ShotMarker, maximizing the service life

[BP1]

I think keeping good fresh cables would solve a lot of frustration people have, but like some they try and get 15,000 miles on 3000 mile oil.

 

[Sandstorm]

Keep an extra set of everything is about the only way to stay ahead of the issues in the long run
im thinkin. I will get the connectors and wires re-engineered and then have a back up set as well.

 

[Acyr]

Keep an extra set of everything is about the only way to stay ahead of the issues in the long run
im thinkin. I will get the connectors and wires re-engineered and then have a back up set as well.

I ordered another Shotmarker just to have a spare one of everything!

 

[Walt Krafft]

Buy cables long enough not to need a spice. Throw the splicers in the trash.

 

[Jdne5b]

It would be possible (and not even very hard), but would probably take some coordination with Adam to pull it off in a sane way. Ultimately, you have to submit the scores the way the NRA can handle them, so it'd be a two step process. (asking the NRA to be able to handle automated electronic data is a pipe dream). But you could have the shotmarker export the match results in a format that could be easily and automatically transformed into whatever format is needed.

The trouble is that if everything doesn't go exactly right during the match, you get a lot of edge cases that need to be ironed out, and that becomes a manual process.

Some coordinated string naming and a basic vlookup formula has my match results being posted in minutes after last shot, IF everyone saves their string exactly as instructed on their score sheet. It’s not perfect but it works better than typing in every match.

The ideal match software would allow you to:
1. upload a list of shooters, gun type, caliber, target(mr1 v mr1fc) and number of matches to be shot.
2. Select that shooters Match 1, it sets proper caliber and then saves the string when the shooter is done.
3. When firing complete, hit export and then print from Excel.


Sure it may need ability to change caliber if shooter changes gun from initial registration and some other tweaks but that could be handled manually.

 

[Rtheurer]

Here's the rub. It's almost *always* the same damn sensor - top right. Which, IIRC, is the blue sensor - and probably not coincidentally, the one we have to use a splice connector due to the length of the run. My personal setup normally uses a 4 foot frame, so no extra long run that needs a splice.

ts always the top right. Always.....

 

[adamjmac]

Hi,

The cables we supply now are custom made to our spec, and cost us around $3 plus shipping from China (each length has a different price), and we sell them for $5 individually. They are excellent quality in terms of durability and surface contact and I expect no issues with these cables under normal circumstances. If you are having repeated problems the issue could be elsewhere.

Maybe the connectors are dirty or damaged. The sensor hub connectors are often the source of problems depending on how rough people are on them. One hard sideways yank on a cable will make that connector loose.

They can be replaced. It's not hard for us to do that.

If you have a problem and you suspect the cable and then you replace the cable and problem remains then the issue was not the cable after all.

In my experience clubs when clubs have repeated problems it is usually a combination of dirty or worn out connectors, or using cables that are not these ones we supply. Frustration can be amplified by not applying sound troubleshooting steps to isolate the source of a problem or identify a pattern over time.

If anyone has problems one option is sending all your sensor hubs and cables to me and then I will inspect and clean it all and make everything work perfectly. The other thing I can do is analyze the backup data to look for a pattern and identify if there is a specific connector in a specific sensor hub that is always having trouble. It is also a good idea to keep track of which cables, sensors, and connectors produce warnings so that you can remember if the same parts have issues the following week.

At my club, we had heavy rain one match and everything got wet. In order to make sure there would be no issue the following week I asked one of my employees to clean all the cables with dish soap. However I don't think he rinsed them very well because we had nothing but problems across the board after that. They looked clean but there must have been some residue on all of them. After that I cleaned all the cables and connectors with electronics cleaner and dried them with compressed air and we had zero issues.

Also about the shipping... we have accounts with UPS and Fedex and when I ship any order I choose the shipping time based on the cost which can very wildly depending on where it's going. If you really want your parts to arrive in 1-2 days just ask and I will see what the quotes are like and write back if it's too expensive. In many cases I can spend $2-3 more and save you a couple days on the shipping.

If you'd like help just email me and explain the situation and let me work with you to try and help. I am in control of my products and my business and my shipping methods and I will do whatever I can to help people out within reason.

Thanks

 

[rwj]

Hi,

The cables we supply now are custom made to our spec, and cost us around $3 plus shipping from China (each length has a different price), and we sell them for $5 individually. They are excellent quality in terms of durability and surface contact and I expect no issues with these cables under normal circumstances. If you are having repeated problems the issue could be elsewhere.

Maybe the connectors are dirty or damaged. The sensor hub connectors are often the source of problems depending on how rough people are on them. One hard sideways yank on a cable will make that connector loose.

They can be replaced. It's not hard for us to do that.

If you have a problem and you suspect the cable and then you replace the cable and problem remains then the issue was not the cable after all.

In my experience clubs when clubs have repeated problems it is usually a combination of dirty or worn out connectors, or using cables that are not these ones we supply. Frustration can be amplified by not applying sound troubleshooting steps to isolate the source of a problem or identify a pattern over time.

If anyone has problems one option is sending all your sensor hubs and cables to me and then I will inspect and clean it all and make everything work perfectly. The other thing I can do is analyze the backup data to look for a pattern and identify if there is a specific connector in a specific sensor hub that is always having trouble. It is also a good idea to keep track of which cables, sensors, and connectors produce warnings so that you can remember if the same parts have issues the following week.

At my club, we had heavy rain one match and everything got wet. In order to make sure there would be no issue the following week I asked one of my employees to clean all the cables with dish soap. However I don't think he rinsed them very well because we had nothing but problems across the board after that. They looked clean but there must have been some residue on all of them. After that I cleaned all the cables and connectors with electronics cleaner and dried them with compressed air and we had zero issues.

Also about the shipping... we have accounts with UPS and Fedex and when I ship any order I choose the shipping time based on the cost which can very wildly depending on where it's going. If you really want your parts to arrive in 1-2 days just ask and I will see what the quotes are like and write back if it's too expensive. In many cases I can spend $2-3 more and save you a couple days on the shipping.

If you'd like help just email me and explain the situation and let me work with you to try and help. I am in control of my products and my business and my shipping methods and I will do whatever I can to help people out within reason.

Thanks

Refreshing to see an owner paying attention to their customer’s experiences! Kudos to you sir!