Wiimote Whiteboard
This program allows you to use the Wii Remote (Wiimote) to turn any surface into a Low-Cost Interactive Whiteboard. It is based on Johnny Lee's original WiimoteWhiteboard program that is written in C# and available for Windows only. My program uses Java to allow for (some) platform-independence. I also provide a Mac-only version since
- most users are on a Mac so far
- there is already a Windows version
- the Java-Bluetooth compatibility is a lot better on Mac OS X
- I am a Mac user :)
There is also a SourceForge project that provides other implementations of Johnny's program (e.g. for Linux).
Check out the video and the other cool projects at Johnny Lee's page if you have no idea what I'm talking about :)
Features
- Simple user interface
- Granularity of mouse control: Move Only or Move & Click, Right Click support
- Mouse movement smoothing
- Screen selection
- Auto-update
- TUIO support for Multitouch applications
- Low battery warning
- Help files
Download (0.9.5)
Compatibility
I only heard of few problems on Mac OS X, using the built-in stack. I also got reports from users who got the program running on Windows using either the Widcomm or BlueSoleil stack. It seems like the "right" combination of Bluetooth dongle and stack is required to run it on Windows. I didn't try to and didn't hear of others running it on Linux.
Issue on PowerPC Macs (excerpt from the WiiRemoteJ-README):
Note for Mac OS X PowerPC (PPC) users: you will have to delete the Wii Remote from your previous devices list in System Preferences->Bluetooth->Devices after each connection (every time you connect a given Wii Remote). Even then, the outgoing connection will still fail every other time. There is some sort of bug relating to HCI devices and Apple's library. Luckily, it was fixed for the Intel Macs.
Further details can be found in the help files bundled with the application.
Support
You can post your comments, bug reports, feature requests, you name it. There is also some discussion going on at the wiimoteproject.com forum. Bluetooth-related problems can probably be solved at the WiiRemoteJ forum.
If you like the software and want to support it, you can spread the word or buy me a drink. It would also be great if someone could make a neat (Mac) icon for the program.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| WiimoteWhiteboard.zip | 802.59 KB |
| WiimoteWhiteboard.dmg | 887.31 KB |
| WiimoteWhiteboard_source.zip | 763.3 KB |
Comments
I am the technology
I am the technology coordinator for a K-12 school district in central Illinois.
I have tested this on a Mac Mini and my initial tests were positive. (Now, I get to devise a more reliable pen.) Thank you for porting this for the Mac. We have Mac Minis on the teachers' desks in our K-8 classrooms. We would like interactive whiteboard capabilities in each classroom but can't afford $1500 for each classroom for a "Smartboard". I do need to do some more testing before trying this in a classroom.
Thank you for your efforts. Johnny's project is picking up steam and your Mac port of the project is a huge step for K-12 schools with Macs.
Thank you for your feedback, Jim
It's good to hear that my efforts are appreciated and that the program is put to good use. Feedback like yours keeps me motivated to continue working on the software.
I started adding multi-screen support, which is almost done but untested. I assumed this could be helpful when using a projector as second display. I'm always open for suggestions to improve the program.
There is also a dedicated forum for the Wiimote Whiteboard project, in case you didn't know.
Uwe
School Use
Hi, I am also trying to get this set up for a classroom. I am totally lost with how to install/run this. Can anyone help?
Thanks
Thanks
Hi Uwe
I'm just a casual mac user who likes to play around with gimmicks. Thanks for your work and porting this to the mac. Your the man!
Support
Hi Michael,
I suggest you have a look at the How to use section in the README file. If you run into problems, you can have a look at this thread where people exchange about the program.
Uwe
Improvements
This is as much a question as a comment. There are two things that I think we need to make this a productive classroom tool. The first is a way to "click". I am thinking that the teacher would have the LED pen in one hand and maybe a wireless mouse in the other - or nearby - to use for "clicking". The other tool that would be needed would be a soft keyboard. I am sure they already exist. I just have to find the right one.
Clicking
Hi Jim, "clicking" is already implemented.
Whenever the LED pen is on and detected by the software, the mouse is moved to that position and a left button mouse-press is executed. The mouse button is released when you turn off the LED pen.
I actually implemented right button mouse-clicking today. A right click is executed when the LED pen remains on at the same position for a certain amount of time (e.g. 1 second).
Concerning software keyboards: KeyStrokes and VirtualKeyboard are two that I found with a quick search.
Uwe
Wii in university setting
Hi Uwe
Nice job! Please keep developing this application. I am lecturing in a university setting. I am using the Wii with Remote Buddy and Keynote on may Macbook to capture the mouse while I am taping my presentations with iShowU.
I was searching for a solution to tape my drawings during my presentation. This is the right tool!
Keep doing this great job!
Tomas
It Works
Thanks a lot for your job !!! For the moment I just tested with Apple remote as IR pen and it's working.
I'm working on MBP C2D 2,33Ghz / Leopard
Apple Remote?
I never thought of using the Apple remote as an IT pen. We have BOXES of those remotes. I am definitely going to test that in the morning when I get back to school.
I spent a chunk of the weekend building an IR pen so I could test this better,
I have not gotten it to work with Vista - can't get Johnny's code to work with Vista either. But Uwe's Mac code works well with our Mac Mini's (Intel). I have only tested it on the workbench. I will test it in a classroom tomorrow.
BTW. The Math captcha questions are getting harder. Good thing I have a degree in Mathematics;)
Outlook
The current (released) software was developed in about a day and meant to be a clone of Johnny's software. I actually spent quite some time in the last days to improve the software. I changed most of the "inner workings", but the GUI was revamped as well.
The image on the right is the current state of the new user interface. What do you say?
I also want the new version to be better integrated into Mac OS X. I thought that might be a good idea since most users are on a Mac so far. It would be great if someone could make an Icon for the program...
Feedback is as always appreciated.
Uwe
Looks good
Uwe
I will download the newest version immediately. The interface looks very "Macish". Also, I tested the Apple Remotes (the small white ones that come with the Mac Mini and other Macs) and it works very well. Take off the dispertion bar at the top of the remote and the LED is in the right corner. I will test some more, but this looks great.
Thank you for your efforts.
New Version
Do you have the new version posted? I tried the download link but got the same one I already had.
Great job.
Not ready yet
I'm sorry but the new version is not ready yet. I just wanted to show the current state.
I recognize that I didn't really make this clear, now that I read my last comment again.
It will take me probably another week or so. Stay tuned...
Uwe
It Works!!!!
I had tested this with the Apple Remote as the IR pen on an LCD screen and it worked well.
I then to the Mac Mini to one of our conference rooms and tested it with a projector onto a whiteboard. I had a bit of trouble getting the Wiimote placed so that:
1) The entire screen was recognized.
and
2) The Wiimote was not too far away to "see" the IR source.
Once I found the right place for the Wiimote, it worked well.
I'm not ready to roll this out to all of our classrooms. (Not sure I could get that many Wiimotes:) But I am ready to test it with one of our teachers.
I may try the IR pen that I made. I suspect that the IR LED in my pen is a bit stronger than what is in the Apple remote. (I used the same LEDs that Johnny used in his demos.)
Exciting times.
Apple remote?
How did you guys get the black cover off the Apple Remote!?
Remote as IR pen
I just want to point out that a remote control is no good substitute for a "real" IR pen. The problem is that most remote controls (including the Apple remote) emit flashing IR light. This causes a constant press and release of the mouse button when used with my program. While remotes are good to do some initial testing they are definitely not suitable for "productive" use.
Uwe
Remote as IR Pen
Uwe is correct about the Apple remote. I did test it thoroughly. (I have about 100 of them and it would have been nice to use them instead of building pens.) They worked well when I tested on a 17" LCD monitor. But when I moved the test to a real whiteboard with a projector, the Wiimote did not "pick up" the remote nearly as well as the pen that I built with the LED's that Johnny suggested. Even my crude pen - LED soldered to a switch soldered to a Radio Shack batter holder (AA) held together with electricians tape - worked far better than the Apple remote.
I have since made a pen out of the dry erase marker housing. It works much, much better.
I have it in a 5th grade class now being tested by one of our teachers.
Mac Version
I'm posting here as well as on wiimoteproject.com. I am using this in my classroom, and I am having the Apple built-in bluetooth problem. It seems to get a bad signal, and I'm sure it has to do with the builtin bluetooth module. I think another guy had this problem too.
Also, what kind of bluetooth dongle works with this on my macs that don't have built-in bluetooth?
Bluetooth Issues
That's too bad. But there is nothing I can really do about it.
That depends on the BlueCove library. I asked about it in the bluecove-users group.
One thing you can do is to start the program with enabled debug-mode for BlueCove:
java -Dbluecove.debug=true -jar WiimoteWhiteboard.jar
That will cause BlueCove to print out lots of debug messages on the command line.
Record them (first for the built-in and then for the external module) and send it to me.
Uwe
Builtin Apple Bluetooth
I am using the built-in Apple Bluetooth without any problem.
Try this:
Delete the Wiimote from the Apple Bluetooth devices.
Run Uwe's program.
Press buttons 1 and 2 on the Wiimote
Wait for it to "sync".
Apple Remote
OK, now I am intrigued. I am going to try this over the next few days. Jim, I have been reading on the other list, as well (I don't respond on that one).
Have any of you tried this to work with pens for more flexibility?
http://www.filewell.com/iRedLite/
Mike (Illinois Tech Director, as well)
Mac Bluetooth Compatibility
BlueCove works with any device supported by Mac OS X.
Uwe
PowerPC Bluetooth
OK, my story so far: I have a MBP with built-in BT, and a TiBook without BT, but a dongle. I got it to work with the TiBook with the Kensington dongle finally, by repetition. I kept deleting it from devices and re-running the jar file. Eventually it took. Boy, that was a pain.
Sadly, however, I still don't have any more success than I did before. The pen picks up a little better than it did on the MBP, but it's still unusable. This is odd, because it works on the MBP under Boot Camp/Windows XP with Johnny Lee's software.
So the only hardware change is still the BT adapter. Windows uses the Logitech one, while OSX can't. I'll have to test the Kensington dongle with XP, but I'd really like to pair the WiiMote to the Apple Built-in BT under XP. I haven't been able to do that yet.
If anyone else has some more ideas on what I could try I'd love to hear it.
It works with the Mac Intel
It works with the Mac Intel and 2 flashlights. I have a special kind with led light that I place under the Mac, then I use the flashlight instead of the pen. It's hard to callibrate though, so I will have to get or make an IR pen for more accuracy.
It works on XP too
Hi,
Nice job !
I work as a technology teacher in France (12-16 years old childs). As my school is quite poor ;-), I have to find different ways not to waste the money, and this software is a good one !
Several things are locked by our administrator, I hope that java will allow me to run the whiteboard. I was using the original software, but I think your job is full of promises (I'm waiting for the right click implement ;-))
I'm running on XP SP2 with a F8t012 belkin dongle on a toshiba laptop (home) and I'll try with xp/2K at school.
One question : Java 6 is installed one my computer, but I had to add "Java Advanced Imaging" in the jar archive to make it work. Is it normal ?
Thanks, see you soon.
Julien
Windows & JAI
Hi Julien, it's nice to hear that someone is actually using it on Windows :) Which Bluetooth stack did you use?
I never got it running on my PCs but I borrowed another Bluetooth dongle from a friend to do some further testing.
I'm using Java Advanced Imaging (JAI) to do the transformation from the position of the IR light the Wiimote sees to the position of the mouse cursor on the screen. I thought JAI was bundled with all JREs. Thanks for pointing out that this is not the case!
Uwe
Update
The new version of the software will be available as Mac application bundle and "generic version" that will run on all platforms.
I'm currently trying to figure out which license I can use. Don't worry, the program will stay free to use.
I also want to include some help that covers the basics.
Uwe
Stack for windows
Hi,
I use Widcomm stack.In fact, I left everything set to default (except my JAI problem).
Thanks again for your job.
Julien
Thanks a lot for your great job !
I tested your software this morning with my MacBookPro and Leopard 10.5.2 and it works fine !
Thank you very much :-)
Francois from Grenoble, France
OSX Woes
Well, here's the new story. I got an IOGear BT stick and plugged it in. It works better than the Kensington or the built-in BT from the MBP.
But still not good enough. It picks up smooth and steady when I aim the pen right back at the wiimote, but when I use it as a pen to draw on the board/monitor, it picks up nothing, or very very little. It's very jittery (if visible at all!) when I aim it at the screen. In fact, I ran a test with it and only got it to pick up a reliable signal from the IR pen when I had the wiimote less than 4 feet from the screen.
Then I BootCamped into Windows XP and tried it there. I used the IOGear stick and Johnny Lee's software and everything was wonderful. Then I tried it with your software and it was horrible. Just like before. I tried it (in Windows) from only 6 feet away and it would not pick up any IR dots. When I used Johnny's program it was fine.
What could be causing this? What else could I try?
More info
In case anyone is curious, I am using an IR pen made from a Radio Shack IR LED and one AAA battery. I don't know if this helps. Any ideas on how to make a brighter pen?
Re: OSX Woes
Hi Descalzo,
I'm honestly clueless why you're having this problem since I assume you're using the exact same setup (same monitor, IR pen, etc.) to run both tests. I also can't imagine that it is a Bluetooth issue.
Same here. But my IR LED is too weak and I actually haven't used Johnny's program on Windows to do a comparison. I'll do some more tests...
Btw: The new version is out!
Uwe
Error sending data
Hi
I wanted to use this, because it would be very usefull as a teacher. But there's one problem. I got myself a wiimote this afternoon, but when I start your program I keep getting the error-message:
'Error sending data'
Am I missing something?
Brendan
Heya, I tried it briefly on
Heya,
I tried it briefly on a Macbook, with an Apple remote. That worked, and I could sortof 'click' (cover was still on the Apple remote, and of course it flashes rather than lights up), but some time of random clicking, I got the "Error sending data" as well.
Other than that, it did work, and that's great! Going to consider putting together a pointing device (pens suck as a form factor, I'm gonna see if I can find what I want :))
Re: Error sending data
Did the programm immediately quit after the error message or did it continue to work "normally"?
Btw: I just uploaded pictures of the IR pen I made (also slideshow on this page below the demo video).
Uwe
No, the program didn't quit.
No, the program didn't quit. I can only click 'ok' on the error-message, but then it reappears. Forced stop works and also pushing the home-button on the wiimote. If I do that and I instantly restart your program it works. very strange indeed.
Brendan
re: Error Sending Data
Dupe of Brendan's problem with same configuration (MB & a Remote). Here's the java stack trace:
java.io.IOException: Error sending data!at wiiremotej.WiiRemote.sendCommand(WiiRemote.java:502)
at wiiremotej.WiiRemote.requestStatus(WiiRemote.java:809)
at org.uweschmidt.wiimote.whiteboard.WiimoteDataHandler$1.run(WiimoteDataHandler.java:98)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:613)
Caused by: java.io.IOException: Connection closed
at com.intel.bluetooth.BluetoothStackOSX.l2Send(Native Method)
at com.intel.bluetooth.BluetoothL2CAPConnection.send(BluetoothL2CAPConnection.java:113)
at wiiremotej.WiiRemote.sendCommand(WiiRemote.java:498)
... 3 more
java.io.IOException: Error sending data!
at wiiremotej.WiiRemote.sendCommand(WiiRemote.java:502)
at wiiremotej.WiiRemote.requestStatus(WiiRemote.java:809)
at org.uweschmidt.wiimote.whiteboard.WiimoteDataHandler$1.run(WiimoteDataHandler.java:98)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:613)
Caused by: java.io.IOException: Connection closed
at com.intel.bluetooth.BluetoothStackOSX.l2Send(Native Method)
at com.intel.bluetooth.BluetoothL2CAPConnection.send(BluetoothL2CAPConnection.java:113)
at wiiremotej.WiiRemote.sendCommand(WiiRemote.java:498)
... 3 more
This happens consistently 60 seconds after the wiimote connects. Does the code do a status check on the wiimote then?
More info: the previous release did not have this problem. Also, when run with BlueCove debug enabled, nothing appears abnormal.
Error Messages
Hi, I also got the Error sending data! once today. I looked around the WiiRemoteJ forum and found this:
Right now errors message are simply forwarded to the GUI. The reason for that is they would otherwise be unnoticed and the user has no idea what's going on. I cannot really do anything against these errors since they come from libraries that I just use. I can only change my program to behave more "nicely" when they occur. Instead of displaying a blocking error message there could be an "Error Log Window" or something like that. In case of severe errors the program could gracefully reset itself to initial state or do a reconnect (I have to investigate into that). Other suggestions?
I guess that's because all errors were simply ignored :)
Yes, I do a status check every minute to update the battery level. Does the program work normally until the error occurs?
Uwe
Wii Remote and Mac Connectivity issue
I can't get my MBP to connect to the Wii remote. Is there a process i must follow? Do I need more than just the remote? My bluetooth was on, discoverable. Im running 10.5.1 I have not upgraded to 10.5.2 yet. Could that be the issue? It baffles me as to why i can't view the remote. Does it show up as a 'wii remote'?
In the preferences when I did a search, I had selected 'All Devices', as there wasn't an option for remotes...but i only picked up cell phones.
Any suggestions would be helpful!!!
Connection Procedure
Hi George,
everything is described in the help files accessible via Help → WiimoteWhiteboard Help in the current (Mac) version of the program. Post again if you still have trouble connecting.
I'm running 10.4.11.
Uwe
It works on windows, but I can't use it...
Hi,
I was happy to see that this software works on my laptop screen, but I can't use it on a real white board...
When the wiiwote is 3 meters far from the whiteboard, The IR dot is not "seen" by the wiimote...
It works fine with johnny's soft (up to 6 meters), but when I use your soft (exactly with the same hardware configuration), I can only use it up to 1 meter...
My IR pen is made of an IR led running at 3V, 130 mA (Not the problem, because it works whith johnny's soft), no flashes are used...
I don't know where it comes from...
Regards.
Julien
eratic pointer
Thanks for the tips Uwe. I was able to connect the two, however I have a very hard time calibrating anything with my ir pens. One of them is IR LED with 940nm, but I need to have the wii remote almost directly over the pen, otherwise nothing happens. If I use the apple remote, it works but only a bit. I can calibrate, but I find it's choppy when moving around the screen.
Could it be that my IR LEDS are not powerful enough?
Strange
Hi Julien,
Descalzo apprently has the exact same issue. I guess one has to find out the differences between the different Wii Remote libraries, used in my and Johnny's program, to solve the mystery. That could be difficult...
I actually got my program working today on WinXP SP2 with a recent WIDCOMM stack. Now I can test the difference between my and Johnny's program as well.
Hi George?, I guess you take a look at the wiimoteproject.com forums, especially the support forum for the Wiimote Whiteboard. I'm sure you'll find valuable information there.
Uwe
FINALLY: IT WORKS
Finally, I got this thing to work. My IR LED were the problem. I took one out of an old remote and switched it and voila...worked like a charm. I find opening folders to be a bit challenging but other than that it works.
Only wish I could 'draw' without being in a drawing program...like being able to make circles or write on the screen when a web page pops up. OH well...beggers can't be choosers though.
Do you accept donation?
Drawing & Donations
I'm glad you got it working, George.
I guess that's because you're always jittering a little bit with your hand and the sensor values are also not always stable. It's less of a problem if you use it with a big screen or projector though.
Yeah, that could be cool. But I don't think this functionality should be added to the program.
In my opinion, a program should only do one 'thing' but do this really well.
The good thing is that you can just use existing programs which make use of the standard mouse. I found Desktastic with a quick search. It apparently does all what you want, I haven't tried it though.
I actually put a PayPal donate link ("buy me a drink") on this very page under Support when the new version came out.
Donations are gladly accepted as a form of "Thank you". I do however not accept donations as a form of payment for requested features. My motivation behind this software is not financial.
So decide for yourself if you want to make a donation :)
Enjoy,
Uwe
Wiiremote library
Dear Uwe,
It seems that you use the same library as wiiremote. I had the same (low range) problem when I used wiiremote : Dots where invisible if I was too far (> 1m), so it seems that the library is the key of the problem...
Regards.
Julien
Error Message as well
BTW, I'm also getting the error message. It really only becomes a problem when I need to re-calibrate the screen, as the error message doesn't allow for that, which means I must FORCE QUIT. Other than that little bug, it works okay.
Low Range Problem
Hi Julien,
I directly compared my to Johnny's program today. I have the exact same issue of a low range with my program.
What library ("wiiremote") are you talking about?. I use WiiremoteJ.
I'll take a look at the Wiimote library that Johnny uses in his C# program. Unfortunately I cannot compare it to WiiRemoteJ since it's closed-source. I'll talk to the developer of WiiRemoteJ...
Does that mean that software is working fine although the error message pops up?
This bug will be fixed in the new version for sure. I started to implement some sort of Error Log that can be displayed on demand...
Uwe
Wiiremote + Right click
Hi Uwe,
I was tryins to say that when I use the soft wiiremote (showing acceleration with graphs, IR dots, Wiimote keys, etc...), I have a low range problem. I have the same problem using your soft (that's normal because it uses the same library). That's nice if you can have a look, I hope that wiiremote developer can help.
Just a suggestion for right click : I think that it would be better (if possible) if the user can right click once the second is over. Actually, right click happens when you release the button, but I prefer to wait 2 or 3 seconds to be sure that it works. I mean that the right click should happen directly at the end of the second without releasing the button...
Thanks.
Julien
IR Sensitivity & Right Click
Hi Julien,
Wiibrew says that there are three known to work IR camera sensitivity settings. Johnny Lee's program uses this Wiimote library which uses the maximum sensitivity settings. I assume that WiiRemoteJ might use another one. I actually wrote the developer of WiiRemoteJ an email about it a couple of minutes ago.
The right mouse button is pressed after one second and released again if the IR pen is turned off. A click is the combination of press and release.
So you'd prefer that a right click is executed immediately after the 1 second delay?
It's of course possible but raises one question: After the right click is executed, both mouse buttons are released, but the IR pen might be still on. How are you handling this case? Do you simply ignore all IR data till the pen is turned off and on again? Just proceeding normally wouldn't be good since each right click would automatically be followed by a left button press. Do you understand what I mean?
Edit: You can change the default delay from 1 second to another value in case you didn't notice. Just have a look at the preferences (either standard preferences on a Mac or Edit → Preferences on Windows)
Uwe
Sensitivity + Right click
Hi Uwe
I was wondering about sensitivity... It would be nice if wiiremote allows to change this setting. Let us know ;-)
About right click why not try this :
ACTION-----------------------------------------------------------MOUSE STATE
IR on (moving)-------------------------------------------------Left click pressed
IR on (not moving during 1 second)-------------------Right click pressed and released
IR on (moving to select list item)-----------------------Both mouse buttons released
IR off (above item you want to select)----------------Left click pressed and released
In case you want the box to disapear, you only have to release IR pen button outside the item box.
Once this is done (item selected or item box closed), the IR pen is off. Next time it will be on, it turns back to normal (left clic pressed).
Is it possible ?
Julien
New Version & Right Click
Hi Julien,
The new version is out! And it now uses the same sensitivity settings as Johnny's Windows program. This was only possible due to the new release of WiiRemoteJ that came out today as well.
Your conception for right clicks is possible. Although I can't find out what's "under" the mouse cursor. Thus I don't know if you're trying to select a list item or do something else. But it's doable in general. I'll include this alternative right click implementation in the next version if time permits.
Uwe
Hallelujah!
It works now. I got it to work on my old TiBook. It works like a champ. Thanks.
Error Sending data
Hello Uwe!
I am a computer specialist at Swallow Union Elementary school. I have become extremely interested in the wiimote whiteboard project, and am trying very hard to get this to work, but I continue to receive the 'Error Sending Data' message. What does it mean?
I have a bluetooth enabled MacBookPro running leopard. I downloaded the latest version of your software. I am pointing my wiimote at the probook monitor and hit the 1 and 2 buttons. Then I open up the software (I get the message that a new version is available everytime I open the Wii Whiteboard software, I say 'no'), and then the software starts to look for the wiiremote, but ends in the 'error sending data' message. I have seen the error mentioned in other posts, but I did not see what to do to correct it.
Thanks for all you do! This project has amazing possibilities! There is no way we could afford to have this kind of functionalitiy in the classroom!
Julie
Re: Error Sending data & Updates
Hi Julie,
This error message is just forwared from a library that I use to connect to the Wiimote. I can't tell you details beyond the obvious meaning.
You can turn off this update check (in the preferences) if you want . But I higly recommend to always use the latest version of the software. The Error Sending Data issue might even be fixed in the current version. Just give it a try. The changes from one version to another are listed in the file CHANGELOG.txt that comes with the application.
I just got Leopard today and will thus be able to investigate into the Error Sending Data problem in combination with Leopard.
Uwe
0.9.1 +++
The new version (just got it today by chance) works like a charm under leopard. The older version was a bit buggy. It was laggy and the error message would not go away. Under the new version the lag issue has been resolved it is a bit more accurate and the error message is gone away. I find the clicking is a bit more improved as well.
If anybody is an educator the software also works great in combination with smartboard notebook http://www.smarttech.com (its a free download)
Good Job on the upgrade.
P.S....will a higher output IR LED allow for the wiiremote to be placed further away from the board? I currently can only have it about 1.5 meters away. Anything further than that and it doesn't work.
SMART Software
@George:
This is a quote from the SMART website: Please note that SMART software is permitted only for use on SMART products.
So this software can not be used (legally) with Uwe's software.
Uwe, I still only can see
Uwe,
I still only can see IR sources if I run the application via the command line using "java -jar ...". Running the application (on the mac) or double clicking the jar starts the program, but I can't seem to detect the IR pen.
I also see the error sending data error above, but only some of the time. I'll try to send you the error next time I see it.
Thanks,
Josh
OS X 10.4.11 MBP
Sensitivity in the new version
I have tried the new version of your program (same hardware) and it still not compares to the original Johnny Lee on a Windows PC - It seems that the sensitivity setting is not enough to explain the difference - with your software I am back to the situation I had with less bright LEDs...jagged and broken lines when drawing and loosing windows when I move them. Using Johnny Lees app eliminates these problems totally.
Other than that it is great software !!! - but I´m back to the long startup with Bluetooth connecting and imouse or Dmouse as free rightclick apps running too. I hope you solve the problem - in the mean time I am going to try out even brighter LEDs.
Mogens :-)
Thanks Uwe! I finally
Thanks Uwe!
I finally figured out that although I am getting the message, I can still calibrate and successfully move forward with my experiment.
I got the whole thing to work last night and I am delighted. My next problem has nothing to do with your mac software, but I will pose it non-the-less in case you have any wisdom...After arduously moving my wii remote into a position that would calibrate on my white board, someone crashed into my tripod and now I cannot seem to find the correct height/angle to successfully calibrate. Can anyone articulate the best way to place a remote so that is it is appropriately angled for the whiteboard? I have watched Johnny Lee's YouTube video, but it did not provide me with enough clues to determine what I am doing wrong.
Catching up
Hey guys!
I suggest you have a look at the wiimoteproject.com forums, this post is especially good. The Wiimote can also apparently "see" some wavelengths better from further away. I'm be no means an expert on that. I just remember having read it somewhere.
That's odd. You mean the program starts up fine and successfully connects but no IR dots are detected? Did you do that like ten times in a row and always the same behavior?
Johnny's app doesn't really do any magic :) It could have something to do with his Wiimote library. It's unlikely but I haven't looked at the code. But here comes a general thing:
The communication with the Wii Remote is undocumented and not fully understood. All that is known has been found out by members of the community through reverse engineering.
Just consider this quote from Wiibrew:
So far I'm not aware of a way to query the IR camera's state. That's the reason why the program behaves differently sometimes. A future version of the software will have some "Reset Camera" function that re-initializes the IR camera.
So please test several times before thinking it always works like on first try.
The current version (0.9.1) always does a bluetooth device discovery and will connect to the first Wiimote that is found. I'm planning to include the option of connecting to a specific Wiimote by using its Bluetooth address. It is much quicker and has the advantage that nobody else can interfere with another Wiimote (like in a classroom) and beeing connected first.
Why aren't you using the built-in right click function? If it's because it doesn't work well in Windows, that will be fixed in the next version (already implemented, see Julien's post).
Which message? And are you using the latest version?
I certainly can not, but try the wiimoteproject.com forums. One help with calibration are the Visible IR dots in the GUI. Point at each corner of the screen while moving the Wiimote around so that it can just see the light.
Uwe
Java 1.5 or later...
Hi all,
I have a PowerBookG4 running OS X version 10.3.9 , PPC 1.33GHz .
When I try install Wiimote Whiteboard ... I get error message:
" Could not launch application because it requires a version of Java that is not installed" ... I have - according to the message - Java 1.4.2 and 1.3.1 not 1.5 and so far it appears that Apple only offers Java 1.5 for OS X 10.4 and later.
What should I do? Please help.
Thank you for all your work!
P
Java 1.5+ required
Hi,
Java 1.5 is indeed required and there's no way around it, sorry. It seems like you have to upgrade to Tiger or Leopard in order to use Java 1.5 on your Mac. And this blog post makes clear why you shouldn't try installing it on Panther.
Uwe
Clarifying
Original text:
'I finally figured out that although I am getting the message, I can still calibrate and successfully move forward with my experiment. '
Uwe's question:
Which message? And are you using the latest version?
________________________________________________________________________
Julie's response
Sorry...I was referring to the 'Error Sending Data' message. I still often get that message or the dump of code that others referred to, but I figured out that I can still move forward and calibrate. Now if I could just postion that wiimote correctly.......
Yes, I am using the latest version of your code (thanks for doing all this!)
Julie
Error Sending Data again
Hi Julie,
How do you get that message? Are you looking at the Log or does an actual error message pop up? Could you please send a screenshot of this to me? You can get my email address on the contact page.
Uwe
Version 0.9.2 released
Changes:
Further explanation in the accompanied help files.
Enjoy,
Uwe
About sensitivity
Hello,
I'm using a Windows XP PC and i have tried your last version of wiimote whiteboard (0.9.2) with a video projector. My wiimote is 1,5 m from the wall.
When i compared Johnny Lee's version to your's, i noticed that the jar version was less sensitive : when drawing a curve, the line was slightly irregular.
Otherwise, with your soft the bluetooth recognition of wiimote is faster and more confortable, and the right-click option goes well. I appreciate too the large amount of informations that your soft gives and, of course, his platform-independence.
So thank you for this very nice job, and i hope you will overcome this problem of sensitivity.
Chris, from France.
Whiteboard
Very nice ! I am looking forward to getting this and Kindlelab running here real soon!
-
Wiimote Placement / Calibration Issues
Can anyone articulate the best way to place a remote so that is it is appropriately angled for the whiteboard?
The reason lines are sometimes jaggy and drawing is difficult is because the area on the Wiimote IR-camera that covers the screen (or drawing-area) is not optimized correctly.
Also even the slightest movement of the Wiimote will cause an effect which magnitude is a function of the distance between the Wiimote and the drawing-surface (the larger the distance the greater an effect a vibration will cause).
The optimum position would of course be through a see-through display where the camera would be perpendicular to the surface that it's pointed at. This however is rarely possible and depends on the available equipment.
In order to optimize the position of the camera relative to the drawing-surface (your monitor for instance) it's helpful to get a view of the actual pixels that the IR-camera sees. DarwiinRemote utility contains this tool (although it might be a bit difficult to find at first).
A tripod is suggested for the final placement of the Wiimote, make sure that any movement cause minimal disturbance/vibration to the Wiimote.
The optimization-process could be done for instance like so:
1. Connect to your Wiimote with DarwiinRemote
2. Activate only the IR-sensor
3. Show the IR-realtime data window from the "Window"-menu.
4. By moving your IR-pen along the edges of your monitor make sure that the IR-camera covers as big an are as possible. Move the position of your Wiimote in order to make this area as big as possible, it might require you to place yourself as much to either side of you monitor as possible.
5. After you've found the optimized position using DarwiinRemote it's time to start using Uwe's excellent "Wiimote Whiteboard".
You can find DarwiinRemote (current version is 0.6) at
http://sourceforge.net/projects/darwiin-remote/
Uwe, thanks for your excellent effort in bringing this to us OS X users as well!
If I may place a few future suggestments:
1. A window such as described above which would show exactly what the IR-camera sees (this would help the placement effort)
2. A mouse-movement smoothing option, essentially this would interpolate between the actual locations and not move to any given mouse-location directly. This would help to create more flow in Illustration applications.
Thanks,
Carlington
Sensitivity + Right click
Hi Uwe,
Nice job for the right click, It works exactly as I want !
I still have a sensitivity problem compared to johnny's soft (same hardware configuration and position)... Probably because of the library...
I hope next versions will fix the problem ;-)
Thanks a lot !
Julien
Wiimote LOG file
I have been having a particular issue. There are times, when I turn on the wiimote and instead of detection, I have the wiimotewhiteboard LOG file appear....sometimes I can restart and it goes away, other times I have to trash the program and re-instal. It'll work once and then bang...the next time I load it up the log file reappears. Is anyone else having this problem? I'm running the latest version and I think it is a new phenomena with the release of 0.9.2.
Any info would be helpful.
Is the log file stored anywhere? If so, where and how do I delete it?
OSX 10.5.2
0.9.1
Is there a way i can download version 0.9.1 ? I find 0.9.2 requires the wiimote being less than a metre away from the screen. Meaning it will only work if i use my laptop as the screen. With a projector, I can't get this to work effectively. I'm not sure what happened with 0.9.2, but I prefer 0.9.1 I deleted it after I installed 9.2. I find the latest version buggy... its skips a lot, moving windows around is difficult...if i drag an icon it will move for a bit and then stop following the cursor. When I draw, instead of getting lines I get dots.
0.9.1-0.9.2
George,
Have you tried the Reset Wiimote button?
Current Issues
Thanks for all the feedback.
I can't add much to what I already said about sensitivity. It just doesn't always behave the same way. I guess there might be a slight difference in the IR camera initialization sequence between the Wimote library I use and the one Johnny uses in his program.
The good news is that I talked to the guy who found out a lot of the stuff we currently know about the Wiimote's camera. He told me (two days ago) to expect "huge developments in this area in the next week or two". Let's hope for that :)
The problems George is having are probably related to sensitivity and Bluetooth issues.
I sometimes get connection errors as well. Java in combination with Bluetooth isn't very mature and reliable either. That's something we unfortunately have to live with for now but I expect improvement in the future as well.
I'll gladly send you version 0.9.1 although I don't think it will solve any of your problems.
Concerning the Log:
Uwe
Improvements
Thank you for your suggestions, Carlington.
Done, will be included in the next release.
This is a good idea but I don't think there is a single best way to do it though. I'll add this feature with the option to select a "mouse smoothing strategy". The user may thus be able to choose among various "strategies" (where "no smoothing" will be one of them) which can be extended in the future.
I actually own a kind of small flexible tripod called Gorillapod. This in combination with the Wiimote could be a cheaper and more flexible alternative to a big and heavy tripod.
I just see they have the model Go-Go that can be used with a suction-cup clip or high-bond adhesive clip to attach the Wiimote. This is just an idea which I haven't tested.
Uwe
Version 0.9.3 released
Changes:
Uwe
Does the java version work on Linux ?
Thanks for your work and this new update.
:-)
Linux compatibility
The Java version will not work on Linux in its current state for two reasons:
So you basically need to install a recent BlueCove 2.0.3 snapshot and the additional GPL'd Linux module. Then try to run the program like this:
java -cp bluecove-2.0.3-SNAPSHOT.jar:bluecove-gpl-2.0.3-SNAPSHOT.jar -jar WiimoteWhiteboard.jar
I guess it won't work though since BlueCove 2.0.2 is already bundled with my program and will thus be conflicting with the snapshot of 2.0.3. You could also compile the source code yourself and use it with the replaced BlueCove libraries if you know how to do that.
I'll be away snowboarding for a couple of days and get back to you when I return.
Uwe
Suggestion
First off, thank you for porting this to osx. I use this to turn my monitors into touch screen monitors. Instead of a pen, I have made a glove with an IR led on the top of the index finger and a momentary switch on the tip. So when i touch the screen the led turns on. This works out great, but I do have a suggestion. I have a dual monitor set up and it would be great if i could do this across both monitors. When I would calibrate I would ideally like it to give me 2 points on the left side of the left screen and 2 points on the right side of the right screen. Also, if I were to use this with multi-touch capable software would a second touch register? Wasn't sure if being able to see how many visable ir dots there were and the ir camera also meant that this was possible.
Compile problem
Not sure why, but I keep getting issues with jaiI18n not being able to be resolved. Figure I am missing something in my project setup within eclipse 3.3? Any ideas that could get me pointed in the right direction please?
Thanks
Suggestion
is it possible to have a single click to control the mouse and a double click to activate the mouse click. like on the track pad? i also wanted to say thank you for porting this over to the mac it really is an amazing program.
Amazing
Hi, I'm the first one who tried with the Apple Remote, I made a IR pen for maybe one week And I just downloaded the very last version and the differences between the two versions are amazing. It is much smoother, and I still can't believe the drawing I made with photoshop. The new setting are PERFECT, it is exactly what needed to be done. There is no word to express how happy I'm to use this whiteboard.
Maybe the last point that must be done is using two IR led at the same time, the first one (always lighten) just to move but not click the mouse and the second one to left click.
I'm french so I hope I was enough clear in my comment !!!
bye
tibo
2 LEDs
Tibo, the problem most people have found with 2 LEDs is that if they are close enough the wiimote can only see one blob.
Re: Compile problem
I didn't notice until now that the class PerspectiveTransform uses JaiI18N in case of errors since I have Java Advanced Imaging (and hence JaiI18N) installed on my system. JaiI18N is actually only required to compile the software since errors in PerspectiveTransform shouldn't occur in the way I use it. Hope that explains things a bit.
The easiest way to fix the problem for you is to install Java Advanced Imaging as well.
Uwe
Suggestions
Multi-screen support: It's possible and I was already considering this when I added the screen selection. I'm still thinking about the right way to do it though. It will be included in a future release with high probability.
Multi-touch support: Not planned since the software is all about controlling the mouse cursor of the operating system (which doesn't support multiple mice). They only thing I could do is to output the available position data of all 4 IR dots in a format that a multi-touch capable program understands.
Trackpad-like mouse control: This could be done but may I ask why you want to do this? Doing right-clicks won't work either.
Two-LED support: Doesn't work that well (Descalzo already pointed out one reason). The Wiimote frequently sees two IR dots in my setup here at home. One from the IR LED and one from its reflection on the screen (when I hold the IR pen at some distance).
Please participate in the poll about the hosting situation.
Uwe
multi-touch
Uwe,
Yes, outputting the position of all 4 IR dots would be *wonderful*. You have my vote. Thanks for all your work!
Josh
multi-touch
I am of the same opinion as the previos poster, Josh. I would be very happy to see a multi-touch integration. Maybe you could implement TUIO-messages. As far as I know, there are several flash-applications that uses these messages to implement multi-touch.
Thanks for your wonderful work!
Simon
Multitouch TUIO
I actually already implemented the TUIO protocol and successfully tested it on Windows with this Multitouch Flash Puzzle. I couldn't get any multitouch Flash apps to work on Mac OS X though. I'm also not quite sure about the "best" format of the TUIO messages to make it compatible with most multitouch apps. But the next release will definitively have the capability to send out TUIO messages.
Information on multitouch in general and especially help to get multitouch apps to work on Mac OS X is highly appreciated and will speed up development of that feature in the Whiteboard program.
Uwe
I have already tried to
I have already tried to combine the wiimote software with flash-multi-touch applications on my own. There is an windows software comparable to johnny lees ones that sends TUIO messages to a server and port. (http://code.google.com/p/wiimotetuio/).
I tried to get the Multimedia Application from multigesture.net to work (http://www.multigesture.net/2007/09/17/multitouch-media-application-v2-r...) but I needed an software that "translate" TUIO messages to flash. That's what I think Flosc does (http://code.google.com/p/flosc/). For me the setup worked under windows to control the multimedia application with 2 ir-pens.
I hope that will help you a little bit.
Version 0.9.4 released
Changes:
Uwe
no connect to remote
Hi all, perhaps someone can give me a hint..
im using widcomm and a win xp system with java 1.5006
theese are the messages i get out of the log file..
would be great if someone has an idea
greetings alex
FINE WiiRemoteJ: Nintendo RVL-CNT-01 is a WiiRemote.
INFO WiiRemoteJ: btl2cap://001DBC45CF47
SEVERE WiiRemoteJ: Error getting device!
java.io.IOException: WiiRemote failed to connect!
at wiiremotej.WiiRemote.construct(WiiRemote.java:301)
at wiiremotej.WiiRemote.(WiiRemote.java:214)
at wiiremotej.WiiRemoteDiscoverer.getWiiRemote(WiiRemoteDiscoverer.java:94)
at wiiremotej.WiiRemoteJ.findRemote(WiiRemoteJ.java:208)
at wiiremotej.WiiRemoteJ.access$100(WiiRemoteJ.java:22)
at wiiremotej.WiiRemoteJ$2.run(WiiRemoteJ.java:284)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)
Caused by: javax.bluetooth.BluetoothConnectionException: Connection timeout
at com.intel.bluetooth.BluetoothStackWIDCOMM.l2OpenClientConnectionImpl(Native Method)
at com.intel.bluetooth.BluetoothStackWIDCOMM.l2OpenClientConnection(BluetoothStackWIDCOMM.java:702)
at com.intel.bluetooth.BluetoothL2CAPClientConnection.(BluetoothL2CAPClientConnection.java:33)
at com.intel.bluetooth.MicroeditionConnector.openImpl(MicroeditionConnector.java:397)
at com.intel.bluetooth.MicroeditionConnector.open(MicroeditionConnector.java:506)
at javax.microedition.io.Connector.open(Connector.java:95)
at wiiremotej.WiiRemote.construct(WiiRemote.java:295)
... 6 more
Re: no connect to remote
Hi Alex,
does this happen all the time? Did you try it like ten times?
Are you using the latest version (0.9.4)?
Uwe
Great Version but sensivity
Hi Uwe,
thank you for releasing the new version with TUIO. It work's great (it was really funny to use the flash games like puzzle and so on). But unfortunatley I've still got problems with the sensivity.
The last few days I only tried it in a very small setting. The projected image was about 1,5 meter in diameter and the wiiremote was about 1 - 1,5 meters away from the wall.
Today I tried it at work with auf high resolution beamer and a projection size about 2-3 meters. Because of the size, the wiiremote has to be farer away than 1,5 meters. Unfortunately then no infrared light is seen by the wiiremote.
When I try the exact same setting with Johnny Chung Lees software everything works great.
I already tried to search on my own in the WiiremoteJ board but I would use the same sensivity settings that you use (00 00 00 00 00 00 90 00 41 40 00 Suggested by inio (max sensitivity))
I hope that the libary will be improved in the next few days or weeks.
But all in all, your software is outstanding
IR-Led key data
Great job, i like it very much!
Which key data of the IR-LED would you recommend? My assembly just works if i point directly to the wiimote, it doesn't reflect on the screen of my iMac.
Problem with Vista
Hi everybody,
First, sorry if my english is not perfect.
I try to use this soft under windows vista with a MSI bluetooth USB stack and blue soleil.
The program run but my wiimote isn't detected. I've always : "Searching for Wiimote".
Is someone succes in using this soft under vista or have someone a solution ?
Thanks
Sylvain
2D perspective (or projective) transform
I am making a multitouch interface with max msp jitter, an internal ir refraction screen, and a wii mote to track ir touches on the screen.
I get ir coordinate data into max using osc and OSCulator, for the time being.
I need to perform a calibration, much like J. Lee's whiteboard does.
BUT
I'm not sure how the calibration works. I have looked at the source code, and I'm having trouble understanding the math. (i'm not a programmer, just a max doodler). Can any one explain in more detail than what is provided in the source?
I understand I need to deform an input matrix to an output matrix. In max there are objects to deform one matrix into another : jit.repos, jit.mxform2d. I can't figure out how to use these to imitate what the whiteboard calibration stage is doing.
Any help would be greatly appreciated?
Alternatively, if someone knows how to modify the whiteboard code so that it sends the XY data for each of the four points to max, that would also do the trick. You could use OSC protocol, which is what I am currently using (see OSCulator). That way I could use the whiteboard's calibration tool, and just receive precalibrated xy values in max.
THANKS! Great work!
ke10
OK! I just read about TUIO,
OK! I just read about TUIO, and I realize it IS OSC and can therfor send data to max.
GREAT! I'll try this out...
thanks again!
ke10
Sensitivity (again)
I ran some more tests today finally. I haven't been used the Wiimote Whiteboard in about 3 weeks or so, but finally had time/opportunity to run it through the ringer today. I tried the Mac version and Johnny's version in Parallels, and Johnny's is still better for me. I can't figure it out. I know I'm not the only one who's having this trouble, and I know there's only so much that can be done, but I thought I'd mention it any way.
I'm working on ways to move the Wiimote closer to the screen, and hopefully that will help out. I'm really looking forward to letting one of my older Macs take over the whiteboard duties.
TUIO to MaxMSPJitter
Yoohoo!
My prototype works wonderfully. I have multiple gl objects tracking multiple ir points.
Using: WiimoteWhiteboard for MAC, receiving TUIO in MAX and controlling objects in jitter.
Thanks!
ke10
Leopard
I tried this on a computer running Leopard, and it works as well or better than Johnny's version did. It may be a fluke, but it was impressive the way it worked right away.
IR Pen
WOW, what a great piece of software! Thanks a LOT!
Anybody tried to put a pressure switch (à la drawing tablet pens) to trigger the IR LED insted of a push button switch?
As a maths teacher, I'd REALLY like to write with my pen (and save my school a thousand dollars or so), but it's somewhat complicated for me to get used to push and release the switch each letter I write on the board.
Thanks!
Luc