PocketTimer
for the Palm Computing Platform
Version 2.2
August 2000
The complete software package consists of the following items:
For Windows, the following two additional files are used:
For Macintosh, the following one additional file is used:
Windows:
If you should ever wish to deinstall the conduit, you'll find a program named SCS Conduit Uninstaller.exe inside the PocketTimer folder which contains the conduit. Run (by double-clicking) the uninstaller and the conduit will be uninstalled.
Macintosh:
Verify that the standard Palm desktop software, including the "HotSync Manager" software, is installed on your computer. If HotSync Manager is not installed or running, do not proceed, but return to the manual that accompanied your Palm, Symbol, or Handspring handheld unit, and follow the instructions there to properly install the desktop software.
Drag the file PocketTimer Conduit into the Conduits folder inside your Palm folder (or wherever your Palm software is stored). Now start the HotSync Manager application (most typically using the "instant Palm menu" on the right end of your menu bar). In HotSync Manager, select Conduit Settings under the HotSync menu. You should now see the conduit named "PocketTimer" listed. Double-click on it to bring up the settings window. We'll discuss the settings for the PocketTimer conduit below. Verify at this time that the "Install" conduit is set to "Install files". Close the Conduit Settings window by clicking on the close box in the upper left corner.
Now select Install from the HotSync menu, click on the Add To List button, and use the file browser to locate the file Timer.prc, and click on Add File. Close the Install Handheld Files window by clicking on the close box in the upper left corner.
The next time you HotSync your handheld unit, two things will happen. First, the PocketTimer software will be installed into the handheld unit. Next, a folder named PocketTimer will be created in your user directory (see below for a diagram of where this folder is located). It is in that PocketTimer folder that subsequent actions (uploading recorded times) will occur. Each handheld unit into which you install PocketTimer software will have its own user name, its own user folder, and its own PocketTimer sub-folder.
To de-install the conduit, simply drag it out of the Conduits folder.
From the Applications window on your Palm handheld device, look for the icon labelled PocketTimer which looks like this:
When you start the application, you'll see this screen:
After you tap on the OK button, you'll see the main screen of the program, which will look like this:
Tap on the word *Unlicensed* in the upper right, and you'll see this screen:
Use Graffiti (or the on-screen keyboard) to enter your serial number (supplied to you by Stevens Creek Software); when you're done, tap on the OK button. If you have entered the serial number correctly, the word "*Unlicensed*" will not appear on the upper right of the main screen. If you enter an incorrect number, the software will let you know. If necessary, tap on the Cancel button to dismiss the Enter Serial Number screen.
If you have purchased the site license version of PocketTimer, the Name field in the Enter Serial Number window shown above will be underlined and will accept data entry. You should first enter the name of the licensing organization in the Name field, and then enter the supplied serial number in the Serial Number field. Of course you'll need to do this on all Palm handheld units on which you are installing a copy of PocketTimer.
If you run into a problem, this probably means that when you provided your Palm
User name to Stevens Creek Software, you did so incorrectly. The name is shown in
the Enter Serial Number window as shown above. Make sure to write it down
exactly (including case, i.e., whether the letters are upper-case letters like THIS
or lower-case letters like this) and email
it to Stevens Creek Software technical support (support@stevenscreek.com) and
wait for a new serial number to be provided to you.
When you start PocketTimer (once it has been licensed; see Chapter 1) you'll see one of these two screens; the one on the left on "normal" Palm handheld units, the one on the right on units made by Symbol Technologies with built-in barcode scanners or Handspring Visors with a plug-in scanner (these latter units let you scan barcodes to record finishers rather than or in addition to recording them by hand) :
We'll discuss configuring the timer in Chapter 3, but for now we'll assume it has been set up correctly, and you're ready to start timing. To start the timer, tap on the Start button (!). The Start button will now change to read Record, and you're ready to start recording times once the finishers start arriving.
Hot tip!  |
Like the buttons on most computers, the Start button in PocketTimer only activates when you lift the stylus up, not when you tap the pen down. Starting the timer by moving the stylus down and then up is therefore a two-step, slow process. For extremely accurate timing (in our experience, within 0.02 seconds or so), just before the start of the race (like when the countdown begins), tap the stylus on the Start button and hold it down. The button will "invert" (turn to white letters on a black background) to indicate this. When the gun goes off, lift the stylus (in most cases, your arm will naturally jerk back at the start anyway) and the timer will start. |
There is no button to stop the timer, because we don't want you to do this accidentally. However, suppose there is a false start in the race, or you simply press the Start button too soon. Here's what you need to do:
During the event, the Palm screen will constantly display the elapsed time and the current pace. As a racer approaches the finish line (or other location where you are stationed), you can enter the bib# of the racer in advance. You do so by tapping on the large number buttons on the screen. For example, if racer #458 is approaching, tap first on the 4 button, then on the 5 button, and then on the 8 button. As you do so, the bib# you are entering will be displayed. When the racer crosses the finish line (or other line), tap on Record and the bib# and time is captured. The "place" is incremented so it is always displaying the place of the next racer to pass. The bib# is erased and the timer is ready for you to enter the next number.
If you have a unit with a barcode scanner, you simply scan the barcode, which records the number on the tag, and simultaneously records the time. You can either use the "built-in" scan buttons (on the Symbol SPT1500 or 1700), or the MemoPad button immediately below the on-screen scan icon if you have a plug-in CSM150 scanner for the Handspring Visor (this also works with the SPT1500/1700).
At times, the density of racers will be such that it is impossible for you to record all the bib#'s. In this case, you skip the step of entering the bib#, and only use the Record button to record the time by itself (the bib #'s can be filled in later). The software will record your taps as fast as you can enter them, which is approximately ten taps per second, so when a lot of racers approach, forget about looking at the bib #'s, and just concentrate on counting the racers so you can record the correct number of times (although if you miss one or more, that too can be corrected later).
Also, if you cannot read the bib# (or the person doesn't appear to be wearing one), just tap on Record, and record the time for that finisher.
As you can see, there are a number of other buttons on the screen which you can use when you are entering information. None of these are absolutely essential, but they may come in handy in certain situations. These are:
Uncertain #: If you think you can read the bib#, but aren't absolutely certain, you can record it as an uncertain #. After entering the number (by tapping on the number buttons),but before tapping on record, tap the Uncertain # button. A ? will appear just to the right of the Bib# in the display, to indicate that you aren't sure. If, before you tap on the Record button, you suddenly become certain, tap on Uncertain # again and the ? will be removed. Remember, if you can't read the number at all, don't bother to enter it, just tap on Record to record the time without any bib# number at all.
Backspace: This button erases the last digit you entered.
Clear: This button erases the enter number you are currently in the process of entering.
Show: This button will take you to a display of the recorded information which will be discussed in Chapter 4. Unless there is a large gap between racers, you should not press this button while the race is in progress.
Swap Last 2: Sometimes it will happen that two racers are approaching the finish line. Enter the first number, then press Record, then the second number, then Record. However if a last minute sprint to the finish surprises you and the second racer passes the first, after you have entered both numbers you can press Swap Last 2 to reverse the order of the last two finishers. If you don't catch this, don't worry, it can be corrected later.
Del. Last Time: It is possible that you might hit the Record button by accident. Another thing that happens is that someone finishes, you press Record, and then you realize the person was a "bandit" (a person without a number who wasn't really entered in the race). If you realize this immediately, before anyone else has finished, tap on Del. Last Time to remove that time from the list of recorded finishes. If someone else is coming, don't worry, it can be corrected later.
At the end of the race, tap on the Menu button and select Stop Timer. The Record button changes to Reset. Do not press the Reset button until you have saved the results (unless you don't want to save the results).
If you tap on the Menu button on the Palm from the main timer window, you'll see this menu:
If you now tap on Settings, you'll see this screen which lets you configure the software:
Here's what the various settings are for:
Mode: In Fast Mode, the timer has 0.01 second resolution; in Slow Mode, the timer has 1.0 second resolution. You might think you should always use Fast Mode, but there is an important side effect. In Slow Mode, PocketTimer maintains the correct time even when you turn the Palm off (with the green on/off switch), and you are free to exit the application while the timer is running and use the other Palm applications. In Fast Mode, in order to maintain the correct time, the Palm must be left on. PocketTimer automatically disables the "AutoOff" feature of the Palm (which turns off the unit after 1-3 minutes of inactivity), and warns you if you try to turn the unit off with the off button.
The third mode is "Time of Day". This mode is also a "slow" mode (1.0 second resolution), but in addition, when you start the timer, the start is calibrated so that the displayed (and recorded) times correspond to the time of day (on a 24-hour clock). This mode is used for races where you may have timers scattered over a wide area, who can't all start their timers at the same time. However if you first synchronize the built-in Palm clock of their units (you can do this using TimeAdjust software from Stevens Creek), then they can start their unit at any time, since all of them will be recording the exact time of day.
If you do turn the power off to the Palm (intentionally or accidentally) while the timer is running in Fast Mode, PocketTimer resets itself when you turn the power back on so that the absolute time is correct to the nearest second. From that point on, relative times will be correct to 0.01 seconds (that is, if you start recording splits, the difference between them will be correct to 0.01 seconds), but the absolute time (compared to the time you pressed the Start button) are only accurate to the nearest second. If you have an independent way to determine one of the times (say, with a stopwatch or sports watch), you can adjust the times so that they agree - see Chapter 4 for more discussion of this point.
Distance: The distance, which you can enter in miles, kilometers, yards, meters, or feet, is the distance to the point at which you are doing the timing (the finish line or some intermediate point). If the distance is entered, the pace which is displayed on the main timer window will be calculated according to that distance. If you don't want to display the pace, or if the pace doesn't apply (for example if you're timing transitions in a triathlon), just clear the distance field.
Pace Units: The pace can be calculated and displayed in minutes per mile, minutes per kilometer, miles per hour, kilometers per hour, minutes per hundred yards, or minutes per hundred meters.
Starting Place: If you are using a single Palm for timing, the first racer will be in first place. It's also possible to use two (or more) Palms for timing, using one to time the first N finishers and the second one to start timing with finisher N+1. The Starting Place setting lets you set the second unit so that the place number is correct.
Max. Digits: Let's say you're timing a race which is using race #'s from 1 to 999. The maximum number of digits in the race numbers is three. If you set Max. Digits to that number (3), then if you ever attempt (by accident, presumably) to enter more digits before hitting the Record button, PocketTimer will beep a warning at you and refuse to enter the additional digits. Max. Digits can be set anywhere from 1 to 5, but note that if Max. Digits is set to 5, the maximum bib number that can be recorded is NOT 99999 but rather 32767.
AutoRecord: If all the bib numbers have the same number of digits (for example, you're timing eight runners in eight different lanes on a track), you can set the program to AutoRecord. In this mode, PocketTimer automatically records the time after you have entered the maximum number of digits, without requiring you to press the Record button. In other words, if runners are finishing on a track, you can just press (for example) 1,3,4,6,2,5,7,8 to record the times of the runners in lanes 1,3,4 etc., rather than having to press 1, Record, 3, Record, 4, Record, etc.
AutoRecord mode can be used if racers have different numbers of digits on their race numbers, but this can be a confusing way in which to work. For example, if Max. Digits is three, then if a three-digit racer is approaching, the time will be recorded when you press the third digit, and you should not press the Record button as well. If a two-digit racer is approaching, then you must press the Record button to capture the time. In general this can be tricky, and is not a recommended mode of operation.
Export: You can transfer data to the MemoPad, printer, or desktop computer from PocketTimer. This collection of four "switches" lets you turn on or off the different pieces of information. As configured on the sample screen above, for example, the software will export the Bib# and the Time, but will not export the Place and the Pace columns. Tap on an "unhighlighted" box to highlight it to cause it to be exported; tap on a highlighted box to unhighlight it and remove it from the list of items to be exported.
Separator: When the results are uploaded to your desktop computer (or transferred into the MemoPad) for incorporating into race timing software, the columns of information (place, bib#, time, and pace) can be separated by tabs or commas, whichever is more easily read by your desktop software.
In the bottom left of the timer window is the Show button. Tapping on the Show button produces this screen:
Note that if you have a unit with a barcode scanner, you'll see the small scanner icon in the lower right, indicating to you that you can also record times by scanning directly on this screen, rather than on the main screen. The advantage of doing so is that on this screen, you'll see the recorded numbers as you scan them, whereas on the main screen, they'll immediately disappear. On the other hand, on the main screen, you have the ability to record numbers by hand (those which won't scan, for example) as well as by scanning, whereas on this screen, you'll ONLY be able to record numbers by scanning. Which approach works best for you will depend on your situation.
If you need to return to the Timer screen (to record an approaching racer, for example), tap on the Timer button in the lower left. If there are more than ten recorded results, you'll see a "torn tape" either at the bottom or the top of the window, or both. Tap on the scroll arrows in the lower right to scroll the tape up or down to see more results. The pop-up menu in the upper right which reads "All Times" will be explained in the next chapter. Tapping on the information icon in the extreme upper right will bring up a window of "Tips" reminding you of how this window operates.
| Please note: this "internal Find" is different than the "global Find" provided by the Palm "Find" button (the silkscreened button in the lower-right corner of the screen showing a magnifying glass). Pressing on this "internal Find" button searches only the PocketTimer database for a particular bib#. Entering the same number in the "global Find" window will search your Address Book, Datebook, MemoPad, and ToDo List for that same number, but will NOT search the PocketTimer database. |
The results are by default displayed in place order. The words Place, Bib#, and Time at the top of the first three columns are actually buttons which you can tap on to change the display order. Tapping on Place sorts by place; tapping on Bib# sorts by Bib#, and tapping on Time sorts by time. Place and time are obviously very similar; they only differ if two finishers have been recorded with exactly the same time but successive places. Sorting by Bib# is of value if you want to post a list of finishers by Bib# (which makes it easier for people to search for themselves), or if you want to get a good view of which racers have finished and which have not. To search for a particular racer, you can use the QuickSearch feature described next.
In the lower right of the window is the QuickSearch (tm) field. If you enter a number (using Graffiti) on that line, and then tap on the Find button (or use the Graffiti "return" or "newline" stroke), if that bib# has been recorded, the "tape" will automatically scroll so that that racer is on top of the screen. You can also enter a "t" (lower-case or upper-case) into the QuickSearch field; pressing the Find button in that case will scroll to the top of the recorded times (first finisher). A "b" will scroll to the bottom (if you display the Recorded Times window while the timer is running, it starts out by automatically scrolling to the bottom, since experience shows that the most recently recorded times will usually be the ones you're interested in).
After the race is finished, or even while it is going on, you may review the torn-off bib tags and want to edit the results for any number of reasons:
To edit the results, you must be in All times mode (see next chapter), and also the displayed information must be sorted by place (if it isn't, tap on Place to sort them that way). Now tap on the entry to be modified with the stylus, and you'll see this screen:
The software displays the recorded bib# and the recorded time. Since it is assumed that if you are editing the entry that you probably know the correct information, the "Uncertain" box is unchecked even if the entry in your list was actually marked as uncertain (if you want to leave it as uncertain, you'll need to check that box).
To modify the entry, use the number buttons (or Graffiti if you prefer), in conjunction (if necessary) with the Backspace and Clr (Clear) buttons, to enter the new number onto the screen. Notice that when the screen first appears, the contents of the Bib# field are highlighted. Because of this, if you enter a new number (by tapping a button or using Graffiti), the new number will replace the old number, rather than simply modifying it. Note that the "." and ":" buttons will be inactive when you are modifying the Bib# field (also note that if you have your Palm set for number preferences which use the comma as a decimal separator, this button will be labelled with a comma and not a period as shown above).
If you need to modify the time, you can also do so. The use of the color (":") key (or Graffiti) is optional. Thus if you need to enter "1:04:23" you can enter exactly that, or you can enter "10423" and let the software fill in the colons for you. The software will allow one or two decimal places (e.g., 36:23.3 or 36:23.32 but not 36:23.321) but the decimal places are optional, thus, if the time you want to enter is 36:23.0, entering "36:23" (or "3623") is sufficient; you don't need to waste time entering the ".0" at the end.
When you are finished correcting the entry, you have three choices. If you tap on the Update button, the entry is updated, and you are returned to the Recorded Times window. If you tap on the Cancel button, you are also returned to the Recorded Times window, but without modifying the entry. And finally, if you tap on the Update, Next button, the entry is updated, and the next entry down the list is brought up on the Editor screen for modifying. This last option allows you to edit a whole series of entries without having to return to the Recorded Times window each time.
To delete the entry, tap on the Delete button.
To insert a new entry, enter a new bib# and time, then tap on the Insert button. The entry will be automatically sorted by time into your list of recorded times. This allows you to enter racers you missed; a common situation is that you may have recorded the last few "stragglers" by hand while you used the Palm for scoring the race, and need to add them in later to complete the record.
Under some circumstances, the time on the PocketTimer won't be correct. Perhaps the start and finish of the race were at different places, for example, and you weren't able to start the timer correctly. Or perhaps you started the timer in FastMode but inadvertently turned the power off during timing. In any case, if you have an independent measurement of just one of the times that you have recorded with PocketTimer (for example, measured with a sports watch or stopwatch), you can adjust all the recorded times (and the current elapsed time, if the timer is still running) by tapping on the Menu button and selecting Offset from the menu:
You'll see the following screen:
Enter the hours, minutes, and seconds that you want to adjust the times into the appropriate fields, and indicate whether you want to add or subtract that amount of time from all the recorded times. When you tap on OK, all the recorded times are adjusted, and, if the timer is still running, the current elapsed time (and, therefore, all times which are recorded subsequently) as well.
There is only one subtle feature of time synchronization. Even if you are running the timer in Slow Mode, you can enter a time offset in fractions (down to hundredths) of a second. These fractions will not show up (at first) in the Recorded Times window. After the timer is stopped, however, if you return to the Settings screen and select Fast mode, now when you return to the Recorded Times window the times will display in hundredths (although the times will still only be precise to the nearest second, so the value of doing this is questionable).
There may be times in which you wish to merge times recorded with different copies of PocketTimer running on different Palms onto a single Palm. One software product that allows you to do this is called DirectSync, from Teal Point Software (not supplied by Stevens Creek Software). If you do use DirectSync or a similar product to merge values from one set of data into another, it is possible that they will no longer be "in order" (since the times may overlap), and also, the recorded places may not be correct (unless you were careful in using the "starting place" feature, both Palms may have recorded a first-place finisher, second-place, etc. If either of these situations occurs, select Renumber in the Recorded Times menu; this will sort the recorded times by time, and then number them consecutively.
Even if you are not merging results, you can use Renumber if you want to change the Starting Place (i.e., number of the first finisher) after you have recorded some (or all) of the results. Let's say, for example, that you are using two Palms, one to record the first bunch of finishers and a second to record the rest. When unit #2 is put into place, you won't have time to note how many finishers have been recorded on unit #1 and to use the Settings window to set the Starting Place appropriately. Later, when the pressure is off, you can look at unit #1, see how many times were recorded, then use Settings on unit #2 to set the Starting Place to that number plus one. Now go to the Recorded Times window and select Renumber and the displayed places will be correct.
There are two special kinds of events you can time with PocketTimer - multi-lap events, and time trials (events in which individual entrants start at separate times, separated by a fixed amount). Recording times for these events proceeds normally, but after the results are recored, their are some special manipulations for examing and processing the results.
Recording times on multi-lap events is no different than recording regular events - PocketTimer lets you record any number of times for a single Bib#. After the times are recorded, you might see a display like this:
Now of course you notice that the "Place" column is bogus, since the "first place finisher" is actually someone finishing the first lap of a two-lap event; the first "real" finisher is listed here in place #6. No problem. Using the pop-up menu on the top line of the screen, select the alternate choice to All times, which is Last lap mode:
The place column is now correct. Note that the last column no longer displays Pace (speed), but is instead used to display the number of laps which were recorded for each finisher. Of course if you miss someone in one of the laps, they will be shown as having finished fewer laps, which may not be true.
To return to a display of all recorded times, use the pop-up menu to return to All times.
In a time trial, the first participant starts at time "zero" (the time when PocketTimer is started), and subsequent participants start at fixed intervals after that. If you assign Bib #s so that all participants have successive numbers, then you can use the time trial correction built into PocketTimer to correct all the times and sort the finishers correctly. As currently configured, PocketTimer requires that you do this when the clock is stopped, that is, when the event is finished and all participants have been recorded. At this point, select Offset from the menu, and enter the information as in this example:
First, check the Time Trial Offset box, which tells PocketTimer that the time offset you enter is not an overall offset (as described in the previous chapter), but rather the differential offset, that is, the time separating the starting time of each participant. Enter the separation time above in minutes and seconds, and finally, enter the Bib# of the first starter on the bottom. In this example, racer #100 is assumed to have started at the same time as the clock, so his or her time will be left as recorded. Racer #101 started one minute later, so one minute will be subtracted from his or her time (note that you don't have to click on Subtract; this is assumed once you check the Time Trial Offset box).
The one tricky thing that can occur is a last minute scratch. If, for example, racer #103 scratches after the numbers have been assigned, you should not start racer #104 one minute after racer #102; that would prevent PocketTimer from performing the correct calculation. Instead, just skip a time, and start racer #104 two minutes after #102, as would have been the case if #103 had not scratched.
Unlike the overall time offset, which can be "undone" if you add an incorrect offset, the time trial offset cannot be undone, so be sure you want to proceed before you tap on OK. Once you do, the results will be adjusted, as in this example:
| Raw | Adjusted |
|---|---|
 |
|
|
Raw results from a time trial, as recorded at the finish line. Note that the order is the order in which the finishers actually crossed the finish line. |
Results after adjusting with the time trial offset function. Note that the finishers have been re-sorted, and now they are listed in true order, that is, in order of their individual times, corrected for their different starting times. |
Run the HotSync Manager program, and select Custom (Windows) or Conduit Settings (Macintosh). Double-click on the PocketTimer conduit and you'll see a window that looks like this (Windows and Macintosh look slightly different):
For purposes of uploading your recorded times to the desktop, there are two relevant settings. Upload new times only and Upload all recorded times to desktop (of course, you can also disable the conduit by selecting Do nothing). The former will only upload times recorded since your last HotSync, while the latter will always upload all recorded times in PocketTimer.
In either configuration, whenever you transfer data back to the desktop, it is written into a text file named Times.txt (Windows) or Times (Macintosh), which will be located in the PocketTimer folder described above. This file can then in turn be imported into your desktop race scoring software (or into any database, spreadsheet, or even word processor). Each time you HotSync, the previous file is renamed, from Times (or Times.txt) to Times01 to Times02 and so on up to Times09. Thus you will always have available not only the most recent time list but the previous nine lists as well, just for safety.
Yet another feature of the conduit allows you to automatically execute a program (Windows) or AppleScript (Macintosh) following the upload of the data. On Windows, create a file named OnUpload.txt inside your PocketTimer folder. The contents of that file should be a single line of text, containing a typical Windows command line (such as might be entered using Run), for example, Notepad C:\Palm\Natash\PocketTimer\Times.txt (which would automatically open the newly uploaded Times file using the Notepad application). Of course, if you want to execute more than one command, you can simply make a batch file of commands, and use your one command to execute the batch file. On a Macintosh, the file is named OnUpload and should be an executable AppleScript file; anything you can do with AppleScript can be used in this file. The creation of suitable batch files and AppleScripts is left as an exercise for the reader.
For historical reasons, PocketTimer also lets you use the standard MemoPad application built into the Palm to transfer its information to your desktop Windows or Macintosh computer. From the Recorded Times window, tap on Menu and select Transfer to MemoPad from the menu:
PocketTimer will move all the information over to the MemoPad, and will inform you (with a pop-up dialog) when it is finished doing so. If you switch over to the MemoPad application (by pressing the MemoPad "hard button" on the lower right of the Palm case), you'll see new memos which have been created, entitled "Recorded times (Batch #1)", followed by the information copied from PocketTimer. Because of limitations in the size of memos, and depending on the size of your event, PocketTimer may create a series of these memos (subsequent ones are entitled, as you might expect, "Batch #2", "Batch #3", etc.), each containing 100-200 entries. As described in Chapter 2, you can control what information is exported or printed (place, bib#, time, and/or pace) and the separator character (tab or comma) used to separate the information.
Once the recorded information has been transferred to MemoPad, it will be uploaded to your desktop computer the next time you put the Palm in its cradle and press the HotSync button. Your next step is to open the Palm Desktop application and view the memos. Now you have several options, depending on what you are doing with the information. You can select the memos containing the recorded information from PocketTimer, and then select Export selected items... from the File Menu, saving the relevant memos as text files. Alternatively, you can open each memo and use the Cut and Paste feature of your operating system to transfer the information either to a separate file or directly to your race scoring software.
If you have a copy of our PalmPrint software, then there are two additional functions of PocketTimer (if you don't have PalmPrint, attempting to use these two functions will simply produce no result). These two functions, both found in the menu, allow you to Print the results from PocketTimer directly to a printer, or to Transmit the results to another computer. You configure the printing and transmitting using PalmPrint (things like the type of printer, baud rate, etc.), so all you need to do within PocketTimer is to select the appropriate menu item.
When you select Print (or Transmit or Transfer to MemoPad), you'll see this screen:
This screen lets you specify that you want to print all the recorded times, or just a selection (based on finishing place).
The value of printing the information should be self-evident; we need not expand on it here. The value of transmitting information is more subtle. The HotSync process, described above, is not only time-consuming, but also requires that you have a computer set up for HotSync'ing, that is, one which has the Palm software installed on it. But perhaps you want to transmit the information to a computer which does not have Palm software on it, maybe even a DOS computer. This isn't a hypothetical situation by any means, since many people run race timing software on old DOS computers. If your computer has some sort of terminal emulation software on it, which is the case for many computers, all you need to do is to run that software, connect the serial port of your computer to your Palm with an appropriate cable, select Transmit in PocketTimer, and then capture and save the information on your computer. If you need any more guidance than this, we suggest you consult the instructions accompanying the terminal emulation software you are using. Some of you may not have any software you think of as "terminal emulation" software, but you probably have some sort of "Works" software (ClarisWorks as an example) which has a "Communications" module. This is the software you'll want to use. Alternatively, if you have Windows 3.1, you have a Terminal program which is provided to you with Windows.
Once you are done accessing the recorded information, and have transferred it to MemoPad and/or to your desktop, you'll need to erase the information before performing your next timing. Erase in the Recorded Times menu in PocketTimer does this for you. Because this is a critical operation, you will be asked for not just one but two separate confirmations that you really want to do that.
The one thing that can go "wrong" when you are recording times is that your screen is improperly calibrated (which means that the handheld unit incorrectly senses where you tap the stylus, which may cause you to "miss" a button or even in the worst case to trigger the wrong button). Calibration is generally fairly stable, but it can be temperature sensitive, so if you've been using your unit indoors and then show up on race morning on a cold (or hot) day, it can easily be incorrect. We strongly recommend that one of the first things you do on raceday is calibrate the screen. Tap the Applications button on your handheld unit, find the Prefs application, and select Digitizer from the popup list in the upper right hand corner. Tap on the crosses as indicated. Now you can use PocketTimer with confidence.
Like the buttons on most computers, the Start button in PocketTimer only activates when you lift the stylus up, not when you tap the pen down. Starting the timer by moving the stylus down and then up is therefore a two-step, slow process. For extremely accurate timing (in our experience, within 0.02 seconds or so), just before the start of the race (like when the countdown begins), tap the stylus on the Start button and hold it down. The button will "invert" (turn to white letters on a black background) to indicate this. When the gun goes off, lift the stylus (in most cases, your arm will naturally jerk back at the start anyway) and the timer will start.
The most common cause of "error" with PocketTimer is missing bib#'s, and this almost always results because you can't read the bib# at all. Some racers have them covered over with a T-shirt, others have them facing backwards, etc. You will minimize the number of missed bib #'s if you station an assistant perhaps 100 yards away from the finish, whose task is to shout "show your bib #" to anyone approaching without a visible bib#. Most people want to be timed correctly, and will make sure their number is visible as long as they are reminded.
When a group of people approaches at once, it will be impossible to record all the bib #'s with PocketTimer. If you are doing finish line timing, then in most races the racers will have some kind of "tear-off tag" on their bib# which will be collected at the end of the finishing chute, which will show the order of the finishers. Since you can use these numbers later to enter the bib#'s into PocketTimer, the most important thing is to record the times of the finishers. The best way to do this is when you see a group approach, enter the bib# of the lead racer in the group (but don't tap on Record yet), then start counting the number of people. When the group reaches the finish line (or other point at which you are timing), tap on the Record button once to record the bib# of the lead racer along with the time, then tap on the Record button by itself as many times as necessary to record the times of the rest of the racers in the pack. It is important to try to get the first bib# correct, as this will help immensely in editing the results later, but if you don't, don't worry about it.
If a racer without a number approaches you, they may be a bandit (someone who is racing without paying the entry fee), or they may be a legitimate racer whose number is hidden (or fell off). You should assume the person is legitimate, and tap on Record to capture the time of the person. However, if before the next finisher has come in, you realize the person was a bandit, just tap on the Del. Last Time button to delete that entry. If there is any doubt at all, leave the result alone; you can always delete it after the race is done.
If you are sure the person is a bandit as he or she approaches you (for example, they pull off the race course before reaching the finishing chute), you shouldn't record their time.
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