Daniel Wu
Premium Member
As far as I am aware, the gen 2 timers are no longer available for purchase from the Speedstack website because they are only selling gen 3 timers. Also, at US Nationals this year, there were gen 3 timers that were used. So I have several questions.
Is the WCA going to eventually have to make the transition from gen 2 to gen 3 timers? Does the WCA prefer one type of timer over another? If the WCA prefers the gen 2 timer, is there still a way to purchase new gen 2 timers?
What is the procedure for recording times off of a gen 3 timer? For example, a time of 12.348. Is that recorded as 12.348 (actual time), 12.34 (time on external display, truncated), or 12.35 (time to the hundredths (rounded)? How exactly are averages calculated using this system? Assuming times are recorded in full to the thousandth, does one round the times (to the hundredth) before calculating the average or after calculating the average? While often negligible, this could make a difference in someones average if only by a hundredth. And of course, having some kind of standardization (possibly outlined in the WCA Regulations?) is good for keeping consistency as far as calculating the results.
Another question/problem I have is stopping the timer. Sometimes, when stopping the gen 3 timers, it resets to 0 despite the reset button never being pressed (at least in my experience with 3 gen 3 timers). This happens significantly more frequently than with the gen 2 timers. Is the competitor awarded another solve? I believe this is the case based on Article 11 of the WCA Regulations. However, if this is a common occurrence, it could cause major problems. In a way, it's similar to the POP rule where people could potentially make their cube POP on a bad solve in order to get a new scramble. I notice that the timer only resets when hit with a good bit of force, even though it is not stopped unreasonably forcefully. So, people could realize that they are having a bad solve and intentionally stop the timer with unnecessary force in the hopes of getting a new scramble.
Basically, I'm just confused about what exactly the procedures are for the new gen 3 timers and also bringing up some problems that they pose.
(Sorry if there are typos, it's like 2:30 in the morning haha)
Is the WCA going to eventually have to make the transition from gen 2 to gen 3 timers? Does the WCA prefer one type of timer over another? If the WCA prefers the gen 2 timer, is there still a way to purchase new gen 2 timers?
What is the procedure for recording times off of a gen 3 timer? For example, a time of 12.348. Is that recorded as 12.348 (actual time), 12.34 (time on external display, truncated), or 12.35 (time to the hundredths (rounded)? How exactly are averages calculated using this system? Assuming times are recorded in full to the thousandth, does one round the times (to the hundredth) before calculating the average or after calculating the average? While often negligible, this could make a difference in someones average if only by a hundredth. And of course, having some kind of standardization (possibly outlined in the WCA Regulations?) is good for keeping consistency as far as calculating the results.
Another question/problem I have is stopping the timer. Sometimes, when stopping the gen 3 timers, it resets to 0 despite the reset button never being pressed (at least in my experience with 3 gen 3 timers). This happens significantly more frequently than with the gen 2 timers. Is the competitor awarded another solve? I believe this is the case based on Article 11 of the WCA Regulations. However, if this is a common occurrence, it could cause major problems. In a way, it's similar to the POP rule where people could potentially make their cube POP on a bad solve in order to get a new scramble. I notice that the timer only resets when hit with a good bit of force, even though it is not stopped unreasonably forcefully. So, people could realize that they are having a bad solve and intentionally stop the timer with unnecessary force in the hopes of getting a new scramble.
Basically, I'm just confused about what exactly the procedures are for the new gen 3 timers and also bringing up some problems that they pose.
(Sorry if there are typos, it's like 2:30 in the morning haha)