Hacking the Glasstron for Augmented Reality

(Converting The Sony Glasstron PLM-S700 into a Monocle Display)

The Sony Glasstron PLM-S700 is a dual color 800x600 head mount display. One of it's major selling points is that this head up display has an adjustable amount of occlusion (amount of light that reaches the eye from the display versus the environment). No matter how we adjusted the Glasstron, we could not see the environment sufficiently for indoor wearable use.

In the past, we have used monocle (one-eyed) displays to create the overlay effect desired for augmented reality. Here are instructions that may be used to successfully hack your Sony Glasstron into a monocle display more useful for augmented reality and other around-the-lab experiments. Without further modification, we find that the Sony Glasstron is still too power consumptive for everyday use (~2hrs / 1 NP-F950). However, the Glasstron does feature a proximity sensor on the head-band that controls display and backlight power. Even though the display powers down, the VGA converter, user controls, and base unit cooling fan remain powered up.

The Sony Glasstron PLM-S700 Before Hack
Remove any offending screws from the rear of the Glasstron's display.
Eyeplate Removed
Detach the display from the head mount. Carefully remove the mylar connector by gently pulling the front part of the female connector partially out from the rest without touching the mylar itself. Once the female is extended, the mylar should easily pull out. Remember how you did this for reassembly.
Turn the display so that you can see the front. Be sure not to remove the copper tape unless entering the HMD guts. It shields some very delicate wires that don't need to be modified for this hack.
Next remove the shutter from the eye that you want to see the physical world with. The shutters normally allow the user to adjust the opacity of the display. (The shutters are the thin dark plastic films connected by mylar connectors to the display. These connectors function in the same manner as before.) Remember, you will probably only want to remove one of these and retain the Glasstron's variable control for the occluded eye.
Remove the lens from the non-occluding eye by gently prying it up. It is only held on by soft black glue.
Turn the Glasstron back over as if you are going to look through it. Carefully pry up the beam-splitter. Turn the Glasstron back over so that you are looking at it from the front and pull the beam-splitter out the other side. By the way, don't scratch any of your optics here, you might want them later, and scratching them can significantly reduce your viewing pleasure.

Sliding Out The Front
Re-attach the mylar cable from the head mount to display. Then reassemble and screw down the case.Note that it was not necessary to cut any part of the Glasstron! In fact, the front plastic is useful for protecting the electronics inside.

Now, for the more adventuresome, here are some useful pictures from the guts of our Glasstron. We won't tell you what to do with them yet...
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Bradley A. Singletary
Last modified: Mon Aug 2 08:43:11 EDT 1999