Emit cards

[kedge]

Just to explain what has been written above in a little more detail for those who are new to all this.

The 'clock' in a conventional Si control unit is part of the general electronics and can wander out by a few seconds a week. If all the boxes are not synchronised before an event, some may be a few seconds fast or slow.

For many events, that really won't matter a great deal. In sprint events, when some course legs are very short, it can results in problems. If one control is 'slow' and the next is 'fast', we get the problem of negatve splits, where you apparently arrive at a control before you have left the previous one.

To stop that happening, the advised practice at an event is that before control units are put out, someone, usually the planner, synchronises all control units against a single time master unit, the (usually) blue unit which also doubles as the clear box at an event. This has a much more accurate clock in it, which is accurate to within a few seconds per month.

Its a very simple process, and requires no computer knowledge. We keep an instruction leaflet with each of our sets, just in case.

It is also essential that, if clubs possess multiple time master units, they are all synchronised with each other.

(We once did have a coaching session around the time when the clocks went back, where half the controls were synchronised against a unit running on GMT and half of them were synchronised against another unit running BST! It confused the splits printer unit no end.)

[andy]

Negative splits aren't a problem as the card keeps them in order anyway, it just looks bad but doesn't cause a headache. The real problem is when start/finish are different. and the really big problem is when there are multiple start/finish units on different times... *shudder*

[oo_wrong_way]

Negative splits aren't a problem as the card keeps them in order anyway, it just looks bad but doesn't cause a headache. The real problem is when start/finish are different. and the really big problem is when there are multiple start/finish units on different times... *shudder*

Today's GO event at Waggoner's Wells seemed to have lots of problems with unsynchronised SI controls. The Short Blue had three negative splits, a difference of about 2:30 between the penultimate control and the finish and a 500m leg completed by one runner in less than a minute - he was seen doing a Mo-bot as he punched at control 4!

There were two units at the start and two at the finish - how confident can we be that these were at least synchronised with each other?

[haloite]

There were two units at the start and two at the finish - how confident can we be that these were at least synchronised with each other?

I think I was probably the victim of punching the "wrong" start and finish boxes at an event this year - losing out by one and two seconds respectively to close rivals - my run-in time timed at 10 seconds against 6 seconds for rivals - how do you drop 4 seconds on a 6 second run-in - I'm pretty sure I'm not THAT slow

[MIE]

Negative splits aren't a problem as the card keeps them in order anyway, it just looks bad but doesn't cause a headache. The real problem is when start/finish are different. and the really big problem is when there are multiple start/finish units on different times... *shudder*

Today's GO event at Waggoner's Wells seemed to have lots of problems with unsynchronised SI controls. The Short Blue had three negative splits, a difference of about 2:30 between the penultimate control and the finish and a 500m leg completed by one runner in less than a minute - he was seen doing a Mo-bot as he punched at control 4!

There were two units at the start and two at the finish - how confident can we be that these were at least synchronised with each other?

And there was at least one control still on BST (204 I think).
Splits to first control on the Blue were all in excess for 3:00 for less than 100 metres

[RJ]

Come on folks..... this is just basic stuff for the SI manager in the club.

Regularly use the TimeMaster setting in the (blue, usually) Master station to set the time in all of your control boxes. Also, regularly, turn them on with an ecard, leave for fifteen minutes or so, and then check the battery level on the display. Check for damage, or condensation inside the units.

Regularly clear the backup memory in your start, finish and check boxes with the special ecard. Do this when you plan to run the safety check with Autodownload by downloading the check box (for eg) into the programme at the event.

[Roger]

Today's GO event at Waggoner's Wells seemed to have lots of problems with unsynchronised SI controls.
...
There were two units at the start and two at the finish - how confident can we be that these were at least synchronised with each other?

A member of the organising team assures me that the start and finish were synchronised.

Having compared my published elapsed times at each control with my GPS track, I reckon that the controls with numbers up to 201 were fast by between 2m35s and 2m55s and that those with numbers 205 and above were slightly slow (up to 10s). 204 was probably set to Summer Time (only people who had taken more than an hour or so to their previous control got an elapsed time at 204). I didn't go to 202 or 203.

[Big Jon]

At risk of pointing out the obvious - this sort of problem never happens with Emit...... (ducks out of firing line quickly!)

Happy New Year to one and all.

[oo_wrong_way]

At risk of pointing out the obvious - this sort of problem never happens with Emit...... (ducks out of firing line quickly!)