Posts tagged Sensor bar at Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Posts with tag sensor-bar

The curiously strong homemade sensor bar

Posted May 5th 2008 12:00PM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: Mods

The Altoids tin is a handy enclosure for various electrical projects, as evidenced by this homemade wireless sensor bar, crafted by benheck.com forum user ghosstt (well-known in his community for his exceedingly fresh breath). It's a simple enough project -- just two Altoids tins with LEDs and switches attached, and batteries inside. It's a functional and cheap way for projector users to get the sensor bar across the room. You know, for all those projector owners who are keeping an eye on their budgets.

The flexibility of the Wiimote's camera is the source of some of the most interesting hacks -- since it recognizes pretty much any infrared light source as a reference point for pointer movement, you can do things that vary from changing the function of the Wiimote (as in Johnny Lee's light-pen whiteboard) to swapping out the stationary light source with something made from Radio Shack parts and garbage (like this).

[Via GoNintendo]

Wii Warm Up: Tethered

Posted Feb 18th 2008 9:00AM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: Wii Warm Up

Looking at the neat wired/wireless 2Way Sensor Bar got us thinking about the device in general. It's likely that the multiple battery-powered sensor bars on the market reflect an actual consumer interest in removing that extra cord from the Wii setup. We say "likely" and not "obvious" because the existence of products like the "Trauma Center Kit" is in no way demonstrative of any gamer's interests. We think the idea of losing the wire is neat, but not neat enough to justify the extra cost in batteries. But, then again, our TV/Wii setup is stable and unlikely to be moved around, and the cable is neatly concealed.

Is the cable a problem for you? Are there any other deficiencies in the official sensor bar that would drive you to replace it?

A wireless sensor bar with something extra (a wire)

Posted Feb 15th 2008 10:30AM by JC Fletcher

We're not really in the market for a sensor bar, since ours Just Works and we've managed to conceal the little cord, but if we were interested in replacing it, we'd choose CYBER Gadget's 2Way Sensor Bar. It's the most versatile third-party sensor bar we've seen. It retails for around 2000 yen ($18).

The 2Way Sensor Bar can operate on 4 AA batteries when wireless play is desired, or it can be powered by the Wii's (or any) USB connection. Too bad it doesn't have internal batteries that could be charged over USB, or it would be perfect.

Unfortunately, the unobtrusive design of the original sensor bar has been replaced with a Wii-imitation white slab with some lights on it. We don't really mind the clock, because, hey, if you've got a thing sitting on top of your TV, it might as well make itself useful.

[Via Famitsu]

Mod your fingers into sensor bars

Posted Nov 12th 2007 10:30AM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: Mods, Controller, Homebrew

Armed with nothing but his hopes and dreams (and a large array of infrared LEDs, and also reflective tape, and let's throw "dreams" in there again), YouTube user Johnny Lee designed a method for using the Wiimote to track his finger movements. Basically, by sticking reflective tape to his fingertips and shining a bunch of infrared light on them, he made his fingers into a moving sensor bar!

The Wii Remote picks up the reflected light and tracks the fingers' motion as if it were Wiimote motion. He then demonstrated some custom PC software that uses this gesture-based interface, manipulating some grids around by pointing at them.

This is super cool, obviously, but it also gives us a weird idea: if this works, then it means that you can set the Wiimote on top of your TV and use the sensor bar as a controller. Except for the motion sensing, and, uh, all the buttons.

[Via Joystiq]

Talismoon's travel-sized, retractable sensor bar

Posted Nov 6th 2007 11:15AM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: News

Talismoon, the same company behind the swappable Wii slot gates and ninja-themed replacement shells, tinkered with Nintendo's sensor bar design to make it more compact for travel. The resulting $24.95 Sensor Wiire requires even less space than the already-low-profile standard bar and, thanks to its retractability, packs up without leaving a frustrating tangle of thin wires.

As an added bonus, you could probably use it as a pocket-sized garrotte if you don't have any other assassination tools handy. Protect ya neck and jump past the post break for more photos of Talismoon's Sensor Wiire setup.

Continue reading Talismoon's travel-sized, retractable sensor bar

Nyko's wireless sensor bar bargain

Posted Oct 5th 2007 10:35AM by Eric Caoili
Filed under: News

Though it's significantly larger than Nintendo's inconspicious sensor bar, requires four AA batteries (included) for up to 30 hours of use, and is, of course, much more expensive than the free accessory that comes with every console, Nyko's Wii Wireles Sensor Bar has a few things going for it:

True to its product name, it's wireless
Reviews have mentioned noticing "slightly better tracking" and "comparatively less jittering" within a 25-foot range
Amazon currently has a day-long deal offering the sensor bar at a reduced price of $8.99, over 50% less than its usual $19.99 listing
It doubles as a pole for those spontaneous limbo games that often occur

So, we've argued the Wii Wireless Sensor Bar's case -- presenting the facts and links relevant to the sale. We'll leave you to decide whether or not it's worth your money.

[Via CAG]

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Nintendo Wii Fanboy

The curiously strong homemade sensor bar

Wii Warm Up: Tethered

A wireless sensor bar with something extra (a wire)

Mod your fingers into sensor bars

Talismoon's travel-sized, retractable sensor bar

Nyko's wireless sensor bar bargain

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