Wearing HP Reverb headset and HGU-55 helmet at the same time

[CptClownfish]

Hi folks,

 

I was wondering if anyone has tried to wear both the HP reverb headset and a Gentex HGU-55 helmet at the same time. The reason is that I’ve fitted a dummy ANVIS night vision goggles kit (the kind usually used by airsoft players and cosplayers) with an arduino to work as an input to turn in-game night vision on/off and I’m now considering mounting options. I’d love to mount it to an HGU-55 (they become available on eBay pretty regularly) but the helmet looks like it fits fairly snuggly (intentionally so of course) and I wonder whether it’s physically possible to wear both the helmet and a VR headset at the same time.

 

Obviously I could just attach the NVG kit to a baseball cap or to some Velcro straps, but having an authentic pilot helmet sitting on the desk when not in use would look so much cooler. Maybe an alternative would be a helicopter helmet such as the HGU-84 as that seems to be much more open at the front.

 

I’m an XL helmet size. If anyone has an XL HGU-55 or 84, I’d appreciate it if you could measure the width of the front opening to see if it would accomodate the width of the VR headset. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

 

- Clownfish

[hansangb]

I take it you don't use a VR HMD now? I looked at some pictures of the helmet and it *might* fit. I think the biggest challenge would be the sides of your eye. It doesn't look like there's a lot of room. But it's hard to tell since I can't find a picture with a real person and the visor up.

[Svsmokey]

Username "Gat app technologies" wears a 55 (with mask) and a Rift flying in DCS on YouTube . I used the search string "helmet+vr+dcs" to find that video again .

[CptClownfish]

Thanks for your interest, Smokey and Hansang. I have a 1st gen Vive, but intend to get a Reverb once HP sorts out the supply issues due to the superior resolution. I'll take a look at the Gat App tech video. I found this "high grade replica" on eBay which might be an alternative:

 

https://www.ebay.com.au/i/223420899888?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-139619-5960-0&mkcid=2&itemid=223420899888&targetid=539012170959&device=c&adtype=pla&googleloc=9071322&poi=&campaignid=1669165661&adgroupid=68573517350&rlsatarget=pla-539012170959&abcId=578876&merchantid=116551715&gclid=CjwKCAjwxrzoBRBBEiwAbtX1n2EGv70ikEQOyWmfOnAK-PEjc4y5Es6-ze4NJDRgardOd8Q3CTayqxoC7DsQAvD_BwE

 

It looks a lot wider at the front, or at least has a lot more padding that can be removed or compressed. It's also a lot cheaper than a genuine HGU. Doesn't look as cool as the genuine article of course, and the remark in the description that: "Even so, some friends may feel that the helmet is too tight. This is a normal phenomenon." is somewhat concerning. Still, might be a decent option B.

[CptClownfish]

Username "Gat app technologies" wears a 55 (with mask) and a Rift flying in DCS on YouTube . I used the search string "helmet+vr+dcs" to find that video again .

 

Thanks for the vid, Svsmokey. So it does indeed look possible, although he definitely struggled a fair bit getting the helmet on. I think after a couple of tries doing that, I’d give up. The main issue seemed to be the headphones. If one were to detach the Reverb headphones and use the helmet’s speakers instead, may not be so troublesome...

[Svsmokey]

Yes , although i would hack headphone speakers in place of the military ones . Mils likely take a lot more power to drive , and their likely low impedance could cause problems for sound cards ( like smoke , i'm thinking ) . The foregoing being (literally) educated guesses , i'd research and/or take with a grain of salt .

[Sandman1330]

You may want to consider comfort. I’ve flown in an HGU-55, and now fly in a 56, and neither are very comfortable for long periods. Just a thought.

[Nodak]

Yes , although i would hack headphone speakers in place of the military ones . Mils likely take a lot more power to drive , and their likely low impedance could cause problems for sound cards ( like smoke , i'm thinking ) . The foregoing being (literally) educated guesses , i'd research and/or take with a grain of salt .

 

 

You'd be wrong, been using my issued David Clarks for years, only swapped the mil plug for a PC. The mic won't work, mainly because it was built for a high noise environment.

[D0rmicum]

For me the Flight Sound adapter worked perfect:

https://flightsounds.com/products/fsx-solo-m-military

There are single and dual versions, Military and civil. Shipping to Europe took three weeks.

[Svsmokey]

You'd be wrong, been using my issued David Clarks for years, only swapped the mil plug for a PC. The mic won't work, mainly because it was built for a high noise environment.

 

For me the Flight Sound adapter worked perfect:

https://flightsounds.com/products/fsx-solo-m-military

There are single and dual versions, Military and civil. Shipping to Europe took three weeks.

 

Interesting...