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Began construction of the headset

A project log for VR on the Cheap

PC compatible VR system for use with PC games. The goal, just to see what I can do with 50 dollars. :)

thundersqueakThunderSqueak 12/18/2014 at 08:570 Comments

I acquired a damaged android and thought about what to do with it, then I considered the google cardboard project. It is fun sounding, but why not attempt to create a basic system that will work with the PC as well.

The phone has a damaged glass, so I will also be replacing that in this project.

To begin I gathered some of the materials for this first step. Black foam board, hot glue gun, and whipped up a few templates that seemed like they would work. There is a bit of art in this as you want to build the display system to be custom fit for your own head as well as your phone., I did use a rather large radius, but I will be installing some foam later to make wearing it more comfortable.

The templates I made were only a rough outline and the actual headset dimensions will be cut to match the focal length of the lens that I will be using.

The eyepiece is dry fit at this time while I wait for the lenses that I have ordered to arrive. They have a 40mm focal length so should allow for a nice field of view (FOV), all things considered :)

To hold the phone, I built up a box that slips over the end of the lens section. To this box I will be attaching straps later, the eyepiece itself is only large enough to just allow the screen to show on the top and bottom, in this way the phone is held secure with a pressure fit.

I also cut out several holes in the "end cap" box to allow access to ports and ports.

This image shows how the box is a snug fit over the lens section of the build. You can also see how the ports and buttons on the phone are easily accessible. I will be attaching places for the straps to be held on this "box end cap".

Due to the short focal length of the lens, a center divider should not be required. The fit of the outer box over the lens section also works to completely block out light from the ports. I will get some better images later of how this works, but for now I am calling it a night. Here is a quick shot with a cardboard app running on the display. It works in 3D, very blurry 3D, but still 3D :)

As you can see in the image above, the frame around the display is completely covered by the inner foam board, keeping out the light.

Next up, to do some wiring for the LEDs and modify a webcam while I wait for the lenses and new front glass to arrive :)

Running total: (in USD)

Foam board - $3.33

Lenses - $5.99

Front glass - $10.99

4x IR LED - $3.00

4x Resistors - $0.25

USB cable - $6.99

Android phone - was donated with the broken display glass (free)

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Total so far - $30.55

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