When the TrackIR base broke

J

jimjones

SOH-CM-2023
It was just a matter of time. That fragile tiny plastic stem that connected the electronics of the TrackIR to its base broke while adjusting it. It was stored into a box for years until MSFS 2020 arrived. The photo below shows a cradle for the TrackIR to test it with MSFS. The base of the cradle is velcroed to the monitor. Two screws, one on each side, allow pivoting for vertical adjustment and a third screw locks the electronics in place.


Works great, but I realized I seldom use the TrackIR b/c of the stiff neck it causes me when looking left and right.




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I don't understand how you break a TrackIR. It has that magnet between the sensor and the base so that it comes apart undamaged if you put any stress on it. I've pulled mine off the base countless times when moving monitors or fiddling with cables, but never worried about breaking it.

Hard to see how it could hurt your neck either, because if it is set up right, you can turn your head just 20 degrees or so to look 180 degrees backward.

Personally I'm a fan, if I couldn't use some head tracker, I'd immediately give up simming. The TrackIR stuff is well engineered.

August
 
Used to use a TrackIR (3, then 5) but now on the Tobii Eye Tracker and never looking back. No headware/trackers, tracks both head and eye movement. $207 compared to $120 for the Grass Monkey thing, but well worth it. Also lets you use your face to log in and authenticate on your PC.
 
Everyone's play style is different, I guess. Having watched a few videos including one comparison vs TrackiR, the Tobii is of no interest to me for simming. Although I think it might be great for top-down RPG or strategy games.

The Grass Monkey looks just one step from one of those DIY active-LED head tracker kits that you could build. I built one, found it more cumbersome and no better than the TrackIR passive reflector set up, and put it away somewhere.

August
 
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That plastic Rube Goldburg cradle I built was an effort to save money for a minimally used TrackIR.


The early TrackIR support was a slim plastic connection, not a magnetic one that probably was designed to eliminate the type of breakage I experienced.


Age tends to reduce physical flexibility and ability to hold a turned neck position without experiencing stiffness. That's my excuse.:mixed-smiley-010:


The Tobii eye and head tracker certainly looks interesting. Worth considering.


Thanks for the comments.
Jim
 
K5083 said:
Having watched a few videos including one comparison vs TrackiR, the Tobii is of no interest to me for simming.
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Just to clarify, I've owned a TrackIR 3 and 5, and now use the Tobii, and if you set the Tobii up correctly it works exactly like TrackIR with flight sims. Just no need for dorky headgear!
 
The most useful vid I found on the subject was this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tQqXdqek1A

To me it appears that if you turn off eye tracking in Tobii to make it head tracking only, same as TrackIR, you take a hit in precision. Also, no TrueView would be a major downgrade.

I am not interested in implementing the eye tracker feature. I think disciplining my eyes to be a pointing device would induce eye strain. I also do not want my view to shift when my eyes glance at the toolbar or at some pop-up gauge or window in a corner of my screen, or even at my second monitor. Therefore, Tobii offers less precision, less natural movement (no TrueView), higher cost, and the only benefit is not having to wear a baseball cap with the reflectors clipped to it. If I were wearing an active LED setup with a battery pack/puck on my head, that benefit might be more meaningful. A ball cap with a lightweight clip on the visor is not a big deal.

I'm sure that if TrackIR didn't exist, I'd use and be happy with Tobii, Any eye/head tracking in sims is a lot better than none. It's just not an upgrade for me given my own particular use habits. This other guy has a different play style than me and has a different preference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtjF6JWGbmg

August
 
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