I think it's called resonant inductive coupling in this case?, but yeah, for whatever reason, they avoid calling it what I have always thought it was, which was a form of RFID.

Yeah if your into tech and how things work, it's actually worth while looking at some of the technical docs on MyLaps (most date back a fair way), but it's got some interesting things about how it actually registers a passing time...

As your car approaches, then passes the loop, the decoder actually picks your car up as far back as a meter or more, then measures your fall off in signal once passed, calculates your peak, then time stamps your passing at the calculated peak (I think much of that is so regardless of how well placed your transponder is, or how strong a signal it puts out, all cars will be timed equally with that system).

Really it is an interesting use of the technology in general, I find it funny it has Russian origins (there is likely a good joke in there somewhere).

Bingo Mr. Malphurs. Alfonsus Maria Bervoets (see the acronym? And brother of Serpent's Pieter who saw the need) and Frans Hin produced the AMB8300 system somewhere around 1983. If someone is aware of an earlier automated transponder lap counting system I would greatly appreciate the information.

As Bishop suggests, it is true that virtually all inventions are based on and build on the work of others and use existing components and materials. Same for RFID, the R goes back to Marconi and others, the F to Hertz and others, ad infinitum.

+1

+1

If RFID is so inexpensive, then I guess MRT has followed in the same boat of charging too much for a simple transponder. I can understand why MyLaps does (research, development, marketing, etc) but MRT doesnt make a decoder either...

There pricing is easy to rationalize if you consider the fewer numbers they sell, which thus brings to mind yet another reason the mylaps transponders should be cheaper.
Thanks for bringing it up.

sorry is this has been covered already but i'm alittle confused on what transponders will work and what ones won't. i have 2 older amb transponders,the ones with the 3 tabs and i have 1 mylaps that i have had for about 2 yrs. my track says that they will use the new system starting in july. if i exchange my current trans ponders will they work with the old system? and which one or all of my current transponders will need to be updated?

Green means they work, red means they do not

so the older mylaps will work with the new system? seems like only the mrt transponders will be a problem.

not exactly, each of their systems is proprietary, like Spektrum vs. Futaba 2.4ghz systems. You couldn't take one of our R/C PT's to a Go Kart track that uses Mylaps and have it work.

Yes.

So if one tire manufacturer is more popular, and sells more, they should price them lower? Your logic make no sense to me.

Do I like paying $100+ for a new PT, no. Can I understand why I have to, yes.

Do I blame Mylaps for not having any competition, no. Why would I?

If I'm selling a unique product that everyone wants (to say we need to use Mylaps would be incorrect) why should I sell my product for less than the market will bare? Should I cut my profits simply to be a "nice guy"? From a business stand point that would simply be stupid.

Actually I believe at one point AMB were selling the club rechargeable transponders to indoor kart tracks and the like, so same exact everything being used for RC and indoor kart tracks.

Even though they have a more upscale kart transponder now, basically it's still the same exact decoder used for everything they time, they just alter the firmware to tell it what to pickup or not, likewise you can signal test most every transponder they make with the same bit of equipment, it's just some number coding etc they change from one sport to another.

Somewhat proof of this is they just rewrote code to make the latest firmware drop passings from MRT transponders, nothing changed in the RC3 decoders, they just tweaked the firmware.
If they wanted to, they could modify firmware that would then recognize every transponder from every sport they time, but it's of not interest to them, they can make more money creating perceived unique transponders for each sport.

To be fair, different sports have often a somewhat different requirement for transponder design, but that would be for the most part say the internal antenna size for say full sized cars where it needs a further read range, but really there is no reason for any model they make to operate differently.

understand and can agree. My main point would be that they don't work together, unless Mylaps wants them to. If they did the 1:1 guys wouldn't be paying 4+ times what we do, they would simply find a way to use our cheaper R/C PT's...right

The point I am making is MyLaps announced last year, the new system was made to stop cloning. Well it worked. Now people who have purchased a MRT are now blaming MyLaps??? Why?? Everybody who purchased a MRT needs to back to MRT and say fix this.. MyLaps is not responsible for MRT's not working. Every one of the AMB/MyLaps PT works with the new system. Now people are saying they are going to have all the old stuff stop working.. I dont think so (plus I have talked to MyLaps on the phone) If they did that, then they would be shooting themselves in the foot.

Poeple need to stop all the whining and complaining. You purchased the MRT's knowing its a copy of the original.