8K/5K+ - Headset "not tracked" workaround

So I’ve been experiencing the annoying “not tracked” issue with PiTool where everything but the headset is tracked after a reboot or change of user (my girlfriend and I use separate users to allow us to have separate Steam save games) and have found a workaround that, although really annoying, seems to work every single time I get the dreaded “not tracked” issue in PiTool where it’s only the headset that’s not tracked.

Here’s what I do:

  • Delete the contents of C:\ProgramData\pimax\runtime\config\lighthouse (don’t worry - they’ll be recreated automatically when restarting the service in the next steps)
  • Press Ctrl-Alt-Del and choose Task Manager
  • Click on the Services tab
  • Write “pi” or scroll down to find PiServiceLauncher
  • Righ-click PiServiceLauncher and choose Restart
  • Turn on the Vive wands and the headset will be tracked (not sure why that is though)

You can also do this in a .bat or .cmd file if You want to:

del /q /s "C:\ProgramData\pimax\runtime\config\lighthouse\"

rmdir /q /s "C:\ProgramData\pimax\runtime\config\lighthouse"

sc stop PiServiceLauncher && timeout 1 && sc start PiServiceLauncher

You can run the .bat/.cmd file by right-clicking it and choosing “Run as administrator”.

Note: If You run into issues where the headset keeps being disconnected, try unplugging the power plug on the Pimax cable for a few seconds and let the headset reboot before (re)doing the steps above.

Note2: Sometimes it’s enough to just block sight between the headset and the lighthouse(s) momentarily to get tracking working.

EDIT: There’s now an option in PiTool .121 beta for restarting the PiServiceLauncher service:
https://community.openmr.ai/t/pitool-1-0-1-121-beta-test-release-for-brainwarp-1-0/18306

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Great writeup :slight_smile:

You can also improve this a bit by:

  • Creating shortcut to .bat file
  • Right clicking on shortcut and going to Compatibility, “Run as administrator”

Also
sc stop PiServiceLauncher & timeout 1 & sc start PiServiceLauncher

will be a bit more reliable, because it gives service time to stop.

Every time I get no tracking, I just click on this shortcut, and problem solved :slight_smile:

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The && means “execute only if the first command went well” so no need for sleeping… :wink:

Good idea about the shortcut.

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Live and learn, awesome!

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Well done @DrWilken
Weirdest thing I’ve never had any issues with the Pimax headset. I get the “not tracked” sometimes but it starts tracking when I wave the headset in front of the basestation(s)

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I’ve had that too when using my 3rd basestation for seated gaming.

Seems You need to turn it around, 360 degrees, a few times. Weird… :wink:

Before switching user and/or switching playspace (seated/standing) I had no issues either… :upside_down_face:

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@DrWilken: Does Standing vs Roomscale setup in Steam VR make any difference in your experience? I actually didn’t even do setup in SVR yet, because tracking seems to work well.

In my situation I randomly get no base detected at all, waving or no waving - but restart fixes it right away.

BTW: I did a test here and I think timeout might be beneficial after all, because sc returns without waiting for service to stop. Of course, if service is hung, 1 second won’t help and heavier scritping is needed. @mojojojo wrote such a script.

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Does Standing vs Roomscale setup in Steam VR make any difference in your experience? I actually didn’t even do setup in SVR yet, because tracking seems to work well.

Not sure what You mean? I did both of them as I have three basestations, so I have actually run the room setup twice in SteamVR.

First room scale / standing (i started out with 2 basestations) in an adjacent room to where my PC is, and then seated with 1 basestation where my PC is located. SteamVR then remembers which chaperone/play space to use somehow (probably based on basestation IDs)?

When adding the PiTool into the mix though, it seems I have to choose the profile (I saved each chaperone profile in Advanced Settings) when I change between them.

I don’t think I had to do that when I used the Vive but I could be wrong… :smiley:

BTW: I did a test here and I think timeout might be beneficial after all, because sc returns without waiting for service to stop. Of course, if service is hung, 1 second won’t help and heavier scritping is needed. @mojojojo wrote such a script.

I see. I guess sc backgrounds the action or just calls some system function in the background without waiting for it to finish then. I’ll update it :wink:

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Ooh, that’s good news. I’m gonna set a two-room setup (one for sims, one for roomscale) when I’ll get the Pimax basestations. Been wondering how to do that.

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It “just works”… After You switch chaperone profiles… :nerd_face:

Actually what Advanced settings are you talking about? Where?

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In SteamVR menus.

You have to download and install it first and it’ll show up like fpsVR, settings, Vive (VivePort) etc. does inside SteamVR when pressing the menu button.

Specifics regarding the Chaperone page:

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Oh I see, never bothered to install that. Thanks for the info, very helpful :+1::beers:

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It’s a very handy tool… :+1:

You’re welcome… :nerd_face:

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Just thought I’d add a note for powershell users. That’s how my game start script looks like wrt Pimax -

echo “Starting for PiServices…”
Set-Service -Name PiServiceLauncher -StartMode Manual
Start-Service PiServiceLauncher

echo “Waiting for PiServices…”
Start-Sleep -Seconds 5

Game stop script:
Set-Service -Name PiServiceLauncher -StartMode Manual
Stop-Service PiServiceLauncher

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