How to Make a VR Headset for PC? – All You Need to Know & More!

If you are in DIY, you might be interested in making your own VR headset.

So, without further ado, let’s get started.

How to Make a Virtual Reality Headset for a PC?

Supplies Required

• Toggle switch
• Two times LED
• 1 x resistor 150 ohms
• A micro USB cable at least two meters long
• A thin HDMI cable works best because it doesn’t get in the way when you’re moving. Also, at least two meters long.
• Some jumper cables
• DC Adapter plug 5V 3A (Raspberry Pi compatible one works great)
• Push Button
• Google Cardboard Compatible VR Headset
• 6DOF MPU 6050 3Axis gyroscope and accelerometer
• Arduino micro (can use an alternative board)
• A 5-in. Raspberry Pi LCD screen with an HDMI interface

Step 1: Assemble the Parts

First things first, we need to assemble the parts together.

The assembly consists of three main parts:

1. The Arduino microcircuit contains an MPU6050 sensor, a push-to-make switch, and an LED.
2. The wiring (connecting the Arduino micro to the screen), provides connectivity to the Arduino micro and powers the screen.
3. Connecting the screen to the computer by inserting the screen into the headset and connecting the HDMI and micro USB cables.

Step 2: The Arduino Micro Circuit

Each component needs to be wired up to the Arduino microcontroller.

The push button is connected to digital pins 2 and 3, and the MPU6050 sensor is connected to the Arduino microcontroller as follows:

1. MPU 6050 SCL pin to Digital Pin 3 on Arduino
2. MPU 6050 SDA pin to Digital Pin 2 on Arduino
3. MPU 6050 VCC to 5V pin on Arduino
4. MPU 6050 GND to GND pin on Arduino

Step 3: Write Code for Arduino

Here is the code for the Arduino.

if (Phs1!=HallState_1 || Phs2!=HallState_2) //Check if new keys are pressed
{
if (HallState_1==LOW && HallState_2==LOW)
Aisha.write(1);
if (HallState_1==HIGH && HallState_2==LOW)
Aisha.write(2);
if (HallState_1==LOW && HallState_2==HIGH)
Aisha.write(3);
if (HallState_1==HIGH && HallState_2==HIGH)
Aisha.write(4);
}

Step 4: Gyroscope Mounting

Note that the orientation of the MPU 6050 makes a big difference in which axis of the accelerometer will be used. For example, if the MPU 6050 were mounted on the top of the head, then the X-axis would be used for tilt detection.

If the MPU 6050 sensor is mounted at a different angle than the one specified by the datasheet, you may need to change the gx, gy, and gz values until they match the new orientation.

We rotated around the Y and Z axes for this configuration.

You may need to tweak the numbers associated with the calculations for movement speed and so forth if you want the desired results.

We also added a “reset” button which, when pressed, temporarily stops the gyroscope from moving. This is useful if you want to reset your viewpoint in a game.

Step 5: Attaching Everything to Headset

We attached all the components of this circuit to the headset using double-sided sticky pads.

Step 6: The Wiring

To minimize the number of wires connected to the VR headset, we’ve designed a new version of the USB cable that provides external voltage via a DC adapter and splits into two micro USB ports at one end. One port powers the LCD screen, and the other port connects to an Arduino board.

A USB cable has four wires:

1. Green – Data Connectivity
2. Black – GND
3. Red wire – +5V DC
4. White or Yellow – Data connectivity

We also included a button to toggle between the headset’s audio output and microphone input, as well as an LED indicator light to let you know if the headset is turned on.

Step 7: Inserting Screen in Headset and Connecting All the Wiring

Connect the two micro USB ports to the LCD and Arduino using the appropriate cables. Ensure that the cable with the data connection is connected to the Arduino and that the one with the power connection is connected to the power socket on the back of the LCD.

Keep the cables from running into the extra space between the screen and the headset by moving them around, so they don’t go there.

Finally, plug the HDMI cable into the TV.

The assembly is now finished.

Step 8: Connect Headset to Computer and Set Up Software

To connect the headphones to your computer, follow these steps:

1. Plug the AC adapter into an electrical outlet.
2. Plug the USB cable into any available USB port on your computer.
3. You need to connect the HDMI cable to an available HDMI port on your computer’s graphics chip (you can use a DVI connection with an adaptor).
4. Click on “Settings” > “Display Settings.” Then select “Detect Dis­plays” and make sure “Multiple Dis­plays” is selected. Finally, make sure your screen resolu­tion is set to 800×480.
5. Start up Tridef3d and open up a game. You may need to adjust the graphics settings for each individual game as well as the insensitivity to achieve the best results.

Try it out.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What do I need for building a VR PC?

For a VR experience, the two most important components are a graphics card equivalent in performance to the NVIDIA GTX 1070 (or better) and a CPU equivalent in performance to the i5-4690 (or better). Modern GPUs are usually faster than CPUs, so if you want to get the best VR experience, go with a GPU instead of a CPU.

Does VR use a lot of RAM?

You’ll probably want at least 8GB of memory if you’re going to play games in VR. If you already own a dedicated VR device, you might be able to use it to improve performance by freeing up some of your system’s RAM. However, you’ll still likely require at least 4GB of video RAM (VRAM) to run most games well.

What is a VR Ready PC?

A computer powerful enough to run virtual reality goggles and applications, available as desktops or laptops, has the most powerful GPUs and CPUs.

Conclusion

We hope this article was helpful to you. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us in the comments below.