IR Gates

[Wesley Tucker]

Has anyone successfully mounted Infrared light boxes to a wooden start ramp? As in replacing the tape switches at the transition with a box on both sides of the ramp?

If so, are there any problems with the ramp's juggling, rocking and vibration while the racer comes off the ramp leading to the beam's aim from box to box being broken and closing the circuit too soon?

I'd be interested in hearing what anyone has done to make the IR beams/ramp combination work. With the tape switches there's no difficulty at the ramp. Do the boxes, though, have any particular complications when mounted to a wooden platform?

[Jani Soderhall]

I'm using IR gates (brand: OMRON) with my Trakmate. Usually I use tapeswitches on the starting ramp and IR beams at the end of the course. For pracise we'd use only tapeswitches as they're easier to carry along and install.

Another drawback with the IR gates is that they need independent battery power, so I have to bring along 12V batteries for them. The ones I use takes any current from 12 - 240V.

The price was between 80E - 100E.

/Jani

[Gavin Randall]

does anyone have any experience/instructions on how to make some IR (using security beams or garage beams as the basis) gates to work with a Trakmate?