Shooting Chrony and their crummy software

oppy

oppy

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He all, just thought I would throw this out there to see what kind of interest it generates. As much as I like my Shooting Chrony Beta Master, I have to admit that the software that goes with it is horrible. It's about 20 years out of date and ugly. So I spent a bit of time over the past couple of days, and figured out how to download shot data from my Chrony. Then I wrote a little program so that my Android phone could download the shot data.

It's pretty bare bones right now, all I can do is download the strings, but it's all I want at the moment. I'll probably chip away it over time and add features.

Anyway, just putting this out there for those who, like me, are dissatisifed with Shooting Chrony's software. Any comments/thoughts are more than welcome.
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I like that. As it stands now, I just manually enter it into my phone as a note so I can put it into my laptop later. Good work. Keep us posted on this.
Thanks!
 
Looks good. Do you have to import the data for the app to interpret or does it do it on the fly?

There's Chrono Connect software for those who happen to have a Windows based laptop. I've used it on my Chrony with a homemade cable and USB adapter h ttp://www.chronoconnect.com/
 
The app works by connecting to the Chrony and download the data from the Chrony. For herpinator45 I just added in the standard deviation & extreme spread:
hayha-0_1_0_1.png


The next thing on my TODO list is to drill down into the string, to display the velocity for each shot. After that, some local storage so I don't have to always connect to the Chrony.

I've got a Mac version kicking around as well:
hayha_osx.png


I've seen ChronoConnect before, but I didn't think it was for the Shooting Chrony? Am I mistaken?
 
Getting to see the velocities of each shot per string would be cool. Any iPhone versions in the making? :)

Yup, the Chrony Connect works with the Shooting Chrony.
 
Just prettying up the user interface a bit:

hayha-0_1_0_3.png

Its now to the point where I have to do fix ups to make it a bit more useful before adding features to it (like showing the shots in a string).

The real trick to all this is how to get the Chrony to communicate with a computer or phone. Computers are easy as USB-DB9 adapters are abound. To communicate with my phone I had to find a Bluetooth-DB9 adapter, which wasn't cheap (relatively speaking).
 
oppy said:
I'm just one guy. :) But an iPhone version isn't out of the realm of possibility.
Click to expand...

I'd appreciate it very much!

Is there a way to add blue tooth to the chrono so it'll record this stuff as you shoot?

I hate looking at the chrono, grabbing my pencil (which never stays where I left it) and writing numbers down. I don't have the remote readout. Papers try to float away, etc.
 
I'm only familiar with the Beta Master, so here is what I had to do. I their serial port interface (a cable with a 3.5mm jack on one end and a female DB-9 serial port on the other), and then plug that into a RS232-to-Bluetooth adapter. I had to use a DB-9 gender bender, as the Bluetooth adapter also had a female DB-9 interface. I then pair my phone over Bluetooth to the adapter.

Right now the data is downloaded as a "firehose" approach - everything in memory gets pulled down all at once. I know it is possible to put the Chrony into a mode that will send shot data live, in effect the Chrony streams the data as it is happening.
 
I've been wondering that myself, but I don't think it will be that simple. My gut feeling is that it will be necessary, at a bare minimum, to write a software driver so that the Chrony will be recognized as a USB device. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if some hardware was needed as well to "translate" the Chrony's output into a proper USB signal.

Your best bet is to buy a USB-to-Serial port cable and install the necessary software for your computer to use that cable. Then buy the PC cable that Shooting Chrony sells, and plug that into the USB-to-Serial cable. How the Chrony will appear to your computer depends on the operating system.


On Windows it should appear as COM3. Unless of course, you're running a 64-bit version of Windows. I don't believe any of Shooting Chrony's software runs on 64-bit Windows.

I can't remember exactly how it will show up on OS X, it will be a /dev/tty device of some brand.
 
Look into the microprocessor hobbyists.

The only problem I see is that there is no standard to what the ring and tip are wired to.

Picaxe produces such a cable but I think the +/- are backwards to your needs.

There may be other micro boards which have a useable cable.
 
There are canned softwares out there...let me look tonight.

oppy said:
I've been wondering that myself, but I don't think it will be that simple. My gut feeling is that it will be necessary, at a bare minimum, to write a software driver so that the Chrony will be recognized as a USB device. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if some hardware was needed as well to "translate" the Chrony's output into a proper USB signal.

Your best bet is to buy a USB-to-Serial port cable and install the necessary software for your computer to use that cable. Then buy the PC cable that Shooting Chrony sells, and plug that into the USB-to-Serial cable. How the Chrony will appear to your computer depends on the operating system.


On Windows it should appear as COM3. Unless of course, you're running a 64-bit version of Windows. I don't believe any of Shooting Chrony's software runs on 64-bit Windows.

I can't remember exactly how it will show up on OS X, it will be a /dev/tty device of some brand.
Click to expand...
 
I would be interested to fix a Bluetooth module into the unit itself. Then comms would be easy.

I think I have a lot of useable microprocessor boards some with Bluetooth some with ANT.
 
I have been thinking about this myself. It would be much cheaper and easier than the Shooting Chrony Cable/Serial port gender-bender/Bluetooth serial port adapter I have going right now. If you do give this a try, I'd love to know how you made out.
 
This has caught my interest. Haven't used my chrony due to frustration. Recently got a bt transmitter for a TV at the lake. Would that work on the chrony? What's the worst that could happen if I plugged it in?
 
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