Automatic Target Project

[Rob M]

I don't get why a servo and controller is necessary... Local electronics hobby shops sell motors, gears, geared motors, reed switches, micro switches. With a little thought and a reasonable amount of metalworking skill it shouldn't be difficult to make a simple, self-resetting electric target. I would have done it before now if I wasn't so damn busy!

[Cones]

I don't get why a servo and controller is necessary... Local electronics hobby shops sell motors, gears, geared motors, reed switches, micro switches. With a little thought and a reasonable amount of metalworking skill it shouldn't be difficult to make a simple, self-resetting electric target. I would have done it before now if I wasn't so damn busy!

I think it can be done for less cost and more time building the thing like you suggest. Where it falls down (Excuse the pun ) is when you want to alter the timing or have them operate in sequence or such. I'd rather spend £30 or so on a servo and controller than £10 on gears and motors and not know how to fix it all together. I think I am looking at the bigger picture of getting several targets to work together in a controlled sequence. But then I am biased as I work on industrial control systems for a living!

Lets face it there is nothing wrong with the string on the standard Nockover, but fully automated targets is a fun project.

Thanks

Mark

[Fred]

I think it can be done for less cost and more time building the thing like you suggest. Where it falls down (Excuse the pun ) is when you want to alter the timing or have them operate in sequence or such. I'd rather spend £30 or so on a servo and controller than £10 on gears and motors and not know how to fix it all together. I think I am looking at the bigger picture of getting several targets to work together in a controlled sequence. But then I am biased as I work on industrial control systems for a living!

Lets face it there is nothing wrong with the string on the standard Nockover, but fully automated targets is a fun project.

Thanks

Mark

Hi Mark,

Would using a motor/parts like Rob said be easier to set up?

I think Mark's option is better as he said you could set them all up together, and possibly control them separetly.

I totally agree with you about the string, there is nothing wrong with it but it would be cool to have automatic targets!

Thanks,

Fred

[eggplant]

oops, forgot pic, it was just of a radio control unit.

Im with Mark on the servo front, much more versatile IMO than motors and gears. and probably easier to make a target go up and down with a servo but of course there are loads of ways to achive what we are trying to do.

[Cones]

A bit more progress today (Not by me) as Chris has now had chance to design some metalwork around my servo and controller.

Here is the result. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1jOvtlkv7I

A fully self resetting falling plate target.

We get to shoot at it this afternoon.

I'll get some video of it in use.

Thanks

Mark

[eggplant]

Been working on my one too. The prototype was on so I started on a new larger one. Working fine as you can see in the vid. I have changed the target for now to a normal target which can move to any position and raise or lower any time and can stay of for however long - 2 secs for each one in the video.
I am making the tray bit with the servo and target in removable so I can just make a new tray with knock down targets or whatever and just swap over when I want. Its fine as it is now but needs the shaft that supports the target refining as part of a pen and some polymorph isnt ideal ! The tray is not 100% level as you will see, this is because I want to add a sort of rail at the bottom and a wheel or bearing on the bottom of the tray (where you can see a lump of white polymorph) as there is quite a bit of friction and this slows the motor down a bit. Because of this. when the target is in the down position, it is still slightly angled up, once the front of the tras is level, the target will obviously be further down. A piece of steel or whatever right accross the front will then hide the target when it is down.
Plenty more ideas in my head whcih I will share once I get it tidied up a bit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CILImeb_Mgo

[Cones]

Another update.

Chris brought the target up to the club today. But we had a problem with the control board.

It refused to operate unless it was connected to the laptop as well as the battery. But I said not to worry as I had bought two and would fit the spare one when I got in.

So this is the finished target with the new board and the reset time now set to 1 second.

I left it on cycle for an entire hour and it works perfectly each time.

This is the revised video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLEGV8HCels

We have to now wait till Wednesday evening to shoot at it.

Thanks

Mark

[Fred]

I don't get why a servo and controller is necessary... Local electronics hobby shops sell motors, gears, geared motors, reed switches, micro switches. With a little thought and a reasonable amount of metalworking skill it shouldn't be difficult to make a simple, self-resetting electric target. I would have done it before now if I wasn't so damn busy!

Well if you have any ideas on how to use the above to make an automatic target, please post on this thread!