An idea

[CarlKnoch]

Originally posted by lochinvar
The light should go in the mask, via a clip-on arrangement. I'm seeing a short post with a strobing LED, attached to the back bar of the mask by a velcro or elastic band.

Won't work on the newer comfort fit masks from LP

They have no bar back there. Just a harness.

[achilleus]

Originally posted by Millamber
I have been thinking lately about scoring lights. The latest idea seems to be lights inside masks, but one can see where that could be very distracting to a fencer.

I am an epee fencer so that's what I normally think about. That being said, what would happen if instead of masks being wired for lights, we wired the bellguard?

In my head I am seeing small pilot holes around a bellguard into which are put a ring of LED's covered with a grounded mesh. On a valid touch, the LEDs would light, or even chase (Imagine those beeper things they give you at resturaunts).

Of course, it would require a new bellguard design, and each fencer would have to carry 2 epees (one red and one green) depending on which side of the strip they fenced, but could it work and would it be useful into showing the unknowing public (i.e. TV audiences) who was "winning"?

I welcome your thoughts.


(disclaimer: by reading this thread you are accepting a non-disclosure agreement and agree not to run out and patent this thing and make boo-hoos of money. At least not without giving me a cut )

*edited for spelling

Andy Shaw, USFA Historian (current, former, whatever) about 5 years ago showed me an old (1960's?) article with photo on fencing. The article and photo were about a coach who developed the epee bellguards to light up upon scoring. The idea was ridiculed and never even considered for competition at the time.

Take that for what it's worth...

[JAySE SUiCiDE]

http://www.whatisfencing.com/data/as...astGrowth3.jpg

[fencer7172003]

lots of the stuff that we all think is cool is real advanced and all the wireless ideas are eather inperfected or some sort of flaw if the issue is fencers cant see the machines just have lights set up around the strip so no matter where u are u can see the lights going off the light in the mask is the idea i like the most and who said it would get in the way dont put it right in the front put it off to the side out of the field of vision and just put a bright light in it so u can still see it but the idea of the target suit that lights up is cool but it would be expensive


*notice that there are no periods sorry

[Black Jeebus]

What I don't understand is where are they planning on putting the lights in the masks exactly. Cause if they put a light in your mask so that when you get hit or when you get a hit or whatever your world turns red or green, well let me say that sounds damned unnerving.

[Inquartata]

On the existing experimental wireless system I believe they are at the fencers' temple area, thus outside your visual area...at least that's how it looks on last year's WC video.

[klauver]

If we went to wireless, someone maybe me, would invent a remote control using the same fequency of RF or infrared etc. that the controller used and we would have the russian epee scandal all over again.
Why do you think that the NFL still uses hardwired communications to the coaches in the skybox?

It sure would be nice, no more ripped out reels, people tripping over floor cables etc. I guess that we can dream...

[DHCJr]

There are no wireless machines approved for FIE competitions that use RF or IFR. To be truthful they are not wireless, they are hard-wired. It requires 2 boxes, one on each fencer. The body cord is plugged into and wires are run up the jacket to a light that they build into the mask for each bout. The fencer wears a metal band that is adjusted around his middle. The box you see on the table is only for the audience only, not for the referee. The boxes on the fencer do send out signals to the box on the table, but they are considered just like extension lights. If the box on the table lights up, but the one in the mask, which is hard-wired, does not. No Touch!

Those boxes are not sold. The organizers are required to rent the boxes for 4 strips and pay to bring 4 technicians. This is the exact same design that was patented in France over 20 years ago.

Give me reels any day or what Rene Roch has forced on us.

[counterattack]

If the FIE is really scared of RF then that is silly. There is plenty of encryption technology that can allow any sort of data to be transmitted and received cheaply and reliably, particularly over the distances that fencers are at. The full RF kit for each fencer would be about $100 (and going down to $50 after a short while), and the scoring box would be the same cost it is now plus $100-$150, depending on how paranoid you get with security.

The problem of truly wireless fencing (less big in epee, but still needed for the weapon itself) is lack of a common "ground" voltage between fencers. You can get around it, but not with anything easy or low-tech. I think that for a long time to come fencers will have at least one wire (ground) .

Lights in the bell guard are pretty cool too. Multi-colored LEDs are cheap now, so you could switch from Red to Green with the flip of a switch, no need for different weapons. LEDs themselves are cheap (pennies apiece), but there would have to be a standard connection and form. I expect you would just unclip the full ring of them and repair or replace as needed (like those little red rings of caps that went into cap guns). Though it would be easy, I am guessing this one isn't coming any time soon, either, unless fencing gets on TV.

[DHCJr]

Yes there is encription. Then there are all the electronic break-in into 'Secure' sights. There are ways past encription. Maybe nobody would care enough to try. But there are those out there just for the hell of it would break the code. Look at how successful the music industry has been with encription. Yes, I know you will say it is different. But considering the success in other areas.

Also the problem with RF is getting an agreement world wide for a frequency.

Some members of our U.S. cadre got in trouble when they used some of those personal walkie-talkies. It seems the country they were in used that frequency for the police.

[klauver]

Please see my post in building your own box regarding using the new RFID tech.