Timing Sign

RobLupella · **Posted:** Fri Nov 19, 2010 1:49 pm

Ron Spencer wrote:

I seem to recall during the night time series we ran we had timing slips. I believe they were printed (maybe by hand??) and I think put out at a table by the bus so folks could come by when they wanted to collect them. Handy but took a couple people to man the table and create the time slips.

I think they were done by a PIN printer. (Post-It-Notes)

Carl Fisher · **Posted:** Fri Nov 19, 2010 2:04 pm

RobLupella wrote:

Ron Spencer wrote:

I seem to recall during the night time series we ran we had timing slips. I believe they were printed (maybe by hand??) and I think put out at a table by the bus so folks could come by when they wanted to collect them. Handy but took a couple people to man the table and create the time slips.

I think they were done by a PIN printer. (Post-It-Notes)

Example: http://www.thscc.com/autocross/events/2 ... 03aug.html

ChrisSuich · **Posted:** Fri Nov 19, 2010 8:02 pm

Here's another idea.
Since the AX data is available on a PC.
Add a wireless router to the AX setup;
Run a Web server on the PC
Have a process that continually monitors the AX database and make the times in a few HTML tables on a web page available to wireless devices near the bus.
Then the LCD displays near the bus can display the same data.
The hardest part will be having one of our talented computer science types in the club write a program to extract AX data and format it to HTML tables.

Ron Spencer · **Posted:** Sat Nov 20, 2010 9:51 am

Hoarding? You mean lovingly storing in a cool dry place....

Ron

Carlton Whitehead · **Posted:** Tue Nov 23, 2010 6:30 pm

ChrisSuich wrote:

Here's another idea.
Since the AX data is available on a PC.
Add a wireless router to the AX setup;
Run a Web server on the PC
Have a process that continually monitors the AX database and make the times in a few HTML tables on a web page available to wireless devices near the bus.
Then the LCD displays near the bus can display the same data.
The hardest part will be having one of our talented computer science types in the club write a program to extract AX data and format it to HTML tables.

I'd love to hack on something like this. If someone can hook me up with a machine that has AXware (I assume it's not for download ), I can get started any time.

Carlton Whitehead · **Posted:** Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:24 am

Carlton Whitehead wrote:

ChrisSuich wrote:

Here's another idea.
Since the AX data is available on a PC.
Add a wireless router to the AX setup;
Run a Web server on the PC
Have a process that continually monitors the AX database and make the times in a few HTML tables on a web page available to wireless devices near the bus.
Then the LCD displays near the bus can display the same data.
The hardest part will be having one of our talented computer science types in the club write a program to extract AX data and format it to HTML tables.

I'd love to hack on something like this. If someone can hook me up with a machine that has AXware (I assume it's not for download ), I can get started any time.

BUMP. Who should I talk to about this?

Ryan Holton · **Posted:** Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:51 am

Carlton Whitehead wrote:

ChrisSuich wrote:

Here's another idea.
Since the AX data is available on a PC.
Add a wireless router to the AX setup;
Run a Web server on the PC
Have a process that continually monitors the AX database and make the times in a few HTML tables on a web page available to wireless devices near the bus.
Then the LCD displays near the bus can display the same data.
The hardest part will be having one of our talented computer science types in the club write a program to extract AX data and format it to HTML tables.

I'd love to hack on something like this. If someone can hook me up with a machine that has AXware (I assume it's not for download ), I can get started any time.

BUMP. Who should I talk to about this?

http://www.axwaresystems.com/ax_demos.htm

Free 14 day demo

Dustin Fredrickson · **Posted:** Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:15 pm

Carlton Whitehead wrote:

ChrisSuich wrote:

Here's another idea.
Since the AX data is available on a PC.
Add a wireless router to the AX setup;
Run a Web server on the PC
Have a process that continually monitors the AX database and make the times in a few HTML tables on a web page available to wireless devices near the bus.
Then the LCD displays near the bus can display the same data.
The hardest part will be having one of our talented computer science types in the club write a program to extract AX data and format it to HTML tables.

I'd love to hack on something like this. If someone can hook me up with a machine that has AXware (I assume it's not for download ), I can get started any time.

BUMP. Who should I talk to about this?

Depending on what the goals of this are, there could be a MUCH simpler answer here, already built into AXWare. We currently use the timer output to directly feed the display, but we CAN use AXWare to feed the displays, too, using a USB->Serial output. AXWare may also be able to use a secondary display, as well -- and could provide things like car position, etc... as part of that output for an announcer. Again, depending on what we're looking to accomplish here, don't rule these potentially already-engineered options out.

<edit> BTW, I don't know AXWare well, but I thought I saw these as listed features somewhere somehow. I could be wrong.

Carlton Whitehead · **Posted:** Sat Dec 18, 2010 11:23 am

Quote:

there could be a MUCH simpler answer

I'd be happy to look into that too. I need some equipment though. Is it kept with the bus?

Carlton Whitehead · **Posted:** Fri Dec 24, 2010 10:04 pm

Dustin Fredrickson wrote:

there could be a MUCH simpler answer here, already built into AXWare

There is. It's called the Announcer Screen. Once I started the announcer window, (and gave myself permission to write in the right subfolder of Program Files... bad devs!) AXWare updated the HTML file displayed in it every time someone ran.

You can drag the announcer window over to a second monitor, which perhaps we could place somewhere visible from outside the bus. However, a second monitor would be connected to the T/S PC, so people wouldn't be able to scroll around the results listing. I think a dual monitor setup is a non-starter for us.

Since AXWare is just displaying an HTML file in the Announcer Screen, we could load an HTTP server on the T/S PC pointed at the announcer folder, and make an index file with an iframe that periodically refreshes the HTML file. Bring a wireless router into the mix, and then results could be exposed to nearby laptops and smartphones. I suspect the wireless signal will carry a hell of a long way beyond the bus.

Check out a screenshot.

JasonWatts · **Posted:** Fri Dec 24, 2010 11:07 pm

Dustin,

I dont think you will get "hell of a long way" beyond the bus with with a wireless setup in reference to smartphones. I would be suprprized to find out phones are connecting at anything past G, which means relativly short range (wouldent cover the whole grid/pit area). Also, how much troubleshooting are you signing yourself up for with this settup?

I personally like the idea, but from a user stand point, the getting users connected part might be a headake. (if we go this route, I have a g router I am willing to lend for testing purposes).

Chuck Branscomb · **Posted:** Sat Dec 25, 2010 8:31 am

A simple directional yagi pointed toward the grid and connected to the router would make a huge difference in signal strength versus the typical router omni dipole stub.

Les Davis · **Joined:** Fri Aug 29, 2003 2:04 pm **Posts:** 2059

So Neil, I'm reading this correctly that you have a POS printer that belongs to the club? Can I get this from you? 10 ft isn't ideal, but should be implementable for the solution I mentioned in the other thread. Did it connect to the timer directly or the computer? Either way I think we would want to connect it to the computer now since AXware supports sending data to a printer that would include cone penalties and position in class which something connected directly to the timer would not be aware of. There are even wireless solutions for this as well, but cost more money.

Gwen Habenicht · **Posted:** Tue Mar 22, 2011 4:55 pm

Les Davis wrote:

So Neil, I'm reading this correctly that you have a POS printer that belongs to the club? Can I get this from you? 10 ft isn't ideal, but should be implementable for the solution I mentioned in the other thread. Did it connect to the timer directly or the computer? Either way I think we would want to connect it to the computer now since AXware supports sending data to a printer that would include cone penalties and position in class which something connected directly to the timer would not be aware of. There are even wireless solutions for this as well, but cost more money.

If this one doesn't work you're welcome to try mine.

Neal Harrington · **Joined:** Thu Sep 04, 2003 4:29 pm **Posts:** 106

LES; YES AND YES! I would be happy to turn the POS printer over to you, so no one could acuse me of hoarding it. You know where I live, just PM me to arrange transfer.

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