Skan Chronograph

[Hsing-ee]

I have an old Skan chronograph that I bought off the bay years ago. It doesn't need an outside light source and seems very accurate and easy to use. The only thing I have changed is I have built it a housing which includes a safe pellet catcher at the back so I can use it indoors without worrying where the pellet ends up, and also keeps the pellet flight path consistently in the middle of the 'window'.

Why do so many of the other types of chronograph need daylight?

[robinghewitt]

Why do so many of the other types of chronograph need daylight?

Because something has to happen to detect the projectile.

Early chronoscopes measured the time between two electrical wires being broken.

Modern chronoscopes do the v=d/t sum for you. A chronograph measures time, a chronoscope measure projectile velocity or reaction time.

There is one commercial chronoscope, that I know of, which looks for the electromagnetic ripple of the passing bullet, all the rest want you to break light beams.

Then you hit the snag that people want to shoot both BB guns and shotguns.

If you disallow shotguns you can restrict the area available for shooting through

If you allow shotguns you have to provide a monster area for shooting through.

Oehler will give you a shotgun size area with it's own light source, most everyone else resorts to the sun.

The problem with the sun is the vast light difference between looking at the sun and looking at a piece of sky lit by the sun. One will rip your eyes out, the other is vaguely blue due to scattering and blue is not a good background for detecting tiny fast moving objects. This is not a huge problem in the UK because the sun is never overhead and the atmosphere is unlikely to be totally without cloud or fog all the way to the top so you may not need to put translucent hoops over the top that reradiate the sunlight in a more useful direction.

I could ramble about chronoscopes all day.

[Hsing-ee]

Ah, I think it is an area thing. My Skan is clearly made for air-rifles and air-pistols as it only has a small window in it and it would not be suitable for firearms at close range as the muzzle blast would damage it and at longer range because of the dangers of clipping the unit. It has bank of red lights of some kind inside which must provide the light intensity required.

[gingernut]

Unlike other chronos the Skan uses its own infra red beam.
Hence it has a positive dislike of natural light.

[Airsporter1st]

I've used my Skan both indoors and out and never had a problem with lighting. If I remember rightly, the instructions caution against use under fluorescents and direct sunlight. In case of the former, you just turn the light off. The latter can be easily mitigated by placing a suitable shade.

I know there are some chronos with a faster clock speed which are thus more accurate, but the Skan has done all I've asked of it for air rifle use.

I took it to the second Springer bash and had it set up all day. A few folk took advantage of it - even with a couple of pop-outs and it performed faultlessly.

[davymole]

having borrowed Magnummikes Skan whilst he was away getting a bronzie I have a Chrono F1 which trying to use outside this time of the year in my back garden gives more errors codes as the day progresses and the light fades with the skan used in the garage in most places BUT when tried on the floor towards a wall in a darker area just the two red dots so they do not like the dark eitherplaced in the light again no problem the F1 waits for the summer days

[Airsporter1st]

having borrowed Magnummikes Skan whilst he was away getting a bronzie I have a Chrono F1 which trying to use outside this time of the year in my back garden gives more errors codes as the day progresses and the light fades with the skan used in the garage in most places BUT when tried on the floor towards a wall in a darker area just the two red dots so they do not like the dark eitherplaced in the light again no problem the F1 waits for the summer days

That is strange - the Skan uses I.R. sensors and emitters, so can in theory be used in complete darkness - at risk of shooting it!

In the interests of science, I'll try it when I get back from Indonesia and let you know the results!

[robinghewitt]

I know there are some chronos with a faster clock speed which are thus more accurate, but the Skan has done all I've asked of it for air rifle use.

Urban legend. At 500 ft/s even a 1MHz clock will tick once every .006" of pellet travel. To get any benefit from faster clocks you would have to detect the pellet to better than .006"

[Airsporter1st]

Urban legend. At 500 ft/s even a 1MHz clock will tick once every .006" of pellet travel. To get any benefit from faster clocks you would have to detect the pellet to better than .006"

With respect, Robin, that is not an urban legend, it is simple mathematics. How much benefit the faster clock speed benefits an air rifle user, is another matter.

[hareng]

I've used my Skan both indoors and out and never had a problem with lighting.

Both my Skans wont have it outdoors, not a sausage.
They wont work in low light indoors either so no chance of pitch black.

Agree on the clock speed though most are 4mhz, I use 16mhz in a CED M2 with infra red which does work in pitch black.

[Patrick 2]

having borrowed Magnummikes Skan whilst he was away getting a bronzie I have a Chrono F1 which trying to use outside this time of the year in my back garden gives more errors codes as the day progresses and the light fades with the skan used in the garage in most places BUT when tried on the floor towards a wall in a darker area just the two red dots so they do not like the dark eitherplaced in the light again no problem the F1 waits for the summer days

Hi Dave,used my Chrony F1 outside yesterday(Mon24th),without the sun shades of course, and it worked flawlessly,put about 20 shots through it and not one error reading.

[Shed tuner]

I've an old Target-tronics PM10 jobbie. works flawlessly in any lighting conditions

[hareng]

That's another one included Jon, BFTA used two then eventually gave up.

[DEAN C.]

I've an old Target-tronics PM10 jobbie. works flawlessly in any lighting conditions

Me Too. my Target Tronics PM10 is faultless inside, outside, dark, dull, bright you name it.
I have a Chrombo and it often plays up and is difficult to align. They are pretty good and are very accurate but a bit fiddly when you are used to a real one.

Ive had the PM10 for nearly ten years, and if it ever dies, I would only buy a Skan to replace it.I think the PM10 might just out live me though.

[ChrisC]

Me Too. my Target Tronics PM10 is faultless inside, outside, dark, dull, bright you name it.
I have a Chrombo and it often plays up and is difficult to align. They are pretty good and are very accurate but a bit fiddly when you are used to a real one.

Ive had the PM10 for nearly ten years, and if it ever dies, I would only buy a Skan to replace it.I think the PM10 might just out live me though.

Same for mine dean..the only snag i have ever had with mine is when it's foggy?....had it 2 years and it's not worked twice...when it's foggy. The second time it failed i grabbed the club one to find that wouldn't work in the fog either?