At our Y, we have the old-fashioned analog pace clocks, which can be a bit hard to see when your goggles get fogged up during practice.
But we also have a 6-lane Daktronics digital timing scoreboard with timing pads, etc., but it's only used for meets.
I am hoping that some engineering types out there might provide answers for the following questions:
Do any reputable vendors make an inexpensive timing console that would work with our scoreboard and let us run the normal clock function in one of the scoreboard lanes? Obviously, our $1500 Daktronics console will do this, but the aquatics director was told to remove the console from the pool deck after meets because the humidity of the pool environment is really hard on electronics. Is there something cheap that we could use as an alternative?
If not, does anyone have experience with portable digital pace clocks? Again, the Daktronics and Colorado Timing Systems and similar corporate Big Boys make deluxe customizable versions of these that allow for all kinds of neat little tricks, but alas they tend to cost in the >$1000 range. We don't need all the bells and whistles. All we need is an easy to see, digital clock that our team can afford. Any recommendations?
Thanks!
Jim,
If you have been to the Ft. Lauderdale Hall of Fame pool they have a VERY large digital display on their scoreboard that can be seen by swimmers in Jacksonville!
What about a portable digital display clock. I don't know what they cost, but my guess is you could get two for $1000. Or find out what it would cost for a hard wired digital clock on the wall and raise money just for that. I would throw in a few bucks to help you out.
Glenn, you are TOO KIND! Actually, on the occasional overcast Pittsburgh evening, I think I have seen the reflection of the Hall of Fame scoreboard bouncing its way off stratus clouds from Ft. Lauderdale to the Western PA hinterlands! The hard wired digital clock was our first idea, but then I started wondering why we couldn't just run one lane of the Daktronics Scoreboard as a continuously running digital clock 24/7...
Please send me a private email so I can give you instructions for depositing your "few bucks" in my account in the Caymans.
How about getting one of those airtight suitcases for the console. Would aquatics director allow it to be left on deck then?
Dan
Her office is on a different floor and she's convinced that someone would abscond with the console and/or the dank humid chlorine clouds would penetrate even the most airtight of enclosures. If only there were similar concerns for our alveoli!
You'll burn it up without ventilation.
Good point regardless of accuracy; the AD would use the possibility of this happening as a reason not to try it. On the other hand, if it didn't work, at least we'd have a nice secure suitcase for the next time I have to make a trip to the Caymans.
How many digits do you need? I have been using two 2-digit digital pace clocks made by Microframe Corporation for several years. They go for $248 each. They have red 5.5-inch tall digits. They have other more expense ones with up to 6-digits for about $500. I do not leave them out when our team is not swimming. I set them up before each practice and put them away after each practice. Just do a search for "Countdown timers Microframe".
Two digits is fine--in fact it's probably better than multiple ones since we don't need to know the tenths or minutes involved. But do they only allow the count down function? We have three different lanes/speeds during our practices and the intervals aren't always the same, so a continuously running count up would probably be best. www.microframecorp.com/d6340-4-digit-countdown-timer-display I just asked Juan, the customer support guy on the web site, if the pool humidity would hurt the clock and he wrote me back this: JuanYes, we have sold some units to water parks and some resorts with indoor pools, and we have seen damage if the display is not protected properly. our outdoor case should work for that environment as long as is used properly.
Juan just said that the 4 digit model is $348, with the "upgrade" protective case being $128 and the wall mounting brackets $39...That's the problem with dollars. After a few hundred of them, they really start to add up.
Jim,
This. Look no further.
Judd
I am pretty sure this was invented by Larry Day, whom I swam with (briefly, before I was cut!) at U. Michigan. It looks like a great product but I don't think it would be good for the entire team--a wall clock would work better
I have looked for something for our Y. I have seen the clocks at www.bigtimeclocks.biz. They look like they could work, but I don't know about the quality. I have thought about buying one of the smaller ones to donate, just to see if it would work.
I've checked these out, too. This may be the best option for us. Keifer also sells portable clocks that look like they are okay to use on deck. Has anyone had any experience with these? www.kiefer.com/pace-clocks-for-swimming-pages-160.php
If the aquatic director wants the Dak of the deck, then why not just let it run in his office or somewhere off-deck? All you need is a scoreboard cable or wireless scoreboard convectors.
If this doesn’t work you might look to see if a Dak RC-100 remote scoreboard controller can interface with your scoreboard. This is a lot less costly than the OmniSport 2000. I think the RC-100 is compatible with SW-2106 and SW-2206 scoreboards, but you should contact Daktronics to confirm.
Running cords from her office through the hallways, down the elevator shaft, out onto the pool deck, and over to the wall where the scoreboard is mounted isn't going to fly. I am, however, intrigued by the concept of a wireless scoreboard convector. How far would this penetrate, and would it go through walls? Does this scoreboard itself have a built in receiver so that all we would have to do is turn on the power to the scoreboard and console in their respective distant locations, then the WiFi signals would convey instructions from the console to the awaiting scoreboard? Then, when practice is over, we could turn off the juice to the scoreboard and the console, and all would be right with the universe?
That would be fantastic!
I asked and the guy didn't seem to think it would work, but maybe he was wrong. I got the idea that the remote scoreboard controller interacts with the timing console, or at least needs the timing console to be hooked up in order for the remote thing to work. Either that or it works with scoreboards for other sports, not swimming, where you have to do things like add seconds onto the play clock, etc.
Oh yeah! I've never operated a scoreboard/clock for swim meets. But have do it for my son's hockey games. Overheating not a problem in those cases.
But I was thinking about the extension cord for the control console too. That might be something to contact Dak about. Or, maybe there's a crafty electrical/electronics tech among your members that could construct one. That underwater clock mentioned above is intriguing too!
Dan
Most Dak scoreboard cables are a standard twisted pair with a phono plug into the console and a 25 pin male into the scoreboard. I’m not sure what the maximum run is, but Daktronics could provide specifications.
Sounds like it would make for an excellent noose, which provides a whole other realm of possible solutions to our dilemma.
Jim,
If you have been to the Ft. Lauderdale Hall of Fame pool they have a VERY large digital display on their scoreboard that can be seen by swimmers in Jacksonville!
What about a portable digital display clock. I don't know what they cost, but my guess is you could get two for $1000. Or find out what it would cost for a hard wired digital clock on the wall and raise money just for that. I would throw in a few bucks to help you out.
Glenn, you are TOO KIND! Actually, on the occasional overcast Pittsburgh evening, I think I have seen the reflection of the Hall of Fame scoreboard bouncing its way off stratus clouds from Ft. Lauderdale to the Western PA hinterlands! The hard wired digital clock was our first idea, but then I started wondering why we couldn't just run one lane of the Daktronics Scoreboard as a continuously running digital clock 24/7...
Please send me a private email so I can give you instructions for depositing your "few bucks" in my account in the Caymans.
How about getting one of those airtight suitcases for the console. Would aquatics director allow it to be left on deck then?
Dan
Her office is on a different floor and she's convinced that someone would abscond with the console and/or the dank humid chlorine clouds would penetrate even the most airtight of enclosures. If only there were similar concerns for our alveoli!
You'll burn it up without ventilation.
Good point regardless of accuracy; the AD would use the possibility of this happening as a reason not to try it. On the other hand, if it didn't work, at least we'd have a nice secure suitcase for the next time I have to make a trip to the Caymans.
How many digits do you need? I have been using two 2-digit digital pace clocks made by Microframe Corporation for several years. They go for $248 each. They have red 5.5-inch tall digits. They have other more expense ones with up to 6-digits for about $500. I do not leave them out when our team is not swimming. I set them up before each practice and put them away after each practice. Just do a search for "Countdown timers Microframe".
Two digits is fine--in fact it's probably better than multiple ones since we don't need to know the tenths or minutes involved. But do they only allow the count down function? We have three different lanes/speeds during our practices and the intervals aren't always the same, so a continuously running count up would probably be best. www.microframecorp.com/d6340-4-digit-countdown-timer-display I just asked Juan, the customer support guy on the web site, if the pool humidity would hurt the clock and he wrote me back this: JuanYes, we have sold some units to water parks and some resorts with indoor pools, and we have seen damage if the display is not protected properly. our outdoor case should work for that environment as long as is used properly.
Juan just said that the 4 digit model is $348, with the "upgrade" protective case being $128 and the wall mounting brackets $39...That's the problem with dollars. After a few hundred of them, they really start to add up.
Jim,
This. Look no further.
Judd
I am pretty sure this was invented by Larry Day, whom I swam with (briefly, before I was cut!) at U. Michigan. It looks like a great product but I don't think it would be good for the entire team--a wall clock would work better
I have looked for something for our Y. I have seen the clocks at www.bigtimeclocks.biz. They look like they could work, but I don't know about the quality. I have thought about buying one of the smaller ones to donate, just to see if it would work.
I've checked these out, too. This may be the best option for us. Keifer also sells portable clocks that look like they are okay to use on deck. Has anyone had any experience with these? www.kiefer.com/pace-clocks-for-swimming-pages-160.php
If the aquatic director wants the Dak of the deck, then why not just let it run in his office or somewhere off-deck? All you need is a scoreboard cable or wireless scoreboard convectors.
If this doesn’t work you might look to see if a Dak RC-100 remote scoreboard controller can interface with your scoreboard. This is a lot less costly than the OmniSport 2000. I think the RC-100 is compatible with SW-2106 and SW-2206 scoreboards, but you should contact Daktronics to confirm.
Running cords from her office through the hallways, down the elevator shaft, out onto the pool deck, and over to the wall where the scoreboard is mounted isn't going to fly. I am, however, intrigued by the concept of a wireless scoreboard convector. How far would this penetrate, and would it go through walls? Does this scoreboard itself have a built in receiver so that all we would have to do is turn on the power to the scoreboard and console in their respective distant locations, then the WiFi signals would convey instructions from the console to the awaiting scoreboard? Then, when practice is over, we could turn off the juice to the scoreboard and the console, and all would be right with the universe?
That would be fantastic!
I asked and the guy didn't seem to think it would work, but maybe he was wrong. I got the idea that the remote scoreboard controller interacts with the timing console, or at least needs the timing console to be hooked up in order for the remote thing to work. Either that or it works with scoreboards for other sports, not swimming, where you have to do things like add seconds onto the play clock, etc.
Oh yeah! I've never operated a scoreboard/clock for swim meets. But have do it for my son's hockey games. Overheating not a problem in those cases.
But I was thinking about the extension cord for the control console too. That might be something to contact Dak about. Or, maybe there's a crafty electrical/electronics tech among your members that could construct one. That underwater clock mentioned above is intriguing too!
Dan
Most Dak scoreboard cables are a standard twisted pair with a phono plug into the console and a 25 pin male into the scoreboard. I’m not sure what the maximum run is, but Daktronics could provide specifications.
Sounds like it would make for an excellent noose, which provides a whole other realm of possible solutions to our dilemma.
