Scoring Systems

[jmeade]

Ok Seriously guys, my e-mail inbox is hating me right now and it is grossly inefficient.

To address recent happenings: we have a proposal on the table to use this system
www.trackmateracing.com/shop/category.php?id_category=10
$290 for the system and transponders can be bought $25 in bulk or $38 individually

The idea would be everyone pitch in $35-40 each and get this system. Transponders would be bought in bulk and could then be re-sold by the club.

Questions seen thus far: this system vs other inexpensive systems and this system vs. AMB

Personal Opinion
I can not comment on this system vs other cheap systems, leave that to the resident electrical gu-ru's in the group, on this vs AMB I can say the following in my opinion AMB are pricks. I have dealt with them with karts and RC's and in both cases their transponders are encased in epoxy. A kart transponder is $300 and has within it a $10 rechargeable sub C battery. A guy had his battery go bad, a $10 part that can be bought at crappy tire, but we tried EVERYTHING to get that battery out and we could not do it. In the end the guy was forced to buy another $300 transponder over a $10 battery.

I own a AMB RC transponder and am in a similar situtation, one of the wires pulled off of the circuit board (crappy soldering at the factory) but I can not get at the circuit board to re-solder the wire back on. I am out $120 (thats what a AMBRC transponder costs) over 1 solder joint.

This is just like the cheap Lipo's out there that we all use. There are all kinds of pompous racers out there on the net that will only buy $150 MaxAmps 150C lipos but when put on a bench test against a $25 Gens Ace, they are no better, same goes for radios with the $200 Futaba and Spectrum vs the $20-$40 things we are using and the cheap radios are working just fine. A AMB system is 10X the price, I do not think it is 10X the product. If we get a timing system, I do not think it needs to be a AMB, just like the batteries and radios, much cheaper equipment is coming down the line and it is working just fine, and we do not need to conform to what everyone else is doing, we need to do what works best for us.

Another question on the table: Do we need a timing system at all?

Personal Opinion
Right now, No. We are managing just fine with what we are using right now. We have been using the manual entry software for 4 weeks now that works out to 160 individual 5 lap races and I can think of only 3-4 instances where the operator screwed up and we are still learning how to do it, give it time and operators will get better. No system is completely fool proof, I have seen races stopped with AMB systems because marshals have gotten caught in the cables and unplugged things, someone could knock over the bridge with these cheaper systems.

I do not think we need a system, if we do get a system, it does not need to be AMB

...feel free to comment, agree, disagree

[jsherriff]

ill pass on the lap counting idea and push toward new surface being in the near future. we need to really think about what the club needs to go the next step or if where even in a position to move forward newer surface newer equipment means more money and more participants( we hope) which means more time and we get a min of run time now with the 2 classes and the 7 people we run with. i dono what we have now is cheap it works and i have alot of fun but its just a drop in a hat i know the club can and will move forward regardless what i say

[jsherriff]

i think a more important topic is the fact that jared email has become aware and its pissed...

[nickd123]

I like the idea of both, but I know realistically it's one or the other. We can definitely stick with the scoring system we are using now, but I think we may need a usb number pad or a larger keyboard. The netbook keyboard is way too tiny.

[jsherriff]

number pad is good idea.

[phedland]

I realy think we need a timing system. The transponders for the last proposed system are only $25, hard do justify a 90$ AMB transponder. If people are intrested send me and email at [e-mail] with the number of transponders you would want. Based on demand we can make a decision.

[nickd123]

I think we should make a decision based on when we might be able to get the carpet. If it's something that is going to take a while to get, we could look into this as the alternative. I think everyone will agree that over time, both of these were going to be done. I'm for anything that is going to make racing even more enjoyable and to improve the club.