When we first moved into our new office at the Birmingham Innovation Centre, we were delighted to have an uncluttered room that was ideal for proper VR testing.

 

To begin with, we used light stands to position the base stations of our HTC Vive. However, they quickly got in our way and reduced the playable area we could use.

 

This led us to a logical solution: why don’t we mount the base stations on the walls?

 

If you wish to mount your own base stations, please read on before you start any drilling…

 

The HTC Vive comes with a mounting kit, so we figured out that we were all set to go: all the parts we needed were right there!

 

We drilled holes for the wall plugs and inserted the first wall plug. That went very well.

 

Inserting a screw, however, was a little more difficult.

 

As we struggled to get the screw to catch, the wall plug just pushed through the hole and fell into the wall cavity! What?!!!

 

Mike grabbed one of the wall plugs out of the bag and tried to put a screw into it. It wouldn’t go.  He could not get the screw to get any kind of hold on the plastic. It was completely solid plastic inside.

 

Apparently, these are heavy-duty masonry wall-plugs. They are totally useless for plasterboard.

 

So, with a hole in the wall and the base stations reunited with the light stands, the only way forward was a trip to the hardware store!

 

A day or two later, we brought in some new wonderful plastic wall-plugs designed specifically for plasterboard. Yes! Nothing can stop us now, right?!

 

Until we tried to put them into the wall. We inserted the new plasterboard wall-plugs into holes that were drilled earlier, even though they were supposed to be able to go in without drilling. The wall-plugs just twisted and started to break down. They were NOT going into that wall.

 

They just aren’t sturdy enough.

 

Back to the hardware store…

 

This time, we purchased metal wall-plugs. These went into the wall fine and we were able to mount the base stations!  Success! Yes!

They are mounted, but the saga is not over.

 

Unfortunately, the wall mount won’t allow the base stations to turn so that they can pick up the play area close to the wall they are mounted upon. We may have to remount one of the base stations, so that it’s on the other wall in that corner.

 

But we’re making progress…