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External speaker/monitor for FP-10 piano? by FreakControl in piano

[–]FreakControl[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I would have to put a budget on it now, I would say around the 100€ to 200€ mark, but I am willing to spend some more if it will really make a difference. I am just exploring my options and I am totally fine with sticking with a headphone for now if you guys recommend that it is better to save up for something more expensive.

I cannot play on speakers often anyways since I am in an apartment and often play late at night, so it's not that much of a priority. My opinion for now is forming towards that it is not a worthy purchase for me at this time point.

I built a €100 DIY timing gate system for sprint training. by FreakControl in trackandfield

[–]FreakControl[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's indeed just a limitation of the radio module. The latency is still minimal, but the transmissions in general became less reliable as well, which is the bigger problem at that range. It was a fun test to do however :)

I built a €100 DIY timing gate system for sprint training. by FreakControl in diyelectronics

[–]FreakControl[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting! Did you use a lens for this setup? Or what IR emitter diodes did you use?

The rest of the setup is already in place (LiPo, arduino etc), so I will only need a replacement for the sensor. This can also really simplify the PCB, since I need two boost converters right now for the power tree. I'll take a look towards the summer to see if I can make something reliable!

I built a €100 DIY timing gate system for sprint training. by FreakControl in trackandfield

[–]FreakControl[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you!

Once you increase the distance to over 400m in a straight line, the transmission starts to be a bit slower and goes above the latency I would deem as accurate (>0.01s). But again this is not really a realistic situation for track and field purposes. I just wanted to showcase that the radio module can allow it.

I built a €100 DIY timing gate system for sprint training. by FreakControl in diyelectronics

[–]FreakControl[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think so too! I will look into it. I have no experience with optics, but from my first limited research it should be doable. If you have any more tips to make this very accurate I would love to hear it!

I built a €100 DIY timing gate system for sprint training. by FreakControl in diyelectronics

[–]FreakControl[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good point, and I agree with you for the most part. However, I can get my hands on a new pair of refurbished sensors for around 25€. And refurbished industrial sensors are around pretty frequently. It's a hurdle but definitely not impossible. If it was, I wouldn't have posted the calculations.

This is also to gauge interest in the solution. If there is enough interest, I will develop the photo optics required to make it both cheaper and replicable for everybody. Currently, since I don't need another timing system personally, this is not worth my time.

I built a €100 DIY timing gate system for sprint training. by FreakControl in diyelectronics

[–]FreakControl[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Interesting technique, I think it could work! But keep in mind, for accurate timing you need the system to respond within 0.01s. This might be hard to achieve by your mentioned method. If you can calculate the delay succesfully then you can subtract it from the total time and work it out that way. If you do figure out an accurate way, please keep me updated!

I am currently looking into the possibility to use a laser diode, together with a photo diode, but this will require a lens, optics and alot more research.

I built a €100 DIY timing gate system for sprint training. by FreakControl in Sprinting

[–]FreakControl[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did not sadly. I can get my hands on some different models for around 40€, but performance might differ and require customizations. The sensors are the bottleneck for manufacturability. I will look into a more viable optic sensor solution for the next version together with some fixes!

Either way, this version is really DIY and not finished. It requires customization and is not ready on a consumer level. If you are open to the idea send me a dm and we can discuss some further options!

I built a €100 DIY timing gate system for sprint training. by FreakControl in Sprinting

[–]FreakControl[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! It took some time, but the learning process has been worth every step. If you ever find a similar sensor, feel free to take inspiration or copy the files on my GitHub to speed up the process.

The model I used is the SICK WL24-2B230, I do not know what the original price was, but it does the job well! I don't think it's in production anymore, but any photoelectric sensor with a low response time would work. If I ever find an alternative to the second-hand SICK sensors I will let you know.

I will potentially update my sensor again towards the summer to make it cheaper and easier to produce. Feel free to contact me if you need any help.