Testing here with a brand new TAG 520 version 1.8e revealed that it does not send data to the Split Second software in the format that the software expects. We called Geoff Elder who was nice enough to call us back on saturday afternoon. He has never had a TAG 520 to interface with and ventured that he knew nothing
about it. Apparently tests elsewhere had led him to believe that it would work. The fact that Split Second did not have a timer to use for testing is absurd. We feel that it all vendors of hardware's responsibility to provide all active software authors with the equipment or data necessary to do their job. This is a $1000.00 unit that costs $5.00 to mail. Hello.

The major danger that is looming is the fact that all of the next generation of timers (including ALGE's TIMY) use Flash memory to store the firmware that runs the basic timer. Everytime you update the firmware you have to check all of the aspects of the software. Be prepared! That $1000.00 timer that looks so nice in the
catalog may end up costing you a bundle in time spent on keeping everything working together.

Fortunately thus far the ALGE TIMY has been a very straight forward device to interface with. Split Second was able to use files transfered by email to update their software. Whew! It might have cost us $7.00 to mail a TIMY. Rest assured that all efforts are made by this office to proactively provide vendors with the ALGE or
PST equipment they need.



Originally posted 16 Dec 2001 by Fred Patton