DerbyMaster Notes

Installation

Pack 95 has two software packages associated with the Pinewood Derby.

• FastTrack software – provided by the Finish Line hardware manufacturer. Needed to provide communications linkage between track & DerbyMaster. Install, configure and forget. Does not ever need to be started.

• DerbyMaster 7.0 – the software to conduct a Pinewood Derby.

The setup files for this software, along with a necessary password file, are saved in the DerbyMaster section of Google Docs (accessible only by leaders).

Install the DerbyMaster 7.0 software. Please note the location DerbyMaster installs itself. It will install itself in C:\Program Files\Enterprising Ideas\DerbyMaster by default – not a very intuitive location.

Pre-Registration

In order to eliminate the need to type in all the registrants’ names on Derby day, it’s possible to pre-register the Cubs. The goal of the pre-registration step is to create a tab-delimited text file with each line containing information for each registrant in a format that looks like this:

68 John Doe Tiger Den 2

Note that the information fields are car number, name, rank, and den with each field separated by a single tab character. The text file will be created by beginning with a report generated by PackMaster and then manipulating the data using both MS Word and Excel. To easily get a list of all Cub names, generate a ‘Custom Report of Scouts’ from PackMaster. The specific data format is:

• Column 1 – Name

• Column 2 – Grade

• Column 3 – Den 4

Save the file in either *.rtf or *.txt format. The report needs to be generated for all the Cubs in the Pack. Therefore, this report must be generated by the Adult having PackMaster pack-wide permission (i.e. the Awards Coordinator).

• 1. Make a copy of the Custom Report file and then open the copy in MSWord to reformat. The goal is to remove all extraneous text and blank lines from the report so the only lines remaining are those which include a car number and a scout’s name (last, first). Most of this extraneous text (such as the page header, report name, column headings) is best removed manually. The extraneous text which is repetitive, such as the long lines of ‘---‘ characters or the blank lines, are best removed using the Find & Replace command. When doing so, remember that the end of line characters can also be replaced so make sure to include it in the text to be found.

  2. Double-check that all the names are in the proper format, e.g “Doe, John” instead of “Doe John” or “John Doe”.

  3. Remove all tabs and spaces, which can easily be seen by selecting “Show All” on the toolbar (or entering Ctrl-*). This includes removing the spaces between the comma and the first name, but does not include removing spaces within a first or last name (for example, don’t remove the space in “Van Dorn”).

  4. Replace the hyphen(s) between the car numbers and the last names with commas. Note that variable numbers of hyphens sometimes exist, so it is best to start your replace operations by searching for the maximum number of hyphens (say three, “---“) and then progressively reducing the search by one hyphen (“--“ would be next). Otherwise you may end up with multiple consecutive commas.

  5. Changing file format, “Save As” a Plain Text (*.txt) file. Accept Windows Default format.

  6. Open MS Excel and use the Import Wizard, the file type is ‘Delimited’ and the delimiter is “Comma” (and only Comma). You should now see the file organized as three columns: race car number (A), last name (B), and first name (C).

  7. Now we need to add a rank column (D) and a den column (E). Referring to the original Custom Report file, add the correct rank and den for each scout. Note the ranks Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos I, and Webelos II must be entered exactly or they will not be properly recognized in DerbyMaster later. Also, the den information should be added in the format “Den 2”.

  8. We’ll now insert a new column between column C and the current column D, which will be used to contain the full name. Insert the formula “=C1&" "&B1” in cell D1. This formula should result in the name of the first racer, first name, space second name (e.g. “John Doe”). Copy the formula in cell D1 and paste it to every row below having a Racer name. Then select all of Column D, followed by Copy, Paste Special, and Paste Values. Delete Columns B & C.

  9. Save the file in the .txt format (Unicode).

DerbyMaster Setup

Derbys are organized by ‘projects’ in DerbyMaster. A project is nothing more that a saved set of setting and Racer names, stored in a text file. You have two choices for creating a project file:

• 1. Use Derbymaster to configure a brand new project by following the steps described in this section.

  2. Use a project file from last year as a template (probably the simpler option). Directions for this are in the “DerbyMaster Project Template” section near the end of this file.

Assuming you’ve chosen the first option, then open Derbymaster. You will see command buttons, which generally open configuration windows, and tabs. It’s very important to realize that the settings in both the configuration windows and tabs are stored in a Project. (Note: DerbyMaster requires the ENTER key after every data input – it will not accept a TAB).

• 1. Start by creating an empty project by clicking on the ‘Create Derby’ button (let the mouse hover over the buttons to see their names). It’s really important to set all the right operating parameters before saving the file.

  2. Button Menu Settings

a. Derby Options.  Configure these values:

·        Organization –> Cub Scouts

·        Ranks –> Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos I, Webelos II (it’s OK if there are unneeded ranks listed)

·        Print Header Line 1 –> PACK 95

·        Print Header Line 2 – 2004 PINEWOOD DERBY (use the current calendar year)

·        Display Format for Driver Information -> Car Number Last Name (this choice controls the information shown on the Full Screen Display mode projected on the wall)

b. Finish Line.  Configure these values:

·        Computer Connection –> Fast Track by Micro Wizard

·        Communication Port –> whichever you are using on your computer. (Error messages may result from Palm Pilot software; just shut down the Hot SyncManager).

·        Auto Reset Time –> 45 sec (experience showed this was about the right amount of time to display the results before the next run, though you might want to shorten it when testing)

·        Maximum Race Time –> 20 sec.  This allows enough time to manually push cars across the track which don’t make it to the Finish Line (or to manually trigger dummy lanes).

3. This is a good time to Save the File. Give it a meaningful name like “2009 Pinewood Derby Project” and remember which directory you store it in.

4. Tab Settings

a. Registration Tab.  Add a placeholder driver name of “Zzzz”, using car number 1 and entering a “Den/Patrol” value of 1. This is just placeholder data that will be deleted after the actual names are imported later.  Save the file.

b. Track Tab.

                                                              i.      Number of Lanes –> 6.  Remember to press the ENTER key after putting in the number. 

                                                            ii.      Time per Race – 2.  When racing by Rank, experience has shown that 2 minutes, while seeming like much too long is actually a good estimate to cover the Pledged of Allegiance and racing; including mistakes, tie breakers, protests, software reboots, etc.

                                                          iii.      Number of Rounds –> 2 (assuming the standard scheduling method is to be selected below).   This input obviously has a huge impact on the length of racing time.

                                                           iv.      Included Cars. This provides a way to subset the data and just run one or two ranks at a time. If you have a separate project for each rank (or subset of ranks) then you can just use the default, in which case of all ranks are included.

                                                             v.      Derby Summary.  The most significant data here is the projection of the Time per Round and Time per Derby.  Use it in conjunction with the Schedule Tab and the Included Cars option to estimate the length of each race and establish a Race Schedule.

c. Schedule Tab.

                                                              i.      Choose the scheduling method, which we usually set to Standard.  Note that after selecting a scheduling method, returning to the Track Tab will project the Time per Round and Time per Derby. 

d. Race Tab.

                                                              i.      Displays the standings for the current race only (there is nothing to configure here as part of the setup). We didn’t use this screen at all. It is intended for use in displaying the final results for awards, but we found it better to have the MC announce the awards.

e. Standings Tab.

                                                              i.      This is the cumulative results table, which should not be displayed to the public (no scout wants to see his name at the bottom of the standings list).  The standings are sorted by the column with the *, be sure you have chosen the correct column to sort against!! Generally speaking, the column to sort against is “Avg”, which is the average race time for each car.

                                                            ii.      See the DerbyMaster Help screen for a poor description of this critically important screen.  Depending on which column you sort on, the race results will change.

5. Add a placeholder driver name of “Zzzz”, using car number 1 and entering a “Den/Patrol” value of 1. This is just placeholder data that will be deleted after the actual names are imported later. Save the file.

6. Creating Additional Projects (Part 1)

We found it useful to create a separate DerbyMaster project for each set of races (a qualifier and a final for each rank). This is done by making multiple copies of the project already created and later (in the next step) adding the pre-registration information to each one.

a. Save the file (note that by default the file is located in C:\Program Files\Enterprising Ideas\DerbyMaster).

b. Close the DerbyMaster application.

c. Create a set of subdirectories for storing the projects, with these names:

• qualifiers

• finals

• original (just in case you ever need to recover them)

d. Put multiple copies of the project file into the “original” directory, with names indicating the ranks to be raced such as this (keep in mind that none of the pre-registration information has yet to be entered into the projects):

• 2009 DerbyMaster Project Tiger

• 2009 DerbyMaster Project Bear

• 2009 DerbyMaster Project Wolf

• 2009 DerbyMaster Project Webelos

e. Repeat the next step (Adding Pre-Registration Data) for each of the ranks or sets of ranks that are to be raced against each other.

7. Adding Pre-Registration Data

The pre-registration steps are to be done once for each of the ranks or set of ranks that are to be raced against each other. Once for the tigers, once for the Webelos I and Webelos II (assuming they are racing each other), etc.

a. Save the file (note that by default the file is located in C:\Program Files\Enterprising Ideas\DerbyMaster).

b. Open the saved project file (e.g. “2009 Pinewood Derby Project Tiger”) with notepad or some other text editor (the file is in C:\Program Files\Enterprising Ideas\DerbyMaster by default).

c. Scroll down the file looking for the line representing the placeholder information you entered earlier:

1 Zzzz Wolf Den 1

d. Open the text file saved in the Pre-Registration section above (the file with all the names, car numbers, and ranks). Copy the portion of the Pre-Registration file that contains the rank(s) of interest (e.g., all the Tigers) and paste it immediately before the “Zzzz” name entry in the DerbyMaster project file. Make sure there are no blank lines between the “DerbyMaster_Registration” line and the first registrant pasted in.

e. Delete the placeholder name line (1 Zzzz Wolf Den 1). There must be one blank line after the last registrant and before the “DerbyMaster_Track” line.

f. Save the file.

g. Repeat for each of the ranks.

Note that after this you should be able to open each of the projects from within the DerbyMaster application and you should now see all the Pre-Registration data: Car number, Name, Rank, and Den Number. If the file failed to open, there is a data format error in the DerbyMaster Project file. Unfortunately, there are no helpful error messages. Go back to the steps above and check carefully, paying close attention to the number and location of blank lines.

7. Open the file in DerbyMaster, select the Track tab and then check the car ranks to include. In other words, check the Tiger option for the Tiger file, check the Webelos I and II options for the Webelos, etc

8. Creating Additional Projects (Part 2)

Now we will add project files to the “qualifiers” and “finals” directories previously created.

a. Copy all the project files in the “original” directory (e.g. “2009 Pinewood Derby Project Tiger”) into the “qualifiers” directory.

b. Copy all the project files in the “original” directory (e.g. “2009 Pinewood Derby Project Tiger”) into the “finals” directory.

The Big Day

On the day of the derby, here are some things to remember to bring:

1. A laptop with a serial port to connect to the track and a video/monitor port to connect to a projector.

2. A screen to project race results onto (or a big white wall in a convenient location).

3. A RS-232 cable to connect to the projector.

4. A projector.

5. Duct tape to secure the wires running across the floor.

6. Copies of the last page of this document, which are tables useful for documenting lane assignments for each race.

Here is the sequence of events, which is duplicated for each rank or set of ranks (like the Webelos) run as a separate competition:

Prepare for the Qualifiers

1. If not already done, start DerbyMaster (there’s no need to start the FastTrack software).

2. Open the correct file (e.g. “2009 Pinewood Derby Project Tiger”) from the “qualifiers” directory.

3. Once registration and impoundment is complete, go to the Registration tab and delete those racers not racing (their numbers will still remain in place, but that’s OK). Note that it might be easier to just edit the project file directly in a text editor, but don’t edit a project file that is already in use by DerbyMaster.

4. This should have been done in advance, but go to the Race tab and make sure the cars to include (e.g. Tiger or Webelos I and II) are selected.

5. Go the Schedule tab and click on Compute to schedule the races.

6. Write down the car numbers (not racer names) that are in each lane for each of the scheduled races (just use slashes for the “dummy” cars inserted by DerbyMaster to fill out the fields). It is probably best to use the sample lane assignment tables that are at the end of this document.

7. Give the lane assignments to the race starter.

8. Click on the Full Screen Display button.

9. If a projector is being used, turn it on (so the audience can see the upcoming race information and the race results).

Run the Qualifiers

1. DerbyMaster should now be ready to go (the race “light” on the top of the screen should be indicating green), so give a thumbs up to the race starter.

2. Once the cars are loaded the race starter should hit the reset button and give a thumbs up to the MC.

3. The race starter or MC can read off the car numbers, just to double-check the proper cars are in the proper lane.

4. The MC and/or the race starter starts the race.

5. They’re off!

6. Manually trigger the finish timer for any dummy cars or cars which did not complete the course (try to avoid creating any ties in doing so and try to do so within 10 seconds).

7. Derbymaster should display the results for the period of time specified as the Auto Reset Time in the Finish Line configuration (45 seconds is recommended). During this time the race starter can be setting up the next race.

Re-Run Race - If a problem occurs and a race needs to be re-run, click “Re-Run Last Race” on the full screen display. This button is discretely located in yellow near the bottom on the right side of the window. Note that this button will be grayed out during the “Auto Reset Time” period (45 seconds). Simply wait for the race “light” on the top of the screen to turn green, click on the yellow button, and run the race as before.

Ties - If there is a tie, DerbyMaster will tell you which cars and which lanes were tied. You must click OK and then rerun the race with only those cars and only in those lanes. DerbyMaster uses this as a tiebreaker, but the original times are used in the cumulative results (in other words, this does not give the tied cars another chance to get an even faster time).

1. When the DerbyMaster race “light” on the top of the screen turns green give a thumbs up to the race starter.

2. Repeat until all races in both rounds of racing have been completed.

Get the Results

1. If a projector is being used, turn it off (or block it) while getting the results (so the audience can’t see the complete standings).

2. Click on Cancel Display to exit the full screen mode.

3. Click on the Standings tab.

4. Select the ranks racing (e.g. Tiger).

5. Click on the “Total” header tab to sort the cars by total time. Make sure the times are sorted from lowest to highest (click twice if need be to get this).

6. Write down for the race starter the car numbers and racer names of the top six places (the race starter can then announce those cars making the finals).

7. Write down (again) the car numbers of the top six places.

Prepare for the Finals

1. Open in DerbyMaster the correct file (e.g. “2009 Pinewood Derby Project Tiger”) from the “finals” directory.

2. Go to the Registration tab and delete those racers not qualifying for the finals (their numbers will still remain in place, but that’s OK). Note that it might be easier to just edit the project file directly in a text editor, but don’t edit a project file that is already in use by DerbyMaster.

Run the Finals

1. Run the finals just as the qualifiers were run, starting with scheduling the races. Note that there are two races in each round.

2. Repeat until all races in both rounds of racing have been completed.

3. If a projector is being used, turn it off (or block it) while tabulating the final results (so as not to spoil the suspense).

4. Get the sorted standings, as described in the “Get the Results” section above.

5. Write down the top three racer names and give to the emcee for announcement.

DerbyMaster Project Template

To use the template (an old DerbyMaster project) to create a new one follow these steps:

1. Create a new text file in a text editor such as notepad. This text file will be your new DerbyMaster project.

2. Copy the text from this section and paste it into the new text file. Make sure to include everything from the “DerbyMaster” line (above the copyright) to the last line (the last of the “DerbyMaster_Sounds” values).

3. Change the line “2009 PINEWOOD DERBY” to reflect the current year.

4. Save the file. Give it a meaningful name like “2009 Pinewood Derby Project” and remember which directory you store it in.

5. Now follow the steps described in the “DerbyMaster 7.0 Setup” section above, starting with the “Creating Additional Projects” step.

DerbyMaster

Copyright (C) 1998-2007 Enterprising Ideas

All Rights Reserved

DerbyMaster (TM) is a trademark of Enterprising Ideas

v7.0

DerbyMaster_Options

0

Tiger

Bobcat

Wolf

Bear

Webelos I

Webelos II

Unlimited

Guest

Rank

Den/Patrol

Car

PACK 95

2009 PINEWOOD DERBY

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False

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Let It Be Known That<CR><DRIVER><CR>Driving Car <#><CR>Has Been Awarded<CR><AWARD>

DerbyMaster_FinishLine

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111111

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DerbyMaster_Registration

1          Zzzz     Wolf    Den 1

DerbyMaster_Track

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2

2 min

00010000

DerbyMaster_Schedule

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False

DerbyMaster_Results

#

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DerbyMaster_Time

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DerbyMaster_Runoff

DerbyMaster_Standings

1111000100011

True

DerbyMaster_Awards

0          Largest Car  

0          Smallest Car 

0          1st Place       

0          Most Colorful Car     

0          2nd Place      

0          Best Workmanship  

0          3rd Place      

0          Best Vehicle Not a Car       

0          Judge's Favorite Car           

0          Slowest Car  

0          Most Humorous Car

0          Most Unusual Car    

0          Best Detail    

0          Most Realistic Looking Car

0          Best Use of Imagination      

DerbyMaster_Statistics

1/19/2006

1/19/2006

1/19/2006

1/19/2006

1/19/2006

1/19/2006

1/19/2006

1/19/2006

1/19/2006

1/19/2006

DerbyMaster_HTML

HTML

C:\Program Files\Enterprising Ideas\DerbyMaster

0

65535

DerbyMaster_Sounds

0         

0         

0         

0         

0         

0         

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Paper Lane Sheets

Round 1

Round 2