M852

To change the string displayed, delete shots, delete strings, etc. Nothing. However, the wired & wireless DIY options here allow you to choose where you want to "tell it to do." Some of us find greater value in being able to do that and control the chrono remotely. Yes. However, the ProChrono uses a standard 3.5mm stereo cable with a serial-to-USB converter on the end for its wired control connection.

Because wireless goes to 11. Seriously, though, the Caldwell solution you linked is a dedicated connection (from the chrono to the mobile device), so it's no different from the DIY cable for the ProChrono Digital other than the interface at the device (USB vs. 3.5mm multi-jack). Also looks like the Caldwell solution is one-way which means you could get data off the chrono but not control it. You can do both with the wired & wireless DIY options for the ProChrono Digital. Having said all that, I really like what Caldwell has done because more features means more competition. Maybe this will get CED and the other chrono manufacturers off their posteriors and building these solutions as affordable features so we won't have to.

When I soldered up my cable my connections looked something like this. As you can see, the wires coming from each cable are cut to different, but complementary, lengths so that the solder joints for the wires overlap with the ends of the resistor. I used heat shrink tubing over each solder joint and then a larger piece of heat shrink tubing over all 3 wires and the reisistor. Once it's all connected the resistor is pretty much inline with the rest of the wires, and it all collapses into a short, but somewhat stiff, bundle. It still looks a little like a snake that ate a rat, but it's better than a monkey fist in the middle of the cable. If you're really good with spacial relations and a soldering iron, it is possible to solder the resistor between the tip and sleeve terminals inside the 1/8" stereo jack. But, I haven't tried that yet. The only Android efforts I'm aware of are over on the ProChrono Bluetooth option thread.

Although I'm a hardware guy, I can appreciate the value of the information you've collected and are offering. Many thanks for chiming in on the thread and helping us out! If I recall correctly, the protocol was written about 14 years ago. Not being a coder, I wouldn't know jacked up code from pristine, but maybe the protocol was a product of limitations that existed in 1999?

Awesome job, Doug! Love the video with the prototype demo. Wish I had time to do something similar for the wireless option.

Anyone got any feedback? Good? Bad? etc I've been meaning to circle back on this. Just need some time to get it installed and throw something over the chrono. Will try in the next couple of weeks.

Thus, the links above and in the guide to the Pololu regulators (most in the $5-$6 range). That's one of my long-term goals. Think I'm going to re-do the external module once more with a better enclosure first.

I'm down with that. Man, I guess they were confident in the longevity of the parts in the case. It's good to know how they go about opening it back up. Versus how I would. Unintentionally. Will a bullet strike.

This. The laptop is not ideal range gear.

Ditto that. Anyone want to post their Android app(s)?

The reason I used a 5V step-up/step-down regulator with the Virtuabox BT2S in the guide was because the BT2S would take a 5V input and that would - in theory - increase the effective range. If you used the Parani-ESD210 you wouldn't have to worry about using 5V to improve the range since it already hits 30m by default. You could just use a 3.3V step-up/step-down regulator instead, or even a more efficient 3.3V step-up regulator if your power source is less than 3.3V (e.g., AA/AAA x 2). Regarding power consumption, I'd guess that the SENA ESD210/UD100 solution would go through the batteries faster than the BT2S/laptop receiver solution. At 5V the BT2S uses 10-30 mA while searching, around 5-8 mA once paired. At 3.3V the ESD210 uses 40mA nominally per mfr specs. I'm not a EE, but I'm pretty sure the ESD210 would use up an identical power source (e.g., AAA x 2) faster than the BT2S. I'm also assuming the difference between using the UD100 vs. a "regular" 10m Bluetooth receiver on the laptop would be negligible. Haven't tried it yet. Integrating the Bluetooth receiver into the ProChrono Digital case was one of my long-term goals. Unfortunately, the internal power is a 9V battery, which is not optimal for a Bluetooth receiver. My concern is that it would drain the battery a lot faster. Exactly how much faster is the question. One option would be to install a second power source - like stuffing some AAA batteries in the "spare battery" compartment - and using that to power just the Bluetooth receiver internally. Decisions, decisions.... Might want to shoot an e-mail to CED and ask what the trick is to get it opened.

Yeh I'm on the assumption that you'll need two Bluetooth units if you wanted to use the PC as a remote control. Also I don't know the intricacies of Bluetooth communications but I'm also assuming there would be some handshaking protocols going on?? You're right; it would be 2-way communication. In that case, you could use the Parani-UD100 USB Bluetooth adapter to pair with the Parani-ESD210, which would get you out to 30m minimum. I'm kinda liking the Parani-ESD210 as an option for mounting the Bluetooth module in the ProChrono Digital case since you can mount the antenna externally and not have to worry about how much interference the case introduce.

Good stuff. Those SENA products look very interesting. The SENA Bluetooth OEM modules may be a better option for an external enclosure since you can still get the range with an external patch antenna without having to deal with powering a separate RS232 module. The Parani-ESD210 in particular looks like a real good option as it has both an internal antenna and an external patch antenna option if you want the extended range. Not sure if you would have to pair it with a long-range receiver on the laptop since the module would be broadcasting strong enough with the patch antenna to make it to the laptop.

Glad you got it working! The soldering on mine was looking pretty sketchy by the time I got done with the prototype. The cheap Radio Shack perfoboard I used didn't help any, either. As long as you've got continuity between the parts you should be okay.

The 3 bent pins are your tip, ring, and sleeve pins. The other 6 pins grouped together near the back are the switched pins. Here's how I wired mine (click the pic for a larger image): Note: this view is looking at the bottom of the switch. The Battery connection goes to the positive terminal on the battery source; the VIN connection goes to the VIN pin on the voltage regulator. The way I have mine connected, the switch closes the connection between the battery and the VIN pin (i.e., turns the power on) when a cable is plugged into the jack. For the curious, the schematic for the Kycon STX-3100-9C is located here.

You guys don't realize the degree to which you are re-affirming my choice to focus on hardware vs. software.

Check this post for additional info: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=176086

I'm just getting around to collecting my 3-gun gear, and I've narrowed my Walther PPQ (M1) holster choices down to the Comp-Tac International and the Blade-Tech OWB Holster. I'm looking for recommendations for either. My primary concern is retention since our local 3-gun matches have a lot more up-down-run-around stages (including stairs) than a typical 3-gun match. Other than retention, it appears the Comp-Tac comes with more mounting options with the included accessories. I really liked the Safariland 6379, but there is only anecdotal evidence the model for the Walther P99 will fit the PPQ. TIA for the replies.

The following worked for me on a wireless Bluetooth receiver: Bits per second: 1200 Data bits: 8 Parity: None Stop bits: 1 Flow control: None

I use the chrono with factory ammo to calculate an interquartile range (one method to narrow down which factory loads are more - or less - accurate in your particular hardware. Shooting is engineering.

Here's a pic of the generic schematic I used for the prototype: Here's a pic of the prototype in use. (For the curious, the muzzle velocity of a dart fired from a Nerf N-Strike Recon CS-6 is 42ft/sec.)

Here's some pics I took working on the prototype: Testing the parts using a breadboard. Very helpful since it beat the fool out of soldering/desoldering components trying to figure out what works: The back of the PCB holding the components. I used what I found at Radio Shack. It's not pretty, but it worked. View of everything stuffed in the enclosure: Pic of the enclosure with all the wireless goodness. Notice the jack is the only thing on the outside of the enclosure. The jack has an isolated switch that turns the receiver on when a jack is inserted, ergo no external on/off switch necessary. Very simple, clean. I think I'm going to do a second prototype using Hammond 1593PBK enclosure instead of the Frankenstein I cobbled together for the first one. The Hammond has a separate battery compartment with a removable cover and a PCB sized specifically for the enclosure. They also sell battery holders made specifically for the enclosure (e.g., Mouser # 546-BH3AAAW). It's a cleaner, less hobby-shop solution.

It actually wasn't too hard after figuring out which batteries & regulator to use. Getting the Bluetooth serial port to work in Windows was just an exercise in patience & persistence. It was a lot easier than the slingshot/hold-open mod on my Ruger MKIII.

This thread is a carry-over from the one covering the DIY cable for the ProChrono Digital USB interface. I figured a new thread would be appropriate to keep the wired vs. wireless discussions organized. The detailed instructions in the attached PDF file cover building a Bluetooth interface for the ProChrono Digital chronograph. In short, it describes how to build a Bluetooth receiver and use it to make a wireless connection between the ProChrono Digital and the PCRemote software on a PC. Two warnings, though: First, If you attempt this build there is a chance you could break any and all of the parts, including your chronograph. Do not attempt this if you are not comfortable installing Windows drivers & software, using a soldering iron, and guarding against electrostatic discharge (ESD). You alone are responsible for what happens to your equipment.Second, getting serial devices working over Bluetooth in Windows is straight-up voodoo. Seriously. There's about a 50/50 chance the Bluetooth receiver will work on the first pass through the instructions, and it's entirely possible to do everything right and still end up with a receiver that doesn't work. YMMV, but just know this up front.Having said that, here's a list of the components you'll need: Bluetooth-to-Serial Module ($7-18) CP2102 USB-to-Serial UART/TTL Module ($5-10) Switching Voltage Regulator ($5-6) Battery(ies) ($2-5) Battery Holder ($2-3) ⅛” (3.5mm) stereo cord and/or jack ($3-7) Power Switch (optional) ($1-2) 10kΩ Resistor ($1) Small Project Box/Enclosure ($3-7) So, depending on what components you select and how particular you are, you can build the Bluetooth receiver for +/- $45. I had a lot of fun working on this build. The majority of my electronics projects up to this point usually involved either a PC power supply or a 12V car battery. What you see in the instructions is a culmination of the lessons learned and the do-overs I worked through over the course of building the prototype. If you have any suggestions to add, please post them here or PM me. (I'm still looking for a 3.5mm stereo jack with an isolated SPDT switch that closes when the plug is inserted.) On my wish list of future projects: Get the Bluetooth receiver integrated inside the ProChrono Digital housing. Find some enterprising coder(s) to write an Android equivalent of the PCRemote software now that we have a Bluetooth option. Edit 6/9/13: I'll try to post some pics of the build once I clear the minimum post limit. DIY Bluetooth Interface for ProChrono Digital v1.0.pdf

Walleye, did you ever get an "Apro exception" error when you were setting up the Bluetooth COM ports?