You possibly can 3D print a VR headset for $150
Digital actuality gaming is fairly dang cool, and I ought to know. Nevertheless it’s not the simplest factor to get into, particularly if you happen to’re an enormous invoice simply to attempt it out. Meta is the preferred choice, nonetheless beginning at $300, and costs for a devoted PC headset are nearer to $1000 USD. However one creator 3D-printed a headset with some fundamental elements for simply $150…and he’ll present you how you can do it, too.
CNCDan on YouTube (noticed by PCGamer) likes to dabble in hobby-style kind components like FPV drone piloting and racing simulators, each of which have plenty of overlap with headset and head-mounted shows. Because it seems, there are tons of semi-generic elements for these things on Aliexpress, together with the essential twin, high-resolution shows (one for every eye) that the majority VR headset designs use. Lenses, probably tailored from the previous Google Cardboard design, have been simple to seek out.
The final complicated factor was the pinnacle monitoring, which is sophisticated, however an issue that’s already solved. CNCDan popped in an present open supply system known as Relativty [sic] VR that makes use of an Arduino board and an IMU (inertial measurement unit) sensor. An excellent-basic PCB with a little bit of soldering retains these two elements linked.
The remainder of the venture was plenty of product engineering, designing a headset case and housing for the screens, lenses, and electronics, specializing in adjustment choices that isn’t accessible in some comparable initiatives. Meeting isn’t precisely simple, however Dan’s directions are easy, and there’s a surprisingly low quantity of customized elements within the system itself. It’s simply the primary housing, two eye bins and caps for the lenses, an IPD adjustment mechanism (which strikes the bins to accommodate totally different customers’ eye positions), a entrance cowl and bracket to carry the electronics. A face pad and a strap, a lot of inserts and screws, and some items of tape end issues off, with simply HDMI for video and USB for energy going to the gaming PC.
It’s a formidable venture that exhibits plenty of beginner engineering talent, to say nothing of the boldness wanted to deal with it. Dan says that a budget eye shows aren’t nice since they’re not fairly as much as the 90Hz spec at 1440p, and a few particularly giant or small folks won’t be lined by the IPD unfold. He launched the 3D print information, hyperlinks for {hardware} elements, and guides on GitHub so you’ll be able to attempt it out your self.
