SO....Finally trying to get timing and scoring working. Bought 5mm IR emitters and resistor pack, wired up the emitters with 470ohm resistors in place. Using a Trakmate IR cable for sensing (looks like 3mm sensors), connected to the printer port on an old XP machine. Downloaded Laptimer 2K just for basic troubleshooting and set up....will want to run SlotTrak eventually but it's easier to troubleshoot on the basic program apparently. I do NOT have any sort of board between the sensors and the computer....I don't run track power control and shouldn't need a board for just the simple timing requirements.
The problem I am having is......Laptimer counts laps continuously, even when the emitter/sensor are flat on the track in line with each other. I have tried to use the Port testing diagnostic, and thought I found the problem.....not enough light getting to the sensors. So I pulled the 470 ohm resistors and put 220s in (they get quite hot BTW) and was able to see the port show open/closed appropriately. But when I put it back to Practice mode to count laps, it immediately goes back to continuous laps with an interrupt when I cover the sensor.
I have found and used the setting to invert the port settings for IR sensors....but it doesn't make any difference either way.
Trying to avoid spending the $$ to buy a system....dang it, I should be able to make this work. But I am pretty frustrated, I have to say. I guess I can always go to photosensors and the fridge bulb....but I wanted to avoid that.
Do I need to build 2-3 bulb clusters of emitters to put out enough light? What else am I missing in the settings?