amount of power you want for one or more axes. When Individual operation mode is chosen, the power labels show for each drive (A to D). Simply enter you chosen power value for the drive or drives you want to move. You can drive the axes or the individual drives singly or in combination.

Runtime
As it suggests, this is the time, in milliseconds, for which the power signal is maintained to the platform. The range of possibilities is from 50 to 5000 milliseconds. An average test run will probably be in the range of 300 to 500 milliseconds, but that will depend on your platform's characteristics.

The best way to find out what values work for you and your platform is to try some out. There is no harm in starting with cautious figures and working upwards. If the values for power or runtime are too low then all that will happen is - nothing!

Drive Platform

Clicking on this button will operate your platform in the mode you have selected, using the power and runtime values displayed in the relevant boxes. The values do not reset to zero or minimum upon clicking Drive Platform. Repeated clicking will repeat the operation.

Reset Platform

The Reset routine is one of the essential parts of running a motion platform. It is a quick way of moving the platform from any position within its envelope of movement back to being centred and level. The routine requires that the platform be properly configured and all necessary sensors in place before it is initiated. It takes several seconds to complete the full routine as it checks its roll position first and send that to level if required, then does the same for pitch and then for heave (if applicable). If the platform is already level and centred in one of more of its axes, it will bypass that axis and move onto the next one.

It should be noted that the Reset Routine is not automatically carried out during any part of normal Auto Operation. During Auto Operation the platform will tend to washout towards the centre anyway. So, if you wish to reset the platform you should do so using this command button.

Run Records

To help the set up process and diagnosis of any problems, a record if each manual run is created at the time of execution. The run record is stored in a file called manrecord.txt, located in the same folder as Motion Drive. The record is overwritten with each manual run, so if you wish to keep the records, then you should rename the file after each manual run. The information stored in the records is set out in the left hand colum of this page under the heading manrecord.txt.

© Active Simulation Limited 2007

Motion Drive 3.0 User Guide version 1.1