Hydraulic vs Electric

Hi,

This question might sound kind of newbish but its the first blockade I've encountered. By experience, whats more cost efficient, a hydraulic or electric motion platform?

Any input will be highly appreciated.

Best Regards,
~~Goose~~

Electric is going to be the least expensive simply from an infrastructure standpoint. You won't need a high-pressure hydraulic pump, $$$$$ Moog actuator valves (search eBay for "moog valves", but hold your jaw shut so you don't crack it on the desk), or a way to deal with very toxic chemicals.

A commercial 3DOF electric motion base can be had for somewhere around $35k. You can build your own though - there's a guy in the UK that's done some stellar work in the field - http://buggies.builtforfun.co.uk/Sim/platform2.html. He happens to sell control boards and FS compatible driver software for a reasonable price as well. There's also a gent in the Netherlands that's pretty on the ball too: http://www.simprojects.nl/index.htm

What sim project are you working on?
g.

Pascal law is the basis of hydraulic drive systems. As the pressure in the system is the same, the force that the fluid gives to the surroundings is therefore equal to pressure x area. In such a way, a small piston feels a small force and a large piston feels a large force. The same principle applies for a hydraulic pump with a small swept volume that asks for a small torque, combined with a hydraulic motor with a large swept volume that gives a large torque. In such a way a transmission with a certain ratio can be built. Most hydraulic drive systems make use of hydraulic cylinders. Here the same principle is used- a small torque can be transmitted in to a large force.