DrSakuu's Knowledge Center

I am Dr. Sakuu Cuddles*, a 32-year-old man from Finland. I am a creative and curious person who is always happy to have new experiences․ I love dancing and extreme flexibility! This is where I share my knowledge on pretty much everything. Open the sidebar to see all the chapters.

Social links: https://drsakuu.carrd.co

Table of Contents

Introduction

  1. Project Babble
  2. Programs
  3. Youtube playlists

VRChat

  1. VRChat packages

Health

  1. Food

Philosophy

  1. Philosophy

* Doktor of cuddeology, not a medical professional.

Built using mdBook, hosted on Github Pages.

DrSakuu's Babble Guide

Finished camera and LEDs Full shot

This is how I made my Babble mouth tracking addon for Quest 2. The Official docs feel unfinished/have borken links/missing information hidden in Discord servers, so I wanted to collect all info in one place.

Parts list

About IR safety: IR can be dangerous to your eyes at a certain power level. Even if you only use these LEDs for the mouth, you might reuse same LEDs for eyetracking. It is not recommended to use different emitters unless you know exactly what you are doing as it could result in harm to your eyes.

These are the parts I ordered for my Quest 2. If you have parts that you know can serve the same purpose or can find more affordable alternatives, use them by all means. Try to plan your setup carefully, or just use what you already have.

PartPrice
Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32S3 Sense21.32 €
OV2640 Camera Module 120°6.35 €
2x XINGLIGHT XL-3216HIRC-850 surface mount IR LED3.57 €
~68R Resistor/Resistor kit7.38 €
Red/black wires1.22 €
3D printed mount for your headset and mount for the board and arm to connect them2.91 € from JLC3DP
Nuts and bolts5.99 €
Power source: Power bank/USB hub/Index Frunk/USB cables~30 €
Total: Final price will depend on availability/shipping/taxes~80 €

Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32S3 Sense

Seeed Studio XIAO Sense

If you know a better/cheaper board, you can use that. Make sure you have firmware and a mount for it though.

OV2640 Camera Module 120°

OV2640 Camera Module 120°

XIAO Sense Board includes a camera, but it is 69°. 120° is perfect for my headset and mount. Make sure the camera lens fits in your mount.

XINGLIGHT XL-3216HIRC-850 surface mount IR LED

XINGLIGHT XL-3216HIRC-850 surface mount IR LED

I used two LEDs. 5mm throughhole LEDs are focused and have a narrow FOV, you need to sand their lenses if you want to use them. This is why surface mount LEDs are better, even if they're more difficult to solder.

68R Resistor/Resistor kit

Resistor kit

A ~68R resistor is recommended as per the Babble guide. The resistor is required to protect the LEDs from overcurrent, it doesn't need to be exact but should be above 60R.

Red/black wires

Wires

Pay attention to the wire gauge, it needs to be very thin for the small components. Babble guide recommends 0.16 mm2/34 AWG, I got 0.25 mm2/24 AWG wire.

Mount

Mounted camera

Right now, the mounts are transitioning to M5 bolts, so the parts might not fit together. Modify the files or ask drsakuu on Discord to do it for you. I made my own mount for the Quest 2, because the tabs are too big to fit in the vent slit on the official model. Double check the holes and the dimensions so that the parts fit together. Refer to bolt clearance hole tables to plan the holes. The board runs so hot that it has warped my PLA mount, consider using something more resilient.

Nuts and bolts

M4x20 bolt and nut

Triple check the holes and the width of the mount to get the right size. New official mounts use M5 bolts, for my mount I used M4x20mm bolts.

Power source

I use a 10Ah powerbank with a 4-port USB hub so I can also power my eyetracking. The USB hub advertised PD 65W passthrough, but it didn't work for me. Also I've had bad experiences with powerbanks from AliExpress, so I don't want to link a specific one. I'm not sure if 10Ah is oversized or not.

Tools list

ToolTask
PliersTo soften the glue on the lens screw, to cut the wire and to turn the small bolts.
Soldering stationTo solder the LEDs and resistor to ESP 3V3/GND. It's good to have a soldering iron holder, desolder tape and a soldering mat in addition to the soldering iron and solder wire. Check your local area for workshops if you don't want to buy your own.
KnifeTo strip the wire (trim the rubber) and to break the IR filter on the camera.
Small tweezersTo handle the surface mount LEDs and to pick out the IR filter on the camera.
3D PrinterTo print the mounts. I had a free 3D printer at the library, if you don't have one then it's probably cheaper to order prints online.
File/sandpaperTo finish the 3D prints if you print them yourself.
Tape/glueTo attach the mount or the LEDs more securely.
Heat shrink tubeTo protect the soldered contacts if you don't want them to be exposed.

Assembly guide

Board

Attach the camera hat to the ESP board and attach the antenna if you use Wi-Fi. EyetrackVR has picture guide on this. Attach the heatsink (after soldering the LEDs) if your board includes it and your mount has an opening for it. Finally flash with the EyeTrackVR Firmware Flashing Tool. Right now the firmware has freezing issues, but they're working on it. Connect it to power and open its IP in your browser to test it. If you forgot to set a custom address for the board, check the board's IP from your router's device list.

Camera

Remove the IR filter, it is a piece of glass on the backside of the lens that has multicolor reflections. Try to use just your fingers first to unscrew the lens, but if the glue is too strong, gently squeeze the base with pliers. Depending on the lens model, you might be able to lift the IR filter without breaking it. EyetrackVR has video guide on this. Then swap the camera on the board with your custom one, being careful with the ribbon cable.

Lighting

Check LED Calculator for the wiring diagram. A low temperature solder is recommended for surface mount components, but I didn't break the LEDs (somehow). I cut and strip the wires to length as I'm soldering, but you can plan ahead if you have more patience.

One wire and LED soldered

Solder a red wire to ESP 3V3, then one LED, then another red wire and another LED, then the ~68R resitor and finally a black wire back to ESP GND. Make sure you solder the LEDs the right way round, on the surface mount LEDs the arrow on the bottom points to positive side, and on top there is a colored square on the positive side. Consider attaching the wires to the mount with double sided tape or glue if the soldering is fragile.

Mount

Board in the mount

I had to use a file on the tabs that attach to Quest 2 because they printed too thick for the vent slit. Put the camera board in the mount and assemble it together with the bolts. Attach the mount to your headset depending on the model, optionally using double sided tape.

Software

In VRCFaceTracking, install the VRCFT-Babble module and set the program to start with SteamVR. For Babble, you can use VRCX to autostart it with VRChat (Settings - Advanced - App Launcher).

Project Babble calibration

VRCFaceTracking and Babble have a calibration feature, but I can't do some mouth shapes with them. I disable VRCFaceTracking calibration and edit the Babble calibration values manually in the Calibration tab. This might change as the programs are constantly being updated.

Your avatar needs a facetracking prefab, BOOTHPLORER has a list of them, or you can search for VRCFT or FT or Face Tracking in Prismic's Avatar Search.

Contact

Feel free to message me your questions/feedback/success stories pls I feel lonely. Please state your purpose in a concise message, don't say just "Hello", don't ask to ask, state your actual problem.

Doktor's favorite programs

Youtube playlists

Doktor's VRC packages

Food

Total: 2580 kcal for 32-year-old 62kg very active man.

10am Breakfast

1000 Breakfast

FoodMass (g)Energy (kcal)
Wheat Tortilla63191
Pork And Beef, Canned80202
Egg, Boiled5574
Cucumber405
Garden Lettuce405
Hemp Seed, Whole523
Olive Oil14120
Cocoa, Hot Chocolate, Low-Fat Milk, Unsweetened250138
Muesli, No Added Sugar40141
Oat Drink Without Milk, Average Of Industrial Products15068
Carrot3511
Total976

12pm Lunch

1200 Lunch

FoodMass (g)Energy (kcal)
Chicken Mince, Fried100236
Sweet Potato, Without Skin, Boiled, Without Salt10081
Cauliflower, Boiled Without Salt5012
Cucumber809
Hemp Seed, Whole1045
Olive Oil27239
Broccoli, Boiled Without Salt259
Apple, Domestic, With Skin18565
Carrot3511
Tomato7517
Nut Mix, Without Salt20127
Total852

4pm Dinner

1600 Dinner

FoodMass (g)Energy (kcal)
Crispbread, Multigrain, Sesame Seeds, Vaasan Pieni Pyöreä2898
Margarine 60%, Keiju Alentaja1474
Egg, Boiled5574
Cucumber809
Cheese, Oltermanni Rypsi, Rapseed Oil, 24% Fat1651
Garden Lettuce405
4-Grain Flakes2584
Water, Tap Water1000
Oat Drink Without Milk, Average Of Industrial Products10045
Blueberry6037
Strawberry6027
Raspberry6029
Carrot3511
Tomato7517
Apple, Domestic, With Skin18565
Nut Mix, Without Salt20127
Total752

Fineli

Fineli Energy Proportion

Fineli Nutrition Recommendation

Philosophy

Consciousness

We are all part of the same universe, but why do I only see things through my own eyes? In the beginning, there were only stones and plants that have no consciousness. Then came animals that have consciousness, and finally humans who are able to contemplate what consciousness is. Is it so that there is only one consciousness in the universe, but it is divided among beings? In us humans, consciousness is constantly growing apart. Consciousness is constantly reaching a higher and higher level. When people sleep, they give their consciousness for others to use so that they can achieve a greater consciousness. If you stay awake for too long, you will have memory problems and go crazy.

In psychosis, consciousness takes a leap to a higher level, and you can easily go crazy if you don't hold on to mundane things. Humor and memes help us maintain our sanity. In psychosis, you start to believe that you can change things with the power of thought, the order of cause and effect is reversed, and you feel like you are in a time loop from which you can only escape by trying something new that you are afraid of.

Why do people sleep? People strive for lucid dreaming where all dreams come true, but balance is important; it's easy to fear that your worst fears will come true. You have to be happy with this moment because it is the only thing that exists. If you are afraid, then your worst fears will come true. If you are happy, it will spread to others.

The Trip

We are all on The Trip from birth to death, Big Bang to Heat Death of the Universe. Some people want to live fast and die young, some want to live slow and die whenever. Some people choose to be reincarnated as medieval peasants to see what it would feel like. You will be reincarnated as all your doctors and caretakers, your friends and enemies, so you should take good care of them too. The Universe lives for the longest time. You decide who you take along on your Trip.

Further reading