Cheap radar

[BrianG]

Originally Posted by coolhandcountry

...I wonder why more hobby shops don't sell them.
Oh! I know now. They are nitro heads and don't want to know how slow
there trucks are :002:

Just don't make that statement in a Nitro-related forum... :eek:

[glassdoctor]

Hey I have one of those hotwheels guns!! I should have found this thread sooner to keep some order, lol.

I haven't even got to try it with a r/c car. I don't expect it to work very well, based on a few minutes messing with it in the garage. It's very inconsistent even rolling or throwing a ball right next to it, etc.

Waste of $20 I think..... but I probably should use it some more before saying it's a total pos.

[BrianG]

From the various threads I've read at other forums, it's meant for very close-up measurements - like measuring speeds of 1/24th scale cars on a hot wheels track. Must mean the beam is not very wide or extend very far.

Soooo, I wonder if a little modding is in order. :017:

Since trying to get a reading on a passing vehicle is not easily possible, what about removing the guts and putting it on the truck? Have it pointing down or at an angle so it sees the passing ground? From what I've read, it takes 4 AA batts - perfect for a 5v or 6v BEC for power. If you remove the circuitry and re-arrange it for temp installation on a vehicle, it should be pretty light. Of course this only works if it has some type of hold feature so you can see the reading once the truck comes back to you.

GD: If you don't want yours, I'll take it off your hands to test my theory. :)

[riceman]

Hey Brian - I saw this Wheels gun, read up about the weakness of the signal and thought about modding as well. I did a little research into it. Check this thread out.

Looked like a whole lotta trouble for what it was worth so I got
on of these instead. I figured most of the time I'm out by myself and I'm not talented enough to operate a radar gun while making high speed passes. Just remeber that the angle of approach is critical to the calculation. The other critical part is not to hit the radar that is sitting on the ground as you make the high speed pass. Don't ask me how I know that.:002:

[BrianG]

Lol, you did far more research into that than I was planning to! I was just going to strap it to the truck facing down at an angle and see what I could get out of it. If the reading was somewhat accurate, pull it out of the case and mount it in something a little more truck-friendly. I figured it would "see" the ground speed. I know it works off the Doppler-effect, but wasn't sure how finnicky it would be about the angle and such. Maybe this idea would work better with an optical pick-up instead - like how an optical mouse works...

So, based on your experience, will this work? This would really be something to mess around with - I'd rather not spend the cash on a worthless venture...

[riceman]

Originally Posted by BrianG

I was just going to strap it to the truck facing down at an angle and see what I could get out of it....I know it works off the Doppler-effect, but wasn't sure how finnicky it would be about the angle and such. Maybe this idea would work better with an optical pick-up instead - like how an optical mouse works...

So, based on your experience, will this work? This would really be something to mess around with - I'd rather not spend the cash on a worthless venture...

As I mentioned - I didn't think the mod would have been worth it. I'm pretty sure the beam orientation won't allow you to get any type of reading with it facing the ground.

You could also get one of these. Set it up in your RC car and let it go the 60 feet 6 inches (distance from pitiching rubber to home plate) and let 'er rip. The only problem I found with this is that the vehicle must come to a abrupt stop as if it were hitting a glove. I guess you could try it... once:005:

[neweuser]

Originally Posted by riceman

As I mentioned - I didn't think the mod would have been worth it. I'm pretty sure the beam orientation won't allow you to get any type of reading with it facing the ground.

You could also get one of these. Set it up in your RC car and let it go the 60 feet 6 inches (distance from pitiching rubber to home plate) and let 'er rip. The only problem I found with this is that the vehicle must come to a abrupt stop as if it were hitting a glove. I guess you could try it... once:005:

Someone needs to teach how to do those links where you can put anything in the description to the link.
I know, off topic, but hey, threads around here tend to fall apart one time or another! :027: :027:
But can someone please quick answer that? thanks!

[BrianG]

Originally Posted by neweuser

Someone needs to teach how to do those links where you can put anything in the description to the link.
I know, off topic, but hey, threads around here tend to fall apart one time or another! :027: :027:
But can someone please quick answer that? thanks!

You mean where you can have the text of a link be different than the URL of the link?

Just type whatever you want, highlight the text you wish to "link-ify", and press the little globe with a chain link icon. In the entry field, enter the URL of the link. That's it.



Thanks riceman. The more I thought about it, I realized it wouldn't work. There would be no shifting of the transmitted frequency. Oh well.

[Serum]

Okay, i will post a topic if you are interested.. Not too deep, just the basics.