I just built this for DCS and it is amazing. I have never used trackir before, so I can't comment on comparison, but it is extremely smooth and once I set up properly I had no erratic tracking. Initially I had extremely erratic tracking, but then I realized the input device was on the open labs driver instead of solely the camera. Once I switched it to here it was way better. I set all camera settings to auto and had no issues with it. For anyone having trouble with tracking try setting the camera input to the camera instead of the CLeye driver and try auto camera settings first, then set your threshold manually.
@@wanghafHUN If you haven't already and for anyone else reading this I've used a cheap dashcam I had spare. Did the same remove the lens and add in the tape to darken the view but didnt have any problems afterwards. Works great and tracks fine.
One of the better videos out there on how to do this, wish I had seen that when I built mine. Few things to make this process even easier: 1. You don't need a 3D-printer, just take a piece of cardboard and cut out the genereal frame of the headset-thingy. You'll find the dimensions online. 2. You can't remove the IR-filter in all PS3-Eye cameras, but also you don't need to. I simply installed a visible light filter (old camera film in my case) in front of the camera, without even disassembling it and it works just fine, as long as the sun doesn't shine directly into my room. This also has the benefit, that you can always remove the visible-light-filter and use the camera as a webcam for videoconferences. I hope this helps some of you :)
I assume you mean if it can be used as a visible light filter? I don't know, I've never tried. But you can try if it works like this: cut out 2-3 pieces, hold them in front of your phone's camera until it doesn't see anything anymore, then point a tv-remote at the camera and press some buttons. If it sees a violet light from the tv-remote but nothing else, it works.
You are welcome :) If it doesn't work, you could try to find a VHS (like he uses in the video), a floppy disk, or a camera film. Your grandparents are likely to have at least one of those three lying around.
The light filter is also good for privacy, by default with ps3 camera the mic will be on in the background, even though you don't even use a mic, this thing might be on for years without you being aware, plus the camera with the light on when your pc is shut off even. It could be hacked, but very unlikely imo.. Also some people aren't aware the mic is keyed while in simulation.. Short story😜😜
I love using TrackIR in iRacing. The key is to set pretty large deadzones and I have it set up to kind of softly snap over to left and right positions so i can see cars around me and my rear view mirror. It's weird at first but once you're used to a setup that makes sense for you it's hugely helpful especially when you only have one screen like i do
Dude, thank you so much! Your manual focus adjustment idea saved this project from the bin! I Built this a month before your upload and spent HOURS searching for solutions to focus my camera. I was stumped when I tried everything from sanding the lens base down to hot glueing the FOV selector between the 2 steps. Defeated, I just concluded that I must have a dud camera and binned the entire project, but this simple rubber pad solution saved it! Thank you man, It works perfectly now!
@Boosted Media, no need to pull the camera apart or change lenses, just use 2 layers of photo negative over the outside of the lense,(or 1 depending on what headset you use), works exactly the same... had mine going for 5-6 yrs now. amazing little setup :) For the headset settings, you just need to make a fairly big deadzone before it starts to turn side to side, and it will fix your problems mate. :)
A couple of suggestions; Use linear mappings, curves will get your brain and reactions off kilter very easy. Adjust your mappings so that your head turning from middle monitor edge to edge + eyes turning = how far you want your in game head to rotate. Adjust your sensitivity and deadline to minimal, maybe one notch above lowest. This will help your eyes catch slides like you experienced a lot earlier. The default settings are too 'numb' for sim racing.
"Use linear mappings" you understand this is a head tracker and not VR, right? Linear mappings are not possible here, unless you want the player to turn their head 180 degrees in real life to turn 180 degrees in the game, but then not be able to actually see the monitor for obvious reasons. We MUST use curves.
@@moeburn Linear doesn’t mean 1:1 though. In fact he says as much in the second suggestion. All he’s suggesting is that, say, the first 10 degrees off center produces the same amount of rotation as the last 10 degrees you can manage, no matter if that 10 degree input produces a 10 degree output or a 45 degree output.
change it to 90 degree and disable pitch roll and x y z adjust the map with more dead zone feel great here with cam that cost 2 dollars I'm hitting same times and i use it only for few laps in iracing@@moeburn
Hey man, nice video. I've used DIY headtracking for several months now and honestly i canot go back to single monitor.. single monitor with headtracking works great for me, i can look at my apex, can look at my mirrors, feels natural to me and more immersive. i've never tried VR nor triple screens but at the moment headtracking is a must for me.
Agreed, I somehow managed to completely miss it in all my searching and research on building a replacement head tracking frame (I have TrackIR but dislike the TrackClip Pro as it's bulky and flimsy).
I believe you only needed one resistor at the beginning of the power wire. They would all get the some resistance. An old USB cord would eliminate battery pack and lighten the set. Good video
For a single 21:9 it makes things a lot better. For a triple setup, especially one as wide as yours, it might be worth looking into (sorry) just using it for XYZ _positioning_, rather than view angle as well. The effect will be a lot more subtle, but it still adds a certain value. Speaking as a longtime TIR owner now on triples.
Try using it without rotation tracking. I feel like this with only positional tracking and a big wraparound screen could be a good replacement for VR. It'll probably be worse but at least motion sickness will be reduced along with the screen-door effect.
Just yesterday I finished soldering up my own version of this (from elsewhere, credit where it's due). But I've been spending weeks trying to figure out where to get a slim L-Ion battery pack, load circuits (to keep it active), charging circuits... Didn't even occur to me to just use a couple of AA batteries in a switched box. I'm so used to everything being rechargeable nowadays, and I even have a 24-pack of cheap lithium AAAs in my top drawer just waiting to find something to be used in. Unfortunately the frame I used doesn't really have the space to wire in parallel (I've done it in series) but I might look at redoing it if it's not working too well when finally done. To be honest, I wish I'd found this video first! I definitely feel like I've done everything the hard way :) So thanks!
Did you end up finishing this off? I'm thinking of doing it, but using a spare USB lead for power. You'd only have to solder up the two wires and then you've no issue with batteries dying mid game.
I'm late the party, but I think it would be far more useful with a single monitor setup, and you're right it's awesome in dcs world! Great video again, love your work!
Very clear tutorial and I was able to replicate your built (Jaycar same materials)... more than $20 though but still cheap and most of all, fun to make
I've used TrackIR5 since they came out, and a TrackIR3 before, in both driving and flight sims. There was no VR at the time for comparison and using TrackIR came naturally within a short time. Try mixing head and L/R eye movement together and it will slow the use of both and should eliminate the disorientation you felt. I'm willing to speculate the negatives you felt would disappear. It would be nice to be able to compare the pros & cons of the two systems but VR is totally out of my price range to experiment with. Folks on Twitch have asked about head tracking and can't afford a TrackIR let alone VR. Next time it comes up I'll be sure to pass on a link to this video
Thank you for including your review of actually using it with a racing game! It's good to hear some of the cons with head tracking specific to racing, I haven't heard those from any other video yet. I'm still going back and forth between whether I want to get a VR headset, or use head tracking. I'm trying to build a modular sim cockpit/rig, that I can swap between a racing or flying setup. It does seem like head tracking benefits a flying simulator game better, and VR benefits racing games more.
i am using headtracking to do something like "Head Tracking for Desktop VR Displays using the WiiRemote" (search the video, don't want to post a link). Just try binding yaw and pitch to X and Y axis. Set map for movement a maximum at (32.5, 75). Set mapping for yaw-pitch at (180, 104). That works for me. You should give that a try. If you set up correct values you should see your virtual wheel aligning perfectly with your real wheel, wherever your head is.
mar bek I saw a guy do something similar using the gyroscope of a wii remote is this what you talking about or did he literally stick a wii remote to the side of his head
@@bestnameonthisplatform352 you could do that. It is possible to stuck your phone and use the gyro of the phone (there is a guide in opentrack wiki). You will have the benefits of a 3dof tracking. But i think it is not the same that i am talking about. Please search for the video in quotes. It is from Johnny Lee and showcases the idea perfectly. it is only 4 minutes. In the video the wiimote is static. located below the monitor. he straps the wii-led bar on the camera for tracking. he does not use the gyro.
Strarted out using TrackIR back when I had a single monitor, stopped using it when I went to triple screen and once I tried VR there were no way back:)
I built one and it's awesome! I'm using it for Star Citizen and I HIGHLY recommend it for flight sims. ESPECIALLY Star Citizen. As for the curves I have my Yaw reaching 180 just after input level 50 with a light downward curve. My Pitch has a VERY early upward curve and the roll is a straight line from 0 to 180. Just as personal preference. ALSO IMPORTANT!!! You DO NOT need to take apart your PS3 Eye!! I did not!! All I did was put Gain and Exposure all the way down and then the white balance all the way to the max. It works flawlessly. Even in daylight when my room is really well lit it works flawlessly. But also thanks for the video, bro. You just made Star Citizen 100 times better for me. I really appreciate it.
Thanks for this Awesome video, I think that your setting is right, exept for the 2 or 3 degrees off center that the road should be more to the left in depth egt lateral axis of the horizon. If you could compensate that in your view settings file like if the view point is zero degrees than -2 or -3 degrees so 357 or 358, you should be fine. This has to do because the center of main screen is the death center check your dashboard it runs away in depth so you never sit straight and ths has to be compensated. Kind Regards Sebastiaan.
Do don't actually need to build all this, all you need is a web camera if all you need is to try things out. FaceTrackNoIR allows you to use face recognition, which is a great way to see if you like it and how well do games support it. I also recommend it even if you made a setup as in this video, because it has multitude of protocols and filters, so it allows you to configure it more and supports more protocols/games. Oh, and it allows for even more tracking methods, like Arduino gyro, your phone or even Tobii Eyetracker Thanks for showing it, head tracking truly is awesome!
i use flat lens version and it work very well even with cheaper IR LED Emitters (with lesser FOV). no need to open it and remove IR filter. you can install floppy film outside also.
@@Blade_0f_Miquella yes, mine worked perfectly without removing filter. and in camera setting you can also set high values for gain and exposure and it will help a lot to catch IR beam.
Off topic, but great music choice ☺️ d&b is rarely used these days. And a big thumbs up for proper using shrink tubes and off setting the wire connections.
I also use the DelanClip Fusion. Only use it for sim racing and I only have it set up to yaw and a bit of minor roll. I also have in game driver hands and wheel turned off as that (combined with the amount of movement you've set) is what I found causes the off feeling that you get.
You can use your oculus sensors as well for anyone wanting this for an alternative for vr..using same software.i didn't have to adjust hardly anything but it works great..only used the open track software when using the oculus cv1 sensors btw.great vid man
@@s77lom49 No, I havent figured it out... I think that if the computer recognized the sensors as webcams then it would be able to open in OpenTrack, and some other articles online seem to confirm that people have hacked them to view the video feed, but I havent seen anything that implies that is straightforward or that that solution is openly available.
@@ifoundthiscamera well shit. Never mind. I will keep looking I guess. I really cannot bring myself spending nearly 300 USD on a trackIR or tobii. So not worth that much money. 😕
👍🏻 Did this DIY a while back. Just dont get the wrong camera model because only one works even tho they are nearly identical. Works well and higher specs compared to the expensive TrackIR5 unit I have been using for years.
in south africa we cant get the normal track ir because our box office is broken and i mean nobody posts letters anymore but we cant reseive stuff from other countries so thanks so much for this solution 👍
I researched this a long time ago, cool to see someone like you go through the motions. Like you said, there are videos uploaded, but they're not as in depth as yours. Can't wait to cut open my PS3 eye and buy some LEDs! I can't afford VR, and who knows if I'm gonna get sick from it. Thanks for the content as always. Aloha.
I made this myself and works perfectly. To the people complaining about needing a 3d printer. You don't... You can stick the cables and leds to anything that you jerry rig yourself to have the shame shape as the 3d model on thingiverse. Be creative, that's the biggest part of DIY. The few people mentioning that the drivers being 299$ is insane. It is 2,99$. Meaning, it is just 3$. I am baffled by the lack of creativity or just observation. As a note. I have the PS3 camera version which has a near impossbile to remove IR filter, but it still works perfectly with adding a piece of the floppy disk film in the lens.
I've been researching this for a while and I just can't find a cost effective solution, a $400+ 3D printer ... not gonna happen. Might as well buy the DelanClip and suck-it-up for the shipping cost to the U.S. I just can't find a premade clip anywhere locally (cardboard version just too janky). I can get and make everything else. Excellent production and info, so thank you. I just don't have unlimited funds.
id like to thank you for the video, and just say really nice work on the build, most DIYs are dirty and fix it later type, this was clean and something that looks like a retail product at final more or less.
I found good luck heating a sacrificial flat blade screwdriver with a torch and scraping the plastic holding the filter in place and all that came out was the IR filter. Also if you don't feel like waiting for IR LEDs from online, I cannibalized three old tv remotes I got from goodwill for their IR LEDs which also gave me AA battery tabs.
Almost a year late, but I think this is pretty cool. Especially as a jumping off point for a budget VR headset, something I'd really like to try to build. I wish I could solve your steering wheel dissonance problem, but I just don't know enough about what's going on. Maybe a parallaxing issue due to FOV, maybe it's just your brain compensating for the physical objects in front of you whenever you change your head position/camera view. God only knows.
Exposed colour negatives, the 2-4cm dark black looking part at start of negative is IR transmissive. Cut discs to pop in the front of the camera lens. No need to pull apart the camera.
Nice build Will. I have been using Trackhat for flight sim's and sim racing with a single monitor. It is nice to be able to look at my mirrors or around a cockpit. For the not DIY'ers I recommend Trackhat which is basically what you made here for less money. 😊
Man by the time I bought the 3d printer, all the soldering iron and all the tools that goes into to making this.... I could a just bought a new head tracking ir5
I think the infrared led's I got might not be powerful enough, they're great front on but dim really quickly when looking to the side. (Got my Leds from J car, they have a forward current of 1.2v)
Interesting idea given I’m leaning toward triples at some point soon but having a VR headset right now means it’d compare poorly for sure Look forward to a flight sim demo!
In my opinion...the main objective is to enjoy the experience and try your best to not break the immersion you're feeling. With that in mind, I find that using a VR headset in cooler ambient conditions works pretty well. But during the summer temperatures it's almost impossible to not break immersion with your head sweating inside a VR headset.
Have you checked out Trackhat.org? Similar in design but already assembled. Comes with a camera, leds and uses the same software. Was way cheaper than TrackiR and no assembly or 3d Printer needed.
I felt in driving sims i mostly look forward anyway and its not really needed for driving but for flight sims its a must have, in my opinion flight sims are unplayable without head tracking.
There is something I don't understand, I'm no expert but 2 AA or AAA batteries = 3.0V. The forward voltage of IR LED is typically around 1.7V. How can 3 LED's (3x1.7=5.1V) run from a 3V supply? Also, when I find a resistor calculator, it says to use 15 Ohm resistor for 1 led...
Best way to remove the ir lense is with hammer and nail, slowly arround the lense, and then just pull out the 2mm thin ir lense. Do not use spacers, it will be in focus.
Great vid Will. for a bit more info on why you need deadzones on tracking, check out a guy called jabbers who sets up a trackir for DCS world but the same principles are used in racing sims. I have trackir and Delan clip with motion and if set up right, works a treat.
How to build a DIY headtracking system for 95$ 1 ps3 camera: got mine online for 25$ including shipping 1 10 pk leds (smallest pk they have) 7.49$ 1 6 pk resistors(unavailable) closest match 6.72$ 1 battery pack (unavailable) closest match 3pk 6.99$ 1 soldering iron kit 10.49$ 1 heat shrink tube kit 6.99$ 1 paying to have the 3d print done 20$ Doesn't include strippers or wire etc throw about 15 more $ for shipping There ya go, I fixed the video title for you. And yes I could have sought out and bought just one battery pack, but we're only talking about 4 bucks diff there. I was trying to match the parts exactly as specified. Oh , yea, plus the software fee. Update...the 3d print i was originally going to have made was 20$ I canceled that and downloaded and submitted the specs for the print advertised in this vid to my local 3d printer so I could have exact match. Price...40$ So, how to make your own headtracker for about 125$ should be the title to this vid. Man, if this doesn't work as advertised I'm going to be pissed. I could have just thrown another 75$ at it and had a trackir5.
Update 2 ... a day later and stumble across a product called Grass Monkey Sims/ King Puck , with stats that absolutely blow away Tir5 and every head tracking system out there. I don't know how this never popped up in any of my general searches for head tracking over the last year or so. I mean truly ... how did it not show up in google search? Any way, now I'm going to be doubly pissed if this "20$" 125$ build doesn't work. Oh , yea, the 240hz king monkey puck system is only 104$ + shipping.
I got the track IR for truck driving sims but have used it in iracing. I use my living room tv for the gaming and it does help with side vision but have had a couple of times it messed up due to certain unintentional head movements where it jerks around losing track of the eyes. But if my set up was better then I think it would be perfect.
May be a dumb question, but- theoretically, could I tape some of that magnetic film to the front of my webcam and be done with it? Basically what I mean is I dont have the stuff to mod the camera and looking for an alternative 😅
So I have just successfully completed this project but I have found that I did not need to remove any filter or lens from the PS3 Eye. All I have done is secured two layers of very dark film negative. The camera can still pick up the IR light just as well as Will's.
Great stuf, thanks for that. Gonna find me 3d print service I guess. I have a few questions. .1 how long does it last on 1 set of batteries? .2 How would the electric scheme look when connected to USB port pc?
Been wanting to use my oculus sensors for this..i got it to work using rift as get nmvut needed to make a new hat with 3 less.. Used opentrack software
If you remove the input from your head rotation It should feel more natural. What I mean is you turn your head 10 degrees irl and game does 10 degrees too so it feels like you are turning your head 20 degrees instead of 10 degrees. I'd like to see if someone tries this and gives feedback.
The front of the LED's is a lens. Rough the LED lens side with a bit of sandpaper and you will get a more constant intensity when you turn your head sideways
Could I use a USB Wii Sensor Bar on top of my monitor, and strap the Eye camera to my head? Also, any reason to use the PS3 Eye camera vs PS4 or PS5 camera? I know that the PS3 camera is known to have low-latency. Is it really the lowest latency camera out there? No other options? Thanks for the awesome video!
Awesome video! I have Aruco paper tracker, it works perfectly smooth like this but it looks... lets just say...funny... because i have a big paper on my head :D. Im interested in making this and i see you IR LEDs are perfect, they don't loose contact with opentrack in high angles. Can you tell me the specifications of those LEDs?
$20 for x3 IR leds to correct spec, a webcam (ex-PS3), wire, solder, the case and battery case and switch, shrink tube. Thats taking it as given you have a soldering iron. Where do you buy your compenents from ? can't get near that cost especially when you add package and posting ontop. Good guide though.
Hello, great video. I'm looking forward to this project. I have a question though, would it be possible to set the camera up on the ceiling facing down, and the leds facing upwards. That way the leds will always be in the field of view of the camera, cuz the problem I see is that having the leds on one side of the head is that when looking side to side they will be blocked by your own head.
Just the camera is $20, and if you have to purchase everything else it can cost almost as much as a commercial product. I was going to order a DelanClip IR from Britain, but with the customs tax and shipping it's almost the same price as TrackIR. I'm getting very frustrated by all this ...
I'd try making it so it only tracks you in 3d space and the pitch, roll and use. It something I've thought about and curious to know if doing that makes it better
@@brettloxton7154 Yes. Just found yours after writing my own. On a big triple screen setup for driving this makes more sense. That means you can still look into corners using the side monitors, yet get that extra bit of immersion from the cockpit subtly responding to your head movements. On a single monitor up to 21:9, leave all features enabled.
I just built this for DCS and it is amazing. I have never used trackir before, so I can't comment on comparison, but it is extremely smooth and once I set up properly I had no erratic tracking. Initially I had extremely erratic tracking, but then I realized the input device was on the open labs driver instead of solely the camera. Once I switched it to here it was way better. I set all camera settings to auto and had no issues with it. For anyone having trouble with tracking try setting the camera input to the camera instead of the CLeye driver and try auto camera settings first, then set your threshold manually.
Hi, Im planning on building it next week, did you needed the little rubber pads between the camera parts?
@@wanghafHUN If you haven't already and for anyone else reading this I've used a cheap dashcam I had spare. Did the same remove the lens and add in the tape to darken the view but didnt have any problems afterwards. Works great and tracks fine.
thats what im building it for thank you
I O o
One of the better videos out there on how to do this, wish I had seen that when I built mine.
Few things to make this process even easier:
1. You don't need a 3D-printer, just take a piece of cardboard and cut out the genereal frame of the headset-thingy. You'll find the dimensions online.
2. You can't remove the IR-filter in all PS3-Eye cameras, but also you don't need to. I simply installed a visible light filter (old camera film in my case) in front of the camera, without even disassembling it and it works just fine, as long as the sun doesn't shine directly into my room. This also has the benefit, that you can always remove the visible-light-filter and use the camera as a webcam for videoconferences.
I hope this helps some of you :)
can a x-ray film will do a job as a diffuser ?!!
I assume you mean if it can be used as a visible light filter?
I don't know, I've never tried. But you can try if it works like this: cut out 2-3 pieces, hold them in front of your phone's camera until it doesn't see anything anymore, then point a tv-remote at the camera and press some buttons. If it sees a violet light from the tv-remote but nothing else, it works.
@@danstuder8497 Yeah, definitely will try that, thank you!
You are welcome :)
If it doesn't work, you could try to find a VHS (like he uses in the video), a floppy disk, or a camera film. Your grandparents are likely to have at least one of those three lying around.
The light filter is also good for privacy, by default with ps3 camera the mic will be on in the background, even though you don't even use a mic, this thing might be on for years without you being aware, plus the camera with the light on when your pc is shut off even. It could be hacked, but very unlikely imo.. Also some people aren't aware the mic is keyed while in simulation.. Short story😜😜
I love using TrackIR in iRacing. The key is to set pretty large deadzones and I have it set up to kind of softly snap over to left and right positions so i can see cars around me and my rear view mirror. It's weird at first but once you're used to a setup that makes sense for you it's hugely helpful especially when you only have one screen like i do
That actually makes a lot of sense! It makes the movements completely intentional.
Those dead zones are key for Dirt Rally etc
Dude, thank you so much! Your manual focus adjustment idea saved this project from the bin! I Built this a month before your upload and spent HOURS searching for solutions to focus my camera. I was stumped when I tried everything from sanding the lens base down to hot glueing the FOV selector between the 2 steps. Defeated, I just concluded that I must have a dud camera and binned the entire project, but this simple rubber pad solution saved it! Thank you man, It works perfectly now!
@Boosted Media, no need to pull the camera apart or change lenses, just use 2 layers of photo negative over the outside of the lense,(or 1 depending on what headset you use),
works exactly the same... had mine going for 5-6 yrs now. amazing little setup :) For the headset settings, you just need to make a fairly big deadzone before it starts to turn side to side, and it will fix your problems mate. :)
depends on which version you get. the infrared filter will block the leds
A couple of suggestions;
Use linear mappings, curves will get your brain and reactions off kilter very easy.
Adjust your mappings so that your head turning from middle monitor edge to edge + eyes turning = how far you want your in game head to rotate.
Adjust your sensitivity and deadline to minimal, maybe one notch above lowest. This will help your eyes catch slides like you experienced a lot earlier. The default settings are too 'numb' for sim racing.
"Use linear mappings" you understand this is a head tracker and not VR, right? Linear mappings are not possible here, unless you want the player to turn their head 180 degrees in real life to turn 180 degrees in the game, but then not be able to actually see the monitor for obvious reasons. We MUST use curves.
@@moeburn Linear doesn’t mean 1:1 though. In fact he says as much in the second suggestion. All he’s suggesting is that, say, the first 10 degrees off center produces the same amount of rotation as the last 10 degrees you can manage, no matter if that 10 degree input produces a 10 degree output or a 45 degree output.
change it to 90 degree and disable pitch roll and x y z adjust the map with more dead zone feel great here with cam that cost 2 dollars I'm hitting same times and i use it only for few laps in iracing@@moeburn
For $20 but I need a 3D printer?
Just use plywood and a saw 😂
Hey man, nice video. I've used DIY headtracking for several months now and honestly i canot go back to single monitor.. single monitor with headtracking works great for me, i can look at my apex, can look at my mirrors, feels natural to me and more immersive. i've never tried VR nor triple screens but at the moment headtracking is a must for me.
One of the best videos on the subject, haven't seen a video with such clear instructions and a very clean looking build. GREAT WORK!
I think this is The best one I've ever seen. Insta sub.
Agreed, I somehow managed to completely miss it in all my searching and research on building a replacement head tracking frame (I have TrackIR but dislike the TrackClip Pro as it's bulky and flimsy).
Why MAKE one? I bought a G7 Gyro Air Mouse and fastened it to the top of my headset. VOILA! Instant head tracking for $12.
Really?
I believe you only needed one resistor at the beginning of the power wire. They would all get the some resistance. An old USB cord would eliminate battery pack and lighten the set. Good video
Thanks for taking the time to put this great tutorial together Will, you covered a lot of points not shown in other videos.
Thank you! I also used sand paper to bring the "lens piece" closer to the board. That way I got the focus back after removing IR filter.
For a single 21:9 it makes things a lot better. For a triple setup, especially one as wide as yours, it might be worth looking into (sorry) just using it for XYZ _positioning_, rather than view angle as well. The effect will be a lot more subtle, but it still adds a certain value. Speaking as a longtime TIR owner now on triples.
I have a 21:9 and I suppose I'll gain something. For triples, I don't see the point
Super fascinating, had no idea what head tracking was until this video. Keep the build videos coming Will!
Try using it without rotation tracking. I feel like this with only positional tracking and a big wraparound screen could be a good replacement for VR. It'll probably be worse but at least motion sickness will be reduced along with the screen-door effect.
Yea I ditched my oculus this is much better imo
wish i would be able to use any of those tools without burning my whole village down.
lol but they will build it :)
Just yesterday I finished soldering up my own version of this (from elsewhere, credit where it's due). But I've been spending weeks trying to figure out where to get a slim L-Ion battery pack, load circuits (to keep it active), charging circuits... Didn't even occur to me to just use a couple of AA batteries in a switched box. I'm so used to everything being rechargeable nowadays, and I even have a 24-pack of cheap lithium AAAs in my top drawer just waiting to find something to be used in.
Unfortunately the frame I used doesn't really have the space to wire in parallel (I've done it in series) but I might look at redoing it if it's not working too well when finally done.
To be honest, I wish I'd found this video first! I definitely feel like I've done everything the hard way :) So thanks!
Did you end up finishing this off? I'm thinking of doing it, but using a spare USB lead for power. You'd only have to solder up the two wires and then you've no issue with batteries dying mid game.
I'm late the party, but I think it would be far more useful with a single monitor setup, and you're right it's awesome in dcs world! Great video again, love your work!
Very clear tutorial and I was able to replicate your built (Jaycar same materials)... more than $20 though but still cheap and most of all, fun to make
I've used TrackIR5 since they came out, and a TrackIR3 before, in both driving and flight sims. There was no VR at the time for comparison and using TrackIR came naturally within a short time. Try mixing head and L/R eye movement together and it will slow the use of both and should eliminate the disorientation you felt. I'm willing to speculate the negatives you felt would disappear. It would be nice to be able to compare the pros & cons of the two systems but VR is totally out of my price range to experiment with. Folks on Twitch have asked about head tracking and can't afford a TrackIR let alone VR. Next time it comes up I'll be sure to pass on a link to this video
Thank you for including your review of actually using it with a racing game! It's good to hear some of the cons with head tracking specific to racing, I haven't heard those from any other video yet. I'm still going back and forth between whether I want to get a VR headset, or use head tracking. I'm trying to build a modular sim cockpit/rig, that I can swap between a racing or flying setup. It does seem like head tracking benefits a flying simulator game better, and VR benefits racing games more.
i am using headtracking to do something like "Head Tracking for Desktop VR Displays using the WiiRemote" (search the video, don't want to post a link). Just try binding yaw and pitch to X and Y axis. Set map for movement a maximum at (32.5, 75). Set mapping for yaw-pitch at (180, 104). That works for me. You should give that a try. If you set up correct values you should see your virtual wheel aligning perfectly with your real wheel, wherever your head is.
mar bek I saw a guy do something similar using the gyroscope of a wii remote is this what you talking about or did he literally stick a wii remote to the side of his head
@@bestnameonthisplatform352 you could do that. It is possible to stuck your phone and use the gyro of the phone (there is a guide in opentrack wiki). You will have the benefits of a 3dof tracking. But i think it is not the same that i am talking about. Please search for the video in quotes. It is from Johnny Lee and showcases the idea perfectly. it is only 4 minutes. In the video the wiimote is static. located below the monitor. he straps the wii-led bar on the camera for tracking. he does not use the gyro.
If you drop the resolution down to 240p you can get the frame rate up to 120fps. Haven't tried it but it should be well worth it imo
I have 0 intention of doing this but this was a great video! Keep it up man
Strarted out using TrackIR back when I had a single monitor, stopped using it when I went to triple screen and once I tried VR there were no way back:)
I built one and it's awesome! I'm using it for Star Citizen and I HIGHLY recommend it for flight sims. ESPECIALLY Star Citizen. As for the curves I have my Yaw reaching 180 just after input level 50 with a light downward curve. My Pitch has a VERY early upward curve and the roll is a straight line from 0 to 180. Just as personal preference.
ALSO IMPORTANT!!! You DO NOT need to take apart your PS3 Eye!! I did not!! All I did was put Gain and Exposure all the way down and then the white balance all the way to the max. It works flawlessly. Even in daylight when my room is really well lit it works flawlessly.
But also thanks for the video, bro. You just made Star Citizen 100 times better for me. I really appreciate it.
Excellent news, so I probably wouldn't need to remove the IR Filter ?
Also which model of PS3 eye did you use ?
@@AbdoZaInsert I"ll be honest, bud... I have no clue. It arrived in a blank box and wrapped in plastic lol. It was as 2nd hand as it gets.
Thanks for this Awesome video, I think that your setting is right, exept for the 2 or 3 degrees off center that the road should be more to the left in depth egt lateral axis of the horizon.
If you could compensate that in your view settings file like if the view point is zero degrees than -2 or -3 degrees so 357 or 358, you should be fine. This has to do because the center of main screen is the death center check your dashboard it runs away in depth so you never sit straight and ths has to be compensated.
Kind Regards Sebastiaan.
Do don't actually need to build all this, all you need is a web camera if all you need is to try things out.
FaceTrackNoIR allows you to use face recognition, which is a great way to see if you like it and how well do games support it.
I also recommend it even if you made a setup as in this video, because it has multitude of protocols and filters, so it allows you to configure it more and supports more protocols/games.
Oh, and it allows for even more tracking methods, like Arduino gyro, your phone or even Tobii Eyetracker
Thanks for showing it, head tracking truly is awesome!
i use flat lens version and it work very well even with cheaper IR LED Emitters (with lesser FOV). no need to open it and remove IR filter. you can install floppy film outside also.
Yeah I was wondering if removing the filter is really necessary, so we don’t need to remove it right?
@@Blade_0f_Miquella yes, mine worked perfectly without removing filter. and in camera setting you can also set high values for gain and exposure and it will help a lot to catch IR beam.
can i use external webcam other than ps3 eye?
@@ranggaalr i guess no. this one can catch Infrared beam. you should check spec of other webcams to see if they can support this feature.
Off topic, but great music choice ☺️ d&b is rarely used these days. And a big thumbs up for proper using shrink tubes and off setting the wire connections.
It’s not stereoscopic, but it DOES add parallax, which counts for a lot.
I also use the DelanClip Fusion. Only use it for sim racing and I only have it set up to yaw and a bit of minor roll. I also have in game driver hands and wheel turned off as that (combined with the amount of movement you've set) is what I found causes the off feeling that you get.
Is delanclip working with f1 2020? Greetz, Jeroen.
You can use your oculus sensors as well for anyone wanting this for an alternative for vr..using same software.i didn't have to adjust hardly anything but it works great..only used the open track software when using the oculus cv1 sensors btw.great vid man
Out of the box I am not able to get Opentrack to talk to the CV1 sensors... how did you do this?
@@ifoundthiscamera did you manage to find the answer to this ? i am also having a problem getting the oculus sensors to work in OpenTrack
@@s77lom49 No, I havent figured it out... I think that if the computer recognized the sensors as webcams then it would be able to open in OpenTrack, and some other articles online seem to confirm that people have hacked them to view the video feed, but I havent seen anything that implies that is straightforward or that that solution is openly available.
@@ifoundthiscamera well shit. Never mind. I will keep looking I guess. I really cannot bring myself spending nearly 300 USD on a trackIR or tobii. So not worth that much money. 😕
👍🏻
Did this DIY a while back. Just dont get the wrong camera model because only one works even tho they are nearly identical.
Works well and higher specs compared to the expensive TrackIR5 unit I have been using for years.
in south africa we cant get the normal track ir because our box office is broken and i mean nobody posts letters anymore but we cant reseive stuff from other countries so thanks so much for this solution
👍
when you striping a cable try flip a sidecutters flat side of you this help a lot.
I researched this a long time ago, cool to see someone like you go through the motions. Like you said, there are videos uploaded, but they're not as in depth as yours. Can't wait to cut open my PS3 eye and buy some LEDs! I can't afford VR, and who knows if I'm gonna get sick from it. Thanks for the content as always. Aloha.
Built the tracker as I only had the track hat with track ir. Works like a charm ;)
beautiful job man !!
I made this myself and works perfectly.
To the people complaining about needing a 3d printer. You don't... You can stick the cables and leds to anything that you jerry rig yourself to have the shame shape as the 3d model on thingiverse.
Be creative, that's the biggest part of DIY.
The few people mentioning that the drivers being 299$ is insane. It is 2,99$. Meaning, it is just 3$.
I am baffled by the lack of creativity or just observation.
As a note. I have the PS3 camera version which has a near impossbile to remove IR filter, but it still works perfectly with adding a piece of the floppy disk film in the lens.
I've been researching this for a while and I just can't find a cost effective solution, a $400+ 3D printer ... not gonna happen. Might as well buy the DelanClip and suck-it-up for the shipping cost to the U.S. I just can't find a premade clip anywhere locally (cardboard version just too janky). I can get and make everything else. Excellent production and info, so thank you. I just don't have unlimited funds.
This video was perfect, covered everything I needed. Thank you!
id like to thank you for the video, and just say really nice work on the build,
most DIYs are dirty and fix it later type, this was clean and something that looks like a retail product at final more or less.
Heeeyyy... this re-purposes all the stuff i kept from early DIY PSVR-on-PC projects! (that camera, LEDs, some misc 3d printing). Thanks bud.
If you can find one laying around... the media inside a floppy disk makes a great filter.
I Came for the head track info but stayed for the DnB or Jungle YEEEEAAAA!!!!!!
I found good luck heating a sacrificial flat blade screwdriver with a torch and scraping the plastic holding the filter in place and all that came out was the IR filter. Also if you don't feel like waiting for IR LEDs from online, I cannibalized three old tv remotes I got from goodwill for their IR LEDs which also gave me AA battery tabs.
16:55 if you sand the ends of the LED's down to be flat they'll be less directional.
"Under 20 bucks."
"Needs a 40 dollar camera and a 3d printer, though."
Thanks for showing every step and not assuming I just know, as I don't:)
Almost a year late, but I think this is pretty cool. Especially as a jumping off point for a budget VR headset, something I'd really like to try to build.
I wish I could solve your steering wheel dissonance problem, but I just don't know enough about what's going on. Maybe a parallaxing issue due to FOV, maybe it's just your brain compensating for the physical objects in front of you whenever you change your head position/camera view. God only knows.
Exposed colour negatives, the 2-4cm dark black looking part at start of negative is IR transmissive.
Cut discs to pop in the front of the camera lens.
No need to pull apart the camera.
sand the font of the led's flat then polish ends. The light transmits at a much wider angle that way.
Nice build Will. I have been using Trackhat for flight sim's and sim racing with a single monitor. It is nice to be able to look at my mirrors or around a cockpit. For the not DIY'ers I recommend Trackhat which is basically what you made here for less money. 😊
Track hat is £100 this cost me £9
Delanclip with headband, hat doesn't get in the way :)
Man by the time I bought the 3d printer, all the soldering iron and all the tools that goes into to making this.... I could a just bought a new head tracking ir5
Make sure you keep us updated on the sim performance as well
I think the infrared led's I got might not be powerful enough, they're great front on but dim really quickly when looking to the side. (Got my Leds from J car, they have a forward current of 1.2v)
Interesting idea given I’m leaning toward triples at some point soon but having a VR headset right now means it’d compare poorly for sure
Look forward to a flight sim demo!
In my opinion...the main objective is to enjoy the experience and try your best to not break the immersion you're feeling. With that in mind, I find that using a VR headset in cooler ambient conditions works pretty well. But during the summer temperatures it's almost impossible to not break immersion with your head sweating inside a VR headset.
Plus the graphics aren’t as good
You can reset the tracking with a button you assign. So it will recalibrate.
Have you checked out Trackhat.org? Similar in design but already assembled. Comes with a camera, leds and uses the same software. Was way cheaper than TrackiR and no assembly or 3d Printer needed.
I felt in driving sims i mostly look forward anyway and its not really needed for driving but for flight sims its a must have, in my opinion flight sims are unplayable without head tracking.
Did you save a digital copy of your wife's gymnastic tape before cutting it? I really hope you told her
Hello, author, I don't have 2% resistor in China. Can I use 1% resistor?
Nice work mate ! I get shakey hands also , i find it super frustrating doing fine work like this ! You did well ;)
There is something I don't understand, I'm no expert but 2 AA or AAA batteries = 3.0V. The forward voltage of IR LED is typically around 1.7V. How can 3 LED's (3x1.7=5.1V) run from a 3V supply?
Also, when I find a resistor calculator, it says to use 15 Ohm resistor for 1 led...
Did you figured out ? I'm confused about that :)
The circuit is parallel. The voltage drops do not add together.
PS3 eye in the UK normally costs around £5 used in the UK
4 hands and 2 steering wheels this is what's wrong, why you don't turn it off.
Best way to remove the ir lense is with hammer and nail, slowly arround the lense, and then just pull out the 2mm thin ir lense. Do not use spacers, it will be in focus.
Can you put a bigger piece of the video tape in front of the lense and avoid all this trouble with camera?
Great vid Will. for a bit more info on why you need deadzones on tracking, check out a guy called jabbers who sets up a trackir for DCS world but the same principles are used in racing sims. I have trackir and Delan clip with motion and if set up right, works a treat.
How to build a DIY headtracking system for 95$
1 ps3 camera: got mine online for 25$ including shipping
1 10 pk leds (smallest pk they have) 7.49$
1 6 pk resistors(unavailable) closest match 6.72$
1 battery pack (unavailable) closest match 3pk 6.99$
1 soldering iron kit 10.49$
1 heat shrink tube kit 6.99$
1 paying to have the 3d print done 20$
Doesn't include strippers or wire etc
throw about 15 more $ for shipping
There ya go, I fixed the video title for you. And yes I could have sought out and bought just one battery pack, but we're only talking about 4 bucks diff there. I was trying to match the parts exactly as specified. Oh , yea, plus the software fee.
Update...the 3d print i was originally going to have made was 20$ I canceled that and downloaded and submitted the specs for the print advertised in this vid to my local 3d printer so I could have exact match. Price...40$ So, how to make your own headtracker for about 125$ should be the title to this vid. Man, if this doesn't work as advertised I'm going to be pissed. I could have just thrown another 75$ at it and had a trackir5.
Update 2 ... a day later and stumble across a product called Grass Monkey Sims/ King Puck , with stats that absolutely blow away Tir5 and every head tracking system out there. I don't know how this never popped up in any of my general searches for head tracking over the last year or so. I mean truly ... how did it not show up in google search? Any way, now I'm going to be doubly pissed if this "20$" 125$ build doesn't work. Oh , yea, the 240hz king monkey puck system is only 104$ + shipping.
Title says under $20 but then goes on to say I need a $30 webcam and access to a 3D printer ....LMAO!
I got the track IR for truck driving sims but have used it in iracing. I use my living room tv for the gaming and it does help with side vision but have had a couple of times it messed up due to certain unintentional head movements where it jerks around losing track of the eyes. But if my set up was better then I think it would be perfect.
May be a dumb question, but- theoretically, could I tape some of that magnetic film to the front of my webcam and be done with it? Basically what I mean is I dont have the stuff to mod the camera and looking for an alternative 😅
This guy is amazing so diverse.
You forgot to link a sawing iron that's under 20 dollars
So I have just successfully completed this project but I have found that I did not need to remove any filter or lens from the PS3 Eye. All I have done is secured two layers of very dark film negative. The camera can still pick up the IR light just as well as Will's.
Great stuf, thanks for that. Gonna find me 3d print service I guess. I have a few questions.
.1 how long does it last on 1 set of batteries?
.2 How would the electric scheme look when connected to USB port pc?
but wait, the positive lead is the longer one, but you cut the longer one, so wouldn't that make the other one the positive lead?
This worked awesome!!!!
Had to drop a like for the liquid DnB 6:30 🤌
Been wanting to use my oculus sensors for this..i got it to work using rift as get nmvut needed to make a new hat with 3 less.. Used opentrack software
If you remove the input from your head rotation It should feel more natural. What I mean is you turn your head 10 degrees irl and game does 10 degrees too so it feels like you are turning your head 20 degrees instead of 10 degrees. I'd like to see if someone tries this and gives feedback.
The front of the LED's is a lens.
Rough the LED lens side with a bit of sandpaper and you will get a more constant intensity when you turn your head sideways
Could I use a USB Wii Sensor Bar on top of my monitor, and strap the Eye camera to my head?
Also, any reason to use the PS3 Eye camera vs PS4 or PS5 camera? I know that the PS3 camera is known to have low-latency. Is it really the lowest latency camera out there? No other options?
Thanks for the awesome video!
Awesome video! I have Aruco paper tracker, it works perfectly smooth like this but it looks... lets just say...funny... because i have a big paper on my head :D. Im interested in making this and i see you IR LEDs are perfect, they don't loose contact with opentrack in high angles.
Can you tell me the specifications of those LEDs?
$20 for x3 IR leds to correct spec, a webcam (ex-PS3), wire, solder, the case and battery case and switch, shrink tube. Thats taking it as given you have a soldering iron. Where do you buy your compenents from ? can't get near that cost especially when you add package and posting ontop. Good guide though.
I bought the parts from a local electronics store.
perfect guide thanks for helping out!
Hello, great video. I'm looking forward to this project. I have a question though, would it be possible to set the camera up on the ceiling facing down, and the leds facing upwards. That way the leds will always be in the field of view of the camera, cuz the problem I see is that having the leds on one side of the head is that when looking side to side they will be blocked by your own head.
I have that exact one, works wonders!!
I used trackir for a while for sim racing. I wasn't a fan of the head tracking. I would rather have triple monitors.
great video, thanks for putting it out. Do you have a link for the battery pack as well ?
I see you bought the stuff from Jaycar. What are the exact part numbers of the LEDs and resistors? Also what batteries are you using? Many thanks
with Eyeware Beam you can try head tracking with an iPhone instead
Just the camera is $20, and if you have to purchase everything else it can cost almost as much as a commercial product. I was going to order a DelanClip IR from Britain, but with the customs tax and shipping it's almost the same price as TrackIR. I'm getting very frustrated by all this ...
I'd try making it so it only tracks you in 3d space and the pitch, roll and use. It something I've thought about and curious to know if doing that makes it better
Cause it won't let me edit, supposed to say kill the pitch,roll and yaw
@@brettloxton7154 Yes. Just found yours after writing my own. On a big triple screen setup for driving this makes more sense. That means you can still look into corners using the side monitors, yet get that extra bit of immersion from the cockpit subtly responding to your head movements.
On a single monitor up to 21:9, leave all features enabled.
Thanks for the Video fantastic work
What! Track IR is 300-400 AUD for you!?!? its 149 CDN for me