FS5i
More actions
| FS5i | |
|---|---|
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Virtual reality |
| Type | Head-mounted display |
| Developer | Virtual Research |
| Manufacturer | Virtual Research |
| Display | |
| Display | Dual 1" black and white CRTs with color shutters |
| Resolution | 800 line horizontal resolution (600 TV lines) per eye |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 55 degrees diagonal at 100% overlap; 76 degrees at 50% overlap |
| Optics | |
| Optics | Proprietary multi-element plastic asphere design with full A/R and scratch coating |
| IPD Range | 52 mm to 74 mm |
| Audio | |
| Audio | Sennheiser headphones |
| Connectivity | |
| Connectivity | Stereo or mono 60 Hz VGA, RS-170 RGB or 180 Hz field sequential video inputs, with input video pass-through |
| Ports | 26 pin High Density D type connector (HMD cable) |
| Device | |
| Dimensions | 19" x 8" x 6.5" (48 x 20 x 16.5 cm), HMD overall length/width/height |
| Weight | 38 oz (1.07 kg), HMD |
The FS5i is a head-mounted display system created by Virtual Research.[1] It combines the company's FS5 virtual reality headset with a rack-mounted scan converter, so that the headset can be driven directly by standard VGA or RS-170 video sources. According to Virtual Research, the "i" in the name stands for "integrated".[1]
Its displays are two black and white CRTs with color shutters.[1] Each eye has an 800 line horizontal resolution, and the field of view is 55 degrees diagonal with full binocular overlap or 76 degrees with 50% overlap.[1] Virtual Research Systems was based in Santa Clara, California.[2] In 1998 the company described itself as a supplier of head-mounted displays to the professional simulation and training markets.[3]
History
The FS5i is built around the FS5, a CRT-based head-mounted display that Virtual Research said was developed "with one goal in mind: Lower the price of 'High Performance VR'".[4] A March 1996 review of virtual environment interface technology by the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA Paper P-3186) described the FS5 as "recently announced" and gave its price as $19,900.[5] In the report's comparison table of commercially available display devices, the FS5 was the only CRT-based head-mounted display from Virtual Research, listed alongside the company's LCD-based VR4 and VR4000.[5]
The standalone FS5 took video only through its separate control box, which accepted field sequential RS-170 (RGB) signals on BNC connectors and 180 Hz RS-170 (RGB) signals on HDB 15 connectors. Virtual Research described these as "video input connectors for field sequential RS-170 and 180Hz RS-170 RGB for Intergraph customers".[4] To use the headset with graphics sources that produced standard VGA or RS-170 video, Virtual Research sold a separate, optional F-Scan converter, which the IDA report said could drive the HMD "from any mono or stereo VGA or RS-170 video source".[4][5] The FS5i merged these parts: a standard 19" rack mount houses the scan converter, the FS5 control circuitry and the power supplies, which Virtual Research said avoided extra cabling and connection problems.[1]
Virtual Research's website carried an FS5i product page in 1997.[1] By June 1998 the company's products page listed the V8, V6, V8 Binoculars, Cyclops and i-glasses products, and the FS5 and FS5i were no longer on it.[3]
Design and hardware
Display and optics
The headset uses two 1-inch black and white cathode-ray tube (CRT) displays fitted with color shutters. The system takes field sequential input, and all color, brightness and contrast adjustments are made at the control box rather than on the headset.[1] Virtual Research said the FS5's displays are mounted straight ahead rather than at the sides of the head, to improve comfort and reduce packaging weight.[4]
The optics are a proprietary multi-element plastic asphere design with full anti-reflection (A/R) and scratch coating. The optical system was designed for adjustable overlap: users choose between 100% overlap with a 55 degree diagonal field of view and 50% overlap with a 76 degree field of view.[1][4] The interpupillary distance range is 52 mm to 74 mm and eye relief is adjustable from 10 to 30 mm. A rubber lens bumper protects eyeglasses and lenses from contact, and the headset works with both stereoscopic and monoscopic image sources.[1]
The IDA report listed further FS5 figures: adjustable brightness, an adjustable 100:1 contrast ratio and an image plane focus of 5 ft.[5] A 1997 visual displays FAQ from the University of Washington's Human Interface Technology Laboratory gave the FS5's pixel size as 3.3 arc minutes per pixel.[2]
Audio and fit
The headset carries Sennheiser headphones, which rotate above the headband or snap off when not in use.[1] Virtual Research described the FS5's closed-cup earphones as suited to 3D spatialized audio.[4] Top and rear ratchets adjust the fit, the front shell assembly moves forward and back to make room for glasses, and the IPD knobs sit at the sides of the shell.[1]
Scan converter and video inputs
The FS5i accepts stereo or mono 60 Hz VGA, RS-170 RGB or 180 Hz field sequential video. Virtual Research said an input video pass-through removed the need for video splitters.[1] For comparison, the standalone FS5 also had a VR Monitor port that drove an external 180 Hz multisync monitor, available from Virtual Research.[4]
Specifications
The following values are from Virtual Research's archived FS5i product page.[1]
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| Display | Dual 1" black and white CRTs with color shutters |
| Resolution per eye | 800 line horizontal resolution (600 TV lines) |
| Field of view | 55 degrees diagonal at 100% overlap; 76 degrees at 50% overlap |
| Overlap | 100% or 50% |
| Optics | Proprietary multi-element plastic asphere design with full A/R and scratch coating |
| IPD range | 52 mm to 74 mm |
| Eye relief | 10-30 mm, adjustable |
| Video inputs | Stereo or mono 60 Hz VGA, RS-170 RGB or 180 Hz field sequential; input video pass-through |
| Audio | Sennheiser headphones |
| HMD dimensions (L x W x H) | 19" x 8" x 6.5" (48 x 20 x 16.5 cm) |
| HMD weight | 38 oz (1.07 kg) |
| Cable | 13 ft (3.9 m) standard; coax, twisted pair and individual leads; braided copper extended jacket shielding |
| HMD connector | 26 pin High Density D type |
| Base unit | Standard 19" rack mount with scan converter, FS5 control circuitry and power supplies |
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 "Virtual Research Systems FS5 Head Mounted Display (HMD)". Virtual Research Systems (archived by the Wayback Machine). https://web.archive.org/web/19970329120747if_/http://www.virtualresearch.com/fs5i.html. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Toni Emerson (1997-07-18). "Visual Displays FAQ". Human Interface Technology Laboratory, University of Washington. https://www.hitl.washington.edu/scivw/visual-faq.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Virtual Research Systems: Products". Virtual Research Systems (archived by the Wayback Machine). 1998. https://web.archive.org/web/19980610191544/http://virtualresearch.com/products.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 "Virtual Research Systems FS5 Head Mounted Display (HMD)". Virtual Research Systems (archived by the Wayback Machine). https://web.archive.org/web/19970329120623/http://www.virtualresearch.com/fs5.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Christine Youngblut, Rob E. Johnson, Sarah H. Nash, Ruth A. Wienclaw, Craig A. Will (1996-03). "Review of Virtual Environment Interface Technology, section 2.2: Commercial Products". Institute for Defense Analyses, IDA Paper P-3186. https://www.hitl.washington.edu/scivw/scivw-ftp/publications/IDA-pdf/VISUAL2.PDF. Retrieved 2026-09-27.