CrossMgr: Better synchronization with TT Countdown Page

Post date: Jul 12, 2017 1:24:39 AM

For a few years now, CrossMgr has supported a TT Countdown page for Time Trial races.

This page shows each individual rider's bib, name and team, and a countdown to the start with proper "beeps" on 10 seconds, then 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and 0.

This makes it easy to manage starts (especially on 30 seconds). By showing the rider's bib, name and team, it makes it much more difficult to make a mistake. With the beeps doing the countdown (just like the pros!), officials or volunteers can focus on other issues.

It also makes it easy if there are irregular gaps or many categories.

This feature has grown increasingly popular using tablets for the start countdown device.

In the past, it was important to synchronize the clocks on the computer and table. This can be difficult to get closer than a few seconds.

Technically this does not matter much. As long as the start and finish clock are the same for all competitors, all the placings stay the same. However, aesthetically, the time should be accurate. And, it is important, say, for tracking the fastest time on a course.

CrossMgr and its TT Countdown page now follow a protocol that can synchronize the TT Countdown and CrossMgr within a few 1,000s of a second.

This greatly improves the accuracy of the times.

Available in the latest version of CrossMgr.