Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: breakbeam eyes

  1. #1

    breakbeam eyes

    how do break beam eyes work when the bolt passes through the beam? i was thinking about this during American history class and never came to a conclusion.

  2. #2
    ok never thought about that but wouldn't the ball have already fired by the time the bolt passed the beam?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    308*402
    Posts
    200
    Actually, the bolt gets into the beam of the eye before air is released on the ball. I guess it all depends on what marker your talking about, but here is an animation I found awhile back of a timmy...
    http://img117.echo.cx/my.php?image=intimidator7ur.swf


  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Halifax, N.S., Canada
    Posts
    8,039
    Quote Originally Posted by hybridpodtech
    how do break beam eyes work when the bolt passes through the beam? i was thinking about this during American history class and never came to a conclusion.
    The beam being broken before a firing sequence has started will allow the gun to enter the firing sequence. Once the firing sequence has started, who cares. The eyes can also be used to determine if the bolt has returned to its start position before it allows another firing sequence for further protection.
    Except for the Automag in front, its usually the man behind the equipment that counts.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Gothenburg, Sweden
    Posts
    942
    I beleive that the was board has a mode where it looks at the bolt to be able to shoot as fast as possible as soon as the bolt has returned.


    ULE RT Custom

    Red ULE body
    ULT
    Electric Logic vert frame

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    296
    athomas is right. Its all about the software. Before a ball is fed the beam completes the circuit setting the logic high( or low depending on the philosophy) setting a bit to 1. As long as that bit is 1 the firing cycle will not engage. So the bolt can't pass the break beam until something else breaks it. Once the beam is broken by a paintball or whatever the bit goes to 0 and the software will complete one pass of the firing cycle and wait for the bit to go back to 1, empty breech. Then the process repeates. Its pretty simple. and in reality happens many times a second.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Adrian MI
    Posts
    265
    Most of the more advanced board firmaware now includes methods to determine the speed of the bolt as well. Commonly, it's no logner "blocked" and "unblocked", but it's a lot of varibales in between as well.
    This is done by comparing the speed of the voltage difference when the bolt hits forward in conjunction with the time that the small ridge between the front of the bolt and the surface of the paintball is detected. People may underestimate how sensitive eyes can be (especially reflective eyes). Such programming is more difficult to do with beam-break eyes, but on the other hand it doesn't vary too much (like it woudl with a reflective eye placement, angle, power, etc etc).

    More info: http://www.zdspb.com/tech/misc/ace.html
    Andy "Ydna" DuBuc
    Nummech Products & ZDSPB

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Southeast MI
    Posts
    230
    Generally speaking implementing break beam eyes in code is very simple. Some general way it would work

    check if trigger is pulled
    if trigger is pulled, then check if beam is broken
    if beam is broken, engage solenoid for x milliseconds
    go back to start.


    i.e. It will not even care what the status of the beam is until the trigger is pulled...and once the solenoid is engaged it doesn't care. In the example above the software won't even look at the beam status once the solenoid is engaged.
    Automag RT-Pro
    68 Classic
    BE 1999 Rainmaker
    PMI Trracer
    So many guns, So little time.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •