FreeTrack Forum

Well, bad news. 1 of the pins on the mini-USB solder connector broke today, and there's no way for me to fix it. My solder job held up, but the connector didn't.

Maybe I should buy the iPhone cables and attach them to the end of my wires. My wires are long enough that the iPhone cables wouldn't add weight since they'd just be laying on the ground.

You were forwarned about that connector and soldered wires! (Strain relief)
Take advice from an experienced Electronic person and you will have less problems.
Kind of a "told you so" !!

I had a feeling you were still watching this thread

You did mention that. I'll give you credit for it. I didn't think the pins were going to be that small.

Well, the iPhone cables came in today. I soldered them onto the end of the long wires I was already using so the extra weight isn't there. The LED device is now working fine.

I am still having the same 2 issues as before, though:
1) Low tracking FPS. Apparently both FreeTrack and FaceTrackNoIR (with PointTracker) set my camera to use AutoExposure even though I have it disabled in the driver. As a result, my camera is only giving me 8-12 fps. Does anyone know how to prevent either program from enabling AutoExposure?

2) The LEDs aren't bright enough. Is it possible to use the LEDs with ambient light in the room, or do all of you play in the dark? I was able to get the tracking working during the day if I closed the blinds on my window, but that makes it pitch black when the sun goes down. I'd like to be able to have my room light on. The camera can't see the room light, but it does see the ambient light. I'm willing to play in the dark, but I'd prefer the light.

Edit: I haven't removed the IR filter on my webcam, so I know that is affecting the brightness of the LEDs. I'm considering getting one of the older PSEye cameras for this, but I can't find the old one at stores. eBay would be an option if I can find one that shows the old lens.

I am still having the same 2 issues as before, though:
1) Low tracking FPS. Apparently both FreeTrack and FaceTrackNoIR (with PointTracker) set my camera to use AutoExposure even though I have it disabled in the driver. As a result, my camera is only giving me 8-12 fps. Does anyone know how to prevent either program from enabling AutoExposure?

is  that funtion grayed out, so you can click on it?If so, you can use a tool named windows enabler to enable or disable funtions which are grayed out.

Webcam frame rate is lower than advertised.

*Turn off auto-exposure and manually reduce exposure (this is essential).
*Make sure your USB port is not less than a USB 2.0 port.
*Use a different USB port.  Sharing ports or hubs with other devices can cause bandwidth bottleneck and lower fps.
*Disable anti-flicker/enable outdoors mode in your camera properties.
*Reduce video quality in the Stream property page if your webcam supports it.

My webcam's Auto-Exposure (AE) is on and the option is greyed out so I can't turn it off!

Try to enable the option by using Enable Button or WindowsEnabler for XP or VistaEnabler for Vista.

In the case of Microsoft VX-1000:
1. Set auto exposure on (default) and exposure value to 0 (or a little higher).
2. Place a bright light source, like a lamp, in the field of view of the camera so that it reaches 30fps.
3. Disable auto exposure with one of the enable button apps.
4. Switch the light off,  the camera should still be producing 30fps and will continue to do so while the exposure settings are not changed.

2) The LEDs aren't bright enough. Is it possible to use the LEDs with ambient light in the room, or do all of you play in the dark? I was able to get the tracking working during the day if I closed the blinds on my window, but that makes it pitch black when the sun goes down. I'd like to be able to have my room light on. The camera can't see the room light, but it does see the ambient light. I'm willing to play in the dark, but I'd prefer the light.

You should be able to play always.I don't have to turn off the lights.

Stormrider @ 08/09/2013 - 14h12 a dit:

is  that funtion grayed out, so you can click on it?If so, you can use a tool named windows enabler to enable or disable funtions which are grayed out.

There is a checkbox in my webcam software that enables and disables AutoExposure. I have it unchecked, which disables AE.

However, when I run FreeTrack or FaceTrackNoIR with PointTracker, they enable AE somewhere other than the webcam software. If I check the webcam software while either point tracker is running, the AE checkbox is still unchecked, but the camera is definitely using AE since my FPS changes based on how much light is in my room.

There might be something else at play here, but I do think it's AE that's lowering my FPS.

I should also mention that checking and unchecking the AE checkbox in my webcam software while running either point tracker does not affect my FPS at all. That also makes me think AE is simply already enabled without my consent.

I found a post, I think it is the same camera:
http://forum.free-track.net/index.php?showtopic=1680
So I don't know if you can solve your problem.

Yeah, I saw that post. That was why I was thinking I could use this camera without removing the IR filter. I don't have the exact same camera as him, but it's very similar.

I'll have to try a lower resolution. Maybe that will increase my framerate even with AE enabled.

Well, I've used the setup for a few days now. It seems the camera has suddenly started giving me 30fps for some unknown reason. I've also messed around with the settings a bit more and am able to use the LED device both in daylight with the blinds closed and during the night with my room light on.

My only remaining complaint is that the tracking still stutters a little bit sometimes, but it's not a big complaint. Most of the time it's smooth, and the stutter isn't very bad when it actually does stutter, so I'm overall happy.

Thanks for all the help guys!