a new elastic band method to get Googles weight off your neck

[tjcooper]

I have been using the DJI goggles for the last 4 weeks, I am really depressed by the amount of "forward" weight of assembly on my neck. None of my other drone goggles have that problem ( and no, I don't own a pair of FatShark googles). I have made all my own googles for drones, and used special building techniques to take the electronics away from the front of the goggles.

So for DJI, I have put together the following "rebalance mechanism". I have two elastic straps 1.5 inches wide that I mount around the back side of head ring right where the thumb wheel is placed. These two straps come down the back side of the head and go forward onto my chest. Right now I have just taped them to my T-shirt close to my arm-pits. This elastic tension on the back side of the head band causes the weight distribution to be dead center on the middle of my spinal column. This means no "forward" weight from the goggles.

Right now I am working on taking one of my GoPro scuba strap assemblies and adjusting it to accept the elastic straps that come down my chest from the head band. This GoPro assembly is a stretch elastic wide strap configuration that goes over the shoulders and then a second strap goes under the arm pits and around the back. For the normal GoPro, the camera is mounted in the center of the chest along the circular strap that goes under the arm pits. My configuration will be to put new Velcro on the circular strap so that I can join the straps from the headband onto the GoPro circular band. May have to add extension straps so that I can adjust the pull-down tension from the head band straps.

I will try to post pictures when final configuration is done. One of the pluses of this assembly is that when I want to lift up the DJI goggles, there is no restricting the lift upward and the reading-glasses stay on my face without any movement. Another side effect is that the downward pressure on the head band allows my goggles to come straight down on my face so that I clearly see the upper part of the screen. This has always been a problem with the standard mount.......I can never get the top most part of the screen to stay in my FOV. Now I see the whole assembly FOV centered on the centerline of my resting head position.

If anyone has seen other head mount modifications to the DJI goggles, please pass them along so that I can consider a hybrid approach.
tjcooper

 

[Mad Mavic]

My kids laugh at me with just the goggles on, can’t wait to see your photo.

 

[tjcooper]

worked on GoPro scuba mount last night. Turns out I really don't need Velcro to mount the two downward straps. I just wrap them twice around the chest strap. But I think I need an easily adjustable placement of the downward straps so that people can easily change the downward tension on the back of the head strap. Will post a "development" picture of my setup tomorrow night. The really good thing about the scuba strap is that it is a "fast click" connection. And that with the two bands coming down from the head strap that I can turn my head right or left and there is no change in the tension. So it makes head tracking work without a flaw.
tjcooper

 

[tjcooper]

UPDATE: here are the photos of the GoPro configuration along with my 1.5inch elastic straps used on athletic guards (karate shin straps). I found that I needed no Velcro at all. The GoPro chest strap assembly is found on Amazon or eBay for just a couple of dollars. Just wrapping the 1.5inch straps around the headset and again around the chest strap kept them in place. You may need to do an extra "wrap around" to get the tension that is best for you.

This configuration allows the "lift up" feature to happen without any headset adjustment. It also keeps your glasses on if you are wearing them. This "reverse tension" on the head clamp allows the center of the FOV to be positioned in your neutral distance vision position. That way you see the entire FOV inside the goggles without having to "look up".

Please forgive the horrible photo capture. My wife has no clue about backlit objects and framing of the subject. But I think the collection shows everything you need to make your own system. I really appreciate the ability to lift up the goggles and not change anything. You just pull them down and you are exactly where you started.
tjcooper

 

[bonzo]

lol, I have the dji goggles, but I'll buy the Moverios before I harness up like this ;D

 

[colinfowler]

men in sheds making stuff

 

[Mad Mavic]

I got it! tether a bunch of party balloons to the goggles...rainbow colors of course. Heck, while you're at it, grab yourself a lawn chair and some weather balloons; don't forger the BB gun for altitude control. Humm, I wonder if the mavic could pull you around; you wouldn't even need the goggles LOL

 

[Tony56]

I think this was very innovative....
Great work....and solved your problem...
But no need for someone to flame in here....

 

[topilot]

A space alien costume for a party that would win prizes! Nah, I will just keep my DJI Goggles on the way they were designed and live with the weight issue.

 

[tjcooper]

I have had 5 people try the googles in the past few weeks. They first try one Mavic Pro battery with the googles "on the way God intended". Then we put on the harness and flew a second Mavic Pro battery. Every one of them said they would never go back to the first way.....because it hurt their necks too much after 20 minutes.

So it may be ugly, but for a total cost of $15 I don't think there is anything else in 2nd place. It could be made more "stylish" by forgetting the harness and putting suspender straps to go directly to the 1.5inch stretch straps. Then the suspenders would attach to the viewers waist belt......but then I think the "flaming" would be even more brutal.

I have not heard anyone comment on the "I cannot see the top line of the goggles screen". That is the primary reason I made the setup.....I now see the screen full FOV because there is no "tip" of the view screen towards the ground. Has anyone else come up with a solution for that problem? I find it to be a real show stopper.

tjcooper