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Light Curtain Replacement DIY

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  • Light Curtain Replacement DIY

    This is a diy solution for switching the LH IR transmitter with the RH and vice versa, not sourcing or buying the components themselves(proprietary to Skytrak most likely). This is purely salvaging the opposite side transmitter(good bulb) and swapping it out with the more frequently used(bad bulb) side.

    The thing I created the thread about us the mounting bracket orientation, make sure to note or photograph the unit once it is opened to keep track of the “white” bracket orientation that “holds” each of the two IR laser curtain bulbs. I recently swapped them and had serious difficulty getting the HL angle to report correctly, along with misreads and weird ball placement necessary to use my unit.

    Well, low and behold, the white bulb mounts are actually angled slightly and putting them back in backwards apparently throws all the camera shutter timing off. It would work for me in the wrong configuration, but it was pretty shoddy and the balls kept launching way left and wouldn’t capture anything over 44* LA. I opened it back up, reversed the orientation, and voila! Perfect reads again.

    FYI, the backside of the Skytrak unit slides about .75” away from the “on button” side if you plan to open yours up. Slide it, don’t pry it! Also, after the two small screws on the bottom are removed to slide the back off, there are 6 more identical screws inside to detach the front of the unit to get to the bulbs, which are opposite the circuit board internals. Don’t forget to disconnect the two laser wires and both IR curtain wires before fully removing the front, as failure to do so could rip them out of the circuit board or damage their connections, if left attached.

    This is a a simple job, just go slow and be mindful
    of the components, especially once the lenses are open to the “outside”. Good luck!
    Last edited by Adam Prince; 04-02-2022, 10:07 PM.

  • #2
    Well, low and behold, the white bulb mounts are actually angled slightly and putting them back in backwards apparently throws all the camera shutter timing off.
    Yes, the return signal from the ball crossing the laser curtain is used estimate ball speed, which in turn is used determine when to fire the first strobe (second strobe is always 4.14 milliseconds after the first). Altering the slight angle will alter the signal which will alter the strobe timing.

    The inventor of the Skytrak, Batuhan Okur actually posted in a the Skytrak facebook group warning about potential eye damage (IR lasers are invisible obviously), ESD, and also miscalibration. But it seems everyone who has tried the swap has succeeded.

    If out of warranty, repair seems to range from $100 to $200. Not too bad, and that will of course allow both left and right to work.

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