Starting Lights - red and green [done v5.01v]

Hi Guy, hi folks,

I'm about to make/build starting lights similar to the ones presented in the short video -> Starting Lights

But in addition to that I'm thinking also to have some further lights according to this window:


But there I'm not sure when exactly the Lights go and stop will be activated. Does this mean Stop, when no race takes place or the Pause Button has been activated and Go button just the opposite. Is one of those lights switched on during the starting phase?

Is it possible - maybe in a future extension - to have blinking lights (the yellow ones for example) during a paused phase?

And just another question on top of that - also it rather deals with the parallel port. I know there are only 8 data pins on a parallel port. But there are some others which are output pins (14,16,17). Is it also possible to use those pins to steer the starting lights?

Kind regards

Gerald

Hi Zwiebelring,

Lights "go" is activated when people can drive:
- "On" just after starting phase
- "On" during race

Lights "Stop" is activated when people can't drive
- "On" during starting phase
- "On" during race pause

Concering Blinking lights , i think you can do it by adding some hardware but unfortunetly my knowledge in electronics is very basic so i can't say what you need.

Concerning parallel port and pin 16 and 17...i think it depend of the parallel port type , it's better to use a phidget interface because you will have more outputs/inputs and so more possibility.
For exemple with only one 0/16/16 interface you can manage car detetction, power control, track call and starting lights.
More about phidget interface here : http://www.pclapcounter.be/phidget_interface.html

guy wrote:

Hi Zwiebelring,

Lights "go" is activated when people can drive:
- "On" just after starting phase
- "On" during race

Lights "Stop" is activated when people can't drive
- "On" during starting phase
- "On" during race pause
...

Thanks - that's the info I needed

guy wrote:

Hi Zwiebelring,
...
Concering Blinking lights , i think you can do it by adding some hardware but unfortunetly my knowledge in electronics is very basic so i can't say what you need.
...

It is clear, that this could be done by additional hardware. I just thought it could be done quite easily in the software, namely in the following way:
When check box "blinking lights" is activated and race has been started but is paused at the moment then activate the (up to 5) starting phase pins for 2 seconds, deactiveate for 2 seconds and so on ...
I think this is a very elegant way to show a pause phase with the already existing starting lights without requiring an extra pin activated on the interface.

guy wrote:

Hi Zwiebelring,
...
Concerning parallel port and pin 16 and 17...i think it depend of the parallel port type , it's better to use a phidget interface because you will have more outputs/inputs and so more possibility.
For exemple with only one 0/16/16 interface you can manage car detetction, power control, track call and starting lights.
More about phidget interface here : http://www.pclapcounter.be/phidget_interface.html

You are absolutely right and I'd do it like that, if my laptop had a working USB port and I wouldn't have two external parallel (8x) relay cards anyway. Both cards are driven by the same LPT1 port. There's a handmade splitter in between, such that I can/could redirect activated pins to different pins on the connected relay cards.
So - in my case - USB Phidget is impossible and I could manage additional/artificial pins.

Kind regards

Gerald

In respect of the blinking lights:
You can buy blinking leds (they blink at a fixed rate of appr 1Hz.) at electronics shops, such as Radio Shack, Maplins, Conrad etc.
No extra hardware is nessesary, just use them where you would use a "normal" led.
Martin

Coming back to this quite old topic, I'd like to ask again for having the possibility of blinking lights. I think from an interface point of view this could be done very similarly to the box "Set all countdown lights ON during pasue"



Just that it reads ""Let all countdown lights BLINK during pasue".

In the implementation it could be done, that every second the signal on the corresponding pins are inverted.

Thanks Guy for thinking about it

Regards

Gerald

@Martin - blinkling leds unfortunately do not do the trick, since first I use real lamps (it's a big starting light) and second I'd like to use the very same lamps for the countdown and the pause lights.

Will be available in version 4.58

That's just great - thanks Guy!!!