RIKA calibration woes?

[Sparks]

So, after another rather fustrating day's training wasted, I'm asking - has anyone here had problems getting their RIKA home trainer to calibrate properly?

What's happening here is that we strap the sensor under the barrel (or on the side of the barrel or under the air cylinder), go to roughly calibrate the software on the PC, it doesn't even register that you're pointing in its direction; so you go to roughly calibrate the RIKA hardware, and the little asterix on the LCD screen doesn't come on until you're pointing way off the target. And then you spend all day fiddling about with the sensor and the transmitter trying to make the two see one another when pointed at one another, and it doesn't work and you get very fustrated and give up and go home annoyed :(

Now if this happened with just one RIKA, I'd say there's a problem with the electronics; but it's now happened with two and I hear reports of it happening in another club with a third unit.

Is there something I'm missing here? Is it this akward to set up?
(Previously, I've used a SCATT machine, and never had this much hassle setting up...)

[Fred Mannis]

Is there something I'm missing here? Is it this akward to set up?
(Previously, I've used a SCATT machine, and never had this much hassle setting up...)

I had similar problems with getting the sensor to see the LED's. Warren Potter at Pilkguns solved my problem by pointing out that the signal from the IR emitting LEDs can be masked by ordinary light bulbs (which emit in the IR as well as the visible spectrum). I now use only fluorescent lights in the basement and I illuminate the target with a pair of visible light emitting LEDs mounted in a reflector housing.
Hope this helps

Fred

[Richard H]

I had a similiar problem when trying to light the target from below with one of those Halogen work lights. Went to a goose neck desk lamp from above now no problem.

Another problem I had, not related to yours, but might aswell share now so someone can learn form my grief.

At a training camp I had set it up for a shooter who shoots well and after a good calibration it just wasn't scoring right to his estimate. So we re-calibrated and it seemed to be fine. (It had been used by about a half dozen that day with no problem he was the last). Packed everyhting up and a few weeks later set it up in my basement calibrated which went fine, started shooting and shoots were thrown all over the place. I removed the sensor and the 2 mounting screws had come lose allowing the sensor to move everytime you rested the gun down. Tightened them up everything was fine.

[Warren]

I've probably worked with more Rikas than anybody here in the States, and I've got to say your problem, as described, is a new one on me.

First, we made our own version of an English setup manual, and you can get it here: http://www.pilkguns.com/coach/qsm.htm

The pickup area of the Rika sensor is about the size of a dinner plate at 10m, so it really has only to be fitted to something roughly parallel with the barrel to get the spinning asterisk when on target.

If it does not pick it up, as Fred says, you may be getting interference from an incandescent light. Frustrating thing is, it can be intermittent. If you have a bright incandescent light pointing directly at the target, and also directly at the two diodes on the target holder, that can cause interference. You need to shade the diodes with a piece of cardboard, a little bigger than a business card, taped to the flat of the base, so it leaves the diodes in shade, but does not obscure them from the shooting position.

If you have bright incandescent light over the shooting area, you may need to shade the receiver (between barrel/cylinder and the receiver).

Now it is possible that you have a faulty receiver - do you know if the other 2 units came from the same batch from the factory? This is unlikely, as I really have not heard of receivers only picking up the signal when pointing away from the target. I would recommend:

1. Follow our instructions and see if there is something fundamentally different.
2. Look at the light issue.
3. Seek help from your Rika agent. I'm happy to help, but there's only so much I can do long-distance.

Warren