Ok. I put together one and downloaded the program. I'm using my old IBM laptop for something finally. I made up a track piece with the com serial cable, that part was very simple. But the problem is I dont know if the guy at Radioshack gave me the right item for the sensors in the track. He gave me a 276-145a Infrared Phototransistor. Looks like a christmas light bulb only clear. When I got it all mounted and soldered together nothing happens. Anybody have a closeup up this part that I should be using? I doesnt look like the light sensors I played with years ago, and it said infrared on the package. I'm wondering if he gave me the wrong part.JR

PS. Moderators-I may have stuck this in the wrong category,please move it if needed. Thanks.

Hello,
What are you using to trigger the sensor? you can download a program called paraport to see if your printer port is "seeing" the change. I myself am using photo resistors and a home made light bridge

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j44/T-Bird66/ba9e357b.jpg

I'm using the com port on my laptop. I dont have a gantry yet. I'm just setting it up to use the overhead lights. I was going to build the gantry or bridge next. I'm running 2 lane so only 3 wires are needed on the db-9 plug. I checked the wiring and the pinnout is right 1,5,9 pins on the female plug. Negative to the long leg of the sensors.Lane 1 or red lane is pin 1 and lane 2 or white lane is pin 9.

Those sound like the right sensors. I set up the same thing for Laptimer 2000 a few years ago on a friends track:

- Do you have a light source placed over the sensors?
> ambient room light may not work.

- Did you go through the set up tips?
> I remember a setting you need for either reeds, dead switch or IR trigger. (Plus I think there is another setting on the IR sensor option for Normally Open or Normally Closed.)

- Did you position the sensors cleanly in the holes you drilled in your track?
> If they are sunk too low you can have signal problems;

http://planetofspeed.net/slots/IR-LED-sensor-problem.jpg

For an over head light source you can also try RadioShack 276-143c Hi Output Infra-red LED senders for an invisible light source. This is what I use in my starting tower and they have worked great;

http://www.supervipersystems.com/VargoSpeedway/HO_Tech/LEDTower/LEDtowerplugs.jpg

...however I use TrakMate which has a sensor testing program to verify it's working.

-Scott

Thread HiJack! (sorry...)
Scott, that gantry of yours with the F1 type start lamps is so bloody cool!!!
By chance do you have any movies of it in action?

Yep,thats my problem. Not enough light from above. Thanks. Back to the bench.JR