Wii Remote Continued

Today I was able to put an infrared LED into a mini-flashlight and have the Wii remote detect it. I still need to test it on an actual whiteboard since I'm not sure if the LED I am using is powerful enough for the remote's camera to detect from that far away.

Wii Whiteboard Progress...

I was able to convert an LED squeeze flashlight into an infrared LED "pen" that the Wii remote could detect. I have to test it for whiteboard distances, though; the infrared LED might not be powerful enough to be picked up by the Wii remote's camera from a longer distance.

Wii Remote/Wii Whiteboard Hack Continued

Went out to Baynesville Electronics to see if they had an infrared LED flashlight or some infrared LEDs...bought some and some switches and such to try making a pen from scratch. My first attempt did not work but I am going to keep trying. I have also found a 99 cent LED flashlight that I might be able to pull apart fairly easily and swap out the LED with one of the infrared LEDs. I am having fun with the puzzle of trying to build the light pen (it would make a not-too-hard project for some of my more advanced tech kids, actually, so I think I will buy a Wii remote for my classroom if only for that purpose) but if this is going to be a practical solution as a low-cost alternative to the interactive whiteboards or Mimios (which still cost quite a lot more, $600-800 for the most basic model depending on the vendor), I think we will have to look for pre-made pens or for something that is extremely easy to modify without looking clunky like the one I built. Or have kids do it. More to follow...

Wii Remote Hack (Interactive Whiteboard)

I've spent the morning looking at what is needed for using a Wii remote to turn any whiteboard into an interactive whiteboard, as originally described by Johnny Chung Lee. So far, it looks like the basic requirements are:

• a computer with a Bluetooth interface (which will either be built into the computer, as with my MacBookPro, or which will be a USB Bluetooth adapter that would be purchased separately for about $30; see this Amazon link for an example);
• a Wii Remote for $39.99;
• an LED light source; this can be built from scratch for a few dollars, but some people have been using little squeeze LED mini flashlights, which is what I am planning to try;
• (free) software for your computer. I am going to use Mac software called Wiimote Whiteboard. The PC version is available here on Johnny Chung Lee's site;
• a standard LED projector, of which we already have many in the school.

I left my Wii remote at home but I will definitely be working on this by tomorrow!