In the many variations to the sport of Auto Racing the Flagman runs the race. Most people remember seeing the Flagman at races and almost everyone knows of the Checkered Flag. The Yellow flag and Red flag are also familiar to many people but fewer know of the Black flag.
The Black flag signals the driver to leave the track NOW. This may be because of a mechanical problem on the vehicle that could be dangerous to other drivers or it may be due to a rule violation. It can be the cause of many disputes. Why was the Black flag given? In a tightly grouped bunch, who was the Black Flag meant for?
The product described here is meant to eliminate any question of WHO the Black Flag was meant for and to insure no one has any excuse for missing the Black Flag. Its use can lead to less conflict and improve safety at the track while eliminating someone from pulling off the track due to thinking the Black Flag was directed at them when it was meant for someone else.
The Black Flag Light consists of two parts. The sign itself, and a handheld remote control unit. The handheld remote control unit has a membrane keyboard and two 7 segment displays to show what the sign is displaying. A second version of the remote with a backlit LCD display is also available to provide better visibility in bright sunlight. The sign has two, seven segment displays built from discrete SuperBright LEDs which allow for good visibility in daylight while making the system very rugged and giving a life of many years without needing to replace bulbs. This also gives a low power consumption making the system able to operate on battery power for a full race schedule without concern. The system operates on a single external 12VDC power source. This allows for the use of a gel cell, car battery, tractor battery, or any 12 volt battery eliminator with the capability of delivering 2 amps.
There are two Microchip PIC microprocessors in the system. One is located in the remote control and the other is located in the sign. They communicate over a twisted pair and use a custom serial protocol.
