Find a bug in PointBlank? Have a feature request?

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

This forum is for posting bugs related to Pointblank ballistics software or for requesting features for future versions.

-DallanC

ELKFEVER · Rookie Member Joined: Aug 23, 2005 Posts: 2

I would like to see both "Zero" points listed for sight-in purposes. I use the first crossing of the zero line to fine tune before shooting at the final "Zero ". I hope this makes sense.
Thanks for a great program!!
Mike (ElkFever)

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Welcome to the site ELKFEVER,

I've had requests for this feature and will look into it for the next version of PointBlank

-DallanC

Al_Sohlstrom · Member Joined: Aug 30, 2005 Posts: 75

Hi

Zero-intercept on the ascending arc would be great, even if it were just a number, you know

Crosses sight line at: 12 Yards 2 Feet 3.31 Inches

Like that, maybe? ( Shocked

Mmm - 3.31 inches, eh? Confused

Oh well - when your desperate.... )

A solve-for-zero on the mathmatics side, or if you're doing the trajectory in a table, find the cheek-by-jowel entries where one elevation is below the sight line and the next is above, then interpolate.

Code::

/*  In poorly-remembered C:  I haven't done any of this stuff in years...  /*

for (Start = 0; Table[Start].Elevation < 0; Start++);  /*  Find the crossing     */
                                                       /*  Start = 3, for me...  */
Below = Table[Start - 1].Elevation;        /*  -.32" At 10 yards      */
Offset = (Start -  1) * RangeIncrements;   /*  10 yards, as above...  */
Above = Table[Start].Elevation             /*  .26" at 15 yards       */

Total = abs(Below) + Above;                /*  = .58"  */
Scale = abs(Below) / Total;                /*  32/58ths = 0.55172 or there abouts */
Step = Scale * RangeIncrements;            /*  About how much of the step         */
                                           /*  is needed to get to the sight line */
                                           /*  2.7586 yards, or there abouts      */
DistanceConvert(Offset + Step, Yards, Feet, Inches);

....

Well - or something like that.

If you want some programming help, I'm your boy. I've got this copy of Delphi 6, bought for a database project some time ago, laying fallow in my bedroom, and have been looking for an excuse to upgrade.

....

(Okokok - it LOOKS like a Delphi app, anyhow. I've got Visual C++, Visual BASIC and Visual FoxPro laying around somewhere, too. Yes - I'm one of THOSE!)

I'm interested in doing some long-range shooting, so my interestes lay in the direction of 20 inches high at mid-arc and 25 low at terminal. I think that adding a maximum-range field, so that you could target at 425 and max out at 500, would be a nice addition.

Scaling the Y-axis to the ballistics would rock too, for the 1000-yard shooters in the group. Uhhh... shootER, maybe. Shooting the thou' with my software-only load gives me a mid-range of about 88 inches and a termianl of -81 zeroed at 875 yards. The software still only plots to a maximum high of about 5 inches and a low of about -10.

One swing through the mathmatics could provide a zero-intercept and minimum and maximum values, all of which could be usefull.

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Download the PC version and look into the PBR calculations.

-DallanC

Earl_Gray

Thanks DallanC,
I've been away for some time and just downloaded the newest version.
other than a couple of problems that I sent PM everything is outstanding.
I have been recommending this site and program to all my shootin' buddies.

I recently completed a 20 Practical and would like to see it available on the caliber list. I know the Tactical is close but I would like it to show up. I currently have it listed in my data as the Tactical. Is there a way I could "free field" the correct name into my data charts

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Earl_Gray wrote:

Thanks DallanC,
I've been away for some time and just downloaded the newest version.
other than a couple of problems that I sent PM everything is outstanding.
I have been recommending this site and program to all my shootin' buddies.

I recently completed a 20 Practical and would like to see it available on the caliber list. I know the Tactical is close but I would like it to show up. I currently have it listed in my data as the Tactical. Is there a way I could "free field" the correct name into my data charts

I will update the master calibers listing. For now, you can rename the "Example_calibers_user.slk" to just be "calibers_user.slk" and edit it and add your caliber to the list. This is for users who have their own home-brew calibers and other user data.

-DallanC

Victorian · Member Joined: Jul 07, 2014 Posts: 29 Location: Melbourne

Great looking software, still getting the hang of it.
Suggestion/request ...
Can you have an option with metric for range/temperature, but all other (velocity, drop, drift etc) in feet/inches? Most load data is in fps and that's what I think in, but range and temperature for me in metric.

This would be nice if possible :-)

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

I can look into it... maybe it would be better to put up a popup menu with checkboxes for specific things people want in metric, and others they want in SAE.

-DallanC

Victorian · Member Joined: Jul 07, 2014 Posts: 29 Location: Melbourne

Thanks :-)

We call yards, feet inches etc "imperial" measures, but I figured unshackelling your selves from the empire in 1776 you would have another name. SAE (Standard American Engineering?)

DairyFarmer

I too would like the ability to change certain fields between metric and imperial.

Also is it possible to make it easier to add bullets, powder, cases and primers to the database? I find that using notepad I do get a lot of corrupt files and Excel just plain corrupt the file. I have just resigned myself to adding them manually into the fields when creating a load. But it would be nice to see them in the drop down.

Some suggested fields to add:
Times case fired
Type of resizing (full / neck)
Type of crimp (none / roll / taper ... )
OAL (actual / to ogive)
Die settings (i.e +0.5 in / -0.25 out ....)

Many thanks

Vince

Dallan checks these threads regularly DairyFarmer, so hang in there mate, he won't be too far away with an answer of some sort.

DairyFarmer

Great thanks

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

DairyFarmer wrote:

I too would like the ability to change certain fields between metric and imperial.

This might be possible in a future update. The whole conversion thing is rather messy but I can take a look at it.

Quote::

Also is it possible to make it easier to add bullets, powder, cases and primers to the database? I find that using notepad I do get a lot of corrupt files and Excel just plain corrupt the file. I have just resigned myself to adding them manually into the fields when creating a load. But it would be nice to see them in the drop down.

Some suggested fields to add:
Times case fired
Type of resizing (full / neck)
Type of crimp (none / roll / taper ... )
OAL (actual / to ogive)
Die settings (i.e +0.5 in / -0.25 out ....)

Many thanks

I haven't run into any issues using EXCEL for editing data. SLK is one of the oldest and most supported formats out there. We could go to XML or LUA but then most people would find it even harder to edit as outside of programming circles, those formats aren't used by lay-people and they don't have the tools to edit.

It seems people in general, dont modify the files too much... I'd estimate around 2-3% of the total users have custom data.

-DallanC

JimHelvetia · Last edited by JimHelvetia on Wed Jan 07, 2015 9:48 am; edited 1 time in total

Hello Dallan,

I've been using PointBlank v2.0 for some time now and have liked it so much I bought the license! Starting a week or so ago, the drop down menus for selecting bullet manufacturer and type of bullet no longer drop down. Plus, the ballistic coefficient field doesn't autopopulate. It worked in the past and I didn't knowingly do anything to change it. I can manually type in the information.

I'm running Win7-64.

Thank you for any help that you can provide!