Wireless Sensor Bar

[Orion]

So, I read this somewhere (I forget where), and I just had to try it. Apparently, you can replace the sensor bar with two lit candles. So, I lit two candles, placed them a foot apart on top of my tv, unplugged the sensor bar, and lo and behold, the remote still worked. Played Wii Sports for awhile, no problems. So, if you have a fancy projector setup or have just busted your sensor bar, the replacement isn't too expensive.

[erm2003]

Did you try it on the main Wii menu? I am curious if this will work all the time. This is what IGN has in their FAQ about the sensor bar.


Q: What is the Wii sensor bar and how does it work?

A: The Wii sensor bar is a tiny bar that is place on or near a user's television. The bar features a 10-foot wire that connects to a sensor bar slot located on the back of the Wii console. Players point the Wii-mote at the sensor bar, which interprets data and transmits it to the Wii console.

The sensor bar is only necessary for applications and games that require pixel perfect accuracy. Examples include the Wii Channel menu system, whose icons are browsed with the Wii-mote pointer, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, whose on-screen targeting reticule is manipulated with the Wii-mote.

In contrast, a game like Excite Truck, which operates using only accelerometer-based pitch and tilt data, could be played without the Wii sensor bar.
Source: http://wii.ign.com/articles/733/733464p8.html

[MANDRAG GANON]

Wow this is wierd.

I'm starting understand why bright sunlight can mess up the sensors though.

Cool find.

Here's a video of people trying it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iW1gKeV3Jc

[Orion]

The only thing the sensor bar does is provide IR sources for the remote to find. The remote then transfers the information to the Wii. The only reason the sensor bar is connected to the console is for power. Thus, any IR sources would work, and they do.

Granted, candles aren't very practical, but it's kinda a neat trick. And if you have a huge entertainment center with a projector and the sensor bar cord is too sort, you could easily build one that runs on batteries with a few parts.

[MottZilla]

You could also adapter your sensor bar giving it whatever current it runs on to make it wireless. It's probably just something like 5VDC.