Introduction to Timing Devices

RUFUS Race Manager (RRM) can connect to multiple timing devices, which are divided into two categories: Cloud Devices and Local Devices. Timing devices play a critical role in recording participant performance, providing essential data that the software uses to calculate race results and rankings.

What is a Timing Device?

A timing device is a piece of hardware that sends passing information to the software. This passing information primarily contains:

• Identification of the participant (such as a chip or bib number)

• Timestamp indicating the precise time of passing

Devices can gather this information either automatically (e.g., RFID readers) or manually (e.g., through the RUFUS Timing App). In RRM, timing devices are assigned to specific checkpoints to track participant progress throughout the race.

Types of Timing Devices

Cloud Devices

Cloud devices are connected to the RUFUS Cloud. Using the Open API, anyone can integrate their timing device with the cloud. More information about integrating devices can be found at help.runonrufus.com/public-api. To work with cloud devices, the software must have internet access because the passing data is transmitted to the cloud and then retrieved by the software.

A special kind of cloud device is the RUFUS CloudBox system. With its IoT (MQTT) capabilities, users can remotely control the CloudBox, allowing for operations such as starting and stopping timing sessions as if it were a local device. Currently, other cloud devices (integrated via the Open API) do not support this remote control functionality.

Local Devices

Local devices are physically connected to the timing PC, which could be via Ethernet, WiFi, or other connection types. The communication is handled through TCP sockets. The Macsha One4All 5 system and the RUFUS CloudBox are compatible local devices, as of version 0.1.0 of RRM, and virtually any RFID reader is compatible with RRM via the RUFUS CloudBox, providing flexibility for users to integrate their preferred hardware.

Local devices offer additional capabilities, such as:

• Time synchronization with the software

• Start and stop control of timing sessions

• Monitoring additional information, such as battery status and temperature

Future Device Support

In the future, RRM will support additional local timing devices, including those from the following manufacturers:

• RFID Timing

• uRTime

• Ipico

• Chronelec

• Race Result

• Dag

• Timing Sense

• Chronotrack

• MyLaps - AMB

• J-Chip

• Trident

• ID Chronos

• BibChip

• BR Chrono

• Feibot

• UHF RFID readers:

Assigning Devices to Checkpoints

All timing devices, whether cloud or local, must be assigned to specific checkpoints within RRM. This assignment ensures that the passing information collected by the devices is accurately attributed to the correct points in the race.