[cenobyte]

A forum like this is a great way to get feedback on something you create for others!

Since I am now in the process of finishing SRM v2.30 (the last weeks of beta testing are now passing) I was wondering if some of you guys are using SRM and what your experiences are with the program. Why do you use SRM or why not? And why do you like it or why not?

It's a freeware program, so I hope you won't accuse me of advertising

If you are looking for a good (IMO

) program to time and manage your slot track, visit the SRM website

Mario van Ginneken

 

[Moqtev]

Hi Mario!

I use SRM and Im looking forward to V2.30.

Ive tried different freeware mostly Windows-based, and they all look good...but the timing doesn't work properly or the race-against-others-features isnt good enough. But they are in SRM so thats why Im using it.....and the "industrial" look of DOS goes nicely with racing somehow

..even though Im a Mac-user

Keep up the good work!!!!

Morten

 

[Swissracer]

Hi Mario,
I am on your testing and release notes mailing list and intend to try the software out,
I DO have a question that would help others if it was ansered here too maybe...

Is it compatible with the hardware from RaceControl ?

If so I would appreciate knowing how to connect it.

 

[cenobyte]

I'm not shure if the RaceControl hardware is compatible, but I doubt it, since it does not use the parallel port, but a PCI card, I believe?

If a sensor uses the parallel port and uses the status pins to detect cars (as most systems do), it is compatible with SRM: light sensitive, photosensors, Reed sensors, dead tracks.

 

[Swissracer]

No it uses the parallel port.
The link above to the website gives better details.

 

[Moqtev]

Hi Swissracer!

As far as I can see from the Racecontrol website it uses the com port and not the parallel port...so I don't think you can use it. I use SRM with a couple of phototransistors build into my Ninco track and a lightbridge. It cost me about 15 Euros to make and I've installed it myself and it works perfect.
If you want I can give you detailed instructions on how to do it..just let me know.
As far as I can see the Racecontrol uses some kind of magnetic field to register the cars passing by.

Morten

 

[thomas]

@ Swiss - Racecontrol is not just the sensors - the whole timing happens in teh blackbox, just strings with car-ID and the laptime are sent to the PC for display and documentation / storeage. Same principle is used in every "serious" timing-system as the reliability of counting interrupts on a PC or using the internal timing device of a PC just supplies a rough idea but not a real information about laptimes

 

[JohnP]

SRM is now up and running on my home raceway!

I decided the easiest way to trigger the counters was to use my existing RMS track section which I duly butchered leaving just the counter switches:

The trigger wires are fed from the track piece and under the baseboard to a DIN socket:

That connects to a little black box (I love little black boxes!) containing two in-line 100 ohm resistors to protect the parallel port and a test button (duplicates the counter switches) for each lane. From there I've a lead to the parallel port of my aging MS DOS laptop running SRM 2.20.

Simple enough and it works great!

Mario, how about including a negative on the reaction time to indicate a jump start?

Next, wiring up some start lights for the track...

 

[cenobyte]

@John: nice to hear it's working nicely!

QUOTE Same principle is used in every "serious" timing-system as the reliability of counting interrupts on a PC or using the internal timing device of a PC just supplies a rough idea but not a real information about laptimes

Hmm, I'm not 100% behind that statement

It is true that, under normal circumstances, a pc has a very rough timer resolution (I believe it was a resolution of 1/18th of a second, not very accurate) and that a lot of DOS software uses this resolution! However, in SRM's case, the timer is sped up to give real 1/1000 second accuracy

Besides that: a lot of Windows software uses the (unreliable) interrrupts to time the cars and that is not accurate too. I tested these two problems a year ago and compared SRM's 1/1000 second accuracy against 6 other timing packages. Four of these packages claimed to have 3 digits accuracy behind the comma, but in fact did NOT have 0,001 second resolution!

If you have light sensitive sensors and you have doubts about your timing software, you can test this:
use a table fan that swings from left to right, attach something to it that swings over your sensors and read the laptimes for about 30 'laps'. If you have a lot of repeating laptimes, your program does not have real 1/1000 second accuracy. You should get pairs of times: one time for swing left -> right and then a time for right -> left, these times will probably vary a lot, but the pairs should very only hundreds or thousands of a second.

Mario