[CraigAL32]

I always have great luck finding what I need in this forum.


We are gearing up for Race To series ( X Ball ) and need a buzzer and timer setup. Eventually I will be buying a scoreboard and buzzer setup but until then I could use input on building a timer with buzzer.

Thanks for any input.

Craig

[GatSplat]

It's pretty easy to find (or write if you know any kind of code) a count down timer for your computer... Then just take the output and run it to a big TV or Monitor...

As far as the buzzer... tying that in would be a bit harder for a loud one... but a ref with an air horn watching the clock is a cheap option.

[Khanhfucious]

For a buzzer what I would do is either get a set of electric horns off a car and wire that, via a relay, to a push button, or get an electronic solenoid for an air horn and wire the solenoid to a push button.

This way you can have multiple buttons for a single horn.

[generalee72]

Didn't the Millinium Series do buttons as a replacement for flags??

If so you could program them to stop play clock/start break/end of break would restart play clock...ect. The biggest issue I can think of right off the cuff would be a "dirty hang" and the time it takes a ref to check the player cutting into the break, but I think those are already addressed in the rules.

BTW, are "Official" scoreboards still like $30k

[raehl]

If you want something that can actually display the timer to the teams, then you really want to pick up a scoreboard. You can get an XBall specific one from Santech, which is just down the street from you in Tampa, and I think they may have two sitting there already made that someone canceled on at a good price (~$6,000).

If you don't care if the teams can readily see the timer, you can use the Alexpotato laptop software:

http://www.alexpotato.com/scoreboard/

Note that that software is wi-fi enabled, so you can put other laptops in the pits etc that can "sync up" with that laptop and display the same information in the pits (although it can be off by up to a second, but good enough for most uses.)

Lastly you can run it on one laptop and then run the video output out to TVs in the pits, although that is more hassle.

"Official" scoreboards from Santech are sub<$10k new.

- Chris

[Technic76]

You could find a 12 volt annunciator for the buzzer and rig it up to a timer or push button switch most of the annunciators in fire alarm systems have the same audible tone as the ones in x-ball matches

[CraigAL32]

Thanks all, always great resource for answers.

At this point I just need a buzzer.
Scoreboards should be Jan of next year.

[no_caffeine]

Originally Posted by raehl

If you don't care if the teams can readily see the timer, you can use the Alexpotato laptop software:

http://www.alexpotato.com/scoreboard/

Note that that software is wi-fi enabled, so you can put other laptops in the pits etc that can "sync up" with that laptop and display the same information in the pits (although it can be off by up to a second, but good enough for most uses.)

Lastly you can run it on one laptop and then run the video output out to TVs in the pits, although that is more hassle.


- Chris

Exactly what he said. We run AP's scoreboard from our "tower" down to two monitors in the pits for our Winter Xball series- It's basic, and teams love it, plus its cost efficent.