12. LEDs

TTwo light emitting diodes are used in a typical gun.

• An infrared LED, which produces the energy that is transmitted at the target. This is a high-powered model, with a tight beam. We suggest mounting it in a "bezel". This is a metal housing that allows the led to be screwed into a mounting hole. This also provides some heat dissapation which aids in the lifetime of the led. The infrared led must be aligned exactly with the centre of the lens (refer to lens section)
• A red LED that simulates the appearance of "muzzle flash." This is used so that when you shoot at somebody, they see a bright flash from your gun. This enhances realism and fun, but may not be allowed in all countries for safety reasons.

The infrared LED should be considered a "consumable" component, in that they will eventually wear out and require replacing. For this reason the LED should be mounted in such a way that permits it to be changed easily. We suggest using a 2 pin connector to slide over the end of the LED legs, instead of soldering directly to the legs.

Example LED mounting:

Its is preferable to mount the infrared led on an adjustable mount, so that it can be moved to get the correct focus (refer to lens section for details about focusing.) This is not essential, but if its not adjustable then care must be taken to mount it in the correct position.

The Infrared LED that we use (and many others) is the TSAL6100 from Vishay. This is a high powered, tight angle, efficient model that suits the job very well.

Both LEDs must be fitted with a resistor in series, to limit the current going to them. If the current is too high then the LED will burn out. Refer to the FragTag Mainboard user's manual for details about the size of the resistor and how to wire it up. Basically the higher the fire rate, the lower the current needs to be to prevent burning it out (and hence a higher value resistor needs to be used.)