Chip/Bib Timing
RunScore connects to transponder and chip/tag timing systems. It reads a bib or chip number automatically as a runner crosses a mat, antenna, or ear. All chip devices are configured through the same Initialize External Timers dialog used for clock-based timers — see Initialize External Timers for menu paths. Data can arrive over a serial port, TCP/IP, or from a file the vendor's middleware produces.
Looking for MYLAPS's cloud-based service instead of a local chip reader connection? See MYLAPS Cloud Timing.
Clock-based timer? See External Timers.
Not sure which section? Anything that produces a time directly (a clock, stopwatch, or push button) belongs in External Timers — this section is for systems that read a bib or chip automatically.
Macsha has a setup page under External Timers, matching the Device dropdown.
Common tasks
These pages apply to all chip/tag systems:
- Timing a chip/tag race — gun time vs net time, then a step-by-step walkthrough from pre-race setup through race day.
- Event routing — how RunScore maps incoming chip data to events (location matching,
events_mapping.ini, per-event routing fields). - Chip fields and miscellaneous — multiple chip fields, multiple bib tags, runner-owned chips, and non-returned chip tracking.
- Chip Options — the Tools menu that controls chip read modes, auto-load, and ID interpretation.
Supported systems
Every name below is a Device option in the Initialize External Timers dialog. Devices without a link use the standard columns described on that page.
- Bib ID — the system sends the runner's bib number. No chip-to-bib mapping is needed.
- Chip ID — the system sends a chip code. Load a chip-to-bib mapping before the race.
- Yes in both columns — Tools → Chip Options → Bib ID / Chip ID decides. See ID interpretation.
| Device | Description | Bib ID | Chip ID | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Timing | Timing system that sends location, bib, and chip for each passing | Yes | Yes | — |
| AMB Elite | Legacy AMB chip system. Through MYLAPS software, pick MyLaps ProChip instead | Yes | Yes | MYLAPS |
| BlueBox Timing | Tag reader that streams tab-delimited records | Yes | — | |
| ChampionChip | Original MYLAPS chip system | Yes | MYLAPS | |
| ChipTiming | Chip system from Brazil | Yes | ChipTiming | |
| ChronoTrack | Disposable tag in the bib (B-Tag) or on the shoe (D-Tag) | Yes | ChronoTrack | |
| iPico Sport | iPico reader box | Yes | IPICO (ACTIVE Network) | |
| J-chip | Active, rechargeable bib chip from Japan | Yes | Micro Talk Systems | |
| J-chip Tag Checker | Checks J-chip tags and battery charge. Records no times | Yes | Micro Talk Systems | |
| MyLaps BibTag | MYLAPS disposable bib tag | Yes | Yes | MYLAPS |
| MyLaps ProChip | MYLAPS active chip, formerly AMB Elite | Yes | MYLAPS | |
| race|result | Exports through RunScore Open (chip or bib) | Yes | Yes | race|result |
| RFID | RFID Race Timing Systems, Australia | Yes | Yes | RFID Race Timing Systems |
| RunScore Open | Open interface for any vendor software | Yes | Yes | — |
| Triple Cities RC | Custom system built for the Triple Cities Runners Club | Yes | — | |
| Winning Time | Chip system over serial or file; the active system also over TCP/IP | Yes | Winning Time |
How the main systems connect
Most chip systems send reads over TCP/IP, either straight from the decoder or through the vendor's software. The device decides which side opens the connection:
- Server — RunScore listens on the port you enter. Point the vendor software or decoder at the RunScore PC's IP address and that port.
- Client — RunScore connects out to the device. After you click OK, it asks for the device's IP address (for Macsha, the One4All ID).
With TCP checked, the port must be 1024–65535 — see Port numbers. For devices not in this table, the server-mode list is under Initialize External Timers → Columns.
| System | Device | Vendor software | RunScore is | Port |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MYLAPS | ChampionChip, MyLaps BibTag, MyLaps ProChip | MYLAPS Timing & Scoring | Server | Any, same on both sides |
| MYLAPS Cloud | None — cloud connection under Tools → Cloud System → MyLaps | MYLAPS account | — | — |
| ChronoTrack | ChronoTrack | SimpleClient, CCSLite, or Fusion | Server | 61611 by default |
| iPico Sport and ChipTiming | iPico Sport, ChipTiming | None | Client | 10200 |
| RunScore Open | RunScore Open | Any software that sends RSBCI, RSBI, or RSCI lines | Server | Any, same on both sides |
| race|result | RunScore Open | race|result Connector (RSBCI, RSBI, or RSCI) | Server | Any, same on both sides |
| Macsha | Macsha | None | Client | 10002 |
Passive and active tags
RunScore does not power or read the tags. It receives the ID and time from the vendor's decoder or software, so passive and active systems are set up the same way in RunScore.
Passive tags
Passive tags have no battery. Modern passive systems — ChronoTrack B-Tag, MYLAPS BibTag, race|result passive — use UHF radio (860–960 MHz). The timing antenna transmits a radio signal. The tag's antenna turns that signal into enough power to run its chip, which sends its ID back.
Passive systems use either antenna type:
- Ground mats — the standard for running.
- Side or overhead panels (threshold antennas) — used where mats are a safety hazard, such as cycling or inline skating.
Active tags
Active tags carry an internal lithium battery that typically lasts 3–5 years or more. Many sleep until they pass over an activation loop, then transmit. MYLAPS ProChip and race|result Active are active systems.
Which to use
- Mass running (5K to marathon) — passive bib tags.
- Road cycling, triathlon, speed skating, skiing, BMX — active tags. Passive tags fail in water (a triathlon swim) and struggle when a sprint pack crosses the line at 60–70 km/h. Active tags trigger over the ground loop with millisecond precision.
Missed reads at the start line
Passive tags can miss reads in dense start corrals. Water absorbs UHF signals, and the human body is about 60% water. With thousands of runners shoulder to shoulder:
- Body shielding — a tag pressed flat between a chest and another runner can't be read.
- Signal collision — too many tags energize at once in a small space.
Timing crews prevent this with a backup timing line 2–3 m after the primary line, and often two passive tags per bib, mounted vertically or diagonally. Together these push read rates above 99.8%.