TrackIR problem

[urchin]

Hi, I am a new user of track IR, and I have an odd problem that is really irritating me. I'll just paste the posts from the AH BBS. The only response I received seems to have the same problem as me, but with no resolution.

"This is a repost of the General Discussion post. Having the same problem as Octavius with the POV feeling as if my guy is back up into the cockpit glass when I look sideways, and into the seat when I look up.

Got a couple issues with trackIR still. Had it about a month, I'm starting to get used to it finally.

One huge issue is my POV seems to move "away" from where ever I am looking. Backwards. So if I look straight up (which with a hat is a clear view in almost every plane, or can be made to be), it is almost like my guy lays down in his seat and then looks up. If I look out the left side, it is like my guy backs up against the right side of the cockpit, then looks left. Is there any way to stop this from happening? I've tried my own profile and Mace's (I did look around on the forums before I asked this) - both profiles do the moving backwards thing.. it is really irritating.

Another problem I have is that the thing seems to lose tracking when I look to the left sometimes. Is there anything I can do to increase the sensitivity of it so this does not happen?

Any help is appreciated, tons. Thanks in advance."

And Octavius' response to my original post.

"Ah crap, Urchin you have the same problem as me. To be honest I never pinpointed a source, but I following may variables may be the culprit:

1) orientation of the tracking camera - mine used to slide around due to lack of USB cord length... until I taped it down.

2) inconsistent location of head - my chair is on wheels and can't seem to 'find the sweet spot' in relation to the camera every time.

3) position of hat and clip - the clip would fly off at times and it would not be centered on the brim of my hat. Also the centering of my hat would also change, so the clip position would again become incorrect and off center.

So basically the setup would have very minor alterations each time I got settled in to fly. These alterations would cause huge annoyances. I discovered the comfortable position of a hat on my head never really had the center of the brim in line between my eyes and on the center of forehead, so that was a starting point. It drove me nuts for a while until I realized there was also a big difference in the camera position as well as my seat position in addition to the hat/clip orientation.

I had to get used to the software update a few years ago (2004?), and after that it never felt like my yaw and pitch were moving with respect to pivot point, rather it felt as if this point turned into a point along a radius in front of the point, causing annoyance. And more recently it became asymmetrical and inconsistent -- I would look right and it felt very good, very natural -- then I would look left and it would do the 'back up into cockpit glass' deal. If any of the aforementioned variables were not right, I discovered, the 'pivot around a radius' would be exaggerated along one half of an axis.

I never did find a method to finding my sweet spot. Every so often I'd sit down in a particular spot, adjust my hat, adjust my clip, and if need be, adjust the camera position on top of my massive CRT (I now have an LCD and it no longer moves), and everything would work out. I can only suggest messing around with every variable until you find something that works good for you. Once you find it - take a sharpie or tape and mark every position -- your hat, clip position on hat, camera position, chair position, position relevant to moon, position relevant to sun, position relevant to pluto, etc. Then simply duplicate the process each time you fly.


Sorry for the wall-o-text, but it really seems like it's hit or miss with this stuff.

[edit: Sit down for big adjustment sessions with AH closed. Use the 'view head' to compare all six axes, you'll be amazed at how off it is between physical adjustments in front of the camera.]"

[VincentG]

1 - What version of the TrackIR software are you running?

2 - What version of Windows?

3 - Are you running any Anti-virus/Firewall software?

4 - In the following folder location, C:\Program Files\NaturalPoint\TrackIR4\Profiles, what is the file size for each profile?

5 - Have you made any changes to the system recently?

6 - Have you tried the TrackIR on another system?

[urchin]

1. I am using 4.1.030.

2. Windows XP Pro SP2.

3. I am not running any while I have the game running, no.

4. Combat Flight, Default_Profile, Mace2 (one I DL'd from Aces High boards) are all 4k. Flight and Racing are 2k.

5. I have made no hardware changes since installing trackIR.

6. No I have not... I only have one computer.

[VincentG]

What gaming applications are you using?

[urchin]

I don't understand the term.

I am playing Aces High.

I use a saitek X45, although I don't use their software for it. The only other program I run is a program called FSautostart, to shut down nearly all other programs that are running.

[VincentG]

What do you see on the tracking screen?

3 green, any red?

[urchin]

3 Green at all times on the trackIR tracking screen.

[VincentG]

Tried increasing the deadzone, within the different profiles?

[urchin]

Yes, increasing the dead zone makes it marginally better, which leads me to believe that with a large enough dead zone it would not happen at all, but I would also have trouble moving my POV along the Z axis in that case.

[urchin]

So problem solved? Increase the dead zone or disable the Z axis and I won't have the problem any more?