eMagin Z800 Condition Help

[BillRoeske]

I'm getting ready to put my old Z800 up on eBay to help fund my Oculus Rift purchase. Aside from all of the cool things about Palmer's upcoming display, I've just never been able to get the motion sensor to work on Windows 7 64-bit and likewise the frame-sequential output on my GTX 460.

One thing that's always bugged me about it is the somewhat noisy pattern to the brightness of the pixels in the display. I generally didn't notice it much when playing a game, but on static screens it is apparent. Is this something pretty common across all Z800 units or is mine wonky? I want to be as up-front as possible in the listing.

[WiredEarp]

You mean like interference? Mines not noisy at all.
I never got the tracker going with 64 bit either (BS they never released a 64 bit driver) which is a shame cos the tracker wasn't too bad. I did get it going with modern games in sequential, using 3D Vision. I have an upgraded BIOS on mine however which could explain why you didn't get it going (assuming you have 3D Vision).

Let us know how much you get for it, I'm thinking of selling mine as well, but the problem is it has a big black spot on the r/h screen (OLED cancer). Its not really apparent once you start using the goggles, but I imagine it will make it harder to sell ;(

[BillRoeske]

Well, I don't mean sensor noise if that's what you meant by interference. It's always been fine about that. I meant some variance in brightness from pixel to pixel on the OLED screen. Nothing horrible, but since it isn't dead uniform, I wanted to check to see if any other units were like that. I can say it definitely shipped that way to me from the factory when I bought it in mid-2006.

And sure, I'll post what it goes for back here if people are interested (and its not against the forum rules or anything). It's in decent shape with only occasional use, but the front plastic shell on the visor somehow cracked during a move. Cosmetic damage only, but it's disappointing since I generally take care of my stuff. At the very least, it's almost certain to ding the price.

[lnrrgb]

Ya know, they sell (or did) replacement shells for those things, and I mention it, because my shell magically cracked too! I know it never saw any kind of shock, as I too babied that thing. Then one day, I pulled it out of the case, and TADA!! cracked shell. I bet they knew about stress problems, or quality control issues with that simple piece of plastic, and so made sure they had $70 replacements on hand. I figured I'd wait awhile, and see if they ever tried to move those replacements at cost, but they've never dropped that ridiculous price down.

As for display issues, I never noticed anything similar to what you are describing. Mine had random dead pixels, each screen having it's own set, in different places, so it was never really noticable unless you really scanned for them. I'll be watching for your final price, as I might consider it as well. It just sits, doing nothing except getting less valuable. I thought there might be value in trying to gut it, and somehow combine parts with the Rift. Doubt I'm that savvy though.....but who knows.

[WiredEarp]

@ BillRoeske: I haven't noticed issues like you are referring to, but mainly use mine with games. I'll try and get it going this weekend and let you know about the display issue you are mentioning. Mine has a couple of stuck pixels but they are almost never noticed. Hopefully the shell on mine is still ok ;0

If I cant get a reasonable price for mine (say, $300, since I use it for FPV and its probably worth $300 to me as it is), then I might eventually look into making a monocle out of it if the OLED cancer eats the rest of my other screen.

[brantlew]

This is a great year for deals on used HMD's. Z800 for $300. And you can get used Vuzix equipment for $100 on the after market! That puts VR in range for just about everyone.

[cybereality]

@BillRoeske: I would make sure to mention everything in the auction, you don't want to get negative feedback or returns (big PITA). Also, its totally cool to sell used gear in the forums. If you are a retailer or company selling a product, then that needs to be worked out with Neil (we don't want people spamming the forum with ads). But for personal sales, totally cool.

[PalmerTech]

Could you try to take a picture of a few images?

I have looked into about 15 different Z800s now, so I am pretty familiar with what can be called "normal".

[BillRoeske]

I bet they knew about stress problems, or quality control issues with that simple piece of plastic, and so made sure they had $70 replacements on hand. I figured I'd wait awhile, and see if they ever tried to move those replacements at cost, but they've never dropped that ridiculous price down.

I haven't done a bunch of searching, but it looks like Tek Gear has them for $30.00. I haven't ever purchased anything from there, though, so I can't specifically endorse them.

Could you try to take a picture of a few images?

I have looked into about 15 different Z800s now, so I am pretty familiar with what can be called "normal".

Thanks, that would be great! I didn't think that photos through the optics would turn out like anything recognizable. The HMD is in the hands of my friend now, who is the one with eBay experience. I'll have to see if there's any way for him to hook it up and get a photo.

@BillRoeske: I would make sure to mention everything in the auction, you don't want to get negative feedback or returns (big PITA). Also, its totally cool to sell used gear in the forums. If you are a retailer or company selling a product, then that needs to be worked out with Neil (we don't want people spamming the forum with ads). But for personal sales, totally cool.

Agreed about the feedback and the returns! I also just want to make sure people know what they're getting so that they can be happy with it. My friend and I called everything out in the description, which we went ahead and listed (before Palmer's offer to look at a picture came in), though for some reason it's not showing up on searches yet...

Also, thanks for the clarification on personal sales. I have some old PC shutter glasses setups that don't work for me anymore, but I'd happily send them to a good home for the cost of shipping. I'll have to get a post together soon...

Edit: The auction is now visible. Still working to see if I can get a picture of the display.

[BillRoeske]

Auction's over, paid for, and shipped. Final selling price was $457.05, of which eBay took $47.13 (9%) as a fee, PayPal gets $13.55 (~3%) for handling the transaction, and shipping (which we threw in for free) came to $18.80. So, net total $383.57. I paid $500 for it new in 2006, had light (but fun!) use out of it, and then was unable to use it due to software deprecation. I'm happy enough with the price that it fetched, but I can also understand if there's not a stampede of people listing theirs.

I think timing had a lot to do with the final price. The z800 that sold right before this one went for ~$788 and started at $400 on the last day of bidding. There was a bloodbath of sniping in the last few minutes that drove it up to the almost $800 range. A lot of the same people were bidding on mine, which is most likely why it stayed at $204.50 until literally the last minute.

Palmer, sorry I didn't get photos for you in time; I was traveling and unable to borrow it back from my friend to take photos (and he didn't have hook-ups for it). Thanks again for your kind offer!

[PalmerTech]

Glad you sold it for a price you are happy with! Don't worry, I don't mind missing a chance to troubleshoot Emagin products.

[xmamx]

Hello sorry to revive an old thread, but I also have a Z800 I want to sell. The optics are faultless, but the shell has a couple of cracks on it and I think I would get more money for it if I put a new one on it. The problem is I cant find anyone that sells the shells anymore, also I am in New Zealand and therefore shipping to NZ is another issue I have to deal with. Can anyone help or advise where I can buy one. Or am I better off just listing it as is with the cracked shell (I have the bag with the original box and all). Whats a good price to start with on Ebay as well. Thanks

[WiredEarp]

@ xmamx: is it the shell on the head part (with the arms that goes around your head) or is it the shell on the actual display unit that is cracked?