MT-50 Multitouch Table DIY Building Instructions
TABLE OF CONTENTS MT-50 Multitouch Table DIY Building Instructions – Version 1.2. For comments or questions you can contact us at: info@ideum.com.
ABOUT THE MT-50 & DIY BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS The MT50 is a projection based 50” multitouch table. It is 31” high with casters and meets ADA (American’s with Disabilities Act) standards. The MT50 supports a resolution of 1280x720. Its frame is made of aluminum, the shell is steel, and surface is thick tempered glass. The table is virtually indestructible and is designed for use in busy public spaces. We’ve literally dropped bowling balls on it to test its toughness. Ideum (www.ideum.
Assembling the Aluminum Frame The main frame for the MT-50 is made of Bosch aluminum. The entire kit for the MT-50 can be purchased from our Bosch Supplier in the United States, Pacific Integrated Handling. If you would like to order the kit, please contact Marianne Scarafiotti (or someone in her office) and let them know you’d like the Ideum MT-50(200-05320) kit.
You will need to refer to the drawing and strut diagram to put the frame together. The strut chart will show thickness, length, quantity, and a part letter. Use the part letter and the diagram to figure out which piece goes where. Do not attach the wheel assemblies until you have the bottom panel on. Part F on the diagram needs to be slightly modified so that the wheels can be attached to it properly.
MT-50 Multitouch Table DIY Building Instructions–Version 1.
Installing the Bottom Panel Once the frame is complete, you will want to install the bottom panel. The bottom panel will have 6 120mm fan cutouts, and have cut-outs for 2 boxes; a power box for the incoming 120v power 2x4 handy box), and a cut-out for the Input/Output/Power Switch box (2 gang metal box). To attach the bottom panel to the frame, you will have to orient the panel correctly on the frame. There is one side of the frame that uses Part C (45x45mm strut with a notch cut out).
MT-50 Multitouch Table DIY Building Instructions–Version 1.
To install the fans, you will need the following: 24 M3 12mm screws with locking washers and nuts 6 Silicon Vibration Absorbers 6 120mm plastic fan filter 6 120mm fan To create a good flow of air through the table, 3 fans should be blowing air in, and 3 should be pushing air out. If you were standing on the same side of the frame as Part C (notched cut out on strut) then the fans on your left side should be positioned to blow air up and into the table.
Before attaching the boxes to the strut, some minor electrical work needs to happen with the two 2x4 handy boxes. One of the boxes will be facing downward in the cut out. The second 2x4 handy box will be facing upward. Remove one of the ½” knockouts on each box, and attach a 1/2” Romex connector. Cut about 2 feet of SO cord, and run between the two boxes.
bus, and cause something (usually the tracker) to go crazy, or the system to give you a lovely blue screen error. If you intend on using USB cameras such as the PS3Eye, then additional 1394 cards are not necessary. The form factor of the computer is very small. We would recommend you use the case we have listed (or something very similar) to place the system in. The small form factor is needed to fit a high end system in the table without taking up room that would affect the IR lighting and projected image.
An i7 is not necessary, but at least a quad core of some sort is recommended. 2GB of RAM will work, but a minimum of 4GB is recommended. Hard drive space is at the builder’s discretion. If you plan on having a lot of media, go for large drives. If you are worried about redundancy, double the drives up and set up a RAID. Most tracking software still runs on Windows XP, so that could also be an option for the OS.
Bottom Panel I/O and Power Faceplates There will be two different sized square cutouts with the electrical boxes you installed earlier. The plates and panel mount cables can be ordered from www.datapro.net. The double gang box will be for the I/O connections and the power button. It has the following cut outs: 2x USBA 1x CAT5 2x HDMI 2x 3.5 mm stereo 1x custom circular hole (7/8" diameter) Attach the panel mount cables and the power switch to the plate.
2 gang electrical box. Once you have all of the cables through the box, attach the face plate to the electrical box with the provided screws. The single gang box will be for the main power inlet for the entire system. We use a C14 inlet (same type of plug you’ll find on the back of any computer). This face place can also be ordered through www.datapro.net. This plate has one C14 cut out on it. MT-50 Multitouch Table DIY Building Instructions–Version 1.
Applying Infrared Light Strips There are three rows of high-intensity infrared LEDs in the table on the lighting rig. Each row is wired independently of the others, so if one connection or strip fails, the others will still work. With less infrared illumination, the table will be impaired but will still function. The LED strips that we use come from Environmental Lights. With the lighting setup we show in the diagrams about 2 ½ rolls ended up being used, so you will need to purchase 3 rolls.
wiring easy. We usually just kept the positive side to the outside edge. Check the polarity on the strips by looking for the little + and -. Now that the strips are attached to the rig, you can solder the strip connections. The LED strips have small round pads that can be soldered to. Cut the wire to the correct lengths and silver the ends of the wire. Place a piece of shrink-wrap on the strip before soldering and put a tiny amount of flux on each connection.
Connecting Low Voltage Electrical At this point, you should have the electrical leads from the fans and from the lights routed so that they reach near the computer. Use a 4 square electrical box as a junction point for all of the connections. Route two of the connectors from the computer power supply that have 4 pin Molex connectors on them into the box. Use the Molex connectors to plug in the fans and lighting wires. The fans should have come with 3 pin-to-4 pin adapters.
What we have listed is what we use, and have found to work best for this application. Of course there are always other methods, some much cheaper. We used Spyeglass (www.spyeglass.com) SpyeSmoke film on the MT-50, cut to 34.5” x 53.5”. This film worked best with the short throw projector we used, and had little to no hot spotting.
With the mantle placed in the aluminum frame without the glass, mark precisely where the holes on the inside of the mantle are on the aluminum strut. After you have marked those holes, remove the mantle and place 8mm T-nuts with an M4 hole exactly where you made the marks. To hold the T-Nuts in place, you can wedge some masking tape around the nut. Once the tape is applied and the T-nuts are placed into the aluminum frame, you are ready to place the glass in. This will take 2 or 3 people.
MT-50 Multitouch Table DIY Building Instructions–Version 1.
Installing the Projector The table uses an InFocus IN-1503 short-throw projector. With a projection throw ratio of 0.7:1 (projection distance: image width) it's one of the shortest-throw projectors on the market, and, after testing several different models we've found that this projector has the most predictable optical behavior. You can use a different projector, but you’ll want to make sure it’s a shortthrow projector; otherwise, the image being projected may be quite a bit smaller.
There are 3 holes in the middle of the plate, and 3 holes on the bottom of the projector. Between the plate and the projector, you will want to use ¼” nylon spacers with a non-threaded hole in the middle. Place the spacers over the holes on the projector, and place the plate on top, lining up the holes. Attach with 12mm M4 counter sunk pan head screws. Once you have the plate and projector put together, you will need to attach it to the aluminum struts marked H on the frame diagram.
Installing & Calibrating the Mirror The mirror used in the MT-50 is a first surface mirror. First surface mirrors have no gap between the object and its reflection, because the mirror coating sits on the top of the glass rather than on the rear of the glass. This also prevents ghosting, which occurs when the projector image bounces off the bottom of the glass and back through.
Once the mirror is placed in the frame, two rows of infrared LED strips need to be applied to the frame. These LEDs are wired in one circuit. See the wiring diagram to see how the mirror LED strips are placed and wired. The mirror is connected to the frame by the 4 mirror turrets (Part N). Four 20x20mm gussets will be used to attach the mirror to the turrets, and to be able to make adjustments to the angle of the mirror. The four gussets need to be slightly modified.
Press the menu button, press select on the Basic Picture option, and scroll down to Keystone. Try starting at a keystone of about 54, and then adjust the mirror from there. Installing the Cameras Three PT Grey Firefly MV (Firewire version) cameras are used in the MT50 to track the finger movements on the table surface. The cameras come in a small plastic case with a mount assembly. Before mounting the cameras, they need to be taken apart to install the band pass filter.
There will be a lens mount attached to the board by two screws. Remove the lens mount to reveal a rubber grommet and a small clear lens. You will also see the small CMOS sensor in the middle of the board. This is essentially the ‘lens’ of the camera, so be sure not to allow anything to come into contact with it. Remove the rubber grommet, and take out the clear lens. Replace the clear lens with the band pass filter. Reassemble the camera.
Camera spacing is very important to ensure stitching and may need to be adjusted once the tracking software is installed. See the attached diagram to get an idea of the rough spacing that should be used if using a 3-camera system. The cameras are powered and controlled via FireWire.
has a larger area to monitor, and the outer two share one, ensuring that the camera feed won't exceed the available bandwidth, which can cause the OS to throw a stop code (Blue screen of death) and force the computer to be restarted. The Smart Strip Once all of the systems are put together and hooked up properly, you will want to set up the Smart Strip. On the Smart Strip, there is 1 Control outlet, 2 Always Hot outlets, and 4 Switched outlets.
The Smart Strip has a small control on it that may need to be adjusted from time to time depending on incoming voltage. The Smart Strip switched outlets are controlled by a relay in the strip. When the control device (the computer) is turned on, it activates the relay, which turns on the switched outlets (fan power supply, audio amplifier, and touch overlay.) Occasionally, if there is a slight voltage change, the relay may not turn off or back on. If the switched outlets never turn on: 1.
3. Turn on the device that is on the CONTROL OUTLET. If the SWITCHED OUTLETS turn on, you’re done. Do not force the adjustment dial to turn more than 1 complete turn. The Side Panels The MT-50 shipped with powder coated cold-rolled steel panels. This worked out excellent in busy public areas, as the panels are extremely hard to damage, and easy to clean with the powder coat. Below are the specifications for the side and end panels. We had these custom made locally with a metal fabricator.
MT-50 Multitouch Table DIY Building Instructions–Version 1.
MT-50 Multitouch Table DIY Building Instructions–Version 1.
Tracking Software Once all the systems are up and working, you will need to install some camera based tracking software. On the MT-50, we used NuiTeq’s Snowflake Suite. This software supported three PT Grey cameras and offered an easy way to get the cameras stitched and calibrated. You can download a demo of Snowflake Suite at http://nuiteq.com/ Alternatively, there is an excellent open source project called CCV that NUI Group Community has developed. You can check out CCV at http://ccv.nuigroup.com/.
MT55 PARTS Part Description Part # Qt Link Case Lian Li MicroATX PCV351B 1 Mothe rboard EVGA X58 MicroATX 121-BLE756-TR 1 Video Card EVGA GeForce GTX 470 012-P31470-AR 1 Memo ry Corsair Dominator 6GB(3x2GB) CMP6GX 3M3A160 0C8 1 Proce ssor Intel i7 930 BX80601 930 1 Proce ssor Heatsi nk Zalman 120mm CNPS990 0ALED 1 http://www.newegg.com/Product /Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835 118046 Hard Drive Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB 10,000RPM WD3000 HLFS 2 http://www.newegg.
340012 Intern al Fans Enermax Magma 120mm Projec tor 120m m Fans 120m m Silicon e Damp ener Infocus IN1503 IN1503 SilenX 120mm IXP-7618 Nexus Dampener SA-120 120m m Fan Filter 120m m Fan Grill 80mm Fans 80mm Fan Grill Camer as IR Filters UCMA12 2 1 6 http://www.newegg.com/Product /Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835 214001 http://www.newegg.com/Prod uct/Product.aspx?Item=N82E 16824140094 http://www.newegg.com/Prod uct/Product.aspx?Item=N82E 16835226013 Bottom Panel Fans http://www.newegg.
Camer a Lens Tamron 13FM22I R Firewir e Cable 1' Firewir e Cable 3' 3 Pin Y Fan Conne ctor 3 http://www.bhphotovideo.com /c/product/414234REG/Tamron_13FM22IR_13 FM22IR_1_3_2_2mm_F_1_2 .html Wide angle lens 1 http://www.pacificcable.com/F irewire.htm Cable for Camera 2 http://www.pacificcable.com/F irewire.htm Cable for Camera 6 http://www.newegg.com/Prod uct/Product.aspx?Item=N82E 16812189063&nm_mc=OTCFroogle&cm_mmc=OTCFroogle-_-Cables-_Link+Depot+Corp.
http://www.firstsurfacemirrors. com/ 1/8” Thick 8”x10” First Surface Glass Mirro 1 http://www.lowes.com/pd_709 65-4278232_4294821892_4294937 087_?productId=3129407&Ns =p_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr| 0||p_product_quantity_sold|1 &pl=1¤tURL=/pl_Electr ical%2BBox_4294821892_42 94937087_%3FNs%3Dp_pro duct_prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_pro duct_quantity_sold|1 For splicing low voltage wiring. 1 http://www.lowes.
2 Single Gang Handy Box 12 inches SO Cable Rome x Conne ctor 15Am p Recep tacle Single Gang Recep tacle Cover ½ inch http://www.lowes.com/pd_709 67-4278660_4294821892_4294937 087_?productId=1098497&Ns =p_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr| 0||p_product_quantity_sold|1 &pl=1¤tURL=/pl_Electr ical%2BBox_4294821892_42 94937087_%3FNs%3Dp_pro duct_prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_pro duct_quantity_sold|1 For 120V Receptacle & C14 power inlet. Old power cords, old vacuum cords. Or Lowes/Home Depot.
C14 Power Inlet Furutech FI-10 Gold 15A IEC Chassis Inlet Power Facepl ate Single Gang Stainless w/C14 cutout Double Gang Stainless Input/ Output Facepl ate M4 Screw s M4 Nuts M4 Lock Wash ers M5 Screw s M4 Screw s http://www.revolutionpower.c om/p/Furutech+FI10+Gold+15A+IEC+Chassis+ Inlet/161/ Main Power Inlet see drawings http://www.datapro.net C14 Cutout on Single Gang Stainless plate see drawings http://www.datapro.
3842523561 3842523570 3842992888 3842990720 3842992888 3842992891 3842992891 3842992891 3842992888 3842992888 3842992888 3842992888 3842517243 3842535626 3842992888 3842992888 3842530283 3842523511 3842523528 M4X12SHCSZ 3842530281 3842541230 45x45 gusset with fasteners 45x90 gusset with fasteners 20x20 -/- Len: 584.2mm (23) 30x30 -/- Len: 584.2mm (23) 20x20 -/- Len: 203.2mm (8) 20x40 -/- Len: 801.69mm (31.56) 20x40 -/- Len: 1016mm (40) 20x40 -/- Len: 1282.7mm (50.5) 20x20 -/- Len: 774.7mm (30.
