Wireless display options

While it takes a little more time and money to set up your LED display panels as fully portable in the long run you will find it was well worth it. The GliderScore Display Interface board is designed as a low-power controller that can run an LED display panel on battery power (see the interface board page for power consumption details). When you add a wireless link between your GliderScore laptop and your LED displays you have the ability to place your panels literally anywhere on the field without wires or any impact on your laptop connections.

Here are several options to consider:

GridConnect ATC-863 Wireless 232 adapter

Information page here from GridConnect, a US firm. A pair of these wireless adapters will give you a wireless RS-232 link on 430mHz for up to 300m/980 ft. These units are $87 each (Oct 2021). Be sure to order the RS-232 option. You will need two of these for a link to a single LED timing panel. Any additional panels only need one more ATC-863 adapter. Many clubs in the USA are using these with great success. We consider these the best wireless option if money is not a critical factor in your LED timing panel build.

eByte E32-DTU (915L20) wireless adapter

Another option is to use eByte E32-DTU (915L20) wireless adapters that use the LoRa protocol on 930mHz. These are made in China. Search eBay with “E32-DTU-915L20”. These units sell for $25 each (Oct 2021). Be aware that the LoRa protocol uses “forward error correction” that adds significant latency to the wireless link. So to minimize delay when you configure these units you MUST turn off the FEC (forward error correction) option and set the “Air rate” to 9600. With these options the visible LED clock latency is reduced to 0.1 to 0.2 seconds based on our tests in 2019.