Daktronics Pushbutton

The Daktronics pushbutton is the hand-held backup timing button used with the swim-timing systems made by Daktronics, Inc., of Brookings, South Dakota. A timer standing behind a lane presses it as the swimmer touches the wall, which records a backup time for that lane on the OmniSport 2000 timing console; it is the human-operated check on the T-7000 series touchpad at each lane.¹² The console reads up to three buttons per lane alongside the pad.¹³ Daktronics does not publish a standalone product listing or part number for the button; it is supplied as a component of the company’s deck-cabling systems, and Daktronics states that its buttons and Colorado Time Systems buttons are interchangeable.⁴⁵

Role in the timing system¶

The pushbuttons overview covers the shared background that applies to every backup button: the layered primary/secondary/tertiary timing structure, the governing-body rules that require independent backup, and how button times resolve into an official time. The Daktronics button’s part is the secondary layer of a Daktronics installation: the OmniSport 2000 console performs automatic timing and judging for up to ten lanes with two touchpads per lane and one, two, or three backup buttons per lane, each button read independently of the pad.¹ The same button also serves the console’s track mode, where a race can be started from the horn start, a pushbutton, or a gun transducer, and buttons at the finish line record times for each lane.²

Use with the OmniSport 2000¶

During a race the console records each button press as a backup time next to the lane’s pad time. On the printed results a lane’s button times carry the labels B1 through B3, a backup time is labeled B or BK, and an asterisk flags a discrepancy between the touchpad and the backup times, so the operator can spot a lane whose pad and buttons disagree.² Printing of backup times is a console printer setting, and Daktronics’ meet procedure has the operator print results with backup times after each race.² Through the OmniSport 2000 Pro Swimming software, button times pass to the meet-management computer along with touchpad, relay-exchange, and start-reaction times.⁶

After a start or a split the console applies an arming delay, settable from 0 to 99 seconds, during which lane inputs are ignored; it exists mainly so a finished relay athlete can leave the pool without adding a touch.² Daktronics’ pre-meet checklist ends with a test race that is started with the horn start and finished with all of the pushbuttons and touchpads, verifying every lane input before competition.²

The button doubles as the system’s test probe. The console’s lane test screen (menu 5, then 2) shows each lane’s inputs, and Daktronics’ systems check has a technician plug a pushbutton into each touchpad and button connection in turn: the LCD shows TP, B1, B2, or B3 for the jack under test when the wiring is good.³⁷

Design and connection¶

The button is a momentary switch potted into a sealed hand-held housing on a cord that ends in a dual banana plug; Daktronics describes its buttons as potted, non-repairable assemblies.⁵ The plug follows the convention used across Daktronics deck cabling: the plug’s ground tab must line up with the black female jack, or the timing system will not read the input.⁸

Where the button plugs in depends on the installation. An on-deck system runs a cable harness along the deck with a lane module at each lane, and the module carries the touchpad jack and the button jacks; an in-deck system terminates each lane’s wiring at a deck plate set into the pool deck, with jacks labeled TP, B1, B2, and B3 for the pad and the three buttons, alongside the lane’s speaker and start connections.⁸³ Daktronics states that its pushbuttons and Colorado Time Systems pushbuttons are cross-compatible, so either maker’s button can be used on either maker’s lane wiring; the KB answer is simply “Yes; they are cross compatible.”⁴

Care and maintenance¶

The banana plug and the jacks it mates with are the maintenance points, because pool water corrodes the contacts. At setup, Daktronics has the male pins of every deck-cabling banana connector coated with a small amount of silicone from the maintenance kit before plugging in.² After every event the deck plates or lane modules are cleaned with a .22 caliber brass or fiber bristle brush and refilled with fresh silicone lubricant; Daktronics sells the lubricant as LU-1002 and a complete maintenance kit as 0A-1240-0003.⁹

The button itself is not serviced. Daktronics lists its potted pushbuttons, along with its touchpads and lane modules, as non-repairable items with no repair-and-return option; a failed button is replaced with a new one.⁵

Specifications¶

Type	Manual momentary backup timing button, potted housing
Connector	Dual banana plug (ground tab aligns with the black jack)
Connection points	Lane module button jacks (on-deck) or deck plate B1/B2/B3 jacks (in-deck)
Buttons per lane	1, 2, or 3, read independently of the touchpad
Controller	OmniSport 2000 timing console (up to 10 lanes)
Printout labels	B1-B3 per button; B or BK backup time; asterisk on pad/backup discrepancy
Interchangeability	Cross-compatible with Colorado Time Systems pushbuttons
Serviceability	Non-repairable (potted); replaced rather than repaired
Maintenance kit	0A-1240-0003 (brush and LU-1002 silicone lubricant)

Part numbers and accessories¶

• 0A-1240-0003, maintenance kit containing a cleaning brush and LU-1002 silicone lubricant for the deck plates and lane modules the button plugs into.⁹

Daktronics does not publish a part number for the button itself, which is supplied as a component of the company’s deck-cabling systems.⁵

See also¶

• Pushbuttons: the pushbutton overview and governing-body requirements
• Colorado Time Systems Pushbutton: the interchangeable CTS button
• T-7000 Series Touchpad: the primary lane input the button backs up
• HS-200 Horn Start: the Daktronics start system on the other side of the timing system
• Timers: the timing console the button reports to
• Equipment: the equipment reference

References¶

Footnotes¶

1. Daktronics, Touchpad support (OmniSport timing of up to 10 lanes with two touchpads and one, two, or three backup buttons per lane). ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. Daktronics, OmniSport 2000 Swimming Quick Reference (ED-13584, Rev 8, 19 August 2013) (printout labels, backups printing, arming delay, pre-meet test race, silicone at setup, track-mode starts). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

3. Daktronics, How to perform an Aquatics Systems Check (KB DD3536111) (test mode via menu 5-2; a button in each touchpad/button connection shows TP, B1, B2, B3 on the console LCD). ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. Daktronics, Are Daktronics and Colorado Timing System push buttons cross compatible? (KB DD2017009) (“Yes; they are cross compatible”). ↩ ↩²

5. Daktronics, Can touchpads, push buttons, or lane modules be reconditioned or repaired? (KB DD2416737) (potted push buttons are non-repairable; replace with new). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

6. Daktronics, OmniSport 2000 Pro Swimming Software Installation & Operation Manual (DD3109473) (gathers touchpad, button, relay-exchange, and start-reaction times). ↩

7. Daktronics, How to test a Daktronics Lane Module (KB 000009528) (a standard push button plugged into the lane module jacks verifies each input on the console LCD). ↩

8. Daktronics, T-7000 Series Touchpads Installation & Maintenance Manual (DD1953274) (lane module and deck plate connections; ground-tab rule for dual banana plugs). ↩ ↩²

9. Daktronics, How do I maintain or clean a pool’s OmniSport 2000 and timing system? (KB DD2425415) (brush cleaning and silicone lubricant for deck plates and lane modules; LU-1002; maintenance kit 0A-1240-0003). ↩ ↩²