Simviation Forum - Creating motion-sensitive headset

Reply #15 - Mar 6^th, 2008 at 2:33pm

machineman9 Offline
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Okay, It is all wired correctly and the circuit is working too... my problem is that the LEDs are lighting and are not showing on FreeTrack nor on digital cameras which are seeing other IR signals.

Any suggestions? The circuit should be fine...

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Reply #16 - Mar 6^th, 2008 at 4:02pm

JSpahn Offline
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Maybe you should try focusing the beam from the led by making a cone around it. Just a thought, honestly I wouldn't know unless I tried this Huh

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Reply #17 - Mar 6^th, 2008 at 4:04pm

machineman9 Offline
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JSpahn wrote on Mar 6^th, 2008 at 4:02pm:

Maybe you should try focusing the beam from the led by making a cone around it. Just a thought, honestly I wouldn't know unless I tried this Huh

Strap black rubbery tape around it? Can try...

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Reply #18 - Mar 8^th, 2008 at 10:09am

BuggsK100RS Offline
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You would be better using some aluminium tape as its fully reflective on both sides. I sued it on a lighting kit on my RC stock are and it made a HUGE difference to the amount of light being reflected out the holes in the body shell

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Reply #19 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 3:38pm

machineman9 Offline
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Hmm, well my father and I are having doubts in the LEDs themselves...

Arent IR LEDs usually clear? These are purple (UV ones or something maybe?) despite saying on the list that they are IR...

No IR whatsoever is coming out from them- so have I been ripped off?

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Reply #20 - Mar 22^nd, 2008 at 5:34am

J. Offline
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the IR LED's i looked at where either blue, purple or clear plastic casings, i dont think it makes that much differance really mate on the casing color.

I completed the temporary construction of my Free-Track headset yesterday

all up and working

and all held together with Black electrical tape Grin

didnt want to start soldering until i new it would work

J

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Reply #21 - Mar 22^nd, 2008 at 7:20am

BuggsK100RS Offline
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If you going to sit and use that thing just make sure that nobody can see you as i think that thay would worry that you where trying to turn your self in to a Borg from Start trek Grin

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Reply #22 - Mar 22^nd, 2008 at 8:14am

machineman9 Offline
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Well J... you have pretty much the same heaphones as me, and the exact same layout. Looks good.

Buggs... Well they are arent that noticeable, and i celotaped the wires down so it doesnt look as wierd. My parents know about my scheme and as of all the wierd things ive done before, they just accept it Grin

Time to try and check what the problem is.

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Reply #23 - Mar 22^nd, 2008 at 5:03pm

machineman9 Offline
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Okay. So for some reason using a 9V battery on one of the LEDs makes it light up. It turns out the wiring wasnt quite right, but still, it doesnt light up.

Any thoughts? That test is running a 9V battery directly through one of the LEDs legs.

I am really rather confused. All the wiring should be fine. The resistor is between the + USB wire and the + side of the circuit. All the - legs of the LEDs are on the other side. I cant seem to find a circuit tester anywhere so I am stuck on where the problem lies.

okay, seems fixed.

When I am about 20cm from the webcam, the LEDs show up, but any further they arent really visible. Also, what are good camera settings for the set up so that only the LEDs show up?

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Reply #24 - Mar 22^nd, 2008 at 7:38pm

J. Offline
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weird problem that. you hav'nt accidentaly got a resistor that is way to big have you???

get a multi meter and test the circuit one made to check for faults.

My LED's are not very bright Sad

so i either need a smaller resitor, bigger LED's or both. i mite try running it without a resistor, see what happens. if they blow its only £2.50 to get a new set of LED's

and i have a Maplin store local so its not to bad Tongue

EDIT: im considering knicking a straw or two from work tomorrow and putting the LEDS in them so that they are all going in the same direction, just trying to standardise it a bit more

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Reply #25 - Mar 22^nd, 2008 at 9:01pm

machineman9 Offline
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Well, do remember that if you put too much through, then it could damage your computer aswell.

The LEDS arent lighting atall now. Bloody things.

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Reply #26 - Mar 24^th, 2008 at 8:25am

J. Offline
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best aircraft to use with free track has got to be the FSX:Acceleration F18 just awesome!!!!!!

low and slow still wins generally though

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Reply #27 - Apr 15^th, 2008 at 1:25pm

newberiffic Offline
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I did a little experimenting last weekend with freetrack and a night vision security cam I had laying around (the el cheapo kind) very low resolution. well I found that you don't need to mess with a filter or solderind led's or anything, just turn the brightness and contrast all the way down on the settings and make the tracker hat clip ( exactly like the track ir one's ) using some plastic and reflector security tape from menards or lowes for 3 bucks. and OMG you dont need led's or batteries. it seems to only see the tape !!

( I have to add that I was using in a pretty dark room )

beats spending the coin on a track ir for sure! Now if only I can get my projecor set up tonight... I may not get any sleep.

P4 duo 3.4, 4 gb ram dual geforce 5200's running a projector, 3 monitors, a simpit with Ch Throttle Quad, pedals, yoke, a hacked up and extended force feedback, a real Garmin 396 using gpsout, freetrack head tracking, a F-16 seat, and yes the seat cushion can be used as a floatation device......really!&&&&

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Reply #28 - Apr 15^th, 2008 at 3:50pm

machineman9 Offline
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Thanks for the tip.

In product design tech my friend is making one which is going to be much like a pair of glasses with the LEDs attached. I am going to ask if he will make me one for keeps...

My one is completely messed up and I could do with getting larger LEDs and fixing whatever went wrong.

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Reply #29 - Apr 16^th, 2008 at 5:33pm

HarvesteR Offline
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i've had a go with freetrack here, and i can say it works very well...

i didn't use IR leds or anything fancy... since it is webcam based tracking, it'll track pretty much any luminous spot you attach to your head

so i got hold of a little LED nightlight and stuck it between my head and my headset, with a paperclip to hold the button so it would stay on... then i turned on freetrack and there it was

well, it was a simple one-point tracking setup, which doesn't give you much movement freedom (only X an Y rotation actually), but it did work ok

it just demonstrated that you can have pretty much any kind of LED hooked up and the camera will pick it up

i also tried shining a remote control if front of the camera and it did pick up the light point

my camera is a MS LifeCam VX1000 and it worked ok tracking at 24FPS...

Cheers

HarvesteR

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My 8800 GTX has at last retired... may it rest in peace in GPU heaven.

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