WiiLi.org

[unilever]

Hi, is it possible to use just the button functionality (d-pad, 1 and 2 buttons) of the Wiimote without the Nintendo IR sensor bar or any other home-made one? I would like to use this as a standard BT wireless controller without the motion sensing capabilities on my notebook. Is the button trigger data sent through the Bluetooth or is it sent though the IR like the motion sensing data?

Also if a sensor bar is required for the remote buttons to function properly what's the best solution to make a homebrew ir sensor on a notebook?

[TylerK]

No, no, no.

A sensor bar is only going to be useful for pointing at a specific location on a screen. Without one you're still capable of using all the buttons on the Wiimote, as well as the rotations of the Wiimote. These are all sent via Bluetooth.

[Cha0s]

To clarify, the Wii Remote communicates directly via Bluetooth which does not use infrared or any other method that requires a direct line of sight. The sensor bar just has infrared LEDs on it which the Wii Remote tracks with a camera. This is useful for cursor-driven applications, but it is completely unnecessary for communication. The sensor bar does not receive any data whatsoever from the Wii Remote or the Wii. So you can still obtain information from the extension port, the accelerometer, and the buttons without a sensor bar.
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Cha0s

[cantimatt]

Out of curiosity, is the wiimote IR camera limited to receiving IR LED information? Could it be manipulated in any way for any other purpose?

[TylerK]

What other purpose do you have in mind exactly?

[Snark]

Perhaps sending IR data (can't be done) or maybe getting a clearer image of more than just IR (can't be done either).

[cantimatt]

I didn't have any real purpose in mind, but I guess if it's only programmed to deal with IR data, it's not going to be of any other use.