Timestopper Model TS400 Installation and Operations ManualOperations Manual Pinewood Timestoppers Model TS400 Page 2 of 11 Unit Installation The complete Timestopper Model TS400 is

Pinewood Derby Timer

Timestopper Model TS400

Installation and Operations

Manual

November 28, 2012 Pinewood Timestoppers 1795 Guinda Street Palo Alto, California, 94303 www.PinewoodTimestoppers.com

Operations Manual Pinewood Timestoppers Model TS400

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Unit Installation The complete Timestopper Model TS400 is shown in Figure 1. The major components are as follows:

A. Electronics enclosure and Stop sensors. The unit may have one to five stop sensors for use with one to five lane tracks.

B. Start Gate Sensor and cable.

Figure 1

Timestopper Model TS400 Components

Electronics and Stop Sensors

Start Cable


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Sensor installation Refer to the documentation on our web site for the installation of the Start and Finish Line sensors. See Inspection and Detailed Installation Drawings of TS400 Start and Finish Sensors. Battery Installation Slide the battery compartment cover open and install a 9 volt battery. If the unit will be used for several hours during a Pinewood Derby competition, install a new battery so the races won’t be interrupted and possibly not accurately time a race due to low battery voltage. Timer Front Panel and Controls Figure 2, below, shows a detailed view of the Model TS400 front panel with the major components identified. These components are as follows: Power Switch This is a slide switch with the OFF position being down and Power is applied when the

switch is in the UP position. Race Reset This is a pushbutton switch which has several different functions depending upon the mode

of the timer. Its main function is to cycle the LCD display through the different screens to display all race results and RESET the timer to ready it for the next race.

Status LEDs Used to indicate the timer mode. The operation of these LEDs will be explained in the

Operations section of this manual. Display Intensity Adj. This is a potentiometer that varies the LCD intensity. Use a very small screwdriver to

adjust the potentiometer and be sure to not apply too much torque or you could damage the part.


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Figure 2 Model TS400 Front Panel

2 Line x 16 Character LCD Display

Status LEDs

Readout/Race Reset Sw

Display Intensity Adj. (Not Shown)

Power Switch

Start Cable Connector


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Timer Operations Alignment Mode

The alignment mode is mainly used to adjust the overhead light and the photo-transistor sensors to give a positive response to the racer crossing the finish line. It also shows the state of the Start gate. To activate the Alignment Mode, depress the Race Reset Switch and at the same time slide the Power Switch to the ON (Up) position. The LCD display should be similar to that shown in Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is the typical display for a four lane unit, and in this instance the Start gate and Lane No. 1 are not ready to time a four lane race. In the case of the Start gate, one of two conditions are possible. The physical gate is not in the Starting position or the metal gate flag is not correctly positioned in the slotted photo-sensors. The Finish sensor on Lane One is either blocked or not getting enough light to fully turn on the photo-sensor. Figure 4 is the typical display for a four lane unit when it is correctly setup to time a race. When a sensor is properly aligned, the LCD display will indicate a “0” in that position. After proper adjustment has been completed, double check the setup by blocking the light reaching each individual photo-sensor and checking that lane indication changes from 0 to 1 as the light is blocked. In a similar manner, when the slotted Start sensor is blocked (ready to signal a Start) the LCD display will indicate a “0”. To exit the Alignment mode, turn the timer Power switch to OFF.

NOTE The Alignment Mode display always shows the first line as: S 1 2 3 4 5 regardless of the number of actual lanes. The second line will reflect the correct number of lanes being timed.

Figure 3 Alignment Mode with Start and Lane One not ready


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Figure 4 Alignment Mode Indicating Conditions to Start a Race

Race Mode

The Race Mode is selected when the Power Switch is turned to the ON (slide to upper position) without holding down the Reset Switch. When the Power is turned ON, the front panel status LEDs will flash several times followed by the LCD display’s Power ON screen. The following will be displayed on the LCD: Timestopper V x.x Model TS400-y Where: x.x is the software version of the unit y indicates the number of lanes timed Following the Power ON Screen, depending upon the state of the Start Gate and Stop Sensors, one of several conditions may exist. If the Start gate is not in the closed (ready to race condition) the LCD display will be as shown in Figure 5. Figure 6 indicates that the Start gate and one Finish sensor is not ready. Figure 7 indicates that the Start gate is ready but one Finish sensor is blocked or not fully illuminated.


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Figure 5 LCD indicating that the Start Gate is not in Start position

Figure 6 LCD Shows that the Start Gate and One Finish sensor not ready


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Figure 7 LCD Shows One Finish sensor not ready

When the Start gate and all Finish sensors are ready to time a race, the LCD display will display all asterisks (*) on the top line and the bottom line will be blank. Also, the left LED will be lit to indicate the timer is ready to measure the race time. The race starts when the physical start gate is dropped and the Start Sensor opens. This action starts the race timing function and is indicated by the Status LEDs showing the left indicator OFF and the right indicator ON. When all racers have crossed the finish line, the timing will stop, and both LED indicators will be OFF. At this time, the LCD display will indicate the Lane and Time for the First and Second place finishers. Figure 8 is a typical display.

Figure 8 LCD Display for First and Second Place Finishes


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Depress the front panel RESET RACE switch for about 0.5 second to display the Third and Fourth place finishers. Holding down the RESET switch longer then 2.0 seconds will RESET the timer and erase the race data.

Figure 9 LCD Display for Third and Fourth Place Finishes

Each time the RESET RACE switch is held down briefly for about one-half a second, the LCD will advance to the next set of results. The timer is readied for the next race by holding down the RESET RACE switch for about 2 seconds.

Race Display Modes The sequence described above assumed that the timer was used on a four lane track. The number of screen displays will vary depending upon the number of lanes being timed. The following shows the result screens for one to 5 lanes. One Lane A one lane unit displays its results on the top line of the display as follows: 1 st Lane 1 x.xxxx Results - -- ------ - -------- Blank line The timer is reset by holding down the RESET RACE switch for about 2 seconds; shorter times have no effect. Two Lanes A two lane unit displays its results on the both lines of the display as follows: 1 st Lane m x.xxxx Results for lane m (m, n = 1 or 2) 2 nd Lane n x.xxxx Results for lane n


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The timer is reset by holding down the RESET RACE switch for about 2 seconds; shorter times have no effect. Three Lanes A three lane unit displays its results using two different screens as follows: 1 st Lane m x.xxxx Results for lane m (m, n, o = 1, 2 or 3) 2 nd Lane n x.xxxx Results for lane n (m, n, o = 1, 2 or 3) Depress the RESET RACE switch for about 0.5 second to cycle to the next screen. 3rd Lane o x.xxxx Results for lane o (m, n, o = 1, 2 or 3) - -- ------ - -------- Blank line Depress the RESET RACE switch for about 0.5 second to cycle to the first screen or holding it down for about 2 seconds will reset the timer. Four Lanes A four lane unit displays its results using two different screens as follows: 1 st Lane m x.xxxx Results for lane m (m, n, o, p = 1 to 4) 2 nd Lane n x.xxxx Results for lane n (m, n, o, p = 1 to 4) Depress the RESET RACE switch for about 0.5 second to cycle to the next screen. 3rd Lane o x.xxxx Results for lane o (m, n, o, p = 1 to 4) 4 th Lane p x.xxxx Results for lane p (m, n, o, p = 1 to 4) Depress the RESET RACE switch for about 0.5 second to cycle to the first screen or holding it down for about 2 seconds will reset the timer. Five Lanes A five lane unit displays its results using three different screens as follows: 1 st Lane m x.xxxx Results for lane m (m, n, o, p, q = 1 to 5) 2 nd Lane n x.xxxx Results for lane n (m, n, o, p, q = 1 to 5) Depress the RESET RACE switch for about 0.5 second to cycle to the next screen. 3rd Lane o x.xxxx Results for lane o (m, n, o, p, q = 1 to 5) 4 th Lane p x.xxxx Results for lane p (m, n, o, p, q = 1 to 5) Depress the RESET RACE switch for about 0.5 second to cycle to the next screen.

5 th Lane q x.xxxx Results for lane p (m, n, o, p, q = 1 to 5) - -- ------ - -------- Blank line


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Depress the RESET RACE switch for about 0.5 second to cycle to the first screen or holding it down for about 2 seconds will reset the timer. Lane Fails to Finish The Timestopper Model TS400 has a maximum timing interval of about 10 seconds; if a lane or lanes fail to trigger the Finish Sensor during this interval, the display will show “NO TIME” for the affected lane(s). If more then one lane fails to finish, the results will be ordered by the lane number, lowest numbered lane first.

Timestopper Assistance For help in installation or operation, contact Jerry McComas (408) 245-8006 Or use the [email protected]

Timestopper Model TS400 Installation and Operations ManualOperations Manual Pinewood Timestoppers Model TS400 Page 2 of 11 Unit Installation The complete Timestopper Model TS400 is

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