Shot Timer Questions

[Grump]

It's been years since I visited an IPSC match and shot with a timer...remember hearing something about .3 second allowed for reaction time on par limits...

Anyway, how long does the start beep last for shot timers?

And does the timer start recording time at the beginning of the beep or the end? I know I expect it to start at the first millisecond of the beep, but I gotta know for sure.

And I guess that the stop beep when set for par time is .3 second???? Or are the durations of the beeps programmable in any model of shot timer?

 

[Glocky]

Timers

The timers, many types, that are used are usually set for 3 seconds delay after the button is puched, however that delay is adjustable from 0 delay to up to 5 seconds. The clubs I shoot at vary from the o to a 3 seconds set delay and change often so the shooter won't be antiocipating when to draw rather than listening for the buzzer. The beep sounding time if irrevalent since you can't draw before it stops its buzz unless you are Bob Munson. The timer runs from the beep till the last shot is fired so if you think you are finished then spot one missing a hit and you take the shot, the timer was running while you were deciding so its better scorewise to let the miss stand rather than pay 5-10 seconds to get it. So in that sense you can miss fast enough to win.

 

[cadfael]

The time starts at the beginning of the beep. The beep lasts for .3 seconds. I'm not sure on what ends time at a par stage. (I've never seen a par time stage at a IDPA match)


Adam

 

[sturmruger]

I am new so hopefully my understanding of Timers is correct.

We shot a standards course a few weeks ago. We were allowed 5 seconds for each string.

Here is how it worked.

The timer would beep, you then draw your gun and start firing. The timer would then beep again at 5 seconds. They then allow you three tenths of a second to quite firing. So if the timer beeped and you fire another shot at 5.25 seconds you would still be ok, but a shot at 5.35 would be a procedural penalty for too many shots.

 

[Jeeper]

Sturm is correct.

For standards the beep starts at the time limit and ends .3 seconds later. Thus you can shoot until the end of the beep. 5 second par time =5.3 second actual time limit. Only fixed time courses are run this way. You dont encounter them much but they are out there. A bunch of classifiers are fixed time. Remeber that there are also penlties for over time shots.

The beep sounding time if irrevalent since you can't draw before it stops its buzz unless you are Bob Munson.

The question wasnt about draw.

Actually it is very relevant since most can shoot a shot with gun on target within the .3 seconds. This is basically your reatction time. To check it put the gun on target and prep the trigger. Listen for the beep and squeeze the trigger. .3 isnt very difficult. If you are in a standards you can use this to at least get the last shot off.

 

[Grump]

Anyone ever devlop software for a Palm to become a shot timer?

The clock's already there, the computing power is already there, and the shot tracking and splits calculations are easy to do on a spreadsheet or some [simple?] code. All you'd need is an input device that can be adjusted (software-side?) for sensitivity, and maybe some noise discrimination algorithms...and some Palms already have a mic, don't they?