iRace

Infrared Lap counter System

Instruction Manual

Introduction
The Infrared Lap counter system has been designed as a low cost solution for automating the
counting of laps during model car race meetings.
Each car is equipped with a small (15mm by 25mm) infrared transponder module.

Illustration 1: Transponder. (Shown without protective

heatshrink)
Each transponder has a unique number encoded at manufacture and constantly transmits this
number using an infrared beam similar to that used by a TV remote control.
At the Start/Finish line of the track there is a timing bridge above the track. On this bridge are
mounted several infrared receiver modules which look downwards. Each module covers
approximately 300mm of track width. Modules are 'daisy chained' together to span the entire track.
The decoder is split between two boards. Decoder A is fitted to the timing bridge and connected to
the daisy chain of receivers. Decoder B is connected to the computer.

Illustration 2: Timing Bridge

Decoder A is connected to Decoder B using an RJ45 Cable. Decoder Module B is connected using
USB to the club's lap scoring computer.

Illustration 3: Block Diagram

Illustration 4: Decoder Connections

As each car passes underneath the timing bridge the unique infrared signal is detected and sent to
the decoder and then to the PC. Even if multiple cars pass at the same time the signals from all cars
will be detected. The decoder adds a time-stamp to each message to indicate the time each car was
detected.
The PC runs lap scoring software which organises each race and counts the laps of each car. The
choice of software is left up to the club. The system has been tested to work with most of the freely
available software programs such as bbkRCEco, Laps Free and RC-Timing.

Installation of the transponder in a model

The Transponder is powered from the cars receiver either by plugging into a spare servo output or
by using an optional Y lead from an existing servo output. Only power is required, therefore any
spare output can be used including the 'BAT' connection which is often spare when using a speed
controller with BEC.
The transponder should be positioned in the car in such a way that the infrared LED is visible from
above the vehicle. This can be achieved by placing it directly below a clear windscreen or by
making a small hole on the body above the LED.

Illustration 5: LED Location

The infrared light shines vertically up from the LED in a cone shaped beam. It is important that the
transponder is mounted horizontally so that the beam shines upwards.

Illustration 6: Transponder postioned below windscreen

On Mardave cars, one neat solution is to mount the transponder just below the bonnet using the
front body mounts as shown below. The LED is positioned below a small hole in the bonnet.

Illustration 7: Transponder supported by body mounts

Illustration 8: LED through hole in bonnet

A quick temporary solution would also be to fix the transponder on the outside of the body in a
location that will not be damaged during racing.
The transponder can be fixed using Velcro or double sided foam tape.

Timing Bridge
The Timing bridge structure is not supplied with the system. You will need to build a suitable
structure which spans your track at the Start/Finish Line. This can be as simple as a length of
wooden batten supported at each end by a wooden support. Alternatively it could be made from
plastic electrical conduit or plumbing waste pipe. The exact structure will be left up to you. The
only requirements are that the bridge must span the entire width of the Start/Finish line so that all
cars will pass underneath every lap and that the bridge should be about 250 to 300 mm above the
track.
The Infrared receiver modules are fitted to the underside of the bridge facing downwards. They can
be fixed using Velcro, double sided tape or cable ties. Each module will cover 300mm of track
width. The modules are 'Daisy Chained' together to span the entire track. Each module comes fitted
with a 300mm long connecting cable. This is simply plugged into the matching connector on the
previous module. Note the orientation of the connector. If it is fitted in reverse then nothing will be
damaged but the receiver module will not work. Each module is marked to indicate the correct
orientation.

Illustration 9: Infrared Receiver. (Shown without protective

heatshrink)

The cable from the first module in the chain is then plugged into decoder A. This module should be
fixed to a suitable location on the bridge structure. A long cable from decoder A connects to decoder
B. A 5 metre cable is supplied with the starter kit. If you need a longer cable then an easily available
standard RJ45 network cable can be used.

Illustration 10: Decoder A (Bridge End) (Shown without protective

heatshrink)

Computer
No computer is provided. You will need to supply a suitable computer to run the lap scoring
software. A high performance computer is not required. Any Laptop or desktop running Windows
XP or later should be suitable. These are often available second hand for very low prices. It
requires one USB port for connection of the decoder. The hardware is compatible with all versions
of Windows. Some lap counting programs are not compatible with newer versions of Windows such
as Vista or Windows 7. Check the software suppliers websites for details of compatibility and
updates.
The following details are assuming Windows XP is being used. Later versions of Windows will be
similar but the exact procedure may be slightly different.
Installing the Drivers
Important.
The software driver should be installed before connecting the decoder to the computer.
The driver is on the supplied CD in the directory 'Driver'.
Navigate to this directory then double click on the program 'Driver_Setup.exe'
This will install the necessary driver on your system.
This is a standard FTDI Virtual Comm Port driver. It can also be downloaded from the FTDI
website at http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm
The USB cable from the decoder module should now be connected to the Computers USB port. The
computer should automatically detect the decoder and install the necessary driver. In case of any
problems please refer to the FTDI Website.

Illustration 11: Decoder B (Computer end) (Shown without

protective heatshrink)
It is important to always use the same USB port on your computer for the decoder. This is because
Windows allocates a new driver and COM port number for each port. Moving the decoder between
ports will make it difficult for the Lap scoring software to find the decoder.
The decoder is seen by the computer as a USB Com port. Most Lap counting software needs this to
be in the range COM1 to COM8 . Unfortunately Windows allocates Com port numbers over the
range 1 to 255, so it is possible that it will allocate a number outside the range 1 to 8.
To override this you need to go to Control Panel and select System followed by Hardware and
Device Manager.

In Device Manager you will see an entry under Ports (COM & LPT) for the USB Serial port.
Double click on this and then go to Port settings then Advanced.
You will then be able to change the COM Port Number.
Select a number in the range required by your lap counting software.
If possible select a number that is not shown as being in use. However Windows sometimes shows a
port as being in use even if it is not. In this case it is acceptable to select this port.
Note the COM port you have selected as you will need it to configure your lap scoring program.
Two Free Lap scoring programs (Laps Free and bbkRCEco ) are supplied on the CD. If you decide
to use either of these two programs please visit their websites for more information on installing
and using them.
Laps Free at http://www.rctiming.com/
bbkRCEco at http://www.bbkrc.com/indexeco.htm
You may decide to use your favourite software package.
The Infrared Lap counter decoder has been designed to emulate the commands and responses of the
AMB20 and AMBrc systems. Therefore you should set up the software to use one of these types of
decoder. The best choice would be the AMBrc system as this allows the use of personal
transponders. The older AMB20 system is limited to 20 Transponders.
The following pages show examples of setting up Laps Free and bbkRcEco to work with the
infrared decoder.

Setting up Laps Free

Select Options
Select Program Setup
Select Devices/Hardware
Select AMBrc (Serial)
Select the Com port number noted in the driver installation above.
Close the Setup Screen by clicking the cross in the top right corner.
The software will check for the presence of the decoder. If no error is given it can be assumed to
have worked.
Check the decoder is working by doing the following:
Select Options
Select Program Setup
Select Transponder Test
Click Information
You should see something like the following:
Decoder Type:
Firmware Version:
Firmware Date:
Firmware Time:
Protocol Version:

Infrared Decoder
V1.0
Feb 2012
00:00:00
V2.0

Passing a transponder underneath the timing bridge should display something like this:
Tx#: 1012345 Time: 230.496 Hits:50 Signal:255 Batt:Normal
When Setting up drivers for a race you should enter their transponder number in the box marked
AMB DP.

Setting up bbkRcEco
Click on Equipment.
Select Test Autocount Equipment
Click on TestAMBrc (Not 'Test AMBrc on USB' this is not for this decoder)
Click on Find AMBrc (this may not be necessary as it may find it automatically)
The display should show something like:
AMBrc on Com Port:1 AMBrc Com1 Open Total Messages =5(e0), Messages in this Session
=5(e0) , Clock= 0s
DecoderID: 154
'V2.0'
'Infrared Decoder' 'V1.0' 'Feb 2012' '00:00:00'
Click on Start AMBrc (F1)
It should display 'Heartbeat 0.00' with an increasing time every 5 seconds.
Passing a transponder underneath the timing bridge should display something like this:
Car 1012345 Hits 50 S/N 255 Race Time 52.86
Click Stop AMBrc (F2)
When Setting up drivers enter their transponder number in the box provided.