Pack 353 Pinewood Race Committee Notebook This notebook contains the information needed to plan and run the annual pinewood derby.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Table of Contents Committee Timeline ................................................................................................................... 3 School Permissions Needed ...................................................................................................... 5 Check-in Team........................................................................................................................... 6 Staging Team ...............................................
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Committee Timeline Pinewood Derby Timeline: August: 1) Establish Calendar for Pinewood derby a. December Pack meeting, Pass out cars and set up track for test runs. b. January Pack meeting, Test and weigh cars. Next to last week of January. c. January Pack Activity, Run actual race, Early start time. Last week of January. October Pack meeting: 1) Fill all Den Coordinator positions for Pinewood Derby. November Committee meeting: 1) Identify someone to pick up pinewood cars for Dec.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Pinewood Derby Night: 1) Run Pinewood derby as planned! Page 4 2012 pinewood notebook
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook School Permissions Needed School contacts 1) Champions rents the cafeteria until 6:30, in order for us to gain access before this time we must get it cleared. I have been contacting Viv in the office and also introducing myself to the Champions staff. They have all been great about supporting us but this needs to be done in advance, I have been contacting them about 4 weeks so they have time to make other plans.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Check-in Team Staffing – total 3 people Two people are needed to man the check-in table. One person will do weigh-ins and the other will put stickers with numbers on TOP the cars, hand out name tags and enter data into the computer and log name on check-in sheet. We will keep a hand written login sheet as a backup in case something should happen to the computers. One person will be needed for the hallway table.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Job Descriptions: Hall Director/First Check in – This person will sit at the card table at the hall. At this station all cars will be check for track clearance using the special jig. The bottom of the car should clear this jig. If the car does not clear this jig it may drag on the track and slow it down. This jig is 3/8 of an inch thick which is the specification but slightly thicker than the actual track.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Check-In Materials Needed 1) One small card table for placing in the hall. We used a 24X48 in folding table. 2) One large folding tables (Costco type 30 in x 72 in, The seats on the lunch tables get in the way. 3) Name Tags – Should be done before the race with name and car number on them.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Staging Team Staffing Two people are needed to man the staging table. Two – Three people needed pick cars up at the finish line and take them back to staging area. Two people for counting votes for awards. Figure 2 - Staging Job Descriptions: Staging table The two people at this table will set up the tables and staging racks before the race. Pre-number the staging racks for easy identification and storage of cars.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook round labels. The cars need to be kept in the racks in numerical order at all times except when they are racing, see Figure 2. During check-in the cars will be moved in boxes from the check-in to the race staging area. One person needs to be at the staging table at all times to make sure the cars do not get handled by the cubs. Prior to the race the cubs will vote on their favorite car.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Track setup and Starter Team Staffing Two people are needed for track set up. The same two people can also do the starting gates during the race. One person is needed for computer, This person will man the computer for the entire race and needs to be trained on the software before the race. Figure 3 Track Setup Job Descriptions: Track Setup Track set up will be done in the cafeteria. One track will be set up as shown in Figure 3.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Run test runs to make sure everything is connected properly. NOTE: Get chairs out from under stage before setting up track! When assembling the track start with the joint closest to the start gate and work toward the finish line. Finger start all 4 screws before tightening. The screws should be able to be turned with fingers or light pressure with screw driver. Be careful not to cross thread the screws.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Once the screws are tight run your finger over the seam. The track should be flush. If it is not flush check to make sure the screws are all tight. If the joint is still not flush, remove the screws and look for debris on the underside of the joint. If the seam is still not flush after reassembly you may need to lightly sand the seam to make it flush ( I have never had to do this so check carefully for obstructions first). The next step is easiest with two people.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook The last step for the track assembly is to connect the large leg at the start gate to the support bar with a bolt through the connecting hinge. That’s it, ready to hook up the timer. Figure 4 Start gate cable storage The start gate/reset cable is stored under the first section of track. Undo the straps that hold the cable in place and stretch to the end of the track. There will be excess cable so tuck it under the track where there is room.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Figure 5 Finish Line sensor assembly The finish line sensor is attached to the track with a thumb screw on each side of the track. Make sure the connection cables are on the same side of the track so they can be plugged together once the thumb screws are tight. Figure 6 Finish Line sensor cable connection Plug in the finish line sensor. Make sure the red marks are matched up.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Figure 7 Start line cable and display extension cable connection Plug in the start line/reset cable (top blue cable). Then plug in the 3 ft finish line cable. This is the flat gray cable. Match up the red marks when plugging in. Figure 8 Finish line power supply connetion Plug in the AC power adapter to the finish line sensor.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Figure 9 Digital display connection Plug the other end of the display cable into the digital display. Match up red marks on the connector. Figure 10 Bolting Display to track There are two long screws used to bold the display to the track to prevent it from betting knocked over during the race.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Figure 11 Start line cable management clips Between the start and finish line are white clips for the start line cable. Put the cable in these clips to keep it off the floor. Figure 12 Timer control cable, Serial to USB conversion cable The blue cable that comes off of the finish line has a serial cable connector. Connect the short one foot USB adapter cable. This will allow the track to be connected to any computer with a USB connections.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook NOTE: The computer connected to the USB cable will need to have a special driver installed. See computer setup section. Race Starters The starters man the starting gate on each track. The starting gate consists of wooden dowels that hold the car in place until the start lever is pulled. Then a rubber band pulls the dowels down allowing the cars to race down the track. The starters need to raise the dowels and lock the handle in place before loading any cars.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook 7) Projector , cables and screen (we used the stage backdrop and it seemed good) 8) Extension power cord for track and computer, min of 3 plug-ins. 9) Table and chair for Computer (small folding table will work) 10) Stand to hold and elevate Projector 11) One pillow for bumpers at the end of the track, make sure the pillow is tied in place to prevent movement. 12) Checker flags for barrier around the tracks. See picture for setup.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Computer Setup Staffing 1-2 people Job Descriptions: Set up computers The computers are need to be set up prior to the race and checked out with the track to make sure everything is configured correctly. We have used two laptops in the past so that one could be used for check in and the other could be used for getting the track set up prior the race. Data has been transferred between computers with either a portable hard drive or a jump drive.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook 3) Launch the GrandPrix Race Management software. The screen should look like this. Th 4) Click the short cut icon for Quick Start Tutorial. This will allow you to run the Basic Setup Wizard to get the software set up. a. The first page will ask if you are running with a timer and which timer. The timer to select is “The Champ(Best Track)/SmartLine ( e TekGadget)” Our timer is a SmartLine made by e TekGadget. b. The next page asks how you want to run the race by times or points.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook i. Race Vehicle = Race Car ii. Race Registration Custom field = Car Name iii. Number of lanes should be 4 iv. Lane Labels = Numbers v. Display Names = First Name Last Name vi. Use Subgroups should be checked b. Under Schedules Tab Nothing needs to be selected c. Under Racing Tab i. Track Records – Do not check this box ii. Scale Speed = MPH iii. Track Length = 29.0 ft iv. Vehicle Scale = 1 inch = 25 inches v.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook c. Click Save when Done 11) Skip the Define Awards 12) Click the Register Racers Tab and enter all the boys in the Pack, make sure sub groups match den numbers. Car name, use Den number and it will be displayed on the video display. Leave passed and excluded blank and they will be filled in at check-in. This data can be manually entered or generated in an excel spread sheet and imported.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Finish Line Team and seating setup Staffing 2 finish line people are required to make sure scouts stay away from finish line and to pick up the cars and load them into the return boxes. Figure 15 Finish Line Job Descriptions: Seating Setup Seating for kids needs be set up along the sides of the tracks using mats from the gym if available as shown in Figure 16. Additional seating can be set up behind the mat for adults.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Figure 16 Track and seating setup Finish Line During the race two people will be placed at the finish line. Their job will be to keep people away from the track and to load the cars from the finish line for return to the staging area. The finish line personnel are the ONLY PEOPLE ALLOWED TO TOUCH CARS. Judges also need to watch the bumpers at the end of the track and keep the pillows positions tight against the track see Figure 14.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Announcer Staffing One highly energized person Job description: Before the race the announcer will need to set up the PA system. The announcer will be located at the finish line with the ability to read the computer projection, See photo Figure 17. The announcers job will be to bring excitement to the race! They will also be calling out the starting cars on each track and announcing the winners. At the end of the race the announcer will award the winning trophies.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Repair Station/Pit Crew Staffing One person . Job description: Set up and man a table for scouts to adjust weight of make last minute repairs prior to checking in. It is recommended that this person let parents and scouts themselves do the modifications. Pit Crew Material: 1) Cafeteria Table 2) Paper table cover to keep graphite off of tables, Paper is better than plastic since graphite tends to adhere to paper. 3) Tape for table cover.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Pre Race Activity Staffing One or Two people with QUIET games. Job description: Provide activity to keep cubs entertained while check in is being done. In 2012 a memory game was used where objects were placed on a tray and then shown to the boys. They were given a short time to view and then one item was removed. The object was to guess which item was removed. Figure 18 Pre Race activity Pre Race Materials Needed 1) Activities and materials for about 30 min.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Music Staffing 1 person Job description: To provide pre race music. This has been planned for the past two years but due to oversights and technical issues we have not had music. The idea is to add some additional energy and fun while check in is still going on. An Ipod or CD player could be used and could be connected into the amplifier system. Make sure this is checked out prior to the race so that the correct connectors are available.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Flag Ceremony Staffing Minimum of 3 boys Job description: Present and dismiss the flags and lead in the pledge of allegiance. Flags will be posted by the stage. Materials Needed Flags will need to be out of locked storage closets before the race starts.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Cafeteria Layout Figure 19 Cafeteria Race Night Layout Page 32 2012 pinewood notebook
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Figure 20 Photo of Track Layout Page 33 2012 pinewood notebook
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Awards Staffing One person Job description: Purchase all the awards needed for the race. All awards have been purchased at the scout store on Nato Parkway. The Trophies need to be engraved, we used Crown Trophy. Pinewood Ribbons, need enough for one per boy to be given at check-in. Trophies – 4 place trophies are needed. One 9 inch for first place, one 8 inch for second place and two 7 inch for third and fourth place.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook First Place Pack 353 2012 Pinewood Derby Second Place Pack 353 2012 Pinewood Derby Third Place Pack 353 2012 Pinewood Derby Fourth Place Pack 353 2012 Pinewood Derby Ribbons – These will be given to the design awards. 7 total ribbons will be needed with a mix of car colors. Awards will be given as follows: o Page 35 Design awards to be given pinewood pins.
Pack 353 Pinewood Notebook Pinewood Derby Segments- One per boy will be needed to be given out at check-in.
