Polhemus Viper
Polhemus Viper is a series of electromagnetic tracking systems from Polhemus. The Viper line includes the Viper 4, Viper 8, and Viper 16. The Viper 4 and Viper 8 are both in the same physical enclosure. The Viper 16 is twice as tall as the Viper 4 or 8.
The Viper series is the top in Polhemus' line of products.
Final assembly is done in the United States.
Viper sensors attach to the SEU using a connector that is the same physical shape as USB-C, but it has different electrical connections.
It is compatible with the Micro Sensor from Polhemus.
Specifications[edit]
- Update rate: Viper 4 is 240hz per sensor. Viper 8 and 16 are 960 hz per sensor.
- Connections: USB and/or RS-422
- Latency: About 1 millisecond at 960hz, about 2 milliseconds at 480hz, and about 3 milliseconds at 240hz.[1]
- The accuracy within a 30 inch radius from TX2 source, when staying perfectly still: 0.015 inches root mean square (RMS) for position, 0.10 degrees RMS orientation.[1]
Viper units can be configured to use electromagnetic eddy current distortion correction, termed by Polhemus as Fly True Technology (FTT).
Software[edit]
The Viper SEUs interface with software based on the Viper Native Command Protocol (VNCP).[2]
Hardware[edit]
Viper SEUs use a 5 volt, 8 amp power supply. The power plug is a barrel plug that measures 5.5mm outer diameter and 2.5mm inner.
The plastic case of the Viper 4 and Viper 8 SEU is a variant of the PolyCase JB-65. The Viper 16 uses a customized version of the JB-65.
Polhemus Viper units are labeled using ISO 15223-1.
The main digital signal processor (DSP) in the Polhemus Viper 4 SEU is an Analog Devices ADSP-21479.
Other chips inside a Viper 4 include:
- 2x Microchip ATSAM4S4B
- 12x Texas Instruments TS3A24159DRCR (Labeled ZWS)
- 12x Texas Instruments TS5A23166DCUR (Labeled AM JZ)
- 12x Analog Devices LT6231 (Labeled LAEU)
- 2x Cirrus Logic CS4344-CZZ (Labeled 344C) - DACs for the transmitter
- 2x AK5536VN 6-Channel Differential 32-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC)
- 2x Winbond 25Q80DVNIG SPI flash memory
- 2x National Semiconductor DS92LV010ATM
- Analog Devices MAX3490 RS-422 transceiver
- Texas Instruments MAX3221E (Labeled MP221EC)
- 4x Analog Devices AD8602DRMZ (Labeled A BD)
- Fairchild 74LCX138BQX
- Texas Instruments ADS1148 VQFN
Patents[edit]
The Viper series is partly described by one or more of the following patents:
- U.S. Patent 5,307,072 (Expired)
- U.S. Patent 6,369,594 (Expired)
- U.S. Patent 6,400,139 (Expired)
- U.S. Patent 6,624,626 (Expired)
- U.S. Patent 6,762,600 (Expired)
- U.S. Patent 7,292,948 (Expired July 18, 2025)[3] - Applies to the Fly True Technology
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Viper Brochure". https://polhemus.com/_assets/img/Viper_Brochure_1.pdf.
- ↑ "jagraterol/Pyper: Control Polhemus Viper via USB with Python". 2022-01-20. https://github.com/jagraterol/Pyper.
- ↑ "Magnetic position and orientation measurement system with eddy current distortion compensation". 2005-04-22. https://patents.google.com/patent/US7292948B2/.