Timing Options, Need your ideas... Options

[cccbock]

We are investigating the possibility of running a Time Trial style timed event at NFME 2008.

With this in mind, we need a timing system capable of tracking up to 4 cars on track at a time, running multiple laps.

The Memphis track manager told me he does not have anything capable of this on his road course.

Anybody got access to an AX or TT style system we could borrow or rent?

TIA

Reply here, or direct to me or Andris


Bock

[marka]

Howdy,

The track doesn't have a transponder loop installed? Really?

Past that, my advice is four people with stop watches.

Really.

Mark

[Blainefab]

The AMB timing system will log individual lap times for all cars with a transponder. The system is installed on all the tracks here on the west coast and the transponder is a required item by SCCA, NASA and others. It works great for ARC time trials.

http://www.amb-it.com/

I'd be surprised if they don't have it at Memphis - don't they run SCCA events there? Maybe the guy you talked to isn't aware of its capabilities.

This post has been edited by Blainefab: Aug 22 2007, 09:52 PM

[Pilot]

They might have the timing loop, but not the decoder box...

[marka]

Howdy,

Yeah, but if the loop is there, chances are some club around you has the decoder, computer, transponders, etc. etc. that you need to make it all work & you could rent it from them.

I don't know how'd you make a normal autox timing system work really... Perhaps you could use a JACircuits timer to give you an accurate timestamp for when a car (and you wouldn't know which one) went by start/finish... Newer/some JACircuits timers have a 'chronomode' thing where it will spit a timstamp for a light up a serial cable that you could then use, but you'd still need a way to assign it to the proper car, do the math to figure out the laptime, etc. etc.

Transponders is the way to fly, if you can at all afford it.

Mark

[z28tt]

Figuring out the timing isn't crucial just yet, so I'd like to wait until we have a better idea of how many people are interested and would commit to the time trials.

I'm sure MMP has the buried timing loop, since they run SCCA. NASA has transponders they rent for $20-$50 for those that don't have them (most of the NFME regulars including myself don't) to get an idea of costs, and perhaps they or SCCA would include the decoder box, and we'd have to instruct someone on how to use it. If it's just for a single time trials session, the AMB system is probably too expensive, but on the other hand, we could use it to time all the laps, which changes the non-TT sessions to timed competition or practice laps that void most insurance policies. I figure if it happens on the track, you shouldn't be going to your insurance anyways, but I'm sure some people might. Anyways, if 20 folks need to shoulder the burden of extra insurance cost and rental AMB timing equipment, I think it'll become too expensive to make it worth it. It doesn't hurt to ask and get costs, though.

The TT will be a warm up lap, two or three hot laps, and a cooldown lap, with 3 cars released from the pits in 20-30 second intervals, which gives about 5 minutes between timed laps. It's enough time for two people with lap timers getting splits every time a car goes by to write down the times or enter them into Excel in a laptop and calculate lap times on the fly, as long as the cars stay in order.

A camcorder recording the start/finish line that displays a time stamp is simple as well - you fast-forward between cars and write down the time and calculate splits after the last car is done, which shouldn't take more than an hour after the TT.

I like the idea of a webcam triggered by the autox light beam. Every time the beam is broken, it snaps a picture with a time stamp. I think some webcams make web galleries on the fly, so people can immediately see their lap times when they come off the track by viewing a local intra-net website through wifi. Anyone have one of these?

[Shortcutsleeping]

There are programs that allow one person to time a multitude of cars. A buddy of mine (who crewed for a competitor, but we are all friends) would bring his laptop and assign different keys to different cars. Then he'd push the key as the car crossed s/f and have times for quite a few cars at the end of the session. It was cheap, and it worked. He was good for about 8-10 cars IIRC.

I do have an amb transponder and coud likely borrow a few more for the event. If several folks could do that (time to make friends with the scca/nasa guys in your area everyone!) then we might have enough. Food for thought.

Costas
cars and such...