If you thought Google Glass was something beyond your capabilities, well you can think again. Adafruit has a Do-It-Yourself design that can turn a pair of display glasses into the coveted Google glass type of form factor. Not only does it clip to the prescription glasses you are using, it can display any type of device that puts out Composite Video such as the Raspberry Pi or RBPi does.
With 3D printed parts you can download free, one pair of these wearable video glasses will cost you only $100. The display uses simple plug-n-play technology to connect to the RBPi. The project uses the NTSC/PAL Video Glasses (1:20) and uses only one-half. The glasses are full-color LCD micro-display presenting a virtual large screen of 52” at 2m distance. With a resolution of 320×240, and a color depth of 24 bits, it has an in-built LiPoly battery rated at 800mAH, which lasts for 4-5 hours. You will also need miniature wireless USB keyboard with touchpad and of course, an RBPi.
Other parts that you will need for this project are a 3D printer to print out the parts, flat pliers, 30AWG Wire Wrap, a pack of heat shrink tubing, a screwdriver set and a composite video cable.
You start with disassembling the Video Glasses. First, remove the nose guard piece. For this, you may have to remove tiny screws – use a small screwdriver. Then, carefully pop the shaded lenses off. There will be more tiny screws behind the lens, remove them and the frame should come off easily. Now, gently pry open the enclosure and use a flat-head screwdriver to separate the two halves. Remove the PCB from its enclosure – use a pair of flat pliers. Also, remove the two video display screens from the enclosure. Holding the eye covers to the magnifying lenses, unscrew the two eyepieces. Now carefully detach one of the displays from the PCB and store away as a backup unit.
You will now have one of the video display units along with the kopin video processing circuit. The power circuit with its USB port and the two audio input jacks should also be present. With disassembly over, it is time to begin the assembly of the project.
Begin by unsoldering the four connections from the power circuit, as you will need to increase the lengths of the wires. Use about 140 mm or 5.6 inches of 30AWG wire to extend the length of the wires. You may need to tin the ends of each wire before soldering them together. Use heat shrink tubing to secure the connections. Disconnect all components before you put them into the enclosure.
3D print the eight pieces design to make the snap-fit enclosure. This will house the components extracted from the Video Glasses. The plastic eyepiece with the magnifying glass goes on top of the eye part. You can reuse the same screws to secure the eyepiece into the eye part. Positioning the eyepiece into the cap part, thread the cable connections through the opening on the side. Similarly, thread the wires through the elbow part and snap it in place. Assemble the rest of the parts following the guide here.
