CUE QMD3 User manual

QMD3 for iOS and Android User Guide
A Step-by-Step guide for getting the most out of your QMD3 device.
This guide focuses on using QMD3 with iOS (Apple) and Android mobile devices such as your iphone, iPad, Smartphone or tablet.
This guide includes a step-by-step tutorial to help get you started using QMD3. It also provides additional details of the functions
and features of the QMD3 unit and software.
Note: The software screens shown in this guide are taken from different types of mobile devices, both iOS and Android. The
software functions the same on all platforms and the screens are almost identical.
Any questions or comments are welcome, please contact our customer support for any concern you have at [e-mail]. We
value and look forward to your feedback.
Contents
What QMD3 does
What’s in the Box
Tutorial Step 1 – Installing the Software
Tutorial Step 2 – Mounting the QMD3 Unit
Tutorial Step 3 – Starting up your QMD3 unit
Tutorial Step 4 –Connecting with Bluetooth
Tutorial Step 5 – Begin Practicing
The Connect Screen
The Practice Screen
The Metrics Screen
The Settings Screen
Operating/Charging your QMD3 unit

What QMD3 does
QMD3 is an orientation/motion sensing device specifically designed to aid you in developing a smooth, consistant and straight
billiards stroke.
QMD3 alerts you when your practice strokes are off-line. The instant audible feedback allows you to adjust and attain a
truly straight stroke. The sensitivity of QMD3 to off-line movements is user adjustable to best fit the way you stroke.
QMD3 automatically records the motions of your cue stick and instantly shows you a graphic animation of your cue stick
when you take a shot. The shot is recorded from the start of your back stroke through contact with the cue ball. The
animation allows you to see the path of your cue stick compared to a straight path, thus enabling you to identify the part(s)
of your stroke that are off-line. The animation may be viewed immediately after the shot is taken or, since all shots are
saved, reviewed individually after you’ve ended a practice session.
By providing you with instant feedback and graphic details QMD3 aids in developing/refining your stroke and improving your playing
results.
What’s in the box
Your QMD3 package includes…
The QMD3 unit
Adjustable velcro mounting strap
USB charging cable
Storage case
Quick Start Guide
Tutorial Step 1 - Installing the Software
To begin using QMD3 you need its software installed on your mobile device. The software is available free from the Apple App
Store or Google Play Store - search for ‘QMD3’. Install the software as you would any software from the App Store or GooglePlay.
The minimal iOS (Apple) system requirements for using QMD3 are iOS 10.3 with Bluetooth 4.2. The minumal Android system
requirements are Android 5.0 (Lollipop) with Bluetooth 4.2.

Tutorial Step 2 - Mounting the QMD3 unit
The QMD3 unit comes with a fully charged internal LIPO battery and an adjustable, velcro mounting strap. Slide the unit down over
your cue tip to the area between your cue’s joint and wrap. The closed end of QMD3 should face towards your cue tip, the open
end (where the on/off switch is located) towards the butt of your cue. It should fit firmly and parallel with your cue stick, if not
adjust the mounting strap so it does. The unit can be mounted on other parts of your cue stick if you’d prefer, even the butt.
However it’s important that it fits firmly and parallel.
Tutorial Step 3 - Starting Up your QMD3 unit
With your software installed and your QMD3 unit mounted on your cue you’re ready to start up. Lay your cue flat and still on the
table with the QMD3 unit positioned level on top. Turn on the QMD3 unit by sliding the on/off switch on the back of the unit to
the left. A blinking blue, ‘Bluetooth scanning’ light will appear. You’re now ready to connect your QMD3 unit and your mobile
device with a Bluetooth connection.
IMPORTENT: Whenever turning on QMD3 be sure your cue is laying still and flat on the table and the QMD3 unit is oriented in a
flat horizontal position on the top of your cue.
Tutorial Step 4 - Connecting with Bluetooth
IMPORTENT: Be sure Bluetooth is turned on in your mobile device. To check go to your Settings and look under Bluetooth and
turn it on if disabled.
With your QMD3 unit’s blue light blinking and its software opened on your mobile device you’re ready to connect the two together
through a Bluetooth connection. On the Connect screen of the software click the Scan button.

Your mobile device will then search for and locate the QMD3 unit. It’s unique name will begin with ‘QMD-‘, it will appear in the
white list box to the right of the Scan button. Then press your QMD3 unit’s name in the list.
In a moment your QMD3 software and unit will connect and begin communicating. The blue light on your QMD3 unit will begin
double-blinking when the connection has been established and the software will switch over to the Practice screen.
Tutorial Step 5 - Begin Practicing
After you’ve established a Bluetooth connection between your QMD3 unit and mobile device you are ready to begin practicing.
(IMPORTANT: When shooting try to keep the QMD3 unit positioned on the top of your cue stick for the most accurate results.)
Setup a simple drill with only the cue ball on the spot and your mobile device nearby on the table opened on the Practice screen.
(Note: Details about the Practice screen are provided in the Practice screen section of this guide.)

Try to hit the cue ball to the middle of the far rail so it returns back over the spot. Take a couple slow, smooth practice strokes and
pause briefly with your tip near the cue ball before your final stroke. During your strokes your mobile device will beep when QMD3
detects that the stroke is off-line. When you hit the cue ball on your final stroke your mobile device will chirp to indicate that QMD3
has detected and recorded the shot.
Notice that the ‘stroke off-line’ beeps differ if you’re off to the right or off to the left.
With smooth, straight strokes and a light grip you will eliminate the off-line beeps. Pay attention to the points of your practice
strokes where you hear a beep and adjust your stroke to stop them.
With a smooth stroke pausing at the cue ball, transitioning smoothly from backstroke to forward stroke and finishing through the
cue ball your shot will be detected and recorded with a chirp.
In short, strive to minimize the beeps and be rewarded with a chirp at the finish of each shot. This is how the instant feedback
QMD3 provides helps you develop and refine a smooth, straight, properly tempoed stroke.
(Note: you can avoid extraneous beeping when moving about the table by tilting your cue stick upward, QMD3 will only beep when
in a shooting position from about level to about a 45 degree downward tilt).
The last shot you’ve successfully recorded during your practice (the chirp) will be immediately displayed on the Practice screen. This
screen also allows you to see in detail all the recorded shots of your practice session. The animation allows you to see where your
stroke may be deviating off line. For a closer look you can even review your shot frame-by-frame using the animation control
buttons ( <,>,||)and from different views (Top, Side and Back). Double tap the Practice screen to change the view.
Now, with the Practice screen open, take another practice shot. Notice that each new shot is instantly displayed and available for
your review. Then swipe the screen sideways (left or right) to display the previous or next recorded shot. Look for any tendencies –
are you often pulling off-line to the left in your backstroke, veering right on your forward stroke, and so on? The Practice screen will
help you pinpoint areas to work on to smooth out and straighten your stroke.
Try another drill. Line up a number of ball across the middle of the table. Place the cue ball on the second diamond lined up for a
straight-in shot to a corner pocket. Pocket the ball with a stop shot. Repeat with the remaining balls.

Let the beeps and chirps guide you for smoothing out your strokes. Remember – use a smooth stroke pausing at the cueball,
transition smoothly from backstroke to forward stroke and finish through the cue ball.
After pocketing all balls click the Metrics screen to see a summary of all the shots in your practice session. Use this screen to see at
a glance any unwanted tendencies you should focus on eliminating. The first metric, Lateral Range, shows how far you stroke varied
laterally (sideways) during your final stroke and how far it varied at impact with the cue ball. Double tap the screen to change the
metric being displayed. Details about each metric is explained on the Metrics Screen section of this guide.

These are just two drills using QMD3 that you can include in your practice sessions, you probably have some more in mind. It may
be a good idea to use these drills first to reinforce that feel of a straight, smooth, well- tempoed stroke that will serve you well for
the rest of your practice AND for your matches.
The Connect Screen
The Connect screen is used to start the Bluetooth connection between your QMD3 unit and your mobile device so you can begin
recording your practice sessions.
Your QMD3 unit should be mounted on your cue stick, turned on and its blue light blinking for a connection to be started. First, click
the Scan button to locate your device, it will be shown in the white list box to the right of the Scan button. To complete the
connection press your device in the list. In a moment the connection will be completed and the software will automatically switch
to the Practice screen.
The Practice Screen
The Practice screen allows you to display and analyze in detail the shots you’ve taken while using QMD3. Each shot is instantly
displayed on this screen as you practice. A shot is displayed from the beginning of the backstroke to contact with the cue ball. It is
assumed that the backstroke begins with the cue tip at the cue ball and positioned pointing at the center of the cue ball.
Shots are saved as the next shot number under the current session name. Shots are permanently saved until you delete them and
they all can be viewed whenever you’re using the QMD3 software. (Note: See the Settings Screen section for details about the
session name.)

The View of the shot can be changed by double tapping the screen, the view toggles from the Top View, Back View and Side View.
The Shot being displayed may be changed by swiping the screen to the left or to the right. The Session being displayed may be
changed by swiping the screen up or down.
The Delete (trash can) button allows you to delete the currently displayed shot or its entire session. Press either Delete Shot or
Delete Session to complete the deletion.
The Animation Control buttons (<, ||, >) allow you to Play/Pause the shot animation, or move the animation forwards/backwards
one frame at a time. Press the appropriate button to control the animation.
The horizontal, white Center line in the cue stick animation is set at the beginning of the backstroke. When analyzing your shot you
can see the deviations of your cue stick from the center line.
The Cue Ball View shows you the position the cue tip is pointing at on the cue ball during your stroke. The tip position is set at the
center of the cue ball at the beginning of the backstroke. The red ‘cross hairs’ on this view allow you to also see the cue stick
rotation during your stroke.
The Velocity chart on the Practice screen shows you the relative velocity of your cue stick throughout your stroke. The velocity is set
at zero at the start of the backstroke.

Note that in this sample shot the velocity is negative (moving backward) during the back stroke, motionless during the pause
between the end of the backstroke and start of the forward stroke, and positive (moving forward) after the start of the forward
stroke. The velocity is increasing up to contact with the cue ball indicating acceleration ‘through the cue ball’.
Some information about the displayed shot is also shown along the bottom of the screen. This includes the Off Set and the
Acceleration Index of the shot (see the Metrics section for explanation of these terms).
The Metrics Screen
The Metrics list allows you to see at a glance all the key metrics for your practice sessions. This screen makes it easy to identify any
unwanted tendencies you should focus on eliminating and to see your progress in improvement from session to session.

The Metric being displayed can be changed by double tapping the screen, the available metrics are Lateral Range, Vertical Range,
Roll Range, Stroke Tempo and Acceleration Index. The Page (if more than 10 shots exist in the Session) being displayed may be
changed by swiping the screen to the left or to the right. The Session being displayed may be changed by swiping the screen up or
down.
The Impact Distribution Metric (below) shows your cue tip position when it hit the cue ball. It is assumed your cue tip was
pointing at the center of the cue ball at the start of your stroke, the deviations from this starting point are shown. In this example
there were seven shots in the session being displayed. The first shot deviated 0.6 mm from the center of the cue ball and the
average deviation for the seven shots in this session is 4.1 mm.
The Lateral Range Metric (below) shows how far your cue tip deviated (in degrees) to the right or left during your stroke, and it’s
final deviation at impact with the cue ball. In this example there were seven shots in the session being displayed. The first shot
deviated 0.0 degrees to the left, 0.5 degrees to the right and 0.1 degrees to the right at impact. The average for the session is also
shown, here it is 0.2 left, 0.5 right and 0.0 at impact.

The Vertical Range Metric (below) shows how far your cue tip deviated (in degrees) up or down during your stroke, and it’s final
deviation at impact with the cue ball. In this example the first shot deviated 0.1 degrees high, 0.5 degrees low and 0.1 degrees to
the right at impact. The average for the session is also shown, here it is 0.3 high, 0.7 low and 0.1 high at impact.
The Roll Range Metric (below) shows how far your cue rolled (in degrees) left or right during your stroke, and it’s final deviation at
impact with the cue ball. In this example the first shot deviated 4.2 degrees left, 0.4 degrees right and 0.3 degrees left at impact.
The average for the session is also shown, here it is 2.9 left, 1.4 right and 0.1 right at impact.

The Stroke Tempo Metric (below) shows tempo of your stroke in seconds. In this example the first shot spent 0.44 seconds for the
back stroke, 0.21 seconds for the forward stroke and 0.23 in the pause between forward and back stroke. The average for the
session is also shown, here it is 0.48 seconds for the back stroke, 0.17 seconds for the forward stroke and 0.26 in the pause.

The Acceleration Index Metric (below) shows the relative acceleration (or deceleration) of your stroke as you’re impacting the cue
ball. In this example the first shot’s acceleration index is 1.5, the average for the session is 3.06.
The Settings Screen
The Settings screen allows you to customize the behavior of the QMD3 software.

The Session Name text area allows you organize your practice shots into sessions, such as ‘Tom Drill1’, ‘Tom Drill2’, ‘Bob Drill1’, ‘Bob
Drill2’, etc. Touch the text area and enter the session name you’d like to use. All the practice shots you take will be recorded and
saved under this session name until you change it. The session name is also suffixed by the current date and time.
The Stroke Alerts Sensitivity setting lets you control the real-time audible alerts feature of QMD3. While you are practice stroking
your mobile device will alert you (with a tone) if your pool cue is moving off-line in excess of the sensitivity you’ve set. This audible
alert is made instantly (within milliseconds) of the off-line movement. The instant feedback helps you hone your stroke and
provides you with the proper 'feel' of a straight pool stroke. A lower setting will be less sensitive, a higher setting will be more
sensitive.
The default sensitivity setting of 5 is a good place to start. Higher settings will make it more challenging to ‘keep QMD3 quiet’, lower
settings will make it easier.
The Shot Detect Sensitivity is used to control how sensitive your QMD3 unit will be for detecting and recording shots. At times
abrupt movements of your cue will fool QMD3 into thinking a shot has occurred. A lower sensitivity setting will avoid recording of
'phantom' shots, however with a low setting very soft shots may sometimes be missed. Choose the shot sensitivity setting to best fit
the way you shoot, the default setting of 5 is a good starting point.
Alerts Sound and Alerts Vibration may be turned on or off. For instance you may want to turn off the sound for the stroke alerts
and put your phone in your pocket to only feel the vibration.
The Share button allows you to save or retrieve a practice session to/from the Internet 'Cloud'. Your mobile device needs to have a
working internet connection (WIFI or Cellular) to use this feature. You can export/import to share your practice sessions with a
friend or coach, or to copy your session from one mobile device to another, such as from your tablet to your phone. Press the
button and follow the prompts to select the practice session you'd like to export or import.
Operating/Charging your QMD3 unit
Shown here are the parts of the QMD3 unit and charging instructions.

Slide the On/Off switch to the left to power on your unit, to the right to turn it off.
A blinking blue Bluetooth status LED will appear when your unit is powered on. This indicates that unit is ready for a Bluetooth
connection. It will be replaced with a double-blinking blue Bluetooth status LED when a Bluetooth connection is established.
Your unit unit will begin performing erratically if used with a low battery. Be sure to recharge your unit regularly before beginning a
practice session.
The USB charging port is used for charging your unit’s internal LIPO battery. Connect with a powered USB port using a standard USB
Micro-B cable for charging your unit. The On/Off switch should be in the off position (slid left) when charging. When plugged into
a USB port for charging the orange charging indicator LED will appear, it goes out when the charge is completed. Your unit will
operate for approximately two hours with a fully charged battery. The battery will recharge in about one hour. As with all
rechargeable batteries, operating time slowly degrades with age and usage.