DIY Oculus Rift - schematics, instructions and build pics!

[tmek]

I'm trying to get a few of WickedAndy's HDMI <--> LVDS/USB breakout boards ordered and assembled.



He provided the gerber files at the bottom of the file list on this page.

These should be less than 5cm x 5cm in size so I assume I can order these using this item/service..

A few things I'm not clear on though:
1.) Where can I order the HDMI connectors?
2.) What should I specify for *PCB Thickness / *Surface Finish / *E-test ?
3.) What are the proper connectors? (looks like 2x8 @ 2mm and 4x1 2x1 @ 2.54mm)

UPDATE:
I found the HDMI connector part it's written on the PCB seen in this image




Any help is much appreciated!
tmek

[tahustvedt]

Great thread!

I'm going to try making one as well. I have an HV056WX1-100 and a couple of 5xlenses on the way. I will have to use TrackIR for tracking because gyro/accelerometers would not work in when I'm sitting in my motion simulator (also DIY).

[Naru]

Due to the Rifts delay I just joined the DIY-crew, despite having absolutely zero experience in assembling something like this...

Since the Rift devkit isn't using the 5.6" display anymore, I chose a 7" model instead, conveniently sold together with a matching controller board. Just in case anyone is interested:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HDMI-DVI-VGA-co ... OC:DE:3160

Also I chose slightly larger lenses with a diameter of 5.7cm instead of the 5cm ones from rfurlans building instructions, mainly to make sure they are able to cover the larger display without having to add more space between lenses and screen. Although I don't really think this is neccessary. Those can be obtained here (somewhat more expensive than the proposed ones and the page is available in German only):

http://www.lupenshop.de/content/lupensh ... /View/1861

Regarding the mounting I will go the foam+ski goggles road, seems to be the best option to get somewhere as fast as possible.

Awesome, I like that lcd panel. Let us know where you get using it and the lenses you chose. If all goes well I'll try making one too. Things tend to blow up on me though.

[zacherynuk]

Due to the Rifts delay I just joined the DIY-crew, despite having absolutely zero experience in assembling something like this...

Since the Rift devkit isn't using the 5.6" display anymore, I chose a 7" model instead, conveniently sold together with a matching controller board. Just in case anyone is interested:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HDMI-DVI-VGA-co ... OC:DE:3160

Also I chose slightly larger lenses with a diameter of 5.7cm instead of the 5cm ones from rfurlans building instructions, mainly to make sure they are able to cover the larger display without having to add more space between lenses and screen. Although I don't really think this is neccessary. Those can be obtained here (somewhat more expensive than the proposed ones and the page is available in German only):

http://www.lupenshop.de/content/lupensh ... /View/1861

Regarding the mounting I will go the foam+ski goggles road, seems to be the best option to get somewhere as fast as possible.

Oooh, brave! When will you get your kit ? - Hopefully some software dev beta will be released soon!

[braddas]

Hmm... Starting to wonder if I should have gone for a 7" screen. Too late now, the 5.6" one is ordered.

I bought a pair of ski goggles today but not sure how it all fits together. I can get my eyes that much closer to the lenses without it. I'm thinking about just using the strap and putting some foam on the nose and forehead areas of my current case. It won't look as slick, but the whole thing is covered in duct tape anyway. Does using the goggles add anything to the design I might have missed?

[zacherynuk]

Hmm... Starting to wonder if I should have gone for a 7" screen. Too late now, the 5.6" one is ordered.

I bought a pair of ski goggles today but not sure how it all fits together. I can get my eyes that much closer to the lenses without it. I'm thinking about just using the strap and putting some foam on the nose and forehead areas of my current case. It won't look as slick, but the whole thing is covered in duct tape anyway. Does using the goggles add anything to the design I might have missed?

Without the SDK or directly compatible games the 5.6" would be the sensible purchase, IMHO. Unless you are a hammerhead shark.

I wouldn't worry about 'slick' you'll likely want to break it and fix it a good few times! - just make sure it is comfortable, stable and if other people use it it won't come apart in their hands! - But you will go through an awful lot of iterations, trust me

[MaterialDefender]

Oooh, brave! When will you get your kit ? - Hopefully some software dev beta will be released soon!

Yeah, would be great to have the SDK some time before the kits arrive. I did my pledge on day one of the kickstarter campaign, so I hope to get at least one from the first batch. But I can't be completely sure since I upgraded my pledge to get one more later on. Pure speculation which one of the two dates Oculus got from Kickstarter.

7" displays certainly aren't the perfect choice for viewing normal side by side content, but if you're working on something yourself, the larger center to center distance can be accounted for quite easily even without the SDK. Lower pixel density and design implications aside, the larger screen sounds quite interesting to me. From what I understand partial overlap seems to be a good idea anyway due to the enhanced peripheral vision. Or did I get that wrong? At least I'm really eager to experiment with that.

[3dvison]

When I look at the size spec's for the 5.6"inch panel, it seems the center of each image would be about 1/4" inch off inward from my eyes center and the 7"inch panel would be about 1/4" inch off outward from my eyes center.

I like the extra size of the 7" panel but is a little bit too wide eye spacing harder to deal with than a little too narrow ?
Have not ordered parts yet so I would love everyones thoughts on this.

[zacherynuk]

When I look at the size spec's for the 5.6"inch panel, it seems the center of each image would be about 1/4" inch off inward from my eyes center and the 7"inch panel would be about 1/4" inch off outward from my eyes center.

I like the extra size of the 7" panel but is a little bit too wide eye spacing harder to deal with than a little too narrow ?
Have not ordered parts yet so I would love everyones thoughts on this.

Go here to get accurate sizes: http://www.prinds.com/tools/screenDimensions.htm : aspect/format you want is 16:10
Get a stereo pair from Google images (Just Google stereo pair) - choose something non complex: eg: http://www.deviantart.com/download/1410 ... shhaze.jpg
and print it out to the exact sizes and have a play with some lenses. - By a couple of 4x & 5x 2" lenses / loupes for pitance to test with.

I may be wrong, but even with multiple 3" lenses I have never been able to bend the light correctly - a 7" screen is horizontally the roughly same as two 5.6" screens placed vertically. I have a big head and I can get stereo separation; just - however, anybody smaller, female or younger would have had no chance with the rigs I made....

I would urge you to experiment and post your findings...

[MaterialDefender]

I'm not sure whether this is true for anyone besides me, but at least I seem to be completely incapable of rotating both eyeballs outwards at the same time. Looking inwards on the other hand is no problem, you do that all the time when focusing on something nearer than infinity.

If that's true for you too and your main goal is using 'normal' SBS material the 5.6" sounds like the better choice.

[bobjwatts]

When I look at the size spec's for the 5.6"inch panel, it seems the center of each image would be about 1/4" inch off inward from my eyes center and the 7"inch panel would be about 1/4" inch off outward from my eyes center.

I like the extra size of the 7" panel but is a little bit too wide eye spacing harder to deal with than a little too narrow ?
Have not ordered parts yet so I would love everyones thoughts on this.

Go here to get accurate sizes: http://www.prinds.com/tools/screenDimensions.htm : aspect/format you want is 16:10
Get a stereo pair from Google images (Just Google stereo pair) - choose something non complex: eg: http://www.deviantart.com/download/1410 ... shhaze.jpg
and print it out to the exact sizes and have a play with some lenses. - By a couple of 4x & 5x 2" lenses / loupes for pitance to test with.

I may be wrong, but even with multiple 3" lenses I have never been able to bend the light correctly - a 7" screen is horizontally the roughly same as two 5.6" screens placed vertically. I have a big head and I can get stereo separation; just - however, anybody smaller, female or younger would have had no chance with the rigs I made....

I would urge you to experiment and post your findings...

Yep I have been testing this with a printout too and need to move the 5x loups quite far apart to get the image to converge, seems to need about 8mm overlap to work. Looking forward to hearing how you go @MaterialDefender with the larger lens.

I'm hoping one of the setting in TriDef3d will do something like overlap, haven't checked yet.

I have ordered a 7" ips screen + controller from chinatobby on ebay, fun and games!

[Mel]

...
I'm hoping one of the setting in TriDef3d will do something like overlap, haven't checked yet.

If you find something, please let us know. I bought DDD and have not found any such adjustment yet.

[3dvison]

Looking at the the Size of the 5.6"inch & 7"inch panels, the 7"incher just gives me a bad Vibe.

Don't get me wrong, I think it will be fine for the REAL RIFT Dev. kits, I am just talking for the DIY RIFT I have a gut feeling the 5.6"inch may be the way to go...?

Like was said above, I also think it is normal/easy to foucus/rotate your eyes inward but not outward....

[3dvison]

I have ordered a 7" ips screen + controller from chinatobby on ebay, fun and games!

Hey zacherynuk, Could you give me a link to the combo you went with.

I was not shure which 7"inch panels were and were not IPS and also it looked like the HDMI-DVI-VGA controller board might only do 60hz ver. refresh but the DVI-VGA controller board looks like it might do 80hz ver. refresh.

[bobjwatts]

I have ordered a 7" ips screen + controller from chinatobby on ebay, fun and games!

Hey zacherynuk, Could you give me a link to the combo you went with.

I was not shure which 7"inch panels were and were not IPS and also it looked like the HDMI-DVI-VGA controller board might only do 60hz ver. refresh but the DVI-VGA controller board looks like it might do 80hz ver. refresh.

Hmm, that's weird, I wrote that not zacherynuk?

Anyways, I got this one, it is the only one I have found that says IPS - no idea what the refresh rate is going to be.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DVI-VGA-Cont ... 2a2662a9ac

[3dvison]

Hmm, that's weird, I wrote that not zacherynuk?

Anyways, I got this one, it is the only one I have found that says IPS - no idea what the refresh rate is going to be.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DVI-VGA-Cont ... 2a2662a9ac

Sorry my mistake bobjwatts, that was you.
Thanks for the link, that is also the combo I was thinkibg of getting. Don't think the HDMI port on the other one is needed anyway.

[3dvison]

OK I am not sure how dumb this question is..here goes.

How would this work ?
If dead center eye spacing on the 7"inch panel was too far apart for my eyes, what would happen if I just moved both lenses the same amount in toward the nose ?

Would that be doing the same thing as lowering seperation in a 3D driver, and just cut down on the 3D effect ?

[tmek]

OK I am not sure how dumb this question is..here goes.

How would this work ?
If dead center eye spacing on the 7"inch panel was too far apart for my eyes, what would happen if I just moved both lenses the same amount in toward the nose ?

Would that be doing the same thing as lowering seperation in a 3D driver, and just cut down on the 3D effect ?

Let's imagine a commercial version of the Rift that allows you to adjust the interocular distance of the lenses using a dial or slider to match your own IPD. Adjusting this dial could also tell the Rift drivers what your interocular distance is (6cm for example). The game could use this to automatically set the interocular distance of the virtual eyes/cameras to the same distance. For the LCD image you want the "look vector" of each virtual eye/camera to line up with the line formed by the center of the corresponding eye through the center of it's lens. The center of the rendered image should be 1/2 of your IPD horizontally from the center of the LCD panel. So the bigger the LCD you use the more periphereal (but non binocular) field of view you would have. Which because of our nose mimics our real vision.

Short version is you want the IPD of your real eyes, lenses and virtual eyes to all be the same and be lined up with the look directions of the virtual eyes to get optimal results.

Doom3 BFG edition has console variables to deal with this manually:
stereoRender_warpCenterX
stereoRender_warpCenterY
stereoRender_interOccularCentimeters

(Sorry for the crappy diagram all i have is paint.NET)

[bobjwatts]

OK I am not sure how dumb this question is..here goes.

How would this work ?
If dead center eye spacing on the 7"inch panel was too far apart for my eyes, what would happen if I just moved both lenses the same amount in toward the nose ?

Would that be doing the same thing as lowering seperation in a 3D driver, and just cut down on the 3D effect ?

Let's imagine a commercial version of the Rift that allows you to adjust the interocular distance of the lenses using a dial or slider to match your own IPD. Adjusting this dial could also tell the Rift drivers what your interocular distance is (6cm for example). The game could use this to automatically set the interocular distance of the virtual eyes/cameras to the same distance. For the LCD image you want the "look vector" of each virtual eye/camera to line up with the line formed by the center of the corresponding eye through the center of it's lens. The center of the rendered image should be 1/2 of your IPD horizontally from the center of the LCD panel. So the bigger the LCD you use the more periphereal (but non binocular) field of view you would have. Which because of our nose mimics our real vision.

Short version is you want the IPD of your real eyes, lenses and virtual eyes to all be the same and be lined up with the look directions of the virtual eyes to get optimal results.

Doom3 BFG edition has console variables to deal with this manually:
stereoRender_warpCenterX
stereoRender_warpCenterY
stereoRender_interOccularCentimeters

(Sorry for the crappy diagram all i have is paint.NET)

Thanks tmek, that's a really clear explanation of something that was floating around in my head, it's clear now the concerns with the 7".

[braddas]

Without the SDK or directly compatible games the 5.6" would be the sensible purchase, IMHO. Unless you are a hammerhead shark.

That's a very good point, the number of games that work with these DIY rigs is limited as it is! In any case, it probably won't arrive for at least a few weeks so there's plenty of time to figure out how I'm going to strap the thing to my head.

[BOLL]

I'm not sure whether this is true for anyone besides me, but at least I seem to be completely incapable of rotating both eyeballs outwards at the same time. Looking inwards on the other hand is no problem, you do that all the time when focusing on something nearer than infinity.

I can do that, rotate my eyes outwards, but instead I have a hard time looking inwards. I can see perfectly fine most of the time, but when tired one eye (any) can drift off, making me often close one eye -_O a bad habit to avoid double vision, but an easy visual queue for people to see if I'm tired, hahaha.

If I want to I can also force it, but it has no good function except for seeing magic images in a second or so, hehe. For inwards rotation, looking at something closer than around 4" and I have to strain to keep the convergence, uncomfortable. When I'm tired, I like to look into the distance as even focusing on a screen can be taxing. Not very good as I work with computers most of the time :P

[MaterialDefender]

Anyways, I got this one, it is the only one I have found that says IPS - no idea what the refresh rate is going to be.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DVI-VGA-Cont ... 2a2662a9ac

I opted for the one with the HDMI port, although that does not seem to have an IPS panel. IPS panels certainly have less problems when viewed from the side, but since the maximum viewing angle in a HMD setup isn't that large, that shouldn't be too much of a concern. On the other hand IPS panels have somewhat slower switching times, not a problem with most modern panels, but who knows.

What made me decide against the VGA/DVI-only board in the end was something completely else though: the most flexible cable possible. While there are several vendors who build super flexible HDMI cables, I couldn't find any super thin DVI cable (haven't looked too hard though).

I can do that, rotate my eyes outwards, but instead I have a hard time looking inwards...

Cool, then you seem to be the perfect candidate for watching SBS content on the 7"-Rift without any correction. Although I'm not so sure whether this is an advantage in most real world scenarios.

[Chriky]

Since the dev kits have been delayed I think I'm going to make a proper DIY rift over Christmas. I couldn't see from scanning the thread but has anyone made any progress with powering their's via USB?

[EdZ]

Thanks tmek, that's a really clear explanation of something that was floating around in my head, it's clear now the concerns with the 7".

I'm not entirely sure what the 'concerns' are. Existing pre-warp shaders won't work unmodified, but this would be true to any change in panel or optics. Each side-image won't be symmetrical, but all this means is that you either clip after rendering (at a slight cost in efficiency) as part of the pre-warp shader, or clip before rendering at the same time as whatever method you use to position the camera pair.

[MaterialDefender]

Since the dev kits have been delayed I think I'm going to make a proper DIY rift over Christmas. I couldn't see from scanning the thread but has anyone made any progress with powering their's via USB?

Is this even possible? Would be nice, but sounds improbable. USB is specified with 5V/500mA max, which most USB ports seem to exceed by offering ~1000mA according to Wikipedia. The controller board I ordered wants 12V input, but even if you find a 5V model or build your own voltage converter I don't think there would be enough power from an USB port to drive an LCD panel (1000mA * 5V = 5W).

[Chriky]

Palmer had his running off USB at one point I think. Perhaps it can get some power over the HDMI as well.

[MaterialDefender]

I just flipped through the specifications of the display I ordered, and provided I understood everything correctly the display itself doesn't use more than 300mA at 3.5V (~1W) and the backlight uses another 1W. So this might indeed work, even taking the tracker, the board, some leakage, and a safety margin into account. Progress never ceases to amaze me...

The last time I did anything that has to do with circuatory and soldering was many years ago, but it seems like all one would need is a voltage converter from 5V (USB) to 12V (driver board input) which would cost about 5 EUR/$ and a custom cable. Doesn't sound too hard. Maybe I will try that after receiving my panel and the other parts (and if I feel adventurous ). Thanks for the idea, one cable less if that works out.

[Dycus]

Palmer had his running off USB at one point I think.

I did that, actually.

On the driver boards I've used, there's a little 8-pin IC that does power conversion from 12v to 5v, and then a linear regulator that does 5v to 3.3v.

The process is a bit convoluted, but here's basically what you do. Find the 12v input on the IC, cut it, and feed the board 5v directly after the IC. The screen's backlight runs directly off the 12v from the barrel jack, so you need to rewire it to give the screen's backlight 5v.
There should be two wires for the backlight - one is power, the other is a PWN signal for the brightness. I looked up the datasheet for the screen, and you can connect the brightness pin directly to 3.3v-5v, and it'll stay on constantly. I used a 1k resistor to limit the current, just in case.

That should be about it... if you need further explanation or a picture, just ask.
Thing is, USB is officially specced for only 500mA, and the screen+control board draws about 700-750mA at 5v. Most computers can handle it, but if you blow your USB bus fuse, it's not my problem.

[3dvison]

Hey Dycus,
Is there anything you can say, Just from an eye spacing standpoint, as to which panel you feel would be better for a person building a DIY RIFT, the 5.6" or 7" inch panel ?

[Nick3DvB]

Thing is, USB is officially specced for only 500mA, and the screen+control board draws about 700-750mA at 5v. Most computers can handle it, but if you blow your USB bus fuse, it's not my problem.

Maybe use a USB plug-doubler cable to split the load, just to be on the safe side:

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalo ... CF4Q8gIwAA

btw, anyone know if any of these boards decode AC3 / PCM audio over HDMI?

[MaterialDefender]

The process is a bit convoluted, but here's basically what you do. Find the 12v input on the IC, cut it, and feed the board 5v directly after the IC. The screen's backlight runs directly off the 12v from the barrel jack, so you need to rewire it to give the screen's backlight 5v.
There should be two wires for the backlight - one is power, the other is a PWN signal for the brightness. I looked up the datasheet for the screen, and you can connect the brightness pin directly to 3.3v-5v, and it'll stay on constantly. I used a 1k resistor to limit the current, just in case.

Sounds like something I for one will better leave to someone who uses a soldering iron a little bit more often than I do and concentrate on software development instead.

But thanks for the description anyway, shouldn't be too hard to find someone who is capable of doing this without risking the board.

[Metathias]

If you ask me USB should have been designed from initial spec to support up to 1000ma. Cellphones suffer also from the low spec of most USB. Gigabyte tried to solve just that problem. http://www.gigabyte.com/microsite/239/3x-usb-power.html
USB 3.0 spec allows for up to 900ma across one channel. You could always take up 2 USB 2.0 ports and put them together in parallel to create 1000ma. I have a small external hard drive that has a simple dual usb cord that does just that. Only one side supports data, but both are used for combined power.

[Chriky]

Thanks for the info Dycus! Sorry for mis-attributing that.

[Dycus]

Hey Dycus,
Is there anything you can say, Just from an eye spacing standpoint, as to which panel you feel would be better for a person building a DIY RIFT, the 5.6" or 7" inch panel ?

Personally, I'd go for a 5.6". It's a bit lighter and smaller, and while you lose a little FOV, it's still a fantastic experience. As for eye spacing, I'd also go for the 5.6" because it's higher density. However, the screen-door effect is a bit more prominent on those.

Thanks for the info Dycus! Sorry for mis-attributing that.

No problem!

[EdZ]

If you ask me USB should have been designed from initial spec to support up to 1000ma. Cellphones suffer also from the low spec of most USB.

Remember that the USB2.0 spec was released at around the same time as the Nokia 3310. "Smartphone" if the term were around at that time would have meant "A PDA (probably a Psion or Palm) with a cellular modem".

[Metathias]

If you ask me USB should have been designed from initial spec to support up to 1000ma. Cellphones suffer also from the low spec of most USB.

Remember that the USB2.0 spec was released at around the same time as the Nokia 3310. "Smartphone" if the term were around at that time would have meant "A PDA (probably a Psion or Palm) with a cellular modem".

Indeed however i always think electronics should be built with plenty of room electricly, The Juice problem with USB was inherent from the get go with many other devices. It was known when they decided to add power to USB in the first place that based on the 500ma it would very limited in the number of devices it could support. Of course at that time if 500ma was'nt enough neither likely was 1000ma. So....meh =)

[zacherynuk]

If you ask me USB should have been designed from initial spec to support up to 1000ma. Cellphones suffer also from the low spec of most USB.

Remember that the USB2.0 spec was released at around the same time as the Nokia 3310. "Smartphone" if the term were around at that time would have meant "A PDA (probably a Psion or Palm) with a cellular modem".

Indeed however i always think electronics should be built with plenty of room electricly, The Juice problem with USB was inherent from the get go with many other devices. It was known when they decided to add power to USB in the first place that based on the 500ma it would very limited in the number of devices it could support. Of course at that time if 500ma was'nt enough neither likely was 1000ma. So....meh =)

To be fair; I have been amazed at how many otherwise (more) power hungry devices have been able to be juiced on just 500ma - and this has to be a good thing for the planet, and innovation generally.

[3dvison]

As for eye spacing, I'd also go for the 5.6" because it's higher density.

Thanks Dycus,
What I was really wondering about, is if the 7"inch panel, can be used without the need for software/mechanical adjustment for the wider eye seperation it has over the smaller 5.6"inch panel ?

I know Oculus can make the 7"inch work for the (REAL)(RIFT), but because of it's extra width, is it an unusable choice for a DIY RIFT ? Well except for the Hammerhead shark...LOL

[Dycus]

For the average person, yes, you'll have to move the center of each image in a bit. The 5.6" is just about perfect as-is, with each image centered in its half of the screen.

[Okta]

Why are they shipwrecked? I have been enjoying testing with mine for the past few months... and I will continue to enjoy playing, testing and simply lovin my DIY Rift. How is this a shipwreck? It simply gets me that much more pumped for the actual Rift and what is to come...

Do you realise your DIY Rift will not work with Rift supported software?