My Actuators Aren't Moving

If your simulator isn’t moving at all — no motion from any axis — work through this checklist from top to bottom.

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Quick Checklist

Run through these items in order. Most “no motion” issues are solved by one of the first few steps.

1. Is Motion Started?

You need to click the Start Motion button before the simulator will move.

• Look for the Start button on the main tab.
• If it says Stop, motion is already running — the issue is elsewhere.
• If it says Paused, motion has been started in paused state. Click the Resume button or press the resume keyboard shortcut to begin motion.

Note

If Start Motion In Paused State is enabled in Settings → Motion, motion will always start paused. The simulator moves to its home position but won’t respond to game telemetry until you manually resume.

2. Is a Game Source Selected and Connected?

On the main tab, check:

• A game source is selected from the dropdown (not blank or “None”).
• The game is actually running and you’re in an active session (on track, in the cockpit, etc.).
• If you want to test without a game, select Manual Control as the source.

To verify telemetry is coming in, open the Source Data dock (Settings → User Interface → Show UI Docks → Source Data) and check that values are changing.

If telemetry isn’t connecting, see Game Telemetry Not Connecting.

3. Is an Output Configured and Connected?

Go to the Outputs tab and verify:

• At least one output is configured (e.g., a serial output, Thanos, M4S, DMover, etc.).
• The output shows a connected status.
• If using a serial output, the correct COM port is selected and the device is connected.

If your serial output isn’t connecting, see Serial Output Not Working / COM Port Issues.

4. Is the Output Port Mapping Correct?

In the Outputs tab, each output has a port mapping that connects the output’s ports to the actuators defined in your Sim Config.

• Make sure each actuator is mapped to an output port.
• If all ports are set to “None” or unmapped, the output won’t send any position data.

5. Are Gains Set to Non-Zero?

Check these gain settings — if any are set to 0, no motion will be produced:

Gain Setting	Location	What It Does
Global Gain	Settings → Motion → Global Gain	Scales all motion. If 0, nothing moves.
Input Gain	Settings → Motion → Input Gain	Scales incoming telemetry. If 0, no input reaches processing.
Per-cue Gain	Profile Editor → each cue → Gain slider	If all cues have 0 gain, no motion is produced.
Per-axis Gain	Profile Editor → each cue → axis contributors	If an individual axis gain is 0, that axis won’t move.

Tip

A common cause of “no motion” is accidentally reducing the Global Gain to 0 via a keyboard or controller shortcut without realizing it. Check the Gain Display dock for a quick visual indication of your current Global Gain value.

6. Is a Sim Config Set Up?

Go to the Sim Config tab and verify:

• At least one simulator component is configured (e.g., Linear Hexapod, Quadpost, etc.).
• The component has correct dimensions and travel distances configured.
• If no sim component is configured, the motion system doesn’t know what hardware you have and won’t produce any output.

7. Is the Profile Correct?

In the Profile Editor:

• Make sure a profile is selected for your current game.
• Make sure at least one cue (typically Primary) is enabled.
• Check that the cue has non-zero gains on the axes you expect to move.

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Diagnostic Steps

If you’ve confirmed all the checklist items and actuators still aren’t moving, use these tools to narrow down the issue:

Check the Source Data Dock

Open the Source Data dock. If values are changing while you’re in-game, the telemetry is working. If all values are 0 or static, the issue is on the telemetry/source side.

Check the Sim Position Dock

Open the Sim Position dock. This shows the computed position for each axis after motion processing.

• If Sim Position values are changing but actuators aren’t moving → the issue is in the output (connection, port mapping, or hardware).
• If Sim Position values are not changing but Source Data is → the issue is in motion processing (profile, gains, or sim config).
• If neither is changing → the issue is in the source (game telemetry).

Test with Manual Control

The fastest way to isolate the issue:

1. Select Manual Control from the Sources tab.
2. Click Start Motion.
3. Open the Manual Control dock.
4. Move the sliders for each axis.

If the actuators respond to Manual Control but not to game telemetry:

• The hardware and output are working correctly.
• The issue is with game telemetry, the selected profile, or motion processing.

If the actuators don’t respond to Manual Control either:

• The issue is with the output connection or hardware.
• Check your output configuration, port mapping, COM port, and cables.

Check the Debug Log

Open the Debug Log dock and set Log Verbosity to DEBUG in Settings. Look for:

• Error messages related to your output device
• “Connection failed” or “Access denied” messages
• “COM port is not configured” messages
• Any red or orange entries indicating errors

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Common Causes Summary

Symptom	Likely Cause	Solution
Nothing moves at all	Motion not started, or Global Gain at 0	Click Start Motion; check Global Gain
Sim Position shows movement but actuators don’t move	Output not connected, or port mapping wrong	Check output connection and port mapping
Source Data shows values but Sim Position doesn’t move	Profile gains at 0, or no cue enabled	Check Profile Editor gains and enabled cues
Manual Control works but game doesn’t	Telemetry not connecting	See Game Telemetry Not Connecting
Only some axes move	Some port mappings missing, or some axis gains at 0	Check port mapping and per-axis gains

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Still Not Working?

1. Check the Debug Log for error messages.
2. Try a different output — If you have multiple output devices, test each one individually.
3. Try Manual Control — This isolates whether the issue is with telemetry or hardware.
4. Join Discord — The Departed Reality Discord community can help troubleshoot hardware-specific issues.