FreeTrack Forum

Hi.  I've been doing some reading regarding FreeTrack and I think I'm ready to start acquiring the materials I need.  I'm looking to start off with a really cheap setup which I will refine later on.  I already have a wiimote available so that's the camera I'm starting with.  I have a bunch of broken tv remotes somewhere and if I read correctly, I can just rip out the IR LEDs from those and file the tips off to get a wide-angle IR LED.  Now on to my questions.

- I'm assuming that those tv remotes are compatible with wii motes?  I do have an original wii mote.

- How do I know what voltage/resistance I need to use for the LEDs?

- What are the advantages and disadvantages of just buying a sensor bar and ripping out the LEDs other than not having to file the tips off but having to spend for them?

- Can any game that supports TrackIR be configured to use FreeTrack?

- If possible later on, I plan to build a transparent eyepiece with a crosshair drawn for something like mouse control. Would that be difficult to calibrate accurately enough?

- I know a company that's closing down and is selling a couple of IR CCTV cameras at the price of a somewhat expensive webcam.  Assuming I could get the video feed onto my computer somehow and make it work like a webcam does (maybe via dvr card that i think they also have) and adjust the exposure, would this work well for a reflective setup?  Basically, these CCTV cameras are surrounded by multiple IR emitters and one of them is a wide-angle camera used for a hallway corner.

Advanced thanks for the help.  Hopefully, I can get my own head tracking set up soon.

- I'm assuming that those tv remotes are compatible with wii motes?  I do have an original wii mote.

Probably, but get some ir-LEDs from internet is probably more uncomplicated, as if it was also the answer to the following questions:

- How do I know what voltage/resistance I need to use for the LEDs?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of just buying a sensor bar and ripping out the LEDs other than not having to file the tips off but having to spend for them?

I don't know your location, but here you can find the reference of those ir-LEDs and a store in US that sells them.
(I can give you others for EU if you need.)
With your TV remote LEDs you are even not sure that they have the same brightness and beam-angle. Of course you can try a single point tracking, to figure out how Freetrack works.

- Can any game that supports TrackIR be configured to use FreeTrack?

I think soo, have a look at the compatible titles list to figure out for your game.

- If possible later on, I plan to build a transparent eyepiece with a crosshair drawn for something like mouse control. Would that be difficult to calibrate accurately enough?

I'm not sure to understand your intentions, but could it be, you are looking for some kind of first person shooter gun like this?:
http://forum.free-track.net/index.php?showtopic=466&message=15325

- I know a company that's closing down and is selling a couple of IR CCTV cameras at the price of a somewhat expensive webcam.  Assuming I could get the video feed onto my computer somehow and make it work like a webcam does (maybe via dvr card that i think they also have) and adjust the exposure, would this work well for a reflective set-up?  Basically, these CCTV cameras are surrounded by multiple IR emitters and one of them is a wide-angle camera used for a hallway corner.

This seems quit complicate for me, notably to make this cams work with Freetrack, but why not. Otherwise you can find cheap and good working webcams for around 15$, much easier to install.
This is a mount for indirect reflective set-up:
http://forum.free-track.net/index.php?showtopic=466&message=13177

I don't know your location, but here you can find the reference of those ir-LEDs and a store in US that sells them.
(I can give you others for EU if you need.)
With your TV remote LEDs you are even not sure that they have the same brightness and beam-angle. Of course you can try a single point tracking, to figure out how Freetrack works.

I live in the Philippines and availability can be a problem.  Searching for it locally can be time consuming unfortunately.  I am considering having LEDs shipped here as well, but dealing with the local postal service can be time consuming as well. *sigh* Basically I'm hoping I can just spend an afternoon recycling broken stuff to build something workable just to see if I can get comfortable with it first before investing more time and money into the project.  But if it is going to be problematic to recycle LEDs, I might as well purchase them.

I think soo, have a look at the compatible titles list to figure out for your game.

The first game I plan to try it on is Evochron Mercenary.  I'm think it uses very similar code to Evochron Renegades so I think it's compatible.  As far as I can see from the software, FreeTrack emulates TrackIR but I wanted to make sure.

I'm not sure to understand your intentions, but could it be, you are looking for some kind of first person shooter gun like this?:
http://forum.free-track.net/index.php?showtopic=466&message=15325

Actually not for fpses but for general mouse use with a laptop in cramped environments because I don't like using a trackpad.  I'm thinking something with an ear mount single led/3 led model with a transparent hud-like screen in front of the eye with a single dot for where the mouse should be and hide the mouse cursor in windows.  I can explain why I'm thinking of doing it this way but it might get lengthy.  Thing is, I imagine the calibration can be tricky or tedious depending on your distance from the camera for each "session" and was wondering if anybody knew for sure.

This seems quit complicate for me, notably to make this cams work with Freetrack, but why not. Otherwise you can find cheap and good working webcams for around 15$, much easier to install.
This is a mount for indirect reflective set-up:
http://forum.free-track.net/index.php?showtopic=466&message=13177

I was hoping they hooked up to a PCI card with drivers that would provide freetrack with what it needs, but then my contact there just told me that they were wireless IP cameras.  I'm not entirely sure how they deliver the video stream but yeah, now it sounds complicated.  Not worth the effort IMO considering the alternatives.  Also, turns out that I already have a webcam that has a weak IR filter will that do for a reflective setup?

I live in the Philippines and availability can be a problem.  Searching for it locally can be time consuming unfortunately.  I am considering having LEDs shipped here as well, but dealing with the local postal service can be time consuming as well. *sigh* Basically I'm hoping I can just spend an afternoon recycling broken stuff to build something workable just to see if I can get comfortable with it first before investing more time and money into the project.  But if it is going to be problematic to recycle LEDs, I might as well purchase them.

I see, then indeed it's not as simply as that.
In this case better begin with a single LED mount. This is the easiest way to get Freetrack work stable and without long adjustments of parameters. It gives you two degrees of freedom enough for your mouse-project and most games.
Don't know if you know "Enable Viacam", it's a mouse replacement software that works without any other hardware than PC and webcam.

- How do I know what voltage/resistance I need to use for the LEDs?

If you don't can figure out the reference of the TV-remote LED, you need a voltmeter to find out forward voltage and forward current, otherwise it's something like try and error. But "error" could be burning up the LED.
Try something like 1.2V and 20mA couldn't be wrong to begin and see if it lights up.

Don't know if you know "Enable Viacam", it's a mouse replacement software that works without any other hardware than PC and webcam.

Hmm. First time I've heard of that. I'll try it as well, thanks. If that works ok, I'll stick with using FreeTrack for gaming.

If you don't can figure out the reference of the TV-remote LED, you need a voltmeter to find out forward voltage and forward current, otherwise it's something like try and error. But "error" could be burning up the LED.
Try something like 1.2V and 20mA couldn't be wrong to begin and see if it lights up.

I see. No harm in burning an LED that I don't use in the first place, but I suppose it's time for me to get a new voltmeter anyway.  I broke mine a while back being stupid while working on a different project hehe. Thanks for the help. Now I'll just have to hope that the parts I need aren't as hard to find as ones I've needed before.