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Sensors: Blind & Blinking

The Supasensors have so many things going for them: they're responsive, see well in sunlight and tend to avoid reflective hits. The problem is that they break constantly. Sensors are by far our #1 maintenance item other than charging and zeroing.

Why do they break?

Simply put, the design of the new head sensors, with their polycarbonate shell, is lacking fine-tuning. The first problem that they have is that the shell does not hold the sensor cable very tight. Even with the glue on the inside, they have enough play that the wires can easily suffer enough torque to break. Fortunately, it only appears to be the "incoming" wires that have problems. The "outgoing" wire in the back sensor seems to be well-enough reinforced that we haven't had to fix any of them.

This picture shows pressure being applied laterally to the sensor cable with the glue still intact. Note that the yellow and green wires are broken. Also note the changing shape of the red wire that is still trying to stay attached.

A second, though relatively uncommon problem, is that the soldering appears to have been done poorly in some cases. Note the green wire in the picture. To minimize movement and torque the exposed wires should be sunk into the solder parallel to the circuit disk. The red wire appeared to have been similarly soldered in this case. Since the guns are hand-built it appears that the only reason for this to have passed muster is a slip in quality control. We've observed wires that aren't sunk very far in the solder, too.

Why can't I open the sensor?

This one took us a while to figure out, too. The top bubble is connected to the outside ring of the sensor cover. You have to find something that you can slip between the edges on the bottom to pry the top off. The top of the cable opening comes off with the top of the bubble. Enjoy a slightly blurry picture.

How do I remove the sensor cable?

Start by using a screwdriver to push the rubber washer from the inside to the outside of the gun. Grab the lock washer with two pairs of pliers (as shown) and bend it open. Untie the knot in the cable and push the cable through. Just in case you ever need the cable again for any reason, put the lock washer back on the cable and bend it back into place. Make sure you tie a knot in the cord you install in the gun to keep it from sliding back through the rubber washer and pulling on the plug.

What is the wiring scheme?

Yellow	- Hit light		Green	- Power to sensor
Red	- Power to sensor		Black	- Takes hits

The sensors are all in series with each other. Loss of power because of a broken wire in one kills them all. The hit light obviously doesn't get run to the gun sensor.