The representative at Labradar told me the unit was actually measuring the speed of unburned powder.
Labradar
- Thread starter jaytee
- Start date
The representative at Labradar told me the unit was actually measuring the speed of unburned powder.
divingin
Gold $$ Contributor
Verified. Recoil trigger connected to LR, but sitting on bench. LR positioned as normal next to the muzzle. No shot detection on firing. Pop the recoil trigger on the action, LR works as normal.
Connecting the recoil trigger disables the blast sensor trigger.
divingin
Gold $$ Contributor
One other interesting tidbit I ran into (that I forgot to post):
LR has a battery door that hides a spot for 6 - AA batteries. I was getting a weird error where the LR said the battery condition was too poor to arm, despite having a battery bank attached to the USB port. So, to verify that I was running on the battery bank, I removed one of the AA cells. Got the same error. So to check, I removed the battery bank, and was surprised to see the attached image as a result. Apparently, the LR uses 2 banks of 3 AA cells in parallel. Kind of a surprise to pull one battery and still have the unit work.
My battery bank problem ended up being a balky cable.
LR has a battery door that hides a spot for 6 - AA batteries. I was getting a weird error where the LR said the battery condition was too poor to arm, despite having a battery bank attached to the USB port. So, to verify that I was running on the battery bank, I removed one of the AA cells. Got the same error. So to check, I removed the battery bank, and was surprised to see the attached image as a result. Apparently, the LR uses 2 banks of 3 AA cells in parallel. Kind of a surprise to pull one battery and still have the unit work.
My battery bank problem ended up being a balky cable.
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Most of the LabRadar issues are user error. There is a definite learning curve to using one. I too was a long time user of the Oehler 35 series. My LabRadar replaced a 35P severe years ago and I'll never go back.
What did you use to determine which chrono was more accurate?
I too was surprised to discover that. I got a bad batch of rechargeable batteries, and I was trying to find the bad ones at the range by pulling and replacing one at a time. I had to pull three before my test worked.
My only real complaint with the LabRadar is they chose to use a Micro or Mini USB connector for the external battery pack. I have used mine so much that the connector receptacle has lost its ability to grip the connector. I can bend the metal back in shape, but that won't last for long.
The larger braked rifles I have to shoot for customers often have enough muzzle blast to move to connector cable, which shuts down the LabRadar. So I am now using rechargeable AA batteries and I always keep a spare set in the LabRadar case.
I would prefer to use an external battery again, but it needs a much better connector.
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When we have had a full set of benches with multiple Labradar users they seem to have trouble.i just don't set up a chronograph all that much these days.
The Oehler can be a pain to set up if you don't have a good system. The orange monster seems easier I'd think?
We compared the reading between all 3 chronographs for each shot. With larger calibers the values aligned closely relative to each other.
With the 223 however there was strange outliers that were in agreement between the light curtain and magnetospeed but the labradar was off considerably. The value provided by the labradar was well outside the bounds of probability given the ES of the well tested load used.
The only explanation we surmised was that it was likely because the projectile was smaller and therefore harder to pick up on the radar, but you are welcome to draw your own conclusions.
Got it. It really wasn't less accurate, but less reliable with the 22z
That brings up one of the issues with any chronograph. We really don't know how precisely they measure the true velocity. That said, perfectly accurate velocities aren't as important as many might think.....
The issue with multiple LabRadar uses is mostly likely channel separation. If they are all operating on the same channel, none will work. There are a dozen channels, IIRC, and instructions in the manual to make sure of channel separation.
I am not throwing stones. One day at the range my LR was working great--as usual, then it quit working. A couple buddies had shown up with their LabRadar. I jokingly said "mine was working fine until you guys showed up" which got us to start digging. Right there plain as day in the manual it takes about channel separation. We set different channels and everything worked great again.
Good info.i will pass it along
Yes, had that exact same experience. Panicked me for a few minutes until the penny dropped and I realised the cause.
My friend has one that I use occasionally when being lazy for setup. It's nice, but for the price and the point of ease of use it has a lot of quirky (seemingly software/firmware) issues. This one drops iPad connection way too frequently. Have to restart app and LR and reconnect. The wireframe pathing in the app leaves a lot to be desired when moving between series and arming/disarming.
Obvious negatives when shooting suppressed, as most have stated the mic fixes that (mostly).
Obvious negatives when shooting suppressed, as most have stated the mic fixes that (mostly).
Obviously we were hoping to get the same speed on all three systems but that was never the case.
One would read consistently slower, one faster etc, but for the most part that relationship was fairly consistent.
There were obvious disagreements between them all, but we never crunched out the numbers to measure the standard deviation between them.
Each chronograph manufacturer states in thier spec what the accuracy is claimed to be, but that leaves us with a question if they mean the error relative to the actual speed, meaning actual is 3000 but reads 10 fps faster.... Or do they mean 3000 fps but the read out may say anywhere between 2990 and 3010... Hard to know.
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divingin
Gold $$ Contributor
The microUSB was the standard of the time.
The tab that holds the cable into the connector is actually on the cable itself; two small raised lumps on the longer side. If you have something that you can use to pry those up a bit so they extend outward more, you'll get a more secure connection. Or replace the cable.
I have a buddy (one of these guys who does what everyone else does) who decided he needed a chronograph, so bought a Labradar. I immediately switched mine to a different channel (since I knew he wouldn't change it from default.) No problems there. He does, however, refuse to put a memory card in the unit (something about not being able to separate different strings of fire), and it's painful to watch him write down every velocity that comes up (he uses a Sharpie and writes the numbers on the wax paper backing for splatter targets. The adult equivalent of writing with a crayon, I think.) I try to live by "to each his own", but it's hard sometimes...
MikeT124
Silver $$ Contributor
INTJ: I shared your same concern with the micro USB port. The solution is fairly simple and not expensive at all. Instead of plugging into the USB port and unplugging all the time I use a magnetic connector permanently attached to the micro USB port on the LR and a mating cable for the external battery. I'll attempt to attach three pictures that explain my setup. The cable and connectors were purchased on Amazon, we use the same setup to charge cell phones and most anything else that uses the micro USB ports.
The products come from Net Dot called NetDot Magnetic Products, they have tons of different of these types of products for different purposes. BTW:I have no affiliation with any of the above.
Mike
The products come from Net Dot called NetDot Magnetic Products, they have tons of different of these types of products for different purposes. BTW:I have no affiliation with any of the above.
Mike
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@newbieshooter texted me a link to the magnetic connectors. They might work and I have ordered some. I will still use the rechargeable as primary--they do last several range sessions--but I'll use the magnetic as a backup. My big concern is if the muzzle blast from all these large cartridge braked rifles I have to shoot is enough to loosen the cable connector now, I am not sure a magnetic connector would hold either--I'll just have to try it. I didn't have any issues at all with my own rifles, it was only when I started shooting customer rifles with brakes that the problem began.
My LabRadar is so well used that the receptacle may not hold anymore. It's the metal in the receptacle that gets bent out of shape and I have bent it back many times.
That said, the rechargeables are a 100% solution. They allow the rubber flaps to stay in place so when it rains there isn't any internal components that get wet. Setup is faster and I have less stuff on the bench.
My LabRadar is so well used that the receptacle may not hold anymore. It's the metal in the receptacle that gets bent out of shape and I have bent it back many times.
That said, the rechargeables are a 100% solution. They allow the rubber flaps to stay in place so when it rains there isn't any internal components that get wet. Setup is faster and I have less stuff on the bench.
ronemus
Gold $$ Contributor
I've been working up loads for a braked (APA Fat Bastard) .338 Lapua, and haven't had any problems with the battery cable, even after 100 shots. I Velcro the lithium battery to the front of the LabRadar and use a 6" right-angle cable for the connection. Keeping the connection short and the battery attached mechanically is the key. The right angle helps by keeping the cable close to the face of the LabRadar.
urbanrifleman
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