# Looking for help with a shooting gallery!



## GuyWalksIntoABar (Sep 23, 2016)

Hi guys,

I wonder if anyone can help a real electronics noob.... i'm getting myself very confused!!!!
I want to build a small infrared shhoting gallery this halloween. I want to use 6 store bought, battery powered props with "try me" buttons and I have an infrared "gun" from an shooting gallery game.
I have been trying to follow a few tutorials online, mainly this indestructable, http://www.instructables.com/id/Control-Your-Halloween-Decorations-With-Arduino/.
The instructable tutorial seems to me that there is only one ir reciever which will activate all the props at once, i think, which is not what I want & is the part that's confusing me!

What I'd like to achieve is each individual prop's try me routine is activated when "shot" and maybe a countdown timer we can activate with a button to make the game fast & fun. Do I need a separate Arduino for each IR receiver / prop? Is using an Arduino over kill? I've read 555 timers can also be used? If so, how? Does anyone have a "parts list" for the receivers & prop controller?

I've seen a few of you clever folk have made some excellent galleries in the past - which is why google bought me here, so if any of you more experienced people would be willing to give up some time to help or point me in the right direction, I would be eternally grateful!!

If my questions are naive, please bear in mind this is my first ever electronics project, but Iam a good learner and quick to pick up things!

Thankyou


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## neverhart (Sep 5, 2011)

Hey Guy,

I took a look at the Instructable you linked... it doesn't really mention what's providing the signal to start the sequence. The analogRead command COULD be used to read a light sensor, but it doesn't give any details of that.

You may have already thought of this, but one consideration is that the beam of light "spreads out" upon leaving the LED, which might make it too weak to trigger a sensor. You might have to use a focussing lens (like those in a laser tag gun.) I got overwhelmed trying to research that so wound up using a laser which probably isn't the best idea when kids and eyes are involved.

To your question: I've done a one Arduino shooting gallery with light sensors before. You just ask each light sensor if there's a light shining on it one at a time, and if one reports there is, then trigger the appropriate prop. The light sensors need to be plugged into an analog input, so you're limited to 6 on the Uno, 16 on the Mega.

Next issue: IR signals are usually blinked at a certain frequency (often 38kHz) so it's not usually a simple matter of detecting on/off. Consequently, reading more than one IR receiver at a time is probably pretty difficult. Good tutorial and code to stea-Iiiiii mean, borrow... here.

So, I'd say if you're going the IR route, it would be easiest to have one Arduino per receiver.

You mentioned having some other tutorials you were following. Does any one of them go into more detail about how to decode the IR signals?


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## GuyWalksIntoABar (Sep 23, 2016)

Thanks for the reply neverhart.

The other tutorials were this one 
http://www.instructables.com/id/Controlling-Halloween-Effects-with-DIY-Infrared-Re/

and the principles of this one
http://www.instructables.com/id/Remotely-Control-Your-Halloween-Props/
but he uses a remote control Relay, rather than an Arduino, which seems to maybe a good option too?

My "gun" is from a shooting game and already has a 38khz emitter built in, so I think its good to go!


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## GuyWalksIntoABar (Sep 23, 2016)

This was the 3rd tutorial with 555 timer


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## GuyWalksIntoABar (Sep 23, 2016)

http://www.instructables.com/id/Interactive-Shooting-Gallery/

Sorry - forgot link & Forum wont let me edit the post!


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## Matt Roberts (Jul 15, 2016)

Take a look at this guys work, its awsome:

http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/140813-building-shooting-gallery.html

(Sorry for cross forum links)


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## mikkojay (Sep 15, 2014)

GuyWalksIntoABar said:


> My "gun" is from a shooting game and already has a 38khz emitter built in, so I think its good to go!


Do you have a link to info on the gun you are using? Unless you know specifically which IR protocol your gun is sending (NEC, Panasonic, Sony, etc...) you would be better off using a microcontroller to control your gun.

Do you own any Arduinos? How about IR receivers like a Vishay TSOP4038?
If you go with 38khz IR, your gun and target protocol need to match exactly. It would be like finding an unknown remote control on the street, taking it home, pointing it at your TV, and expecting it to work. It just doesn't work that way.

Another issue is the lenses and emitter choice. The info/video that Matt R. linked to is about the closest approach that I can relate to. Unfortunately his thread is more of a "look what I did" rather than a true tutorial. His choice of guns, while neat looking, had issues with a wide angle beam and easily broken trigger switches. It is for that reason that most amusement venues use "arcade" grade guns that will take a beating by even the roughest tots on the block. Like *These*

I am currently working on a similar project of my own, but it is still in the R&D phase and not to a point where I can take the time to document & diagram every last detail. If you are truly driven to make it work, the info is all out there- probably 90% of it *HERE*. That does assume though that you have some familiarity with electronics and coding, or are at least willing to read up on the subject.

My current project is using arcade guns like the ones linked to above fitted a plain Jane 940nm IR emitter, focused using the stock 18.5mm glass lens. This is giving me tight accuracy (to the point where you really need to aim well) and at least 20' range. I am using an Arduino to control each gun. Each target is using an Arduino pro mini (because they are tiny and about $1.60 from China). You do need a USB to TTL converter if you are going to use those though.

Good luck on whichever route you take.
-Mike


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