FarmTek Polaris User manual

Farm T ek
Sport Timing Specialists
Polaris
Timing System for
Show Jumping
User’s Manual
FarmTek, Inc.
1 N Hwy 78, Ste D (972) 429- 947
Wylie, TX 75 98 (8 ) 755-6529

© FarmTek, Inc.
FCC and Industry Canada Information
This equipment has been tested and found to comply
with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant
to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are de-
signed to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference when the equipment is operated
in a residential installation. This equipment gener-
ates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy
and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instruction manual, may cause harmful interference
to radio communications. However, there is no guar-
antee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation.
If this equipment does cause harmful interference to
radio or television reception, the user is encouraged
to try to correct the interference by one or more of
the following measures: (1) Reorient or relocate the
receiving antenna. (2) Increase the separation be-
tween the equipment and the receiver. (3) Consult
the dealer or radio/TV technician for help.
CAUTION: Changes made or modifications not
expressly approved by the party responsible for FCC
compliance of this equipment could void the user’s
authority to operate the equipment.
Industry Canada
Under Industry Canada regulations, this radio trans-
mitter may only operate using an antenna of a type
and maximum (or lesser) gain approved for the
transmitter by Industry Canada. To reduce potential
radio interference to other users, the antenna type
and its gain should be so chosen that the equivalent
isotropically radiated power (e.i.r.p.) is not more
than that necessary for successful communications.
This radio transmitter (IC: 3845A-MI043) has been
approved by Industry Canada to operate with the
antenna types listed below with the maximum per-
missible gain and required antenna impedance for
each antenna type indicated. Antenna types not in-
cluded in this list, having a gain greater than the
maximum gain indicated for that type, are strictly
prohibited for use with this device.
¼ wave whip, max gain 2 dBi, 50 ohm
This device complies with Industry Canada license-
exempt RSS standard(s). Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) this device may not
cause interference, and (2) this device must accept
any interference, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
d'Industrie Canada
Conformément à la réglementation d'Industrie Cana-
da, le présent émetteur radio peut fonctionner avec
une antenne d'un type et d'un gain maximal (ou
inférieur) approuvé pour l'émetteur par Industrie
Canada. Dans le but de réduire les risques de
brouillage radioélectrique à l'intention des autres
utilisateurs, il faut choisir le type d'antenne et son
gain de sorte que la puissance isotrope rayonnée
équivalente (p.i.r.e.) ne dépasse pas l'intensité
nécessaire à l'établissement d'une communication
satisfaisante.
Le présent émetteur radio (IC: 3845A-MI043) de
modèle s'il fait partie du matériel de catégorie I) a été
approuvé par Industrie Canada pour fonctionner avec
les types d'antenne énumérés ci-dessous et ayant un
gain admissible maximal et l'impédance requise pour
chaque type d'antenne. Les types d'antenne non
inclus dans cette liste, ou dont le gain est supérieur
au gain maximal indiqué, sont strictement interdits
pour l'exploitation de l'émetteur.
¼ whip d'onde, le gain max 2 dBi, 50 ohm
Le présent appareil est conforme aux CNR
d'Industrie Canada applicables aux appareils radio
exempts de licence. L'exploitation est autorisée aux
deux conditions suivantes : (1) l'appareil ne doit pas
produire de brouillage, et (2) l'utilisateur de
l'appareil doit accepter tout brouillage
radioélectrique subi, même si le brouillage est sus-
ceptible d'en compromettre le fonctionnement.

© FarmTek, Inc.
POLARIS TIMER CONSOLE
Timer Console Power
Batteries
The Polaris timer is powered by four AA alkaline
batteries instead of an AC adapter as in the past. The
timer runs 50 to 60 hours on a new set of batteries.
Always turn the timer off before changing the batter-
ies and always replace all four batteries at the same
time – do not mix old and new batteries.
To check the battery level, follow these steps:
1) Press SETUP to access setup functions.
2) Press NEXT CHOICE until Check Battery is
displayed (just one or two presses).
3) Press ENTER to show remaining battery life.
4) Press SETUP to return to normal operation.
Keep in mind that when the console is first turned on
after being off for a while (e.g., overnight), the report-
ed battery level is artificially high for the first half-
hour or so of use.
When storing the timer console for an extended peri-
od, it is best to remove the batteries.
Low Battery Warning
A low battery icon is flashed in the upper right cor-
ner of the Status display when about 2 to 4 hours of
console battery life are left. Note that the battery icon
is also displayed whenever an electric eye in the are-
na has a low battery. Check the console’s battery
level as described previously to see if it is the reason
the icon is flashing.
Power On/Off
Turn the Polaris timer on and off using the slide
switch located at the upper right corner of the timer
console.
Timer Connections
The battery powered Polaris timer provides elimi-
nates the Power jack found on the rear of older timer
consoles and replaces it with the Input jack. The In-
put jack is for connection of optional input devices
that may be offered in the future. Do not plug an AC
adapter from an older FarmTek timer into the
Input jack – it can damage the Polaris timer con-
sole.
The Output jack is use to connect to a computer for
record keeping or to send data to one of our large au-
dience displays (scoreboards).
The Audio jack provides audio output to a sound
system (PA system) to sound a horn for events that
use a buzzer. The Audio output is also used to con-
nect to the optional External Horn.

© FarmTek, Inc.
WIRELESS ELECTRIC EYES
Overview
Batteries
The electric eyes operate over 70 hours from a 9 volt
alkaline battery (use only alkaline batteries). The
Power lamp on the unit glows steadily while the
battery is good and flashes when the battery is low.
To help detect an eye with a low battery, the timer in
the announcer’s booth flashes a low battery icon in
the upper right corner of its Status Display when
any electric eye in use has a low battery.
The electric eyes operate at least two hours after the
first indication of low battery. Note: The two hour
period is from the first time the low battery light
begins flashing. If a unit with a low battery is turned
off and then later turned back on, the lamp may glow
steadily for some time before it starts flashing again.
This does not mean there are two more hours of op-
eration remaining at this point.
Once the Power lamp begins flashing, it is simplest
to just replace the battery during the next break in
your event – don’t worry about trying to use the last
few hours of the battery.
When storing the electric eyes for an extended peri-
od of time, always remove the batteries.
Care
The electric eyes are not waterproof. If you plan to
run in the rain, slip a thin sandwich bag over each
electric eye. Snap a rubber band over the bag to
hold the bag in place and to keep it taught over the
face of the eye where the beam shoots through.
When you arrive home, remove wet equipment
from the carrying case, remove batteries and leave
the battery compartment cover off each unit. Allow
the equipment to dry out thoroughly in a heated or
air conditioned environment for several days.
Do not remove the antennas. Even though the an-
tenna can be removed, doing so can cause prob-
lems.
Electric Eye I Codes
Each electric eye is permanently programmed with a
unique electronic identification code. The ID code is
transmitted whenever the electric eye beam is bro-
ken. For a set of wireless electric eyes to work with a
particular timer console, the timer console must
know the ID code of the electric eyes being used.
If your timer ever loses it settings, or you use a dif-
ferent set of electric eyes or a different timer console
than usual, you must have the timer console learn the
ID code of the electric eyes:
Learning a New I Code
1) Set up the electric eyes with about ten feet be-
tween each other and at least ten feet from the
timer console. Make sure no other electric eyes
could accidentally transmit while programming
in the intended electric eye. If possible, simply
have all other electric eyes powered off.
2) On the timer console, press the SETUP button
to access the timer Setup options.
3) Press NEXT CHOICE until you see the appro-
priate “Set ID” message for the eye you are
programming (e.g., Set Eye #1 ID, Set Eye
#2 ID, etc.).
4) When you are ready to break the electric eye
beam, press ENTER. The timer will tell you to
“break the beam now”.
5) Walk through the selected electric eye beam. As
soon as the beam is broken, the timer momen-
tarily displays the ID code for the eye.
Repeat the procedure for other eyes as needed.

© FarmTek, Inc.
HORN OPERATION
The wireless Polaris timer supports several different
horn options:
• External horn
• A horn built into some older scoreboard models
• The “PA Horn” (a direct connection between the
timer console and a PA system)
All horns provide the same functionality as described
in the instructions for each event. The primary differ-
ence is how each horn connects to the timer.
Note: To check horn operation, you can press the
HORN button on the timer console at any time to
sound the horn.
Mechanical Horns
External Horn
To connect the external horn, plug the gray cable
which exits from the horn into the Horn jack on the
rear of the timer console. Plug the black power cord
from the horn into a standard 120 volt outlet. Do not
hang or mount the horn by the wires which exit from
the horn. In a wet environment, orient the horn so that
the horn’s cables exit downwards.
Scoreboard Horn
The scoreboards which use light bulbs have a horn
built into the scoreboard. Whenever the scoreboard is
connected to the timer console for normal operation
(by connecting the scoreboard’s data cable to the
Output jack on the timer console), the horn in the
scoreboard is also connected – no additional connec-
tion to the scoreboard is required to operate the horn.
PA Horn
Connection
The wireless Polaris console provides for a direct
connection between the timer console and a public
address system (PA system). The timer console con-
tains a digitized recording of our external horn. The
PA system performs as if a microphone is in front of
a stand-alone horn – except there is no horn and there
is no microphone.
To use the PA Horn, connect the “Timer to PA Ca-
ble” provided with the timer (10 foot cable with a
stereo phone plug on one end and an RCA phono
plug on the other end) from the Horn jack on the tim-
er console to a line input jack on your PA system.
(Line input jacks on a PA system are typically labeled
with names like “AUX”, “CD Input”, “Tape In”,
“Mix In”, etc.)
If a spare line input is not available, or you cannot
obtain the desired volume level, a cable to connect
the timer to a microphone input on the PA is also
available. Contact FarmTek for more information.
isabling the Scoreboard Horn
If you are using one of the older scoreboards which
has a built-in horn, and you do not want the horn in
the scoreboard to sound, follow these steps to disable
the horn in the scoreboard:
a) Press SETUP to access setup functions.
b) Press NEXT CHOICE until Disable SB Horn
is displayed.
c) Press ENTER to disable the scoreboard horn.
Note: You can re-enable the scoreboard horn when
needed by picking Enable SB Horn in step (b).
ifferent Horn Tones
In addition to the standard bull-horn sound, other
horn tones can be selected:
a) Press SETUP to access setup functions.
b) Press NEXT CHOICE until Set Horn Sound
is displayed, then press ENTER.
c) Press NEXT CHOICE to scroll through the
available horn tones. Press ENTER when the
desired tone is displayed.

© FarmTek, Inc.
WIRELESS HANDSWITCH
The wireless handswitch can be used by the judge to
remotely stop and restart the timer when a jump is
dislodged.
If the timer is running, pressing the handswitch stops
the timer and sounds the horn.
If the timer is stopped, pressing the handswitch
sounds the horn and starts the timer. Optionally, the
timer can be configured for a two-press restart in
which the first press sounds the horn and the second
press restarts the timer.
To choose between the one-press or two-press re-
start options follow these steps:
1) Press SETUP to access timer setup features.
2) Press NEXT CHOICE until the 1Press Re-
start or 2Press Restart (your choice) is
displayed, and then press ENTER.
3) After selection the option, Done! is displayed
for a moment and then the next menu option is
displayed. At this point, press SETUP to return
to normal operation.
Using the Wireless Handswitch
The wireless handswitches are designed for opera-
tion within about 100 feet of the timer console. The
handswitch is similar to the wireless electric eyes
and must be turned on by pressing the red power
button on the front panel. Once powered on, the
handswitch is operated by pressing the green button
on top of the handswitch with your thumb.
Handswitch I Code
Each handswitch is permanently programmed with a
unique electronic identification code. For a
handswitch to work with a particular timer console,
the timer console must know the ID code of the
handswitch being used.
If you use a different handswitch or a different timer
console than usual, or if your handswitch is not
working with your console, have the timer console
learn the ID code of the handswitch(es) being by
using the Set HandS itch ID option in the Setup
menu.
Batteries
The handswitch operates over 70 hours from a 9
volt alkaline battery (use only alkaline batteries).
The Power lamp on the unit glows steadily while
the battery is good and flashes when the battery is
low. The handswitch will operate at least two hours
after the first indication of low battery. However,
the two hour period is from the first time the low
battery light begins flashing. If a unit with a low
battery is turned off and then later turned back on,
the lamp may glow steadily for some time before it
starts flashing again. This does not mean there are
two more hours of operation remaining at this
point.
Once the Power lamp begins flashing, it is simplest
to just replace the battery during the next break in
your event – don’t worry about trying to use the last
few hours of the battery.
When storing the handswitch for an extended peri-
od of time, always remove the battery.

© FarmTek, Inc.
Preparation for Use SHOW JUMPING (1)
1) Attach each electric eye to a tripod. Place Trans-
mitter/Receiver pairs facing each other to form
start/stop lines between the eyes. Extend tripod
legs fully to ensure the eyes are high enough to be
broken by the horse's body (not its legs).
2) Turn the electric eyes ON. The power indicator
lamp on each unit should glow steadily. If the in-
dicator is blinking, the battery is low and should
be replaced.
3) Align the electric eyes. The opposing electric eye
should be directly in-line when sighting down ei-
ther line on top of the electric eye (left to right
alignment), and when sighting down the crack on
the side of the eye (up and down alignment).
4) Turn on the timer console in the announcer's
booth. The power switch is located at the upper
right corner of the timer.
5) Walk through each electric eye beam to force the
eyes to send a message to the timer console. This
makes the timer console update its electric eye
alignment indicator (see the next page).
Setting Course Times, Electric Eye Usage
The Polaris timer is easily switched between “First
Round” and “Jump-Off Round” (see the Timer Oper-
ation Section). This capability allows the following:
•Separate course times are maintained for First and
Jump-Off rounds. The timer automatically stops
and then sounds the horn at twice the course time.
•Computation of time faults can be different for
First Round versus Jump-Off Round.
•The way the electric eyes are used to start and
stop the timer can be set differently for the First
Round and Jump-Off Round. When the timer is
switched between rounds, the eye configuration is
automatically changed.
The example below shows sample course times and
eye usage for First and Jump-Off Rounds:
First Round Jump-Off Round
Course Time 72 sec. 68 sec.
Eye Usage Eye #1 starts
Eye #2 stops
Eye #2 starts
Eye #3 stops
To Set Course Times and Electric Eye Usage:
1) Press SETUP to access timer setup features.
2) Press NEXT CHOICE until the 1st Round
Time option is displayed and then press ENTER.
3) To accept the course time shown, press ENTER,
or, key in a new time followed by the ENTER
key. (To fix a mistake, press and hold down the
CLEAR TIME key until the time is cleared).
4) After entering the First Round time, the option
for entering the Jump-Off Time is displayed.
Press ENTER to input the Jump-Off time.
5) After entering the Jump-Off time, the option for
selecting which eyes are used for the First Round
is shown (1st Round Eyes). Press ENTER,
then use the NEXT CHOICE key to scroll
through the possible eye combinations (“*”is
displayed next to the current setting). Press
ENTER when the desired combination is shown.
6) Repeat Step 5 for Jump-Off Round electric eyes.
7) Press the SETUP button to exit Setup.
•You can press SETUP at any time to exit Setup
and return to timing mode.
•These parameters can be updated individually and
in any order desired.
•All changes are automatically stored in the timer
until changed again in the future.
•To disable the display and printing of time faults
for a class, enter a course time of zero.
•See the Show Jumping (3) and (4) page for more
setup options.

© FarmTek, Inc.
Checking Eye Alignment SHOW JUMPING (2)
The bottom right corner of the Status Display shows
the alignment status of each electric eye. When an
electric eye is aligned, its eye number is displayed. If
not aligned, an “x” is displayed.
Alignment Display Shows
Eyes aligned Eye #1
2
Eye #2 not aligned (or
beam broken) Eye #1
X
Important! When setting up the electric eyes, always take time to align the eyes as outlined above – even if the
timer indicates the eyes are aligned. This ensures a strong alignment instead of a possibly marginal alignment.
Timer Operation
1) Verify the proper round is shown on the display
(FIRST ROUND or JUMP-OFF ROUND).
To change rounds: Press the SETUP key, then
press ENTER to accept the new round type.
2) Sound the horn and start the rider-start count
down by pressing the COUNT DOWN button. If a
count down start timer is not needed, sound the
horn by pressing the HORN button. Once started,
the count down can be paused / resumed with suc-
cessive presses of the COUNT DOWN button.
Press CLEAR TIME to start a new count down.
3) Make sure the electric eyes are enabled by press-
ing the EYES ON button before the rider is ready
to cross the start line. When the rider breaks the
beam, the timer begins timing from zero and the
eyes are automatically turned back off.
4) As the rider comes to the end of the course, press
the EYES ON button to re-enable the electric
eyes. When the beam is crossed, the timer stops
and the eyes are automatically turned back off. If
the rider's time exceeds the time allowed, time
faults are shown on the Status Display. At twice
the course time, the timer automatically stops and
sounds the horn.
5) If the rider is eligible for the Jump-Off, press
SETUP and then ENTER to switch rounds.
6) Repeat steps 2 through 4 for the Jump-Off Round.
Useful Features
Manual Start/Stop
The timer can be manually started and stopped by
pressing the START/STOP button.
islodged Jump
If a rider dislodges a jump, sound the horn by press-
ing the HORN button and stop the clock by pressing
the START/STOP button. Press RESTART (not the
START/STOP key) to resume timing. A wireless
handswitch is available as an option to automatically
sound the horn and stop the timer, or sound the horn
and resume timing.
Adding a Time Penalty (not jumping faults)
With the timer stopped, press the SCORE/PENALTY
button, then key in a penalty followed by the ENTER
button. The time penalty is added to the rider's time.
Accidental Beam Break
If an electric eye accidentally stops the timer, the
rider can still be accurately timed. Pressing the
RESTART button resumes timing as if the timer had
never been stopped. (Note: If the timer is manually
stopped using the START/STOP button, RESTART
resumes timing from the time shown on the display)
Previous Time Recall
Use the PREV and NEXT keys to scan back and
forth through previous times, time faults and the
associated round (First Round or Jump-Off). If a
course time is changed, then the saved time faults
are updated to reflect the new course time.

© FarmTek, Inc.
Rule Options SHOW JUMPING (3)
Several timer options can be changed to support
rule variations that may affect your event:
• Time allowed for a rider to start the run.
Default: 45 seconds
• Display format of the starting countdown timer
(fractional seconds, whole seconds, etc.),
• What happens when the starting timer expires
(sound a horn or start timing).
Default: Start timing
• Faults per second (or other unit of time) for First
Round and Jump-Off.
1
st
Round US: 1 fault/second
1
st
Round FEI: 1 fault/4 seconds
Jump Off: 1 fault/second
Easy Set-Up
To set all options for U.S. or FEI rules at one time as
shown to the left, follow these steps:
1) Press SETUP to access timer setup features.
2) Press NEXT CHOICE until Rule Options is
displayed, then press ENTER.
3) U.S. Rules is displayed first. Press ENTER to
select U.S. rules, or press NEXT CHOICE to
display FEI Rules and press ENTER.
4) After ENTER is pressed, the timer momentarily
displays Done!, then the chosen rule set is
shown again. Press SETUP to exit.
Changing Individual Rule Options
Time Allowed for the Rider to Start
To set the time allowed for the rider to start:
1) Press SETUP to access timer setup features.
2) Press NEXT CHOICE until Rule Options is
displayed, then press ENTER.
3) Press NEXT CHOICE until Start Timeout is
displayed, then press ENTER.
4) The current starting timeout is displayed. To keep
the same timeout, just press ENTER, or, key-in a
new starting timeout followed by ENTER.
5) After ENTER is pressed, the timer momentarily
displays Done!, then the Start Timeout menu
option is shown again. Press NEXT CHOICE to
change other rule options, or press SETUP to exit.
Timer Action upon Starting Timer Expiration
When the rider’s starting time expires, the timer can
either sound the horn to signal the rider off course, or
the timer can start running:
1) Press SETUP to access timer setup features.
2) Press NEXT CHOICE until Rule Options is
displayed, then press ENTER.
3) Press NEXT CHOICE until Horn /Timeout or
Start /Timeout is displayed (your choice),
then press ENTER.
4) After ENTER is pressed, the timer momentarily
displays Done!, then the menu option you select-
ed is shown again. Press NEXT CHOICE to
change other rule options, or press SETUP to exit.
isplay Format of the Starting Timer
The starting countdown timer can be displayed in
any of several time formats. Changing the count-
down time format does not affect the time format of
normal timing functions. To change the countdown
time format, follow these steps:
1) Press SETUP to access timer setup features.
2) Press NEXT CHOICE until Rule Options is
displayed, then press ENTER.
3) Press NEXT CHOICE until Timeout Format is
displayed, then press ENTER.
4) Press NEXT CHOICE to scroll through the dif-
ferent time formats available. When the desired
time format is displayed, press ENTER.
5) After ENTER is pressed, the timer momentarily
displays Done!, then the Timeout Format
menu option is shown again. Press NEXT
CHOICE to change other rule options, or press
SETUP to exit.