Act Labs TV Gun

[JoeJoe97]

After fighting with my ACT labs TV (Svideo) light gun most of the night last night, I think this morning I finally got it.  It seems, however, the guns track even when I don't pull the trigger. 

That is, if I am not aimed at the screen at all and then quickly point at the screen (and shoot), it is highly inaccurate.  I can't hit anything at all.  But if I keep it aimed at the screen at all times, it seems to do halfway ok.  This is just the symptoms I have, but as far as I know this is not how the guns work.  So I am very confused.  At times it still seems to track oddly, but if I am aimed at the screen beforehand it seems to be much better.

I have smoked glass on there.  Would removing it or raising the brightness of my screen make a big difference?

Also the games I have tried seem to have a trigger crosshair.  Is there a way to get that off?

[u_rebelscum]

...It seems, however, the guns track even when I don't pull the trigger. 

That is, if I am not aimed at the screen at all and then quickly point at the screen (and shoot), it is highly inaccurate.  I can't hit anything at all.  But if I keep it aimed at the screen at all times, it seems to do halfway ok.  This is just the symptoms I have, but as far as I know this is not how the guns work.  So I am very confused.  At times it still seems to track oddly, but if I am aimed at the screen beforehand it seems to be much better.

Are you still moving the gun when you pull the trigger?  AFAICT, the actlab gun needs two frames instead of one.

I have smoked glass on there.  Would removing it or raising the brightness of my screen make a big difference?

It might make a difference, but others have smoked glass without problems.  The most likely problem would be due to reflections; while possible, brightness isn't as likely.  If you can calibrate the guns with the smoked glass, you don't need to increase the brightness.  So I'd worry more about reflections than brightness.

However, it sounds like you are having some problems with accuracy even if you keep it pointing at the screen (your "seems to do halfway ok" comment).  If you are having problems here also, the two might be related.  What symptoms do you have with the gun already pointing at the screen?

Also the games I have tried seem to have a trigger crosshair.  Is there a way to get that off?

This is a mame feature for those people not using a lightgun.  Press F1 while in game to disable.

[JoeJoe97]

I may be moving the gun when I pull the trigger.  I didn't particularly notice that, but I didn't specifically try not to.  I will keep that in mind tonight. 

When the gun is aimed at the screen ahead of time, it does occasionally misfire.  That is, hiting a spot which I am not aiming.  It seems to not be very frequent.

From digging a number of posts on here, someone said the way Duck Hunt is implemented makes it much harder to hit then it was in the arcade.  I suppose that could be a factor as well.  I did try a few games, but I was mostly trying duck hunt.

Thanks for your help!

[JoeJoe97]

After further testing, it seems the gun will not go below about 1/4 the way up my screen. 

I emailed act labs and they quickly said that the gun is likely not compatible with my tv and offered a refund.

I don't know what is wrong with my tv that the gun is expecting, but I guess I will have to send it back.

[ChicagoDave]

Sorry to dig up an old post, but I am now having the same problem.  I just change the TV in my cabinet and now my guns are not registering across the whole screen.

I notice that you mentioned it was due to the model of the TV you are using, what brand and model do you have?

I just purchased a ILO DTV2794, I think it's similar to an ORION TVD2710.
 

[tba]

lightguns are a pretty big crapshoot.... two TV of the same make/model don't always behave the same. this is a pretty standard problem. you might consider changing your guns instead of you TV and upgrade to some LCD top guns.

[ChicagoDave]

lightguns are a pretty big crapshoot.... two TV of the same make/model don't always behave the same. this is a pretty standard problem. you might consider changing your guns instead of you TV and upgrade to some LCD top guns.

Yep.  I emailed Act Labs and they responed right back saying that the guns were not compatible with the new TV.  I really liked them, so I'm pretty disappointed.  It looks like the LCD Topguns are pretty stable now, so I think I'm going to go with them.  I just hate the idea of having the LED Strips on my cabinet and the idea of standing 6 feet away.

I would like to see more pictures of how people mounted the strips in their cabs...

[unclet]

I thought some people have been hiding the strips behind their monitor's smoked plexiglass

[ChicagoDave]

I thought some people have been hiding the strips behind their monitor's smoked plexiglass

Yes, I've read that.  I just wish some people would post their pics.  I haven't really seen any.

[tba]

I just hate the idea of having the LED Strips on my cabinet and the idea of standing 6 feet away.

well you could always go for a couple of Guncon2's for the PS2, but they are VERY finicky, and can be a bit of a pain to set up . If the gods smile upon you in JUST the right way though they can work pretty well. i have 2 working with a 50" projection TV to play House Of The Dead (my G/F's favorite game) and after 5-10 hours of tinkering they work pretty good. I'm not saying i would recommend it, but it is an option.

check this website for TONS of info on light guns: http://www.acornscity.com/guncon/index.php