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Several Skunkware customers who license my SHOWJUMP32 showjumping software to run their Daktronics boards have been wrestling with the Farmtek Polaris timer recently. SHOWJUMP32 does support the Farmtek Polaris, although doing so was a difficult decision for me, because Farmtek timers and cells are substandard in several technical areas, making them inaccurate and thus unfair to the athletes. But they're cheap and nicely packaged, and thus have become
ubiquitous in equestrian sports in America.

Neither the FEI nor USA Equestrian has ANY rules nor homologation standards concerning the accuracy of time bases used for showjumping, thus the Farmtek Polaris is legal. Then again, a sundial and a cuckoo clock are legal as well under the FEI rules - or lack thereof. Since the Polaris is legal and ubiquitous, I made the
decision a few years ago to support it in my showjumping software.

In a perfect world, all showjumping events would use the ALGE S4, ALGE telesignals, and ALGE photocells, as the S4 is the only timer on the planet which both meets reasonable homologation standards and has all the features necessary to properly time a showjumping class, i.e. user-adjustable countdown, horn interface, RS-232 computer output, timeout (pause/resume), and so forth. The Farmtek meets all of the requirements except accuracy. It actually has some very nice features, but not being ACCURATE is a pretty glaring shortcoming. There a few other timers around (such as Longines) which meet some of what I would deem the necessary requirements, but no other time base other than the S4 meets all of them. The ALGE S4 is the only one I've seen that really does the job properly, fairly, and thoroughly.

Nonetheless, I recently updated SHOWJUMP32 with some new code to better support the Farmtek Polaris, however, the Polaris must be configured carefully in order to work properly with Skunkware SHOWJUMP32.

I take my hat off to professional timing contractors like Lloyd Longnecker of Ryegate, who could have taken the cheaper alternative and bought Farmtek (like most shows), but who spent the extra bucks to buy quality and ACCURATE hardware from ALGE.

The following is a description of how to configure a Polaris to work with Skunkware SHOWJUMP32, versions 32.12 and higher:

Setting the baud rate and format of the serial output:

*Power the Farmtek off.

*Turn it on

*SETUP key

*Hit PREV CHOICE until "Exit Setup" appears.

* With "Exit Setup" showing, hit EYES ON.

*Hit NEXT CHOICE until display shows PRINTER TYPE - then hit ENTER

*Hit NEXT CHOICE until display shows ASCII FLOAT or ASCII FLOAT HORN

*Hit ENTER

*Hit NEXT CHOICE until display shows 4800 baud

*Hit ENTER

Setting the countdown (a) to start automatically when the countdown expires, as per the 2002 FEI rule, and (b) format the countdown output correctly:

*Hit Setup

*Hit Next Choice until you get to "Rule Options"

*Enter

*Hit Next Choice until you get to "Start Timeout"

*Enter

*Display will read "Rider Must Start (secs)

*At this point, the entire keypad becomes a numeric keypad, with the numbers being shown in the lower left corner of each key. Enter 45 (or however many seconds the countdown is required to be)

*Enter - you will see "Done!"

*Hit Next Choice until you get to Timeout Format

*Enter

*Hit Next Choice until display reads Hours,Min,Sec

*Enter - you will see "Done!"

*Hit Next Choice until you get to "Start w/timeout"

*Enter - you will see "Done!"

*Hit Next Choice until display reads "Exit This Menu"

*Enter

*Hit Next Choice until display reads "Exit Setup"

*Enter


Originally posted 5 Jun 2002 by James Broder
james@skunkware.tv
Original Post

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Nothing. The TDC8000 has the same showjumping capabilities as the S4, plus a few more, such as its own printer. I simply forgot about it.

The TDC is a great machine, but the extra expense of the TDC doesn't make sense for a professional contractor in a PC/Internet world, and since I am a PC/Internet guy, it sometimes slips my mind.

ALGE has shown us the future of time bases with the Timy. Add a USB or ethernet interface to that puppy, and release a bunch of firmware for various sports, and the Timy will fly off Fred's shelves by the truckload.

The USB interface may be forced to the top of ALGE's priority list for the Timy, as it is becoming increasingly difficult to find laptops with onboard serial ports, and the available USB pigtails can be pretty clumsy.

It would be REALLY nice if ALGE would cough up a showjumping program for the Timy, at least enough to provide basic data to a PC, but I've been told not to hold my breath, as the showjumping market is small and ALGE has many larger markets ahead of showjumping on the development list.

It's a shame for us all that ALGE doesn't release an SDK for the Timy to developers, because there are programmers out here who would love to whip up all kinds of cool stuff. It's pretty clear that ALGE doesn't understand software or software markets, or the razors-and-razor-blades paradigm. Albert needs to take a look at Palm, which provided free programming tools and developer support way back when the Palm OS was first released, and within a couple of years found themselves with 100,000 registered developers and millions of users - before Microsoft could even release a usable competing device. M$ is still struggling to elbow their way back into that market, despite outspending Palm by several billion - per YEAR. If Palm had followed ALGE's business model, there would currently be maybe a
dozen programs available for the Palm OS, rather than about 5 million.

FinishLynx is also a splendid example, because they not only make great hardware (as does ALGE), but in addition, Lynx really understands software and software markets, which is why they're beating the living shit out of Swiss Timing, ALGE, Seiko, and all others in the digital photo finish camera market. Seiko did the smart
thing - they waved their white flag and simply licensed the Lynx product.

The lack of understanding could be a Euro thing. There is exactly one large successful European software company, while North America has maybe a thousand.


Originally posted 6 Jun 2002 by James Broder
Mike and I have recently had extended discussions on this subject. Although he does not agree with me, I think he understands why I am not impressed by the factory specs claimed by Farmtek.

My doubts about Farmtek are not simply grabbed out of thin air. Farmtek equipment has never been homologated for any sport in a certified, objective, Federation-mandated lab test, and therefore Farmtek's accuracy specs are simply advertising copy at this point.

In Mike's defense, the doofy FEI doesn't HAVE any homologation specs. The $29 Timex currently residing on my wrist is perfectly legal - in the eyes of the FEI - for timing a $100,000 Grand Prix showjumping class. So is a cuckoo clock. So is the Farmtek Polaris.

On the other hand, time bases and photocells such as the ALGE S4 and Timy are homologated for sports like track & field and ski racing, which have extremely rigorous homologation standards. Those devices meet an established, documented, published, objectively tested standard.

The FEI is badly neglecting its responsibility to equestrian athletes by continuing to be one of the last remaining Olympic sports with NO homologation standards for timing equipment, a point I have driven home again and again in hopes of embarrassing either the FEI or the AHSA (aka USA Equestrian) into getting off their lazy
derrieres and DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Personally, I would love to see more American companies (Farmtek is American)making timing products that could compete in the marketplace with ALGE & Swiss Timing.

FinishLynx is a wonderful example of an American company which has squashed the european competition like a bug by building a better mousetrap. The Lynx cameras are simply the best out there, and Lynx has absolutely demolished ALGE and Swiss Timing in the digital photofinish marketplace.


Originally posted 13 Aug 2002 by James Broder
Last edited {1}

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