Very high clubhead velocity and Vcam fails to register

[TClark]

Hi,

I'm trying to set up my new protee system, and I'm getting bad clubhead speeds and the Vcam fails to calculate the launch angle most of the time. I seem to get decent white streaks after following suggestions, but no luck.

Can anyone comment on the extremely high clubhead velocity? Can it be this high if the Vcam fails to register, or is that unrelated? Pic attached of a 7 iron shot. Notice no round circle, which I think means it fails to calculate.

Any help appreciated. I will open a support case Monday, if needed.

Tom

[TClark]

I did some more troubleshooting and confirmed the sensor mat is giving the high/erratic clubhead speed readings.

I disabled the camera, and went to a single overhead light with a very crisp shadow and still see the bad readings. I did the sensor tests, and all the sensors seem to be reading properly as the club passes. I tried to find newer serial>USB drivers, but the ones Windows provided seem to be the latest. I assume they either work or don't, but if anyone knows otherwise please share.

Attached are some pictures.

I'm pretty frustrated that I can't get this to work, so if anyone can make a suggestion I'd be grateful.

Thanks.

[TClark]

Regarding the vertical camera, can someone answer a question for me? Does it matter whether there is a red circle at the end of the line in the result window? Does this screenshot show a successful capture? It shows captured launch of 22 degrees, but there is no red circle. It also shows the incorrect/high clubhead speed, but that is a different issue as far as I know.

Thanks, Tom.

[jhp016s]

I will comment on a couple of things. First, those v-cam captures look correct, no round circle required to make it an official capture, mine never has it, although the ball streak and your body/club streaks are pretty prevalent as well, you will probably eventually get some misreads on your launch angle with that, so you may want to make some adjustments to get rid of the club and body the best you can.

Second, what are you using for an overhead light? It seems really bright and that could be causing your misreads for your club head and balls speeds as well as your body and club streaks to be too prevalent in your vcam captures. Most people use a 50w halogen spot, it looks like yours might be brighter, but I am not sure.

[gene438]

I tend to agree with jhp016s....I think the light may be too bright. Although you have a good streak, I would like to see your images of the actually ball flight through the camera field. I would imagine you could still get a great streak with much less light.

I think the velocity issue has to be mat related which again, points to a lighting issue. This is more of a question for the ProTee folks but, I believe the speed is based off the timing between the back sensors and front sensors...so, if your light is not perfectly overhead, you could be casting a shadow slightly ahead of the club thus inflating the speed. Again, I would take this up with the ProTee folks.....I think you definitely have a support ticket issue.

[TClark]

Thank you both for your comments. jhp016s I have tried multiple lights, and just repeated my tests with lower wattage bulbs. I was given 75w bulbs by my reseller, and have tried 38w and 50w bulbs. I can get decent ball streaks with any of them and now I think my vcam captures are pretty reliable. Thanks for confirming that the circle isn't required for the capture. I do see "captured launch angle" in the interface so I think that is OK.

However, the high/unreliable speeds from the sensor mat are still there with any bulb I use. gene438 I tried moving my mat around under the light to see if the angle was a factor, but it didn't help. The speeds are not always too high (20-40% of the time they are fine), so it seems like another issue.

I agree the lights seem like the most likely issue, but frankly I've tried so many configurations now I'm wondering if there is something else going on. I have a support ticket going and they asked about the lights as well, so after repeating the tests I'm waiting for them to comment.

A question for both of you- do you have to use the 50w halogen bulbs with the transformers that are described in the documentation? I was provided a track light by my reseller with standard us-style medium base bulbs. They are bright and the beams tend to overlap, which is why I tried using a single bulb and all the different wattages. I'm OK with ordering the AR111 bulbs, but it seems like others have had success with different bulbs and I assume my reseller wouldn't give me bulbs that won't work.

Thanks,
tom

[Brettster]

TClark - wow, please let us know what you find by posting here, I will likely be at a similar point as you soon, but at this point I'm having a problem reading data from the RS232/USB port from the sensor. The next step, after this, is to make sure I buy the right bulb(s) to mount overhead. I'm still just running a basic test in my basement at this point with overhead Fluorescent tubes. I know this is not for a final setup, but I just want to get readings from the sensor and at this point nothing yet. I'm about to try readjusting my COM3 port interface to the correct one and go from there.

Good luck and thanks,
-Brett

[gene438]

Brett, I can confirm that you will not get any reads with Fluorescent bulbs.....I believe as long as they are halegen you will be ok...just have to determine the right wattage...but florescent will never work.

[PROTEE UK]

Best thing to do is when ready contact PT support and get set up correctly. Use the component that came with the system, Flourescent wil not work at all.

[PROTEE UK]

bulbs should be AR111 Halogen spot, 50w , 24/25 degree

[jhp016s]

TC, I happen to use the 50watt halogen spots that protee provides, but others on this forum have shown us based lighing can work as well. I plumb bobbed my light to make sure it was precisely over the white tee where the balll goes and then leveled the angle of the light to make sure it was facing straight down. The good news is that protee has great customer service and will likely get you taken care of. Once you have it fixed you can play a full round with just 1 or two misreads making for a more enjoyable sim experience.

[PROTEE UK]

Hi Tom,
email jamie@proteeuk.co.uk.
I am aware of the issues as have been emailed by support in NL.
The bulbs you are using really must be ar111 bulbs . Supplied should have been 50w ar111 halogen ,24/25 degree.
These are supplied with the system so not sure why they would have been changed by your re seller.

Both lights should be in use, I have another interface version that can be used also which will ignore any club in the image so no chance of picking up the club over the ball at all.

I am informed that the sensors etc are running correctly etc so it does make sense that the lighting used is incorrect as this stage.

I will be happy to remote in and look at this for you and install the newer interface version

Kind Regard

Jamie

[buckygolf]

What version is the newer interface?

[PROTEE UK]

3.16t is the new version. It requires a clean install and not just overwrite. Cams will need to be set again but if you note your cam settings prior to removing the old version then its easy to re do them in the new version. Happy to install for you or you can email me and I will send instruction as to what is best to do

[PROTEE UK]

It is the most accurate interface to date with fantastic data

[PROTEE UK]

Thank you both for your comments. jhp016s I have tried multiple lights, and just repeated my tests with lower wattage bulbs. I was given 75w bulbs by my reseller, and have tried 38w and 50w bulbs. I can get decent ball streaks with any of them and now I think my vcam captures are pretty reliable. Thanks for confirming that the circle isn't required for the capture. I do see "captured launch angle" in the interface so I think that is OK.

However, the high/unreliable speeds from the sensor mat are still there with any bulb I use. gene438 I tried moving my mat around under the light to see if the angle was a factor, but it didn't help. The speeds are not always too high (20-40% of the time they are fine), so it seems like another issue.

I agree the lights seem like the most likely issue, but frankly I've tried so many configurations now I'm wondering if there is something else going on. I have a support ticket going and they asked about the lights as well, so after repeating the tests I'm waiting for them to comment.

A question for both of you- do you have to use the 50w halogen bulbs with the transformers that are described in the documentation? I was provided a track light by my reseller with standard us-style medium base bulbs. They are bright and the beams tend to overlap, which is why I tried using a single bulb and all the different wattages. I'm OK with ordering the AR111 bulbs, but it seems like others have had success with different bulbs and I assume my reseller wouldn't give me bulbs that won't work.

Thanks,
tom

The system should have been supplied with the correct bulbs as the systems are supplied with these.
incorrect bulbs will cause issue.

You could ask the re seller to send you the lights and bulbs that come with the system?

[buckygolf]

With the help of Jamie from ProTee, my issues have been fixed. I was told that cameras were not needed. That is incorrect. Cameras are a must. The latest interface is getting excellent results; and along with the cameras, accurate results for the first time. TGC 2019 is also helping with the game play. Thank you Jamie for your help!

If you are having issues, contact ProTee.

[DejaVu]

Jamie PROTEE UK is point on...as well as ProTee United for all of their help. I would love a world where you get 1/2 much sincerity trying to return something at Walmart with a receipt. Lmao

[TClark]

Just wanted to update on my issues. The high club speeds turned out to be a bad sensor mat. Protee support was very helpful along with Jamie in diagnosing the issues. After replacing the sensor mat, all the club head speeds are measured correctly.

A few other things I learned in my interactions with Protee Support and Jamie:

1. The sensor mat responds to infrared light, which is why the AR111 bulbs are best. They give off a good amount of IR light. The visible light doesn't matter. This is why some incandescent and any LED bulb will not work.
2. While my issue was a defective mat, the reliability of good readings is best with the AR111 halogens. I went ahead and ordered them, along with a transformer to take 120v to 12v. At the moment it is just wired together using wire nuts, but I also ordered a track and some fixtures. Once I get the final set up, I will post links to all the lighting related hardware I got, since these are a bit hard to find online for US households.
3. The putting will not work if the camera preview is running. While testing the launch angle I left the preview open, and I wasn't able to putt and didn't know why. Restarting the interface and running it in the system tray allows the TGC software to correctly set the club in use, which is required for putting.

I'll share more information once everything is settled, but Protee support and Jamie have got me up and running.

Thanks,
Tom

[DejaVu]

Good info. I've once heard that "There's nothing wrong with following directions.." Jamie from PROTEE UK helped me fix my issues also. Mostly lighting, but whatta guru he is if you've ever had him remote into your comp.

My faults were all my own by contacting others on this forum and not the makers/backers of the Protee first . Lesson learned and will never be done again; although I am still grateful for everyone on the forum and their support for sure.

So, kuddos to all @Protee for bringing this amazing product to market, and even though it was years ago, there's no reason why it isn't still top-notch. The proof is in my crazy swing and expected results on screen.

[BackBreaka]

I also have to give a Shout Out to Jamie PROTEE UK. He remoted in to my system also and has reconfigured the interface to be more realistic. If you are having minor or major issues it pays to talk to the experts ProTee United and/or PROTEE UK. Cheers!!!