HOW TO SETUP WEBSCORER PRO WITH AN EXTERNAL TIMER

Webscorer PRO supports external timers from the following vendors:

ALGE-TIMING - https://www.alge-timing.com 
FDS-Timing systems - https://fdstiming.com
Microgate - 
https://www.microgate.it  
Summit Systems -  https://summittiming.com 
TAG Heuer - https://www.tagheuer-timing.com

Example events timed with the TAG Heuer CP545 timer and Webscorer PRO:

Winthrop, WA: https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=60246
Winthrop, WA: https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=60339

Typically, you would attach a start gate and / or a photocell to the external timer to automate the recording of the time stamp at the the start and / or finish.  But you can also use the external timer for manual timing where a very precise race clock is required - you'd tap time stamps with the time key on the timer instead of tapping the time stamp on the mobile device running Webscorer PRO.  

Alpine and cross-country skiing are the most common sports where these external timers are used - as they're a required in all FIS (International Ski Federation) sanctioned races. In interval start events where the time alone determines the winner, it's critical that the race clock is super accurate - and that the manual entry errors are eliminated when recording both the start and the finish time stamps for each racer.

 
                       Picture: TAG Heuer CP545 timer

COMPONENTS NEEDED

You will need the following components to setup Webscorer PRO with an external timer:

- An iOS or Android device running Webscorer PRO 2.1+
- An external timer
- Start gate and / or a photocell (connected via banana cables to the timer)
- A serial-to-WiFi adapter, or a serial-to-Wifi router (for connecting any of the timers via RS323 cable)
- A WiFi router (for connecting the TAG Heuer CP545 via Ethernet cable)

CONNECTIVITY ISSUES

If you want to have LIVE results during the timing, then the WiFi router needs to be a model that supports a cellular internet connection:

- The device running Webscorer PRO must be connected via WiFi to the router
- Even if the device can connect also to a cell network, it can be connected only to one network at a time
- You can still post results by switching the device from WiFi to cellular after the race is finished
- We’ve tested with the following devices:
   - Serial to WiFi adapter:  http://www.usconverters.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=404 
   - Serial to WiFi router with a cell uplink:  http://www.multitech.com/models/92507218LF 
   - Ethernet to WiFi router:  http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Wireless-Including-Parental-E1200/dp/B004T9RR6I 
- Note that USB connection from the timer is not supported

HARDWARE SETUP

You’ll want to place the timer, WiFi adapter / router and the device running Webscorer PRO close together.
The start gate / photocell can be up to 500 meters away from the timer device (using thicker cables).

1. Turn on the timer device
   - If you’re using an Ethernet connection (with TAG Heuer CP545), you’ll need to turn “Ethernet = On” each time
   - If you’re using a serial connection, you must use the serial cable provided with the timer

2. Turn on your WiFi adapter or WiFi router
    - Serial-to-WiFi adapters can usually be powered with an USB battery
    - WiFi routers may require a special battery or AC power
    - Attach the serial cable from the timer device to the serial port of the WiFi adapter / router

3. Create a WiFi connection from your mobile device (running Webscorer PRO) to the WiFi adapter / router
   - Most WiFi adapters / routers work out of the box without additional setup steps
   - The WiFi hotspot is typically setup without a password (but you should add one)

4. Configure the WiFi adepter / router if you’re using a serial connection
    - The serial-to-WiFi adapters come with a pre-configured IP address, e.g. 192.168.1.1
    - Open a browser on your mobile device and connect to the serial-to-WiFi adapter / router’s admin panel
    - Make a connection to e.g. http://192.168.1.1 
    - At minimum, you’ll need to set the baud rate to match your timer
    - You should also check the number of data / stop bits and parity
    - All timers are DCE devices, so the serial-to-WiFi adapter / router must be configured as a DTE device
       (DCE = Data Communications Equipment, DTE = Data Terminal Equipment)
    - Most adapters have a setting for DEC/DTE
    - But for the Multitech modem above, we had to use a null-modem adapter or null-modem cable
    - You will also need a gender-changer for the serial port, as most serial-to-WiFi adapters offer a male port

WEBSCORER APP VERSION

1. Make sure you’re running version 2.1 or later
2. Make sure you have PRO
3. If you’re using the 30-day FREE trial, the PRO Automated timing subscription is enabled
4. If you’re an existing PRO subscriber:
    - You’ll need to purchase the PRO Automated timing subscription to enable the external timer feature, or
    - Send us an email at support@webscorer.com and we’ll set you up for a 30-day FREE trial

WEBSCORER PRO SETUP

Set “External time = On” in the “Race Details” panel:

Timer system
- Select the type of timer you’re using

Port number
- Enter the port number that the WiFi adapter / router is listening on

IP address
- You can either enter the IP address directly, or tap the “Scan for timer” button
- The scan will go through all the local IP addresses supported by your WIFi router
- The scan is looking for an IP address that’s listening to the port configured
- Note that if you're using the TAG Heuer CP540 or CP545 with an Ethernet connection, use port number 7000

Test connection
- If you manually entered the IP address, tap the “Test connection” toolbar icon
- This will do the same as the scan, it will ping whether the configured port exists at the specified IP address

TIMING A RACE WITH AN EXTERNAL TIMER

1. Start the race on Webscorer as if it was a manually timed race
   - If you’re timing an interval start race with a start gate, configure it as “Start type = Interval”
   - The app will use the actual start time of the racer to calculate Time = Finish time - Start time
   - If you’re not using a start gate, then the app will use the assigned start time to calculate "Time"

2. Connection status via the “Race control” icon
   - The “Race control” toolbar icon is white if the connection to the timer is active
   - If the icon is red, this indicates that the app has lost its timer connection

3. The master race clock is on the external timer
   - The external timer’s clock must be set according to the start list times
   - For example, if the first racer in an interval start race is set to start at 11:00:30, the timer’s race clock must be set accordingly 

4. The Webscorer app will receive time stamps from the timer
   - You will want to operate the app in the “Fast-tap view” or “Keypad view”
   - When the first time stamp arrives, the Webscorer app race clock will auto-adjust match the external timer
   - The racer bib / name is entered manually on the app (only the time stamp is received from the timer)

5. If you’re using both a start gate and a finish photocell
   - The app will show the time stamps from the photocell on the "Fast-tap list"
   - The interval start time is accessible by tapping the green arrow to the right of the racer on the "Fast-tap list"
   - You can edit the start time via the "Racer Info" panel

6. Redundancy / backup
   - The external timer will keep all time stamps in its internal memory
   - If there’s a serial or WiFI connection issue during the race, you can download all the time stamps & rerun the race later
     (this feature will be in Webscorer PRO 2.2)
   - You will want to keep a manual backup of the bib order at finish

7. If the start gate / photocell malfunctions during the race
   - You can switch to timing the race manually at any time
   - Or tap the time stamp manually for a missed racer
   - Or if 2 racers finish side-by-side and the photocell only provides one time stamp, tap another time stamp manually

8. If you have a temporary connection problem from the app to timer
   - You can tap manual time stamps until the problem goes away
   - You can adjust / edit the manually tapped time with the official timer time later

Please email us at support@webscorer.com with any questions - support is always 100% FREE.

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The main purpose of this blog is to provide supplemental "how to" documentation for various registration, timing and results scenarios and to provide feature news and discuss product issues. If you'd like us to write a blog post about a topic, please drop us a note on our Facebook page or send us an email at support@webscorer.com.

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