CPS Lights

[pete55]

The CPS lights as used at Adelaide seem to be a good idea, as long as the drivers use them. What has me wondering is come Enduro time what use are these lights. Maybe they could be used as driver change lights; green for No. 1 driver and orange for No. 2 driver.

[Mattracer]

A sliding panel over the driver names on the window could be used as well as the lights. Hard to see the helmets through the glass sometimes.

[pete55]

A lit white light beside the drivers name on side window might be an idea

[GTRMagic]

Hows about a timing system that can tell which driver is in what car because of the transponder in his pocket?

[mixxer]

I like Pete's idea of a light beside the drivers name but instead of leaving it up to the team to switch lights at a driver change what about if its operated by said transponder so it works automatically, Im sure the recievers would have/could be fitted with a relay output for the light

[mmciau]

Originally Posted by mixxer

I like Pete's idea of a light beside the drivers name but instead of leaving it up to the team to switch lights at a driver change what about if its operated by said transponder so it works automatically, Im sure the recievers would have/could be fitted with a relay output for the light

More loose wires hanging out of control systems,eh!

Mike

[lcfp2297]

Why doesn't the Official who is monitoring the pitstops have control of such items as CPS lights through a wireless link? They could also use the same system for the endurance races...to avoid drivers wearing each others trousers in order to have a different transponder...

Seems a bit odd to me that Channel Seriously kept checking with the honest teams about the CPS status when the driver forgot to toggle a switch...

[Chappelli]

That's a bloody good idea actually. For the enduros, the Pit official wirelessly (easy enought to do) switches the appropriate light on/off, for the appropriate driver (Green is the first listed driver, Orange is the second). Hook said system up to the timing system, so in sprint races the timing shows during which stop each driver did what and during the enduros you've got a quick an easy way to tell who's in the car, who's doing what times.

[Matt H]

why hook anything up to the timing system, when a driver change occurs, we radio in the driver change to timing, and the timing officials make adjustments on the computer. no new system needed.

[Chappelli]

I think they call it evolution Matt.. I'm taking it your against reducing potential error from misheard radio calls and incorrect data entry when the timing official at the other end of the radio has to 30 numbers/letters/names coming at him in roll call fashion from a number of different officials with varying degrees of ability with basic annunciation...

[Matt H]

you think avesco is going to spend the money doing it ???

i worked the sandown 500 last year, for the first time in the role of pit lane observer, for the racec, the amount of pit stops, there really isnt that many mistakes to be made.

waste of expenditure.

[lcfp2297]

Originally Posted by Matt H

waste of expenditure.

You could say exactly the same about the CPS lights.

What purpose do they serve the officials?

My suggestion comes from the fact that we currently have two completely independent systems in place for the same thing, one controlled by an official in pit lane, the other by the driver...makes absolutely zero sense when for a few dollars (we are not talking huge amounts here) each official in pit lane could be supplied with a transmitter, that toggles the lights and alerts race control/timing all in one go...

It'd be much cheaper than the rental on the communication devices that are currently used...

[Matt H]

what commuunication devices, as in the radios ???

i know of 3 victorian tracks that own the radios.

then the cps lights are on the widnscreen, so you have to spend money, to install new lights and such tramission equiptment to change them, plus the training of officials to operate such equiptment.

and such equiptment uses batteries, which will go flat, which need to be recharged, what happens when the batteries are flat when the pit stop occurs.

if its not broke, dont fix it

[Matt H]

plus writing software to receive the data from the trtrasmitter to the natsoft system to register a driver change

[Matt H]

Originally Posted by lcfp2297

You could say exactly the same about the CPS lights.

My suggestion comes from the fact that we currently have two completely independent systems in place for the same thing, one controlled by an official in pit lane, the other by the driver...makes absolutely zero sense when for a few dollars (we are not talking huge amounts here) each official in pit lane could be supplied with a transmitter, that toggles the lights and alerts race control/timing all in one go...

It'd be much cheaper than the rental on the communication devices that are currently used...

are you suggesting the lights are kept in the same position, but to have a differetn meaning during enduros ?

[Spunky]

Originally Posted by Matt H

why hook anything up to the timing system, when a driver change occurs, we radio in the driver change to timing, and the timing officials make adjustments on the computer. no new system needed.

There are massive problems at one track in particular.
And it is all human error.
Sorry Matt, but some do people break it, ie your comment "if it ain't broke don't fix it".
I am not having a go at you personally, as sounds like you have only done one meeting, just adding my two cents.

[Matt H]

and how many v8 enduro meetings have you done as a pit lane observer ?

[Spunky]

I have done my fair share, about 7, but I am very close to someone who use to do it on their own Friday and Sat and have pit lane observers on Sun at one track, and there were no problems, then went to another track and the amount of human errors was frighting. And I heard those with my own two ears. So yes I am qualified to speak about this one.

[Chappelli]

That's very worrying Matt, that as an official "not that many mistakes" is an acceptable statement to make.

Theretical situation: Yellow flag, the whole field comes in, Murphy is dropped to early and goes, ripping the the fuel hose out, fire in the pits... Pit Lane Observer is relaying info back to race control.. we now have a large cue of driver changes and/or CPS paperwork..

Meanwhile in theoretical situation #2: Your pitlane observers have updated the necessary changes in realtime (great for those watching via Bigpond and nice for the Comentators to know.) Leaving the radio open for the things that need to be done via radio.

[lcfp2297]

Matt H...

So Radios don't have batteries that go flat at optimal times? Tracks may own SOME radio equipment, but I know of at least two that rent equipment for V8 meets...would you like to see the paperwork, invoices etc

How much exactly do you think a light costs? As stated earlier, we are talking tops $200 per car...And who said anything about leaving the lights where they are?

Didn't you get trained to talk to whoever you do? How much did that cost? Obviously negligible as they train new people all the time.

Are you also suggesting that Natsoft doesn't have regular software updates??? Be one of the few programs that doesn't if you are correct...

If you are against it, please state a plausible reason. Training, cost, batteries, software updates etc are all existing issues...

How about we go back to pen and paper, and have a few couriers run those slips of paper up to the officials ahhgh woops my pen ran out of ink!

[GTRMagic]

I have been "lucky" enough to be tuned to the "official" channel at more than a few meetings... it is not unusual for a person at the ground level, either in marshalling, or pitlane observers, to notice events on the track or in pitlane that the people in the tower have either missed or are ignoring....

... one instance in particular the pitlane person thought they were correct, while race control took a different view... and they argued free to air for some time... virtually till the race had completed... luckily that was not Supercar, but it still wasnt good enough.... as it proved the system is not foolproof... or should I say that there was a fool on one of the radios, the magic trick is working out which end they were at

[gts300]

How about we go back to pen and paper, and have a few couriers run those slips of paper up to the officials ahhgh woops my pen ran out of ink!

Reminds me of a story out of the space race:

The Americans spent millions developing a ball point pen that would work in zero G.

The Russians just gave their lot pencils.

(Could just be an urban myth though )

The moral of the story is, although it is nice to have a lovely technical solution to a problem, if there is a simpler solution then perhaps it should be used.

Watching the Sebring ALMS highlights yesterday I noticed 3 lights on the side of the car switch on is sequence as they were leaving the pits. It turns out these are "Leader Lights" provided by the series organisers and come on to give the fans an indication of the place holders in each of their classes.

OK - its the Americans with another technical solution, but what you guys are talking about doing with lights looks to be easily achievable.