Automatic Target Project

[Cones]

Hi Calv,

The metal frame that support the servo has a protrusion on it that takes any direct plate impacts. The pad is so this lighter plate contacts the switch. Chris made a larger and smaller target plate, you just lift them out to change them.

Weight stops the target bouncing back. But we have yet to try this with an air pistol! (Wednesday hopefully)

The initial designed is based from the one we have shown on the first post of this thread, so we cannot take credit for the screw design. It works well for tuning the target though.

It could be made to fall on its own with a second servo or a small solenoid pretty easily as well.

With the addition of a front shield plate, it can be made to vanish from view when shot. We intend to do this once the design is proven.

I like your design. Can the wire drive slip at all? I was thinking you could make one that works like a 10m target changer? They just use a slipping wheel arrangement on a nylon cord. The electronics detect the slip at each end and cut out the motor.

Thanks

Mark

[Cones]

Here are some detailed photos of the target.

http://i699.photobucket.com/albums/v...t3012Large.jpg

http://s699.photobucket.com/albums/v...t3013Large.jpg

http://s699.photobucket.com/albums/v...t3008Large.jpg

Please scroll through the album for more.

Thanks

Mark

[Cones]

Just a though on making the target fall as well as reset.

If the servo was set so that a small further movement of the reset lever from the rest position pulled a nylon line on the target, you could pull it rearwards again. Then you only need one servo per target.

Mark

[eggplant]

Looking good much better engineered than mine and looks a lot more substantial than it seemed in the original photos.
When I first set up my 1st prototype to see if they would fall when hit, I was very suprised at the force they went down (AA S410 @ 10 yds) which is one of the reasons for using my magnet on a spring and a seperate servo with a "1 way" linkage for lowering/raising. I think I'll stick to that idea for my metal ones but for the pop up paper targets I'll use just one. I think maybe if I had used your fine adjustment setup initially things would have been a lot easier.
I think as long as your targets stay down and dont bounce back (mine did till I stuck a stronger magnet in) then as you say, once the balance is right with a bit of careful positioning etc it should be possible for your design to go up and down with the 1 servo.
Another idea I had initially was a latch like you get on a garden gate, and the target spring loaded in the up position, that way when hit, it fell back and latched in the gate catch which could be released by a servo or whatever to allow it to spring back up. The reason I didnt do that was because I couldnt find a small latch.

Been doing a little on mine tonight, I was hoping to have my basic positioning sorted but things didnt go well today. Changed plan about 100 times but have now decided I'm just going to drill loads of holes in the rail that supports the front of the target (not on vid but where it rests on the board) and have an IR led one side and an IR transistor on the other which will br attached to the target, the idea being I can have the arduino count the holes and therefore get a more accurate position than I can now. (that was my original idea but I tried a few other things - none of which worked!!)
I've also started to redo the falling target on a tray so in theory to move from a falling metal target to a paper one will just be a matter of a couple of screws (or even clips maybe) and a couple of connectors. I will quite probably incorporate the adjustment system you use too.
My only concern at the moment is how pellet proof the metal is that holds the paper target, its cobbled together from left over bits of printer and I dont think it will hold up to many hits, but I suppose if the targets arnt moving when shot at then they shouldnt be hit. Im not sure what else to use, could do with some space age lightweight alloy that wont be damaged by pellets but the nearest I have is .8mm steel which is a bit heavy, and unfortunately I no longer have a welder so everything has to be drilled and screwed (or polymorphed!)

Can the wire drive slip at all? I was thinking you could make one that works like a 10m target changer? They just use a slipping wheel arrangement on a nylon cord. The electronics detect the slip at each end and cut out the motor.

Not sure what you mean here, I dont know what a 10M target changer is ! If by slip, if you mean the belt physically slip on the motor when manually stopped from moving then no it cant, its a toothed belt. I could possibly detect a "stoppage" by monitoring the current drawn from the motor or another method.

Calv