# Coil Chrono: Software to be used with your $1+ some wire DIY Chronograph



## jeremy.b (Dec 7, 2010)

*What IS it?

Coil Chrono*










This is a program that is written to function with a coil based chronograph that is was developed by Veni Vidi Vici in his BETTER DIY Chronograph ($1 + some wire) thread.

Veni Vidi Vici has a complete set of build instructions at the following post in his Diy coil chrono build instructions thread :

Diy coil chrono build instructions

I have to thank Veni Vidi Vici & (09Dreameason ) for helping do a huge amount of testing on Coil Chrono. With any luck we've squash any serious bugs for you all!

Coil Chrono functions by locating a set of pulses within an audio signal* and then calculates the time difference between the pulses and then divides the distance between the coils (the user enters this distance in the program) by that time difference.

* What is being generated and recorded is not really an audio signal, but a voltage spike generated by the arrow passing through the coils. However, since Coil Chrono makes use of the sound card for capturing this signal, the words "audio" and "sound" are used generically in these instructions.

*Where to get it?*

The latest version of the Coil Chronograph program can be downloaded at the following link:

Coil Chrono (Latest)

The program was written in AutoIT and uses a sound API called BASS. The latest source coded can be found here:

Coil Chrono Source (Latest)

*How do I use it?

Assumptions:*


You have created a coil based chronograph and it is plugged into your computer mic/line-in jack.
The chronograph is wired in such a way that the input goes to both input channels (not split between the right and left inputs)
*You have either a magnetized or magnet installed field point on your arrow(s).* Non-magnetized points typically do NOT produce enough signal to be caught by most coil setups.

*Quick Start*


Make sure the input device is set for your plugged in chronograph.
Under *Calculation Settings*set the following:
Coil Distance: Set to the distance in inches between your two coils.
Arrow Mass: Set so the program will calculate the KE & momentum when it finds a speed.
Ensure *Set Thresholds from current recorded file* is UNCHECKED.

Under *Calculation Settings* CLICK *Set Thresholds*. This will set a starting point for your high & low Threshold values that will be used to find signals to calculate speed from.
Ensure that *Manual Record Shot* is enabled. (NOT *Auto Record Shot*)
*DO NOT TOUCH ANY OTHER SETTINGS YET! (just to keep everything simple to start)*
When you are ready to take a shot, hit the F10 key or click the *Start* button.
Take your shot. The length of time you have to take the shot is defined by *Auto Stop Time* which can be set to a maximum of 30 seconds.
After your shot hit the F11 key or click the *Stop* button (or wait for the *Auto Stop Time* to be reached).
If the threshold values were correctly set in step 3 an accurate speed will be shown under the Speed section and the wave plot should look something like this:








If the threshold values were NOT set correctly (which is very likely on your first shot) you may end up with the following:








The goal is to have the two red threshold lines cross the two pulses that are generated when the arrow passes through the coil.

Do the following to fix the threshold values:
Under *Calculation Settings* CHECK *Set Thresholds from current recorded file*.
Set *Threshold %* to -40.
Click *Set Thresholds*.
This sets the thresholds 40% BELOW the highest peak in your recorded file and SHOULD allow the program to calculate a realistic speed.
Click *Re-Draw*. This will update the display to something like this:








Click *Re-Calculate*. Hopefully you will see a plot similar to that shown in step 9.
If you still did not get both threshold lines to cross the signal peaks you can keep playing with the *Threshold %* and *Re-Draw* until the threshold lines cross the signal peaks. Alternately you can manually set the High and Low Threshold values and use the *Re-Draw* button until you get both threshold lines to cross the signal peaks.


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## jeremy.b (Dec 7, 2010)

*Detailed Calculation Settings*



*Calculation Settings*









These settings dictate how Coil Chrono looks for signals from a field point in the audio input. 

Specifically, it uses the High and Low thresholds to pick up pairs of negative/positive (or positive/negative) signal pulses that a coil chronograph generates. 

After finding a pair of peaks the program back-tracks and finds where the signal crossed the average signal value, referred to as a cross-over point. 

It then proceeds to locate the next pair of peaks and again back tracks to the next cross-over point. The times for the two cross-over points are recorded and used with the *Coil Distance* to calculate the arrow speed.

In the image below the blue lines indicate the cross-over times, the red lines indicate the High and Low Thresholds and the cyan line is overlaying the purple line, which indicates the signal average.











Setting *Coil Distance* and *Arrow Mass* are fairly straight-forward, simply match your setup.

*High Threshold* and *Low Threshold* are used to find signal pulses to use in speed calculations. These values can be set using the tools mentioned below, or manually if you so choose.

Checking *Set Thresholds from current recorded file* lets *Set Thresholds* set the High and Low threshold values from the active recorded file (if there is one). Otherwise *Set Thresholds* records a temporary (not kept under Recorded Files) 1 second clip of audio input and sets the High and Low threshold values from that 1 second clip.

*Threshold %* is used with *Set Thresholds* to set the *High Threshold* and *Low Threshold*.

A positive *Threshold %* will set the High & Low Threshold the *Threshold %* ABOVE the highest peak in either the active wave file (if *Set Thresholds from current recorded file* is CHECKED) or from recording a temporary 1 second recording from the current audio input.

Conversely a negative *Threshold %* will set the High & Low Threshold the *Threshold %* BELOW the highest peak in either the active wave file (if *Set Thresholds from current recorded file* is CHECKED) or from recording a temporary 1 second recording from the current audio input. 

Normally a negative *Threshold %* would only be used when *Set Thresholds from current recorded file* is checked.






*Wave Window*









The display window shows an image of the active recorded file. 

It has controls to zoom out to see the entire recorded file, or to zoom in when two valid pairs of positive/negative peaks are found during analysis of the recorded file.

Also included in this section are the controls to re-calculate a signal and re-draw the active signal file.

Note: in any recorded file the highest positive value is 1.0 and the lowest negative value is -1.0.


*Re-Calculate*
Simply reanalyzes the active recorded file looking for two pairs of positive/negative peaks to calculate speed from.

Used when tweaking the High and Low Threshold values in the calculation settings section.

If a valid set of positive/negative pulses are located the wave window will automatically zoom to those pulses.

*Re-Draw*
Will update the wave display for the active recorded file.

If the High or Low Threshold value was changed the display of these will be updated as well.

Used to re-draw the wave window if the manual Scale & Time values are used (see below on details for manual controls).

*Zoom In* & *Zoom Out*

*Zoom In* is available if a valid set of signal pulses is found during calculation and if *Auto Scale* is active. This will zoom to the pair of pulses.

*Zoom Out* will zoom to the full time range of the active recorded file in both Auto Scale and manual mode.

*Auto Scale*

When CHECKED the wave display window will automatically scale to the min & max value of the active recorded file.

When UNCHECKED the user can manually enter the min/max wave values and the Start and End Time values as they wish. When manually editing the scale values click *Re-Draw* to update the wave display with the manual entries.

Note: When a speed is successfully calculated the wave display will automatically zoom to the set of pulses found, no matter if *Auto Scale* is CHECK or UNCHECKED.

Manual window controls

*Start Time* sets the starting time of the wave display.

*End Time* sets the ending time of the wave display.

*Min/Max* (no labels) sets the upper and lower display range for the wave window. Remember the maximum positive value is 1.0 and the maximum negative value is -1.0.


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## jeremy.b (Dec 7, 2010)

*Advanced Settings*



*Input Frequency Filters*
These settings determine what High Pass (HP) and Low Pass (LP) frequency filters are applied to the INPUT stream. 

Just to be clear, these filters are applied BEFORE any input is recorded and analyzed.










Low Pass: This allows frequencies BELOW this frequency setting to pass through the filter.
In practice setting this value too low (below 500 Hz) will reduce the amplitude of signals from the coil chronograph.
High Pass: This allows frequencies ABOVE this frequency setting to pass through the filter.
In practice setting this value too high (above 60 Hz) will also reduce the amplitude of the signals from the coil chronograph.
Setting Either LP & HP filter to 0 will disable the respective filter.

*Auto Record Shot & Manual Record Shot*
These settings dictate how the program records signal inputs for calculating speeds. 











Manual Record Shot
Pretty simple and is the more robust shot recording method.

Set the *Auto Stop Time* to any value up to 30 seconds. The time is limited to 30 seconds to avoid filling up the hard drive with huge .wav files.
Click *Start* or press the F10 key to start recording.
Click *Stop* or press the F11 key to stop recording.

Auto Record Shot
When configured correctly will automatically trigger when the input volume level passes the *Shot Vol Trigger*. 

This is NOT as robust as using Manual Record Shot. Large noise spikes can register as a shot, and there is also a performance bug that can cause Coil Chrono to miss recording a shot. It's fairly rare, but does exist.

To set a reasonable *Shot Vol Trigger* let Coil Chrono run for a few seconds.
*DO NOT TAKE A SHOT YET* Taking a shot now will set a false value under *Max Volume* which will cause *Set Shot Vol Trigger* to set a value too high to be seen.
Click *Set Shot Vol Trigger*. 
This will find the maximum volume reading from the input signal OR the value in *Max Volume*, which ever is higher. Then Coil Chrono will add an additional 10% to this value to set the *Shot Vol Trigger* value.
Take a shot. If the *Shot Vol Trigger* is set correctly Coil Chrono should see the shot, analyze it and report a speed.
If the shot is NOT recorded note the value of *Max Volume*. 

If the *Max Volume* is now HIGHER than the *Shot Vol Trigger* then Coil Chrono missed recording your shot for other reasons (the performance bug or something else).
If the *Max Volume* is still LOWER than the *Shot Vol Trigger* then manually enter a value in *Shot Vol Trigger* that is slightly lower than *Max Volume*.
Take another shot to test the new *Shot Vol Trigger* value.
Rinse/repeat as necessary.



*Recorded Files*

These options manipulate the active recorded file & allow for cleanup of recorded files.

Note: Each time a shot is recorded using either Manual or Auto mode a new audio file is saved to the computer.











Select a file from the *Recorded Files* drop-down list to set that file as active.
To view the file click *Re-Draw*.
To recalculate the speed from that file click *Re-Calculate*.
To manually delete the active file click the *Delete* button.
Enabling *Limit Number of Recorded Files* will make Coil Chrono automatically delete the oldest files up to the limit number. 
Note: Coil Chrono will always prompt for user confirmation before performing an automatic delete on any recorded file.


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## jeremy.b (Dec 7, 2010)

And for those that want the above writeup in a more digestable and printable format here is a link to a PDF copy:
View attachment Coil Chrono Documentation.zip


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## WisDeerHunter (Apr 16, 2011)

This is great! I am planning on making a chrono. Planning on having my father-in-law put a piece of 6" PVC on his lathe and cutting a narrow notch in it about 12 - 16" apart that I can wind the wire into. Was following the $1 chrono thread but knew until there was an easy to use software portion, I probably wouldn't take on the project. Looks like you just filled the gap. Thanks!


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## Red Path (Jan 17, 2010)

WOW, helsyeah.....that is really cool!!!


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## jeremy.b (Dec 7, 2010)

WisDeerHunter said:


> This is great! I am planning on making a chrono. Planning on having my father-in-law put a piece of 6" PVC on his lathe and cutting a narrow notch in it about 12 - 16" apart that I can wind the wire into. Was following the $1 chrono thread but knew until there was an easy to use software portion, I probably wouldn't take on the project. Looks like you just filled the gap. Thanks!





Red Path said:


> WOW, helsyeah.....that is really cool!!!


Thanks guys! 

If anything wonky comes up when using the program feel free to shoot me a PM so we can work out the issue and I can fix any potential bugs.


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## Veni Vidi Vici (Jan 23, 2011)

WisDeerHunter said:


> This is great! I am planning on making a chrono. Planning on having my father-in-law put a piece of 6" PVC on his lathe and cutting a narrow notch in it about 12 - 16" apart that I can wind the wire into. Was following the $1 chrono thread but knew until there was an easy to use software portion, I probably wouldn't take on the project. Looks like you just filled the gap. Thanks!


If you make it too short, the signals might overlap each other and I'm not sure what Coil Chrono will do. But your PVC pipe method would be a cheap way to experiment with that


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## Typical171 (Feb 23, 2010)

helsyeah, When I try to unzipp the file above, my charter security suite says it removed a virus and then the program will not run. Can you help? Thank you.


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## glrjola4 (Feb 2, 2006)

program works fine... no viruses found !!!!


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## jeremy.b (Dec 7, 2010)

Typical171 said:


> helsyeah, When I try to unzipp the file above, my charter security suite says it removed a virus and then the program will not run. Can you help? Thank you.


This may be because it was written and _compiled_ in AutoIT. 

There are a handful of antivirus programs that are a bit over-protective and flag *any* compiled AutoIT programs as a virus, period.

One way to work around it is to download AutoIT directly and the Source Code for Coil Chrono and just either run the source code directly (after installing AutoIT, its not hard, just right-click on the CoilChrono.au3 and click Run Script)

Alternately you may be able to configure Charter Security Suite to not blacklist the CoilChrono.exe file.

I'm doing some additional digging to see if there are other options for ya.


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## Typical171 (Feb 23, 2010)

Helsyeah, I downloaded the AutoIT and the source code and tried to open the Coil Chrono with the run script option, it open the program but overlaid this error, is the anything else I can try?


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## WisDeerHunter (Apr 16, 2011)

Veni Vidi Vici said:


> If you make it too short, the signals might overlap each other and I'm not sure what Coil Chrono will do. But your PVC pipe method would be a cheap way to experiment with that


6" is diameter. I plan on making it about 18" long.


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## Typical171 (Feb 23, 2010)

A larger version....


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## jeremy.b (Dec 7, 2010)

Typical171 said:


> Helsyeah, I downloaded the AutoIT and the source code and tried to open the Coil Chrono with the run script option, it open the program but overlaid this error, is the anything else I can try?


Hmm, your issue indicates a problem with Coil Chrono picking up your input sound devices.

I have a couple things I would like you to do:



Open up the CoilChrono.au3 in AutoIT by right-clicking on it and click Edit Script.

This should fire up AutoIT with the full script open.

Hit the F5 key to run the script.

You will still get the error, but thats fine. Click OK to close the error window and CoilChrono.

There should now be a sub-window (it called the console window) underneath all of the code with some different stuff in it like:


```
STARTING TO DEBUG BASS_ENC_EXAMPLE.
OS = WIN_7 (X64) (SERVICE PACK = ) BUILD = 7600
KB Layout = 00000409
.
.
.
.
```
Copy all of that text in the sub window and send it back to me.

Send me a screen shot of your CoilChrono_src_Latest folder so I can make sure all of the correct files are in there that should be.



Thanks in advance, we'll get you sorted out.


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## Typical171 (Feb 23, 2010)

Heres the folder with the files.


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## Typical171 (Feb 23, 2010)

I PM'd the text you requested. Thanks


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## jeremy.b (Dec 7, 2010)

Typical171 said:


> I PM'd the text you requested. Thanks


I sent you a PM as well.

I didn't get your PM?? but your screenshot told me what was missing, so I think we can keep moving forward.


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## nXXo (Apr 5, 2009)

Wow thx you very much for this thread


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## jlnel (Dec 22, 2009)

nice! some smart people on here..


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## klemsontigers7 (Jul 1, 2008)

Thanks helsyea & VVV, I am making one today. My dad was an electrical engineer so he has all sorts of wire, he actually had 18 gauge and 30 gauge magnet wire. He had a lot of connectors but didn't have the on I needed. I'm going to end up making this thing for the price of the plug. I'm sure I'll have questions, hope this thing works.


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## TrekJeff (Sep 27, 2009)

You guys are awesome!! Thanks for the share!


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## jmr57 (Aug 2, 2011)

dang...you boys are brainiacs....thanks


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## bacon83 (Sep 9, 2010)

Mine keeps crashing right after I open it. It says error on line 1571 and then closes.


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## fhhunter (May 17, 2012)

Guess I'm feeling a little left out on this.:sad:
I have Audacity, but I run Linux instead of Windows. Going to see if I can find a way to compile the source within Linux.


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## W1KRB (Aug 2, 2012)

Tried to download the coil chrono software and/or the source, but the links don't seem to work. Can someone confirm if they are still active and perhaps it's just my PC??


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## ThomVis (Feb 21, 2012)

W1KRB said:


> Tried to download the coil chrono software and/or the source, but the links don't seem to work. Can someone confirm if they are still active and perhaps it's just my PC??


Download works fine, don't select the individual files, use the file options under the .zip file.


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## W1KRB (Aug 2, 2012)

Yup....as I thought, it was my work PC. Tried it on another and works fine. Cheers.

BTW, hat's off to the brainiacs who came up with this idea, and continue to support 'average Joe'. It's great that this can be knocked up for a couple of £/$/€.

Cheers.


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## 156p&c (Aug 20, 2010)

im having trouble doing the the download any help


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## ilovevenison (Aug 25, 2012)

how do i open the file in google drive?!


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## jeremy.b (Dec 7, 2010)

Hey guys, so are you getting to the the contents page when you click the download link?

Should look like this:


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## ThomVis (Feb 21, 2012)

There you should click File -> Download, not the individual files.
(or in your own language, I see it in Dutch)


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## ilovevenison (Aug 25, 2012)

thanks thom! got it all sorted out now. now time to put the actual coil together.


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## LowTrunkOzz (Apr 5, 2008)

It worked fine for me...how's that android version goin?

nate


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## jeremy.b (Dec 7, 2010)

That is a fine question. I'll be seeing my developer buddy today so I'll chat with him about it.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2


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## LowTrunkOzz (Apr 5, 2008)

Awesome. I tried my hand at it, but I don't have the patience for that stuff! Next thing I'll be trying to figure out it how to get the pics off my trail cam onto my phone in the field without carrying a laptop or spending $100 on the wifi sd cards...

No more off topic for me....

nate


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## squirrelman87 (Feb 19, 2012)

Can someone please help. I tried downloading the chronograph software and this is what i get on my computer when i try. thanks


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## Veni Vidi Vici (Jan 23, 2011)

Did you download all of the required files? See post #31 above. After extracting the files, you should have the ones helsyeah listed. Then, after running it once, you should have one more like this.









Mine's been running fine on Windows 7. If you can't get it to work, helsyeah was the developer and he might be able to help.


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## ThomVis (Feb 21, 2012)

Did you try with Administrative privileges and/or compatibility mode (xp sp3)?


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## redyak3 (Nov 5, 2011)

Bump for this thread, think this'll be my next project....


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## muzzydeath (Feb 22, 2011)

sweet


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## jeremy.b (Dec 7, 2010)

squirrelman87 said:


> Can someone please help. I tried downloading the chronograph software and this is what i get on my computer when i try. thanks


PM Sent .


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## dpete (Mar 19, 2009)

I built my chrono today using an 8" tube concrete form and 30 turns of wire in each coil, 30" apart (200ft of 30ga from the radio shack magnet kit wouldn't go 50 in each coil). I plugged it into my laptop, turned on the program and fired a shot. It worked from the very first shot! Speeds dead on with what the online calculators said it should be when I used shop chrono speeds as a baseline. Helsyeah thank you so much for all the effort you put in on this. You've given a lot to all of us do-it-yourselfers.


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## redyak3 (Nov 5, 2011)

I got the 8" "sono-tube" form from Home Depot today. The 775' of 36 awg Magnet wire from ebay should be in shortly and I just downloaded the coil chrono software. Excited to see this project working. What kind of stand(s) are any of you folks using...pics :shade:


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## redyak3 (Nov 5, 2011)

Waiting on parts, came up with this for my stand...I hope the 1/4" nut that holds the tube on the tripod doesn't effect the field in the chamber...??? Shot a couple arrows through w/o trouble. Any thoughts...


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## nuts&bolts (Mar 25, 2005)

redyak3 said:


> Waiting on parts, came up with this for my stand...I hope the 1/4" nut that holds the tube on the tripod doesn't effect the field in the chamber...??? Shot a couple arrows through w/o trouble. Any thoughts...


If you are worried about it,
make a wooden saddle,
and then,
use a strap to attach the sono tube
to the wooden saddle/cradle.


Nice tripod.


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## Veni Vidi Vici (Jan 23, 2011)

redyak3 said:


> Waiting on parts, came up with this for my stand...I hope the 1/4" nut that holds the tube on the tripod doesn't effect the field in the chamber...??? Shot a couple arrows through w/o trouble. Any thoughts...


The nut won't be a problem. I used 1/4" nuts on both of the chrono's I've built.


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## redyak3 (Nov 5, 2011)

Thanks for the info gentlemen! Rains _alot_ here on the East side of the Big Island, leaning towards spraying clear on the tube. I'll use this rig for my reloads as well, thanks for sharing this DIY. The tripod holds my transit, building lasers, and now most importantly my chrono...


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## Veni Vidi Vici (Jan 23, 2011)

redyak3 said:


> Thanks for the info gentlemen! Rains _alot_ here on the East side of the Big Island, leaning towards spraying clear on the tube. I'll use this rig for my reloads as well, thanks for sharing this DIY. The tripod holds my transit, building lasers, and now most importantly my chrono...


Unless you have come up with magnetic bullets, this will not work with reloads. It requires a magnet passing through the coils to get a signal; easily accomplished by rubbing a permanent magnet on your field point in the same direction for several strokes.


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## redyak3 (Nov 5, 2011)

Veni Vidi Vici said:


> Unless you have come up with magnetic bullets, this will not work with reloads. It requires a magnet passing through the coils to get a signal; easily accomplished by rubbing a permanent magnet on your field point in the same direction for several strokes.


OOPs...guess I got a little excited....shucksukey:


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## redyak3 (Nov 5, 2011)

Finished my coil chrono...got some wild numbers...help
That's from my DXT set at 70# 27.5 DL
My Dren at 65#, 27 DL was averaging in the low 200's...


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## Veni Vidi Vici (Jan 23, 2011)

Looks like you are just reading system noise. Those are not the peaks that you should expect to see. Looking at the scale values on the right side of the graph and your thresholds, those numbers are low by a factor of 10. Also notice that the signal you have looks nothing like the signal shown in the instructions on page 1. The peaks you want should have a very distinct shape like the examples.

First, be sure that your field point is magnetized. Then go back through the setup process on page 1 step by step. Hopefully that will put you back into normal ranges.


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## redyak3 (Nov 5, 2011)

Veni Vidi Vici said:


> Looks like you are just reading system noise. Those are not the peaks that you should expect to see. Looking at the scale values on the right side of the graph and your thresholds, those numbers are low by a factor of 10. Also notice that the signal you have looks nothing like the signal shown in the instructions on page 1. The peaks you want should have a very distinct shape like the examples.
> 
> First, be sure that your field point is magnetized. Then go back through the setup process on page 1 step by step. Hopefully that will put you back into normal ranges.


Thanks! I'll get on doing a better job of magnetizing.


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## GrayTech (Jan 29, 2013)

HELP! 
My antivirus is flagging the CoilChrono executable as a high priority threat. Is it safe to run? Should I restrict its capability?
Thanks, 
Grey


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## GrayTech (Jan 29, 2013)

GrayTech said:


> HELP!
> My antivirus is flagging the CoilChrono executable as a high priority threat. Is it safe to run? Should I restrict its capability?
> Thanks,
> Grey


Ok, so I went ahead, and ran the file and the application crashed. 
The error message says: 
Line 6523 (CoilChrono.exe)
Error: Subscript used with non-Array variable.


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## BringEmNorth (Apr 7, 2012)

subscribed. Cool Thread guys!


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## Veni Vidi Vici (Jan 23, 2011)

GrayTech said:


> Ok, so I went ahead, and ran the file and the application crashed.
> The error message says:
> Line 6523 (CoilChrono.exe)
> Error: Subscript used with non-Array variable.


Check post 11 of this thread. This might be a work around for you. If not, try sending helsyeah a PM.


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## GrayTech (Jan 29, 2013)

W1KRB said:


> Tried to download the coil chrono software and/or the source, but the links don't seem to work. Can someone confirm if they are still active and perhaps it's just my PC??


click the little down arrow at the end of each line and select download.


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## GrayTech (Jan 29, 2013)

SUCCESS!!! 
METHOD FOR ANYONE STRUGGLING TO RUN CoilChrono on Windows. 

1. I downloaded AutoIt (http://www.autoitscript.com/cgi-bin/getfile.pl?autoit3/autoit-v3-setup.exe), and ran the setup file. 
2. Then I downloaded ALL the files at the give address for CoilChrono into a folder (except CoilChrono.exe). 
3. Select all the files in the folder, then (with all selected) right click on coilchrono.au3 and select Edit Script. 
4. When the program opens, check the lower tabs along the top, click on coilchrono.au3, 
5. Then click tools on uppermost tabs and select compile. 
6. . It will create a new coilchrono.exe file in the folder with the files you downloaded. 
7. Leave it there and make a shortcut if you want an icon on your desktop, it needs the 3 .dll files to run properly. 
8. Test it out.... 

Took me an hour or two to figure this out, never worked with AutoIT before but luckily I'm a bit of a computer geek myself or it may have taken a LOT longer.


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## GrayTech (Jan 29, 2013)

For a magnetic field point, I have drilled a field point and inserted a powerful little neodymium magnet which should give me quite a spike even with only a few coils each end of the tube.


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## Veni Vidi Vici (Jan 23, 2011)

@GrayTech: Glad that you got the software to work, and also that you shared your solution.

Regarding your magnet, I can't tell from the picture if it's a cylindrical magnet or a little cube. The only advice I have is that my understanding is that you want the N-S poles aligned with the axis of the arrow. If they are perpendicular to the arrow, I'm not sure how much of a signal you'll actually get.

I talked about this in the assembly instructions, which I'm reposting here because I can't seem to download them anymore.

View attachment 1628091


I also mentioned my experience doing exactly what you are doing (assuming your N-S poles are perpendicular to the arrow axis) in this post: http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1462291&page=10&p=1060661907#post1060661907

And just for good measure, here is helsyeah's COILCHRONO software for anyone else.

View attachment 1628092


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## GrayTech (Jan 29, 2013)

Veni Vidi Vici said:


> @GrayTech: Glad that you got the software to work, and also that you shared your solution.
> 
> Regarding your magnet, I can't tell from the picture if it's a cylindrical magnet or a little cube. The only advice I have is that my understanding is that you want the N-S poles aligned with the axis of the arrow. If they are perpendicular to the arrow, I'm not sure how much of a signal you'll actually get.
> 
> ...


Thanks,
Yes they are perpendicular to the arrow length, will try it out and see what happens. With fine enough wire and enough coils it may be ok. If not I'll destroy another field point. These are cylindrical neodymium magnets. Strong enough to noticeably feel the pull on a steel bar 6" away.


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## GrayTech (Jan 29, 2013)

Almost there! 
The 7" coil tube for my coil chrono is done, just need to wire it up to an audio jack plug. 
I have 3 coils of different lengths at each end wired in parallel so I can experiment with sensitivity. 
I may have to cut the tube in half and separate the coils to 2 feet, but will test it out as is for now. 







Used a spare tripod to mount it and the whole thing packs up pretty small so I can cart it out to the range if necessary.


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## Keith t (Oct 31, 2008)

can someone help me with the software download? I think I have everything downloaded correctly based on the comments in the thread. I tried what gray tech suggested on how he got his to work but I keep getting an error message.

FYI... I suck at computers so be patient.

Thanks, Keith


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## jeremy.b (Dec 7, 2010)

Did you download the .zip file or only coilchrono.exe?


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## Keith t (Oct 31, 2008)

helsyeah said:


> Did you download the .zip file or only coilchrono.exe?


 I followed the link in post #11. I do notice that when I clicked on the link, there is a yellow banner that says I need to update my browser. I went ahead and downloaded all the files and put them in a folder and tried to do what graytech suggested.

I may be doing something wrong since, again, I suck at computers. If someone can tell me how to post a screen shot I will post what error is showing up.


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## redyak3 (Nov 5, 2011)

Keith t said:


> I followed the link in post #11. I do notice that when I clicked on the link, there is a yellow banner that says I need to update my browser. I went ahead and downloaded all the files and put them in a folder and tried to do what graytech suggested.
> 
> I may be doing something wrong since, again, I suck at computers. If someone can tell me how to post a screen shot I will post what error is showing up.


I use a downloadable "snipping tool". Some info...
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/snipping-tool


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## Veni Vidi Vici (Jan 23, 2011)

@redyak3: is yours working now?


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## Veni Vidi Vici (Jan 23, 2011)

@Keith t: After you use the snipping tool or whatever tool you choose to create your screen capture, save the file somewhere (like your desktop). Then, in the Quick Reply box, click on the Insert Image icon. It looks like a little square with a tree on it. On my screen it is two to the right from the envelope. A window will pop up that allows you to attach an image either from your computer or from the web. Make sure you click on the From Computer tab, then click the browse button to find the file you want to attach. Next, click on Upload File(s) and the image should upload. You will see some code appear in the Quick Reply box with ATTACH in brackets on either side of a number. This is the code that will attach your image.


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## Keith t (Oct 31, 2008)

Veni Vidi Vici said:


> @Keith t: After you use the snipping tool or whatever tool you choose to create your screen capture, save the file somewhere (like your desktop). Then, in the Quick Reply box, click on the Insert Image icon. It looks like a little square with a tree on it. On my screen it is two to the right from the envelope. A window will pop up that allows you to attach an image either from your computer or from the web. Make sure you click on the From Computer tab, then click the browse button to find the file you want to attach. Next, click on Upload File(s) and the image should upload. You will see some code appear in the Quick Reply box with ATTACH in brackets on either side of a number. This is the code that will attach your image.


 Thanks for all the help, I will give it a shot in a bit.


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## redyak3 (Nov 5, 2011)

Veni Vidi Vici said:


> @redyak3: is yours working now?


Been busy, got my coil re-wired last night. I need to solder the wire ends to the jack today and test. Hopefully I'll have a success to post.


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## Keith t (Oct 31, 2008)

I think I have it.....not quite sure how but I think it will work. I put everything into the trash and started over. I was able to remove the yellow banner that popped up on the link and clicked file download. It downloaded the zip file. I followed the instructions on post #11 and it worked with no error banner.

now all I have to do is build the chrono. 

Thanks for the help guys


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## redyak3 (Nov 5, 2011)

Seems to be getting the desired "wave pattern" consistently. Strangely enough the first shot it read mid 270's, which I was expecting. Next an err message, then the rest of the readings came out in the mid 240's. I need to compare with a "store bought" chrono. Using my DXT @ 70lbs, 27.5 dl. My Dren also @ 70lbs, w/27 dl read just a tad slower. Here's a screenshot of a DXT shot, does the coilchrono parameters look correct?
Thanks!!!


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## Veni Vidi Vici (Jan 23, 2011)

Your waveform looks great now, and the thresholds look realistic. 245 vs. 270, your measured distance between the coils would have to be off by about 3 inches OR your draw weight would have to be 60# instead of 70#, so I seriously doubt that's the case. My suspicion is that you are standing a little too close to the chrono, and that the arrow is starting to enter the first coil before it has completely left your bowstring. Also, since your first reading was closer to what you suspected (and to what the Backcountry archery calculator predicts), I'm inclined to think that you just inched forward a bit for your subsequent shots. Try backing up 2 feet and shooting again.

But again, your signal looks great now. It's working, we just need to make sure it's being used correctly


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## 1dwn4up (Jan 22, 2013)

Tag


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## Scojen7 (Feb 15, 2013)

Has anyone run run this program under Windows 8 real curious.


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## bbell (Sep 10, 2012)

Is there any way to get this to work for mac? Thanks.


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## ThomVis (Feb 21, 2012)

Scojen7 said:


> Has anyone run run this program under Windows 8 real curious.


Yep, no problems.
Well, except for the first 2 tries when it recorded something but didn't get results. Listened to the wave files and heard background music. Darnit, wrong mic selected.......


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## booone0 (Nov 30, 2013)

bbell said:


> Is there any way to get this to work for mac? Thanks.


Same question here...I saw a mention of an android app as well. I'd be willing to pay for an android version of this app if you developed one.


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## X-BowHunter (Nov 18, 2013)

what is the shortest tube anyone has used?

i'm gonna try this...


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## flinginairos (Jan 3, 2006)

Building mine this weekend. Already have the software downloaded and ready! Thanks for all that have worked on this!


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## jeremy.b (Dec 7, 2010)

booone0 said:


> Same question here...I saw a mention of an android app as well. I'd be willing to pay for an android version of this app if you developed one.


Hey guys, the only way to get this working on Mac would be a total re-write (so not likely to happen unless someone else does the work).

As for the Android version, the development stalled a bit when the guy working on the android version bought a house, remodeled it, and then had a baby... (he's been slightly distracted for some reason...). 

I'll be touching base with him shortly to see if we can get the android version off the ground.


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## Fury90flier (Jun 27, 2012)

can't you just run an emulator?

if you do get the android stuff going, let us know-- It's what I was wanting to work on but got distracted with family, work etc--then I simply stopped caring about measuring speed and focused on ME--for some reason I'm really sucking at the whole archery thing right now...


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## booone0 (Nov 30, 2013)

I am almost done building my coil chrono. I took a rubber blunt small game tip, drilled out the front, and put one of those rare earth magnets in with gorilla glue. We'll see how that works.


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## booone0 (Nov 30, 2013)

Has anyone gotten this app to work using Winebottler on OSX? I tried installing it, but it keeps hanging on "installing"


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## scottland (Oct 29, 2004)

I built a chrono this weekend using an 8" cardboard concrete tube with 30 wraps of coil 24" apart. It works great!

One thing to note. Here were my issues, so people can learn from them. 

A. Use a multimeter to check the ohms between your leads. There should be very little resistance when meassured on the 3.5" mic jack. I think mine was like 9ohm. Initially my wire broke at the solder joint. No wonder it wasn't working. Multimeters save a lot of headaches.

B. The threshold values are very important. I fought with this for awhile before I got it to work right. Once you get the right values though, It works beautifully.


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## Glenn58 (Mar 25, 2013)

bbell said:


> Is there any way to get this to work for mac? Thanks.


Once I get my wire in and get the Chrono built, I'll try running it on my wife's MacBook Air. I installed VMware's "Fusion 6" which allows you to install/run Windows (XP in my case) as a virtual machine on a MAC. I'll have to look at it and make sure it has the mic input. Those Airs are pretty thin and have limited I/O.


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## booone0 (Nov 30, 2013)

scottland said:


> I built a chrono this weekend using an 8" cardboard concrete tube with 30 wraps of coil 24" apart. It works great!
> 
> One thing to note. Here were my issues, so people can learn from them.
> 
> ...


To add to this, I have 50 wraps, 46in apart, 40ga wire, and I was reading 21 ohms before and after soldering everything up. With a magnet I still get a really good signal.


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## scottland (Oct 29, 2004)

booone0 said:


> To add to this, I have 50 wraps, 46in apart, 40ga wire, and I was reading 21 ohms before and after soldering everything up. With a magnet I still get a really good signal.


Oh sure. The low level of ohms wasn't as important, as simply the fact it didn't read 1.000. My solder joint broke, so a multimeter will tell you if everything is connected.

I was getting consistent readings with 1-2fps everytime though. I was surprised it worked so well.


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## Tugman (Jun 22, 2013)

Typical171 said:


> Helsyeah, I downloaded the AutoIT and the source code and tried to open the Coil Chrono with the run script option, it open the program but overlaid this error, is the anything else I can try?


FYI to anyone else that builds this and downloads the program. I figured out why this happened to Typical171. http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=1069765&d=1304964577 When I drug and dropped the program icon out of the folder to my desktop, it did the same thing. When I put it back in the folder, it worked again. So apparently it needs to remain in the folder with it's files.

Tugman


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## NoDeerInIowa (Mar 5, 2012)

This works great with my guitar pickup chrono. At least it did until my buddy shot one of the pickups. It sure looked cool when he did it though.


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## Charl D (Nov 3, 2012)

HI all, just wondering if this works with an infra red setup instead of the coils?


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## jeremy.b (Dec 7, 2010)

It might be made to work, but as the software works now, you would have to do some work to feed signals to the audio inputs. To do that I suspect the infrared setup would have to be powered some how, then a control board built to send the change in signal to an audio line then read by coil chrono.


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## Outsider (Aug 16, 2011)

tagged


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## km04 (Feb 2, 2013)

Tagged for later


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## barbox (Oct 23, 2014)

Hi, here is my chrono, tested with BelaKbows (http://belakbows.wix.com/belakbows , Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS1...EecqNsb7OWvSmg)
We got some really good results.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYKuJGRina0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAVP_5o6KXA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1CqaoHVv9w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A39h9x9BQhA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08SoraDjUok

You can also find us on Facebook - BelaKbows


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## K.G.K. (Jun 27, 2011)

Tag 

KGK


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## DarthMechanicus (Jun 7, 2021)

I realize that this is a major thread resurrection, but I figured it would be better for context.

Does anybody still have a copy of this software? It looks like a great effort by helsyeah. I'd like to give it a try.


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## Fury90flier (Jun 27, 2012)

You'll have to go read through the entire thread, it's available


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## DarthMechanicus (Jun 7, 2021)

Fury90flier said:


> You'll have to go read through the entire thread, it's available


Ah, you are absolutely right. I tried the links, which are broken, but somebody attached it as a file and I glanced over it. Thanks.

And just to make it easier in case anybody else is looking:


Veni Vidi Vici said:


> And just for good measure, here is helsyeah's COILCHRONO software for anyone else.
> 
> View attachment 1628092


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## Fury90flier (Jun 27, 2012)

You can also check out chronograph app for your phone. It uses the Mike to pick up the release and impact.


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## jeremy.b (Dec 7, 2010)

Another thread resurrection: updated download links to work properly again.


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## cobblepots (Nov 28, 2014)

Just found this older thread, really neat! Thanks for resurrecting it.


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## Tugman (Jun 22, 2013)

I tried all of these things and ended up buying a shooting chrony.


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