Gary

My name is Gary, and I’m a long time flight simmer.  My first computer was a 286-12 with 640K ram.  My first flight “sim” was Knights of the Sky, and that was when I got my first joystick.  I’ve had nearly every PC flight sim on a computer at some time.  My current biggest interests are Rise of Flight (older game now, but still great) and FSX/P3D. I like stick-and-rudder combat and GA simulation the best.  I have a small homebuilt generalized GA cockpit that I do my simming in.  My current hardware includes a Warthog hotas, MFG Crosswind pedals, a PFC yoke, and several Saitek flight controls, along with buttons, switches, and rotaries from Desktop Aviator and several Android tablet apps that repeat instruments and a radio stack, and give me a moving map and airport charts. So I am a dedicated flight simmer, probably like you.  I don’t usually write reviews.

This review is of the Grass Monkey Puck used with a Track IR v5. I will outline the problems I’ve personally had with the reflector, and then compare that with my Puck experience.  I conclude the Puck is an excellent investment.

I initially relied on a hat switch and a button on a hotas tied to a “padlock” view for view control.  That worked OK, but when I got a Track IR, that changed everything.  Far more immersive. Many flight procedures (flying a landing pattern and landing, for example) are just plain easier.  If I try a simulated flight without head tracking now, it just isn’t the same.

Ever since getting the Track IR, I’ve used the stock reflector headpiece on a baseball cap.  or the most part, it works very, very well.  But that’s “for the most part”…  There are three weaknesses I found in using the reflector headpiece: reflector geometry, low light performance at night, and daytime light pollution.

1) When you look up wearing a visored ball cap, eventually the visor obstructs one or more reflectors, and that stops the head tracking until the Track IR camera can see the obstructed reflector again.  Something similar happens when you look down.  This means when you are tracking an enemy into the zenith in a dogfight, the head tracking stops when you need it the most.  Similarly, in FSX there are engine controls, flaps, and petrol tank switches that may be mounted on an overhead panel or on the floorboards.  In either case, the head tracking simply stops before I can see the controls I need.  I have to temporarily re-center the view higher or lower than usual to see what I need, and then re-recenter the view to resume normal viewing during flight.  A bit of a pain, but doable and still better than a hat switch.

2) In low light conditions at night, I usually have one lamp lit, off to my right.  That’s due to constraints in the room I fly in.  That means the reflectors work well when I look to the right, but when I look to the left, performance starts to get a little jerky.  Then at some point, the tracking just stops so the range of view travel is restricted in that direction.  A different room set up can help with this some, but I’ve had somewhat jerkier performance in every room I’ve had a simulator in when ambient light levels are low.  That’s just inherent in using reflectors.

3) The Track IR uses IR leds mounted in the camera, which reflect off the OEM headset, back to the camera.  That’s how it keeps track of your head position.  In daytime conditions, I’ve discovered reflective point light sources and ambient light like sunlight streaming through blinds behind me can overwhelm the reflected Track IR leds so the camera loses track of my head orientation.  Glints off silvered coffee pots, bright sunlight, or wall mirrors behind me can overwhelm the Track IR’s ability to see the head mounted reflectors at all.  That results in either stopped head tracking (with your view staying in the direction you were looking last), or in sudden erratic view changes.  In one room I was set up in, I could start a flight with the Track IR working fine, and an hour later, the change in light conditions due to the sun’s movement would cause a sudden view change to my six o’clock.  That view would persist until I paused the simulator and shut down the Track IR completely.  If you are on short final (where it happened a lot), especially in a crosswind, you really want to be looking at the runway, not your six.  Completely spoiled immersiveness…

It didn’t occur to me till recently that switching from a reflector headset to continuously lit IR leds would fix all that.  I started looking for good prices on the OEM Track IR headset clip, which is a wired device.  I didn’t like needing another USB port, since I already need around 15 for all the flight controls, switches, and avionics I have.  While looking for deals on the TIR clip, I ran across the Grass Monkey Puck.  The Puck was a little less than the best deals I could find on the TIR clip, and it was battery operated, so no USB port.  I decided to buy it.

I have a SteelSeries Siberia V3 headset I use most for flight simming.  Using the supplied velcro tape, I put my Puck on the frame of the Siberia, and angled it slightly so the leds are pointed directly at the Track IR camera.  That minimizes problems with centering the Track IR view.  It was easy, and the puck is light so mounting it went very well, and it stays put in use.

(The puck came with a bracket for mounting the optional Grass Monkey IR camera on a monitor.  That initially confused me.  I thought it was for mounting the Puck somehow.  It’s not.  Since I have a Track IR camera, I don’t need it.  There is a supplied headband for the Puck, and that works real well unless you are using headphones.  If you use headphones, skip the extra parts and head for the velcro.  It will work great.)

My initial reaction was that the performance of the Puck with TIR was so smooth and event free that I kept thinking “wow, this is really smooth and positive control.”  I hadn’t realized  the Track IR experience could be improved, and it surprised me how much more I liked it with the Puck.  Mind you, I’m not saying the reflectors aren’t serviceable, it’s simply that in my opinion the Puck flatly outperforms it.

More deliberate testing has shown me the Puck solved all the undesirable problems I had with light conditions or geometry and the reflectors.  I need to spend a couple of moments in the Track IR calibration screen to be sure I’ve positioned the headphones and puck to maximize up and down travel.  (I find I place the headphones on my head pretty consistently.  If I didn’t detach the Puck for storage after use, this step might not be necessary.)  But once I’ve got it set, I can look to either the zenith or the floorboards smoothly and without interruption.  Since the Puck uses continuously lit IR leds, all low light problems are gone.  I haven’t experienced any daytime view switching or locking up from light pollution, either.  It seems to me the whole tracking experience is just plain smoother and seamless.

The Puck’s construction and finish are great, and it looks like it will be durable over the long haul.  It’s also made in America by an American, which I like.  My personal opinion is that if you have sprung for a Track IR, you owe it to yourself to get a Puck to go with it.

I am not affiliated in any way with Grass Monkey, and I paid for the Puck I have.  This review is unsolicited.  When I first tested the Puck, I was so favorably impressed, I contacted Roger about writing a review so I could share my experience with other flight simmers.  Your mileage might vary, but this is my opinion: I really like this thing!