Could one of you build a machine with variable lock-out time?

[Mihail]

I'm wondering if there is an electronic engineer or hobbyist here that can build me one for a price.

I'm pretty sure I can build one with a dial that will change the timing, but only in a non-countable way, like a dial that can make it shorter or longer. What I really want is one into which I can enter the desired lock-out time or at least change it by set increments of milliseconds.

It wouldn't even have to be multi-weapon, as I would just use it for sabre.

Can anyone with knowledge of electronics tell if this is feasible and how much it might cost to build one yourself?

[Got_Fenced_In]

And so begins underground fencing...


That's quite the idea, though. I'd like to keep a watch on this thread because I'm pretty curious myself

[griffindm]

VM,

Shawn Hart has a scoring machine in software (Search the forum for 'software scoring machine'). From suggestions provided recently, he is planning to move the FIE timings into an editable .ini file to allow users to change timings as required in future rules changes. That would allow you to make the sabre lockout anything you want.

The software is free. The adapter takes about $50 in parts. Instructions are provided on his website http://swashbucklersfencing.com/VSM.htm. Look for the update to include editable timings in the near future.

I have demoed this software recently at both the USACFC and BWCFC championships, and users seemd to like it alot.

Hope this helps.

Dave

[JS Hart]

I could reset the blocking parameter for saber and compile a custom version for you in about 1 minute flat... But you'll still need an adapter to run the software. I should get around to the modification of putting the timing values in a file shortly. It will be a text-editable file... In fact the ability to create "experimental" rule-sets was one of the reasons I started the project in the first place.

I'm interested in trying an experimental foil mod that would dispense with the off-target lights and the interruptions to the bout that they induce... but without turning foil into a remise-fest. My thought was to make a short period of deactivation follow an off-target. Say 300-500 milliseconds or so. Without the ability to score via an immediate remise, the off-targeteer would be forced defend for that next action prior to resuming his attack. Which I think is the basic idea of foil...

Any thoughts?

-- JS Hart

[RITFencing]

It can absolutely be done using potentiometers and 555 timers to determine lockout time, though it would be difficult to get it exact. It could also definitely be done digitally; it would give an easier control over the timing but it would be much harder to implement (though still not really that bad) from an electrical standpoint.

[sarmaticus]

Hi! I had some thoughts along these lines back in a lazy Xmas holiday season of 2004/5 over on the Fencing Forum.
I thought maybe screwing down the lockout time to a minimum would allow us to dispense with priority rules. Now, I think it would probably end up as epee for those with poor point control and another weapon for people taller than me to be good at ;-)

[JS Hart]

All the timing parameters in my Virtual Scoring Machine can now be revised at will by the user. Along with pretty much everything else. As of Version 1.4.

[Fernando Diaz]

We have build such a machine here in Spain, we start with it in 2003 for testing the times for the last changes of times. Now we are building them to equip fencing salles and installations here (I am SEMI responsible of the Spanish Fed), (on a non profit basis).
The limitation is that timing can not be changed by a dial but by software, soft is not freely distributed but I can provide several versions with as many block times as you wish, timimg is stored in a PIC so you will need a PIC programer to change timings (around 30 €). The good thing is that you can buy one. As I told before we are building them on a non profit basis and it cost around 300 €, if you are interested contact me.