ALGE D-LINE DISPLAYS UNDER TEST

We have subjected them to a battery of tests in the shop.

They work with all of the software and timers that we typically use with GAZ4 displays.

Different timers and software require different programs. Much like the GAZ4 rotary dial. The small button at the top of the view allows the firmware to scroll through the choices. Pretty well laid out. Our staff figured it out quite easily.

All of the Split Second and Broders Skunkware software products work with these displays.

All ALGE Timers and other timers that have ALGE output like TAG 705 work as well.

The first 15 cm 6 digit outdoor ALGE D-Line for skiing was shipped today to the Hillberg Air Force Base ski club in Anchorage AK. They are looking forward to using the display in the low light conditions that they race under.

Wow, I didn't realize we were some kind of test case.

As Fred mentioned, we are a small club at Hillberg Ski Area on Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. We run little kid (J4 and younger) and adult intramural race programs. We are in the process of replacing our old Reliable Racing timing system with Alge components that hopefully will be more flexible and powerful, while retaining some of the ease of use.

Several factors led to the selection of the D-Line display. Cost was a major factor, and the D-Line is much cheaper than ALGE GAZ displays or even the comparable Tag Heuer displays. Size/weight was also a concern, since I also plan to be using the system with the Alyeska Masters for training. Who wants to lug around a heavy display? Also, since sunlight is in short supply during our winters and intramural races are run at night, direct sunlight affecting visibility isn't much of an issue for us.

I'll try to post my impressions of the display and how it works at various light levels and temperatures once next season starts.

We used one of these LED board all winter last season both for races and training and found that they work well under any lighting condition.

Excellent- that's exactly what I was wanting to hear. How did the LEDs do in the cold vs the traditional-style "mechanical" indicators?

The D-Line display showed up today. The first thing I noticed was that, like all of the Alge gear I have purchased, the manual is less than detailed. Not even a picture of the inputs with a brief description of each. Oh well, it's not like there's that many of them...

So, I hooked it up to the Timy via banana plug cables and turned the sucker on. Second impression? This thing is amazingly bright and very clear. I was a little worried about the LEDs bleeding together, but they really are distinct as far as I can tell. After a few adjustments with the Timy for display duration, I ran a few times through it and was very impressed with how well it performed. So far so good.

I haven't played around with any of the internal programs and haven't really done much more than scratched the surface with it, but I'm thinking I made a good choice here. Small, lightweight, very readable, and less expensive than a GAZ. Gotta like that.

I'll keep you updated with my experiments.

No problem using the display board in cold weather, the only minor problem is the power cord can become rather stiff. AS far as the manual is concerned you a right it is rather skimpy on details. With the Timy it is relatively easy to set up, with other products like the TAG PTB I had to do it by trial and error. I strongly suggest you write down your parameters once you have them figured out and keep them close by, I keep mine taped to the board.

Posting the parameters and so forth here will be appreciated as well.

The D-Line relys on scrolling through the menu to change parameters. You can alter the display in many different ways. Holding the "set" button down allows the internal firmware to move from setting to setting. You have to exit at the end of ALL of the settings to have your customization be saved.

We set the displays to work with the timer or software that the customer has on MIN MIN SEC SEC 10 100ths.

new manual for new D-Line! with new functions

at http://www.alge-timing.com
Manuals:
Display Boards:
D-Line LED display board

see pics at product page

PST cases now available for the D-line series. The ATA flight cases have 4 amp hour batteries built in so that you can operate the D-line in remote locations without hassle. The case is the same concept as the existing PST displays. Just remove the lid and use the display.

I used my D-Line with a Black & Decker 12V power supply (jump start) for 3.5 hours at temps around 5F with no problems. The display was clear and bright all night with no glitches at all. I actualy prefer the D-Line to our electro-mechanical displays because it's a lot lighter and easier to lug around. Set up is a breeze, although I haven't had to program it yet.

If you are on a budget or need a snall, lightweight display, consider a D-Line.

Here are the paramaters I am using with Dtris:
Dtris set-up
COM2-9600baud-address5
Board set up
A1=42
A2=00
A3=05
A4=6
A5=12
A6=13
A7=14
A8=15
A9=16
B0=00
B1=17
B2=18
B3=19
B4=00
B5=20
B6=06

We ran 4 of these (ok, it was really 8 - 4 inside and 4 outside) at the World Cup in Lake Louise.

They were NO problem to read in bright sunlight. Make sure you get the brightness turned up to 9.

It takes a bit to figure out the configuration software, but the key is if your running in extended mode (ie: full data management) that each display element (ie: digit) has 1 byte for the character you want to trap (ie: character 13 in the data stream) and 1 byte for the . : or trip dot. Then, continue on for the next digit.

None of the above will make sense until you try to program the board with the software. It took Jim Karnes, the Skunk and myself about an hour to figure it out.

Then... it makes perfect sense.

Mike

ALGE has worked with the manufacturer of the D-lines quite a bit this year. The case design is improved quite a bit as is the digit connection scheme. The 25cm displays with their double column of pixels are quite acceptable. The 15cm digits have single column pixels and just aren't as useful in bright sunlight. Each customer has their own needs and that is why the GAZ type electromechanical displays continue to be the benchmark.

The D-line series programming system does make sense once you learn how the designer thinks, and we have several programming shortcut manual add ons for our customers.

I would prefer to use the D-Line with a Black & Decker 12V power supply (jump start) for 3.5 hours at temps around 5F to resolve the errors. After following the procedure the display was clear and bright all night with no glitches at all.
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