WARNING: This project will not be done before end of May at the earliest, due to having to wait for orders from China. I've been looking for a affordable alternative to Track IR, and finally decided to make on myself as anything I found was way to expensive. I'll make a list of interesting links at the end of this thread. Over the last week I've been delving into several forums as well as watching quite a few DIY videos of making "Pro Clips". Most of them where not up to my standards, but after a while I've come up with a minimum cost, minimum effort solution. The necessities: You need Software, a camera and a active tracking clip for precision. SOFTWARE: For Software there are basically two alternatives: Opentrack There are several versions of this available. After I got a tip here on Spectrum I've been looking into a version from a company called Track Hat. They make "affordable" tracking gear of high quality (Track IR are often said to make very delicate tracking clips and has a very expencive camera). Their software is free and seems well tested from what I can read in the forums. It is also kept alive with frequent updates. There are also other versions of Opentrack, but Because of my choise of camera I'll probably en up using this. https://www.trackhat.org/trackhat-opentrack FreeTrack This is the software that made me aware that there are free alternatives to Track IR. They have a large forum comunity that are helpfull with all kinds of questions, and will be my backup plan if Track Hat Opentrack doesn't deliver. http://www.free-track.net/forum/index.php?showtopicgroup=11 CAMERA: I had a hard time finding a camera at 120 FPS that could match the Track IR camera, but again it was Track Hat that came true for me. They modify the Play Station 3 eye cam by removing a IR filter. I will take it one step further and add a low pass filter to make the camera even better. It can be done quite simply by adding a sliver or a old diskette between the lens and sensor. This will also lead me to using Track Hats version of Opentrack, and if I cant make my $ 12 camera work I'll simply buy theirs. I want to mod a camera only to have done it and made everything myself. There is little to save as Track Hats modified PS3 eye camera only cost about $ 15. Here is a video if found about modifying the PS3 eye cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7Wg7li8_qM THE CLIP: This is the part where I differ the most from other solutions, but also where I save the most money compared to buying a finished product. I'll be building a Active IR Tracking Clip for my Beyerdynamic MMX 300 headphones out of Lego. YES, Lego. :blush: It's both affordable (as I have a lot of it), very rigid compared to most other DIY solutions, and it's very resilient - If it breaks, just rebuild! The cost of parts for the clip will be very low, only about $ 2 for 3 IR LEDs and a battery box with a switch, shrink wrap tubing for about $ 2 + the Lego (cheap general Lego Technic parts that can be acquired from Bricklink.com) and a few 30 Ohm resistors that I got from some old electronics. This is the design I'm experimenting with. It has room for placing the Leds within the "tubing", and wires will be pulled through the holes in the booms. The resistors will also be mounted in the holes to keep everything nice and tidy. I will be wrapping both the wires and the resistors in shrink wrap tubing to give it all a cleaner look (Meybe the whole booms, though that would be a sacrilege against my Lego even if it makes it even more solid). https://s6.postimg.org/pemqkaz35/Head_tracking_Pro_clip_V1_for_photo.png Using Lego give me a large advantage in that it's easy to change the design of the clip and modify it as if find I need to, while still remaining very rigid. SUMMARY: If it all works out I'll end up with a complete solution for head tracking a less than $ 16. That is less than even a clip from any of the main Head Tracing companies... Bill of materials: 3 x IR Led diodes - Osram SFH485P - $1 - http://www.ebay.com/itm/112214295158 1 x 2 AA battery box with powerswitch - generic; ebay - $1 - http://www.ebay.com/itm/112034186185 1 x bag of shrink wrap tubing - generic; Clas Ohlson - $1(I only need 2 out of 10 for $ 5 the rest is for other projects) - http://www.clasohlson.com/no/Krympeslange/Pr365252000 28x Lego parts - price from bricklink - $ 2,5 - Estimated from a Swedish BrickLink shop. I will add a list of parts once I'm finished with the project. 1x PS3 eye cam - AliExpress, China - $ 11,5 - https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Black-Color-Move-Camera-Eye-Motion-Movement-Sensor-Camera-For-Playstation-3-USB-For-PS3-For/2801233_32790034128.html?spm=2114.12010612.0.0.9eRQli 1x TV clip mount for PS3 eye cam - AliExpress, China - $ 2,1 - https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Top-Sell-Black-TV-Clip-Mount-Holder-Stand-For-Sony-For-Playstation-3-for-PS3-Move/1909423_32503950858.html?spm=2114.12010615.0.0.jvLLev Total cost if I had to buy it all: $ 18.1 Though I still have to build it I have a good feeling for this. If anyone has done a similar project and have tips for me, please come forward. RESOURCES: Videos: Track IR - What you need to know in 5 minutes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7NdQ-1LOXM Free track; Build your own TrackIR for less than $30! Do it yourself tutorial. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsdF5TpCMjk DIY IR Tracking Device Tutorial Part 1| Hacking the PS3 Eye - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7Wg7li8_qM Links: Track Hat homepage - https://www.trackhat.org/shop-cfk4 FreeTrack forum - http://www.free-track.net/forum/index.php?showtopicgroup=11 FreeTrack DIY thread - http://www.free-track.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=3144 And that's it for now. Pleasere member that I just ordered the parts, and it will be over a month before most of it arrive. I will bump the thread for every major update on the build. -ED- UPDATE April 20th 2017: I've made a first edition of the clip in lego, and the first package containing the PS3 Eye camera is on it's way in a plane from China. Below you can see an image of the first version of the clip with measurements. It should be almost exactly 60x60 and 80x80 as recommended for FreeTrack, and as it's Lego it is easy to modify the construction. The only deviance is the angle of the diode holders, but as the diodes have a 80+ degree beam angle it should not be a problem. The clip is very rigid, and it even survives a fall from 3 meters without any damage. I simply had to insure the parts where still locked well together. It fits snugly on my Beyerdynamic MMX 300 headset, and even fits in the front room of the carrying case that came with the MMX 300. (And yes, that is an X-Box Elite controller. Best there is for use with a PC, but I fly with Hotas and FPS with keyboard and mouse. Driving is what the Elite is good for, maybe even the Dragonfly?) The clamp I made to attach the clip to the MMX 300 needs work. It locks the clip in place very well, so well that I tested headbanging without it falling off. This is both because of a rigid construction, and the steel of the brace connecting the clocks to the headrest being very tick (about 1,5 mm). The clamp still doesn't fit perfectly as the innermost beam is a bit to long and interferes with the left clock of the headset. I will be swapping this for a shorter beam, and maybe revise the design to be able to mount it over the center of the brace connecting the left clock to the headrest. However this works very well for a first iteration of the clip. I'll be giving further updates as the parts arrive and I set to work on the PS3 Eye Cam. I'm aware that the newer versions are supposed to not be modifiable, but I think I have a way... Hopfully it's from a old batch though...