Grass Monkey & BMS experience
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I’m not that knowledgeable on head tracking, so I’d like to ask if there is anyone who has any experience with Grass Monkey head trackers in BMS and how well they work.
Does it have any peculiarities or should it work the same way a Delanclip does since both use OpenTrack?
Any other experience with their quality, precision, durability and customer support is appreciated.
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@unkindled I use their can shaped Trackclip with my TrackIR5. I like it a lot, maybe a little bulkier than needed, but well done even for 3d printed items and ironically better than TrackIR’s clip. Service was quick with no complaints. Their PS3EYE camera should be the same as everyone else’s. I’m not sure what’s up with their upgraded camera though.
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Hello,
I’m new to BMS and it compelled me to upgrade from Track IR 5 to the Grass Monkey King 240 hz system.
I have used Track IR with mixed results for many years and I upgraded to IR 5 for the 6dof. I have it pretty well dialed in now, and Yassi’s profile really helped. The issue I have is light pollution. Even with the blinds closed my IR was unstable, mind you I was still using the hat clip. I resisted moving to the TrackclipPro because of the wire and the need too always wear head phones.
The appeal of Grass Monkey is the that clip is wireless and it comes with a head band which can be used in place of a head set.
I will report back here on my impressions, but at $129.00 US including delivery it seems a no brainer over Track IR, though I was really tempted to shell out $$$ for the Tobii camera system.
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@Tobruk
There is a setting that can help TrackIR with the light filtration problem:In the TrackIR interface, select the Camera Tab and adjust the “Light Filter Threshold” value. This can help “screen out” outside light and allow the camera to focus on the TrackIR tabs instead.
I must admit, before I saw this TrackIR “hack” here on the forums, I built a removable cardboard sun-blocker for the back of my chair to keep the afternoon sun in the windows behind me from making my TIR go crazy. Since then, adjustment of my TIR camera combined with adjusting this setting have pretty much eliminated that issue for me.
Regards,
Tomcattwo
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@Tomcattwo Thanks Tomcattwo, I just inputted and saved. I have it set at 254.
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@unkindled Okay after about a week of testing the Grass Monkey King (240hz) I can say for me it is definitely a step up beyond my track IR 5.
The best part for me is that the opentrack software if far easier to adjust and fine tune than track IR. I had the Grass Monkey unit tuned and adjusted for both BMS and DCS in a couple of hours of testing.
I also found that when zoomed in to specific instrument panels, the Grass Monkey was far more stable with less shaking. Far less need to freeze the tracking.
My experience may be influenced by the fact that with Track IR 5 I was using the hat clip. With the Grass Monkey unit, i switched to the IR headset. On this point the best feature is that it is wireless and operates on a single AA battery and so it is not too heavy. The absence of a wire tether probably makes it feel lighter despite the battery.
If you were consider track IR 5, I would recommend the Grass Monkey King as cheaper and better alternative.
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@Tobruk just curious since I used my Grass Monkey active dot with my TIR5 for awhile now. I would request that you sometime try the TIR5 with he Grass Monkey active dot for a comparison. I know that the active dot makes a big difference with the TIR.
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@Snake122 By active dot, do you mean the Grass Monkey head set?
I could try that as I have both hooked up.
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@Tobruk yes, the headset is basically the same thing TIR calls an active dot. There is actually a setting of that in the TR software to select from trackclip to active dot.
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Sorry for the delay. So, I tested the Grass monkey IR puck with TIR5 in MSFS 2020. I can report that it works really well. I mainly tested it out because the Grass Monkey was picking up some light pollution.
I would say that TIR 5 works better in sun light than Grass Monkey. However I do find GM to be smoother and more predictable. Of course this could come down to profile settings.
As mentioned I’ve been with TIR for years and I always found the profile settings difficult to dial in.
Conclusion, if you have TIR5 I would highly recommend switching to the Grass Monkey IR puck simply because it is wireless. It also ships with a plastic head piece so that you can use it with or without headphones. The puck detaches with velcro.
If you have your TIR dialed in where you like I would recommend sticking with it and using the puck. However if you find it finicky or if you haven’t purchased a tracking unit, I would recommend the full Grass Monkey King unit. I believe it is also cheaper than TIR5.
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@Tobruk thank you for getting back with me! Agreed that Grass Monkey’s active dot puck is great. I’ve been using it now for almost 2 years now it’s my TIR5. I don’t think his King tracking unit was available when I ordered so I was curious to hear a head to head comparison with active dots which in my experience made a big difference with TIR.
I agree that the puck is quite versatile and great quality and much prefer it over the TIR Active Dot. I actually though wish they made a USB pass through like the TIR dot because I still run wired headsets and it isn’t that big of deal to have a wire and not worry about the battery, especially if I accidentally leave the dot switched on. But having USB rechargeable AAs is still a good solution and better than the TIR overall. Thanks again!