Plug-And-Play infrared sensor for high-speed ballistic chronographs
What is it?
The LG0 Light Gate sensor is the open-source heart of a DIY ballistic chronograph. When paired with a series of IR emitter LED's, the sensor detects small fluctuations in the light (such…
The LG0 Light Gate sensor is the open-source heart of a DIY ballistic chronograph. When paired with a series of IR emitter LED's, the sensor detects small fluctuations in the light (such as when a bullet travelling faster than Mach 2 goes between the LED and the sensor) and transmits a simple signal.
While it is capable of detecting fast-moving projectiles, the LG0 can also be used as a sensor for water drop photography. It can connect directly to an Arduino, which will trigger a flash after a water drop has been detected.
Includes: One (1x) fully-assembled LG0 Light Gate sensor. You may choose to leave the photodiodes unsoldered, and they will come loose with the sensor.
Why did you make it?
I designed the original sensor for my home-built ballistic chronograph. Other DIY sensors were simply not fast enough to measure high-powered rifle bullets as they used photoresistors or phototransistors. My design used reverse-biased photodiodes which have a response time measured in nanoseconds!
This version was updated using KiCad with SMT components for simple assembly. It is used in my new Ballistic Chronograph MK2 which has been used to measure bullet speeds up to 875 m/s (2,800 fps / mach 2.5).
What makes it special?
Speed - The sensor's net response time is ~100 nanoseconds. A .270 Winchester round takes about 25 microseconds to pass through the beam and another 600 microseconds to travel 500 mm!
Simplicity - Connect 2V - 6V from an Arduino. That's it. Done.
Low-Maintenance - Adjust the sensor's sensitivity once and the sensor will automatically adjust for ambient light.
Reliability - The sensitive photodiodes work in parallel to detect bullets. The sensors can be spaced to make a very tight grid to capture airsoft rounds.
Scalability - Need a larger sensor area? Connect two sensors in parallel!
Economical - Don't want to pay an unreasonable amount for a ballistic chronograph? Build your own for less!
Wide Range of Uses - High-powered rifle reloads, paintball guns, airsoft guns, water drops, etc.
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