Game Clock not operating, why does this happen?

#26
#26
AfraidBrokenLcont-size_restricted.gif
 
#27
#27
You are right, I actually am making way to much out of this. It affects the game when it happens, and not equally. I would say it's harder for the offense to run the "2 minute drill" in the waning moments of a game and in a tight one, most definitely could affect the outcome. I would like to try and understand how time is communicated to the players an coaches on each team when the clock is dead. I probably wouldn't have even gotten my dander up, but when Nick Saben is on the ropes and suddenly the clock dies, you wonder if the ghost of Bear Bryant is in charge.

How did the malfunction help Bama? Saban was pissed because he was trying to drain the clock and had no clue how much time was left.
 
#28
#28
When the U.S. landed men on the moon, computers were very large compared to what they are now. It seems you have your wording (that I quoted) backwards.
I think what he meant was the computer that ran the space craft was far less powerful than his cell phone. You are correct, they were FAR larger in terms of size and weight. The 4K core memory for the Saturn V weighed in around 5-6 lbs.
 
#32
#32
Calm down folks. I was just trying to understand the workflow behind the scenes of a couple of clocks. Seems someone knowledgeable might chime in, but so far nobody with any real understanding has. This same problem exists at the level of high school football, so surely someone has been a ref or run the clock there. Perhaps it’s a less sophisticated clock.

I’m not really buying the answer that “eventually everything fails”. Mission critical items can have a level of redundancy built into it so that it’s rare for a failure. Case in point- barring a power failure, traffic signals rarely fail, and could have generator backup if the intersection is deemed dangerous, like a rail crossing.

This will most likely be my last post in this thread. Haven’t gotten what I’d hoped for. A Football stadium clock is one of the least complicated “controls systems” Out there. The shuttle countdown clock was controlling and check the status of hundreds of systems and events milliseconds apart. It’s just weird to me when they say “time is being kept on the field, and it goes on for the rest of the game, that it is a problem.

I mean really, have we become soccer?
Seriously, the answer is electronics fail. I don’t know why you can’t accept that. Every stadium/arena has crews on standby to fix a broken clock when and if problems occur. They have fail safe conditions in place and that’s why the clock was working again before the end of the game, but you can’t fix it instantaneously. I worked with the guy who on the side was in charge of Cap One Arena’s clock systems. Yes systems. The NBA, NHL, and NHL all use different systems that they would have to set up for each game. Most game days, the only job they had was to set up the right operating system. However, to be safe, he would stay through the games in case something went wrong. He was considered the same level of essential as players/coaches, so he had to be tested essentially every day this past year prior to games just like the players were.
 
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#33
#33
You can tell me again about how your phone keeps time (so cool), but answer me this, you ever had or at least heard about phones dying all of a sudden? I bet you have. And I bet if you say you haven’t, you’re lying to protect yourself
 
#34
#34
In fact, going back to your long winded posts OP, if nasa had stuff break right before launch, there’s a significant chance the whole launch is scrapped. And you’re flipping out that the stadium lost the availability for viewing the clock for about five minutes
 
#35
#35
Seriously, the answer is electronics fail. I don’t know why you can’t accept that. Every stadium/arena has crews on standby to fix a broken clock when and if problems occur. They have fail safe conditions in place and that’s why the clock was working again before the end of the game, but you can’t fix it instantaneously. I worked with the guy who on the side was in charge of Cap One Arena’s clock systems. Yes systems. The NBA, NHL, and NHL all use different systems that they would have to set up for each game. Most game days, the only job they had was to set up the right operating system. However, to be safe, he would stay through the games in case something went wrong. He was considered the same level of essential as players/coaches, so he had to be tested essentially every day this past year prior to games just like the players were.
Best answer yet, but I'm still curious as to what are the points of failure basically the workflow of timekeeping in a football game. One of my questions is this: When the guy on TV says "they are keeping time on the field" - is it the same guy that pushes the start/stop button? Make sense they wouldn't suddenly transfer that duty to someone else, and yes it is possible electronically to have that guy control the stadium clock from the field. Maybe it's a different guy - someone in the pressbox. Anybody know that answer?
 
#36
#36
Best answer yet, but I'm still curious as to what are the points of failure basically the workflow of timekeeping in a football game. One of my questions is this: When the guy on TV says "they are keeping time on the field" - is it the same guy that pushes the start/stop button? Make sense they wouldn't suddenly transfer that duty to someone else, and yes it is possible electronically to have that guy control the stadium clock from the field. Maybe it's a different guy - someone in the pressbox. Anybody know that answer?
And yes, controlling that in such a manner from the field would greatly increase the chances of things going wrong. So the stadium clock and official time are timed by the same person. When it goes down, time is typically kept by the line judge.
 
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