Intersting idea actually...sorta doing it that way. Just left the client....had to visit because nothing was working...grrr Oh...helps if you install the LED's correctly..... No call from him for the last 2 hours.....maybe...just maybe.....I have him happy. naaaaaa.....never happens that easily!!! Rolf wrote: So, being a hobbyist, I have hare-brained ideas. Why use narrow-beamed IR TX LED's? How about this as an idea. Set up the TX Led's to have a "chasing light" system where they sequentially emit from one side to the other. Never have 2 LED's on at once. Like the lights on KIT from Night-Rider. Use broad-emmitting diodes so that all IRX Rx's can "see" the emmitter. If any one RX doesn't get a signal, then there must be a beam break. By chasing the TX led's you cover the whole chute. You just have to make the chase sequence "really fast" so that it sweeps the whole chute in the time it takes a small object to fall through.... ;-) Actually, thinking about it, I would put alternate TX LED's and Rx's all the way around the chute, and just identify which RX's are in line-of-sight of which TX's. Then chase the TX's around the chute. If any RX does not have a signal when it is supposed to, you could actually calculate pretty much exactly where in the chute the part fell through.... There is probably a good reason why this idea would not work... Rolf alan smith wrote: > I dont have to worry about sunlight, this is indoors and somewhat shaded....so no worries about sunlight causing issues. > > I dont really want or need a narrow angle on the rx side, or at least I dont think I do. In fact I'm pretty sure I do not want to do this, as it would end up leaving holes in the field. > > Brooke Clarke wrote: > Hi Alan: > > I followed you up to: > "However....as you pull the boards away....the alignment of the beams become > more difficult." > > Does this mean that even through timing the Tx with it's associated Rx you > still want a narrower look angle? > > Have you done anything to prevent sun or bright light desense of the Rx sensor? > -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist --------------------------------- Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games. -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist