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Scorpius Race Management System

60K views 664 replies 44 participants last post by  diegu  
#1 ·
Hi Guys,
Ok heres your chance. What functions/features would you like to see on the new Scorpius RMS?
For me I only need practice mode, timed races, lap times, best lap time, driver set up, fuel, tyres, ability to dump results to spread sheet and a few other bits and pieces.
The most important thing I think is the ability to use intuitively as much as possible.

Rick
 
#3 ·
It would be nice to display the gap (in seconds and/laps) to leader and the car in front of you. Section timing, pace car function, standing and running start (behind pace car). Add laps if lapcount is missed. Stop and go penalty (time to be adjusted), drive through penalty....

Marc
 
#6 ·
I would like to see a fuel management system that would allow for maximum set-up flexibility, as real life fuel consumption rates could prove very tedious in a 24 hr. slot car race, where even our non-magnet hardbody cars can make almost 6000 scale miles. It might be interesting to tie fuel consumption to engine size, either actual or scale: So an NC-1 would get better mpg than an NC-2, and have to pit less frequently. Also, a quick stop for just a splash of fuel should be possible.

FOR LAP COUNTING: Most important is a screen where drivers can see AT A GLANCE their race position, such as the analog systems whereby the lane colors rotate in vertical bands, showing instantly that, say, Orange leads, with Green in 2nd. place, You are Red in 3rd. and Blue is behind you etc. Colors won't work with 20 cars though, Hmmm... is that Magenta or Puce behind me?
 
#10 ·
It's all good above and some of it could be in Version 2?

Main points are
- Ease of Use - for new or infrequent users
- - Sensible Defaults for 'Out of the Box" instant gratification
Image


- Advanced Sections for those that want to customise
- - Ability to save multiple configurations to hard disk (back ups and quick changes from one type of race to another)
- - Built in tips or help

- Modular Design of Program
- - Ease of Adding future components / ideas / features
- - Maintaining reliability of use
 
#11 ·
I agree on all of the above stated and would like to add the following:

Possibility to store different cars and drivers and associate them with chips / channels and controllers.
(By the way: do the chips have an ID, independent of the channel?)

Allow to define multiple assignments, but only one active assignment per chip / channel and controller.
The active assignment should then be used for automated car and driver recognition.

Possibility to store different tracks with:
- name
- length
- jpeg-image
- ...

Program should startup with latest used settings, to be able to go on without having to change anything.

Ability to define training groups / race groups (randomized or manually)

"One-Button" practice mode:
Press just one button to start practice.
Set-up is done automatically
- driver recognition
- car recognition
- lap timing, best lap,...

"Two-Button" race mode:
- Use default values from last race (duration, track)
- Press Button to identify cars and drivers
- Cars and driver pass start line in the required sequence
- Press Button to Start race with identified cars and drivers.
(Can be done with qualifiying also)

Configurable display.

Regards,
Diegu
 
#12 ·
sector times

specific pit stall auto pit

custom throttle curves

ghost cars that use sector timing and recorded lap for better times
 
#15 ·
I forgot:

Support for external Hardware, Example:
Phidgets easy to use USB I/O-Boards ( www.phidgets.com )
- several digital Inputs and Outputs (up to 16)
- to control starting lights
- Panic (Chaos)-Buttons

Thanks
Michael
 
#18 ·
QUOTE (ryk4racing @ 3 May 2011, 06:18) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>It would be nice to have the ability to do "pace" laps (especially for oval racing) for running starts. When the marshall decides the field looks good, press a key and next pass of the S/F starts the race.
how about the computer controls the cars for the first lap then when you cross start finish you get control?
 
#20 ·
With all the requested features and the varying needs of so many different race types, it would be nice to make the "main" in-race screen modular, in that you can arrange what features you want in different regions (boxes, windows) and exclude those you don't want. You could also have multiple screens that could be displayed during different parts of the race (before, during, yellow/red flag, end of race)
 
#21 ·
Ive been flat out so so 'list' yet. We are currently working on the RMS and there is much to do. Today we reprogrammed the car chip to send throttle data along with brake, LB and lane change data, which is the basis for real fuel and sector timing. Were also working on a drag'n'droip system to arrange drivers, and a program that automatically enters all the cars during practice, then just drag names to cars, select track and press start. Lots of other basics and some goodies.
The screen will be reconfigurable, plus we plan a rotating screen so 24 cars will rotate in groups of 8, so the text is larger.
Phidget? Well we have our own phidget, the Lane Brain, it could easily be programmed to power start lights as it has 4 mosfet outputs. In fact we have a Lane Brain already for the start finish line with 4 spare outputs ready to be used:)
Set up will be default to basic, ie minimal text. Click to add info columns as required.
It will be intuitive to use with hopefully NO instruction manual needed for basic operation.

Rick

PS Ghost cars, safety cars will be a seperate program to the RMS.
 
#23 ·
Hello Rick,

Phidgets ist just a example.
A starting light like Formula 1 need 7 digital outputs:
5 for red
1 for yellow
1 for green

1 digital input for a chaos-button. Maybe chaos-button per keyboard from racecontrol.
Questions:
- Is 7 digital Outputs for a starting light like formula 1 possible with 1 lane brain? I think i need 2 lane brains.
- how can i program these lane brains to use as a start light?
- How can Scorpius recognize jumpstarts? Software (the new racing management) or additional led's and a additional lane brain?

thanks
michael
 
#24 ·
Ok the Lane Brain has four outputs for the solenoid drivers and another 2 for liven flipper, thats 6 so far. Then we have four drivers for the LED beacons. Plenty of outputs and 1 wireless input.
Wireless comms from Scorpius RMS to LB tio trigger start lights. Power off rails. Problem is another dongle would be needed as currently we dont need to send anything currently from PC to LB. And the LB doesnt have any USB inputs
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False start detection is by Scorpius RMS. We have throttle data on each car now so if car transmits PWM over 0 before the stsart a penalty is awarded. These will be stop/go or timed penalties in the pit bay. You will have 3 laps to serve your penalty or you get disqualied. So once a penalty is set the rule the car should come in to pit. So the rule will be the system must detect say LB ID #17 followed by a 0 throttle value for say 10 m/s minimum. Once that happens the penalty is removed.

However to achieve cars throttle data we are now asking car to send and receive simultaneously. Something we havent done before. A specially written program shows the data coming in through the dongle including brake PWM, lane 1 or lane 2 ID, LB ID, change or no change command. Initial testing with 2 or 3 cars still gives perfect resolution to cars (ie control). Although I have no idea with 24 cars. The maths show data collisions are rare and retransmitted immediately regardless.

LB has 4 LEDS for 4 lanes lapcounting too. So that will cover a typical 2 lane track with pit lane and pit bays, (4 lanes).

Because there is a beacon for each pit bay, these can be used for segmental speed traps through pit lane. You would enter the physical distance between beacons and nominate the LB ID. So the system says if a car goes under x amount of seconds between say LB 7 and LB 8 then a penalty is issued to that car ID. Basically with our new channel 25 program we know exactly what every car is doing, which LB it last passed and when, which lane it is in, if it to change lanes or not, throttlevand brake data. Theres not much we wont be able to do. The issue here is lapcounting is currently on its own deicated channel to keep it clean. If I want to keep this luxury and run any program that needs channel 25 (ie real fuel, sector timing, calibrated pre recorded ghost cars) then another dongle is required
Image


Everything can be jammed on 2 0r 3 channels, but sacrifices, albeit small would have to be made. This decision is still to be made. Its a trade off between accutracy and the price of an extra dongle. In any case 2 lots of car chip firmware could be available, one for home use, another for competitions, ie, receive only. If receive only fuel could still be on the RMS, but just not related to actual energy use.
We have 2 more channels left, channel 26 and 27...... 27 will be for ghost cars and safety car.

Rick
 
#25 ·
ZITAT(injectorman @ 6 May 2011, 09:38) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>[...]We have throttle data on each car now so if car transmits PWM over 0 before the stsart a penalty is awarded. [...]
Cool one. This is REAL false start detection.

...when I read the other features, I assume substantial implementation efforts will be needed...

Hope this does not delay delivery too much.

I could easily do without a lot of features in the first place, if this meant that the system is delivered earlier.

Regards,
Diegu