DIY Oculus Rift - schematics, instructions and build pics!

[Postipate]

Edit: so only way to make this work is to make that cable? Didn't found those at any store or ebay.

Check your graphics adapter's DisplayPort. It is either a original sized or a mini port. Buy a 10 foot DisplayPort cable with and end that fits your graphic adapter.

But other end would no fit to panel?

[LaserEdge]

Edit: so only way to make this work is to make that cable? Didn't found those at any store or ebay.

Check your graphics adapter's DisplayPort. It is either a original sized or a mini port. Buy a 10 foot DisplayPort cable with and end that fits your graphic adapter.

But other end would no fit to panel?

Nope. This is where soldering and a multimeter is required. You have to cut the other end of the cable and solder an fpc connector to it. The display logic is rated for 3.3 volts with peak power 1.19 watts, so the DisplayPort PWR will work for that. Also you need new another cable consisting of two wires for the backlight. The backlight needs 12 volts rated for peak power of 4.4 watts. Just connect LED anodes(+) and cathodes(-) to the 12 volt source.

Still don't know if it will work. Will likely test in the next day or two.

[MaterialDefender]

Just another 7"-build (using a screen from chinatobby (ebay), the Hillcrest sensor and 20-diopter 5.6cm lenses. The case isn't perfect, for unknown reasons (read stupidity ) I messed up the lens/screen distance in the final build so that ~15% of screen width/height are wasted... Not a good idea considering the 1280x800 res. The bright side of this is that it works beautifully with scaled down content (no visible black bars or need for partial overlap). I will correct this over the weekend though.

Other than that I have to say I'm really impressed. I've tried over a dozen games of various types yesterday, my first thoughts - in no particular order - are:

1. Immersion in general is really high. Even with only the built in mouse emulation from the Hillcrest sensor. Especially scenes where you are standing on a moving platform of any kind are impressive (try the intro sequence of Half-Life/Black Mesa to see what I mean).
2. Latency isn't a real issue with most games as long as 60Hz are maintained constantly. Others may be more sensitive to this though, so your mileage my vary.
3. Games with the 'correct' FOV are definitely best, but smaller FOVs aren't that bad either. Surprising. Again, others might easily find that more distractive.
4. The weight of the device seems OK to me, even with the controller board attached to it. Should be a non-issue with the real Rift.
5. Stereo separation has to be chosen carefully. A typical case of more isn't always better. Too much and you feel like walking/flying through a 'toy landscape'. Interesting effect but most of the times certainly not what you would want.
6. Controlling your movement direction with the head is a bit awkward at first since that is very different from how the real world works. This almost certainly won't apply to games designed for the Rift though.
7. Despite all the fantastic graphical complexity and realism of modern games I had the most impressive experience with the oldest and by far most unrealistic game I tried so far: Descent II. Blasting through these surrealistic corridors and halls with full 6DOF movement is really, really fascinating. Just awesome. Too bad that games like this are pure box office poison nowadays...
8. 3rd person games like Mass Effect, The Witcher etc. are working much better than expected even with the sensor enabled as long as the camera distance isn't too far away from the character. Nice.
9. Resolution of the consumer version should indeed be higher than 1280x800. I argued, it wouldn't matter that much some time ago, but I was wrong. Despite the apparent benefits a sharper image has, this would also help reducing the
10. Screen door effect, which is quite visible (at least with my screen). This can be distractive since the screen door effect is the only really sharp component of the image which unfortunately makes your (or at least my) brain concentrate on it from time to time.

diy_rift1.jpg

diy_rift2.jpg

[gravity360]

I have tested WHDI at over 75 feet through walls, the hypothetical ranges go into the hundreds of meters.

The cheapest WHDI links out there are less than $80, so the tech is definitely within consumer reach.

What kind of latency is introduced when you attempt to implement a WHDI to the HMD? I've thought about doing this with mine, but I've debated it after all the lectures from Carmack on the importance of that special 20ms limit.

[brantlew]

6. Controlling your movement direction with the head is a bit awkward at first since that is very different from how the real world works. This almost certainly won't apply to games designed for the Rift though.

Agreed. Turning your body with your head is a poor substitute. I have a feeling there is going to be a lot of debate and experimentation with control schemes because this simple method isn't going to cut-it. Although I think a lot of games will default to this mechanism.

[TheLostBrain]

Just another 7"-build (using a screen from chinatobby (ebay)...

Looks really awesome man.

I'm hoping to get back into doing a new build this weekend myself... man I haven't posted a build since like page 17 and 18.
Still owe rfurlan a cnc'd housing I promised him too.. (Haven't forgot you man! Even if the rift comes out first I'll still send you one! )

How do you like the Hillcrest? I've got some old ascension equipment but I want something portable.
Would you go with the Hillcrest again at this point or is there something better as of late?

[crespo80]

The current Sensics wireless box uses WHDI, which is probably the best choice for wireless video transmission currently on the market.

What about the other competitors like WiGig, WirelessHD, WiDi, did you have a chance to try them too?
Do you think we can see this tech on the consumer rift or we have to wait for The Rift 2.0 ?

[PalmerTech]

I have tested WHDI at over 75 feet through walls, the hypothetical ranges go into the hundreds of meters.

The cheapest WHDI links out there are less than $80, so the tech is definitely within consumer reach.

What kind of latency is introduced when you attempt to implement a WHDI to the HMD? I've thought about doing this with mine, but I've debated it after all the lectures from Carmack on the importance of that special 20ms limit.

Only a millisecond or two. It is fantastic technology, that level of latency does not really matter when it is probably less than 5% of your total latency.

The current Sensics wireless box uses WHDI, which is probably the best choice for wireless video transmission currently on the market.

What about the other competitors like WiGig, WirelessHD, WiDi, did you have a chance to try them too?
Do you think we can see this tech on the consumer rift or we have to wait for The Rift 2.0 ?

WHDI is by far the best technology out of all those, I have tried them. The others all have more latency. I would not count on wireless for the consumer Rift, though, it is still relatively expensive tech, and it draws a crazy amount of power.

[Postipate]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LG-Philips-Appl ... _PCs_Zubehör&hash=item2a1e8fd48f
2048x1536 resolution and 9,7 inch panel.

http://hothardware.com/cs/forums/t/60458.aspx
Motherboard with edp port.

http://www.lucidlogix.com/product-virtu-mvp.shtml
Good gpu+motherboard with edp+virtu mvp.

So with this setup we could connect edp panel to pc and get good fps. Reguires that virtu mvp is working like it should. Any experience of this setup?

Edit: Cannot find that motherboard any store. And other edp motherboards doesn't have good Pci connectors for GPU.

[shent1080]

plus the size of the recievers that i've seen, on amazon for example are the size of a house and by no means mountable.

[cybereality]

Nice work, MaterialDefender.

[bobjwatts]

Just another 7"-build

Nice MaterialDefender! looks great.

[MaterialDefender]

How do you like the Hillcrest? I've got some old ascension equipment but I want something portable.
Would you go with the Hillcrest again at this point or is there something better as of late?

Please take my opinion with a grain of salt since the Hillcrest is the only sensor I know, but for quick testing I would say it's OK. Plug it in and and you're ready to go. Can't get easier. In this mode you only have two axes (mouse emulation, no roll) though. Latency seems to be fine to me, even without the 250Hz firmware Carmack used.

If you want to do more than that, the answer isn't as easy. The proposed way of integrating it into your own programs (for using all three axes including camera roll) has a serious flaw: values jump every second or so, which makes the thing more or less unusable. Pretty strange, since the mouse emulation doesn't have these issues. Luckily there is another solution, that involves reading raw sensor data from the device and do the sensor fusion calculations yourself, but that didn't work for me so far... My results are even worse than the Hillcrest sensor fusion. Most likely I overlooked something though (haven't tried too hard until now), since Tmek (and John Carmack) got it to work this way.

So, would I go with it again? For quick testing until the devkit arrives, clearly yes. For anything more, well, it depends. Is there anything better? Hillcrest itself has a new sensor with integrated magnetometer, which might be better. That will most likely also solve the inherent drift issue of the FSM-6 (FSRK-USB-2). It's quite expensive though ($250). Another option might be one of the Sparkfun sensors (https://www.sparkfun.com/categories/160), if you don't mind to do some soldering yourself.

[shent1080]

Hi MaterialDefender

I'm on the verge of getting one of the boards from chinatobby too, i was thinking about adding a battery pack to it, if you have it handy, what is the voltage and ampere rating on the dc input to the board? also, did it come with a mains connector?

Cheers

[MaterialDefender]

The input voltage is 12V, board+screen need roughly 1000mA, if I remember that correctly from the documentation. I have mine running with a 12V/1500mA power supply to be on the safe side. Unfortunately the screen doesn't come with one, so you have to buy that too.

If you don't need DVI input, be sure to choose the HDMI/VGA-only board. It's a good chunk smaller than the one I (accidentally) ordered. You also might want to consider to buy a small chip cooler, the chip in the center of the control board (and with it the whole board) gets a little bit too hot for my taste otherwise. A simple ~3x1.5cm passive cooler helps considerably in this regard.

[shent1080]

Thanks for that, can i just check something, is this the board that you use:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181000536502? ... 1423.l2649

Chinatobby told me that it didn't come with a lead like yours and told me i needed this ac adapter:


http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-12VDC-2-65A ... 2a26b04086

This seems completely wrong to me, in fact he's the only seller of an adapter like this that i can find, that's why i wanted to check with you.....12vdc with a current of only 2.65amp! thats just above what a AA battery pushes out, the figures don't make sense.

[shent1080]

just looked over my post.....that didn't make sense.

the reason i don't think it's right is because the lead states that it is 40w, 2.65a, and 12v and if you go onto something like an ohms law calculator the figures won't work with each other.

[MaterialDefender]

That's the smaller board I was talking about. I have the model with an additional DVI port, but the one your link shows seems to be the one I originally intended to get.

The ac adapter looks OK to me too. The 2600mA it offers are more than you will need, but that is no problem.

And by the way: good luck with your build!

[shent1080]

thanks, i think i'm gonna need it, hopefully when i get it, i can find out what it actually needs.

Cheers for the help

[Postipate]

Does anyone know if frames are removable in N070ICG-LD1? I would like to know for other project than oculus.

[MaterialDefender]

I don't think there is anything like a frame at all, at least not in the sense of a removable mounting frame or similar. Looks like the pure panel without anything attached to it. Around the actual viewable area the panel only has a small bezel area, ~3mm on 3 sides, somewhat larger on the 4th that seems to be an integral part of the display itself. The surface of the whole panel is completely flat.

I'm only 99% sure though, since the bezel area is covered by some plastic foil. But I would be very surprised, if there would be anything beneath that foil that could (or should) be removed.

[Matoz]

I don't think there is anything like a frame at all, at least not in the sense of a removable mounting frame or similar. Looks like the pure panel without anything attached to it. Around the actual viewable area the panel only has a small bezel area, ~3mm on 3 sides, somewhat larger on the 4th that seems to be an integral part of the display itself. The surface of the whole panel is completely flat.

I'm only 99% sure though, since the bezel area is covered by some plastic foil. But I would be very surprised, if there would be anything beneath that foil that could (or should) be removed.

I got the same impression on my display.

[shent1080]

Did anyone see this thread a while back

http://www.mtbs3d.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=120&t=15500

It's got a quote from Palmer stating that they may be selling the rift headtracker seperatly, if this is the case, will all of the diy rifts that have been created work with rift games, i know it will probably be a work around but with the integration of cybereality's Vireio driver, is it possible?

[PatimPatam]

Hello guys, ready for some LED action?? Here's my take on Positional Tracking!
http://www.mtbs3d.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=138&t=16072

Would be nice to see what you DIY pros can come up with!

[shent1080]

Excellent job, that looks great!

[jaybug]

Bah... considering getting the hillcrest tracker for $99.
Went through checkout to see how much shipping overseas would be. $124

I have shipping service i can send it to, that will be $10 for shipping to them and $25 to ship it to me.

Anybody know a better deal or even a better tracker to get?

[MaterialDefender]

Strange, I didn't pay any shipping fee at all (for shipping to Germany). All I had to pay were the $99 to Hillcrest, plus on arrival customs and taxes (~$35) and an obsure customs handling fee to UPS (~$15).

Maybe that was a lucky error in their shopping system or they don't charge a shipping fee for delivering to companies.

[Fredz]

Anybody know a better deal or even a better tracker to get?

The Hillcrest tracker doesn't include a magnetometer, so the yaw drift can't be corrected. There are other trackers which include a magnetometer such as the SparkFun Razor IMU, the Mongoose 9DOF IMU, the YEI 3-Space Sensor or even the PS Move.

[tmek]

Hi guys, I'm back from vacation finally! Looks like some cool stuff has been going on. Some nice builds! I alos love those CES videos on the rift from "The Verge"! So much win!

I got a couple of requests for the source code from my Doom 3 BFG hillcrest 250hz integration with the Mahony fusion algorithm so i'm attaching a zip file that you should be able to unzip into a fresh copy of the Doom 3 BFG source code, you would just have to update the paths to look for libfreespace .lib and .h files.

While I was away I also received the electronic parts I ordered to create the LDVS/USB over HDMI breakout boards that Wicked Andy designed. I still need to order some soldering equipment/supplies so it may be a while before I get these working.


tmek

[jaybug]

Anybody know a better deal or even a better tracker to get?

The Hillcrest tracker doesn't include a magnetometer, so the yaw drift can't be corrected. There are other trackers which include a magnetometer such as the SparkFun Razor IMU, the Mongoose 9DOF IMU, the YEI 3-Space Sensor or even the PS Move.

Ease of use is a priority for me though, and it's a drawback to me that none of those trackers have a usb port. (I was weary enough about hot gluing the rift together, I don't need no solder business )
Also, how easy is it to use the sensor data with these sensors? At least with the hillcrest I know I at least have the code Carmack wrote for it in Doom....

[jaybug]

I've finally finished a "proper" device. (Meaning destroying it will be harder than just ripping off some duct tape. -.-)

A big thanks to rfurlan for putting together his guide, as well as everyone else who contributed to it and showed off their projects, for giving me the confidence and motivation I needed to do this.

The headset comes in at 320g without anything plugged in.
Unfortunately the hdmi cable I have now is the bulkiest, heaviest and shortest one you'll find, so that weighs everything down a bit, as well as making headmovements a joke.

Also, I tried using my iPhone as a tracker, but since that weighs 130g in itself, I used it by holding it with my mouth. If I didn't have as much hair, I would just ducttape it to my scalp. -.-
I'm really surprised by how well the iPhone + FreePIE works though, I can only imagine how good a proper tracker will be with better latency and of course roll.

I took a page out of Chriky's book, and used a couple of hello kitty cups for lens holders. (Actually more like "Hi there, kitten" ripoffs, can't afford the real stuff)

Next step is getting a flexible HDMI cable that doesn't limit my movement, as well as getting a tracker.

Btw, I don't know if I have the heart for Doom 3 in VR, after just a little testing I was exhausted from being scared so much.

[Okta]

For quick and nasty buy 2 cheapo air mouse from ebay. Mount one to the tracker and hold the other in your right hand. Get ones that have a toggle button for the gyros. The one in your right hand is used for fine aiming and to correct the drift on the HMD one. It works surprisingly well for a simple off the shelf ghetto build.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/390502260808 ... 1423.l2649

That one looks good for a HMD mounted one although im not sure it has a gyro toggle for hand use.

[RoadKillGrill]

The Hillcrest tracker doesn't include a magnetometer, so the yaw drift can't be corrected. There are other trackers which include a magnetometer such as the SparkFun Razor IMU, the Mongoose 9DOF IMU, the YEI 3-Space Sensor or even the PS Move.

Ease of use is a priority for me though, and it's a drawback to me that none of those trackers have a usb port. (I was weary enough about hot gluing the rift together, I don't need no solder business )
Also, how easy is it to use the sensor data with these sensors? At least with the hillcrest I know I at least have the code Carmack wrote for it in Doom....

The YEI 3-Space Sensor does have USB, it just need to be soldered on the embedded model, the other models have a mini USB.
The protocol to get sensor data is really easy to work with as well.
Here is a really basic script to get the orientation in python from the 3-Space Sensor

Code: Select all

import serial
import struct
serial_port = serial.Serial("com142")
send_bytes= bytearray((0xf7,0x00,0x00)) #Startbyte, command, [params], chksum= sum(command+params)%256 
serial_port.write(send_bytes)
read_bytes =serial_port.read(16)
quat = struct.unpack('>ffff',read_bytes)
print(quat)

[brantlew]

Ease of use is a priority for me though, and it's a drawback to me that none of those trackers have a usb port. (I was weary enough about hot gluing the rift together, I don't need no solder business )
Also, how easy is it to use the sensor data with these sensors? At least with the hillcrest I know I at least have the code Carmack wrote for it in Doom....

For ease of use, get the Hillcrest. It comes prebuilt with a mouse emulation driver and a USB port. So you really just have to plug it in and you can immediately use it like a mouse. It's not going to give you the most flexibility or quality but it's the only one of the trackers that is plug-and-play. And of course if you want to really get your hands dirty with it you can build a custom driver that will work like the Carmack version.

PS jaybug: Your build looks really great. Here's a tip for the iPhone. Use an iPhone belt clip and clip it to the top of your headphones so you don't have to stick it in your mouth.

[jaybug]

PS jaybug: Your build looks really great. Here's a tip for the iPhone. Use an iPhone belt clip and clip it to the top of your headphones so you don't have to stick it in your mouth.

That's so brilliant, I'm an idiot for not considering it.
Thanks, my jaw was starting to hurt

Don't have a belt-clip, but I have plenty of spare duct tape

[MaterialDefender]

I've finally finished a "proper" device. (Meaning destroying it will be harder than just ripping off some duct tape. -.-)

Looks great. Chriky's foam/paper cup idea was really good. Makes things easier, and does look better. What more can you want.

A flexible HDMI cable really helps, I can highly recommend that.

I also would recommend the Hillcrest tracker, now even wholeheartedly. As brantlew said, it's extremely easy to use for first steps. And if you want to use everything including head roll, the code tmek posted will help you get started. It has a small flaw regarding the rotation angle computation, but I already PMed him a possible solution, so maybe he will release an upgraded version.

[mahler]

Chriky's foam/paper cup idea was really good. Makes things easier, and does look better. What more can you want.

I finally found some nice expanded polystyrene - foam - cups (height 92 mm, diameter 80 mm)
The lens fits very well at the bottom, but somehow I can still see the inside....



It's important you get the right diameters.

[MaterialDefender]

Yeah, the ones Chikry used looked extremely tapered, if I remember that correctly from the photos he posted. That is most likely crucial for the best possible result.

[jaybug]

Yeah, I should mention mine aren't tapered enough to be outside of sight either. But just barely.

[mahler]

I suppose the outward angle should be the same as your FOV