SoftChrono??? Anyone mess around with it??

[arkmaker †]

Just downloaded this program. I am going to give it a shot (haha) and see what results I come up with. Will need a standard chrony to verify results though. Anyway, anyone else ever mess with it?? Here is the link.
http://www.talonairgun.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=16

[quickster47 †]

I tried that one a long time ago, probably when it was an alpha version.  It was okay but the results seem to very all over the map.  Think it is hardware related.

However, your mileage may vary so give us your honest opinion.   

Carl

[arkmaker †]

Will do. I might not get a chance to shoot again until Monday 

[demarisl]

I find SoftChrony to be at least as accurate as my F1 Shooting Chrony with the added benefit that it saves its data for later perusal.  As stated in the manual, "Measure the distance accurately (sub inch or sub cm) and place the microphone (or laptop) precisely between the distance."  This is the distance the sound travels, not the distance from muzzle to target, and is the most critical aspect is using this software.  This can be seen by changing the target distance in settings and analyzing the included SampleShot.wav.  I get the following:

39 ft   864.7 < 22.1 fps
40 ft   886.8
41 ft   909.0 > 22.2 fps

When shooting a string it displays the current shot velocity as well as the minimum, maximum, average, spread, fpe, and standard deviation for the string.  Write them down if you want to save them because they are not saved in the measuredata.txt file.  Unless you have your setup very finely tuned (distance and velocity retained), they are just best guesses.  I view this feature as merely assurance that I'm getting decent data.  I leave the three blocks in the Auto Analyze section unchecked while checking all three blocks in the Save section of Settings.

After shooting my strings (click on "Shot Num" resets and makes the measuredata.txt file easier to read) I then reanalyse each shot.  Each shot is saved in a seperate ".wav" file named by date and time with a correlating entry in the measuredata.txt file.  Opening a file in the "Analyse" mode gives visual picture of the shot soundwave.  The two trigger points (muzzle - blue and target -red) can be manipulated by clicking on the appropriate line and dragging vertically to expand or contract until the trigger point is set correctly.  Quite easy after a couple of tries.

Once I'm looking at a good analysis of a shot and have a fps reading, I switch to ChairGunPro and load the Tools/Statistics app and enter the fps.  I do this for each shot in the string.  I then have the minimum, maximum, mean, spread, and standard deviation.  Now I can play with the muzzle velocity until I get a number that matches my mean velocity for the measured mid distance.  Accuracy here depends on how close the packaged BC in ChairGun is for that particular pellet in your gun.

After I figured out that the distance the sound traveled was so critical, I'm getting results that are less than 1% different from the F1 when comparing min, max, mean, spread, and SD.  Now that I'm confident that my down range fps readings are accurate I am starting to refine BCs for various pellets in my guns.

For simplicity, I run SoftChrono off of a memory stick (San Disc) plugged into an HP notebook.  After each session, I plug the stick into my desktop and move the *.wav and measuredata.txt into a seperate sub directory named by the date.  The measuredata.txt file is easily edited to include pellet type, weather conditions, and any other data deemed pertient.

Hope this helps.

Larry

[quickster47 †]

Wow Larry, that is some great information.  Thanks for sharing and guess I will be getting the newest version and giving it another try.

Carl

[demarisl]

Never got it to run until about a month ago.  I can't get it to run on a 64-bit operating system.  But it does run fine under the Win7 32-bit version running on my HP notebook.  Also runs under wine on Linux Mandriva 32-bit 10.2 but not on the 64-bit version.  Under Linux it needs the msstdfmt.dll installed. 

As I stated, measuring the distance the sound travels is the key.  I need to get a microphone that I can place in the center of the F1 so I can directly measure the difference between the light and sound measurements.  Right now I am using an HP notebook offset about three feet from my line of fire.  Don't need an "Oops" moment to explain to my wife why her computer has a hole in the screen.

Wish the author would continue working on this great program or release the source code to the Linux community for further refinement.  Integration into the ChairGun program would make a marvelous upgrade.

Thanks for the kind words.

Larry

[Blazeone]

Ok.... I just got Softchrono to run on windows7 64 bit version . here is what I did , lot of steps thought , but easy if you follow.

Create a restore point first . so if you mess up , you can fix it easily .

1. download the missing .dll file - which is called      msstdfmt.dll   you can download it here http://www.dll-downloads.com/downloadnow.asp?mirror=1 EXTRACT the .dll file

2. place that .dll ( not the entire compressed folder )  file you just downloaded into your Windows system folder ( C:\Windows\system )

3. Go to RUN , type CMD , right click CMD and select "run as administrator "

4. At the command prompt , type        regsvr32 C:\Windows\system\msstdfmt.dll Press Enter . There is a space between regsvr32 and C:\...

5. now you need to extract the softchrono.exe file AND the systems.ini file to your My Documents folder .

6. double click the softchrono.exe file .

Should all be working now : )

[quickster47 †]

Here is a post about a guy who built an LED set up to work with SoftChrono.  Pretty cool...

http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/thread/1312148525/Poor+Man's+Electronic+Chronograph

Carl

[arkmaker †]

Thanks everyone for the info. Going to get that 64 bit file now! I am looking forward to testing tomorrow!!
(if I can figure out how to use the program properly as I am a bit PC challenged)
Rich

[-Gary]

  A guy just posted this on the Yellow....
http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/thread/1312148525/Poor+Man%27s+Electronic+Chronograph
  His hardware is IR LED's and IR phototransistors instead of microphones.
  I am working on a similar design using a microprocessor and LCD display. Mine will be portable as it uses a 9v battery and no computer interface. I will post something when I get it farther along.

  -Gary

[arkmaker †]

Using light is a good idea, much closer to a regular chrony. This one os not affected by any outside interference, which is a plus! I may just try to make this! Now where is that Radio Shack when you need it? And to think of all the old VCR's I got rid of!!

[arkmaker †]

I had no luck today getting the software to record shots. Looks like I will try to build the Light Tube!!
Rich

[-Gary]

If you go with Radio Shack parts, this set will probably work together:
   IR PhotoTransistor #276-145
   IR LED #276-143

Be careful of the matched set they sell, #276-142
I have read some negative reviews on their website about this IR set from buyers.
I buy very little from from RS. I deal mostly with Digi-Key.

  -Gary

[arkmaker †]

Thanks Gary. 

I just looked at that matched pair and wow, there sure are a lot of negative reviews!! I'll stick with the singles. I'm no eletrical guy, but this looks easy enough and it is only using a single AA battery for power, so I just may be able to keep from burning the house down! 

[-Gary]

  You must use 5vdc to power the LED's. The 1.2 v you see is called the Forward Voltage of the LED's. You use 1.2 FV and the milliamp rating of the LED's to calculate the resistor value. This is a MUST to keep from burning up your LED's. Also the (2) leads are length coded to indicate + and - battery connections. Get them backwards and the LED will not light.
  -Gary