Metro/Twilight Computer Operation Manager Guide

Updated September 2022.

Contributed to by Jesse Piiroinen, Cameron Nulty, Bob Mouatt, Bill Jones, and Tate Needham.

A. Equipment that is your responsibility to bring to each event

  • The Metro/Twilight plastic tub that includes the hired SI stick boxes, defibrillator (Each week, check that the unit is charged), and the box that contains the Clear, Check, Start, Finish, and SI operating check units, and two purple sticks, Service Off and Clear Backup. (Ensure the Backup is cleared from the Clear, Check, Start and Finish units before they are used at any event).
  • The master computer stored in the large wooden box. (Needs charging each week). Charger located in the box. The computer box also has two SI master download units (one Red, one Blue), SIAir battery check unit, a cloth bag which contains at least one connecting rod (for connecting SI units to SI master download units).
  • Small battery pack used for charging the computer. (Needs charging each week using USB cable).
  • Large battery pack for the splits printer and can be used to power the computer. (Needs charging each week). This is charged by flicking on the charge switch and plugging it into an outlet. A red light will appear once charging starts and it will turn green once fully charged. It has two power outlet cables, one for the computer and one for the Splits printer. 
  • Optus dongle. Normally stored in the wooden box with the laptop. (Needs charging each week using USB cable).
  • Epsom printer which is stored in a small plastic box.
  • EFTPOS machine (Needs charging each week)
  • Small computer table.

B. Setting up the competition (From home)

You will need to bring the event the event file will usually be emailed to you on the night before the event and it will be a small XML file that will contain all the information for the event. (Competitors, classes, courses etc). The easiest way for me was to save the XML file on a USB and taking that with me to the event and importing the file there. Saves you having to boot up the laptop at home and import it then having to shut it down.

Make sure before each event that all required items above are brought to the event and fully charged if necessary.

C. Setting up the competition (At the event)

Once all the equipment is unloaded you can start setting up the computer. Once you have opened the wooden box and started the computer you need to:

  1. Connect the small battery pack to the computer.
  2. As the computer has only two USB outlets you need to use the small 4-port USB hub and use it to connect the USB mouse, the SportIdent Blue master, and the splits printer to the computer.
  3. You will also need to connect the printer to the large battery pack, then flick the battery to the ON mode.

Another task is to turn on the Optus dongle by holding down the power which will automatically connect to the laptop once booted up. If the connection does not happen automatically, the User name and password are on the dongle. This is to enable connection to the Internet.

MEOS Setup

  • Once the computer has been booted up you can now import the competition. This is done by plugging your USB into the computer, copying the event XML file in the documents folder and into the MeOS data folder.
  • Once this is done you can open the MeOS application. Once loaded, you click the import competition option and your file explorer will appear. Locate the event file you just copied into MeOS data folder.
  • Once selected, the competition will load and then Save the event. You can check that classes and courses are correct by going into the classes and courses tab and checking the details.
  • To setup the SI master download, go into the SportIdent tab and click automatic start and search and prints splits. This will connect MeOS to the SI master download and the splits printer.
  • Ensure the Backup of the Clear, Check, Start and Finish units which will be used at the event have been cleared, using the Clear Backup stick. This is very important to ascertaining which competitors started on the day.

Live Results Setup

Once the above steps have been done you can now setup the online results:

  • Open Microsoft edge and go to the link https://liveresultat.orientering.se/adm/createComp.php
  • Enter the competitions name eg. ACT Twilight 9 Cooleman Ridge.
  • Enter the organiser eg. Orienteering ACT
  • Enter the date and press the Create.
  • Once loaded a long list of events will appear, find the event you just created and press the edit option. (Easiest way to find it is looking for the date). Edit the created comp and change to Public. Note the CompetitionID.
  • Once the next page loads turn on the public button option and click save.
  • Leave this window open and open a new Microsoft edge tab.
  • Go to the webpage: https://melin.nu/meos/en/login.php
  • Click the login option and enter the username with: *********** and the password with: ***********
  • Once at the new page enter the name of the event eg. ACT Twilight 9 Cooleman Ridge.
  • Enter the competition id. This comes from the liveresult webpage you opened earlier, and it will be at the top eg. 18979.
  • Enter a password for the event. This can be anything. I usually just type in Jesse and press create.
  • Now go back into Meos, click the services tab at the top of the screen and click results on-line.
  • Change the interval time to 30 seconds.
  • Turn on the send to the web option and leave the URL.
  • Enter the competition id and password you entered in earlier.
  • Once this is done you can press the start the service option, but do not do this until the last starter has finished. (The reason why this is not done until the last starter has finished, there have been occasions when the computer has crashed and one of the reasons is considered to be interference from up the uploading of results to LiveOL)

D. What to do during the event

Changing Participant Details

The main task you will be doing is correcting the details of the competitors. People change courses without changing it in Eventor or telling the computer operator quite frequently so this will be the main thing you will be changing.

To change competitors details you will need to go to the competition tab at the top and click on form mode.

On the left is a list of all the pre entered competitors as well as the competitors you have/will enter in (Enter on the day competitors).

Here you can click on the name of the person you need to change the details of, and you will be presented with all the details of that individual. When changing courses of a competitor make sure you change the class option and not the course option and click save. (Changing the class of the competitor will automatically change the course).

Enter on the Day

When there is a enter on the day, they will hand you a card where you have to click the new competitor option and manually enter the details of the competitor. The main details that are needed to be entered is the name, class and si number. If they are a team, just enter the first competitor on the card and change the class to team eg. Easy team.

SI Downloads

When competitors begin finishing there will be a pop up on the bottom right of the runner’s name and time to which you can read out to them. If the runner does not have a stick registered in the event an alert will appear outputting no time and saying more actions needed. Make sure to click this and enter the details of the runner. Once the details are entered a time will appear to which you can read out. If their original splits are incorrect, you can print new splits when the corrections have been made by selecting print splits and pressing OK.

A more user-friendly view of the results is pressing the competitors’ option and clicking report mode. Then press the show last read out competitor.

Finding Missing Competitors

Towards the end of the event, you will need to check on Missing Competitors, ie still in the forest.

This is done by getting someone to collect the Start unit.

Then once you have the Start unit you can open up the white and black bag in the wooden box and taking out a strange looking metal stick with tape on it. This stick is used to connect a unit to a SportIdent reader so you can look through the information on the Start unit.

Now plug in the second SportIdent Finish download reader (probably Red and found in the wooden box) into one of the USB slots on the laptop or USB hub.

Then open the app called SportIdent Config+ located in the desktop.

  • Once this app has opened click on the Com Port device on the top left, that is not the Com Port being used to read the Finish downloads, select Remote function and then click the Backup option, Read Start.
  • Once this loads a list will appear of the data stored in the unit.
  • Once this loads all SI sticks used by Starters will appear.
  • Click export, then export the CSV file to an easily found location and save.
  • Go back into MeOS, Lists and Summaries > Reports > Competitors in Forest > Manage Remaining Runners > Import Punches then Open the previously Saved CSV file. If the heading does not appear, it will be because a lower level window is open, click on Lists and then from the options in the right hand column, click on the top option, Return, and it will go back to the Lists and Summaries page.
  • At the bottom change the unit type to Start and click Save. Then click set status <DNS>

This will display all runners that are currently still out. Competitors that used the wrong stick that they are registered to will show up in this list so you may have to fix the errors.

End of Event

Once everyone has finished you can save a copy of the event. This is done by clicking on the competition tab and clicking the save to option. Here an explorer option will appear, and you can save the backup on a USB stick. Then once you are home you can email this to Bill Jones at . Or if you have a Gmail account you can email the file to Bill Jones from the event. If Bob Mouatt is at the event, he will collect the EOD cards.

You should also complete the links, etc to LiveOL and give the process time work before shutting down the computer. This will enable competitors to view the results via their phone.

You can also upload the provisional results to Eventor, from the main window, by clicking on Eventor Connection, then Publish Results. This will post the provisional results on Eventor. Bill Jones will upload the final results after he has vetted the results and made any necessary corrections.

This document does not cover everything that may occur at an event, but it does cover the basics of the operations needed to run an event.

Each download is automatically saved to a file named “sireadlog_date_time.csv” which is stored at Desktop/MeOS/’Event Name’. If, for some reason, it is not saved in MeOS, the details can be retrieved from that file.

If you have any trouble/questions with anything the people to grab at Orienteering ACT that have experience with MeOS are Bill Jones, Bob Mouatt and Tate Needham.