How many DYI-ers out there have finished a project and thought, "Gee, if I knew it was going to turn out so well, I would have done a better job?" That's what I said to myself after I built a three-point cap clip model for the head-tracking freeware Free Track V2.2.

I had tried a second monitor with a left-hand view (monitor colors didn't match) and then FaceTrackNOIR (just couldn't get tracking to work without jitters and flipping) and gave them up. They did, however, spoil me for something other than the plain old "scroll left, scroll right" views out the front. (That other facetracking setup, uh something..something..IR, is just too expensive, although a great out-of-the-box product I'm told.)

So, in a moment of boredom Saturday, I decided to give Free Track a try.

It was all so easy and has three things we all love: it was virtually free, it works like a charm, and, as it is on Avsim, the Free Track web site has tons of help, diagrams and photos.

I made the cap clip base out of wood, some wire I had lying around, and an old power supply that had a wheel on it for adjusting the voltage. I bought 3 standard 5mm, 1.8-volt red LEDs and resistors from Radio Shack. It was easy figuring how big a resistor I needed, there's plenty of help on the Internet.

It requires basic soldering skills. I used hot glue to fasten it all on the clip and the mounting block on my headset. The Free Track software picked up the red dots, and after a little tweaking (it's the name of the game, isn't it?) it's all very smooth and oh-so cool. Makes doing patterns so easy.

And, I don't detect any drop in frame rates.

So, there you have it. It's a great DIY project and puts FSX up a notch in realism (sorry for those guys who get seasick with headtrackers).

 

 

 

Cool! You have fun now! Haha

Great stuff!  I've been using FreeTrack for a few years now, mostly for flying in Condor but sometimes in FSX as well.  Made my rig out of heat-shrink coated coat-hanger wire with IR LED's and power supply via USB.  Tracking with a bluetooth connected WiiMote.

 

 

Cheers,

Derek

Same thing here, IR leds, USB power, and WiiMote. 3 years going without a problem, smooth as.

I like the streamlined version with the coat hangers, Derek, especially with the use of the shrink tubing. It's so much better than trying to tape-wrap. I'll probably go that way when I make Version 2 this week. I use an old Microsoft VX-3000 webcam I had lying around, with the IR filter removed. I at first had layers of film to filter out ambient light, but it seems to work OK without it.

Im finding in retirement that I love doing DIY stuff. Also did a HD outside TV antenna using PVC pipe and coat hangers that is very elegant and works great.

Are you a DYI-er? I start my day on the patio with laptop and coffee. Part of that morning is a trip over to YOuTube with a simple "How to" search. Turns up all kinds of stuff that is fun, easy and cheap to do.

I like to do DIY stuff when I have time  :smile:   Unfortunately, with kids, a job that requires a fair bit of travel all over Australia and a serious gliding habit that needs a regular fix, I don't have as much time to enjoy making things as I would like.  I used to be quite into RC Aircraft and made a lot of parts myself out of fibreglass or carbon fibre.

 

I've tried FreeTrack with both a webcam and the WiiMote and find the refresh rate on the WiiMote makes for a much smoother experience.  A lot harder to get set up though.  If you like the wire model and want to do your own, here's the bare version of the one I did to base your template on...

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Derek