Pc Lap Counter work with Phidget RFID to change driver and car:

Warning: Pc Lap Counter only support Phidget interface kit working with the phidget libraries Phidget21 (Phidget libraries Phidget22 is not supported by Pc Lap Counter).Before buying a Phidget interface contact your reseller to be sure that your interface is working with  librairies Phidget21...

You can connect a Phidget RFID 1023 reader on a USB port to change driver during a race without any keyboard or mouse manipulation, the idea is to give to each drivers a card with a unique tag ID which is linked to the driver database and when the driver wants to enter the race he just have to place his card near the Phidget RFID reader and Pc Lap Counter will automatically recognize the driver and update the race data exactly as you do manually with the “update” but without any manipulation and therefore it eliminate potential human errors.
Here is a little video showing the use of a Phidget RFID reader to change driver during a team race.

 

 

What Pc Lap Counter can do with Phidget RFID reader ( since Pc Lap Counter version 5.22):

  • Change driver and car during race (exactly as you do manually with the “update” but without any manipulation).
  • Dedicate a card to a driver.
  • Dedicate a card to a car.
  • Dedicate a card  to a lane.
  • Dedicate a Phidget RFID reader to a specific lane (driver station).
  • Manage up to 8 Phidget RFID reader.
  • When a Phidget RFID reader receive a card Pc Lap Counter lights up the green led of the Phidget RFID reader and play a special sound and display a popup window with the demand status.
  • When Pc Lap Counter successfully process the change of a driver/car the program activate the 2 digital output of the Phidget RFID reader and play a special sound.
  • Play a special sound when the tag ID is not present in Pc Lap Counter
  • Dedicate a card to cancel pending demand.

How to use Phidget RFID with Pc Lap Counter:

First of all in the options screen tick the option "change driver by using Phidget RFID" and in the driver setting window associate a card for each driver and eventually also for each car (to be able to change  the car by using Phidget RFID reader).
Eventually you can also associate a card to cancel pending demand.

rfid_setup1
rfid_setup_driver

Afterward you have 4 possibilities:

  1. One or many phidget RFID reader and NO card per lane (like before version 5.22):
    This configuration work only with team race and you can only change driver (not car).
    When a driver want to enter the race he have to present his card on a Phidget RFID reader and Pc Lap Counter will automatically recognize the team of the driver and by consequence also the lane.
  1. One or many phidget RFID reader and a card per lane
    I
    n the track setting window you have to associate a card to each lane.
    When a driver want to enter the race he have to present his card (and eventually his car CARD) to a Phidget RFID reader and also present the lane card which corresponds to the lane he wants to join.
rfid_setup_track
  1. One Phidget RFID reader per lane/driver station:
     In the Phidget setup window, tabpage "driver station", you have to associate a Phidget RFID reader to each lane.
    When a driver want to enter the race he have to present his card (and eventually his car CARD) on the Phidget RFID reader which corresponds to the lane he wants to join.
rfid_setup_station
rfid_setup_station2
  1. One Phidget RFID reader per lane/driver station + card per lane:
    You can associate a Phidget RFID reader per lane but you can also setup a card per lane , when a driver present a lane card on a Phidget RFID reader Pc Lap Counter will temporarily overwrite the lane of the Phidget RFID reader by the the lane which is associate with the lane card.

To know:

  • To cancel a pending demand just close the status window or present the "cancel" card on the Phidget RFID reader.
  • During a team race the lane data  is only necessary to change car.
  • The order of the card does not matter because Pc Lap Counter process the demand only when he have all the necessary information, here is the different possible order ( DC = Driver Card , CC = Car Card , LC = Lane card):

    With a Phidget Reader (possibility#1):
    DC  -> will put the driver on the lane which is associate with his team

    With a Phidget RFID reader and a card per lane (possibility#2):
    DC - CC - LC -> will put the driver and the car on the lane which is associate with the lane card
    CC - DC - LC -> Same
    DC - LC         -> Will put the driver on the lane which is associate with the lane card
    LC - DC         -> Same
    CC - LC         -> will put the car on the lane which is associate with the lane card
    LC - CC         -> Same

    With a Phidget RFID reader per lane/driver station (possibility#3):
    DC               -> will put the driver on the lane which is associate to the Phidget RFID reader
    CC               -> will put the car on the lane which is associate to the Phidget RFID reader

    With a Phidget RFID reader per lane/driver station + Card per lane (possibility#4):
    DC              -> will put the driver on the lane which is associate to the Phidget RFID reader
    CC              -> will put the car on the lane which is associate to the Phidget RFID reader
    LC - DC      -> will put the driver on the lane which is associate with the lane card
    LC - CC      -> will put the car on the lane which is associate with the lane card
  • The status window display you the missing information to complete the process:
rfid_demand_pending

there is a status window per Phidget RFID reader

Warning on Phidget RFID:

  • If two tags are in the read field at the same time, the reader will not read either tag.
  • If two readers are brought to close together neither will function.