Operation - FarmTek Polaris Operating Instructions Manual

WIRELESS ELECTRIC EYES

Operation

Batteries
The electric eyes operate over 70 hours from a 9 volt
alkaline battery (use only alkaline batteries). The
lamp on the unit glows steadily while the bat-
Power
tery is good and flashes when the battery is low.
To help detect an eye with a low battery, the Polaris
timer in the announcer's booth flashes a low battery
icon in the upper right corner of its Status Display
when any electric eye in use has a low battery.
The electric eyes operate at least two hours after the
first indication of low battery. Note: The two hour
period is from the first time the low battery light be-
gins flashing. If a unit with a low battery is turned off
and then later turned back on, the lamp may glow
steadily for some time before it starts flashing again.
This does not mean there are two more hours of op-
eration remaining at this point.
Once the lamp begins flashing, it is simplest to
Power
just replace the battery during the next break in your
event – don't worry about trying to use the last few
hours of the battery.
When storing the electric eyes for an extended period
of time, always remove the batteries.
Two Timers At Once
Two complete timers can be used at the same time to
provide back-up for each other. However, when two
Photo-Transmitters (the infrared light source) are on
at the same time, they interfere with each other at the
Photo-Receiver. To prevent problems, set up both
complete timers, stacking the electric eyes on top of
each other. However, only turn on one of the Photo-
Transmitters. Both Photo-Receivers will "see" the
beam, but since the beam is coming from just one
Photo-Transmitter, there is no interference.
Note: Older wired electric eyes may not "recognize"
the wireless Photo-Transmitter. In this situation, make
©
FarmTek, Inc.
Helpful Hints
Even though the antennas
can be unscrewed, doing so
can cause problems: Do Not Remove the Antennas!
Placement of the electric eyes and the timer console
in the arena and the announcer's stand can affect per-
formance of the radio link. Note these guidelines:
1) Ensure an unobstructed line-of-sight between the
antenna on the electric eye and the antenna on the
timer console in the announcer's booth. Verify
clear line-of-sight from down at the antenna's
level – not from your standing eye level.
2) Position the timer console at least 2-3 feet from
major electronic equipment such as computers,
monitors, and the PA system.
Optical Interference from the Sun
When the electric eyes are setup with more than 100
feet between them, a late afternoon sun shining di-
rectly into the Photo-Receiver (the electric eye with
the antenna) can cause problems. A simple remedy is
to swap the electric eyes with each other so that the
sun shines into the face of the Photo-Transmitter in-
stead (the electric eye without the antenna). Or, you
can construct a shade for the Photo-Receiver – see a
sample sun-shield to print and cut out on the web at:
farmtek.net/sunshield.htm.
sure the one Photo-Transmitter that you turn on is the
older, wired Photo-Transmitter – both the wired and
wireless Photo-Receivers will operate from the older,
wired Photo-Transmitter.
Two Wireless Timers at Once
If the two timers in use are both wireless timers, then
in addition to the requirements already mentioned,
make sure the two Photo-Receivers (the electric eye
with the antenna) operate on different channels. The
channel number used by the Photo-Receiver is
stamped inside the battery compartment.