Step by step guide of how to build the studio
I’ll mention some tips we’ve learned while building two research studios.
Research studio
The first thing to do is work out where you are going to put the studio and the observation room.
Once you’ve decided on where to put the research studio, you can start setting the equipment up.
Desk or table
Start off with the desk or table for the laptop, external monitor, FaceCam and DocCam.
Make sure to make it big enough as 2 people will be sitting at it.
If possible make it height adjustable to give space - e.g. people with mobility needs, or guide-dogs.
The Pearl
NB: I’m going to refer to the Pearl user user guide for a lot of the detail. You can find the user guide in this repo - insert link.
You should try to put it near the desk and seating areas, to keep cables short.
This will also allow you to work out how long extension cables need to be need to be.
Main steps are:
- Set the Pearl up in the Ikea PS Cabinet
- Plug in power
Configuring the Pearl will be covered later.
Testing computer, keyboard, mouse and display
The next thing is to set up the equipment your participants will use.
I won’t go into to detail of how to setup a Macbook, keyboard, mouse and external monitor.
FaceCam (GoPro)
As mentioned in the the equipment description - insert link we use the GoPro camera and skeleton housing. We then use one of the adhesive mounts to stick the camera in place.
We then connected the camera to the GoPro Swivel Mount and the GoPro Curved Flat Adhesive mount to stick the camera to the table once we had positioned it.
This allowed us to change the point of view of the camera, but keep it secure.
Fig XX: Connecting the GoPro camera to cables using the Skeleton housing.
Powering the camera
We used a USB power adapter and cable to power the camera.
Connecting to the Pearl
You connect the GoPro camera to the Pearl using a:
- short HDMI cable
- HDMI Male to Female VGA Adapter Video Converter
- VGA cable.
The length of the cables will depend on the distance between the camera and the Pearl.
Tip: Until you’re sure of the exact position for the FaceCam don’t stick the adhesive mount yet.
DocCam (IPEVO VZ-1)
The next camera to setup is the DocCam. We placed this in-between the Macbook and the external display.
This allowed us to push the DocCam back out of the way until we were going to use it.
Powering the camera
The VZ-1 comes with necessary power cabling.
Connecting to the Pearl
You connect the IPEVO VZ-1 camera to the Pearl using a:
- VGA cable.
The length will depend on the distance between the camera and the Pearl.
Fig XX: Connecting the IPEVO VZ-1 camera to the Pearl
The IPEVO VZ-1 camera can be plugged into a video display (in our example, the Pearl). It is also powered from USB.
The VZ-1 was plugged into one of the Pearl VGA video inputs.
Microphone (Desk microphone)
The desk microphone comes with a self-adhesive stand which can be placed on the desk in front of the display to pick up the participants voice.
Tip: Until you have everything setup, don’t stick the mic to the table.
Powering the microphone
The desk microphone will be powered by plugging it into the Macbook, using a USB cable.
Tip: you may need to purchase a longer USB cable dependin on the distance between the mico and the Macbook.
Connecting to the Pearl
The desk microphone is connected to the Pearl using an stereo cable and audio adapters.
Fig 7:</a> Connecting Samson USB Go Mic to Pearl
Change audio plug size
To change audio jack size (1 above) we used a 6.35mm Gold Stereo Plug to 3.5mm Stereo Socket Adapter, which we bought from Maplin, but are available from lots of other shops.
See figure 7 above.
Split audio into Left and Right
To split the audio from 1 to 2 plugs I used a ProSound Mono 1/4 Inch Jack Female to Twin Mono 1/4 Inch Jack Male Adapter, again from Maplin.
See figure 7 above.
Microphone (Chair mic)
The chair mic is set up in the same way.
Powering the
Again depending on the distance from the Macbook, you’ll need a longer USB cable to connect it to the Macbook - again this will also power the mic.
Connecting to the Pearl
This mic is connected to the Pearl in the same way as the DeskMic