- ChampionChip
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ChampionChip[citation needed] system setup. The athlete wears the chip on their shoe. Dutch system based since 1992 on a Texas Instruments TMS370 microcontroller from TIRIS.
The "ChampionChip" is typically attached to a shoe
Glass capsule containing the transponderChampionChips are a brand name of one type of passive RFID transponders, marked with a unique identification number, used in active sports events, to keep track of the competition times of participants. It is one manufacturer's implementation of transponder timing.
ChampionChip transponders are waterproof glass capsules that contain a silicon chip and an energizing coil. This coil is inactive until moved into a magnetic field, generated by a send antenna in a mat (used to mark the start and finish lines of a race). The transponder then transmits its unique identification number to a receive antenna in a mat.
Transponder timing is used in sporting events around the world, including running races, marathons, triathlons, cycling and mountain biking competitions, in-line skating and cross-country skiing. Chips are either rented for use at a given event, or some participants purchase a chip for successive uses at events timed by ChampionChip mats. (The chips are incompatible with other timing systems.) In either case, the serial number of a participant's chip is stored in a database for an event allowing the recorded times to be matched with participants' names. Although a chip might transmit its number several times while the athlete is crossing the mat, special software is used to eliminate all but the first time recorded for each chip at each timing point.
In general, transponder timing is economic only for larger events of more than 1,000 participants. For smaller events, it is less expensive to time participants using manually operated hand-held computers.
When transponder timing first appeared, the running community hoped[citation needed] that there would be a single nationwide United States standard for transponders which could be used at all races. However, the distributor of ChampionChip in the United States has sought to limit the number of timing systems sold[citation needed], resulting in different event timing companies purchasing incompatible transponder systems from other manufacturers. Since 2008, systems using disposable transporders have replaced ChampionChips at a number of events.[1][2]
ChampionChip was a Nijmegen, The Netherlands based company, started in 1993 with a group of students to improve the time tracking in the Zevenheuvelenloop. In 2008, ChampionChip was merged together with AMB i.t. to form a new company called MYLAPS Sports Timing.
See also
External links
References
- ^ http://karlo.org/2009/01/tagging-runners-with-disposabl.html Retrieved 2009-04-20.
- ^ http://www.gsrs.com/ct.php Retrieved 2009-04-20.
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