Ok, I might just have to try it. I'll take a trip to Radio Shack tomorrow and get all the parts.
Hehe I had to try the concept out for myself today so played around with the TV remote and it worked pretty well if I used the right button.
Can you guys save the status of the on/off LED lights in 1.22? I seem to not be able to.
'Active' dot
Re: 'Active' dot
Ok back from my trip to the shack. My parts list:
IR LED 276-143 $1.79
Battery holder AAA $.99
Mircomini toggle switch
1K ohm micro trim pot
50 ohm Wire-wound resistor (only 50 they had)
Project enclosure
Is there anything else I need? How do i put all this together now?
IR LED 276-143 $1.79
Battery holder AAA $.99
Mircomini toggle switch
1K ohm micro trim pot
50 ohm Wire-wound resistor (only 50 they had)
Project enclosure
Is there anything else I need? How do i put all this together now?
Re: 'Active' dot
OK,
Lets see.
What battery will power this?
I'm sick in bed with a heck of a cold so I'll try to draw a wiring plan up for you today or tommorrow depending on my will to stay awake.
But basicaly you wire the - on the battery to the - on the Led.
Then the + battery gets a wire. That's then wired to the resistor then next to the trim pot.
[The back pin and the middle pin with the third not wired.]
then from the middle pin of the trim pot to the first Switch pin.
then from the second switch pin to the + LED pin.
Think of Wire as pipes and power as water with resistor as a water meter to bring to pressure down.
The trim pot as a valve in the faucet to control the rate of flow.
And the switch as a on off valve...so if you follow the flow you should be able to wire it up.
You can check to see at each stage if your wired right by connecting it to the LED + and then by holding it up to the Track unit and looking on the Advanced set up box to see if it's tracking, also the green tracking light will come on the top of the unit.
The Led IR will not be visible as lit up...which is why I wired another LED in to show if it was off or on
As to the on/off status of the Track IR LED's being saved...it is not saved as that might get clicked by non active IR folks and then the unit would seem not to be working.
Making RMA and support calls more frequent.
It works just fine with them on all the time....even with a active IR source.
OK, start the Questions....LOL
Lets see.
What battery will power this?
I'm sick in bed with a heck of a cold so I'll try to draw a wiring plan up for you today or tommorrow depending on my will to stay awake.
But basicaly you wire the - on the battery to the - on the Led.
Then the + battery gets a wire. That's then wired to the resistor then next to the trim pot.
[The back pin and the middle pin with the third not wired.]
then from the middle pin of the trim pot to the first Switch pin.
then from the second switch pin to the + LED pin.
Think of Wire as pipes and power as water with resistor as a water meter to bring to pressure down.
The trim pot as a valve in the faucet to control the rate of flow.
And the switch as a on off valve...so if you follow the flow you should be able to wire it up.
You can check to see at each stage if your wired right by connecting it to the LED + and then by holding it up to the Track unit and looking on the Advanced set up box to see if it's tracking, also the green tracking light will come on the top of the unit.
The Led IR will not be visible as lit up...which is why I wired another LED in to show if it was off or on
As to the on/off status of the Track IR LED's being saved...it is not saved as that might get clicked by non active IR folks and then the unit would seem not to be working.
Making RMA and support calls more frequent.
It works just fine with them on all the time....even with a active IR source.
OK, start the Questions....LOL
Re: 'Active' dot
Here they come! AAA is the battery type. I pretty much understand what each part does but still thanks for keeping it simple for me I didn't think the resistor and pot would go on the + side.
How do I tell which side is the negative on the LED?
Hehe I always forget is black wire + or -?
How should I phyiscally make the connections from wire to pin? I know I'm going to wrap it around someway but is there a special way? Can I hot glue them down to make it more rugged ( got that idea from the inside of my X36s, tons of hot glue in there)?
The switch goes on the + side too? I would have went for a on LED like you have but the figured that it's one more thing for me to wire. I'll just label on and off on my switch
Testing it before the resistor and pot is in place won't hurt the LED?
When I'm done what should I do with bare wire or bare parts of pins from the pot, switch, or resistor? I'm especially thinking about wire and the resistor pins. They are a 1 and 1/2 inches long and are tuching the sides of my project enclosure.
Thanks!
EDIT: I was just told that my Dad bought a soldering gun just a few days ago that I could use. Do you recommend this since I'm a complete rookie?
[ October 16, 2002, 11:03 PM: Message edited by: Snake122 ]
How do I tell which side is the negative on the LED?
Hehe I always forget is black wire + or -?
How should I phyiscally make the connections from wire to pin? I know I'm going to wrap it around someway but is there a special way? Can I hot glue them down to make it more rugged ( got that idea from the inside of my X36s, tons of hot glue in there)?
The switch goes on the + side too? I would have went for a on LED like you have but the figured that it's one more thing for me to wire. I'll just label on and off on my switch
Testing it before the resistor and pot is in place won't hurt the LED?
When I'm done what should I do with bare wire or bare parts of pins from the pot, switch, or resistor? I'm especially thinking about wire and the resistor pins. They are a 1 and 1/2 inches long and are tuching the sides of my project enclosure.
Thanks!
EDIT: I was just told that my Dad bought a soldering gun just a few days ago that I could use. Do you recommend this since I'm a complete rookie?
[ October 16, 2002, 11:03 PM: Message edited by: Snake122 ]
Re: 'Active' dot
ok,
I'll post your question and my answers.
didn't think the resistor and pot would go on the + side.
Yes the Flow to the + side of the Led needs the "valves" to get it to the right level.
How do I tell which side is the negative on the LED?
The LED should have it marked on the package or the Led it's self. Sometimes there is a crimp in the + wire near the base ot the LED.
Hehe I always forget is black wire + or -?
Red is + or hot. Black or green is ground or -
How should I phyiscally make the connections from wire to pin? I know I'm going to wrap it around someway but is there a special way? Can I hot glue them down to make it more rugged ( got that idea from the inside of my X36s, tons of hot glue in there)? EDIT: I was just told that my Dad bought a soldering gun just a few days ago that I could use. Do you recommend this since I'm a complete rookie?
Solder is best, Your first time should be wires. They don't get messed up very easy. And you can pratice a little on wire to wire soldering without even starting your project.
Do a search on the web for soldering basics, if you have problems post here and I'll walk you through it.
Just go slow and be careful, it's like hot glue only hotter. Basic safe conduct is needed..Use your head.
Also twist wires together then solder, or twist them onto posts that you've bent into a circle.
The switch goes on the + side too? I would have went for a on LED like you have but the figured that it's one more thing for me to wire. I'll just label on and off on my switch
The switch can wire into + or - it's just you're connecting on one side and I was keeping it simple.
Wiring in a LED is a little harder to explain but off/on is good. I just forgot to off it one time and wasted a battery, so I decided for a visual clue as to it's status.
Testing it before the resistor and pot is in place won't hurt the LED?
Nope, not in the short term. My first proto had no resistor or trim pot and it did not burn the LED out for 3 weeks.
When I'm done what should I do with bare wire or bare parts of pins from the pot, switch, or resistor? I'm especially thinking about wire and the resistor pins. They are a 1 and 1/2 inches long and are touching the sides of my project enclosure
If the box is plastic it won't hurt to touch the sides. However you don't want them to touch each other.
Trim down the pins to a usable length, any left after the solder joint can be trimmed.
I'd wrap then with electrical tape, duct tape, or buy some shrink tubing at the Shack.
OK,
Now ask round 2 of the questions...LOL
[ October 17, 2002, 04:59 PM: Message edited by: bhodi ]
I'll post your question and my answers.
didn't think the resistor and pot would go on the + side.
Yes the Flow to the + side of the Led needs the "valves" to get it to the right level.
How do I tell which side is the negative on the LED?
The LED should have it marked on the package or the Led it's self. Sometimes there is a crimp in the + wire near the base ot the LED.
Hehe I always forget is black wire + or -?
Red is + or hot. Black or green is ground or -
How should I phyiscally make the connections from wire to pin? I know I'm going to wrap it around someway but is there a special way? Can I hot glue them down to make it more rugged ( got that idea from the inside of my X36s, tons of hot glue in there)? EDIT: I was just told that my Dad bought a soldering gun just a few days ago that I could use. Do you recommend this since I'm a complete rookie?
Solder is best, Your first time should be wires. They don't get messed up very easy. And you can pratice a little on wire to wire soldering without even starting your project.
Do a search on the web for soldering basics, if you have problems post here and I'll walk you through it.
Just go slow and be careful, it's like hot glue only hotter. Basic safe conduct is needed..Use your head.
Also twist wires together then solder, or twist them onto posts that you've bent into a circle.
The switch goes on the + side too? I would have went for a on LED like you have but the figured that it's one more thing for me to wire. I'll just label on and off on my switch
The switch can wire into + or - it's just you're connecting on one side and I was keeping it simple.
Wiring in a LED is a little harder to explain but off/on is good. I just forgot to off it one time and wasted a battery, so I decided for a visual clue as to it's status.
Testing it before the resistor and pot is in place won't hurt the LED?
Nope, not in the short term. My first proto had no resistor or trim pot and it did not burn the LED out for 3 weeks.
When I'm done what should I do with bare wire or bare parts of pins from the pot, switch, or resistor? I'm especially thinking about wire and the resistor pins. They are a 1 and 1/2 inches long and are touching the sides of my project enclosure
If the box is plastic it won't hurt to touch the sides. However you don't want them to touch each other.
Trim down the pins to a usable length, any left after the solder joint can be trimmed.
I'd wrap then with electrical tape, duct tape, or buy some shrink tubing at the Shack.
OK,
Now ask round 2 of the questions...LOL
[ October 17, 2002, 04:59 PM: Message edited by: bhodi ]
Re: 'Active' dot
Ok so far so good. By testing I figured out that the led's - is the short pin. I need to know how to wire the trimmer pot. I bought Model 271-280 and it's a round 1k-ohm pot. It's really small with two pins close together and the other pin on the other side. I assume the separate one is the one I do't wire, correct? Does it matter which way I wire the two pins? Other than that it's going pretty well. I'm getting everything layed out and wired up. Then I'm gonna practice my soldering and go for soldering the wires. Wish me luck!
Re: 'Active' dot
HI,
You want to solder one pin and the middle sticking out pin.
I recomend a 500K trimmer, however I don't see one for sale at the Shack's web site.
Go back and ask to see the big catalog of parts. And see if they sell one.
It may have to be ordered. If they don't have one for sale, post here and I'll see what I can do to get you one.
You want to solder one pin and the middle sticking out pin.
I recomend a 500K trimmer, however I don't see one for sale at the Shack's web site.
Go back and ask to see the big catalog of parts. And see if they sell one.
It may have to be ordered. If they don't have one for sale, post here and I'll see what I can do to get you one.
-
BPO6_GoldenWing
- Posts: 51
- Joined: Thu Oct 17, 2002 5:00 am
- Location: Orlando, Florida
Re: 'Active' dot
~S! All,
Don't want to interupt, but good to see both Bhodi & Nodak01 here...you both have helped and encouraged me a heck of a lot.
Just one comment on technique. LEARN TO LEAN!! Instead of actually turning your head to look at the 6:30...5:30 position...LEAN. The TrackIR will turn for you.
This technique does 2 things. It keeps your dot (active or passive) in range of the receiver and your eyes never lose focus on the screen.
Cheers!
Gold
[ October 20, 2002, 05:29 AM: Message edited by: BPO6_GoldenWing ]
Don't want to interupt, but good to see both Bhodi & Nodak01 here...you both have helped and encouraged me a heck of a lot.
Just one comment on technique. LEARN TO LEAN!! Instead of actually turning your head to look at the 6:30...5:30 position...LEAN. The TrackIR will turn for you.
This technique does 2 things. It keeps your dot (active or passive) in range of the receiver and your eyes never lose focus on the screen.
Cheers!
Gold
[ October 20, 2002, 05:29 AM: Message edited by: BPO6_GoldenWing ]
Re: 'Active' dot
Gold,
Leaning, aw, come on that's not realistic Actually I have done this before but only so Track IR doesn't lose the dot, not because of losing focus with my eyes. I've never had that big for a problem with turning my head but keeping my eyes in pace. But definitely a good point.
Bhodi,
Had to work alot this weekend so I haven' t finished my project up but I did get everything wired and working! No soldering yet or final assembly. I went for the pot because ti was small, what will a 500k do for me? Will it eventually damage the LED if keep it in there or does it just give me a great range to play with?
Leaning, aw, come on that's not realistic Actually I have done this before but only so Track IR doesn't lose the dot, not because of losing focus with my eyes. I've never had that big for a problem with turning my head but keeping my eyes in pace. But definitely a good point.
Bhodi,
Had to work alot this weekend so I haven' t finished my project up but I did get everything wired and working! No soldering yet or final assembly. I went for the pot because ti was small, what will a 500k do for me? Will it eventually damage the LED if keep it in there or does it just give me a great range to play with?
Re: 'Active' dot
HI,
It's just the 500k gives a better range, You don't want to choke it down to much.
It's the one that Jim The head of Naturalpoint says to use and since he's the guy with the EE degree I followed his advice.
As to using of TIR and the Active dot.
I use the lean with a little head movement...because leaning really makes the Check six movement more precise.
Plus rather then turn the TIR off when I'm lining up a shot, I learned a different way that works for me.
{BTW I learned it from a fighter pilot, and this was the way he learned in RL}
When you shoot a rifle. You look at the front pin through the ring, then focus on the target then back on the pin, then take the shot.
However in BFM....I'd center on the gunsight and then drive it to the target then watch as I'd take the shot.
Which I'd learned to do because I flew Snapview and not padlock.
In snap views your view is centered on the sight and you have to fly the sight to the target.
In padlock your centered on the target and fly the target to sight ...with the TIR you want to do both, much like when you shoot a rifle.
So instead of one view style,
You want to focus on the Target plane in front of you and keep it centered in your view with the TIR.
Then fly the gunsight to the Target that you're keeping centered....Like Padlock
Keep centered on the target till the picture firms up for the shot, then center on the sight when you take the shot.....Like Snapview
It's easy after some mental changes.
Watch a large bird fly in to a landing sometime...that's what they do.
My buddies bird like to play navy carrier pilot and land on my buddies hand as he slowly moves it...you can see his eyes and head track the hand as he flies his body....then his head snaps up to acquire the hand and he holds his head still to look down at the target {Birds see different then us, Eyes on the sides and all that} and his feet come down to hit the target....target,sight,landing.
To review my technique of TIR BFM
Ignore the gunsight and track the target and fly the gunsight to it...Then track the sight during the shot.
Easy once you learn
Give that a shot and let me know if it works for you guys.
It's just the 500k gives a better range, You don't want to choke it down to much.
It's the one that Jim The head of Naturalpoint says to use and since he's the guy with the EE degree I followed his advice.
As to using of TIR and the Active dot.
I use the lean with a little head movement...because leaning really makes the Check six movement more precise.
Plus rather then turn the TIR off when I'm lining up a shot, I learned a different way that works for me.
{BTW I learned it from a fighter pilot, and this was the way he learned in RL}
When you shoot a rifle. You look at the front pin through the ring, then focus on the target then back on the pin, then take the shot.
However in BFM....I'd center on the gunsight and then drive it to the target then watch as I'd take the shot.
Which I'd learned to do because I flew Snapview and not padlock.
In snap views your view is centered on the sight and you have to fly the sight to the target.
In padlock your centered on the target and fly the target to sight ...with the TIR you want to do both, much like when you shoot a rifle.
So instead of one view style,
You want to focus on the Target plane in front of you and keep it centered in your view with the TIR.
Then fly the gunsight to the Target that you're keeping centered....Like Padlock
Keep centered on the target till the picture firms up for the shot, then center on the sight when you take the shot.....Like Snapview
It's easy after some mental changes.
Watch a large bird fly in to a landing sometime...that's what they do.
My buddies bird like to play navy carrier pilot and land on my buddies hand as he slowly moves it...you can see his eyes and head track the hand as he flies his body....then his head snaps up to acquire the hand and he holds his head still to look down at the target {Birds see different then us, Eyes on the sides and all that} and his feet come down to hit the target....target,sight,landing.
To review my technique of TIR BFM
Ignore the gunsight and track the target and fly the gunsight to it...Then track the sight during the shot.
Easy once you learn
Give that a shot and let me know if it works for you guys.