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Tracking issue with controllers (Is this normal behaviour?)


MWilliamGoody2303

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I thought I'd join this thread. However puzzling it might get with my story added, I am not using the original Vive, but the Vive Pro Full Kit: Lighthouse 2.0, Vive Controllers 2.0… and yet the issues I am experiencing are the exact same as initially described: the controllers get "dragged" towards either base station when I am turning towards it, and they seem to just float around in my hands when moving around, which completely compromises the tracking precision. This occasionally affects the image in the headset as well (again, a newer version of it, the Vive Pro HMD).

 

It has been a persistent issue since I got the hardware last year. Like again, I've spent quite a bit of time troubleshooting, and carefully tried virtually all of the (potential) solutions decribed in this thread, but to no avail. I'd be ready to work closely with HTC on resolving this issue, it doesn't seem like something users can fix on their own.

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I am shooting you an email with a potentially helpful resource. 

 

If the controllers are "flying" away from you that's almost always indicative of a reflection issue. You can confirm this by generating a SteamVR system report and doing a keyword search for "back-facing".

 

Here's an example of what is outputted when reflections are interfering with tracking: 

Sun Jun 26 2016 23:02:09.676 - lighthouse: LHR-4E9EF709 H: Dropped 312 back-facing hits, 2069 non-clustered hits during the previous tracking session


Aside from reflections, two other things that causes similar behaviors are:

  1. USB bandwidth/controller issues. There isn't enough bandwidth on the USB controller to process the tracking data being piped to the computer via the HMD.
  2. Bluetooth co-channel interference caused by too many bluetooth/WiFi 2.4Ghz devices crowding out the 2.4Ghz spectrum. Basically the controllers can't communciate to the HMD because there is too much 2.4Ghz interference in the RF environment. 
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, thank you so much for your informative reply. This is very helpful in understanding and diagnosing the problem. I immediately took a look at the SteamVR report that I had generated yesterday, and indeed, there is multiple lines with the "back-facing hits".

 

Tue Feb 19 2019 21:45:30.831 - lighthouse: LHR-AF5B20EB C: Dropped 2289 back-facing hits, 4 non-clustered hits during the previous tracking session

Wed Feb 20 2019 00:50:15.841 - lighthouse: LHR-176D1AE4 H: Dropped 363112 back-facing hits, 20 non-clustered hits during the previous tracking session

I cannot say for sure, but the first record might coincide with my "troubleshooting session", when I would try to cover any reflective surfaces in the room that is my play space. I understand that the goal here should be to minimize or possibly eliminate this factor?

I am, however, unsure as to what causes the "dragging" that I am getting in the controllers, when turning to or away from one of the base stations. What worries me is that this particular issue never goes away. This was (and still is) a slightly different thing, and it's been a persistent issue no matter what I did, including covering reflective surfaces.

The USB bandwidth issues and/or wireless interference sound like a solid lead. Here's my take on that:

  1. I tried plugging the Link Box into other USB ports in my PC, both 2.0 and 3.0. Unfortunately, it did not make any difference as regards the tracking issues. I currently have the Link Box plugged to a USB 3.1 SuperSpeed port. Could it still be incompatible with my Vive (Pro) and hinder the tracking?
  2. Aside from my own home WiFi network, I am reading two other strong signal networks over here at the moment, most likely all on the same 2.4 GHz frequency. If this is the case, and they do cause trouble to my Vive, then the question is, would it help to switch the base stations' Bluetooth channels? (I am, however, not aware of any methods to do the same with the headset or the controllers, is there a way to do that?)

Thank you so much again for your help. It's not a simple matter to resolve, but your reply already seemed to have pointed in the right direction.

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