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SportsDesign rev A, 27 Oct 2026: CAD, fit checks, assembled finish-line model and race checks done; not built

SchoolMeet

One timing kit for a school's swimming gala and its athletics sports day: start from the horn or gun, every lane timed, one results app

One kit does the jobs of SplitBlock GalaTime (synced-start gala timing with one stop button per timekeeper) and SplitPole MeetTime (track races timed by two finish poles that read the lane), plus SplitPole's sprint-gate training. The MeetBox is the one brain: it hears the horn or gun (or sees the flash), sends one start to every TapGrip and pole, works out official times by the swimming rulebook method in the pool and joins times to the place judge's order on the track, and serves one results app.

Who buys it
The PE department or sports-day organiser of a school, or a multi-sport club, that runs a swimming gala and an athletics day each year with parent volunteers holding stopwatches.
Why it pays
Bought separately, GalaTime ($599) and the MeetTime Kit ($499) cost $1,098 and need two start units and two results pages. SchoolMeet is $899 (target) with one MeetBox, one app, and TapGrips that double as synced backup watches at the track.
Target price
$899 per kit (target): MeetBox, 8 TapGrips and 2 finish SplitPoles
First-minute wow
The same orange buttons time lane 4 at the gala in March and the hidden runner in lane 5 at sports day in June, both started by the horn or gun, not by a thumb.
See the CAD designConcept page
SchoolMeet concept: the idea and where each part goes
The concept. The CAD design is below, under Printable CAD.

What the research found

And how this design answers it

  • Two start units (GalaTime StartBox, MeetTime GunEar) → one MeetBox with the StartBox's mic and wired start line plus the GunEar's flash photodiode
  • One brain runs both race engines unchanged (GalaTime 10/10 and MeetTime 12/12 checks pass) and serves one app instead of two results pages
  • At the track the TapGrips are the backup watches MeetTime asked for, already started by the same start message, so a hidden runner gets a synced time (4/4 shared checks pass)
  • Dropped: the GunEar and the lead pole's own results page. Kept as unchanged add-ons: LanePods (training laps, gala camera check) and TakeOff strips
  • Rules: a timing aid for school and club events, not fully automatic timing and not for records; referees and place judges decide

Use case

School sports day, 100 m heats

PE teacher as starterTwo parent volunteersPupils

  1. 01Trigger: six pupils line up for a heat; the MeetBox is strapped to a pole 3 m from the starter
  2. 02Detection: the clapper's sound starts the race clock (moved 8.7 ms earlier for distance); the finish poles time each torso and read its lane
  3. 03Alert: lane 5 is hidden behind lane 4 at the line; the parent holding a TapGrip presses as that runner crosses
  4. 04Action: the place judge taps the order on the phone; the app shows six places and six times, lane 5 marked as a grip time

Outcome: Six times from two volunteers instead of eight to ten watches, and the same kit times the gala

How it works

Architecture

  1. 01

    Sense: MeetBox mic, flash photodiode and start-line jack; TapGrip stop buttons; SplitPole hip and chest LiDAR beams

  2. 02

    Decide: galaEngine (pool official times) and meetEngine (track lanes and places) on the MeetBox's XIAO ESP32-S3

  3. 03

    Send: one ESP-NOW start to every grip and pole; presses and crossings come back over ESP-NOW

  4. 04

    Tell: one SchoolMeet results app on the MeetBox's own Wi-Fi, with CSV export

Hardware

Real parts, buyable today

Bill of materials: about $571 per kit at qty 1 (est.).

BlockPartWhy this part
MeetBox (brain)XIAO ESP32-S3 + MAX9814 mic + BPW34 photodiode + 3.5 mm start line + 2000 mAh LiPoGalaTime StartBox case; GunEar flash sensor added in a new lid
TapGrips x 8XIAO ESP32-C3 + 19 mm IP67 button + 0.91 in OLED + 1000 mAh LiPoUnchanged from GalaTime; also the track backup watches
Finish SplitPoles x 2TFmini Plus hip beam + TF-Luna chest beam + XIAO ESP32-C3 + 18650 on a 1 inch agility poleUnchanged from SplitPole

Mechanical

Printable CAD

8 parts, generated from code and checked as closed solids. Pick a part to inspect it, or download the STL files to print.

Loading the CAD…

Real CAD · drag to rotate · scroll to zoomReal CAD · swipe sideways

Open risks we are working on

  • The horn or gun detector must not start on a whistle, a cheer or a recall; the wired start line is preferred and the starter can re-arm
  • LiDAR lane reading on dark tops in full sun is unmeasured; lanes 3 and 4 are flagged for a check (est.)
  • A league or meet may insist on hand watches; SchoolMeet times are not fully automatic and not for records
  • One start unit for both venues is one point of failure; a dead MeetBox stops timing until a spare or hand watches take over
  • Colorado Time, FinishLynx and Freelap already sell pool and track timing; our edge is one low-cost kit for both

Design stage only: nothing on this page is for sale. Specifications and prices are targets.