![]() ![]() Strength in Numbers: Determining Average Performance Make yourself familiar with your model of chronograph and use this article for everything else. There's a wide variety of them out there, all of which have different buttons and settings. Of course, this blog post is not a replacement for reading the manual of whichever chronograph you use. But keep those numbers handy because they will be important later! If your chronograph doesn’t have an app, you can either write down the readings or record a video to refer to later. Some newer models of chronographs have an app you can connect via Bluetooth, which makes it easier to record averages and other measurements - including the rate of fire. Depending on the complexity, you can just turn it on, fire a dart through it, and it should give you some numbers on a screen. Since a device can’t blink or misread a ruler, it can record an extremely accurate read on high-speed projectiles. By shooting a projectile - like a foam dart - through the chronograph, it can time how long it takes a dart to pass each sensor. It uses two light sensors that are a fixed distance apart. ![]() But these days, we have the technology which can save us from a headache!Īlso known in the hobby as a “chrono” or “chrony,” a chronograph ( chrono- = time - graph = to record) is a calibrated electronic device that calculates muzzle velocity. I still remember the “magic triangle” mnemonic, where you put your thumb over what you want to measure to determine how to calculate it in this case, we’re looking for velocity, which is = distance / time. If you’ve taken a high school physics class, you will be familiar with measuring velocity and its correlation to force with a few calculations on pen and paper. For instance, the games here in the Pacific Northwest commonly have a 150 cap, so Luke and I plan ahead by choosing blasters (or tuning and swapping springs and spacers) to meet - and not exceed - 150 FPS. It also allows attendees to be better prepared. Recording FPS allows organizers to place limits on blaster performance fairly and uniformly. For safety and game balance, many clubs and games require blasters to hit below a certain number. While some in the hobby naturally chase a larger number for the sake of it, a more practical use of FPS is for planning around or enforcing an FPS cap. This is the speed that foam ammo is going the moment it leaves the barrel. The primary unit we measure is muzzle velocity in Feet per Second (FPS). There are also plenty of conversion calculators online – including one built into the Google search engine. To convert ft/second to meters/second, simply multiply by. However, if you live outside North America and want to translate to different units, 1 foot is equal to. So, we keep with these units for that reason. While we love metric units here at Out of Darts for their easy decimal conversions (many of our products and hardware kits come with metric hardware), these performance metrics are meant to be standardized and practical to the hobby, and a majority of our customers reside in the United States. ![]() ![]() At least in North America, these are measured in US Customary or “Imperial” units: Feet, Feet per Second (FPS), Inches, and Darts per Second (DPS), respectively. The main statistics most of the hobby tests for are range, velocity, accuracy, and rate of fire. Grab a notebook and a calculator because some math and statistics are involved!īefore we talk about our methodology, we need to talk about vocabulary (Side note: if you haven’t yet, take a look at our nerf hobby glossary page to get a head start). While we’re at it, we’ll tell you the things you need to know to test your blaster’s performance before the big game. So, in the interest of transparency, we decided it was about time we outlined how we chronograph and measure blaster and mod performance at our shop. Still, many variables can alter or skew those numbers, making practical comparisons difficult without a repeatable testing procedure. Whether you’re a competitive blaster tag enthusiast or a stock-class backyard plinker, comparing blasters and mod parts with each other can sometimes be a little like comparing apples and oranges it’s one of several reasons the nerf hobby has rallied around a standard set of performance statistics. ![]()
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