12 volt lights for a Chrony?

[Siskiyou]

Recently I had to stop testing ammunition because the afternoon Sun had passed and the evening shadows from nearby timber made my Chrony stop generating data.  I believe that I could have continued testing for another hour if I had the proper artificial light source.

                     
I will be looking at 12-volt automotive fixtures and proper bulbs to mount on homemade diffusers.  If this works I can have a longer shooting day at the high elevation shooting location and should be able to use the Chrony at another location that is shaded during the day.  Chrony provides information on their WebPages for 115-volt system.  I can my Deep Cycle 12-volt trolling motor battery as a power source.
 
 If anybody has setup a 12-volt system to use with the Chrony I would like to hear about it.  The Chrony page recommends using frosted light bulbs in its 115-volt system.  I do not recall seeing frosted 12-volt bulbs.  Will clear bulbs work, what about orange bulbs?

While I have owned the Chrony for years I am not an expert in its use.  Lighting has been an issue a few times in the past.  Hopefully I can over come this issue and extend my shooting day by an hour or more.

[d_hiker]

I believe I have seen 12 volt frosted light bulbs that have the standard screw in base at Wal-Mart in the automotive section where they have the RV stuff.  Also, you might look at some of the 12 volt fluorescent trouble lights that plug into the cigarette lighter socket.  I had one for years and it has a very low battery drain.  I have also seen lights in the fishing/boats section.  I don't have a Chrony nor have I used one.  But it is on the proverbial wish list.

[Siskiyou]

Chrony has identified a problem with fluorescent lights because they flicker and upset the sensors.  I have a very good fluorescent 12volt trouble light that I was thinking of using, but that is out now.  I like your idea of checking Wal Mart automotive, and thought I might check a couple of RV shops.

Do you know of any low price source for 12v IR light fixtures? 

I did some checking and Chrony is now selling a very pricey 12v IR light set.  I think I can beat their price.

[d_hiker]

I have seen some IR light sources run on batteries for security cameras so they "see" in the dark.  Several electronic parts places have them for various prices depending on the range you need illuminated.  But I would look under the security camera area.  I'll take a look this weekend and see if I can find some places.

I didn't know if the fluorescent lights would flicker when run on DC, but then they probably use a step-up transformer to get the higher voltages.  Depending on how long you are going to use the light source, you could use an inverter hooked to your battery to get 120VAC, it isn't an efficient method, but it would work.  Or, you could just solder a couple of wires to a headlight and point it the direction you need.  We did that for makeshift spot lights for a skit in scouts a long time ago.

[Siskiyou]

My goal is to keep this project simple, cost efficient, and provide adequate light for the Chrony to function the last hour of shooting light when the sky turns gray.

I keep going back to the Chrony manual and reviewing the role the white plastic diffusers play.  Their purpose is to simulate clouds on bright days.  If that assumption is correct I should be able to use a number of different materials to mount a light fixture on to replace the diffusers.  My thoughts are to use 16 inch or long wire rods to support the fixtures.  The light produced by the fixture should overlap allowing the unit to get a good reading on the bullet. 

I stopped at a Radio Shack yesterday and looked at some different bulbs.  My short fall is that I have no clue on how many IR bulbs I would need to be effective on each fixture, and I would have to manufacture a fixture.   There was not a “viewing tool” so that I could determine if each fixture need, 2, 3, 5 or more bulbs.  The clerk suggested a small florescent fixture, which I discarded because of the Chrony recommendation against florescent lighting.

The next time I get to town I believe I will buy a couple of 12v LED clearance light fixtures.  I am thinking about a model that has two bulbs with a red lens.  If the unit does not work with the red lens on it, I will remove the lens and have a white light. 

I can power the light fixtures using a 4-wire trailer light cord, and hook it directly to a deep cycle battery, or I could plug it into the outlet for my trailer lights on the pickup.  There are a number of other power source options.

Another suggestion I read was to use a black magic marker to color the bullets to make them more visible to the sensors.  I will try that.

[d_hiker]

Here is the link to an IR light source.  It might be more than what you want to pay, but it might be able to give you some more ideas.  http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/cgi-bin/commerce.exe?preadd=action&key=IR1

I also saw some lights at Wal-Mart in the fishing section that were 12 volt lights.  Some were submersible to attract fish and others were just to provide light while fishing at night.

I have never used a Chrony, how does it detect when a bullet passes?

[Siskiyou]

The following was copied from the Chrony Website:
"As the bullet passes over the first detector, it trips a counter, which begins to count very rapidly (much as a super-fast stop watch). The counter is shut off by the second photo sensor when the bullet passes over it. The computer in the Chrony then converts this information into feet per second (FPS) or metres per second (MPS), whichever mode it was set to work in at the factory. The F-1 Chrony measures in FPS; the M-1 Chrony measures in MPS."
 
I have a floating 12v. fishing light.  It is to big and to powerful for this project. 

Proper lighting is the key to success.  Improper lighting can cause error messages and frustration.
 
From Chrony:
"C) PROBLEM: No reading after shooting. Cause & Remedy:
1.   not using diffusers on blue sky, sunny day; add diffusers;
2.   using diffusers on a cloudy day; remove diffusers;
3.   unit too close to muzzle; move unit farther away;
4.   not shooting directly over photocells; aim more carefully;
5.   unit not properly aligned with bullet path; realign rifle to point directly at target; and,
6.   shooting too early or too late (poor light conditions); wait for better light, or end chronographing session"

The other day when I arrived at my shooting area I had a bright blue sky.  I had several hours of successful data collection and when the sun started to drop I removed the diffusers and continued to be successful for sometime.  But with declining light and two error messages I knew it was time to save my test ammunition and return another day.  There was enough light but not enough for the Chrony.
 
If I base my creation on Chrony’s 115v indoor lights my bulbs should not exceed 35 watts over each sensor with diffusers.  I believe that I can do that.

Thanks for the link.

[d_hiker]

Another idea I just remembered.  A couple of months ago I was in Gander Mountain and saw some lights that might be the ticket here.  They reminded me of the "rope" lights seen at Christmas.  They were white bulbs in a clear plastic tube about 3/8" to 1/2" in diameter.  These had battery clips to hook up to your boat or RV battery.  I think they were in the $13 to $15 range.  I don't remember how long the "rope" was.  I think the lights were spaced about every 3 to 5 inches.


Or here are a couple of light tubes from JC Whitney.
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Product/tf-Browse/s-10101/Pr-p_Product.CATENTRY_ID:2003686/p-2003686/N-111+10201+600002937/c-10101

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Product/tf-Browse/s-10101/Pr-p_Product.CATENTRY_ID:2003505/p-2003505/N-111+10201+600002806/c-10101

[Siskiyou]

I purchased two 12-volt clearance lights for my project.  After peeling two wires off a four-wire trailer lights wire setup I cut it to 20 feet.  That way if I need to use my vehicle battery I can.  But my primary source of power will be one of the 12v deep cycle batteries I have for the boat.

I mount one light each on a 16X1X1 inch piece of hardwood.  I drilled the hardwood to except the wires designed to hold the diffusers on the Chrony.  Each light is mounted directly above a sensor.

Each light fixture has two LED bulbs in it.  I purchased fixtures with red lens but the lens cover can be removed allow clear light or I can use a piece of material left over from making my own white diffusers. 

Again my objective is to supplement natural evening light when the sun starts to drop behind the mountains.  Or when natural light is adequate for shooting but falls short of meeting the needs of the Chrony.  Most likely my fix would not work in a totally blacked out situation. 

I also purchased two 36 X 1/8 steel rods.  I cut them to 16-inches long.  They fit the Chrony.  At six inches above the sensor I rapped yellow electricians tape around each rod.  At 4-inches I rapped red electricians tape around each road.  The reason for the steel rods in that my brother shot one of his rods, and I thought I would do a fix for him.  And in turn I will carry two sixteen-inch rods in my shooting box just in case.


Quote from Chrony:

“B. RIFLES: Be aware that the bullet line of travel will be as much as two inches BELOW the line of sight on scope-sighted rifles. Adjust upward in order NOT to hit the Chrony. If a bullet hits the Chrony, the Chrony will be destroyed, and will endanger you and others because of bullet ricochet and flying parts of the Chrony. Mark the Wire Rods with tape four inches above the Chrony unit for open-sighted rifles, and six inches for scope-mounted rifles.”

After installing the lights I started up the Chrony and received an error message, which I believe was caused by the florescent lighting in the garage.  I then turn off the florescent lighting and powered up the supplemental lights with the red lens covers on.  I was not able to conduct a test firing, but the error message disappeared and the unit seemed to function properly.

Of course I wished I had completed this project during the spring because now more demands I being made on my time.  I realize that I am part of the problem.  I want to get out and fine tune three rifles before deer season.  And on the same day(s) do some late evening pre-season scouting.  The Chrony will lose out to the need to scout.  So, it may be a while before I report back on the success or failure of this project.

[d_hiker]

You could try a BB gun or pellet gun in the garage to see if the Chrony functions.  Tell me more about the lights that you got.  I am aways on the look out for 12 volt lights, they work great for camping and also around the house when the power goes out.

[Siskiyou]

I start some night shifts in a few hours, but I will get back with pictures when time allows.

[Siskiyou]

I tried my setup with a .22 and a .270 and received an ERR2 message. (Inadequate light)  The problem is that in a short time frame I did not get enough charge into my 12v deep cycle battery.  I charged the battery for ten hours today and the lights are much brighter.  But after trying that I believe I need to add additional lights with a higher wattage.  I followed your link to J.C. Whitney RV accessorys.  http://www.jcwhitney.com/wcsstore/jcwhitney/images/imagecache/G_13339G_CL_1.jpg

I will hit a couple of RV places and see if I can find what I want.  At a certain point the over price IR lights from Chrony may become a bargain.