[Jeff Hagan]

But how about turning the idea on it's head? No scanners at the controls, only bar code printers. The printer prints a sticker that you stick on the time card representing the time. One scanner back at scoring, when the cards come in, boop boop boop the time card is read!

Would it really be "boop boop boop", or would it be "fumble fumble aim wait re-aim wait boop aim wait boop aim re-aim wait boop"? For small numbers, such as times, a cheapie handheld scanner would likely be slower than just punching the numbers in with a keypad manually.

 

[Bruce]

Would it really be "boop boop boop", or would it be "fumble fumble aim wait re-aim wait boop aim wait boop aim re-aim wait boop"? For small numbers, such as times, a cheapie handheld scanner would likely be slower than just punching the numbers in with a keypad manually.

- especially after the scorecard has been out in the rain/sleet/mud for several hours, handled by several people, and stuffed into a pocket in a rally car.

Bruce

 

[Morison]

Rather than barcodes why not just use a RF receiver to record the ID code of the transponder chip that the US government puts in everyone
(Including Canadians as apart of NAFTA - the North American Fiendish Tracking Agreement)

In all seriousness, the barcode reader deals with automating a three digit number in a string of information that is significantly longer.

RallyWest has just invested in a timning system that uses checkpoint clocks that are set up with IDs and all that is required is inputting a car number to acompany the time. They can then output the log in csv to a computer and we are working on a radio solution to send this log by packet to scoring.
I'm not sure that you can't use the main net for this as the length of the data stream would be marginal and the point in time that the data is sent is controlled.

 

[Bruce]

RallyWest has just invested in a timning system that uses checkpoint clocks that are set up with IDs and all that is required is inputting a car number to acompany the time. They can then output the log in csv to a computer and we are working on a radio solution to send this log by packet to scoring.
I'm not sure that you can't use the main net for this as the length of the data stream would be marginal and the point in time that the data is sent is controlled.

The Tag Heuer clocks Rally America uses at National events can do just that - it's the rest of the procedures that get complicated.

The digital screech produced by packet transmissions is distracting, if not downright painful sometimes. It can disrupt verbal communications...and it causes ops on the net to turn their radio volumes down - making THEM miss things. We've had to abandon a net frequency at Ojibwe because of packet activity.

Bruce

 

[Anders Green]

RallyWest has just invested in a timning system that uses checkpoint clocks that are set up with IDs and all that is required is inputting a car number to acompany the time. They can then output the log in csv to a computer

The Tag Heuer clocks Rally America uses at National events can do just that

How does one get the car numbers into the Tag Heuer clocks?

Cheers,
Anders

 

[Paul Jaeger]

You key in the car number on the timer/printer for each time. Stored in the timer and printed on the paper roll.

 

[RobBohn]

I work with warehouses and we have clients doing barcode, so my first question is analytical: how would getting a car number via barcode help? most errors are in the recorded time, not the car number, so that's where the focus should be...

But most of the errors in timing are failure of equipment (breakdowns, incorrect setup, weather, mis-reads, mulitple times, etc.)

It's a difficult environment!

 

[Perry]

I thought it might be useful to point out, now there are lots of cell phones out there that read bar codes and even have bluetooth that could talk to a nearby laptop talking "data" over a radio connection... you might even be able to write the software and install it on volunteer's laptops/phones so you don't have to provide it all. I'm ignorant of how this all works exactly.. who can write android apps?
Perry

 

[A1337STI]

If we had a scanner + software that once scanned auto entered your time. we could have controls with out workers... :O ATC where you scan your own time card! (Brilliant) I'd rather have that then a canceled stage / shorter rally.

Droids and Iphones have scanner apps / functionality. so in reality we could write an app that would scan the bar code and record a time stamp.
Or ya an actual bar code scanner device mixed in with some sorta clock (external) so it can use rally time.

oooh... good thinking anders

 

[Anders Green]

It's like going back in time five years and having a conversation with myself!

Anders