DIY Head Tracker For A Tenner

Trickle · Jan 2, 2015

Cedhric said:
Any ideas?

Edit: Not the same issue if yours was caused by soldering, but makes me wonder if I have a bad 'un. It takes 10+ goes to get all the boxes green each time.

I've been having to restart Windows. Occasionally I can get it to redetect after end tasking the Edtracker process.

So far I've struggled to get the drift correction to work for more than a single session. Spend ages calibrating it. Works great in game afterwards. Come back the next day and its like sitting on a roundabout. And you have to restart the OS to get the software working again.

I've pretty much given up with it for the time being

bAdbUd · Jan 3, 2015

bAdbUd said:
I'll get back with results at the weekend, thanks for the help thus far.

Earlier than expected results from my problems.

I've found that when I plug the EDTracker in for the first time it acts like it's just woken up and saying, "Whoa, what's going on?" and isn't really sure where to look, then after about half an hour it seems to sober up and behave.

I've not recalibrated it, I've done the game advice settings (thanks), but mostly I just have to wait for it to have had it's coffee and get ready to work.

So the environmental settings do seem to be a major factor, I believe.

That's not a criticism, it's just an observation of my device, so it's well scientific.

ZZR600 · Jan 3, 2015

bAdbUd said:
Earlier than expected results from my problems.

I've found that when I plug the EDTracker in for the first time it acts like it's just woken up and saying, "Whoa, what's going on?" and isn't really sure where to look, then after about half an hour it seems to sober up and behave.

I've not recalibrated it, I've done the game advice settings (thanks), but mostly I just have to wait for it to have had it's coffee and get ready to work.

So the environmental settings do seem to be a major factor, I believe.

That's not a criticism, it's just an observation of my device, so it's well scientific.

You'll find the sobering up is the fact the unit needs to warm up to ambient temps. Dependant on the tracker and sketch in use, you will see the temperature in the top right of the gui. When it goes green, it's stable

Lee Storm · Jan 3, 2015

Is it possible to reduce the trackers sensitivity? This things even picking up my tiny head movements from the blood pumping to my noggin and translating it into the game, makes me look like I'm having a mini fit.

brumster · Jan 3, 2015

Demonmaker said:
Is it possible to reduce the trackers sensitivity? This things even picking up my tiny head movements from the blood pumping to my noggin and translating it into the game, makes me look like I'm having a mini fit.

Yep, the GUI has a scaling adjustment for pitch and yaw, you can change this as you like.
I also prefer the exponential axis setup which masks issues like this around the dead-ahead over linear, but each to their own.
If you have no joy with any of that, you could run it via Opentrack and use a filter to remove the 'jitter'.

Jesters09 · Jan 3, 2015

Hi guys, I took a punt on a pre built Tracker 2, which arrived today (thanks guys), so I've attached it to my headset and made a really nice job clipping the usb cord along my headset cable (nice job), but now I am stuck.
There are a number of installation vids on youtube for a number of EDTracker devices, which I have looked through.
After following several paths and downloading many files and drivers, I still cant get windows to install drivers for it.
It shows up fine in devices as an EDTracker 2, but windows is clear in stating, "no drivers are loaded for this device.
Can some kind person point me in the right direction with a PM please, I am itching to test this bad boy out?

222 pages in this thread is going to be like . . .and the answer might not even be here.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

brumster · Jan 3, 2015

Presumably this doesn't work for you (it should do)?

http://www.edtracker.org.uk/index.p...software?download=7:edtracker-arduino-drivers

Jesters09 · Jan 3, 2015

brumster said:
Presumably this doesn't work for you (it should do)?

http://www.edtracker.org.uk/index.p...software?download=7:edtracker-arduino-drivers

No, I have those and when I point windows to that folder, it says "no drivers found".

I'll add that I am using window 7 home 64bit.

Jesters09 · Jan 3, 2015

Oh balls, sorry guys, I've been an idiot . . . the usb cable that came with the order wasn't long enough, so I used a usb extension cable I had here.
I've just tested it directly into the Pc and it works . . . . sorry guys. I just need to go to the local PC shop now and get a new USB extension.

Wicz · Jan 3, 2015

Well I've given up, for now.

Any USB -> micro USB lead I have bought or have been supplied by the EDTracker guys ( great guys and gals btw ) simply generates an error in Win 8.1 stating that the device is not recognised. I have bought four leads so far, and we received a standard USB 2.0 extension cable today that also will not work, not even if I connect the three working cables I have to the extension. The three cables that work are one from a Galaxy Note 2 - 70cm long - one from a Galaxy tab 3 - also 70cm long and one from an old Nokia N8 - 1.2 meters long.

All of the working leads work fine connected directly to any USB port on the PC, connected via the powered USB 3.0 hub on my AOC monitor, or connected via an old non-powered USB 2.0 hub on the end of a 1.5 meter USB 2.0 lead.

All the other new leads will not work no matter what I plug them into, and I can't use the tracker properly with the length of the leads that do work.

A friend suggested it may be the length of the newer leads causing the problem, but none are as long as the lead connecting the non-powered USB 2.0 hub to the PC + the Nokia N8 USB cable combined, which works fine, but is not suitable because the hub is hanging off my head if you can picture that.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated because this has driven me to distraction over xmas.

Niddi · Jan 4, 2015

Is there a general consensus concerning the EDTracker with a MPU-9150? Is it worth getting one or is it still to "beta-ish"? I'm using one with a MPU-6050 and the Drift is getting really annoying, even after several calibrations. I'm actually thinking of switching to a Webcam / IR solution.

OillyRag · Jan 4, 2015

I can only speak for myself, but the 9150 is a turn on and go solution as far as im concerned.
I use the original test sketch set at exponential and it just works ... Every time, completely stable.

There is a compromise, i have to put up with a small dead-zone in the centre whilst using exponetial tracking but it does make it rock solid.

harag · Jan 4, 2015

I upgraded from the 6050 to the 9150 and using the sketch "9150DMPTest3" - yea, you won't look back - I don't have anywhere near as many problems. Once it's warmed up I take it off my head, rest it on the table and reset it, 20 seconds later I'm good to go.

Try using the "OpenTrack" software as well - this give you the 3rd dimension of roll..

Jesters09 · Jan 4, 2015

I only got mine yesterday so only had a couple of hours with it.
I find if I'm on for a long time my neck gets a bit notchy anyway.
Im also using voice attack, so I have the ED tracker SW running in the background and I use voice attack "centre;reset" to reset the centre when my neck starts to go.
This lets me move and adjust my head to a new more comfortable position without having to come out of game or hit keys.
I hope to get a longer up time in today, so I will let you know.
I had mine built in house, so it came ready to go and it is the 9150 model.

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harag said:
I upgraded from the 6050 to the 9150 and using the sketch "9150DMPTest3" - yea, you won't look back - I don't have anywhere near as many problems. Once it's warmed up I take it off my head, rest it on the table and reset it, 20 seconds later I'm good to go.

Try using the "OpenTrack" software as well - this give you the 3rd dimension of roll..

Is that running in the background, is there anything else you need to set up in game?

Blairvoyach · Jan 4, 2015

Niddi said:
Is there a general consensus concerning the EDTracker with a MPU-9150? Is it worth getting one or is it still to "beta-ish"? I'm using one with a MPU-6050 and the Drift is getting really annoying, even after several calibrations. I'm actually thinking of switching to a Webcam / IR solution.

Don't know about a consensus but I am running the 9150dmptest3 sketch (the latest) and it is rock solid. I can pick it up three days later and it hasn't moved position i.e. no drift at all. There is almost no lag and the bounce and auto centreing are gone, it just tracks instantly and accurately. Combine it with Opentrack and it's as good as anything out there for many times the cost. Maybe hang on until the production sketch is released where we can have the EDTracker in any orientation (as per the 6050) and see what people think then.

As it stands, I think they have done a hell of a job and it's the best £30 I've ever spent gaming.

Carkhass · Jan 4, 2015

Blairvoyach said:
Don't know about a consensus but I am running the 9150dmptest3 sketch (the latest) and it is rock solid. I can pick it up three days later and it hasn't moved position i.e. no drift at all. There is almost no lag and the bounce and auto centreing are gone, it just tracks instantly and accurately. Combine it with Opentrack and it's as good as anything out there for many times the cost. Maybe hang on until the production sketch is released where we can have the EDTracker in any orientation (as per the 6050) and see what people think then.

As it stands, I think they have done a hell of a job and it's the best £30 I've ever spent gaming.

I wish my 9150 works like that.
Barely impossible to work correctly here, tried everything. Still using the yawing 6050.
The only 9150 sketch which works (approximatively) is the first, but the auto centering makes it anoying. Every other sketch make my EDTracker go crazy. :'(

Blairvoyach · Jan 4, 2015

I had a similar problem (couldn't use any sketch beyond the first) and kept going back to the first sketch.

What changed it for me was to completely start from scratch and set it up as a 6050, going through all the same setup processes again and again just as with the 6050. Next I applied the 9150 calibration sketch and ran that two or three times, then the final "DMPtest3" sketch. That's when it all started to work really well.

Maybe you already tried the first step but if not, give it a go, maybe a couple of goes.

I'm really not overstating just how good it is once you get it working correctly as I'm sure Woodstok and others would agree.

Edit: one other thing came to mind... When you run the 9150 calibration sketch and you have to wave the tracker around all axes. I found if I let it get to a 900 count the save button greyed out and I couldn't select it. No idea if this the UI auto saving the data but the time it started working properly, I only let the count get to 800 before I clicked save, at that point I was able then to see the data cloud (red and green blobs in a globe shape) which I never could before.

Carkhass · Jan 4, 2015

Blairvoyach said:
I had a similar problem (couldn't use any sketch beyond the first) and kept going back to the first sketch.

What changed it for me was to completely start from scratch and set it up as a 6050, going through all the same setup processes again and again just as with the 6050. Next I applied the 9150 calibration sketch and ran that two or three times, then the final "DMPtest3" sketch. That's when it all started to work really well.

Maybe you already tried the first step but if not, give it a go, maybe a couple of goes.

I'm really not overstating just how good it is once you get it working correctly as I'm sure Woodstok and others would agree.

Edit: one other thing came to mind... When you run the 9150 calibration sketch and you have to wave the tracker around all axes. I found if I let it get to a 900 count the save button greyed out and I couldn't select it. No idea if this the UI auto saving the data but the time it started working properly, I only let the count get to 800 before I clicked save, at that point I was able then to see the data cloud (red and green blobs in a globe shape) which I never could before.

Tried to recalibrate the 6050 many times, yes. With the old and the new (3.0.5.1). When you restarted, did you used the last UI only ?
When you say 9150 calibration test many times, you mean the "9150dmpcal" ?
I don't understand what you mean about the "900". Are these the point counts when calibrating with the dmpcal ? I can easily go past 1600 when I make the full tracker directionnal waving.

I'll restart from the start right now, so let's try !

Blairvoyach · Jan 4, 2015

I used the 3.0.5.1 UI, the EDTracker2calib 2.5.3 to calibrate as a 6050 and get all the bias readings correct.
Then I flashed the 9150DMPCal sketch and ran it a couple of times. On my UI, if the point count goes to 900, the save button greys out and I cannot select it and I don't see the point cloud. If I let it get to 800 for example and then press save, I can see the point cloud and that was when it started working properly once I flashed the 9150DMPTest3 sketch. In one of Brumsters videos, I think he does say that once you have over 500 points, that should be enough. Also bear in mind that with the 9150DMPTest3 sketch, your EDTracket HAS to be mounted USB down and left otherwise it goes berserko in the UI.

Carkhass · Jan 4, 2015

Blairvoyach said:
I used the 3.0.5.1 UI, the EDTracker2calib 2.5.3 to calibrate as a 6050 and get all the bias readings correct.
Then I flashed the 9150DMPCal sketch and ran it a couple of times. On my UI, if the point count goes to 900, the save button greys out and I cannot select it and I don't see the point cloud. If I let it get to 800 for example and then press save, I can see the point cloud and that was when it started working properly once I flashed the 9150DMPTest3 sketch. In one of Brumsters videos, I think he does say that once you have over 500 points, that should be enough. Also bear in mind that with the 9150DMPTest3 sketch, your EDTracket HAS to be mounted USB down and left otherwise it goes berserko in the UI.

If I launch the 9150dmpcal many times, the points increments, si it mount over 2048 etc. Once it is so huge, I can still flash the dmpcal, but everything is grayed and I can't do any calibration anymore.

edit : and now, when I want to flash the test3, the app crash with an error. Seems there is too much data calibration ?