Here are some useful tips when creating a USB Wii Sensor Bar:

1. I initially tried cutting the USB cables off of old mice. I did not get consistent or good voltage throughput on these cables. I eventually tried a USB type-A to type-B printer cable and it worked perfectly. So, when creating your USB Wii Sensor Bar, save time and avoid complications by starting with a USB printer cable.
2. I used Infrared LED’s which can handle a maximum voltage of 5 volts, so no resistors were required. It saves time and makes the soldering process a lot simpler.
3. I used 4 Infrared LED’s. Two on either end of the bar, spaced 20cm between the LED pairs. It gives you room to stand further from the screen while maintaining cursor accuracy.

After a bit of research and a lot of experimentation, I have perfected the ability to use a Nintendo Wii Remote to control my PC via a home-made infrared sensor bar. Although the Wii Remote will work over a standard Bluetooth link, for cursor accuracy, you need a Sensor Bar. So here is a list of links to what you need to get this set up:

1. How to create a USB Sensor Bar
2. How to pair your Nintendo Wii Remote with your PC
3. WiinRemote – Software to configure and test your remote

Obviously, you will need 1 x Nintendo Wii Remote. It took me a while to get all this right but it works great now! So if you have any questions, I will be happy to help.

It’s incredible what people are doing with WiiFlash. WiiFlash allows you to control your PC and Flash applications with your Nintendo Wiimote. This is made possible with the innovative WiiFlash Server and the WiiFlash ActionScript API. Simply pair your Wiimote and PC via Bluetooth, run WiiFlash Server, click on ‘Control Mouse’ and away you go!

Head over to Johnny Chung Lee’s Wii Projects page and check out what he is doing with the Nintendo Wiimote and Flash. You can also visit the official Wiimote Project page.