Taking a slightly different direction, here is a rough-out of design that allows an Arduino to record an arbitrary number of sensors along one lane as well as record total heat time. [Need to validate the signal timings.]bracketracer wrote:I know an Arduino Uno can work for six sensors. I built the one from the http://www.miscjunk.org website (plans are here: http://www.miscjunk.org/mj/pg_pdt.html ). I use it on a two lane Besttrack with one sensor at the left lane's finish and six sensors in the right lane. The left lane's sensor and the fifth sensor in the right lane use the same pins on the Uno, I wired in a DPDT toggle to select which sensor is active. I detailed the build here: http://www.pinewoodderbyonline.com/post ... er-6952101Stan Pope wrote:Yup! Should work.
You gonna cut up your FastTrack Timer? Or build one with an Arduino?
If you build, you don't have to worry about a start-gate trigger ... just start the timing based on the trigger of the first gate on the flat. Wonder how many split points an Arduino could time accurately? 7 gates would give you 6 intervals of data to work with.
I would probably run about 10' of 6 lead - telephone (or 8 lead - Ethernet) cable, soldered in on the up-track side of the sensor and terminated with a RJ11 (or RJ45 8P8C) plug, and RJ11 (or RJ45 8P8C) socket on the down-track side of the sensor.
The idea is to daisy-chain the sensors so that each either passes a "sense" on from a prior sensor or sends its own "sense" on.
Control Lines (daisy chained, start line to sensor ... to sensor to Arduino/finish line sensor):
From Arduino to all Sensors:
1 - Power (passes through each sensor)
2 - Ground (passes through each sensor)
3 - Reset (passes through each sensor)
To Arduino:
4 - Start (passes through each sensor)
5-in - Trigger IN - OUT (no pass through)
5-out - Trigger OUT (OR of this sensor, if enabled, and Trigger IN)
6-in - Set IN - OUT (between adjacent sensors, no pass through)
6-out - Set OUT (between adjacent sensors)
If Ethernet cabling is used, the line assignments may need to be changed to make optimal use of the twisted pairs.
Start Gate:
Gate close (ground): Start (Line 4) enables Arduino timing
Gate open (+): Start (Line 4) resets Arduino
Sensor 1:
Reset (Line 3): enables Sensor
Sense: (1) Set OUT (Line 6-out), (2) Trigger (Line 5-out), (3) Disable this sensor
Sensor 2 through N-1:
Reset (Line 3): disables Sensor
Set IN (Line 6-in): enables Sensor
Sense: (1) Set OUT (Line 6-out), (2) OR Trigger IN (Line 5-in) and this sense (if enabled) to Trigger OUT (Line 5-out), (3) Disable this sensor
Sensor N (at Arduino over finish line):
Reset (Line 3): disables Sensor
Set IN (Line 6-in): enables Sensor
Sense: (1) OR Trigger IN (Line 5-in) and this sense (if enabled) to Arduino trigger, (2) Set OUT (Line 6-out) to report results to computer.