PSP Heart Rate Monitor changelog

A couple of days back, we reported on a homebrew application called PSP Heart Rate Monitor. Well, homebrew dev Art is back with version 2 of the nifty app.

Just as the name suggests, the application allows your PSP to monitor your heart rate, though you'll be needing a couple of tweaks and some hardware to make the app work. Apparently, the program was started when Art purchased a commercial heart monitor. The dev found that "the signal from the chest transmitter could be picked up with a coil of copper wire connected across the PSP microphone input. I did some testing with Audio Mechanica (another of my PSP programs that deals with audio input), and figured I could detect this signal with a program, and display heart rate, statistics, ect. to the screen."

Anyway, here's the changelog for PSP Heart Rate Monitor version 2:

New method of calculating heart rate with high resolution, and display is updated every heart beat.
Pusshing the Square button better simulates a heart beat, so you can take your heart rate with the program manually by pushing the button in time with your pulse.

Check out the readme that comes with the download. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to scurry over to our forums. Enjoy!

Here's another new application for the PSP that's bound to get some hearts racing. Art has released the PSP Heart Rate Monitor v1, an application that basically turns your PSP into a heart rate monitor, provided you have the necessary equipment.

It takes a bit of technical know-how to get a heart rate monitor connected to the PSP, though Art explains the basic process in his forum post:

As you probably guessed this needs a bit of a hardware hack to get it working, but for anyone who can solder, it's a snap. Just a coil of copper wire connected across the PSP microphone input becomes the antenna for a wireless chest transmitter. The coil must be so close to the transmitter that it's "virtually wired" now.

Despite this, enterprising individuals can actually hack an HRM now with this nifty application. According to the readme (which is basically a must-read for this application), the program was tested on 3.03 OE, but should work on other firmwares as well. In any case, give it a try, and see if you can't get the interface up on your PSPs, at least. In the meantime, you can also view the video below for more information.