I've always been intrigued by this accessory, but haven't gotten around to pulling the trigger on them because they are literally useless unless you find a racetrack that broadcast race data using this technology. I rarely see these pop up on facebook groups and almost never on ebay, but talked with a distribtor that apparently had new old stock and was able to get a better deal if I bought more than one. I figure it was worth it so that I could see what sort of "sealed" retail packaging these came and see the manual since I haven't been able to find good pictures of either online. I was surprised I couldn't really find any discussion about it here on NA! It was also interesting to see that these basically came loose in bags as the rep I spoke to told me that's how they were shipped to him!
About the iCard system:
The
iCard™ System, when connected to an automated Timing and Scoring (T&S) system, receives its information for view by team members and fans. The T&S system consists of a transponder that is attached to each car and which transmits a unique "signature" such that each time the transponder passes over a timing loop a signal is sent to the T&S computer indicating that the car has passed the timing loop. The T&S computer then calculates the time, marries the transponder signal with a competitor name and car number, and records the result lap after lap. The T&S computer, as a normal part of its operating function, generates an output stream of messages and it is this data stream that the
iCard™ computer program receives. Consequently, the
iCard™ system simply passes information from the T&S system to your handheld
iCard™.
The
iCard™ System consists of the following elements:
-
The iCard™ software that receives the Timing and Scoring information and prepares it for broadcast
-
iCard™ transmitter and antenna that sends the iCard™ broadcast
-
iCard™ receivers that receive and decipher the iCard™ broadcast for display on a Nintendo Game Boy
The
iCard™ system transmits information very fast, with data prioritized and sent in this fixed order:
-
Leaderboard information
-
Driver Page timing results
-
Scrolling message updates
-
Menu page and Driver Page information other than timing results
As a result, the
iCard™ system accommodates instantaneous updates, even in events featuring 30 or more competitors.
Source -
https://tsracing.com/Manuals/iCar...
***Update 1/13/18: Since originally posting this thread, I found there were actually other variations of this accessory! I didn't realize that what I always thought of as the iCard Pro was actually a basic version AND a Pro version! I also found a clear version they made along with a basic version with the same Linx antenna they use with the Pro version (maybe extra parts laying around?). As seen in the pics below there are different model numbers of the cards along with different controls, label designs, and software. All of the iCards have the same start-up screen that says the software is from 2003, but in the actual menus and such there are different looks/color palettes. I wasn't able to figure out how to open one of these without breaking plastic or the label so I didn't risk it. So if anybody has an idea how to get it open carefully, let me know!
On to the pics!
Here are the four variants I have found so far.
GBP08.01 (Pro version)
GB08.01 (Clear)
GB08.02 (Black)
GB08.02 (Black with Linx antenna like the Pro version has)
Some examples of the differences in the software/menus:
Here are the new iCards I received that were brand new with the manuals:
And here is the full manual -
Another obscure rarity checked off my list! Thanks for looking!
