DIY Head Tracker For A Tenner

[Sniper435]

Pocketmoon printed himself a wee box. Might be worth noising him up.
We have thought about various ways to enclose the unit ( Tic Tak box etc) but at the moment its pretty much up to you. I have found that sticking the Micro USB connector directly onto my headset using a double sided sticky pad and attaching the unit to that works pretty well even if it is at a funny angle. It's so light without an enclosure its strong enough. Also allows you to simply replace a whole unit by unplugging and replacing it. My headset headband is made of magnesium alloy which is conductive so I can't just use elastic bands because it would short everything out.
A proper designed printed box is a pretty big project in itself.
I think someone already posted this.

Spoiler

http://www.shapeways.com/model/1200712/cobra-mkiii-wireframe-13cm.html

I think everyone realises that it's not a real product as such. There are no warranties or guarantees we are just trying to make it as easy and cheap as possible to get a decent headtracker going.

I realise you're not going for a full "product" was just thinking if rough dimensions were available then a shapeways / thingverse model for a case could be made and uploaded by a keen individual for people to use if they want - or as you say, tape, rubber bands and such also work fine.
I for one really appreciate the work you've all done on the software and pcb, building it and such will be a fun little diversion from flying around

 

[pocketmoon]

was just thinking if rough dimensions were available then a shapeways / thingverse model for a case could be made and uploaded by a keen individual for people to use if they want

It's on my list i have a 3d printer that i've used for ealry proto-types, including an adjustable hinged section to aid in getting the sensor flat.

Once I've built a once based on the custom PCB's I'll be working on a new enclosure and will stick it up on Thingiverse.

The prime function for the enclosure is to take the stress off of the micro usb connector so for me it's a must!

Cheers

Rob

 

[Sniper435]

yes, that was my reasoning too, seemed like the micro-usb was the weak point or the whole affair although I could just use more tape / rubber bands to hold the usb cable in place.

 

[Dead Fred]

Cable ties are pretty useful for keeping things tidy and nice and tight.
Tape and sticky pads always fail eventually.

I wonder if Rob has had any progress with the wireless module, lol.

One thing at a time.

 

[Pazmeister]

Hindsight is a great thing but....... If you could strike a deal with Frontier maybe they would ship this low cost headtracker with the game when it goes retail. I know there developing with Occulus Rift BUT that is a complete different experience and the ability to "look around" but greatly enhance the whole experience for everyone.

Probably already thought of but if a wireless module was added to remove cable and then that new fangled wizardry of wireless charging added it would have power needed and could be housed in a replica of Elite logo!!

Anyway as soon as those Boards are ready ill snap one up, i have all components come today but that board from hobby components is confusing me as to how i fit everything and do i need to do anything different to the actual board as it is not etched. Could someone put coloured lines on my attached pick with what solders where as yes i really am that dumb!!

Spoiler

 

[PIXEL]

Could someone put coloured lines on my attached pick with what solders where as yes i really am that dumb!!

this is one way i was going to do it. I'm not back home till much later but will try and put something up for you.
Using this type of board could be a good way to do it double sided (Arduino on top and module on bottom) like the PCB design ie to make as small as poss.

A Circuit diagram (based purely on the pcb layout) was the first post in this thread , but I'll try to knock something different up later :smilie:

 

[Pazmeister]

Thanks shadow, i just cant understand if i solder one in A1 how is that connected to the corresponding pin? All those holes look seperate unlike the custom etched board design. Yes ill mount on underside and on top.

As for an enclosure can i not just lower into molten wax then leave to set lol?

On behalf of everyone a MASSIVE thanks to Pocketmoon, Brumster and eveyone else. Lets hope this raises enough interest for the man the myth the legend BRABEN to talk about it in next newsletter!!

 

[pocketmoon]

I wonder if Rob has had any progress with the wireless module, lol.

Funny enough.... no

I have a Bluetooth Low Energy breakout from adafruit but you're limited to Windows 8 for support. I have a usb dongle that claims to be BT 4.0 running on my Windows 7 desktop and I can see the BLE device but bu99ered if I can get anything to talk to it. Bleeding edge!!

I may try with a standard bluetooth adapter at some point but powering it all will be interesting

BUT... I much prefer wired tech for keyboard/mouse/joystick. More reliable , less latency

 

[xyphic]

Looking good guys. I'd be interested in one of the PCBs (I have the bits already and can solder well enough).

Couple of questions though: The MPU board has its header only on one side with mounting holes on the other. It looks from the photo earlier in the thread that there are no struts (i.e. the mounting holes aren't used). Is the MPU board stable enough when soldered?

 

[technome]

You wont need to etch your own daughter board to hold it all, that's already been outsourced and a few hundred will soon be available to buy.

I would be extremely interested in buying either a kit of parts (preferably) or else a daughterboard ready to accept the DIY package from hobbycomponents. It's a little worrying that they appear to be out of stock at the moment, though.

Could my name be added to the appropriate list, please?

 

[Rog]

If you guys are taking names, I'd like to add mine for a couple of pcbs if/when available please.

Got all the other bits

 

[huwthomas]

Thanks shadow, i just cant understand if i solder one in A1 how is that connected to the corresponding pin? All those holes look seperate unlike the custom etched board design. Yes ill mount on underside and on top.

It's a shame the holes are separate, maybe you'll have to do something like what's shown here if you want to use it.

More guidance here.

 

[Omegahunter]

Looking good guys. I'd be interested in one of the PCBs (I have the bits already and can solder well enough).

Couple of questions though: The MPU board has its header only on one side with mounting holes on the other. It looks from the photo earlier in the thread that there are no struts (i.e. the mounting holes aren't used). Is the MPU board stable enough when soldered?

Unless you're putting a lot of pressure on it the MPU doesn't feel like it will move. But I'm looking in to putting mine in to a small project box once built

I would be extremely interested in buying either a kit of parts (preferably) or else a daughterboard ready to accept the DIY package from hobbycomponents. It's a little worrying that they appear to be out of stock at the moment, though.

Could my name be added to the appropriate list, please?

Hobbycomponents selling out is good news, but its only the Arduino boards that are out of stock atm. If its down to our project then it means a greater chance of getting them to stock the 9150 MPU.

Just goes to show that we have a great idea on our hands.

 

[Omegahunter]

It's a shame the holes are separate, maybe you'll have to do something like what's shown here if you want to use it.

More guidance here.

That is the idea with the breadboard that being supplied. You either wire jumper links to the right pins or maybe just link some of the holes with solder to make it easier to then solder the wire links.

 

[xyphic]

Unless you're putting a lot of pressure on it the MPU doesn't feel like it will move. But I'm looking in to putting mine in to a small project box once built

I was more worried about flex on the PCB being picked up by the tracker. I guess the MPU board is small and thick enough that it shouldn't make much difference. Perhaps if there's a v2 of the PCB it can have mounting holes for the MPU board?

Just goes to show that we have a great idea on our hands.

It really is a great idea, and it's such a shame that we can only use two axes. It's better than nothing though!

 

[drakmaniso]

It really is a great idea, and it's such a shame that we can only use two axes. It's better than nothing though!

About this, as anyone tried to contact FD to see if they could expose the other head movement axis in the options, like they did for the pitch and yaw? I'm pretty sure this can't break whatever legal chains the TrackIR guys have put on them (since it's not about head tracking, but about head movement, that could be bound to a joystick or any other input)...

 

[technome]

*snip*


It really is a great idea, and it's such a shame that we can only use two axes. It's better than nothing though!

Well, we're only using two rotational axes for head look, I believe. There's a third rotational axis and three degrees of freedom in displacement also being monitored. I assume they could be bound to other functions if desired.

 

[brumster]

I'm not entirely sure I'd want roll captured from my head, to be honest !?

Anyways... I've update the guide PDF in relation to Pocketmoon's latest sketch....

Link in OP...

 

[Omegahunter]

About this, as anyone tried to contact FD to see if they could expose the other head movement axis in the options, like they did for the pitch and yaw? I'm pretty sure this can't break whatever legal chains the TrackIR guys have put on them (since it's not about head tracking, but about head movement, that could be bound to a joystick or any other input)...

Its more a case of do we really need more head tracking option opened to us?

Pitch and yaw are all we really need to make it work, adding roll wouldn't really add much.

If we got them of expose more to us then it would make sense to shoot for full head tracking. While that might sound good it would mean another level of programming for the guys who are doing it for fun atm. Also I don't think that the Arduino has enough memory to hold the code we would need for full head tracking.

But the big problem is it would no longer be the "DIY Head Tracker For A Tenner"

 

[drakmaniso]

I'm not entirely sure I'd want roll captured from my head, to be honest !?

It's more about the X/Y/Z translation axis. I've never used head tracking, but I'm under the impression that if done correctly, tracking the 6 axis lead to something very close to virtual reality.

It's also the fact that since I wear prescription glasses, my field of vision is limited, so I will probably move my head along the X axis while "yawing". I'm not sure how this will feel without on-screen translation. (Mmmh.. just realised that, judging from your youtubes videos, you also wear glasses, so I guess it's a non-issue! )

But of course pitch & yaw are by far the most important. Can't wait to receive my package...