DryFire Version 5 User Guide

Safety

You are personally responsible for your own safety and the safety of others around you.

• Ensure your gun is unloaded before using it with DryFire - double check semi-automatics.
• Just as at the shooting ground, never point a gun at anyone.
• Keep batteries and other small parts way from young children.
• Avoid explosions and fire by never recharging batteries unless they say "Rechargeable".
• To prevent damage to your eyes, and the eyes of others, never look into a laser and never point it at anyone.
• Use a cable protector to ensure you don't trip over trailing mains or USB cables.

Wordcraft International cannot be held responsible if you ignore these warnings.

What's in the box

Check you have (DryFire):

• Simulator with two heads.
• Power supply with mains cable.
• Universal Gun Assembly (UGA) and barrel clamp.
• Trigger switch and cable.
• USB cable.

Check you have (Swing):

• Swing
• USB cable
• No power supply is required for Swing because it has an internal battery which is being charged continuously over the USB port. The battery provides the energy for the two servo motors moving the laser spot.

Contact us if anything is missing.

Gun assembly setup

Wrap the trigger switch round the trigger as tightly as possible. The photo below shows the excess cable wrapped round the trigger guard.

Some people have fitted the switch the other way round so it is activated when pressed against the back of the trigger guard. There is no "right" or "wrong" way - as long as it works!

Fit the switch so the rubber tail is out of the way of your trigger finger - so it will be different for left and right handed shooters.

• Clamp the UGA under your barrel - close to the end of the forestock.
• Plug the trigger switch cable into the socket on the back of the UGA.
• Secure the excess cable out of the way.
• Switch on the UGA - the red LED will flash.
• Press the trigger switch - the red LED should flash each time you do this.
• The red LED will continue to flash periodically to show the UGA is switched on.
• Switch off the UGA after use.
• Recharge the UGA from a USB port or USB charger.

The UGA comes ready for normal "press to shoot" mode - see the Advanced UGA setup section for "release to shoot" mode.

Initial setup - before installing the software

The first step is to get laser targets working. This should be done even if you purchased the projection version or the projection add on.

• Check your PC speakers are working.
• Check there is no direct light falling on the wall/screen and no reflections coming from it (see the note below).
• Fit the trigger switch and Universal Gun Assembly as described above - make sure it is switched on.
• Place the simulator on a flat surface, on a tripod or on the optional DryFire Shooting Stand.
• Check that the simulator is parallel with the wall.
• Connect the USB cable to the PC and the simulator.
• Connect the power supply to the simulator and switch on - the two heads should nod.

  If the two heads don't nod:

  • check the power supply is switched on,
  • check you are using the correct USB cable or try a different one,
  • check the USB cable is connected to a PC USB port and to the simulator
  • check this page if the two heads still don't nod.

Measurements

To present accurate targets DryFire needs to know two things:

• where the simulator is (distance from wall and height above floor).
• where your eyes are (distance from wall and eye height when you are in your shooting stance).

The reference point for measurements is the centre of the circular indentation on the top surface of the simulator's metal case. More ...

The drawing below shows:

• simulator to wall: 1.75m,
• simulator from floor: 0.65m,
• shooter from wallL 2.50m,
• a low Post-it note marking the simulator straight ahead position - directly in front of, and at the same height as, the simulator,
• an upper Post-it note marking the shooter straight ahead position - directly in front of, and at the same height as the shooters eye's when in the shooting stance.
• This is an example only - your measurements will probably be different.

Laser targets first

It is important to get the system working initially with laser targets - even if you go on to use the projection add-on.

Note: it is OK to use a wall or screen for laser targets. Measure from whichever you are using.

Video of the version 5.1 setup process

Click here, or on the image below, to download a video in Windows ".wmv" format covering:

• installing the software.
• setting up basic measurements,
• carrying out muzzle alignment,
• selecting the DTL trap simulation,
• shooting at the first target,
• viewing the results - a hit on the very first shot!

Press "pause" as often as you wish to read things and to see things.

The video was taken after everything had been set up as described below . The whole process, after downloading, takes under 2 minutes.

Preparation

• Prepare two Post-It notes (see the drawing above) by drawing diagonal lines to mark their centres.
• The DryFire simulator should face the centre of the wall/screen and be absolutely parallel with it.
• The reference point for DryFire measurements is the centre of the indented circle on the top of the simulator's metal case.
• The simulator should be between 1.5m and 2.0m from the wall/screen.
• The simulator should be between 0.5m and 1.0m from the floor.

  The optional DryFire Shooting Stand is ideal for this - the simulator will be 0.65m from the floor.

• Put a Post-It note on the wall/screen directly in front of the simulator and at the same height - this is the "simulator straight ahead" position. Measure the distance from the wall/screen and the height from the floor.
• Measure how far the left and right walls are from the simulator.
• Measure the ceiling height.
• If the wall has a slope, measure how far up from the floor it starts and how far the top extends into the room.
• Decide your shooting position and measure the distance from the wall/screen.
• Stand in your shooting position, adopt a shooting position pointing straight ahead with your gun barrel horizontal. (Get someone to put a spirit level on your barrel to ensure it is horizontal.) Use a Post-It note to mark the position your are pointing at on the wall/screen. This is the "shooter straight ahead" position
• If your shooting position is not directly behind the simulator measure how far it is to the right (entered as a positive value, e.g. 0.60m) or left (entered as a negative value, e.g. -0.60m) of the simulator straight ahead position.
• Write down all your measurements before running the software. Keep the list safe for future reference.
• Download and install the software from the support page.
• By default the software will run as soon as installation is complete. If not you will have to run it so you can enter setup measurements. In Windows 10 you will find DryFire 5 in the startup menu after clicking on the Windows logo key - bottom left of the screen.

Keep it simple

To keep things simple for your first few laser targets we recommend you follow the steps shown in the video above and:

• enter only simulator from wall/screen, simulator from floor and shooter from wall/screen,

• don't use the "Advanced setup" option at this stage,
• don't enter shooter or gun data - use the system defaults,
• select a straightforward simulation, such a "Trap", "DTL", for your first few targets.

You can come back later and enter more measurements and settings if you wish (from "Settings", "Calibration", "Full calibration", "Calibrate", "Advanced setup") - when you are familiar with how the system works.

Very important: start with laser targets

If you purchased DryFire with the projection add-on, or purchased the add-on separately, the screen shown below may appear - if so, select "I'm not projecting" Don't worry if this screen does not appear.

It is important to get laser targets working correctly before you set up projection.

Follow the procedure below for muzzle alignment then try a few laser targets to become familiar with the system before setting up projection.

Muzzle alignment

Muzzle alignment is critical to the accuracy of DryFire. Do it each time you start a session and when you feel your shots may be off a little.

After entering measurements (and after you have selected "I'm not projecting" if the choice is offered) DryFire will go straight to muzzle alignment. Follow these steps:

Alignment procedure described in bullet points

• Check that your Universal Gun Assembly is switched on - the red LED will flash slowly.
• When muzzle alignment starts you will see one of the heads move to face roughly at your shooter straight ahead Post-it note. The camera is looking but no laser dot is generated at this stage.
• Aim at the centre of the shooter straight ahead Post-it note and press the trigger.

  You should hear a bang and a laser dot will appear close to where you aimed.

  Check your measurements (simulator to wall, simulator height, shooter to wall) if the laser dot is more than 150mm from the centre of your Post-it note.

• Aim at the laser dot and press the trigger. You will hear another bang and the laser dot may move a little.
• Aim at the laser dot again and press the trigger. A musical tone will indicate that alignment is OK.

Alignment procedure with illustrations

• Aim at the shooter straight ahead Post-it note and press the trigger.

  You should hear a bang and a laser dot will appear close to where you aimed.

• Aim at the laser dot and press the trigger. You will another again and the laser dot may move a little.

• Aim at the laser dot again and press the trigger. You should hear another bang and a musical tone to indicate that alignment has been done.

• If everything is OK you will see:

If things go wrong

Try the "Adjust position" option:

Projection add-on setup

Please don't try to set up for the projection add on until you have laser targets working correctly and you have practised with a few targets.

Doing things this way round ensures that key measurements are entered and the system is working correctly before you start projection setup.

Click here when you are ready to set up the projection add-on.

Swing setup

Please see the Swing Setup Guide.

Screen layout

In the example below the "Down The Line" simulation has been selected and the fifth target from Stand 3 has been released. The clay can be seen travelling up and to the left with a small cross above and in front of it marking the required lead.

The horizontal bar, on the left, towards the top, shows the clay was 0.38 seconds into its 4.00 second flight when this image was grabbed.

The left side of the screen contains menus, details of the current simulation, score card etc. while the remainder of the screen shows the current target.

When DryFire is first loaded the top left of the screen allows selection of simulations, shooters and firearms.

Selecting a simulation

Selecting "Simulations" from the top left of the screen brings up a list of available simulations.

Select "Trap" to bring up a list of the trap layouts available.

In some cases, like the American Amateur Trap Association (ATA) layouts shown here, there may be different sub-categories to choose from.

In the example below we have selected "Skeet", "English Skeet", "Standard".

Clicking "Start" will select the simulation.

Releasing targets

Having selected the English Skeet layout we are now ready to practise a complete round or to select an individual target for repetitive practice.

The three dots in the control bar bring up a context sensitive menu providing additional options depending on which simulation is selected.

In the example below "Station 4 Double" has been selected (by clicking on the third square next to "Station 4" on the score card) and we are offered four options after clicking on the three dots - the top one being "Repeat target" which would provide repetitive practice on this target.

DryFire is designed to help you with the hard ones so the repetitive target function is highly recommended.

Selecting "Repeat target" shrinks the list of targets to just this one - "Station 4 Double".

The control bar (below the target name) now offers us the single "play" button - we are ready to start!

Clicking "play" will display a microphone indicating that DryFire is ready for you to call "Pull" - so, take up your shooting position and try it.

More information about targets

In this example the "Sporting", "Ground Traps" simulation has been selected. The target chosen is simultaneous double with a rising teal and crosser to the right - both from a trap in front of the shooter.

The slider has been used to show the positions of the clays, and the aiming points (red crosses), 1.14 seconds into time of flight. The information boxes show the lead required and other details.

The rising teal is almost at the top of its travel and is moving very slowly so no lead is required. The crosser is moving at 16.37m/s to the right so 1.14m of lead ahead is required - plus a very slight amount above.

Results and feedback

The image below shows the result of shooting a round of "Down The Line". The score card shows 25 shots were taken and the score was 24/25 or 72/25 in DTL terms (3 points for a hit with the first shot in DTL) - the fourth target on stand 4 was missed!

Clicking on any target on the score card brings up a replay - in this case we can see that the shot was below and to the left of the clay

The main view shows the trajectory of the clay and the shot pattern in relation to it.

The close up at the bottom of the screen shows the shot pattern in relation to the clay - 0.41m to the left and 0.74m below. The shot was taken 0.96 seconds after calling "Pull" and the shot pattern had travelled 31.1m when it reached its closest point to the clay. The centre of the shot pattern was 0.84m from the centre of the clay at it's closest point - this is the "error" or "aiming error".

If you have the Report Generator add-on you'll be shown a "Statistics" banner in the bottom left of your screen when finishing a round. Clicking this banner brings up the sort of detail that really serious shooters will be interested in.

The example below shows a different background and two shots taken at the same target.

• The first shot was high and to the left - as shown in the left hand result box. Note the green line at the bottom of the box - this matches the border of the circular image of the shot pattern shown in relation to the clay's trajectory which is displayed as a dashed yellow line.
• The second shot, with the blue border, was very low and to the left - it was also taken very late with the clay over 52m from the trap.

Shooters

Selecting "Shooters" from the top left of the screen allows you to set up details for each shooter.

Firearms

Selecting "Firearms" from the top left of the screen allows you to set up details for each gun you will be using.

The "Basics" tab alloows you to change basic details, including the name, from the first screen or you can click on "+ New Shotgun" to create a new gun.

The "Chokes" tab allows you to have the same or different chokes in each barrel.

Chokes may be selected by name or you can create a custom choke - but you will need to know the spread (diameter) produced by the choke at two different distances. This can be done using a Pattern Plate if one is available at your shooting ground.

The preview shows the diameter of the shot pattern at a specific distance - 30m by default.

The "Cartidges" tab allows you to have the same or different cartridges in each barrel.

Cartridges may be selected from the list provided with DryFire or you can create a custom cartridge by entering a name, material, size, weight and muzzle velocity - this information should be on the cartridge box..

The "POI" tab allows you to define the Point Of Impact for your gun.

Skeet guns tend to shoot "flat" - 50% of the pellets go above the point of aim, 50% below.

Trap guns tend to shoot high because you are chasing a rising clay - 60%, 70%, 80% or even 90% of the pellets will go above the point of aim.

You can check your POI in the real world using a Pattern Plate if one is available at your shooting ground. Put a marker (Post-It note) at the centre of the Pattern Plate, step back a known distance (32m is DryFire's default), aim directly at the marker and shoot. Estimate what percentage of pellets went above the marker.

POI is normally the same for both barrels - but it doesn't have to be - check with the Pattern Plate.

Settings

Select "Settings" from the bottom left of the screen to configure how the software functions.

Calibration

Click on "Alignment" then "Align current shooter" and follow the alignment procedure above.

Click on "Shot detection" then "Adjust shot detection" if your shots are not being seen or the system is reporting random shots.

• Make sure no direct light reaches the wall/screen Check windows, doors, ceiling lights and wall lights - and possible reflections.
• Use the compass rose to move the camera head around and try shooting at the area it is pointing to. You should see the "SHOT" message if the system detects your shot.
• If your shot isn't detected, drag the white spot slightly to the right to increase the camera sensitivity then try again.
• You must find the maximum sensitivity without the system seeing background light.
• If you can't get the right setting there will almost certainly be stray light reaching the wall or screen.

Click on "Full Calibration" then "Calibrate" to set up and check all measurements and to do muzzle alignment

Background

Select a background from the list provided.

Scaling

Things can look very small on the screen, particularly clays!

Scaling things up makes them easier to see but it doesn't change the accuracy of the system - clays aren't really bigger (unfortunately!), they just look bigger on the screen!

Increase "Results text scaling" (say, 250%) when using laser targets if your PC screen is some distance from your shooting position - this will make it much easier to see the result of each shot.

Target release

The normal method of release is acoustic (calling "Pull") using the microphone in the simulator or in a PC/laptop. Call "Pull" as you adjust the threshold - the system will respond to show it has heard you by showing "PULL" in a red box.

When not using the acoustic release, select "Auto release" and the number of seconds the system should wait (after showing the results of the previous shot) before releasing the next target.

You can create a "Wait time" - forcing you to dismount and relax for a few seconds between targets.

DryFire can generate a short random "Release delay" after calling "Pull" to simulate a human buttoner. Note: some simulations will impose a random delay anyway - because that's what's in the rule book!

Clays

You can change the screen colour of the clay and it's scaling - the on-screen size, not the real world size! Changing speed makes things interesting but can lead to strange results since going faster will improve your reaction times but the amount of lead required is not changed

The "View" option allows you to select different types of clay and to see the very complex data that defines them. It is this data that enables DryFire to accurately reproduce the paths followed by clays in the real world.

Results

For a complete description click, on the small circle containing an "i" next to each option

Wind

DryFire will generate gusts of wind from zero up to the speed specified and from the direction specified.

Set the direction by dragging the white dot on the slider or by entering a value directly - in degrees. Zero would be wind coming from the North, 180 would be from the south.

Sounds

You can select what level of helpful voice messages DryFire should provide through your PC/laptop speaker.

It can also simulate the sound made by the trap when the clay is released.

An echo sound can be played when the clay reaches a certain distance - perhaps the distance at which the energy from the pellets would be insufficient to break it.

Localisation

Select language and measurement system: Metric (metres) or Imperial (inches).

Add-ons

This displays a list of optional software add-ons enabled in your cpy of DryFire.

It also allows you to enter the "key" provided by Wordcraft when you purchase an add-on.

Getting support

Start by checking the trouble shooter page.

If you problem is not dealt with on the trouble shooter page you can contact us by clicking on "Settings", "Support" then on "Contact support".

Enter your email address then a brief description of the problem - sufficient for us to reproduce it.

When you click on "Send" your report will be sent to us along with a DryFire log which will help us find out what the problem is. We will respond by email.

More advanced support options are available via "Settings", "Support" "Advanced", "More options".

You may be asked by our support department to use the function shown on the screen below:

• Exercise servos: this will move the servo motors through their length of travel.
• Test points: this allows the lasers to be moved to specific points in front of you (see the next screen).
• Check projector settings: this is used to check your projector is displaying the complete image generated by DryFire (see below).
• Adjust head 2: this allow you to move the laser dot generated by head 2 (the one on the right when facing the wall) to coincide with the one generated by head 1 (see below).

The "Test points" screen allow you to move the lasers to specific points in front of you. The locations should match the measurements you entered for "Simulator to wall", "Simulator from floor" and "Shooter to wall." If things are way out you should check your measurements via the "Setting", "Calibration", "Full calibration" screen.

Don't worry if the two lasers don't always coincide with one another - this is quite normal.

The "Check projector settings" screen allows you to check:

• That you are using "extended mode" with the image on your PC being different from the one projected. You are using "duplicated mode" if they are the same - this won't work.
• That your projector is showing the complete image with no cropping. Click here for more details.

The "Adjust head 2" screen allows you use the on-screen movement pad to move the laser dot generated by head 2 to coincide with the one generated by head 1.

... Miscellaneous

"Out of ammo" means you have fired both barrels and at least one target is still moving.

You can "Wait for targets" to reach the ground, "Skip" straight to seeing the results of your shots, or set a "Timer" before showing the results. The timer starts from when you took your last shot.

"Lasers on projection" defines when laser targets should be used with the projection add-on. "Auto" lets DryFire decide so it uses lasers for targets that won't fit within the projection area.

"Projection menu" enables or disables a menu on the projection screen.

Designer

After adding Designer to your system a new choice, "+ New", will appear in the bottom left corner of the simulation selection box.

Click and select an existing playlist or "New playlist" to start a new one. A "playlist" is simply a list of targets you create yourself - like a "layout".

Give your playlist a name ("My targets" in the example below) then select either "Select from library" or "New target".

"Select from library" allows you to select any target from any of the simulations provided with DryFire.

"New target" allows you to create, and name, a new singles or doubles target. You will see a preview as you edit any of the settings for the target.

In the example below:

• The target is called "Trap 1"
• The clay type is "Standard"
• The trap is 1m to the right of the straight ahead position and 0m above the shooter's position. Increasing the "Above" value will put the trap on a "tower".
• The horizontal direction of release is 27.22 degrees to the right of straight ahead. Adjustment was done by dragging the white dot and looking at the preview.
• The vertical angle of release is 61.86 degrees - again, adjusted with the white dot.
• the clay will be released at 20 m/s.

"Select from library" allows you to select targets from any existing DryFire simulation - skeet in the example below. Give your selected target a name.

You can select one of the predefined target simulations or "Custom," which allows you to create a standard "bullseye" target of any size at any distance.

Competition

The optional Competition add-on enables you to shoot against others as part of a squad.

A hint will appear when you select "Simulations" after the Competition add-on is installed.

Click on the "Squad" tab after selecting a simulation.

If you don't already have a squad set up you will see the current shooter listed along with three pull down lists:

• Shooter name.
• Gun being used.
• The stand on which this shooter will start.

To add another shooter to the squad click on "Add to squad".

You will now see a list of other shooters who can be added to the squad by clicking on"Add to squad".

If the selected shooter has not shot before they will be given a chance to align their gun. Follow the normal alignment procedure and continue as normal.

Click on the three vertical dots to change the squad order, delete a shooter or decide that one shooter is going to shoot alone

Click "Start as squad" when your quad is complete.

When shooting as a squad the standard sidebar changes slightly to show you each shooter and their scores, with the current shooter being highlighted with a different background colour.

Move you mouse over an individual shooter and click on the three vertical dots to display a menu of options. When you started shooting you can use this menu to look at an individual's scorecard..

In addition to the scorecard shown on the PC/laptop screen, the projection add-on will also display the current shooter's score in the top left corner and, at the end of a round, it will display the results for the whole squad.

Advanced room setup

Most people don't need advanced setup at all.

The projection add-on does not require advanced setup.

Obviously, if you have a sloping wall you need the "slope start" and "slope in" measurements or laser targets and results will not be totally accurate.

The room "ceiling height", "left side wall" and "right side wall" measurements are used by the software to display accurate angular speed when a laser target starts or ends on a side wall or on the ceiling - for example wide crossers or very high incoming/outgoing birds.

Important note: you don't have to enter anything relating to the screen size because this is established during projection setup after you have laser targets working.

Initially you set up only these distances:

• simulator to wall/screen,
• simulator from floor,
• shooter from wall/screen.

Advanced setup: reached from "Calibration", "Full calibration", "Calibrate"; allows you to enter additional values to tailor the system for the room.

Please look carefully at the drawing below which shows how the measurements relate to the room.

• Shooter eye height: don't change this - it is calculated automatically when you carry out muzzle alignment by shooting at the upper Post-it note.
• Right of shooter: if you cannot stand directly behind the simulator, measure how far you are to the right or left of it. Enter a positive value if you are to the right or a negative value if you are to the left. (+0.50m in drawing.)
• Room ceiling height: the floor to ceiling height. (2.40m in drawing.)
• Slope start: the height above the floor where any inward facing slope starts. (1.36m in drawing.)
• Slope in: how far the top of the slope extends into the room. (0.93m in drawing.)
Left side wall: the distance from the simulator to the left wall. (2.00m in drawing.) Right side wall: the distance from the simulator to the right wall. (2.00m in drawing.)
• Ceiling mounted: click this if your simulator is mounted upside down to the ceiling.

  Note: this has nothing to do with a ceiling mounted projector used with the optional projection add-on. DryFire doesn't care where a projector is mounted - as long as it produces a clear rectangular image directly in front of the simulator.

Advanced UGA setup

The UGA is normally triggered by the pressing the trigger switch and it normally operates in "press to fire" mode.

Advice: don't change it.

Configuring the UGA

Should you really need it, the UGA Bluetooth configuration app runs under Apple iOS, Android or Windows 10 and connects to the UGA via Bluetooth. Click to download the version you want:

The app will look slightly different on each "platform" but the functions are the same.

This image is from the Windows 10 version.

• Fire on press: the gun "fires" when you press the trigger. This is the way most people shoot.
• Fire on release: the gun "fires" when you release the trigger. Also called "set trigger".
• Universal: the gun "fires" when the UGA detects the vibration caused by the firing pin.
• Laser pulse length: the length of the pulse of IR light released when you "fire".
• Trigger sensitivity: the lower the value, the more sensitive the system will be to vibrations.
• Advanced: options to control the accelerometer which measures vibration - leave these alone unless we suggest changes.

Bluetooth problems

Bluetooth can be flaky so keep the UGA fairly close to your PC or smartphone and to run the app immediately after switching on the UGA. The UGA "advertises" its presence for one minute after being switched on so the app should detect it. If not, switch off the UGA, close the app, wait 10 seconds, switch on the UGA, run the app.

Not all PCs and laptops running Windows 10 have decent or up-to-date Bluetooth devices inside them so if you have problems we recommend trying the Belkin F8T065BF Bluetooth USB dongle. (By the way: did you know we invented, and named, "dongles"?)

Warranty

Please click here for our warranty.