[VGN] Homemade Sensorbar for the Wii

Neben Obduktionen von den Hauptgeraeten der Konsolen der naechsten Generation ueberrascht es doch, dass etwas scheinbar so "unwichtiges" wie die Sensor Bar fuer die Nintendo Wii in seine Einzelteile zerlegt doch so interessant ist: es besteht naemlich bloss aus ein paar Infrarot LEDs. Das Kabel, mit dem die Sensor Leiste mit der Wii verbunden ist, liefert bloss den Strom - es werden keine Daten mit der Hauptkonsole ausgetauscht.
Das bedeutet, dass man diese Leiste mit spielerischer Leichtigkeit nachbauen und sogar Verbesserungen einbauen kann! Wie z.B. Batterien. Dadurch wird die Sensor Bar kabellos. Besonders interessant fuer Leute, deren Fernseher (oder sollte ich eher "Fernseher" sagen?) nicht besonders nah an der Konsole selbst zu finden ist, wie beispielsweise bei einem Beamer. [...]
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Brian "DoctaBu" Moore (doctabu) schrieb:
@ 2006-11-22 23:55:00
The Homemade Wireless Wii Sensor Bar!
From the moment I picked up my Nintendo Wii last Sunday morning, I've been very curious about the design and functionality of the Wiimote and its sensor bar. Of course, I'm not the only one. Through a few links on sites like digg, it has come to other people's attention that the Wii sensor bar both only consists of IR LEDs and also sends no signal between the Wii and the bar... only power.

This had me thinking. It my apartment in Boston, I have a projector, but I feared hooking my Wii up to it because of the length I'd need to have in the cable to put the bar right under the image. Then, I thought, maybe I can make one.

So, I did.

With just a perf board, some wires, a bit of soldering, 4 AA batteries, and 4 IR LEDs, I was able to make this:

Yes, it's ugly. Yes, it's ghetto. But, it is a wireless, battery-powered Wii Sensor Bar. And it works.

First, I measured the distance between the middle of the left set of LEDs on the Nintendo sensor bar to the middle of the right set. That came out to be 7 1/2 inches. It wasn't a perfect measurement, but since the Wiimote triangulates the distance, it's accurate enough. Soldering wire from the positive side of the battery holder to a switch, the switch to the positive end of one of the IR LEDs, then to the next, to the next, to the next, and then back to the battery terminal, it was easily completed.

Placed on top of my TV showed that it was a success... the Mii plaza, the Wii menus, Wii sports, and Zelda all worked and moved just as well as it had with Nintendo's stock sensor bar. There is no need for a wireless transmitter or an extension cord. Just unplug Nintendo's stock bar, put your homebrew wireless Wii sensor bar in place, and you're good to go.
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