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Lap timer question

1050 Views 4 Replies 2 Participants Last post by  Mike(^RacerX^), 
M
Greetings folks.....

I'm hoping someone here can help me out.

I've finallly gotten around to dragging all of the track I have been saving for the last few years up from the basement and putting together a nice four lane permanent layout.
So far,so good,all has gone pretty well as a result of all of the great resources on the web.

So I decided to put together a lap counter/timer using the "Lap Timer 2000" software that I downloaded off of the net.
Using parts I bought from Radio Shack,I assembled the sensors for the track using the photo cell method.
Only problem is,I am running Win XP,and I have tried every concievable thing possible,on both my laptop(3 months old),and my desktop.Neither computer will recognize the unit I built. :mad: :mad: :mad:

Anyone else run into this problem,and if so,is there any way around it???

I hooked up a game pad to the computer,and the software did recognize that,but I really want to try the sensor I already built before going back to square one.

Thanks,any and all input would be MUCH appreciated!!!!!!!


Mike
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A
You should contact Gregory directly at http://www.gregorybraun.com/LapTimer.html

I'm sure he can walk you through some troubleshooting steps.
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M
Ok,so I ended up using the game port on my computer rather then the printer port.Works like a charm.

Before it worked like a charm tho,I built the overhead IR LED light gantry.Took FOREVER to get it to work,and was quirky at best.
So I went to the hardware store,picked up a lamp socket and a hose clamp,wired it in over the track sensors,put in one of those long 40w bulbs that you see in displays and wall units,and the thing now works GREAT.I'll build a small box aroiund it,paint it up to look like a booth or something like that,and I'm done!!!!!

So what I;m wondering is this........Why does anyone even bother with the LEDs when doing what I did is 1000 times easier??????
Is there some reason I missed out on somewhere as to why one would use LEDs rather then some sort of light bulb????
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A
People use the IR LEDs because they are smaller and don't have visible light. The down side is that you'll have a more difficult time aiming them and you can't tell if the intensity is adequate or even if they are emitting. I'd bet that if you used high intensity colored LEDs you would have had better luck, but it sounds like you are a'counting just fine with your setup.

Like you said, you could still fashion a hood for your incandescent light and integrate it into a gantry type setup. For some incentive about where you could go with your setup take a look at the "Dupont Monster Bridge" that was installed at Dovor International Speedway this year. The possibilities are endless.

http://www.doverspeedway.com/dmb/what.html
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M
Oh,they were emiting just fine.You can look in the viewfinder of a digital camera or a camcorder to see that.
I saved the board I made,and will eventually swap out the IR's for some colored LED's as you said.For now,we're having too much fun with it as it is.

Thanks for the link to the "Monster Bridge".I'll probably end up doing something exactlly like that.

Mike
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