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How does the Christmas tree work? |
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Top Blue Light
Number: One
Function: system is ready. If blinking, the system is waiting to be reset
Top Red
Number: one per lane for a total of two
Function:
- Comes on when the start dog breaks the infrared beam - stays on for only 1 second (your teammates can see who hit the line first.)
- Early pass indicator (second, third, fourth, etc dogs) - down-going dog breaks infrared beam before returning-dog breaks infrared beam (hot pass). Only on for 1 second.
- False passing error - If it takes more than 2 seconds for the exchange between the returning-dog and the down-going dog the light will go on. It is a false passing error - see (beam lockout delay)
Yellow Lights
Number: Two per lane for a total of four
Function: Similar to "ready, set". Counts down to green at 1.2 second
intervals.
Sequence is Yellow, (1.2 sec.), Yellow, (1.2 sec.), Green
Green Light
Number: one per lane for a total of two
Function: Start Light - this is the "go" in "ready, set,
go"
- Turns green 1.2 seconds after second yellow
- Time counter started
- If the start dog breaks the infrared beam before this light comes on,the dog is faulted for an early start and the team gets a second chance. If the lead dog breaks the beam before the green light comes on for a second time in the same heat, the team is red flagged and the start dog must re-run after the fourth dog.
- Green Light Flashing
- indicates fastest lane time
- winner - depending on the head judge's signal (team may not have re-run a dog inspiteof a red flag, break-out, etc.)
- no blinking light indicates a tie
Bottom Red
Number: one per lane (for a total of two)
Function: Light to indicate an early start involving the start dog.
- start dog broke the infrared beam before the green light came on
- Remains on for entire heat if this was the second infraction in the same heat by a particular dog.
- Goes off on reset
Infrared beams
Number: 2 sets in each lane (at the start line / exchange
line)
12 infrared beams, spaced in two by six matrix
- The sensors are placed:
- horizontally 7.75 inches apart and
- vertically 4 inches apart and
- the lowest beam is 8.5 inches from ground.
Function:
- Returning-dog must break infrared beam before down-going dog,
- if this happens, the down-going dog doesn't get a red light for a hot pass ie. there is no flag
- It may happen that both dogs
may be within the infrared beam spacing - both dogs are in the
"window"
(For world records - this is not allowed) - If the down-going dog breaks the infrared beam before the returning-dog the early pass light will come on
False passing error light
Number: 1 per lane (for a total of 2) - top set of red lights
Function: Normally indicates a hot pass but
A 2 second delay is built into the system (a design necessity) - the down-going dog must break the infrared beam within 2 seconds of the returning-dog breaking the infrared beam.
Starter Box
Green Button and Yellow Button in the racing area (usually near one of the line judges)
- Head judge or head judge designee (line judge) depresses the green button to start the light sequence
- 1 second from green start button depressed to first yellow light
- Yellow Button is depressed and control is turned over to the head table/timer
- Locks system from further time recording
- Disables infrared beams
- Depressed if both teams have four or more dogs completing the run successfully or one team waves off continuing or the judge declares the end of the heat (ie. interference)
- Before Yellow Button Depressed - Extra dog(s), or handler(s) breaking infraredbeams will cause lapsed time errors for that lane
Timer
Function: Records lapsed time
Location: Timer's Table
- Displays time for each of the two lanes (R for right and L for left)
- Starts timing when the green light comes on
- Records time in seconds and thousands (20.001)
- Records start delay, from green light to first infrared beam break (this indicates how close the start dog/handler was to a perfect start (0.000)
- Timer displays only infrared beam break times (Infrared beam break times can be used to determine each dog's lap time.)
- A 0.003 second difference in time between teams is ruled a tie
- The system has memory for recall of recent events.
- If the Blue Button is lit, then the system is ready for the start of heat.
- Blinking means that the system is disabled for time recording.
- The table depresses the button to make the system ready for next heat.
NAFA Site
http://www.flyball.org/About_Us/NAFA_Directory/technology.html