Foot Activators...

[Ron Ankeny]

Hey folks. I am one week away from the Wyoming State match and I need to put the finishing touches on our stages. Our club recently aquired some foot activators (RandR Racing). We tried them at our last match and people liked them. I suppose it's the novelty. We don't get out much around here.

Anyhow, I am thinking about incorporating a couple of the activators into our state match next weekend. I am curious, how do you guys feel about using the foot activators as opposed to using a popper? I like not having to wait for a popper to fall. From a match administration point of view, does it take that much longer to "cock" a foot activator than it does to set a popper up between shooters? Here is the stage I have in mind:

At the last position, I have a popper tripping both a turner and a swinger. My original thoughts were a shooter could wait until they were at the position and gather up as many points as their skill level would allow, or they could shoot the popper early, even from box A and kiss the turner goodbye with the swinger slowing down by the time they arrive. The problem is, with two cables on one popper I might be looking at a lot of range failures if the wind comes up. With a foot activator, a shooter can shoot the popper at any time and let 'er rip when they stomp on the activator. I suppose the same is true at the first port.

Help an aspiring MD out here. What's your overall feeling of the foot activators? Thanks in advance.

[Loves2Shoot]

I think it is easier to set the popper. With foot activators people do weird stuff, ie. hucking mags at them to activate them early. I've seen more REF's from the boxes than any other standard prop so I may be biased.

[Ron Ankeny]

Yeah, I have heard about thowing mags. These activators require a little more effort than that. I suppose I just hate waiting for the darn popper to fall. My real concern is using one popper to activate two props. If the cables are too tight, well you know.

[Phil Dunlop]

Hi Ron,

sorry I have no experience with foot activators but I had planned something similar at our 3 Gun using the dropper to activate the swinger.

It depends on the design I guess, I dont have gravity turners, but old fashioned drop turners but I'm guessing I could get either going with a bit of ingenuity.

P.D.

[Jake Di Vita]

My recommendation is to just keep it simple. I have seen foot activators work effectively though when set up properly...and it can introduce something new to a stage.

I think on this particular stage though...regular popper activators would probably be best.

A little bit of a drift but it would be kinda cool to have multiple foot pads so the competitor could decide where they wanted to activate certain targets.

[ErikW]

They take a while to reset, and people often step on them prematurely. Also, you have to add "step on platform" to your stage procedure. But they have their place.

[EricW]

I always thought that the R and R platforms were pretty doggoned good. If you want to stop the mag-dropping, I'd grind the "hook" on the pin back at an angle so that it takes a LOT more force to activate. That will probaby suck the wind out of the sails of a lot of wannabe circus performers.

[John Heiter]

I've used the foot pad activators and the ones I used worked flawlessly all through a big match. They were nice as a novelty item but were an absolute bear to reset. Maybe these just had new springs or something but a number of shooters in our squad couldn't reset them or at least had to get down on their knees and work at it. I think they would quickly become dog poop in the livingroom. Lots of people would try to walk by it and pretend they didn't see it hoping that someone else would take care of the dirty work.

[Tom Mainus]

Ron,

Use the pressure pads. You could easily activate 6 things with the R&R pads. We have had ours for a little over a year now and we still get people coming to our matches who have never seen one before. They think they are fun and it is a blast watching people use them that have never seen them before. Especially for a state match, you should try stuff that is different, and things that people have not seen before. They are easy to reset. You just pull on the cable attached to the rod and that makes it pretty easy to reset. Just have the same guy reset the pad EVERY time. That way there is no questions.

[Ron Ankeny]

Thanks guys. I think I'll use one pressure pad just so guys who have never seen them have a clue before they encounter them at a bigger match. We have a lot of folks planning on Area One and the Mile High who have never seen a pressure pad in action

I really like the idea of using two pads on one prop. A stage designer could have a lot of fun with that idea if they didn't get too stupid about it.

[ChuckS]

I've used the foot pad activators and the ones I used worked flawlessly all through a big match.  They were nice as a novelty item but were an absolute bear to reset.  Maybe these just had new springs or something but a number of shooters in our squad couldn't reset them or at least had to get down on their knees and work at it.  I think they would quickly become dog poop in the livingroom.  Lots of people would try to walk by it and pretend they didn't see it hoping that someone else would take care of the dirty work.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The only problem that I have seen with these was premature activation at the Charity match in Yuma this year. Turns out that after a few shooters, there was a dimple in the board that was allowing the tab to slide a hair. We tried building up the board but there turned out to be anothe answer. They were only using one side to start a Texas Star spinning so they were only arming one side. We tried arming both sides and that stopped the failures.

Setting them can be tough on the hands so instead of pushing on the little tab, try pulling on the outside end of the rod. Works better for me.

[John Dunn]

I like the pressure pads, I need practice not running past them.

Make sure the walls go all the way to the ground, though!

[Ron Ankeny]

, there was a dimple in the board that was allowing the tab to slide a hair

I figured there could be some wear in that spot so I screwed a small piece of sheet metal to the under side of the board where it contacts the lever.

John:

I knew you would know the real reason.

[ChuckS]

, there was a dimple in the board that was allowing the tab to slide a hair

I figured there could be some wear in that spot so I screwed a small piece of sheet metal to the under side of the board where it contacts the lever.

John:

I knew you would know the real reason.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ron,

That plate idea was the consensus for a long term solution but we were in the middle of a match. Using both sides was sufficient to get through the match, although eliminating the Star may not of been all that bad of a thing!

[Al Capizzo]

I worked the stage at last year's Area 4 that used 3 foot activators to start 3 clamshell targets. With probably better than 300 shooters over 3 days, we did not have any mechanical problems from the activators or the "activatees."

If I remember correctly though, they got slick when it rained.

I'd use them, just for something different for the shooters to do.

Al

[kevin c]

We are planning to use a pressure pad activator in our sectional match this July (see my thread in rules). The activator is solidly mounted in a large covered box. An activating object dropped through a hole cut in the cover hits the pad, square over the spot with the most activating leverage, to activate two drop open ports. Those springs have a lot of power, and even using just one rod when we tested the contraption at a club match showed no problems. The activator is a reenforced plastic powder jug weighted to 3#.

We were concerned about bending over and pulling on the rods 150 to 200 times during a three day match, but it turns out that, with the pad being mounted two feet high inside a staked down 40# box, all we need to do is pull on the end of the rod and twist to engage the tabs (the top is still hinged, just in case).

[AzShooter]

I've been seeing the foot activator box for the past month and I like it. One more innovation that works and should be used.

As long as it functions the same for every shooter and is easy for all the competitors to set up when it is their turn for range duty I think they add some more enjoyment to the stages.

[RKooi]

I designed and ran stage 12 at the Area 6 match over the weekend. It employed two pressure pad activators. Over 350 shooters without any major malfunctions. They are something different that many shooters have never utilized. Reset was not a problem. In the walkthrough I showed the squads how they worked and then left them unset so everyone could actually step on them. I also instructed the squads that once the shooting began, the on deck shooter should not reactivate them as they were the first thing we reset. The easy way to make sure of this is to leave the top panels up. We had a large RO crew so reset time was not an issue. My vote is to use them.

[eric nielsen]

2nd what Roger said, they worked great and the stage was a lot of fun.

[alma]

We use them at my club here and they work really well.

It is defiantly a lot different than using a popper because the mover gets activated the second you step on the pad. No waiting around and wondering if you should shoot another target while you wait.

I often use just one activator arm. This will set off a swinger and MGM dropturner without any problems and you have half the reset time.

[LPatterson]

Ron,

Use them & give us a followup report because I heard they are using some at Area 1 this year. Especially any reset problems because with my luck I would be the RO on that stage.