# New Timing Gantry



## AcesFull (Jan 6, 2008)

I started my timing gantry build (I think that's what it's called). This is my prototype, tell me what ya think. The first pic is of the columns and footing attached to the table. The second is is a top view of the sensor mounting (I'm still waiting on my 4th sensor). The third is a top view with the covers in place and the 4th is a track level view. I still have some finish work to do and our graphic artist at work is going to make me some custom stickers, I just don't nkow what I should put on it. Any feedback is appreciated.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Looks like a clean build -- very nice. :thumbsup:


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

Looks professional!!! Paint the columns silver for a steel look or use a textured white spray can paint for a concrete look. Paint the box red, with a silver roof and sides, and a big Budweiser logo or blue with a Goodyear logo on the front and back. Here's a websight if you need some logo or brand names, http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/ Just my thoughts...RM


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## AcesFull (Jan 6, 2008)

Hilltop Raceway said:


> Looks professional!!! Paint the columns silver for a steel look or use a textured white spray can paint for a concrete look. Paint the box red, with a silver roof and sides, and a big Budweiser logo or blue with a Goodyear logo on the front and back. Here's a websight if you need some logo or brand names, http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/ Just my thoughts...RM


Thanks. I think I would rather go with the stickers on this material. It's built from polypropalene. Also the graphics guy at work can make me anything I want and the stickers are good quality. We use them on all of our equipment. i just need to find something I like.


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## AcesFull (Jan 6, 2008)

1976Cordoba said:


> Looks like a clean build -- very nice. :thumbsup:


Thanks Cordoba. After seeing your work it has inspired me to to my absolute best.


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

Looks good :thumbsup: 
Maybe add some color changing LED's to the pylons, ala LAX.

How is the actual build going to differ from this prototype?


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## AcesFull (Jan 6, 2008)

Scafremon said:


> Looks good :thumbsup:
> Maybe add some color changing LED's to the pylons, ala LAX.
> 
> How is the actual build going to differ from this prototype?


Really the proto will end up being used as the final. I guess prototype is the wrong word to use. As far as differing. I want to add some sort of stairwell maybe to run the sensor cabling through. Right now they run through one of the columns. I need to do to sticker designs as well as determine if I want to paint the columns or put LED's in them(may look cool). Also, I'm thinking of putting a light tree on the front side. I was talking to the folks at trackmate and have got many ideas. I'm going to use there software with my hardware for the lapcounting and their software offers some other controls such as the light tree.


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## noddaz (Aug 6, 1999)

*Nice looking set up..*

That is a nice looking set up you have there...

As far as the columns go, how about red and green lights in them?
Green is on when the track is in race mode, red is on during a track call or before the race starts...

But again, nice looking gantry...
Scott


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## AcesFull (Jan 6, 2008)

noddaz said:


> That is a nice looking set up you have there...
> 
> As far as the columns go, how about red and green lights in them?
> Green is on when the track is in race mode, red is on during a track call or before the race starts...
> ...


What is a track call?


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## AZSlot Racer (Dec 5, 2007)

Aces, I've got a couple of questions for you. Is that gantry styrene? 
I was kicking around some ideas for mine using some aluminum tubing for the supports but it's alot of work soldering than stuff together, after seeing yours I cut a couple pieces of 1/2" PVC and I think it will work great. 
Also your sensors are for timing right? That seems much simpler than infered, what are those sensors? Thanks 
btw, it looks great


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## noddaz (Aug 6, 1999)

*ummm, track call?*



AcesFull said:


> What is a track call?


When the power is turned off the track because someones magnet car has flown across the garage and has stuck to the lawn tractor... Or when you have a 3 or more vehicle carnage and power is turned off to get the cars into the proper lanes...

Scott


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## AcesFull (Jan 6, 2008)

AZSlot Racer said:


> Aces, I've got a couple of questions for you. Is that gantry styrene?
> I was kicking around some ideas for mine using some aluminum tubing for the supports but it's alot of work soldering than stuff together, after seeing yours I cut a couple pieces of 1/2" PVC and I think it will work great.
> Also your sensors are for timing right? That seems much simpler than infered, what are those sensors? Thanks
> btw, it looks great


The gantry is made from 1/2" and 1/4" polypropalene sheet which is rather expensive @ $300 for 4'x8' sheet of the 1/2" and $200 for the 1/4". I use it in my lab for building test fixtures because it's water/chemical resistant and fire retardant. I had some extra lying around so I used it. Any material would work though. The columns are 1 1/4" clear PVC with about a 1/4" wall thickness. Yes, the sensors are for timing. They are made by Banner engineering. They are the T8 Series photoelectric diffuse type with an NPN output. They work awesome. They are a single unit since they are diffuse type, the emitter and detector are housed together. No need to run anything under the track. I also had 3 of these laying around in the lab for free use. I had to order the 4th one myself and unfotunately since we no longer use them in our equipment, I had to pay $60 bucks for qty 1. All in all, it's a pretty decent setup. I just have to finish it up cosmetically. I designed it in Solidworks and created dimensioned drawings to work from before I built it which made the build a little easier to do as well.


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## AcesFull (Jan 6, 2008)

noddaz said:


> When the power is turned off the track because someones magnet car has flown across the garage and has stuck to the lawn tractor... Or when you have a 3 or more vehicle carnage and power is turned off to get the cars into the proper lanes...
> 
> Scott



Would this feature be controlled by software and a relay or is this a harware thing, such as a switch inline with the main power feed.


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

I'm not real familiar with how track-call buttons are wired, but I imagine they would be software controlled, so that the lap timer would also stop. There would also be a relay involved - maybe the same relay used for starting/ending races.

As an aside, I know you mentioned you were going to work on your own lap timing software. One feature that I think would be cool is to have track-level indication of racer posistions. Glowing tubes, like those you are using to support your gantry might look good - four tubes, each indicating a race position, glowing the color of the lane that currently holds that position.


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## AcesFull (Jan 6, 2008)

Scafremon said:


> As an aside, I know you mentioned you were going to work on your own lap timing software. One feature that I think would be cool is to have track-level indication of racer posistions. Glowing tubes, like those you are using to support your gantry might look good - four tubes, each indicating a race position, glowing the color of the lane that currently holds that position.



I was thinkng of something like they have at the racetrack - a tower with positions by number. That would be pretty cool I think. That would get to be a pretty big project really quick as I think I would need a microcontroller to communicate with the laptiming software to obtain the pertinent information and then tranfer that to 7 segment displays on 4 sides of the tower. Could be a difficult one. The software is also going to take some time. Right now I'm just happy I can accurately count laps while I wait for my parts to come in.


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

Larger lights might make it easier to quickly identify position, without having to focus eyes on the display. 

The few times that I had 4 racers on my track and spectators, someone would usually announce positions during the race, as trying to look up at the monitor would inevitably end in a crash, or a position change. 

I have no clue how it would be done software wise - I just figure the software knows to tell the monitor what lane color to display for each position, so maybe there is a way to port this info elsewhere. Maybe that is where those 'phidget' boards come into play.


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

*Track!*

Track call buttons are good for smaller groups that don't have extra guys as corner marshals. The guys on the end have to reslot cars while the other guys run up laps. Just makes it fair for everyone but it can get annoying.

Most newer timing softwares have a relay option tied into the software. If you have software without this option like my old version of Trakmate, you can make a relay/call button circuit like this: We also have track control lights hooked into the other contacts on the relay for GREEN, YELLOW and RED's around the track. -Scott










Here is a simple relay box you can build from components at Radio Shack:


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