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Upgrading The TPCast To OpenTPCast

Table Of Contents

Overview

This guide provides instructions on how to upgrade a stock TPCast device to OpenTPCast, which replaces the stock TPCast Connection Assistant software with a VirtualHere based solution running on Raspbian Stretch, and enables use of the on-board microphone and auxiliary USB port in the HTC Vive, and on-board microphone in the Oculus Rift.

Disclaimer

This upgrade is performed at your own risk! OpenTPCast and its contributers will not be held responsible for any physical damage, data loss or voided manufacturer warranties incurred due to modification or tampering of your TPCast hardware or software.

This upgrade requires opening up your TPCast power box to remove and flash the internal MicroSD card with an OpenTPCast image. We do not recommend performing this upgrade without backing up the MicroSD card of your TPCast power box to ensure that your TPCast device can be restored back to factory settings in the event of software compatibility issues during or after the upgrade.

To use VirtualHere USB Server, a TPCast-optimized licence key must be purchased ($25 USD) after the upgrade.

Preparation

Hardware

  • Ensure that your TPCast is functioning correctly with the stock router and software before attempting the upgrade.
  • A MicroSD card reader is required to backup and flash images to your MicroSD card on your computer.
  • A small phillips/crossheaded screwdriver is required to open the TPCast power box.
  • Your device may come included with a Class 4 MicroSD card. A Class 10 MicroSD card (4GB or higher in capacity) is recommended to speed up TPCast boot times.

Software

  • Ensure that any TPCast software is not running on your local machine during or after the upgrade.
  • Ensure that you have at least 8GB of free space on your local machine during the upgrade to back up the TPCast MicroSD card.
  • Download and extract (using 7-Zip) the latest OpenTPCast image.
  • Download and install Win32 Disk Imager on your local machine, which will be used to back up and restore images to and from a MicroSD card.
  • Download & install VirtualHere USB Client on your local machine, which will be used to forward USB devices associated with your VR device over your local network. Note that a TPCast-optimized licence key must be purchased to use with VirtualHere USB Server after the upgrade.
    • If you are prompted at any point to install Bonjour, you must install it to ensure that the TPCast can be discovered by VirtualHere USB Client correctly.

Miscellaneous

  • Follow the guide as it is laid out without skipping steps otherwise you may run into issues later.

Installation

Accessing The TPCast Power Box MicroSD Card

Removing the MicroSD card from a TPCast power box

Video:

Video - Removing the MicroSD card from a TPCast power box

  1. Remove the battery, power cable and USB cable from the power box.
  2. Unscrew the 4 screws from the battery facing side of the power box using a Phillips-head/Crosshead screwdriver.
  3. Remove the grated plastic side of the casing by applying pressure inward and upward on the notch at the bottom of the power box.
  4. Locate the MicroSD card near the bottom of the device and slide the card out of its socket with your finger.

Backing Up The Stock TPCast MicroSD Card

Backing up an image with Win32 Disk Imager

  1. Connect the MicroSD card to your computer using a MicroSD card reader.
    • Ignore any warnings about the MicroSD card being corrupt, unreadable or reporting a small partition size - this is normal due to Windows being unable to read Linux partitions natively.
  2. Launch Win32 Disk Imager.
  3. In the Image File field, select a file path and enter a file name that will become your backup image. (e.g. C:/tpcast-backup.img).
  4. Select the MicroSD drive from the Device drop down list.
  5. Click Read to back up the image to your computer. This will produce a file approximately 8GB in size.
  6. Store the backed up file somewhere safe, as it will be required to restore your TPCast back to factory settings in the event of software compatibility issues during or after the upgrade.

Flashing The MicroSD Card With OpenTPCast

Restoring an image with Win32 Disk Imager

  1. Connect the MicroSD card to your computer using a MicroSD card reader.
    • Ignore any warnings about the MicroSD card being corrupt, unreadable or reporting a small partition size - this is normal due to Windows being unable to read Linux partitions natively.
  2. Launch Win32 Disk Imager.
  3. In the Image File field, select the OpenTPCast image that was downloaded and extracted (e.g. C:/opentpcast.img).
  4. Select the MicroSD drive from the Device drop down list.
  5. Click Write to flash the image to your MicroSD card.

Reassembling The TPCast Power Box

  1. Push the MicroSD card back into its socket.
  2. Clip both sides of the plastic casing back together.
  3. Screw the 4 screws back into the device.
  4. Attach the USB cable, power cable and battery.

Configuring VirtualHere For TPCast

Once the TPCast device is listed in VirtualHere USB Client, you can then purchase and apply your VirtualHere USB Server licence key in VirtualHere USB Client. Note That you cannot purchase a licence until you have a serial number which won't appear in Licences until TPCast shows up under USB Hubs.

Purchasing A TPCast VirtualHere Licence

Applying licence to VirtualHere USB Client Note: If you are reflashing a previously upgraded TPCast device and have already purchased a TPCast VirtualHere licence, you do not need to purchase a new licence and can skip this section.

  1. Launch VirtualHere USB Client and wait for the TPCast device to appear under USB Hubs.
  2. Navigate to https://www.virtualhere.com/tpcast_purchase in a web browser.
  3. Select TPCast Licence from the Licence drop down menu.
  4. In VirtualHere USB Client, right click USB Hubs, select Licence... and click Copy to Clipboard.
  5. Switch back to the web browser, and paste the contents of your clipboard into the Paste in here field.
  6. Click Pay with Card to complete the purchase, then check your inbox for a confirmation email containing the TPCast licence.

Applying The TPCast VirtualHere Licence

Applying licence to VirtualHere USB Client

  1. Launch VirtualHere USB Client.
  2. In VirtualHere USB Client, right click on USB Hubs and select Licence....
  3. Select Enter Licence(s) and copy your licence key from the email received following purchase.

Connecting USB Devices

Selecting USB devices in VirtualHere USB Client

In VirtualHere USB Client, expand USB Hubs, expand TPCast, then right click and select Auto-Use Device/Port for each of the following devices:

HTC Vive

  • Lighthouse FPGA RX
  • HTC Vive
  • Watchman Dongle
  • Watchman Dongle
  • USB Audio Device
    • This should be used if available to enable microphone support for older revisions of the HTC Vive.
  • Vive Camera
    • This should only be used when USB Audio Device is not available to enable microphone support for newer revisions of the HTC Vive, and the camera should be disabled in SteamVR settings to avoid stability issues.

Note that the HTC Vive camera is not natively supported in VirtualHere, please refer to the Using The OpenTPCast Camera Service guide for an alternative solution.

Oculus Rift

  • Rift
  • Rift Audio

Launching SteamVR Automatically

To launch SteamVR automatically when the TPCast power box is turned on:

  1. In VirtualHere USB Client, expand USB Hubs, then expand TPCast.
  2. Right click Lighthouse FPGA RX (for HTC Vive) or Rift (for Oculus Rift), select Custom Event Handler... and enter the following command:

onClientAfterBind.$VENDOR_ID$.$PRODUCT_ID$=start steam://rungameid/250820

To stop SteamVR from launching automatically when the TPCast power box is turned on:

  1. In VirtualHere USB Client, expand USB Hubs, then expand TPCast.
  2. Right click Lighthouse FPGA RX (for HTC Vive) or Rift (for Oculus Rift), select Custom Event Handler... and enter the following command:

onClientAfterBind.$VENDOR_ID$.$PRODUCT_ID$=REMOVE

Speeding Up TPCast Device Detection

You can speed up the rate that VirtualHere USB Client scans for devices by right clicking USB Hubs, select Advanced Settings... > Lookup and set Look for new servers every [_] sec to 5, then click Save.

Using Your TPCast After Upgrading

Any installed TPCast software should be left disabled or uninstalled while using VirtualHere USB Client.

  1. Launch VirtualHere USB Client.
  2. Insert the battery into the TPCast power box and wait for it to boot up.
  3. Once the TPCast device shows up in VirtualHere USB Client under USB Hubs, launch SteamVR / Oculus Home if it is not already configured to run automatically.

Once you are done using your TPCast:

  1. Exit SteamVR / Oculus Home.
  2. Exit VirtualHere USB Client.
  3. Remove the battery from the TPCast power box.

Updating OpenTPCast

To update your TPCast to a new OpenTPCast release in future, simply repeat the steps in this upgrade guide, flashing the SD card with the latest OpenTPCast image. Note that you will have to reapply your previously purchased VirtualHere USB Server licence after reflashing the SD card with a new OpenTPCast image.

Updating VirtualHere USB Server

Updating VirtualHere USB Server using OpenTPCast Control Panel To update VirtualHere USB Server, navigate to http://tpcast.local (or http://<tpcast-ip-address>) using a web browser, select VirtualHere USB Server then click Install Latest Version.

Connecting To The TPCast Over SSH

To connect to the TPCast power box to troubleshoot issues or perform further modifications, use the following details:

  • Hostname: tpcast.local
  • Port: 22
  • Username: pi
  • Password: 1qaz2wsx3edc4rfv

Troubleshooting

VirtualHere Issues

VirtualHere USB Client is not detecting the TPCast power box after flashing the image to the MicroSD card.

  • Check the TPCast router's DHCP list while the TPCast power box is turned on to make sure that it is connected to the network, and ping the TPCast power box from your computer to make sure it can be reached.
    • The TPCast router control panel can be accessed from http://192.168.144.1 (CE) or http://192.168.1.1 (PRE) using a web browser and the following credentials:
      • Username: tproot (if prompted)
      • Password: 8427531 (CE) or 12345678 (PRE)
    • Navigate to DHCP Server > DHCP Clients List and look for a client with the host name TPCAST, taking note of the associated IP address.
  • Ensure that you have Bonjour installed and your firewall is not blocking Bonjour or VirtualHere USB Client so that VirtualHere can detect the TPCast power box, otherwise you will have to manually specify the IP address of the TPCast power box in VirtualHere USB Client by right clicking USB Hubs > Specify Hubs... > Add > 192.168.XXX.XXX:7575 > OK.

If the TPCast power box is not showing up in the DHCP client list on the router, the image did not flash to the MicroSD card correctly.

  • Redownload the image, format the MicroSD card and reflash the image.
  • Use a different MicroSD card or MicroSD card reader.

VirtualHere USB Client is no longer detecting the TPCast power box after a Windows Update.

If VirtualHere USB Client is no longer able to detect the power box following a Windows Update, reinstall Bonjour to correct the issue as recent Windows 10 updates have been known to break Bonjour installations.

If the TPCast power box is still not being detected, you can add the IP address of the TPCast power box to VirtualHere USB Client manually:

  • Check the TPCast router's DHCP list while the TPCast power box is turned on to make sure that it is connected to the network, and ping the TPCast power box from your computer to make sure it can be reached.
    • The TPCast router control panel can be accessed from http://192.168.144.1 (CE) or http://192.168.1.1 (PRE) using a web browser and the following credentials:
      • Username: tproot (if prompted)
      • Password: 8427531 (CE) or 12345678 (PRE)
    • Navigate to DHCP Server > DHCP Clients List and look for a client with the host name TPCAST, taking note of the associated IP address.
  • In VirtualHere USB Client, right click USB Hubs > Specify Hubs... > Add > 192.168.XXX.XXX:7575 > OK.

If the TPCast power box is still not being detected by VirtualHere USB Client and does not show up in the router's DHCP client list, reflash the MicroSD card with a new OpenTPCast image.

Tracking Issues

If you experience tracking issues or devices are being dropped in SteamVR / Oculus Home after upgrading, try switching Wi-Fi channels or switching Wi-Fi network mode in your TPCast router.

SteamVR Issues

SteamVR does not detect devices, displays errors or the HMD screen appears black.

  • Reboot your computer and power cycle all devices including the TPCast power box, HDMI transmitter, router and HTC Vive break-out box (if applicable).

Audio Issues

Audio signal frequently drops out.

  • Ensure that HDMI audio is selected as the default audio device in SteamVR. If drop-outs persist, switch Wi-Fi channels in your TPCast router.

Audio signal sounds distorted or crackles.

  • Adjust the sample rate of the audio device in Windows sound settings by going to Control Panel > Sound > Right click HTC-VIVE or Rift Audio > Properties > Advanced > Change Default Format to 44100Hz or 48000Hz depending on which option is already selected.