The Aliens Legacy
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motion tracker for raspberry pi
http://forum.alienslegacy.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=16378
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Author:  martinr1000 [ Mon Aug 15, 2016 8:21 am ]
Post subject:  motion tracker for raspberry pi

Hi all, I mentioned in another thread that I've been working on a motion tracker application for use with the raspberry pi. I wanted to provide an update on progress and give you an idea as to what I still need to do to complete the project.

so my program currently looks like this. (warning jerky mobile phone footage)

https://youtu.be/nNuVtlkJpEk

so things that I need to improve are:
1) audio is not quite right, I've recorded a bit of the movie audio and tried to clean it up to remove hiss and other artefacts but it's still not right. Need to look at this again (any budding sound engineers on here? or does anyone know how the sound was generated in the first place?)
2) the transparency on the contacts is a little inconsistent so I'll need to sort that
3) the tracker contacts seem to all gravitate towards the right hand side of the HUD centre.

outstanding items on my to-do list
1) test output fully on the raspberry pi. I tested this quickly at a ridiculous hour this morning as I was watching the tennis final however I have not tested it using the 2.2" screen as output with the digital compass. The performance on the raspberry pi on my TV was just as I was hoping so with fingers crossed there should be no problems.
2) figure out how to load the pi and execute the program at start-up.
3) figure out how to wire in a button to control addition of tracker contacts.

as I have already mentioned, if this all works ok, I fully intend to release it to the community. I haven't decided how yet but my initial thought is to open source it on github. I will probably be able to lend some help to those of you who don't fancy dabbling with raspberry pi installs etc. as well. but this is something for the future.

in the mean time if anyone has any comments or ideas for improvements I would love to hear them as they will help us to get a more accurate app.

cheers

Rich

Author:  Space Jockey [ Mon Aug 15, 2016 1:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: motion tracker for raspberry pi

That looks brilliant. :-)

Author:  Trigger happy [ Mon Aug 15, 2016 2:10 pm ]
Post subject: 

Awesome

Author:  shelby [ Mon Aug 15, 2016 2:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: motion tracker for raspberry pi

Might have to put finishing my motion tracker on hold for this beauty ☺

Author:  martinr1000 [ Mon Aug 15, 2016 3:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: motion tracker for raspberry pi

thanks all,

I'm going to try and get this working on the lcd screen tonight so hopefully you'll be able to see it looking more like the real thing by tomorrow. Also my raspberry pi zero arrived today which is about half the size of the model B I've been developing on. This will now easily fit inside the kango case.

can't wait to get all this all up and running.

Author:  martinr1000 [ Mon Aug 15, 2016 3:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: motion tracker for raspberry pi

I thought it might be interesting to give you all a breakdown of costs incurred so far for the required items

1) lcd screen £7.99 + p&p
2) compass module £2.99 + p&p
3) pi zero + connection kit £10.50 or model b around £30
4) sd card around £7.00
5) power bank, haven't got one yet but I'm looking at £7 - £20
6) wires/connectors etc. not sure but cheap

with any luck a build might come in at less than £40

Author:  Space Jockey [ Mon Aug 15, 2016 3:27 pm ]
Post subject: 

That cost isn't bad at all. I'm wondering if, rather than use the movie, whether you might be able to get clearer motion tracker sounds from the Aliens: Colonial Marines game. It's been a while since I played it, so cannot remember how they compare to the movie.

Author:  martinr1000 [ Mon Aug 15, 2016 3:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re:

Space Jockey wrote:
That cost isn't bad at all. I'm wondering if, rather than use the movie, whether you might be able to get clearer motion tracker sounds from the Aliens: Colonial Marines game. It's been a while since I played it, so cannot remember how they compare to the movie.


Hi, yes I looked into that. I wasn't too impressed as I recall. it didn't sound authentic to me.

I did have a brainwave about how to make the pitch changes transition more smoothly but it still requires a good base sample to generate the higher pitch samples. I'll re-install colonial marines tonight and see if it's as bad as I remember. There is also the aliens vs predator game by sega but I think I discounted this as well.

cheers

Author:  martinr1000 [ Mon Aug 15, 2016 3:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: motion tracker for raspberry pi

just listened to the colonial marines trailer. there is a tracker noise on there that is actually very good. maybe I need to re-think.

thanks

Author:  martinr1000 [ Mon Aug 15, 2016 10:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: motion tracker for raspberry pi

ok so i made a little progress tonight

https://youtu.be/V_Ktze9EOWQ

there are still problems in that the compass rotation is flakey and the contacts do not rotate with the hud grid. Oh well looks like i'm debugging tomorrow night.

the good news is that the video shows a fully self contained tracker, albeit one that needs to be refined

Author:  veektohr [ Tue Aug 16, 2016 1:49 am ]
Post subject: 

AWESOME!

Author:  retrogarde [ Tue Aug 16, 2016 1:50 am ]
Post subject: 

This is really looking amazing man!

Author:  577_ops [ Tue Aug 16, 2016 1:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: motion tracker for raspberry pi

Great!
Let me know if you still need sound files.

Author:  martinr1000 [ Tue Aug 16, 2016 1:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: motion tracker for raspberry pi

577_ops wrote:
Great!
Let me know if you still need sound files.


Hi bud, thanks for the offer.

What have you got?

Author:  577_ops [ Tue Aug 16, 2016 4:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: motion tracker for raspberry pi

martinr1000 wrote:
577_ops wrote:
Great!
Let me know if you still need sound files.


Hi bud, thanks for the offer.

What have you got?


Mail sent.

Author:  martinr1000 [ Tue Aug 16, 2016 10:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: motion tracker for raspberry pi

Hi all, bit of debugging.

https://youtu.be/auOqAM0O33w

footage shows a lot of tearing but it looks better on the screen

Author:  Moosh89 [ Wed Aug 17, 2016 8:33 am ]
Post subject: 

Oh my!! I'm most definitely intensely interested!

I'd be major keen on a drop in and play version though :)

Author:  martinr1000 [ Wed Aug 17, 2016 8:42 am ]
Post subject:  Re:

Moosh89 wrote:
Oh my!! I'm most definitely intensely interested!

I'd be major keen on a drop in and play version though :)


Hi, once I get this up and running I might be able to put some parts kits together for anyone who doesn't fancy tackling the pi themselves. I've definitely had to learn a lot to get this going so it won't be for everyone.

cheers

Rich

Author:  retrogarde [ Wed Aug 17, 2016 11:10 am ]
Post subject: 

Awesome!

Author:  Space Jockey [ Wed Aug 17, 2016 1:22 pm ]
Post subject: 

That would be great on the parts kit if you could....it's looking great, nice job.

Author:  martinr1000 [ Thu Aug 18, 2016 10:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: motion tracker for raspberry pi

another small update to add a button to trigger new contacts. The plan is to install a button under the trigger mechanism of the kango and use that to add more alien blips.

https://youtu.be/F7CbSH8Ahbo

i think the next job will be to shrink this all down and put it into the tracker body.

Author:  shelby [ Fri Aug 19, 2016 7:28 am ]
Post subject:  Re: motion tracker for raspberry pi

Awesome work. I would also be up for a plug and play option if you made one for us technically naive, i had to Google raspberry pi just to find out what you were talking about ☺

Author:  martinr1000 [ Fri Aug 19, 2016 9:10 am ]
Post subject:  Re: motion tracker for raspberry pi

hi all, I feel like I need to try and manage expectations about what I can and can't do with this project and what my aims are.

1) installation.

Even with the Pi zero which is nice and small the main electronic components and battery will need to be located in the main body of the kango. This means that there will need to be a wire coming out of the kango to the slide viewer into the back of the screen (as per the movie version). As I mentioned in my last post there will also need to be a wire trailed out to the kango trigger. with regards to the battery pack, I'm using a compact rechargeable power bank so I will need to give consideration as to how I provide the input to charge it and turn it on. of course I could take the tracker apart each time but this will be impractical so I am aiming to cut small holes into the body of the tracker for a charge port and power on/off button.

2) software

My main aim with this is to create a free and accessible application that can be used with freely available shop bought parts (i.e. the raspberry pi, lcd, digital compass and power bank. To this end I will be releasing my work when I'm happy with it as a downloadable resource. I will also be doing install and build guides for those who want to do it themselves.

3) kits

This is very much a case of "I will if I can", so long as everyone is aware of the build considerations I mention above. i.e. it's not going to be a single module that you drop into the viewer and press play, it'll need some install work. The one worry I have with regards to obtaining parts is that the raspberry pi zero has up to now been historically difficult to find. I found mine on a site that is offering them on a one per customer basis for £4. I have seen them for £10 without this restriction but again I'm unsure on wider availability.

I am trying my best to figure out how I can make this work for everyone. The last thing I want to do is to disappoint or p*ss people off so please bear with me.

cheers

Rich

Author:  retrogarde [ Fri Aug 19, 2016 12:40 pm ]
Post subject: 

Rich, I really appreciate your transparency on this. It is a tricky balancing act as no one wants to drill extra holes in vintage components, but there are real world constraints.

Author:  CrashDown [ Fri Aug 19, 2016 1:29 pm ]
Post subject: 

Great work Rich - watching with interest, i'd love to be able to retire the MR tracker to its display case and use this!

Just thinking aloud about power and on/off buttons, there's various locations on the tracker i can think of that may work (although some would be practical only on a real parts or MR one)

1) The Hama Self timer box (the pill box) on the left side of the tracker hinges and opens - could put the power port and on/off button inside?
2) The shutter release and darkroom lamp have working buttons.
3) The small knob on the base of the tracker - power port here, and the knob with a 'false' plug on - so you remove the knob to charge, and replace the knob after.
4) The flashgun meters - hide the ports and button under one of these, secure with magnets?

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