Raceplay/Smartline Question

Discussions on race preparation, race management, sound effects, and other race related software. This is only for software provided by our sponsor, GrandPrix Software Central.
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DerbyDoug
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Raceplay/Smartline Question

Post by DerbyDoug »

I'm putting together a proposal for our pack committee for new derby software. I have been requested to project video of the race onto a second projector so that the adults can see the races. I have pretty much decided on using the Grand Prix software for the race management. The Raceplay software looks great, but our smartline timer doesn't send a start signal to begin recording. I am hoping to find another way to do this. Has anyone found an alternative way to make this work? I was thinking a double pole micro switch at the start, One circuit would start the timer, the other would start the video. It would take two serial connections but I'm OK with that.

Thanks in advance.
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gpraceman
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Re: Raceplay/Smartline Question

Post by gpraceman »

Yeah, that timer supports every other advanced feature of the software, but not that one.

With timers that do not provide an indication that the start gate has dropped, the recording will start once you activate the Ready Timer button. The concern there is if you have a big delay from when that button is activated until you actually drop the gate, you are recording a lot of video to your hard drive. You could run out of the space limit that you have set in the software (unless you only save the last file).

It wouldn't really work to rig up a secondary switch at the start gate. GrandPrix Race Manager would need to know to look for that signal in order to prompt RaceReplay to start recording. GPRM is only listening to the timer and it is not expecting any start indication to be coming in for that timer brand.

If you are planing on using a second projector, unless you have two external video outputs, you will need a second computer to run RaceReplay. You could simply man that computer and manually trigger the start of recording and when to do the replay.
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Rukkian
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Re: Raceplay/Smartline Question

Post by Rukkian »

They do make usb to either dvi or vga to output another, if you need another output and do not have another computer handy.
DerbyDoug
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Re: Raceplay/Smartline Question

Post by DerbyDoug »

Thanks for the info. I got a chance to poke around at the demo versions of these last night and I see what you are saying. I'll probably do it that way. Probably use two computers so that the one running the derby isn't taxed with video/large files/firewire/people wanting to see a replay of this or that.

It would be interesting to have the software able to take the start and stop signals from an rs232 signal. seems like you could use it for all kinds of things. I can't think of any though, lol

Thanks again,

Doug
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