Well, this is a thread for the people who wanted to see some basic progress on the PR3 (Prototype 3) HMD, which is going to be the the first "real" version of the concepts I used to build the PR2.
Some of the improvements were listed in my last thread about the PR2 (http://www.mtbs3d.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=120&t=13745" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)
As I move forward, it looks like I might actually be able to get it under 500 grams WITH the high FOV optics! This would put it in the same range as the HMZ-T1. Note that these are all very, very quick pictures, and in no way represent a finished product, or even a finished prototype.Improvements for the PR3:
Much lighter (~700 grams, only 200 grams heavier than the Emagin Z800)
About 20% smaller, mostly depth wise
Wireless video receiver fanny pack/backpack/belt pack, not decided on final form factor
Lightweight lithium polymer battery pack, runs wirelessly for about 10 hours on a charge
Swappable lens faceplate, lets you move from 120 FOV to 60 FOV in less than a minute, or upgrade to future lens designs
Pictures!
Specs are the same as the PR2 at the moment, other than the improvements. See that big huge backpack control box? Much larger than it needs to be, made it so that I can swap parts in an out very easily, not have to worry about a cooling fan for the time being, and use normal wire interconnects rather than soldering all the HDMI/power connections!
The basic idea: You plug a USB powered DVI/HDMI transmitter into your source computer. You turn on the Wireless Link Pak (Why not give it a silly name?), and the computer automatically recognizes the display. Most of the time, I set it to clone, so that you can see what the user of the HMD is seeing. The HMD actually has no internal electronics, the only things in it are the optics, the display, and the wires that connect it to the driver board over the LVDS interface! Pretty sexy, and very lightweight.
Why is the HMD unit gold, you ask? I wrapped in in shielding tape, as I was having some issues with interference. In keeping with the spirit of a low cost HMD, I did not use custom made shielded cable; I made my own out of twisted pair I stole from ethernet cables! I shielded that, and then put a nylon fabric sheath over the whole thing so it looked nice, and will not catch on anything. I also ran a long, stiff piece of plus (+) shaped plastic that gives the cable a lot more bend resistance, and makes the cable want to spring up into the air. Because of this, the cable exerts no downward force on the head unit; In fact, it might even lift it up a little bit! No head mount yet, still building them. Right now, I am modifying night vision goggle head mounts, since they have a lot of R&D put into comfort already. Why re-invent the wheel?
Sorry for the long ramble, been up for more than 30 hours without any sleep, hopefully I make some sense. Going to go pass out now, and then answer questions tomorrow.
Thanks for the support! I would never have been able to do any of this without the knowledge and inspiration of the members here.