Virtual Research Systems FS5i User Manual Download Page 2

Page: 2 / 35

December, 1995

The information contained in this publication is believed to be reliable, but Vir-
tual Research Systems, Inc. makes no warranties as to its accuracy or com-
pleteness.

Virtual Research Systems, Inc.
2326 Walsh Ave.

Santa Clara, CA 95051
phone: 408-748-8712
fax: 408-748-8714
e-mail: [email protected]

Summary of Contents for FS5i

Page 1: ...User s Guide FS5i Virtual Research Systems Inc ...

Page 2: ... but Vir tual Research Systems Inc makes no warranties as to its accuracy or com pleteness Copyright 1995 Virtual Research Systems Inc All rights reserved Virtual Research Systems Inc 2326 Walsh Ave Santa Clara CA 95051 phone 408 748 8712 fax 408 748 8714 e mail info virtualresearch com ...

Page 3: ... additional cabling monitor out not available with field sequential input format In addition selectors for input formats and mono stereo have been relocated to the front panel The top cover of the enclosure need only be opened to fine tune color adjustments normally not needed Initially your FS5i will be shipped with separate manuals for the FS5 and FSCAN The functionality of the FS5i is the same ...

Page 4: ...the FS5 Interpupillary Distance IPD Fore Aft motion of shell Display Height Adjustment Overlap Adjustment Ratchet Knobs Headphones Cable Positioning OPTICS POSITION SENSORS Traeker Mounting Reducing Tracker Jitter PIN OUT INFORMATION SYSTEM CONFIGURATION INFORMATION 2 3 Intergraph Platforms 23 1 2 1 4 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 17 18 1 9 19 21 2 2 ...

Page 5: ...ivision ProVisionlO System Configuration SGI Reality Engine System Configuration SGI Indigo2 Impact System Configuration Other Systems and the F Scan Converter THE F SCAN CONVERTER 26 TROUBLESHOOTING 2 7 24 24 25 25 ...

Page 6: ... for abrasion resistance Audio rises to a new level with the FS5 These Sennheiser closed cup head phones are the best compact headphone we have found Whether your source is simple monaural cues or top of the line stereo these headphones will perform The FS5 control box has superior functionality as well A set of front panel LEDs give instant status information Brightness and contrast adjustments t...

Page 7: ... be fore entering the virtual environment to avoid problems We recommend using FS5 only while seated to avoid tripping hazards Eyestrain and other optical effects FS5 will cause eyestrain if the interpupillary distance IPD is set incorrectly Like all head mounts it is likely to cause some eyestrain effects even when cor rectly adjusted This eyestrain stems from several causes with perhaps the most...

Page 8: ... any conduc tive surface like a finger or tool In our experience the shock from this voltage is bothersome but not dangerous because the current level is quite low How ever under worst case circumstances the effects would undoubtedly be more severe e g pacemaker users etc The top bar of the headband contains a cable bundle that carries these high volt ages to the front of the HMD Do not cut drill ...

Page 9: ...the fields gener ated by our components we add shielding and or relocate components to mini mize the fields This seems to be the prudent approach in view of the vast lack of solid information in this area X Ray Emissions CRTs are capable of generating x ray emissions under some circumstances Our CRTs operate at voltages below levels that produce x ray emissions The CRT production process includes ...

Page 10: ...t in the control box Audio signal level supplied to the control box should be the same signal that would be supplied directly to stereo headphones Power The control box requires 12VDC 12VDC and SVDC A universal power supply comes with FS5 The power plug on the FS5 is a 5 pin DIN plug CAUTION IT IS EASY TO DESTROY YOUR FSS SIMPLY PLUG IN THE WRONG POWER SUPPLY AND TURN IT ON TO AVOID THIS UNHAPPY E...

Page 11: ...ck for correct color matching before plugging in a power supply to avoid making an expensive mistake Power Supply Quick Identification colored band RED BAND FS5 Power Supply YELLOW BAND F Scan Power Supply No Band Don t use As a further verification of power supplies compare the label to the copies below be FS5 Power Supply F Scan Power Supply One particular example of this problem is the Polhemus...

Page 12: ...e our previous generation product VR4 accepts 3 and 4 wire RS170 RGB FS5 Video Formats Field Seaquential 3xRSl70 RGB Composite This signal is based on RS170 RGB but is quite different Rather than transmit red green and blue in parallel the three colors are transmitted in se quence To transmit all the information the rate of transmission is increased by 3x The information is transmitted on one wire...

Page 13: ...0 Color field rate 18OHz 3x RS170 line rate 47 250Hz 262 5 lines x 180 fields This format has been created because some computer manufacturers Intergraph in particular can generate video at 3x RS 170 but do not have hardware config ured to support putting all three colors on one wire To accommodate systems like Intergraph we have developed circuitry to accept 3xRS 170 RGB parallel This signal is i...

Page 14: ... is generated by taking the field sequential input used by the FS5 and splitting it out onto separate red green blue H sync and V sync lines This signal has a field rate of 180 Hz and the colors are only present on each third field There is a drawback to this approach because the monitor is only receiving color signals in every third field the picture has about l 3 the brightness of a normal pictu...

Page 15: ... ON Right eye ON 15 pin F SCAN ON monoscopic horizontal vertical problem input selected OFF stereoscopic frequency out of HMD disconnected OFF 15 pin range or no video Intergraph input selected E F G H Overall Brightness and Contrast Adjustments The brightness and contrast adjustments located on the front of the control box will adjust both eyes together For best image resolution set brightness so...

Page 16: ...cover forward and clear of the control box 6 Reconnect the HMD connector to the control box output To reassemble reverse the above procedure Be careful to slide the cover into the correct channels on the control box base Use normal caution in working with the exposed board regarding ESD electrostatic discharge The compo nents are not highly susceptible to ESD but can be damaged if normal precau ti...

Page 17: ...is best to start slowly with changes You may find the mismatch is worse rather than better after casual tweaking If you do adjust colors start first with SETUP pots These are used to set black level at an even black rather than greenish black or reddish black for in stance Next use GAIN pots to set white levels rather than reddish white etc All adjustments may be made with power ON to the control ...

Page 18: ...graph Input t Stereo Input 0 SW2 Mono Input 1 power switch front of control box Refer to chapter 8 for system configuration information and to the video input section of this chapter for details of the specific input formats In most cases we will factory set your video mode switches to match the sys tem you are planning to use You should be able to use your FS5 without any initial changes to the m...

Page 19: ...nts Locations of mechanical adjustments are shown in the following drawing Donning the FS5 There are several things to consider when first donning the FSS 1 The top ratchet should be adjusted to bring the sides of the headband down to the base of the ear See diagram ...

Page 20: ...le teenager women to 99th percentile adult men It should also cover a large per cent of younger children but we don t have statistical information on younger population groups Adjust until both images are evenly visible Close one eye to confirm the image is centered in front of the other eye Incorrect positioning of the IPD adjustment will lead to eyestrain Fore Aft motion of shell Pull shell away...

Page 21: ...ARD FORCE TO MOVE SHELL TOWARD THE FACE AND EYES WHILE THIS FORCE IS APPLIED DETENT MAY DISENGAGE CAUSING THE USER TO PUSH THE OPTICS INTO HIS HER FACE AND EYES RESULTING IN INJURY Display Height Adjustment The entire shell structure can be moved vertically relative to the user s face To do this grasp the metal headband and move it up or down relative to the leather covered forehead band When disp...

Page 22: ...sier Rotation tension is controlled by tightening the knobs Over tightening can cause failure of the knob or the plastic bolt Cable Positioning FS5 is designed to be lightweight and well balanced The cable bundle pro vides a significant counterbalancing effect without adding weight to the product The cable bundle should drop directly down the user s back If the cable is draped over the user s shou...

Page 23: ...ting the fit of the HMD to achieve good imagery The FS5 optical system is designed to place the image plane at about 5 ft 1 5m If you wear glasses but are able to see objects at 5 ft clearly you will find it is better to wear the FS5 without your glasses If your vision is blurred at 5 ft you will probably find it is better to wear your glasses even though you are farther from the lens If in doubt ...

Page 24: ...mounting screws lo cated for a Polhemus or Ascension receiver The outer holes are sized for the Ascension while the inner holes fit the Polhemus Position Sensor Mounting Bracket K outer holes for ascension mount c inner holes for Polhemus mount The mounting bracket holes are positioned so the tracker is turned 90 from the HMD axis Using this receiver position requires a software rotation of the re...

Page 25: ...gitech Ultrasonic tracker requires a triangular mounting hole pattern We can supply at no charge an adapter plate for the Logitech receiver Other trackers are becoming widely available If you would like to mount an other tracker on your FS5 let us know We can probably supply basic hard ware for mounting We are always glad to have feedback on your experience with new trackers Position sensor cablin...

Page 26: ...e how objects cause warpage of the electromagnetic field causing the sensor output position to change as well as jitter Bring the FS5 near the receiver Notice that the jitter becomes severe when the receiver is near the CRTs or the circuitry at the rear end of the HMD At the tracker mount the sensor should be nearly unaffected by the HMD Try the following jitter reduction steps if you are having p...

Page 27: ... format 15 pin high density D female connector Pin 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Signal RedVideo Green Video Blue Video Ilk ground ground ground ground reserved for auto enable of intergraph mode do not connect ground n c Ilk horizontal sync vertical sync reserved for auto enable of F Scan mode do not connect ...

Page 28: ... here please let us know Intergraph Platforms Virtual Research is currently using the following system configuration for FS5 testing TDZ30 with two GL2 graphics card sets I l electromagnetic transmitter 0 Tracker Box HDl Smak to HDl Smak receiver for glove or wand optional VGA distribution amp VGA loop through cable supplkd by Intergraph I I use monitor out as alternative to VGA dist amp HDl Smak ...

Page 29: ...sts with Division we had no problem running the FS5 directly from the PVlO in mono and stereo modes As of this writing Division is awaiting delivery of an FS5 for verification test ing with the FS5 prior to a formal release of the software driver Contact Division directly for further details of system configuration SGI Reality Engine System Configuration We have tested the following system configu...

Page 30: ...tware for the RE2 is a lower priority To run stereo from an RE2 with MCO output VGA and use an F Scan converter SGI Indigo2 Impact System Configuration The Indigo2 Impact is not capable of driving the FS5 directly However the Impact Channel Option ICO which is still in development as of this writing will drive the FS5 directly It will be capable of stereo as well as mono We don t yet have details ...

Page 31: ...y be 3 4 or 5 wire Output from the F Scan Converter is one or two channels of field sequential video in 3xRS 170 RGB format VGA format video must be 6OHz 640x480 Higher frame rates will not work RS 170 RGB is the same format accepted by the VR4 With an F Scan Con verter you should be able to substitute an FS5 directly for a VR4 in your appli cation Contact Virtual Research for further information ...

Page 32: ...ghts on man ual page 10 check that video source is plugged into correct channel of control box check input switch settings inside control box for correct configuration see page 13 of manual This is probably due to in correct video format sent to the FS5 Recheck your video format Check with Hitachi monitor if available Monitor will show 47kHz 180Hz if video timing is cor rect COMMENTS fuses in FS5 ...

Page 33: ...heck with os illoscope or 180Hz monitor nay be in stereo mode when xpected to be in mono node Intergraph graphics must be onfigured for stereo and dual display This is normal shutter be navior when it is first turned on The problem should disappear within 30 seconds CRT may be blooming Turn down brightness and contrast The image quality should improve turn down brightness and contrast at control b...

Page 34: ...of the lens design Different light colors are bent differ ently by the lens The ef fect chromatic aberration is more severe the farther from the center of the display switch video signals if you are running in stereo to see if the problem is caused at the control box or at the com puter if the problem is control box related adjust SETUP and GAIN pots inside control box This is an image alignment p...

Page 35: ...to software configu ration Adjust conver gence parallax as appropriate MECHANICAL PROBLEMS front shell fore aft motion too loose or too tight adjust detent screw at front of headband see manual for instructions HMD seems front heavy HMD cable and tracker cable should fall down user s back not over shoulder With cable at back weight should be centered headband ratchet knobs too adjust ratchet tight...

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