Procedure:

            The first step we take to capture my images is to set up my camera.  We used a motion digital camera to capture the analysis images. The camera is first set to progressive mode so that each field is used sequentially.  We set the frame rate to 30 frames per second so the field and frame rate are identical, this allows me to use all the information recorded by the camera as different images.  The autofocus option is turned off and the ball( already set up in place) is focused on manually.  The exposure lock is then activated and set at -6.  The exposure lock prevents the camera from opening its aperture(CCD chip) to the maximum when the lights are turned off and the flashes do not overexpose the film when they go off.  Because the light sources are set off a extremely brief intervals and the subject is moving at high speeds, the ISO must be set at 400 to increase the probability that the camera will effectively capture the images.  When the subject is ready to be recorded the lights are turned off and the camera is activated long enough for one of us to kick and is stopped so we can set the ball and trigger back up.  The flashes are set in groups of four and taped down to prevent movement.  There are twelve flashes used in the experiment to increase the chances of capturing good images and accurate data for analysis.  These are set up in a row to follow the resulting movement of the foot and ball as they pass in front of the camera.  The resistance of the flashes is set to the minimum to allow the fastest light event for each unit.  The Apple II is connected to the flashes by way of the interface and the program needed to use the twelve flash setup is Multiplexer.  This setup allows for a maximum of sixteen flashes at a time but we thought that was over-kill for the type of setup we needed.  We set the delay time to seventy-five milliseconds and the interval of each flash afterward to ten milliseconds.  The delay allowed my kicking foot to come around within the vicinity of the ball and the interval time gave wide enough spacing between events on the images for analysis and close enough to ensure that I didn’t miss anything between flashes. 

The trigger unit is a pressure/contact unit in the sense that when pressure is put on the plates the circuit is closed on contact and the computer sets off the flash units.  We used this type of trigger because its seemed the easiest way to time my kicks.  When I set my left foot down on the trigger my right foot is already at a certain point of the kick and all we have to do is time the delay correctly.  Also the distance between the plates is measured in millimeters so the reaction is almost instantaneous relative to my experiment.  The logic on the computer must be set to 1 because the trigger completes the circuit when activated.    The black paper background we setup to reduce glare and risk of overexposure since the camera will be subject bright flashes of light and the exposure setting is open wide(sensitive).