Guidelines for Wiring, Electronic Timing and Scoring Systems Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION PAGE 2 2. VELORESULTS PAGE 2 3. 250 METER TRACK PAGE 2 4. STARTERS STAND PAGE 2-3 5. JUDGES STAND PAGE 3 6. CONTROL ROOM LOCATIONS PAGE 3-4 7. TIMING SYSTEMS PAGE 4 8. PHOTO- FINISH PAGE 4 9. PERMANENT WIRING PAGE 5-6-7 10. PORTABLE WIRING PAGE 7 11. PRE INSTALLATION PAGE -7 APPENDICES VELODROME OVERVIEW PAGE 8 START SYSTEM PAGE 9 PHOTO-FINISH AT FINISH LINE PAGE 10 PHOTO- FINISH AT PURSUIT LINES PAGE 11 TAPESWITCHES AND COMMUNICATION PAGE 12 TV AND MEDIA DISPLAY PAGE 13 STARTING BLOCKS PAGE 14 SIMPLE AND FULL MATRIX DISPLAYS PAGE 15 LAP COUNTER SYSTEM PAGE 16 PHOTO-FINISH INSTALLATION PAGE 17 WIRING FACE PLATES PAGE 18 TAPESWITCHES PAGE 19 CONTROL ROOM PAGE 20 copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 1
1. INTRODUCTION These guidelines will help the architect include a wiring plan for the electronic timing and scoring systems in their design for a Velodrome. 2. VELORESULTS The VELORESULTS software can be used as permanent or portable system for velodrome racing. We offer guidance for permanent wiring and supply pre-made portable solutions. The VELORESULTS software accommodates 200, 250, 333, 400 and 500 meter tracks. Additional track sizes can be added. 3. 250 METER TRACKS During the design phase, venue management must consider a safe and efficient flow pattern of people and information to optimize response time to the demands of any cycling event. The 250 meter track is the de facto standard for world and Olympic competition. Quick access to the infield for safety, results and fast maintenance of timing equipment (i.e. 200 meter tapeswitch) is critical. Consider the control area and work room locations during the design review. Diagram the flow of athletes, officials, technicians, and staff during a major meet prior to locating the tunnel(s). These access points can end up as bottlenecks and delay the results process. This also applies to facilities of other sizes. 4. STARTERS STAND The starters stand is required for timed events that use starting blocks. The stand is located in the center of the track. This stand should be 3-4 square meters and elevated to a height of one meter above the track apron or safety zone for optimum line of sight to the pursuit start lines. It must have steps for safe access and safety rails (one meter in height). The stand must be able to accommodate two persons and a table for the electronic gear. The safety rails can be used to mount the pursuit photo finish cameras if they are sturdy. Signal wiring will be required from each start pursuit line and the wiring will need to be protected from traffic that could affect its integrity. This area will also require electric power. Permanent wiring conduits should be considered if this copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 2
stand can remain in place. If it needs to be temporary, consider placing a recessed box with a deck plate directly below the optimum location. The size of the conduit should be large enough to accommodate spare wires. 5. JUDGES STAND The judges stand needs to be located at the finish line. It may be for the judges only or also be shared as the area of control for the timing and photo-finish personnel. The size can vary depending on if this is the area of control or for the judges. The height should be 2.2 meter high to the deck. This will also serve as a base to mount the photo-finish camera and support it from the rail of the stand. The photo-finish camera can also be mounted on a steel pole at the finish line. A stepladder must then be provided to allow access for the technician. The judges stand must have electric power, cabling for headset communication, cabling for the photo-finish and cabling for the network. Outdoor velodromes should have a canopy to shade the judges. 6. CONTROL ROOM LOCATIONS The most important aspect of the timing and scoring system is the generation of results and start lists for the teams, officials and media. In many instances it has been determined that having the results production done outside the track is the most efficient. Envision the flow of the paperwork at your facility before committing to a control room location. All of the timing and scoring equipment can be operated either inside or outside, but the current trend is for outside the track for operational as well as security reasons. Make sure that you plan for enough room to operate the computers, timers, printers, copiers, etc. The speaker /announcer must be accessible to the timing team but far enough away to prevent distractions. Velodromes in hot and humid locations should have air conditioning and shading to allow the use of computers at all hours. The judge referee is a required official at world cups and world championships. This person needs to be outside the track in a secure area to replay video for copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 3
refereeing and needs to be in contact with the TV production crew, speaker, officials and results crew. Plan for telephone connections for communication with the UCI, the organizer and for internet access for posting of start lists, results, etc. The timing and scoring system must operate as a separate network from your administration network. Certain components can be tied together but experience has shown that it is better to keep them apart. 7. THE TIMING SYSTEM The UCI currently does not test or approve timing systems. All components used in the PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY system have been tested and homologated by the FIS (International Ski Federation) that requires testing. You can examine the list of approved skiing timing equipment at www.fis-ski.com 8. PHOTO-FINISH The VELORESULTS system is not dependent on any particular brand or style of photo-finish equipment. We strongly recommend using digital capture technology such as the ALGE or FINISHLYNX systems. You need to decide the exact location where the technician will be working. The ALGE OPTI uses a proprietary cable of a maximum of 100 meters in length. FINISHLYNX uses CAT 5 network cable up to a maximum of 300 meters in length. Either brand of camera will produce sharp clear color images with associated times. The customer has a choice. The permanent wiring system may help the customer decide which system would be the most advantageous. copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 4
9. PERMANENT WIRING The architect must provide all contractors and vendors with a plan for all necessary conduits and installations. Providing these plans and drawings early in the design phase can avoid expensive retrofitting. Please provide us with architectural plans for review and preplanning for an optimum permanent wiring installation. All wiring routing must be recorded on the wiring diagram for future reference. These diagrams must be kept up to date as modifications occur. NETWORK CABLE has two distinct purposes. INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION CAT 5 cabling needs to be run from the control room to the announcer, media room, judges stand and the TV production area. VELORESULTS software distributes information via IP packet on standard ethernet protocols. Computers on the network can receive live commentary information and redirect that data to other devices. FINISHLYNX PHOTO-FINISH this CAT 5 cable can be run in the same conduit as the signal and information distribution cabling to the finish line and starters stand. ALGE PHOTO-FINISH SYSTEM CABLING from the control room to the start-finish line will require a separate conduit. If two cameras are used then separate conduits will be required. This is specific for ALGE photo-finish systems since the cabling has 42mm connectors on each end and is made to order at the ALGE factory. SIGNAL PULSE AND TAPESWITCHES: we recommend that all connections are permanently soldered in weather tight boxes. The VELORESULTS timing equipment uses a simple normally open circuit that closes for all sensor locations. Conduit size should be large enough to have spare wiring in place (4 or 100mm dia.). All wiring shall terminate at face plates with banana plug copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 5
sockets color coded for each purpose green primary, red-backup, and yellowspare. ATTENTION! Seal all soldered connections with a non-moisture absorbing sealant, like SIKAFLEX221. Most silicone sealants are moisture absorbing and the connections will corrode in a few years! It is important to make the decision for permanent wiring early in the planning process. We recommend starting the wiring with 12 pairs from the control room to the judges stand. 8 pairs from the judges stand to the pursuit line. 6 pairs from the home straight pursuit line to the starters stand. 4 pairs from the starters stand to the back straight pursuit line. 2 pairs from the back straight pursuit line to the 200 meter lime. It is a good idea to plan for an extra wiring connection between the finish line on the infield and the control room. This will allow the technicians to connect future types of timing and scoring equipment and will allow coaches to use the wiring for training purposes. SIGNAL/ SCOREBOARD DISPLAY CABLING: the scoreboard manufacturer will have a specification for signal cable. Generally scoreboards use shielded 4 conductor cable. This cabling can be cut to length and terminated. PHOENIX SPORTS/ALGE numeric displays use a pair of unshielded cable to send signal to as many as 8 numeric displays at once. VIDEO CABLING: video cable connection will be installed by the TV production company and will never be part of the permanent installation. The facility should plan that the video cabling can be routed to the infield and other locations. Running the cable through the tunnel is usually possible but plan on an alternative. POWER WIRING: needs to been run in a separate conduit from all other cabling. Power must be available near the pursuit lines, judges stand and starters stand. Make sure that additional power is planned if copiers, computers, etc. are to be used in the infield. Make sure that the power circuits are exclusively used for copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 6
timing and scoring and are clearly marked at the circuit breaker box. Do not use timing circuits for sound systems, catering, etc. 10. PORTABLE WIRING Many track installations are best handled by using a portable wiring spool. If your track is outdoors and the timing system will only be used periodically, we recommend installing the wiring and immediately removing it right after the competition. The VELORESULTS timing system uses a unique wiring pattern that allows a small gauge cable to be run between the sensor locations. A typical 250m track wire spool can be carried and installed by the average technician in thirty minutes. 11. PRE INSTALLATION PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY is a producer and supplier of timing systems. On request, a PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY technician can provide supervision on all installations concerning the timing and scoring system. Local contractors can supply the following to facilitate a cost effective installation. A ) supply and install specific conduits B ) pre-install the CAT 5 and signal cable in the conduits C ) install or supply and install judges stand, start stand D ) crane, lift or scaffolding to assist PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY technician in mounting scoreboard copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 7
W V L O copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 8
Announcer/ Speaker Press Box Control Room Home-Straight Seating Start/Finish Judges Stand 88 200m Line Electronic Scoreboard 88 Back-Straight Seating START SYSTEM 88 Countdown Clock/Lap Counter AC Power Source Start Block Air Compressor copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 9
Announcer/ Speaker Press Box Control Room Camera Recommended 888 Pursuit Line Judges Stand Camera Mandatory Starters Stand Electronic Scoreboard 200m Line Pursuit Line Back-Straight Seating PHOTO-FINISH at FINISH LINE 888 Countdown Clock/Lap Counter Conduit Runs Alge-Cable & Power Signal Combined Cat 5-Network Cable-Lynx copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 10
Announcer/ Speaker Control Room Judges Stand 88 Pursuit Line Starters Stand Electronic Scoreboard 200m Line 88 Pursuit Line Back-Straight Seating PHOTO-FINISH at PURSUIT LINES 88 Countdown Clock/Lap Counter Digital Camera Conduit Runs Alge-Cable & Power Signal Combined Cat 5-Network Cable-Lynx copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 11
12 pairs Announcer/ Speaker Press Box Control Room Home-Straight Seating Start/Finish Judges Stand Pursuit Line 8 pairs 200m Line 2 pairs 12 pairs 6 pairs Starters Stand Electronic Scoreboard 4 pairs Pursuit Line Back-Straight Seating TAPESWITCHES & COMMUNICATIONS Head Phones Conduit Box copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 12
Control Room TV TRUCK Announcer/ Speaker Press/ Media Home-Straight Seating W L V O Start/Finish Pursuit Line Judges Stand 200m Line Starters Stand Electronic Scoreboard Pursuit Line Back-Straight Seating TV & MEDIA DISPLAY Network Cable Connection Video Cable Connection Scoreboard Signal Cable copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 13
STARTING BLOCKS ( GATES ) Custom ATA shipping cases are used to keep the gates in top shape during transport by truck or air freight and for storage at the velodrome. These gates use 110>220 volt air compressors, not bottled gas. The seat pin clamp means no false starts due to riders pulling out. The countdown system uses small track side displays placed on the apron where the rider can easily see them. The plastic cases will withstand impact, and are designed for safe operation. Built in headset communication from the center controller to the timekeeper assures proper operation Each ATA transport case holds all required cables, displays; 120 cm tall x 102 cm wide x 92 cm thick, 120 kilos copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 14
SIMPLE DISPLAYS These displays are designed for ease of transport and installation. The displays can be installed in different layouts. * the bracket system allows installation on scaffold, hanging, or attached to a wall * each line is 2.6 m long x 36cm tall x 18cm thick, 44 kilos * each shipping case is 2.75m long x 48cm tall x 55cm thick, 70 kilos * 110v > 220 volt ac operation with 1 pair cable connection to timing computer FULL MATRIX DISPLAY Large full matrix message center for permanent installation requires full steel structure for mounting. Timed and scored events can be displayed in more detail than the simple numeric line display or simple matrix as shown above. VELORESULTS software interfaces with all types of displays. copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 15
LAP COUNTER SYSTEM A lap counter system that meets the needs of the velodrome. A double sided display is used on the apron to inform the riders, speaker, and spectators. A second larger display is mounted behind the judging stand facing the infield and the back straight. The system is battery powered. Handheld control terminals are included along with all cabling needed. 1-3- 15cm high digits, double sided display for the pursuit/finish line with tripod 1-2 - 15cm high digits, double sided display for the back straight pursuit line with tripod 1-3- 25cm high digits, display for the back of the judges stand. copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 16
PHOTO-FINISH INSTALLATION The finish line photo-finish camera must be mounted on a secure platform or post. The camera must be accessible for the technician to make adjustments. The camera must be mounted so that the judges can work from a standing or sitting position. Their view shall not be obstructed and not interfere with the functions of the camera. Headset communication between the judges and timekeepers is essential. copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 17
WIRING FACE PLATES PURSUIT LINE Wiring face plates are required for the secure connection of the timing and communications system. All face plates must be attached to appropriate conduits and properly supported behind the walls or outside the railings. STARTERS STAND FINISH LINE copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 18
TAPESWITCHES (CONTACT STRIPS) A tapeswitch is a flat normally open button that is capable of recording the passage of a rider at any place along its length. The tapeswitches are normally taped down to the track surface with cloth (GAFFERS) tape. The switches are different lengths. The pursuit line switch runs from the stayers line across the blue band to the edge of the safety zone. The start/finish and the 200 meter line switches run the entire width of the track including the blue band. They are custom made to order and spare switches must be on hand during events. Very often an accident on the track will cause the switch to be damaged. Care must be taken to test switches prior to the start of each event that requires timing. copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 19
CONTROL ROOM VELORESULTS software requires 2 computers for timing and scoring. The photo-finish camera must be controlled by a third PC. Additional PC s are required for the announcer, the press room, and the TV production company. This picture shows desktop and notebook PC s in operation in a temperature controlled environment. Notebook PC s are recommended and can save a considerable amount of space. Space must be allocated for printers. Space must be allocated for the race secretary and copier. copyright PHOENIX SPORTS TECHNOLOGY, 2002 20