Reach Lift Truck Personal Simulator

Reach Lift Truck Personal Simulator Replica Controls

Replica Controls for the Reach Lift Truck Personal Simulator feature industrial strength USB-ready input devices and special tabletop mounting brackets to work from a standing position, just like in the cabin of real reach lift trucks.

For the left hand, there is a horizontally-positioned steering wheel, the Logitech “G920 Driving Force Racing Wheel”, that can also be used with many other Personal Simulators. There is also a steering wheel “knob” for turning the steering wheel with just one hand.

(Real reach lift trucks also have pedals, but that’s functionality primarily intended for safety, not operations. For that reason, and to keep costs down, our simulator controls at this time include no such pedals.)

In most countries, the Logitech G920 is for sale in retail stores that sell computers or video games, but it may also be purchased on-line. (Logitech’s previous model, the “G27 Racing Wheel” can also be used.)

For the right hand, there is a “control lever” (a two-axis joystick) to control travel forwards and backwards. The control is proportional: push a little to move slowly; push more to move quickly.

Practically, real control levers are positioned either vertically or horizontally (the most common arrangement) so at Simlog, you can do both.

For vertical positioning, there’s a multi-purpose Replica Control joystick that can also be used with many other Personal Simulators. Moving the joystick forwards/backwards controls travel forwards/backwards; moving the joystick left/right controls the up/down motion of the forks. Alternatively, with vertical positioning, control of the forks can also be associated with pushbuttons on the joystick.

Reach Lift Truck Personal Simulator Replica Controls with Vertical Joystick

For horizontal positioning, Simlog offers a different joystick model with a stiffer spring and an oval-shaped face, as shown here. Moving the joystick forwards/backwards controls the travel forwards/backwards; moving the joystick up/down controls the up/down motion of the forks. (You can also re-position this joystick vertically, to train operators in both ways.)

Reach Lift Truck Personal Simulator Replica Controls with Horizontal Joystick

In both cases, pushbuttons on the joystick are used to extend/retract the pantograph, to side shift, to tilt the forks, and to change the viewpoint during simulation e.g. by “leaning” left/right.

Possible Setups
There are two possible setups as follows:

• one display in front, to present the view looking forwards
• three displays placed to the left, in front, and to the right to present views that are typical of “side stance” positioning when looking backwards, in front, and forward

Here we present both setups, for the case where the joystick is positioned horizontally.

Reach Lift Truck Personal Simulator Setup with One Display Reach Lift Truck Personal Simulator Setup with Three Displays

Custom Travel Cases for Replica Controls

As for other Personal Simulators, Simlog’s Custom Travel Case makes transportation easy.

Travel Case for Simlog Personal Simulators - Opened Travel Case for Simlog Personal Simulators - Stacked Travel Case for Simlog Personal Simulators

 Key Features

• Made-to-measure, with dedicated slots for the steering wheel, joystick, and tabletop mounting bracket
• Space for a laptop PC, cables, and documentation
• Pull-out handle, with multiple positions
• Wheels (casters)
• Cases are “stackable,” for easy transport.

 Specifications

• Overall dimensions: 30″ (76cm) x 24″ (61cm) x 19″ (50cm)
• Approximate weight: 50 lbs. (23 kg) when empty, up to 100 lbs. (46 kg) when full (depending upon the Replica Controls.)

Reach Lift Truck Personal Simulator Industrial Controls

Developed in response to demand from customers for a superior simulation experience, Simlog’s new USB-ready Industrial Controls feature an authentic Control Handle from leading OEMs (there are two choices), a Steering Tiller that faithfully reproduces the look and feel of real reach lift truck operator controls, and a Foot Brake Pedal.

There are also two pushbuttons to present alternative viewpoints during the simulation, along with a mini-joystick to pan and tilt the current viewpoint.

The Industrial Controls are mounted on an industrial console for stand-up use, with casters for easy portability and a front panel key lock to restrict access to the desktop PC that you can place inside.

Simlog’s new Industrial Controls for Reach Lift Truck Personal Simulator arrive fully assembled, and USB-ready to connect to your PC and displays. Alternatively, Simlog can provide an embedded computer as part of a PC Bundle, if a “turnkey” system is preferred.

Key Features

• OEM Control Handle (two options), to travel forwards/backwards, raise/lower the forks, extend/retract the forks, etc.
• Steering Tiller, that faithfully reproduces the look and feel of real reach lift truck operator controls
• Foot Brake Pedal
• Two Pushbuttons, to present alternative viewpoints during the simulation (especially important when there is just one display)
• Mini-joystick, to pan/tilt the current viewpoint
• Emergency Power Disconnect Pushbutton
• Front Panel Key Lock, to restrict access to the PC placed inside the console

Reach Lift Truck Personal Simulator Industrial Controls - C Reach Lift Truck Personal Simulator Industrial Controls - R

Possible Setups: 

There are two possible setups, as follows:

• one display in front, to present the view looking forwards
• three displays placed to the left, in front, and to the right to present views that are typical of “side stance” positioning when looking backwards, in front, and forward

Reach Lift Truck Personal Simulator Industrial Controls - C - with One Display Reach Lift Truck Personal Simulator Industrial Controls - C - with Three Displays in Landscape Mode Reach Lift Truck Personal Simulator Industrial Controls - C - with Three Displays in Portrait Mode

Specifications

• Overall Dimensions: Depth 19.5” (50 cm) x Width 39” (99 cm) x Height 46” (117cm)
• Weight: 110 lbs. (50 kg)
• Shipping Dimensions: D 24” (61cm) x W 44″ (112 cm) x H 54″ (138 cm)
• Shipping Weight: approximately 150 lbs. (330 kg). One unit per skid, not stackable.
• 120 VAC/60 Hz, 220-240VAC/50 Hz

Multi-Purposing with Forklift Personal Simulator

Practically, stand-up reach lift trucks and sit-down counterbalance lift trucks are often found together, the first working indoors in racking systems that tall and narrow, while the second works indoors and sometimes outdoors to load and unload trucks.

For that reason, some Simlog customers will want to create a multi-purpose simulation station to combine the Reach Lift Truck and Forklift Personal Simulators, for training people to operate both kinds of lift trucks.

This means using the same PC, the same displays (you will need to add one more, so a total of four, for Forklift Personal Simulator), the same steering wheel, and the same Simulation Manager.

After that, to complete the Forklift Personal Simulator “Replica Controls”, you will need to add the Logitech “G290 Driving Force” three-pedal unit and gear shifter, along with three or four levers with tabletop mounting brackets (and a chair, to work from a sitting position).

Reach Lift Truck simulation software features many software options to configure what you see and do, to reproduce the operator controls and steering behaviour of the most common kinds of (real) reach lift trucks.

  Configuration Parameters

• position the joystick (“control lever”) horizontally or vertically
• control the up/down motion of the forks using the joystick axis or pushbuttons
• choose either “Forward” (Front Directional) or “Reverse” (Rear Directional), for the steering convention

 Forks Camera System

To help operators work with loads on high shelves in racking systems, reach lift trucks are often equipped with a Forks Camera System that presents, on a separate display in the cabin, the view from a camera installed between the forks.

Since this functionality is also helpful when training new operators, Simlog’s Reach Lift Truck simulation software features a simulated Forks Camera System, with the display superimposed on the simulation graphics.

Just like real camera systems, the display automatically disappears when the reach lift truck is moving quickly because at speed, the operator should not be looking down at the forks. Then when the reach lift truck is moving slowly or is stopped, the display automatically re-appears.

 Simulation Modules

There are seven Simulation Modules of increasing degree of difficulty, as follows:

• Controls Familiarization
• Slalom 1, for driving forwards
• Slalom 2, for driving backwards
• Selective Pallet Racks, standard aisles, low shelves
• Selective Pallet Racks, standard aisles, mixed shelves
• Selective Pallet Racks, narrow aisles, low shelves
• Selective Pallet Racks, narrow aisles, mixed shelves

When working in the racking systems, an “overhead map” is presented to display the position of the reach lift truck, the loads to be moved, and their target positions, to encourage new operators to think about planning the work to be done to become more productive.

In addition, there are three “Demo’s” for “freestyle” simulated work in both standard aisles and narrow aisles.

 Viewpoints from Inside and Outside the Cabin

As with other Personal Simulators, the viewpoint can be changed during the simulation.

For viewpoints from inside the cabin, the three displays placed to the left, in front, and to the right present views that are typical of “side stance” positioning when looking backwards, in front, and forwards.

But to help train new operators, you can also present viewpoints from outside the cabin using buttons on the simulator controls, keyboard keys, or the PC’s mouse.

 Key Performance Indicators
Key “Performance Indicators” measure how quickly and how carefully the simulated work is performed.

With 47 unique Performance Indicators, feedback is diagnostic instead of just a consolidated pass/fail score. They include execution time, average and maximum driving speeds (forwards and backwards), measurements about how precisely loads are picked up and put down (errors in orientation, centering, etc.), and counting many kinds of collisions (forks, loads, shelves, etc.).

A variety of incorrect operating conditions will trigger “Procedure Errors” such as driving “out of bounds”.

Finally, conditions related to safety will trigger a “Fatal Error” that immediately stops the simulation such as damage to the pantograph as a result of a collision, a reach lift truck overturn condition, or a load falling down from a shelf.

Here we present just a few of the Reach Lift Truck Personal Simulator videos from Simlog’s YouTube channel.