The BEST race day EVER!! (new timing system)
04-16-2017, 04:25 PM
#1
The BEST race day EVER!! (new timing system)
OK, so you guys know me an my buddy get together every week or so and race our RC cars around my track, right? Oh, we measured my track length (a three-lobed figure-eight-type shape) as 880 feet. Well, we always wondered if there was an inexpensive way of timing our lap times, so I started looking into it. Good ol' Google! There actually were a couple fairly cheap ways of timing laps, (apps using smart phone camera) but nothing that really would work for what we wanted, which was to get individual lap times simultaneously for each car and some stats to play with.
The only type of systems that really did what we wanted required stepping up to the real thing, and buying a real RC timing system, like what they use at your local track or big RC event. Ended up buying from these guys: http://www.rclapcounter.com/ , the I-Laps Timing System, and the price tag came to over $450, but it just added a whole 'nuther level of enjoyment to our race days!
With $10 of 1.25" PVC and some fittings I built a simple timing bridge 10ft wide over one part of our track that is only traveled once: right before the main jump. Six optical sensors are connected together with short pieces of LAN cable, and this is attached to the bridge with velcro. The timing bridge sensors connect to a decoder board via a 50ft LAN cable, and that plugs into a USB port on your laptop, and I had a portable speaker connected to the laptop. There are several types of software out there, but the kit comes with at least two well known RC timing software packages, Laps Free and my chosen one, FlipSide Racing. Many more are available.
The FlipSide Racing software is dead easy to get to know. Even the main page has four big buttons to click on for quick reference to various parts of the set up manual for easy reference. There is also a well-written user manual with explanations of everything in the program as a separate part of the download package. Buttons across the top make navigation easy from any screen. An easily editable text file allows you to add your cars to the dropdown menus. And other drop down menus allow easy selection of other items.
Once you find an open COM port in your system (gotta go into Device Manager) and assign the USB decoder board, it remembers every time you plug it in. The Race Config screen allows you to set up the type of race you want to run. It was easy to set up a basic timed practice session, complete with announced lap times for each of us, and best lap times and lead changes.
The transponders are IR, and tiny little things that we Velcro to the front chassis brace pointing up through the window and plug into the spare receiver channel. Start up the cars, start the race (which begins with a spoken countdown complete with a starting horn!) and just drive around the track. Every time you pass under the timing bridge, it announces the driver’s name and time. When you’re done, stop the race, it announces best times. When you’re ready to go again, give the session another name and start the race again and off you go! It’s so freakin’ cool!! Adds a whole new dimension to our race days, and data to geek out over afterwards!
And everything worked flawlessly. It was just so easy and fun! I think we had the BEST RC race day we’ve ever had, EVER! It was AWESOME!! If you have your own backyard track, and you got the scratch to invest in one of these things, by all means do it! Like I said, it’ll add a whole new and fun dimension to your RC hobby! Can't wait for our next race day!!
The only type of systems that really did what we wanted required stepping up to the real thing, and buying a real RC timing system, like what they use at your local track or big RC event. Ended up buying from these guys: http://www.rclapcounter.com/ , the I-Laps Timing System, and the price tag came to over $450, but it just added a whole 'nuther level of enjoyment to our race days!
With $10 of 1.25" PVC and some fittings I built a simple timing bridge 10ft wide over one part of our track that is only traveled once: right before the main jump. Six optical sensors are connected together with short pieces of LAN cable, and this is attached to the bridge with velcro. The timing bridge sensors connect to a decoder board via a 50ft LAN cable, and that plugs into a USB port on your laptop, and I had a portable speaker connected to the laptop. There are several types of software out there, but the kit comes with at least two well known RC timing software packages, Laps Free and my chosen one, FlipSide Racing. Many more are available.
The FlipSide Racing software is dead easy to get to know. Even the main page has four big buttons to click on for quick reference to various parts of the set up manual for easy reference. There is also a well-written user manual with explanations of everything in the program as a separate part of the download package. Buttons across the top make navigation easy from any screen. An easily editable text file allows you to add your cars to the dropdown menus. And other drop down menus allow easy selection of other items.
Once you find an open COM port in your system (gotta go into Device Manager) and assign the USB decoder board, it remembers every time you plug it in. The Race Config screen allows you to set up the type of race you want to run. It was easy to set up a basic timed practice session, complete with announced lap times for each of us, and best lap times and lead changes.
The transponders are IR, and tiny little things that we Velcro to the front chassis brace pointing up through the window and plug into the spare receiver channel. Start up the cars, start the race (which begins with a spoken countdown complete with a starting horn!) and just drive around the track. Every time you pass under the timing bridge, it announces the driver’s name and time. When you’re done, stop the race, it announces best times. When you’re ready to go again, give the session another name and start the race again and off you go! It’s so freakin’ cool!! Adds a whole new dimension to our race days, and data to geek out over afterwards!
And everything worked flawlessly. It was just so easy and fun! I think we had the BEST RC race day we’ve ever had, EVER! It was AWESOME!! If you have your own backyard track, and you got the scratch to invest in one of these things, by all means do it! Like I said, it’ll add a whole new and fun dimension to your RC hobby! Can't wait for our next race day!!
04-17-2017, 01:52 PM
#3
Well, it's computers and related electronics....would you leave your laptop outside? Of course not. I would never THINK of leaving anything like this outside. Not when the sensors are $40 a piece! While the sensors are shrink-wrapped with clear tubing, the ends are necessarily open to accommodate the LAN plugs. Water would get in. You don't want your circuit boards getting wet.
Besides, all the electronic stuff fits in a shoe box. The PVC timing bridge comes apart and stores easily. And the laptop goes back in the house. Setup / tear-down only takes a few minutes. No reason to leave it out.
Yeah, it's a serious chunk of change, no doubt. But it's cool that my buddy wanted to split it with me, so it was only $230 or so between us. Plus, the "cash" came from an eBay sale, so it was a pretty painless purchase.
Besides, all the electronic stuff fits in a shoe box. The PVC timing bridge comes apart and stores easily. And the laptop goes back in the house. Setup / tear-down only takes a few minutes. No reason to leave it out.
Yeah, it's a serious chunk of change, no doubt. But it's cool that my buddy wanted to split it with me, so it was only $230 or so between us. Plus, the "cash" came from an eBay sale, so it was a pretty painless purchase.
