Professor Motor Analog Lap Counter & Race Director Systems

After considerable development and testing we have created computer based lap counting and / or race director systems that are robust, reliable, and have great features for both home, club and commercial racing.

These systems can be used for any type track including any 1/32 or 1/24 plastic home racing track (Artin, Carrera, Ninco, Scalextric, SCX, etc.) and can also be used with any type of routed 1/32 or 1/24 track.  All systems are computer based fully electronic with large color coded easy to read displays.  Light bridge type systems to sense the cars or miniature photo sensors imbedded in the track are used and there is no "dead strip" interruption of the track power required as with some systems.

Standard Features - Lap Counter Systems : Two types of systems are available : 

1.  Side-looking miniature photo cells that see the guide as the guide passes through the slot can be used with either routed track systems (sensors installed under the braid or tape) or under the rails of plastic track systems installed by cross-drilling the track and installing per the example shown in the picture below.  This first system (we have made these for quite a while) uses DOS based software and connects directly to the PC printer parallel port.  You can use your PC of buy one from us that is fully tested and boots directly into the lap counting / timing program when the system is turned on.  The computer monitor for these systems is not included and must be provided at your end.  A disc with the DOS software is provided with these systems as well as a "wall wart" type power supply to power the LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) that the system uses.  Optional with these systems is a "Race Director" that allows the computer software to turn the track on and off and starts the countdown to the race start with no power going to the track to insure an equal start for all drivers.  This system is not directionally sensitive and can count equally well with car travel in the clockwise or counterclockwise directions.  The system is independent from the track wiring (if the optional race director system is not used) and can be used with Positive or Negative polarity track wiring systems.

2.  The second (NEW !) system works with a DS light bridge and Windows based software using a USB connection to the PC and an electronic interface that the light bridge DIN connector plugs directly into.  A typical electronic interface is shown below for a 2 lane track lap counting system.  This system comes complete with a "wall wart" type power supply to power the LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) in the DS light bridge, a 6 foot long USB cable to connect this interface to the Windows computer, plastic standoffs to mount the interface board discretely under the track table, mounting screws (not shown) and an "integrated" Race Director that includes a Wiring Center with self resetting all-electronic circuit breakers and a high quality relay system to start and stop track power & all of this directly under computer control.  A 4 lane version of the interface board is also now available and many more versions are in the planning stages.  The software is available separately on CD ROM and thus allows you to run races on more than one track with a single computer system.

Standard Features - Race Director Systems :  The basic function of a race director system is to facilitate the running of organized races under computer control.  The race director system in effect takes control of turning the track on and off as the race starts and stops to provide fair and equal races as governed by either fixed time or a fixed number of laps.  If you do not plan to run organized races the DOS based Lap Counter systems can be used independently to just monitor the racing and add to the fun of determining the fastest "gun" at the track.  All race director systems integrate the Professor Motor "Wiring Center" concept to provide self resetting all-electronic circuit breakers for electrical protection (keeps the little lady happy if you do not burn the house down !).  Race director systems are designed to operate between 11 and 20 volts DC power, please alert us if you intend to operate outside these limits and we can accommodate your wishes.  These systems can be used with either Positive or Negative polarity wiring.

Hardware & Software : From our experience with the DOS based system we recommend older version PCs (386, 486, Pentium 1 or Pentium 2) for conversion to lap counter machines using the DOS software program SRM (Slot Race Manager).  Windows based lap counting programs using the DS light bridge and the interface board as shown above use the "PC Lapcounter" software on CD Rom that was developed in Europe and is far more sophisticated than the DOS based software.

Caveat : - For the DOS based systems - If you do not use one of our pre-configured computer systems there may be some compatibility issues that prevent the systems we provide from working correctly !  When we ship a lap counter or race director system it is fully tested & is known to function on one of our computers, but that does not by itself guarantee it will work with your computer.  Potential compatibility issues include : 1.) Computer control of the race director system requires a 5 volt relay interface on older computer systems (standard on our race directors), but a 3 volt relay is required for proper operation on newer model computers (we can install the 3 volt relay as an option if required), 2.) Unique characteristics of the printer port on some computers may result in the inability to operate a full 4 lane lap counter system & may limit those systems to only 2 or 3 lanes maximum, 3.) Some computers require a pinout change in the parallel port cable we provide with the lap counter systems to function correctly.  If any of these issues are encountered we would recommend purchase of a pre-configured & tested CPU or complete system.  You can also ship your CPU or laptop to us for testing to help resolve the issue, but that will not necessarily guarantee a successfully functioning system given not all computers work the same.

Links to sites for lap counter software downloads & technical info :

DOS Based - SRM (Slot Race Manager) Recommended System ! : link

WINDOWS Based - "PC Lapcounter" Recommended System ! : link

More Goodies for Track Wiring and Power Supplies in this Catalog :

http://www.professormotor.com/cat_wiring.shtml 

If one of the systems below does not meet your needs please inquire for a custom built solution.  

LAP COUNTING SYSTEMS	PICTURE	APPLICATION	FEATURES	PRICE
PMTR6850		Routed 2 / 4 Lane 1/32 or 1/24 or adaptation to any type Plastic 1/32 or 1/24 track	2 / 4 Lane with photo sensors in wiring harness.  Includes "wall wart" power supply for LEDS and DOS "SRM" software on floppy disc.  Installation instructions : PDF  HTML   To ORDER please click here to use our online shopping system	$119.95
PMTR6854		"PC Lapcounter" Software for Windows PC on CD Rom	Runs on any Windows operating system including Vista (but not Windows 98).  Highly sophisticated features including custom sounds, fuel management, functionality with analog or digital systems (watch for future developments from Professor Motor to accommodate more than simple Analog systems !)   To ORDER please click here to use our online shopping system	$72.95
PMTR6855		2 Lane Analog Interface System	DIN Socket for direct connect to DS light bridge system, 6 foot USB cable for connection from interface board to PC, mounting standoffs and screws, "wall wart" type power supply to power system, integrated "Race Director" with "Wiring Center"   To ORDER please click here to use our online shopping system	$239.95
PMTR6856		4 Lane Analog Interface System	DIN Sockets for direct connect to DS light bridge system, 6 foot USB cable for connection from interface board to PC, mounting standoffs and screws, "wall wart" type power supply to power system, integrated "Race Director" with "Wiring Center"   To ORDER please click here to use our online shopping system	$279.95
DS13		2 Lane Analog Light Bridge for Scalextric / SCX	DIN Cable for direct connect to Professor motor PMTR6855   To ORDER please click here to use our online shopping system	$59.95
DS26		4 Lane Analog Light Bridge for Scalextric/SCX	2 DIN Cables for direct connect to Professor motor PMTR6856   To ORDER please click here to use our online shopping system	$99.95
DS36		2 Lane Analog Light Bridge for Carrera	DIN Cable for direct connect to Professor motor PMTR6855   To ORDER please click here to use our online shopping system	$59.95
DS37		4 Lane Analog Light Bridge for Carrera	2 DIN Cables for direct connect to Professor motor PMTR6856   To ORDER please click here to use our online shopping system	$99.95
DS54		2 Lane Analog Light Bridge for Ninco	DIN Cable for direct connect to Professor motor PMTR6855   To ORDER please click here to use our online shopping system	$59.95
DS55		4 Lane Analog Light Bridge for Ninco	2 DIN Cables for direct connect to Professor motor PMTR6856   To ORDER please click here to use our online shopping system	$99.95

"SRM" Slot Race Manager (DOS Based Software) Screen Shot

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Phone (734) 462-4226 Fax (734) 462-4211  Email : professor@professormotor.com
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