Re: Digital Lap Counter
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I have just had a whacky idea (I’m sorry, it happens, just look at my joystick port project :smiley2:)
Tagging the cars with radio transmitters is out of the question, too big, too expensive, so how about infra-red transmitters?
My thought goes along this line: mod mad has created a Knight Rider light using a programmable chip, what if you were to program that chip to control a single, infra-red LED andhave it flash in a set sequence (so it acts just like a tv remote control).
With several of these mini infra-red remote controls each programmed to output a unique sequence on a non-stop loop, you would then be able to identify each individual car by having the LED pointing upwards, out of a hole inthe roof or a window (you might be able to get away with using 3mm LEDs as you only need to transmit a signal about a foot or so).
On the lap counter side you’d need an infra-red receiver connected to your PC (I got one cheap off eBay, a Packard Bell thing that, with free software, allows me to almost totaly control the PC with almost any remote) mounted about a foot above the start line and pointing down.
Is the idea nuts or viable? Me, I can see someone like Tomy producing the infra-red tags en masse…