Virtual Research V6 User manual

V6 User Guide
Virtual Research Systems,
Inc.

Limited Warranty
As of September 1998, the information contained in this publication is believed to be
reliable, but Virtual Research Systems, Inc. makes no warranties as to its accuracy or
completeness and has no responsibility to update or correct such information.
Virtual Research makes no warranties, express or implied, that the product is free of error or
is consistent with any particular standard of merchantability or the product will meet
requirements for any particular application. The product should not be relied upon for
solving a problem or fulfilling a function whose indirect solution or operation could result in
injury to a person or loss of property. If the product is used in such manner, it is at the
product users own risk.
Other than as set forth in this paragraph, in no event will Virtual Research be liable for
damages, including lost profits, lost savings or other incidental or consequential damages
arising out of the use or inability to use the product, even if Virtual Research or an
authorized dealer has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Virtual Research
warrants to the original purchaser that its products are free of defects in materials and
workmanship and will remain so for a period of six (6) months from the date of delivery.
If Virtual Research is unable to repair or replace any of its products to a condition as
warranted, the buyer shall be entitled to a refund of the purchase price upon return of the
product to Virtual Research. The liability of Virtual Research for damages hereunder shall, in
the aggregate, in no event exceed the amount of such purchase price. This warranty does not
apply to any product which has been subjected to misuse, negligence, alternation,
accident, improper maintenance, or damage by excessive physical or heat stress.
THIS WARRANTY IS EXCLUSIVE AND IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES
AND CONDITIONS EXPRESSED, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY AND ALL OTHER
LIABILITIES OF VIRTUAL RESEARCH, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT OR
ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY.
Copyright 1998 Virtual Research Systems, Inc. Revision#2 All rights reserved.

Table of Contents Page
Introduction......................................................................................... 1
Section One Safety Issues ........................................................ 1
Electrical Shock and Hazard ..................................................................................... 1
Blocked Vision and Hearing ...................................................................................... 1
Eyestrain/other optical effects .................................................................................... 1
Lice/other pests transmission between users .............................................................. 1
Section Two Getting Started ....................................................2
Box Contents ........................................................................................................... 2
Out of the Box Set Up .............................................................................................. 2
V6 Control Box Features .......................................................................................... 3
Rear Panel Diagram ...................................................................................... 3
Front Panel Diagram ..................................................................................... 3
Power ...................................................................................................................... 4
HMD Output ............................................................................................................ 4
Monitor Out ............................................................................................................. 4
Mono/Stereo ............................................................................................................ 4
Brightness and Contrast ............................................................................................ 4
Video Formats ......................................................................................................... 4
Audio ....................................................................................................................... 4
Microphone .............................................................................................................. 4
Pin Out Information .................................................................................................. 5
Connecting HMD to Computer ................................................................................. 5
Section Three Computer Interfacing Manual .......................... 6
PC/Intergraph ........................................................................................................... 6
O2 ........................................................................................................................... 6
Indigo Impact ........................................................................................................... 6
Octane ..................................................................................................................... 7
Onyx 2 ..................................................................................................................... 8
Onyx with Multi Channel Option (MCO) .................................................................. 9
Camera/NTSC Inputs ............................................................................................... 9

Section Four Using Position Sensors ....................................... 9
Section Five Mechanical Adjustments .................................. 10
Ratchet Knobs ....................................................................................................... 10
Interpupillary Adjustments (IPD) ............................................................................. 10
Fore/AFT Motion ................................................................................................... 10
Focus ..................................................................................................................... 11
Overlap Adjustment ................................................................................................ 11
Headphones ........................................................................................................... 11
Cable Positioning .................................................................................................... 11
Cleaning V6 Lenses and Optics .............................................................................. 11
Donning the V6 ...................................................................................................... 12
Section Six Technical Adjustments ..................................... 13
Power Requirements ............................................................................................... 13
Stereoscopic Viewing ............................................................................................. 13
Trouble Shooting..............................................................................14
Glossary............................................................................................. 16
FCC Statement ................................................................................. 18

Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the Virtual Research V6 Head Mount Display (HMD). This V6 Users Guide
describes the contents of the V6 HMD and control box along with operational guidelines, instructions
and care for the V6. Please review this guide carefully and follow instructions to insure correct use and
care for your HMD. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. You can reach us
at: [email protected]
Section One: Safety Issues
Electrical Shock Hazard
The desktop power supply included with the V6 produces 24VDC. This voltage is also present on the
HMD cable bundle, but should not be a hazard to the user. The circuitry in the HMD produces a high
voltage (>500VAC) spike signal to drive the backlight. This voltage is generated at very low current
levels and will cause only a moderate sensation when touched. This voltage is accessible only if the
HMD is disassembled. DO NOT DISASSEMBLE THE V6.
Blocked Vision and Hearing
By its nature, a head mount display blocks the users sight and hearing. The danger of tripping over
cables or other obstacles becomes a real concern while immersed in the virtual world. As system
manager, you must provide an environment that does not allow the HMD user to fall or otherwise injure
him/herself. We recommend using V6 only while seated to avoid tripping hazards.
Eyestrain/Other Optical Effects
V6 will cause eyestrain if the IPD is set incorrectly. Like all head mounts, it is likely to cause some
eyestrain effects even when correctly adjusted. This eyestrain stems from several causes; with perhaps
the most significant being the fixed focal plane, which conflicts with the variable depth cues present in
the imagery. There is no technology that we are aware of that corrects this conflict. Other sources of
eyestrain could include optical aberrations, distortion, and mismatch of computer imagery with
mechanical configuration. If you experience noticeable eyestrain, review and correct your adjustments
and software configuration. If eyestrain persists, limit or end your use of the HMD. Please contact
Virtual Research if you have questions or concerns about eyestrain.
Lice/Other Pest Transmission between Users
Although we have not had any instances of users reporting lice transmission to us, there has been at
least one anecdotal report of lice transmission in a public use HMD. There are sprays available that will
kill lice on furniture and clothing. Two of these are RID and A-200. Both are available in drug stores.
We dont have information on the effectiveness of these sprays on HMDs and encourage you to
research this if you are considering a multiple user application. These sprays are hazardous and you
need to judge the benefits vs. risks of using them. Alcohol wipes are useful for cleaning the HMD
between users. Alcohol will remove skin, oil and makeup that have been transferred to the HMD. As
far as we know, alcohol has no effect on lice.

Section Two: Getting Started
Please contact Virtual Research Systems, Inc. immediately if you find that any of the contents listed
below are not present or have arrived damaged. Virtual Research Systems, Inc. [phone]
Box Contents
1) V6 HMD with 13 ft. cable.
2) V6 control box
3) Universal power supply
4) Power cord
5) No-fog cloth
Universal Power Supply:
Input AC Output DC - Max 30W
115/230 V~ +5V - - - 3A
0.9 / 0.45A +24V - - - 0.7A
60/50 Hz -12V - - - 0.5A
Out of the Box Set Up
Prior to opening your V6 HMD boxes, be sure you have plenty of room and a hard stable surface to
work on. We suggest keeping all packing materials for future shipping purposes.
Sale units will include an extra box containing a styrofoam display head. Demo units will not include a
styrofoam display head. Please treat demo units with additional care.
Step One Open the smaller of the two boxes and remove Styrofoam head. This head is to be used
to place HMD on while not in use or while connecting HMD to your computer.
Step Two Carefully open the side of the box which the shipping label is affixed. *This denotes
the top of box.
Step Three Remove the top layer of foam to reveal HMD.
Step Four Remove the HMD and the foam packaging to gain access to the power supply and
power cord. The V6 control box is located in a separate foam pocket by itself within
this area. Look under the foam cut out to reach the control box.
Each V6 comes with serial numbers located on the position sensor mounting plate and the control box.
DO NOT REMOVE. Removing these serial numbers may void the Virtual Research six (6) month
warranty.

V6 Control Box Features
Rear Control Box Panel
Front Control Box Panel
The V6 was designed to accept a 640 x 480 60 Hz, non-interlaced input signal. This format is often
referred to as standard VGA. The connection is made via a 15-pin HD connector similar to that found
on PC monitors. All inputs on the V6 control box are female, refer to the Computer Interfacing
Manual (Section 3) for cable requirements that are compatible with the V6 and your system. The V6
control box auto-detects when one input channel (left eye/mono) is being used and feeds an identical
signal to both displays. The control box automatically switches to stereo mode when a second video
source is connected to the right eye stereo input. The right eye source must also be standard VGA
format and the same sync configuration as the left eye source. (i.e. cannot have separate sync on left
and comp sync on right.)
The V6 control box is designed to accept either separate Horizontal and Vertical sync, composite sync
on green video, or composite sync on the Horizontal sync line. When providing composit sync on the
Horizontal sync line the Vertical Sync line should not be driven. When sync on green video is
provided, both the Horizontal and Vertical sync lines should be undriven. Sync signals should be TTL
levels. The VGA source is an analog signal, and since the V6 does not quantify the video (as in A/D
and D/A conversion), it is capable of displaying any number of colors your graphics card is able to
produce.

Power
Virtual Research supplies a desktop power supply unit with each V6. The power supply has (110 VAC -
220 VAC) universal input, +5, +24. -12 VDC output. It is important that the correct power supply be
used to avoid damage to the unit. Do not use a different power supply than that supplied by Virtual
Research.
50 Pin SCSI Connector
Do not connect or disconnect the HMDs 50 Pin SCSI connector while the control box power is on.
Monitor Out
To use an external monitor while using your V6 HMD, be sure to have a cable running from the
MONITOR OUT connection on the control box into the back of your monitor. Refer to Interfacing
Manual in Section 3 for the type of cable needed to connect from the V6 control box MONITOR OUT
connection to the back of monitor.
Mono/Stereo
The stereo indicator LED will illuminate when a second video source is connected to the Right Eye
Input.
Brightness and Contrast
These controls affect overall brightness and contrast of both displays. The displays are individually
matched to one another during assembly. Please contact Virtual Research if you have any questions.
Video Formats
The V6 HMD accepts a VGA (640x480 60 Hz.) video format. The V6 does not accept NTSC, PAL or
SECAM timing. It is possible to connect a V6 to any of these sources with the proper video format
converter. Contact Virtual Research for details on your system.
Audio
The audio connection is a standard stereo 3.5mm mini jack. The control box passes the audio signal
directly to the V6 headphones. Audio signal level supplied to the control box should be the same
signal that would be supplied directly to stereo headphones.
Microphone (optional)
Contact Virtual Research for details.

Pin Out Information:
VGA input connector format
15 pin high density HD female connector
Pin Signal
1 Red
2 Green
3 Blue
4 Ground
5 n/c
6 Ground
7 Ground
8 Ground
9 n/c
10 Ground
11 Ground
12 n/c
13 Horizontal sync
14 Vertical sync
15 n/c
Connecting the V6
** REMINDER: Refer to the Interfacing Manual (Section 3) to see which cables are required to
successfully interface the V6 HMD to your system. **
Step One Mono/Left Eye Input
Connect one cable from the Left Eye input (mono) into the graphics channel of your
system.
Step Two Stereo/Right Eye Input
Connect a second cable from the Right Eye/Stereo Input to the second graphics
channel of your computer. You must have two graphics channels to run your V6 in
stereo. ** Reminder all V6 control box inputs are female, so you must use male
connections from the control box to whatever connection your computer accepts.
Refer to the Interfacing Manual in Section 3. **
Step Three External Monitor Option
Connect your external VGA monitor to the V6 Control box Monitor Out connection.
Step Four Connecting V6 to control box
Secure the HMDs 50 Pin SCSI connector to the Control box.

Section Three: Computer Interfacing Manual
PC/INTERGRAPH
Use a standard 15 pin male to 15 pin male (VGA) cable(s) to connect the V6 control box to your graphics
boards(s). Two graphics boards (channels) are required for stereoscopic viewing (i.e. one for left eye
viewpoint and one for right eye viewpoint.) Change the video output format of your graphics to
standard VGA (640 x 480 60Hz). For example, Windows NT users will go to:
Control Panel / Settings / Display
Select 640 x 480 as the screen resolution, and 60Hz frame rate. Users may connect their monitor to the
V6 control box Monitor Output connector via another VGA cable to view the same image thats seen
in the HMD.
O2
Like the PC configuration above, use a standard 15 pin male to 15 pin male (VGA) cable to connect the
V6 control box to the Monitor connector on the rear of your O2. Since the O2 only has the one graphics
output, stereoscopic (3D) viewing is not possible. Use the setmon command to change the video
format output (vfo) to standard VGA (640x480 60Hz). Those users not familiar with the setmon
command should contact Silicon Graphics or run a man page on the setmon command for further
details. The setmon command should look something like:
%/usr/gfx/setmon 640x480_60.vfo
Users may connect their O2 monitor to the V6 control box Monitor Output connector via another
VGA cable to view the same image thats seen in the HMD.
INDIGO IMPACT
The standard Indigo Impact does not support a VGA graphics format, only higher resolution
workstation formats like 1280 x 1024 and 1024 x 768. V6 users have the following 3 options to choose
from.
Option 1 - Silicon Graphics offers Impact customers the Impact Channel Option (ICO) which supports
many different graphics formats including VGA (640 x 480 60Hz). Use the setmon command to change
the video format outputs (vfo) of the ICO to the VGA (640x480 60Hz) format found among the list of
available vfos. Those users not familiar with the setmon command should contact Silicon Graphics
or run a man page on the setmon command for further details. The setmon command should look
something like:
%/usr/gfx/setmon 640x480_60_ext