Wii remote spazzing out?

Dance Commander

So, I just bought this Wii yesterday, mounted the sensor bar on top of my monitor (I don't own a TV), and it was working fine. After playing for a while today, it started acting all screwy, even just sitting at the menu the cursor would jump around without me moving, disappear sometimes, etc.
I have no idea what's going on here. I noticed that the sensor bar had gotten a little warm (but not exactly what I'd call hot) from being on top of my monitor, but... I dunno.
Any ideas? I haven't really changed where I'm sitting from before, but it just doesn't work right at all now.

GrimReaper

Have you looked at the battery status to see whether the batteries are low?

I realise you got it just yesterday but it could just be you have naff batteries.

Paul_IQ164

Is there another light source in the room? Has the sun moved so it's shining directly somewhere near the bar? That can cause it to go screwy. Or the batteries in the remote are running out.

Also, you can't say 'spazzing'. That word is very bad in Britain. This post will now have to be hurriedly recalled due to a 'manufacturing defect' and re-released in a few weeks.

Figgy

Have you purchased other remotes? If the spazzing happens with another wii remote, then your problem is within the console or the sensor bar.

Try re-syncing the remotes, and make sure you have no IR lights anywhere in the room.. I've heard on the vine that even halogen lights could interfere.. who knows.

Dance Commander

I only have the one remote, the light hasn't really changed, and the batteries are fine =/ Sometimes I'll just be holding the remote still and the cursor will jump from one side of the screen all the way to the other, it's really bizarre. I'll try resyncing it.

P.S. If I decide to, is it ok to mount the sensor bar upside down?

GrimReaper

Paul_IQ164 wrote: »

Is there another light source in the room? Has the sun moved so it's shining directly somewhere near the bar? That can cause it to go screwy. Or the batteries in the remote are running out.

Also, you can't say 'spazzing'. That word is very bad in Britain. This post will now have to be hurriedly recalled due to a 'manufacturing defect' and re-released in a few weeks.

I think he means scoping out. (obscure?)

Dance Commander

Imagine the cursor having a seizure.

GrimReaper

This may be a stupid question but have you gone into the Wii settings and set the sensor bar position and sensitivity settings?

Zimarooski

That's a weird issue. Is there any cellular interference?

SoaL

The Sensor Bar is just to IR lights, so upside down shouldn't screw it up if you do it. Just make sure it's still horizontal, and not tilted.

Any other significant IR sources that could be screwing it up?



Heyyy, would a TV remote be able to screw it up? Don't they use IR?

GrimReaper

SoaL wrote: »

The Sensor Bar is just to IR lights, so upside down shouldn't screw it up if you do it. Just make sure it's still horizontal, and not tilted.

Any other significant IR sources that could be screwing it up?



Heyyy, would a TV remote be able to screw it up? Don't they use IR?

Remotes only emit in IR when you press the buttons, get a digital camera, point the remote at it and then press buttons on your remote and watch it in the digital camera display. (CCDs in digital cameras also view in greater spectrums than the human eye including infra-red, although cameras do have IR filters they vary in their ability to block infra-red light)

Dance Commander

Well, I went to adjust the sensitivity (although I had done that before, last night, when it was dark) and noticed that there were approximately 8 hojillion blinking lights everywhere. Turning the sensitivity down to 1 got it working again, but I have no idea what those other lights are. There are no sources of IR light anywhere in my room that I'm aware of.

GrimReaper

Dance Commander wrote: »

Well, I went to adjust the sensitivity (although I had done that before, last night, when it was dark) and noticed that there were approximately 8 hojillion blinking lights everywhere. Turning the sensitivity down to 1 got it working again, but I have no idea what those other lights are. There are no sources of IR light anywhere in my room that I'm aware of.

Are you sure?

A lot of light sources do emit in infra-red, the sun, leds (christmas lights on trees for example), remotes etc.

Æthelred

Can't just lights in general make the Wiimote mess up? I remember some reports about them having problems at press showings with really intense lights there.

GrimReaper

Æthelred wrote: »

Can't just lights in general make the Wiimote mess up? I remember some reports about them having problems at press showings with really intense lights there.

The problem with a lot of lights in general is that they don't just magically stop at our visible spectrum, they emit in other spectrums too. Generally normal lights keep roughly to our visible spectrum, but this isn't guaranteed of all light sources.

For example, if memory serves energy efficient light bulbs emit quite a bit in infra-red so a lot of them have a layer that mostly blocks IR light.

Æthelred

Indeed. Basically, don't just think "but I don't have an IR bulb" or anything. :P

jothki

GrimReaper wrote: »

Dance Commander wrote: »

Well, I went to adjust the sensitivity (although I had done that before, last night, when it was dark) and noticed that there were approximately 8 hojillion blinking lights everywhere. Turning the sensitivity down to 1 got it working again, but I have no idea what those other lights are. There are no sources of IR light anywhere in my room that I'm aware of.

Are you sure?

A lot of light sources do emit in infra-red, the sun, leds (christmas lights on trees for example), remotes etc.

If you have a digital camera, some of them will pick up on infrared light as well. Try it with a cell phone camera if you have one.

Do you have any reflective surfaces nearby, as well? Light might be reflecting off of those.

Geod

Do you have lots of glass around your tv? That will cause it to appear multiple times in the sensitivity settings.

ArcSyn

I have this problem (extra IR sources) if I have my entertainment center glass door closed. We have a mirror on the opposite side of the room and the sensor bar lights reflect off it, then off the glass, and produce a double image to the wiimote. It's kinda funny, but I just keep the glass door open and all is well in the world.

The mirror was there before the Wii came out, and my wife isn't too keen on taking it down just so I can get better reception on the wiimotes..

But yes, sometimes the strangest or unexpected things will cause the wiimote to point crazily.

Cervetus

This is exactly what happened to me when I tried to play my Wii in the sun, so you might want to triple check that there's no IR interference.

Improvolone

If he is seeing a hojillion dots, that means there is extra IR sources

Figgy

Cervetus wrote: »

This is exactly what happened to me when I tried to play my Wii in the sun, so you might want to triple check that there's no IR interference.

Why on earth...

Figgy

Dance Commander wrote: »

Well, I went to adjust the sensitivity (although I had done that before, last night, when it was dark) and noticed that there were approximately 8 hojillion blinking lights everywhere. Turning the sensitivity down to 1 got it working again, but I have no idea what those other lights are. There are no sources of IR light anywhere in my room that I'm aware of.

Do you have track lighting?

mausmalone

Dance Commander wrote: »

I only have the one remote, the light hasn't really changed, and the batteries are fine =/ Sometimes I'll just be holding the remote still and the cursor will jump from one side of the screen all the way to the other, it's really bizarre. I'll try resyncing it.

P.S. If I decide to, is it ok to mount the sensor bar upside down?

(a) mounting it upside down is just fine, just make sure it's horizontal.

(b) Make sure the plastic at the top of the remote is clean or else it won't be able to see the sensor bar

(c) go to the sensor bar sensitivity setting in the Wii config to see if there are any other IR sources near the sensor bar screwing things up.

(d) remember that IR sources need not be direct. Most monitors will reflect IR light off their surface... so if there's a bay window right behind you you're SOL. Most heat sources are also IR sources ... so look out for candles, incandescent light bulbs, and any general purpose heaters (like toaster ovens).

Æthelred

Figgy wrote: »

Cervetus wrote: »

This is exactly what happened to me when I tried to play my Wii in the sun, so you might want to triple check that there's no IR interference.

Why on earth...

On a tennis-court? Would be cool.

bruin

I've seen that kind of thing happen when I point from too far away from the sensor bar (maybe like 10-12+ feet). Maybe that's it?

mausmalone

bruin wrote: »

I've seen that kind of thing happen when I point from too far away from the sensor bar (maybe like 10-12+ feet). Maybe that's it?

If you're that far away, you might need to increase the sensitivity to max. Either that or there's some IR sources in your (now wider) FOV.