DIY VR

A fully 3D printed headset design for VR!

Note: VR Controllers also available here:

Project Video Link

Features

• 2880x1440p Resolution

• Inidividually adjustable IPD

• Easily replaceable lenses

• Compatible with HTC Vive Pro Head Pads

• Adjustable brightness

• Duplicate or extend display modes for VR or regular viewing

• SteamVR compatible 3 DOF head tracking

Please note! As I mentioned in the video, the displays I purchased can't actually do the 90hz they claim in the full 2880x1440 display mode which is needed for SteamVR. I'm going to reach out to the company and see if this is just an issue with my unit or if the other 120hz version they sell can actually provide the refresh rate that they claim. I will write back here if/when I get a response!

Bill of Materials

1x Display Set (this is the one I used in the video with the issue of not reaching 90hz when in full resolution mode) - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008906958871.html

1x IMU board (any variety that FastIMU supports is fine) - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007284708262.html

2x 3mm x 145mm Stainless Rod - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005009347568195.html

6x 3x6(OD) 4mm(L) Brass Bushings - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008668212038.html

1x Arduino Pro Micro USB-C Version - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32846843498.html

1x Pair 34mm Diameter 45mm Focal Length Lenses - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004324103470.html

1x 1M 25mm Nylon Strapping - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008515249414.html

1x HTC Vive Pro Face Pad - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001324834346.html

Hardware

16x M3x5x5 Threaded Inserts

4x M3x12 SHCS

10x M3x8 SHCS

Instructions

Printing

First, you'll need one of every part printed, except for these items that require multiples:

3x DIY VR Buckle

2x DIY VR Lens Retainer

2x DIY VR Thumbscrew Head

There are print recomendations for most of the important parts in the video, except for the front cover. It's a difficult print to do well, and would ideally be printed back-side down with support interface material enabled. If you can't do multi-material prints, your next best bet would be to print it front-side down and just expect to do some cleanup on the front beveled edges.

Electronics

Only four connections are needed between the Arduino and the IMU; VCC, GND, SCL and SDA. If you decide not to use the PCB, you can just wire them manually as follows:

Arduino | IMU ---------------- VCC | VCC GND | GND D2 | SDA D3 | SCL

 

Use the +5v and GND pins on the PCB (or equivalent if you're going without the PCB) to power the HDMI driver board from the head tracker module. Use a multimeter to confirm which of the two pads is the ground before you connect anything! On my unit, the circular pad was ground and the square pad was +5v!

Head Tracking Software/Firmware

The head tracking relies on the Relativity VR driver and the FastIMU Arduino library.

To install/flash the FastIMU firmware onto your head tracker, follow this guide:

https://github.com/relativty/Relativty?tab=readme-ov-file#142-programming-your-mcu

The one thing they don't mention in the guide is that you may need to change the IMU address and name on lines 13 and 14 to match your module. You can flash and run the Example "IMUIdentifier" to find out what values to include.

When you complete the head tracker calibration both in Arduino Studio and later in SteamVR, ensure your headset is sitting flat on the table. You will need to prop it up with something so that the face plate isn't making the unit sit at an angle otherwise your home position will be off.

Next you will need to install and configure the Steam VR driver. Here is a link to the guide!

https://github.com/relativty/Relativty?tab=readme-ov-file#143-installing-the-steamvr-driver

Ensure you follow the guide closely. During the configuration, you will need to set the VID and PID of your board as it will be different to the one used in their drivers. Use the identify board info option in Arduino Studio to display the VID and PID values. They will be in HEX format and need to be converted to Decimal before you can enter them into the configuration!

The window X and Y setting will depend on your PC setup so read the guide for how to set that up, but the correct settings for everything else are as follows:

"windowWidth" : 2880, "windowHeight" : 1440, "renderWidth" : 2880, "renderHeight" : 1440,

 

If you can't get through the room setup in SteamVR, chances are you've got something wrong in either the driver configuration or you haven't got the correct IMU selected in the Arduino sketch.

Physical Build

Refer to the project video for build steps and I will add anything here in future if anyone requests extra information!