Looking for pre-built IR pens to be used with the Smoothboard?
Your answer is here, IRPensOnline.com.
Each pen is refurbished from a whiteboard marker or highlighter and it is fitted with the Vishay TSAL6400 Infrared LED. For convenience, a single AAA battery is used and can be replaced easily.
They even sell to international customers.
After spending a lot of time for the past few weeks I have corrected several bugs and issues of the previous version. I have greatly modified the user interface to be more user friendly especially for new users.
This version is intended for testing before I release the Wiimote Smoothboard 1.0. Ben will be helping me to prepare the documentations for end-users. Once it is done and I have corrected any major bugs in this version, we will release the version 1.0. 
Due to my tight schedule, I do not have much time now to detail on the changes I have made. I will try to post up some screenshots and instructions soon. Thanks!
Multiple Wiimotes Support - allows the usage of a secondary Wiimote for redundancy
Configurable Screen Area Tracking - calibrate a selected screen area and/or select another display to be used as an interactive whiteboard
Outside Screen Area Toggles
Cursor Control Toolbar - resizable toolbar that allows quick toggles between left click, right click, double click and motion only cursor.
IR Calibration
Integrated Wiimote Presenter 0.2 - allows the control of the computer even when away from the screen
Easy switching between settings files - for Whiteboard Mode and Presenter Mode
Cursor Smoothing - reduces jagged lines when drawing in Whiteboard Mode and Presenter Mode
And More!
Wiimote Smoothboard is developed from Johnny Lee’s Wiimote Whiteboard 0.2 using Brian Peek’s WiimoteLib 1.4. Following suggestions from users of WiimoteProject.com, this application was worked on with the objectives of improving the ease of use and the functionality of the Wiimote Whiteboard. Since version 3.5, I have integrated Jason Smith’s Wiimote Presenter 0.2.
With the Wiimote Smoothboard, I hope that everyone especially teachers and those who do a lot of presentations will find this application useful.
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The Main Window now contains a single drop down list which will enable new users to quickly change between the application settings. Experienced users can share their settings file to new users by copying the Settings folder inside the application directory.Settings files generated through previous versions of the Wiimote Smoothboard and the Wiimote Presenter should be compatible with this application. However, this version consists of several new features.
One of the features that I have included is the ability to use a single trigger to simulate two different set of keys alternately. For example, in PowerPoint, you are able to alternate between the Pen Mode (CTRL+P) and Arrow Mode (CTRL+A) using a single button in Presenter Mode or a single outside click area in Whiteboard Mode.
Wiimote Smoothboard 0.4.5 also allows you to visualize in real-time the IR blobs seen by the primary Wiimote in respect to the calibrated screen area. This will be extremely useful to troubleshoot on the stray IR sources that are detected by the Wiimote.The grey area represents the full view of the Wiimote and the White area shows the calibrated screen area. The Red IR blob is the first IR source seen by the Wiimote.
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By pressing the Show Settings button, the settings will slide out. To prevent confusion only relevant buttons will be shown depending on the current mode. For example in the above screenshot, in Whiteboard Mode there will only be two icons shown; Wiimote and Whiteboard.The Wiimote button will display settings related to the Wiimote such as the Infrared Sensitivity, Multiple Wiimotes, and switching between Primary and Secondary Wiimotes.In Whiteboard Mode, the values are taken by the Primary Wiimote unless the Primary Wiimote does not detect the point while the Secondary Wiimote detects a point. Therefore, the Secondary Wiimote is only for redundancy.
In Presenter Mode, only the Primary Wiimote is used. If you are using two Wiimotes and the Wiimote you are holding is not the Primary Wiimote, you can switch the role of the Wiimotes through the Wiimote tab.
Finally in the Whiteboard and Presenter Mode, the Primary Wiimote is used for the whiteboard tracking and the Secondary Wiimote is used for the Presenter Wiimote.
If you want to change your cursor, you can easily switch between the different designs of cursors that I have provided with the application. However, this will replace your pre-existing cursor. If you have your favourite cursors that you would like to switch to, you can place the .CUR file into the Cursors directory of the application. Please do note that the cursors that I have provided are created by myself and may not look like the original cursors.
I have also included a new Presenter key code, WP90, which will allow you to alternate between two key combinations with each trigger. For convenience, the key codes will be automatically generated through the Key Press Combination Entry. Check the Alternate Key Combination checkbox to activate the alternate mode. The first two combo box will be for the first set of keys. This can be distinguished from the difference in the combo box background color. If you have only one key, you can just leave the second combo box blank.
Similarly for the Outside Screen Toggles, a single area can be assigned to two different key combinations. For example, you can set the F5 key (start presentation) and the ESCAPE key (end presentation) to the same outside screen area.
General Settings File
To create a new settings file, click on File->Create New Settings File. This will prompt you for the filename of the settings file. Please note that you will have to save the settings file in the Settings directory.
Configure all the required settings and please remember to click on Save.
When the application is closed and reopened, it remembers the exact settings that was last used. This will allow you to use the application without actually creating or using the general settings file.
Johnny Lee for his ingenuity in creating Wiimote Whiteboard
Brian Peek for providing the WiimoteLib 1.4
Jason Smith for creating and providing the source codes for the Wiimote Presenter
My girlfriend, Stephanie Foo and my father for supporting me in completing this project
WiimoteProject.com users especially Ben, for their suggestions, and help in testing
Generous donors and volunteers, who have been continuously supporting and testing the Wiimote Smoothboard.
You can support my work on this project by contributing a donation which will certainly help in maintaining the Wiimote Smoothboard and this website. Thanks!
Warning! This version is for testing purposes, use it at your own risk.
ZIP package: Wiimote Smoothboard 0.4.6 Beta
Requires .Net Framework 3.5
Please report any bugs or suggestions by posting a comment here or at the Wiimote Project forum. Thanks!
Multiple Wiimotes Support - allows the usage of a secondary Wiimote for redundancy
Configurable Screen Area Tracking - calibrate a selected screen area and/or select another display to be used as an interactive whiteboard
Outside Screen Area Toggles
Cursor Control Toolbar - resizable toolbar that allows quick toggles between left click, right click, double click and motion only cursor.
IR Calibration
Integrated Wiimote Presenter 0.2 - allows the control of the computer even when away from the screen
Easy switching between settings files - for Whiteboard Mode and Presenter Mode
Cursor Smoothing - reduces jagged lines when drawing in Whiteboard Mode and Presenter Mode
And More!
Wiimote Smoothboard is developed from Johnny Lee’s Wiimote Whiteboard 0.2 using Brian Peek’s WiimoteLib 1.4. Following suggestions from users of WiimoteProject.com, this application was worked on with the objectives of improving the ease of use and the functionality of the Wiimote Whiteboard. In this version, I have integrated Jason Smith’s Wiimote Presenter 0.2.
With the Wiimote Smoothboard, I hope that everyone especially teachers and those who do a lot of presentations will find this application useful.
Johnny Lee for his ingenuity in creating Wiimote Whiteboard
Brian Peek for providing the WiimoteLib 1.4
Jason Smith for creating and providing the source codes for the Wiimote Presenter
My girlfriend, Stephanie Foo, for supporting me in completing this project
WiimoteProject.com users especially Ben, for their suggestions, and help in testing
Generous donors and volunteers, who have been continuously supporting and testing the Wiimote Smoothboard.
You can support my work on this project by contributing a donation which will certainly help in maintaining the Wiimote Smoothboard and this website. Thanks!
Warning! This version is for testing purposes, use it at your own risk.
ZIP package: Wiimote Smooth Board 0.3.5.1 BETA
Requires .Net Framework 3.5
Update 16th August 2008: I have released the Wiimote Smooth Board 0.3.6 BETA.
For the latest versions: http://www.boonjin.com/wp/category/projects
Update 24th July 2008: A bug in the application has caused the repeated simulated key presses in the Presenter Mode. In this update, the issue is resolved. Thanks to jmatson for his feedback regarding to this issue.
Please report any bugs or suggestions by posting a comment here or at the Wiimote Project forum. Thanks!
Please provide your feedback regarding the functionality of the Wiimote Smoothboard. Your responses are greatly appreciated.
With your valuable feedback, the Wiimote Smoothboard will be able to be improved tremendously and ready to be released to everyone.
Multiple Wiimotes Support – allows the usage of a secondary Wiimote for redundancy
i. Secondary Wiimote will be automatically used if the primary Wiimote does not detect the IR source
ii. Primary and secondary Wiimotes can be switched
iii. Primary Wiimote can be used to focus a specific screen area for higher tracking resolution in the area
Partial Screen Area tracking – calibrate a selected screen area
Cursor smoothing – reduces jagged lines when drawing
Outside screen area toggles
i. Simulate mouse clicks - right click and double click
ii. Simulate keyboard key presses - multiple key combinations
iii. Launch or execute any application/file which has a default viewer
iv. Store different settings files to suit different environments when required
IR Calibration
i. Viewable calibration setup to allow easier adjustments for greater tracking utilization
ii. Configurable infrared (IR) sensitivity to allow greater range or improved accuracy
Note: The next time the Wiimote Smooth Board is executed, it will search for two Wiimotes automatically.
Wiimote Smooth Board 0.2’s main window
One Wiimote |
Two Wiimotes |
Advanced Settings - Loads the Advanced Settings window which allows settings for several key features.
Quick Calibration - Calibrates the screen area with respect to the Wiimote’s position. The calibration can also be triggered by pressing the Button A of the Wiimote.
Cursor
Cursor Control - Activates or deactivates the control of the cursor when an IR pen is used.
Smoothing - Enables the cursor’s motion to be more stable by removing jitters. This is done by averaging several past coordinates. The default is 5 points but can be adjusted to your preference. Lesser points will result in more jitters while the more points will result in lesser accuracy and lag in the response time.
Below is an example of the differences that could be seen. This screenshot was produced using Wiimote Whiteboard 0.2 with smoothing.
Battery Level - Displays the battery levels for the Wiimote. If two Wiimotes are connected and the application is set to two Wiimotes, the main window will display the battery levels for both the Wiimotes.
Advanced Settings Window
The Advanced Settings window contains five tabs; IR Tracking, Outside Screen Toggles, Partial Screen Tracking, Multiple Wiimotes and Miscellaneous.
IR Tracking
The IR Tracking window tab allows the modification of the infrared (IR) sensitivity and a calibration guide.
There are 6 IR sensitivity levels that are in built to the application, WiiLevel1 to WiiLevel5 and Maximum. WiiLevel3 is the default sensitivity level that is used in the Nintendo console. In depth information about the IR sensitivity can be found at WiiBrew.
If you have difficulty receiving input from the IR source that may be due to the weak IR source or the distance, you can try to gradually increase the IR sensitivity. However, higher sensitivity levels might allow stray IR sources (sun light, candles) to cause the degradation of accuracy.
On the other hand, if a strong IR sources (such as sun light) is causing the cursor to jump erratically, you can try to reduce the IR sensitivity.
For Wiimote Smooth Board 0.2, the sensitivity settings is only applied to the primary Wiimote. More options will be made available in the future release.
Calibration
One of the useful features of the Wiimote Smooth Board is the calibration area viewer. This allows you to check the current calibration set up (screen area with respect to the Wiimote tracking area). You will be able to quickly gauge the areas that might not be in view of the Wiimote. The calibration viewer within this tab only shows the primary Wiimote’s calibration. To obtain both the Wiimotes calibration views, click on the Multiple Wiimotes tab.
The White Area represents the screen area that is calibrated.
The Black Area represents the tracking area that the Wiimote can cover.
The Grey Area represents the area that cannot be tracked. Therefore, if a part of the calibrated area (White Area), falls on the Grey Area, that portion will not be clickable.
With the calibration area viewer, you can easily adjust the Wiimote’s position to obtain a better tracking utilization (Screen Area divided by Wiimote Tracking Area). After repositioning, you can click on the Calibrate button again to recalibrate the screen area.
Tips: The Black Area is the Wiimote’s ‘view’, while the White Area is the screen which is usually a fixed position. Therefore, shifting the Wiimote’s position is equivalent to the shifting of the Black Area with respect to the White Area.
For example the below screenshot shows the White Area placed at an off-center position and a portion of the White Area is outside the Black Area. Therefore, the bottom left corner of the screen will not be clickable in this configuration.
To correct this, you will have to tilt your Wiimote slightly downwards and rotate the Wiimote to the right.
Outside Screen Toggles Tab
Above is the Outside Screen Toggle tab of the Advanced Settings window. This window allows you to configure the effect of toggles around the screen area. As usually there will be some extra tracking area that is left not utilized around the screen, this application gives you the choice to turn this area into triggers.
Check the “Click Outside Screen to Toggle“ checkbox to activate this feature.
To configure a specific area, click on the required screen area (colored in lavender) in the window or select the area number from the combo box.
Currently there are 3 types of toggles available.
Mouse Click (Right Click or Double Click)- After clicking on the specified area, the configured mouse click will be only triggered on the next click location within the screen.
For example, if you have chose Right Click for a specific area, you will need to click on that area to switch to Right Click mode. Next, you just have to click on anywhere on the screen that you wanted to right click. Then, the application will automatically return to the normal left click mode.
Keyboard Key Press - This option allows a combination of up to 3 virtual keys and 1 character key. More details about the virtual key codes can be found at MSDN Virtual-Key Codes.
There are 3 combo boxes for the 3 virtual keys and a text box for the single character input.
The screenshot shows the right side area numbered as 5 being configured as a key press. It is assigned to a Volume Up key press.
Tips: Select a blank list item if you do not require the extra keys.
This screenshot shows the Click Area 7 to be assigned to a Control+C key combination which is a shortcut key for the copy command.
Load file/application - This final option allows you to launch any file that has an associated default viewer (can be opened directly through Windows Explorer).
Click on Browse File to locate the required file. If you are not looking for an executable file, you should select “All Files | *.*” in the dialog box.
The name of the file can be renamed for your own reference.
Settings File
The application allows you to switch between different settings files to suit different usages. For example, you might need different shortcuts/triggers such as for exploration in Google Earth, presentation with Powerpoint and playing media.
Reload - Resets the configurations to the previously saved settings file.
Save - Saves the current configurations into the same settings file that was used.
Save As - Saves the current configurations into another settings file. This will open a dialog box requesting you to choose the location and the filename where the settings file will be saved. The extension .ini is automatically added by the application.
Load - Allows you to switch to a previously saved settings file. Please ensure that a valid settings file is chosen.
Note: If the program fails to work, this might be due to the syntax errors in the settings file. Therefore, just delete the current settings file that is chosen by the program. The full file path of the settings file chosen can be found in the calibration.dat file. By default, the settings file will be stored in the application’s directory with the filename settings.ini. You can also delete the calibration.dat file which will reset the application’s configurations to the original state.
Examples
I have included several settings files for outside screen toggles to demonstrate this feature and to help you get started. You can reconfigure the shortcuts to your own preference and save as another settings file.
Windows Media Player.ini - Shortcuts for the Windows Media Player 10 are triggered when outside clicks are detected. Allows you to toggle fullscreen, change the volume, open media, play previous/next item, start/pause, and launch Windows Media Player.
General.ini - I have assigned several keyboard shortcuts to suit the general usage in Windows. With the shortcuts, you can start the presentation,go back and forth the slides, right click and Alt+Tab to switch to another window. This is useful when you need show another application during the presentation.
To switch windows, just click and drag the assigned Alt key area to the Tab area and let go. Then, click the Tab area till you reached the desired window and click on the Alt key area again. I have recorded a video demonstrating this feature.
In the multiple Wiimotes mode, a Wiimote will be assigned to be the primary Wiimote and another Wiimote will be the secondary Wiimote. This will allow the application to continuously track the cursor position even though one of the Wiimote’s is blocked.
For example, you can place one Wiimote on the left on the screen and another Wiimote to the right of the screen. This will allow left-handed and right-handed users to control the cursor without repositioning the wiimote.
If all the users are right-handed, I suggest you to place both the Wiimotes on the left side of the screen but at different angles. This will allow both Wiimotes to track the screen area continuously. If someone walks past or accidentally blocks one of the Wiimotes, the cursor control will not be interrupted.
Another way to use the multiple Wiimotes feature is by focusing the primary Wiimote on a specific area of the screen to achieve higher tracking resolution within the area and by using the secondary Wiimote to cover the whole screen to allow interaction with the whole screen. This can be used in conjunction with the Partial Screen Area Tracking feature that will be covered in the next section.
The cursor control will be based on the primary Wiimote’s readings unless the primary Wiimote does not detect the IR source but the secondary Wiimote does. If this happens, the values from the secondary Wiimote will be automatically used by the application. If the calibrations are done accurately, the transition between the two Wiimotes will almost be unnoticeable.
Multiple Wiimotes tab
The Multiple Wiimotes tab allows you to configure the settings for two Wiimotes. By default, the application only selects one Wiimote. To use two Wiimotes, click on Two Wiimotes. After, connecting an additional Wiimote, click Restart Now to restart the application.
The Wiimote Smooth Board will restart and tries to use two connected Wiimotes. The primary Wiimote will be indicated by the the first blue LED on the Wiimote being lighted up. The secondary Wiimote will have the second LED lighted up.
When the application has restarted, the main window will display the battery levels for both the Wiimotes. If only one Wiimote or no Wiimotes can be found, the application will alert the user. For the application to work, the primary Wiimote must be connected. If the secondary Wiimote is found but the primary Wiimote is not found, you can reconfigure the Wiimotes by clicking on Switch Primary and Secondary Wiimotes.
After switching the Wiimotes, the Wiimotes’ LEDs will be refreshed to indicate the new assignments for the Wiimotes.
Calibration for Multiple Wiimotes - To quickly calibrate the Wiimotes, click on Button A of the Wiimote you would like to calibrate and click on the four calibration points. You can reposition and recalibrate the Wiimote if the calibration is not satisfactory. Repeat this step for the other Wiimote.
Note: When the primary and secondary Wiimotes are switched, you will have to recalibrate the Wiimotes.
This feature allows you to specify the screen area you would like to be tracked.
Uses for this feature:
Partial Screen Area tab
Track Partial Screen Area option- To track a specific screen area instead of the whole screen, uncheck this option. The other options will only be activated if the mode is selected.
Note: Outside Screen Toggles will be automatically disabled when this mode is selected. If you still require the outside screen toggles, you can return to the Outside Screen Toggles tab to enable again the feature.
Limit cursor within selected screen area option - This option will determine whether the simulated cursor will be allowed to appear outside the selected area. If you are using this feature just to allow easier calibration for large screens, you can deselect this option. You will still be able to control the whole screen if you have placed the Wiimote sufficiently away from the screen.
Select Screen Area to Track button - click on this button to select the required screen area to track. A semi transparent window will appear on top of your desktop to allow you to easily select the screen area. This can be done by left clicking and dragging the mouse pointer. Once you are satisfied with the selection, let go the mouse click and the application will automatically save the chosen screen coordinates.
The above screenshot shows the selected screen area within the full screen area.
Click here to see the videos that I have created for Wiimote Smooth Board 0.1. Once I have the time, I will create some videos demonstrating the multiple Wiimotes usage and the partial tracking area selection.
Johnny Lee for his ingenuity in creating the Wiimote Whiteboard
Brian Peek for providing the WiimoteLib 1.4
My girlfriend, Stephanie Foo, for supporting me in doing this project
WiimoteProject.com users especially Ben, for their suggestions, and help in testing
Generous donors and volunteers, who have been continuously supporting and testing the Wiimote Smooth Board.
You can support my work on this project by contributing a donation which will certainly help in maintaining the Wiimote Smooth Board and this website. Thanks!
Warning! This version is for testing purposes, use it at your own risk.
RAR package with executable file: Wiimote Smooth Board 0.2 BETA
Update: I have released the Wiimote Smooth Board 0.3.5 BETA with integrated Wiimote Presenter.
For the latest versions: http://www.boonjin.com/wp/category/projects
Please report any bugs or suggestions by posting a comment here or at the Wiimote Project forum. Thanks!
The following videos demonstrate the usage of Wiimote Smooth Board.
This video demonstrates the ease of setting up the Wiimote by the guided calibration using the Wiimote Smooth Board. Most of the time, the complete setup can be done within two calibrations.
This video demonstrates the usage of the Wiimote Smooth Board in Windows and PowerPoint.
The first part shows how to double click, right click, activate On Screen Keyboard, copy and paste.
In PowerPoint, the video shows how to start a slideshow, forward/backward between items, right clicking and also drawing on the screen.
This video demonstrates the use of Wiimote Smooth Board for Windows Media Player through the outside screen toggles feature. In this video, I will show how to launch Windows Media Player, play a media file, change to full screen mode, play next and previous items, and stop playback.
The beginning of this video demonstrates the cursor smoothing effect. The next part shows how to right click using the Toggle Area window.
The first part of this video shows how to change the toggle area settings. The second section shows the usage of the Wiimote Smooth Board with Clipboard Manager 1.2.
Boon Jin | 
10 2nd, 2008| 