Cheap foul line detector needed.

Thread Starter

candlepinman

Joined Mar 2, 2018
18
Hey all.

I need a handy cheap way of making a foul line system in our lanes where I work. Our machine are old and do work quit well, they are candle pin but over the year the mechanics had removed the foul detectors..

I was thinking of a laser diode and a photo-transistor to ring a buzzer powered by small batteries; but not sure how to make up the circuit for this?

Have any ideas or diagrams??
 

AnalogKid

Joined Aug 1, 2013
10,987
I know what you are talking about, but others might not. What are you talking about?

What is "candle pin"?

Where are you located?

ak
 
Last edited:

AnalogKid

Joined Aug 1, 2013
10,987
If a visible beam is ok, then a laser pointer and a photo transistor will give good accuracy and be easy to align. Did your old system have a reflector on one side of the lane, or was the emitter on one side and the detector on the other?

Photos?

ak
 

Reloadron

Joined Jan 15, 2015
7,501
I guess you can roll your own or buy something as a turn key solution like a garage door safety safety sensor kit which should run under $25 USD. A Google of garage door safety sensor should bring up a dozen results. It would be nice if the original sensors were known as to outputs and how they were interfaced.

Ron
 

AnalogKid

Joined Aug 1, 2013
10,987
Yeah, I thought about mentioning that. Foul detection doesn't have to be instantaneous, so you could pulse the emitter at something like 1 ms on every 100 ms, but it still would take some inconvenient batteries.

ak
 

Thread Starter

candlepinman

Joined Mar 2, 2018
18
I know what you are talking about, but others might not. What are you talking about?

What is "candle pin"?

Where are you located?

ak
Yes it is candle pin
my location is New Glasgow N.S.

I have no idea of what the original system had, they had been removed before I started working there, all I do know is that the foul lines used some sort of light for the pair of lanes.
 

Thread Starter

candlepinman

Joined Mar 2, 2018
18
If a visible beam is ok, then a laser pointer and a photo transistor will give good accuracy and be easy to align. Did your old system have a reflector on one side of the lane, or was the emitter on one side and the detector on the other?

Photos?
I do not have photos, nor do I know if it had a reflector, all of the old parts have been removed before I started working there.
 

Thread Starter

candlepinman

Joined Mar 2, 2018
18
I guess you can roll your own or buy something as a turn key solution like a garage door safety safety sensor kit which should run under $25 USD. A Google of garage door safety sensor should bring up a dozen results. It would be nice if the original sensors were known as to outputs and how they were interfaced.

Ron
unfortunately all of the old systems had been removed before I worked there, so I have to make up a system that would work on a lane or the pair of them.
 
Top