I'm getting ready to hook up the lap counter on my track tomorrow.I'll be using Greg Brauns Lap Timer 200.
On my last track,I built a real slick little circuit board with the infared emmiters.Came out great,but was real quirky and difficult to set up.
The whole thing only worked flawlessly after I put one of those long light bulbs that you would find in a wall untit over it.

So this time,I am going to scratchbuild a light gantry,I want to use regular LEDs rather then the invisible infared ones.
Anyone have a part number for something I could pick up at Radio Shack????? I'm not really up on my LED lingo and couldn't really figure out exactly what to get.

I looked on Greg Brauns site,and didn't really see any mention there of what I might be able to use.

Thanks guys,,,,,,,,,

Mike

Mike click on the pic for a little description of my first setup, it may help.


http://home.comcast.net/~swampergene/slotcars/images/gantry2.jpg (http://home.comcast.net/~swampergene/slotcars/laptimer_woes_and_success.htm)

Thanks again Gene.That points me in a direction.I guess I'll hit the RS here in town first thing tomorrow morning and rummage through the parts drawers.

Interesting reading that page.I ran into a lot of the same problems when I did my first one.Being clever,or at least trying to be in my case,is what I like about this hobby.Seems as tho at any given moment I can be thinking of three or four things I want to do to my track and different ways of doing them.

Nice track!!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbsup:

By the way,when is the next big race??????


Mike

SLOT- ON Big Guy

Thanks Mike. That pic is actually my old Tyco layout that I just took apart. I liked it but a 6' wide setup just got to be a pain, especially for home racing when you gotta be your own marshall.

The RS high-brightness red LED's do great, the forward voltage on them is high so 4 of them run perfect on a 12 volt wall wart with a single 1/4 watt resistor, I even left it on by mistake once for 3 days without a problem. This link (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Bill_Bowden/led.htm)is a great calculator to find your resistor, doesn't get any simpler.

Not sure when the next race will be although we are getting close to our season finale in Maryland. There was talk of one more Jersey race on a new track but I don't know for sure if it will happen before our season is done. I like your idea of just getting together sometime, too...could be fun, in fact I'll be in touch with you later on that. :)

Thanks Gene.I've gotten quite an education in regards to LED'sthe last day or so.I'm going to get up early again tomorrow and hit RS and see if I can'tget the same LEDs you used in your light bridge.

Very productive day today.Got all of the sensors mounted in the track,which isn't as easy as it sounds.Also built a computer out of junk parts to use with the lap counter,and even got a moniter hanging from the ceiling on the far corner of the track.Proper planning goes a LONG way on these little projects.

Gene,please keep me posted.At this point,I will probably get my @$$ handed to me,but I could care less,I just want to race.

Back to the basement to play "beat the clock" with some magnet cars.

Mike