BROWER TIMING SYSTEM TCi-System User manual

Brower Timing Systems
TCi-System
2017
User’s Manual

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Contents
Quick Start Guide i
Operating Your TCi-Timer 2
TCi-PhotoGate Setup 5
5-10-5 Setup 6
Setting Up Your TCi-Smart Start 7
TCi-Timer Modes 10
Chronograph Mode 10
1/1000th Mode 10
KPH/MPH Mode 11
BLE ON/OFF 11
Frequency Select Mode 12
RSSI Mode 12
TC-Display 13
Split Interval Diagram 14
TCi-SmartPhone Interface 16
Troubleshooting 18
Multiple System Setup 19
Battery Replacement 20
Caring For Your System 20
Specications 20
Warranty 21
FCC Regulatory Compliance Information 21
Quick Start Guide
To power up the TCi-Timer,press and hold the On/Off
button for 2 seconds. The Manual Start button will
simulate a remote start, and is helpful in learning how
the timer works.
Press and hold the On/Off button until TCi-PhotoGate
Abeeps, then buzzes continually. For TCi-PhotoGate
B, hold button until the desired distance is selected.
Align TCi-PhotoGate B to
Auntil it stops beeping. Find
eye center by rotating Bto
one side until Astarts beep-
ing then repeat to the other
side. Set Bin middle of these
two positions.
Press and hold the On/Off button until one beep
is heard. Enter an athlete number and press the
ENTER button. Place a hand or foot in front of
the TCi-Smart Start, the unit will beep twice.
Move the hand or foot and the unit will beep and
trigger the TCi-Timer.
Power On/O
Power On PhotoGates A & B
Line up PhotoGates A & B
Power on TCi-Smart Start

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To start a new athlete, press the New button
and a reset clock is shown. If in Memory
Review, hold the New button to get to the
latest sequence to show a reset clock. (This is
the only time the Athlete # can be adjusted.)
The TCi-Smart Start will automatically start
a new athlete when in a mode that uses the
keypad.
New Athlete
Press and hold both buttons at the same time
for approximately four seconds. Memory will
clear and the clock will be reset to Sequence
#1. **All past times will be lost.**
Memory Clear
Athlete # Adjust
Athletes can be assigned an identifying
number. Use Split/Scroll arrows to assign
an Athlete #. This may only be assigned
before the clock starts for that athlete. (If in
Memory Review, hold the NEW Button to
get to the latest sequence) After the desired
number is reached, the start will lock the
Athlete # to the time. If no adjustment is
made for the next athlete, the same Athlete
# will be assigned to the upcoming time.
Press and hold the buttons to engage a high
speed scroll.
The Athlete # entered into the TCi-Smart
Start keypad will override the number
entered in the TCi-Timer.
Operating Your TCi-Timer
Sequence #
Sequence # is a chronological counter. (1 to
999, any sequence over 200 will not show the
rst digit) It advances when the New button
is pressed, this helps the user keep track of
times when using Memory Review.
To power up the TCi-Timer, press and hold
the Power On/Off button for 2 seconds. The
data from the last session is still in memory
until memory is cleared. The clock is now
ready to receive radio signals.
Power On/O
SEQUENCE # displays
the sequential order of
each recorded event.
SPLIT displays
the time from the
start to the split.
CUM displays the
cumulative (total) time
from the start to the
nish.
SEGMENT displays
the time from split to
split.
ATHLETE #
displays the ath-
letes identifying
number.
SPLIT # displays which
split time is being
shown on the clock.
Clear
New
Split/Scroll
ON
OFF

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Manual Start
Press button to manually start, split or nish
the timer. (Similar to a stopwatch) Using
this function reduces the accuracy of an
athletes time due to human error.
Split Review
Press Split/Scroll buttons to review an ath-
lete’s split times. (Up to 20 splits possible)
The Split counter will adjust as each split is
viewed. Splits can be reviewed while a time
is running. When reviewing splits if a new
time starts, it will cause the display to jump
to the current time.
Athlete Memory Review
To review times, press the Memory Review
buttons. Holding down either button will
engage the high speed scroll. The sequence
will adjust accordingly. The Athlete # will
be displayed also. Dashed lines appear in
memory every time the TCi-Timer has been
turned on to mark between timing sessions.
TCi-PhotoGate Setup
Set up the TCi-PhotoGate units as displayed below at the START,
SPLIT or FINISH location.
Turn on TCi-PhotoGate A by pressing and holding the power button
for 2 seconds, it will beep then buzz continually, the green LED will
also ash.
Point TCi-PhotoGate B in the direction of TCi-PhotoGate A.
Turn on TCi-PhotoGate B by holding down the On/Off button
until the desired power level is selected.* The blinking green light
indicates the unit is on. TCi-PhotoGate B emits an infrared (IR) light
beam that is detected by A.
Align TCi-PhotoGate B by directing it toward the TCi-PhotoGate A
until it stops beeping. Center beam alignment by moving Bin and
out of alignment. The Aunit will no longer sound when centered.
To power down TCi-PhotoGates A & B, press and hold the On/Off
button for two seconds. A low tone beep will indicate power off.
Split/Scroll
Memory Review
New
Manual
Start

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*The TCi-PhotoGate B has three IR power settings indicating the maxi-
mum possible distance between TCi-PhotoGates A & B.
Beeps Power Meters Hours of Battery Life
1 Beep Low 10 220
2 Beeps Medium 22 140
3 Beeps High 38 60
Application Tip
1. For the most accurate and repeatable results, set the IR light beam at the
belt height of the athletes. This will be high enough so that the legs of the
athletes do not break the IR light beam. This is also low enough that swing-
ing arms and hands of the athlete will not prematurely break the IR beam.
2. To avoid unnatural hand reaching to break the beam, set TCi-Photo-
Gates A&B 15-30 feet apart with the running lane in the middle. Set the
nish beam so it is not on a visible nish line. This will make it difcult
for athletes to know where to reach out and break the beam with a hand,
which can result in a faster time.
Setting Up Your TCi-Smart Start
Selecting TCi-Smart Start Mode
To set the TCi-Smart Start mode, hold the on/off button until the unit
beeps 2 times in a row and the display shows Mod. The mode number
will continuously blink. Press the number of the desired mode then press
ENTER.
TCi-Smart Start Modes
1 Start on Motion with Keypad
2 Start on Motion no Keypad (same as
previous Motion Start)
3 Start on Detection with Keypad
4 Start on Detection no Keypad
5 Ready Set Go
A Touch Pad, Microphone or any mechanical switch (normally open) can
be plugged into the front of the TCi-Smart Start and used to trigger the
TCi-Timer.
Hold the Power Button for 4 seconds until it beeps 2 times. The
PhotoGate A is now set to “Start in Beam”
Once the Gate A and Gate
Bare setup, stand inside the
beam. The Gate A will beep 2
long beeps and 2 short beeps to
signal that it is armed.
The Gate will trigger the timer as soon as the athlete moves out of
the beam. The PhotoGate will then trigger split times each time it is
crossed as the athlete runs through the beam 2 more times.
TCi-PhotoGate 5-10-5 Setup
Wait 10 seconds for the PhotoGate to reset before entering the
beam again.

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2: START ON MOTION NO KEYPAD
The TCi-Smart Start can be used without the keypad. It works just like
Mode 1 except the sensor will arm and trigger without pressing buttons
on the keypad and no Athlete # is sent to the TCi-Timer. This mode works
the same as the previous TC-Motion Start
3: START ON DETECTION WITH KEYPAD
After entering an Athlete number, the TCi-Smart Start will trigger the
TCi-Timer and beep when a hand or foot is rst detected. This mode is
useful when timing tests that start or nish on stairs or bleachers.
4: START ON DETECTION NO KEYPAD
Same as Mode 3 except the sensor will trigger without pressing buttons on
the keypad and no Athlete # is sent to the TCi-Timer.
5: Ready Set Go
Enter an athlete number (0-999) and press ENTER. When a foot or hand
is detected the unit will beep three times at random intervals: “Ready”,
“Set”, and “Go”. The TCi-Smart Start triggers the TCi-Timer once when
the “Go” beep is heard and again when the athlete starts. The second
signal captures the athletes reaction time and will show as a split time on
the TCi-Timer. If the athlete false starts the unit will beep rapidly and no
signal is sent.
Application Tip
1. Electronic start sprint times are always slower than hand times. This is
due to the reaction time of the stopwatch operator. Studies have shown
reaction times to be between 16-24 hundredths of a second. The general
conversion for “start on movement hand timing” to “electronic start tim-
ing”, is to subtract 20 hundredths of a second from the electronic total
time.
2. The TCi-Smart Start will result in a slightly faster overall sprint time
in comparison to the Touch Pad start. This is because the Smart Start
is slightly less sensitive and allows for a small amount of movement or
shifting before it starts the time. The difference is between 0.04 and 0.06
seconds.
1: START ON MOTION WITH KEYPAD
THREE OR FOUR POINT STANCE:
Place the TCi-Smart Start on the starting line. Position the unit 2-12
inches (5-30 cm) directly to the side of the athlete’s hand position. The
black window should be facing the athlete’s hand. Enter an athlete number
(0-999) and press ENTER. The TCi-Smart Start will beep twice when
it detects that a hand is on the starting line; this means the unit is armed.
When the hand lifts the unit will beep once and trigger the TCi-Timer.
STANDING START:
Place the TCi-Smart Start 2-12 inches (5-30 cm) directly to the side of the
athlete’s rear foot position. The black window should be facing the ath-
lete’s foot. Make sure the unit is aligned with where rst motion occurs.
Enter an athlete number (0-999) and press ENTER.
The unit will beep twice when it detects a foot; this means the unit is
armed. When the foot moves the unit will beep once and trigger the TCi-
Timer.
.

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Chronograph Mode
Chron mode has a resolution of a
1/Hundredth of a second. This is the stan-
dard mode used for the majority of timing
applications.
TCi-Timer Modes
For both TCi-Timer and TCi-Timer SMARTPHONE
Use the Mode button to scroll through the mode options. When on the
desired mode press Enter. The TCi-Timer is now setup to time the event.
1/Thousandth Mode
KPH/MPH Mode
1/Thousandth mode is similar to the
Chron mode but displays 1/1000th of a
second resolution. In this mode the dis-
play will only time to 9.999 seconds.
This mode is useful in timing short spans
between the start and nish where extra
resolution is needed for differentiation.
All of the functions work the same as the
“Chron” mode.
Rule: You must have at least 0.12
seconds of time between start PhotoGate
and nish PhotoGate.
KPH/MPH mode calculates kilometers
per hour and miles per hour.
Rule: You must have at least 0.2 seconds
of time. And .5 seconds for high accuracy
At 20 mph the span needs to be 4 feet or
more. At 100 mph it is 18 feet or more.
Use Up Split/Scroll Arrow to
alternate between KPH and MPH.
Scroll to set the number of feet or
meters between the two Photo-
Gates.
When passing through the start and nish gates,
MPH will be seen on the top display and elapsed
time on the bottom display. When adding a split,
the TCi-Timer will show MPH on the top display
and advancing CUM times on the bottom display.
Standard Memory Review functions will apply.
BLE ON/O
If the TCi-Timer was purchased with the
Smartphone Interface the BLE
mode will allow “On” or “Off”.
Select “On” to allow the TCi-
Timer to connect with a Smart-
phone using the Brower Timing
Test Center App. Select “Off” to
block Smartphone from connecting to the
Timer. If the TCi-Timer does not have the
Smartphone Interface installed the mode
will display “no BLE.” Contact Brower
Timing for information on upgrading to
the Smartphone Interface.
Enter
Enter
Enter
Enter
Enter
Split/Scroll
Split/Scroll
Split/Scroll

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Frequency Select Mode
RSSI Mode
FREQ mode allows the user to change
the radio frequency of the timing system.
This allows two or more TCi Systems to
work in the same location. After setting
the TCi-Timer radio frequency (0-4), the
frequency must also be changed to match
in TCi-PhotoGate A and TCi-Smart
Start. For the PhotoGate A this is done
by removing the aluminum case. Locate
the blue switch panel and shift a lever to
select a frequency. More than one
switch cannot be down at the same
time. (All switches up is FREQ 0)
On the TCi-Smart Start, hold the
On/Off button until the unit beeps 3 times
and the display shows “FrE,” select the
frequency number and press ENTER.
1 2 3 4
ON
Relative Signal Strength Indicator
RSSI Test Mode allows you to self diag-
nose the distance capability of reception
or problems with signal reception.
Problem I occasionally miss a start or
stop signal.
Solution Check RSSI to see if their is ra-
dio interference at your location. Indoor
Interference could come from equipment i.e. machines and computers,
or Bluetooth. This may be the case if your RSSI reads 30/40 or higher
without your TCi-PhotoGate A transmitting.
Problem I need to time distances over 1000 feet, and I want to know if I
will get reliable reception.
Solution Set up your TCi-PhotoGates and have someone break the beam
every three seconds. Go to the desired distance, the RSSI needs to read at
least 29/35.
Problem I have noise or other users on my frequency. (38/50)
Solution Try frequency 1, 2, 3 or 4. (Must also be changed in TCi-Photo-
Gate A and TCi-Smart Start.)
TC-Display
The TC-Display is a hands free timer that will display a time until a new
time starts. The TC-Display has 10 different modes. To select a mode:
Hold down MEM/MODE button until the mode number blinks
Press the MEM/MODE button to scroll through each mode
Hold down MEM/MODE button to select mode
For modes with a selectable distance:
Scroll to the number of feet or meters between two PhotoGates by
pressing the MEM/MODE button repeatedly
Hold button for 3 seconds to select distance
Mode 0: Start and nish.
Mode 1: Start, split and nish.
Mode 2: Continual lap times.
Mode 3: Miles Per Hour (Select distance between 1 and 99 Feet)
Mode 4: Kilometers Per Hour (Select distance between 1 and 30 Meters)
Mode 5: Meters Per Second (Select distance between 1 and 30 Meters)
Mode 6: Displays two split intervals (Curling)
Mode 7: Times in 1/1000ths of a second
Mode 8: Times up to 9 Minutes. (Minutes, Seconds, 1/10ths of a Second)
Mode 9: Automatic Mode. Allows for unlimited split times. Time will
reset to zero after 5, 10 or 15 seconds
The MEM/MODE button can be pressed to scroll through up to 10 previ-
ous times. A start will automatically bring the TC-Display back to the
latest time.
The TC-Display will show b-Lo to signal a low battery after power up.
The TC-Display is capable of 5 different radio frequencies. Remove the
end cap from the side of the TC-Display by removing two small screws.
Locate the blue switch panel and switch the appropriate lever. More than
one switch cannot be down at the same time. (All switches up is FREQ 0)
The included mounting clamp attaches
to the back of the TC-Display and can
be used as an adjustable tilt stand.
MEM/MODE
Button
1 2 3 4
ON

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Segment 1 / Split 1Segment 2Segment 3
Split 2
Cumulative / Split 3
The following diagrams dene, Split, Segment and Cumulative times.
Start
Split #1
Split #2
Finish
Split Interval Diagram
LIVE VIEW
The following examples
show what the user will see
during a live timing.
MEMORY REVIEW
VIEW
The following examples
show what the user will see
in Memory Review.
Split #1
Split #2
Finish
The user is able to navigate the TCi-Timer’s
memory using the Up and Down arrows. To review
split times use Split/Scroll arrows. Hold “New” to
exit Memory Review.
Memory Review Split/Scroll
New

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TCi- Timer Smartphone App
The TCi-Timer must have been purchased with the Smartphone
Interface in order for the TCi-Timer to communicate with a Smart-
phone. To order the Smartphone Interface contact Brower Timing at
[email protected]
Download the app on a Smartphone at either the iOS App Store or the
Google Play Store. The app is free and unlimited to any amount of
users.
Create a start list in the app using existing contact or by adding ath-
lete names. Assign an athlete number to each athlete name. The start
list can be printed or shared through email, text, or data transfer to
athletes or coaches by clicking on Export in the Edit Start List screen.
Make sure the BLE mode is set to “on” in the TCi-Timer modes. Turn
BLE off to disable Smartphone data transfer and control
From the app, select “Scan for Systems.” BROWER TC CH ##
will appear, select the system that matches the channel number the
TCi-Timer is set to.
If there are times already on the TCi-Timer, they will be automati-
cally transferred from the TCi-Timer to the Smartphone. If not press
MANUAL START and watch the athlete number show up on the
Smartphone
The Smartphone app creates a Session header for each time the
TCi-Timer is powered on. Click on the gray session header to assign
a start list to the session, name the event, set the date, or make notes
about the session.
The Smartphone displays the athlete number and name corresponding
to the assigned start list. It also displays the time, rank and the event
name and number of the athlete in the session.
Clicking on the athlete reveals up to 20 split times, and the time of
day the time. Click again to close the splits.
TCi- Timer Smartphone App
Once the Session has been completed, clicking on the Session Header
and selecting EXPORT will allow the user to email, text or data
transfer the session result to other Smartphone users with the Brower
Timing App or to a PC for further analysis.
The times in a Session can be sorted by Start order, Overall, Event, or
Athlete Number
The “NEW ATHLETE” button is a way to run the TCi-System
completely from a Smartphone. Clicking on NEW ATHLETE brings
up a keypad to enter the number of the desired Athlete. A new entry
will be created on the Smartphone and the athlete number will be auto
updated on the TCi-Timer.
The “NEW ATHLETE” button allows athlete numbers to be used
without the TCi-Smart Start keypad. This is useful when starting
times with the TCi-PhotoGate.
Press on the Split times to toggle between Segment and Split times