Seiko Electronic Starting System

The Seiko Electronic Starting System is a portable electronic starter made by Seiko Time Creation Inc. of Tokyo and sold as model PS-110J. It replaces a blank-cartridge pistol: pulling the trigger sounds an electronic start tone through a battery-powered speaker box, fires a xenon strobe in the pistol itself, and closes a relay contact that starts a connected timer.¹² Seiko sells it as general-purpose equipment, describing it for track and field and for events generally rather than for swimming, and publishes no governing-body certification for it, where its swimming starter, the PS-1400 Electronic Start Sound Generator, is listed as conforming to World Aquatics rules and certified by the Japan Swimming Federation.³⁴⁵ This article is a starting point; the start-systems overview covers the shared background that applies to every starter.

Models and naming¶

The current system is the PS-110J. It is the fifth documented generation of Seiko’s エレクトロニックスタータ line, and the company’s discontinued-product index dates the earlier ones: the PS-105 to 1997, the PS-107 from 1997 to 2002, the PS-109 from 2002 to 2008, and the PS-110 from 2009 to 2022.⁶

The PS-110 is close to this unit but not identical. It shipped with the starter pistol PS-78, the same headset microphone PS-61 and speaker box PS-56, and a 5 m cable with box, PS-81; the PS-110J changed the pistol and cable to the J-suffixed PS-78J and PS-81J and shortened the cable to 0.3 m.⁷¹ The PS-110 has its own operating manual, which unlike this one carries no document number.⁷

Seiko applies the English name “Electronic Starting System” both to this unit and, on its English swimming pages, to the unrelated PS-1400, so the model number is the reliable identifier rather than the name.⁴⁸

The manufacturer is Seiko Time Creation Inc., formed on 1 April 2021 by the merger of Seiko Clock Inc. and Seiko Time Systems Inc., both of them consolidated subsidiaries of Seiko Holdings Corporation, which was renamed Seiko Group Corporation in 2022.⁹ The sports timing and measurement business reached it by an earlier step in the same corporate line: in 1998 Seiko Corporation transferred that business to the company then named Seiko C.S.T., which was renamed Seiko Time Systems at the same time.¹⁰

The system ships as four part-numbered components: the starter pistol PS-78J, the headset microphone PS-61, the speaker box PS-56, and a short interface lead called a cable with box, PS-81J. Eight AA cells for the speaker box and two for the pistol are supplied.¹

Seiko’s manual records which of the company’s other starting equipment the system will not work with, which is where several otherwise undocumented model numbers appear. The PS-110J cannot be used with the PS-210S pistol, which belongs to the PS-200B start signal generator, nor with the PF-125J strobe pistol, which belongs to the PS-1300B electronic start sound generator.¹

The same note in the earlier PS-110 manual names the previous generation of both: the PS-210S for the PS-200B, and a PF-125 pistol belonging to the PS-1200 electronic start sound generator.⁷ Read together, the two editions show the pistol designation tracking the swimming generator it serves, PF-125 with the PS-1200 and PF-125J with the PS-1300B. These incompatibility notes are the only place either pistol has been found in Seiko’s published material, and neither carries a specification anywhere.

Design and hardware¶

The pistol is an aluminium die-cast body measuring 210 W × 145 D × 40 H mm and weighing about 410 g without batteries or cable, with a transparent resin section over the strobe and a black resin battery holder. It runs on two AA alkaline cells and carries the trigger, the microphone jack, a microphone volume control, a ready lamp, and the switch that selects between the two start sounds.¹

The speaker box is a moulded ABS enclosure in off-white, 102 W × 216 D × 219 H mm and about 1.6 kg without cells, with a horn speaker on the front face that Seiko directs be turned towards the athletes. Its top panel carries the volume control, a battery-life indicator, the power switch and a whistle switch; the rear carries a voice switch, an external power input terminal that Seiko states is not used in this system, the combined AUX and MIC input, and the battery cover. An M8 socket in the base takes a tripod, for which Seiko suggests, for reference, one whose legs describe a circle 1,300 mm across when opened, with a stand height of 1,000–1,600 mm.¹

The headset microphone is a condenser type weighing about 45 g including its cable, with a pin plug that goes into the pistol rather than directly into the speaker box. Seiko warns that connecting it straight to the speaker box will not reproduce the starter’s voice correctly.¹

Neither the pistol nor the speaker box is drip-proof. Seiko’s manual states this three times, once in the safety warnings and again in each of the two specification tables, and directs that the equipment be kept clear of splashes and rain in use and in storage. That is a material constraint for poolside use, and it is one of the points on which the purpose-built PS-1400, which is supplied with a splash-proof cover, differs from this unit.¹⁵

Operation¶

The starter wears the headset, holds the pistol, and speaks to the field through the microphone, whose voice is amplified through the same speaker box that will sound the start. Pulling the trigger fires the strobe and plays the start sound together, and the start signal leaves the interface lead at the same moment.¹

Two start sounds are selectable on the pistol, an imitation gunshot and an electronic beep.¹³ A separate whistle switch on the speaker box sounds a whistle for as long as it is held; its level is fixed and the volume control does not affect it.¹

The battery-life indicator on the speaker box lights steadily while the cells hold sufficient charge and flashes when they need replacing. Seiko directs that batteries be changed every day and that only fresh cells be fitted, on the grounds that old cells cause malfunctions in use.¹

The voice switch carries a timing consequence. Seiko directs that it be left off in normal use, noting that switching it on reduces battery consumption but may leave the start sound and the strobe flash out of step with each other.¹ Timers are directed to start from the flash rather than the tone, as the start-systems overview describes, so that setting works against the reason the strobe is fitted.

Seiko also warns against firing the strobe towards anyone’s eyes or looking directly into it, which it says may cause a momentary loss of vision.¹

Audio¶

The speaker box is rated at 6 W with a maximum of 10 W, and Seiko gives its practical sound pressure level as 93 dBV at a distance of 10 m. Its audio input is rated at -20 dBV; the pistol delivers the start sound at -18 dBV and the microphone at up to -5 dBV.¹ United States resellers quote the same figure as 93 dB at 30 feet, which is the same measurement in local units.¹¹

Up to ten speaker boxes can be connected to one system, chained by 3.5 mm plug cables into either the MIC or the AUX connector of the next box. Seiko sets two limits on the arrangement: the total cable length from the pistol to the farthest speaker box must be 20 m or less, and every connected box must be switched on, because leaving one off while the system is in use is not a supported configuration.¹

Twenty metres of total cable is the practical ceiling on how far this system can distribute a start. It is enough to place boxes along a pool deck, but it is not the per-lane loudspeaker arrangement that World Aquatics requires for championship swimming, which the start-systems overview describes.

Connections¶

The start signal for external timers leaves the PS-81J cable with box. Seiko specifies it as a Photo-MOS relay output, converted to a low-resistance signal by a semiconductor relay and issued in sync with the electronic sound. The output appears between pins 1 and 3 of an MJ-192 connector made by Marushin Electric Manufacturing, and the mating cable-side connectors are the MP-132 or MP-132/8.¹

Because the output is a dry relay contact rather than a driven signal, Seiko sets a load limit on whatever it is wired to: no more than 100 V AC or DC, and no more than 0.1 A.¹

The other two connections on the same lead are a voice output plug, which goes to the AUX or MIC terminal of the speaker box, and an input connector for the pistol. Seiko specifies that only the supplied cables be used.¹

Sources disagree on the length of this lead. The PS-110J manual gives the PS-81J as 0.3 m, while the B2B listing on IPROS gives 5 m for the same part number; Seiko’s own PS-110J page gives no length, and the earlier PS-110 was supplied with a 5 m PS-81. The manual is the more specific source for the current system.¹³²⁷

Specifications¶

Starter pistol (PS-78J):

Power	DC 3 V (2 × LR06 AA alkaline)
Strobe	Xenon lamp
Strobe life	Approx. 1,200 flashes at one-minute intervals
Start signal	Photo-MOS relay output
Start sound	-18 dBV; two sounds selectable
Microphone level	-5 dBV at maximum volume
Enclosure	Aluminium die cast (black); transparent resin strobe section
Dimensions	210 W × 145 D × 40 H mm
Weight	Approx. 410 g (excluding batteries and cable)
Operating temperature	-10 to +50 °C, non-condensing
Storage temperature	-15 to +60 °C, non-condensing
Environment	Outdoors; not drip-proof

Speaker box (PS-56):

Power	DC 12 V (8 × LR06 AA alkaline)
Current draw	Approx. 3 A on pistol sound; approx. 150 mA silent
Battery life	Approx. 8,000 pistol sounds
Audio input	-20 dBV
Rated output	6 W (10 W maximum)
Sound pressure	93 dBV at 10 m
Enclosure	ABS resin, off-white
Dimensions	102 W × 216 D × 219 H mm
Weight	Approx. 1.6 kg (excluding batteries)
Operating temperature	-5 to +40 °C, non-condensing
Storage temperature	-15 to +50 °C, non-condensing
Environment	Outdoors; not drip-proof

Headset microphone (PS-61):

Type	Condenser microphone
Output impedance	1.6 kΩ ±30%
Sensitivity	-68 dBV ±3 dBV
Dimensions	160 W × 170 D × 68 H mm
Weight	Approx. 45 g (including cable)

Seiko’s battery-life figure for the speaker box is defined as the number of pistol sounds it will produce before the sound pressure falls to 91 dB at 10 m, rather than as a running time.¹

The speaker box height differs between sources, and the split is largely generational. The PS-56 is 258 mm tall in the PS-110 manual, in the Track and Field catalogue and on the discontinued PS-110 listing, and 219 mm in the PS-110J manual and on the Japanese PS-110J product page.^7121312 United States resellers, who list the older system, quote 10 inches.¹¹ The split is not clean, though: Seiko’s own English page, which is headed PS-110J, gives 258 mm and names the pistol PS-78 rather than PS-78J, so it appears to carry PS-110-era figures under the newer model name.⁴ The manuals are the more specific source for each generation.

Battery life is reported differently and the manual is preferred. Seiko’s Japanese pages and the manual agree on approximately 8,000 pistol sounds for the speaker box, while the company’s English product page gives approximately 3,000 operations.¹²⁴ Resellers also state that one set of batteries powers the starter and speaker for up to 1,200 starts, which conflates the pistol’s strobe life with the speaker box’s separate and much longer cell life.¹¹

Part numbers and accessories¶

The system is PS-110J. Its components are the starter pistol PS-78J, the headset microphone PS-61, the speaker box PS-56, and the cable with box PS-81J.¹

Additional PS-56 boxes are the documented way to extend coverage, within the ten-box and 20 m limits above.¹ A Malaysian distributor lists optional SP-1200 loudspeakers as an extension to the system.¹⁴ Seiko itself documented an SP-1200 loudspeaker, but as an option for a different unit, the athletics PS-1200TR, on its former traditional-Chinese site.¹⁵ The part is therefore attested, though no Seiko source connects it to this system.

Seiko lists the system in Japan at ¥286,000 including tax, ¥260,000 before tax.² United States resellers list it at about US$2,595.¹¹

See also¶

• Seiko PS-109 Electronic Starter: the previous generation, and through it the PS-107 and PS-105
• PS-1400 Electronic Start Sound Generator: Seiko’s swimming-certified starter
• Start systems: the start-system overview and governing-body requirements
• External speakers: the lane and auxiliary loudspeakers a deck-wired start system drives
• Seiko: the manufacturer
• Equipment: the wider equipment reference

References¶

Footnotes¶

1. Seiko Time Creation, Electronic Starting System PS-110J Operating Manual (document I-7813-3, Japanese and English). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵

2. Seiko Time Creation, PS-110J (specifications and Japanese list price). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. IPROS, Seiko Time Creation Electronic Starter (component part numbers and the track-and-field framing). ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. Seiko Time Creation, Electronic Starting System PS-110J (English product page; it names the pistol PS-78 and gives the speaker box as 258 mm tall). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

5. Seiko Time Creation, Swimming Systems Catalogue (December 2025), p. 6. ↩ ↩²

6. Seiko Time Creation, discontinued multi-timing products (manufacturing periods for the PS-105, PS-107, PS-109 and PS-110). ↩

7. Seiko Time Creation, Electronic Starting System PS-110 Operating Manual (Japanese and English; no document number printed). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

8. Seiko Time Creation, Electronic Starting System PS-1400. ↩

9. Seiko Holdings Corporation, notice of the merger forming Seiko Time Creation Inc. (15 December 2020; effective 1 April 2021; both companies described as consolidated subsidiaries). ↩

10. Seiko Time Creation, company chronology (1998 transfer of the sports timing business from Seiko Corporation, with the rename to Seiko Time Systems). ↩

11. Dealer listings: Competitive Edge International; Morley Athletic Supply; Scheels. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

12. Seiko Time Creation, Track and Field Systems Catalogue, p. 26 (the PS-110 with the PS-78 pistol and PS-56 speaker box). ↩

13. Seiko Time Creation, PS-110 (discontinued-product listing; manufactured 2009–2022). ↩

14. AFN Sports, Seiko Track and Field Electronic Starting System (a distributor listing optional SP-1200 loudspeakers). ↩

15. Internet Archive, Seiko PS-1200TR, 18 August 2016 snapshot (naming the optional SP-1200 loudspeaker). ↩