The pizza man...what a guy (Track IR 4)

O

OBIO

Retired SOH Admin
A while back the owner of my favorite pizza shop gave me FSX, a Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougar flight stick and throttle lever. Gave them to me. A month or so ago, he told me that I could use his Track IR4 Pro system to really experience flight simming to the extreme. I passed on the offer because I do not want to experience simming at that level only to lose it when I give his IR system back. Tonight while picking up a pizza, he again insisted that I take his Track IR 4 system and give it a try...then proceeded to RUN to his house behind the pizza shop and RUN back with it. He told me to take it, keep it for a month, enjoy it. So, now the Track IR 4 system is sitting there, staring at me, daring me to install the drivers, clip the funny looking dodad to my favorite hat and go simming in a way I have never simmed before.

Again, I am reluctant to give it a try. Having seen videos with IR4, I know that I will experience a level of immersion like I have never known before. But what happens to my level of sim enjoyment in a month when I hand the package back to the pizza man? What if the step back down to what I have known before IR 4 just takes the please out of simming for me?

Oh, what the heck. I will just have to risk it.....


OBIO
 
Obio, we had a special discount for SOH members on TrackIR sets from the manufacturer. That's how I got mine. Ickie'd know if it's still available.
 
I built a Free Track system just for the fun of it I am a tinkerer so to speak. It is amazing to say the least. However it is not for everyone. It is cheaper to buy Track IR than to build a Free Track system from scratch. That is if you value your time.

When I sat my Wife down in front of the PC with flight sim on I made her wear my hat she said you have got to be kidding. Well I was not in minutes she proclaimed it the coolest thing she ever saw.

I suggest you use it now it takes awhile to get used to it but it will be worth it. Then when you can purchase one.
 
Just had the Track IR in operation. Started out in the ALpha Cessna 170B, then the PAD Nord trainer thingie plane...the one with the animated student head in the front seat...amazing aircraft.

Three observations:

1) This is the coolest thing since ice. To be able to look around your aircraft, to look at the world outside your cockpit in a natural way. To be able to look outside your cockpit and see how well you are lined up with a dirt runway....totally amazing.

2) It would take a bit of use to get used to having the system in place....I nearly crashed so many times because I was busy looking around that I forgot about flying my plane.

3) My wife is right...I do no sit still! Having the Track IR system monitoring your head movements, it became quickly apparent that I fidget and squirm constantly. Even when I was holding my head still, some part of my body was moving, and thus moving my head along with it. I was all over the place...even when I was "holding still".

OBIO

I also found out that I need to buy a new hat....and not curve the bill. All of my caps, nearly 40 of them...wear them all....have the bills shaped into a nice curved shape. This makes the hat clip thingie want to pop off. So, I need to buy a new hat and leave the bill flat...which goes against my nature, as I am a bill curver.
 
OBIO said:
3) My wife is right...I do no sit still! Having the Track IR system monitoring your head movements, it became quickly apparent that I fidget and squirm constantly. Even when I was holding my head still, some part of my body was moving, and thus moving my head along with it. I was all over the place...even when I was "holding still".

OBIO
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That is correct every little move will cause you to shift in the cockpit. Try to adjust the dead or neutral zones so you can have a little movement before it moves on you.

One of the things I will do is freeze the movement at times where I am just going to sit back and relax. You can also shift to the 2D panel during those times otherwise you may find yourself getting seasick.
 
make sure you have the latest version..think its demo.5 or something...

trackir_5.0.Beta.1.0 go get that if ya not using it..all new software and worth it
 
Dangerousdave26 said:
That is correct every little move will cause you to shift in the cockpit. Try to adjust the dead or neutral zones so you can have a little movement before it moves on you.

One of the things I will do is freeze the movement at times where I am just going to sit back and relax. You can also shift to the 2D panel during those times otherwise you may find yourself getting seasick.
Click to expand...

DITTO on the getting seasick!! Every once in a while I have to pause the sim and get up for a spell. I actually get dizzy!!

You'll soon learn to keep somewhat still, and after about an hour or so, you'll actually be able to sightsee from the VC.
 
I just had the Alpha Sim P-51D up for some flight time. Started at one of the FDG2 B-17 bases. I slewed off the runway and let two of the B-17 AI taxi around and get into the air. Then I took off and just flew around watching the B-17s. Had the Track IR rolling. Absolutely amazing! Being able to track the Forts with my eyes as I flew by them, like a pilot would in real life. Totally awesome. And I only crashed once....doing a low fast pass over the air field and trying to watch a Fort come in for a landing...not a good idea. Ran into a tree. Yep, George of the Jungle.

I think I may have to sell off a kidney or a lung and buy myself a Track IR rig. Or, I could just keep this one....the pizza man is a little dude and I'm pretty sure he can't out wrestle me.

OBIO
 
OBIO said:
I think I may have to sell off a kidney or a lung and buy myself a Track IR rig. Or, I could just keep this one....the pizza man is a little dude and I'm pretty sure he can't out wrestle me.

OBIO
Click to expand...

OBIO, as Dangerousdave26 pointed out, Freetrack is a viable alternative to Track IR. Not to take anything away from Track IR if I had the money I would buy it in a heartbeat. However if your toy budjet is as limited as mine you should seriously take a look at the Freetrack website once your test drive period is up.

I built my Freetrack system using a cheap ($20) wallyworld webcam, some IR LED's from a couple of old broken remotes and a spare DC transformer that I always seem to have a few of laying around. After 4Hrs of building and tweaking, I now have a headtracking system that functions as well as the Track IR systems I have seen in videos. Now when I try to fly without the tracking it's like trying to fly with one arm.

:ernae:Geoff
 
Thanks for the tip on the FreeTrack software. Have it downloaded and safely stored for future use. IR LEDs I can pick up at Radio Shack. Will pick up a web cam the next time I am at Walmart and have the funds free for such a purchase. The hardest part will be the hat modification...I don't want to have to deal with wires running to my hat, so I will use the IR reflective tape (if I can find it) on my hat and mount the IR LEDs up on the top of my computer desk's hutch thingie. Getting the tape in the right positions wil take some time and tweaking.

OBIO
 
OBIO said:
Thanks for the tip on the FreeTrack software. Have it downloaded and safely stored for future use. IR LEDs I can pick up at Radio Shack. Will pick up a web cam the next time I am at Walmart and have the funds free for such a purchase. The hardest part will be the hat modification...I don't want to have to deal with wires running to my hat, so I will use the IR reflective tape (if I can find it) on my hat and mount the IR LEDs up on the top of my computer desk's hutch thingie. Getting the tape in the right positions wil take some time and tweaking.

OBIO
Click to expand...


Cool! If wires are a concern you can always use a couple of AA batteries in a holder attached to the hat. I have considered doing this also but I actually don't find the wire that intrusive. Have fun tinkering and let us know how things work out.
 
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