Public Area

Public Area#

The public area is open to visitors and should be designed to ensure that participants have easy access to the performance area on stage. It should also provide a clear view for the audience to watch the teams’ performances.

The figure below illustrates an exemplary floor plan of the public space, including the stage, seating area, and AV-Desk (FOH – Front of House), where all AV control systems are located. It also displays the recommended AV signal routing between components.

Exemplary venue layout of public area with stage, seating area, FOH, and AV signal routing

Exemplary layout of the public area with AV signal routing#

Download Layout

The following setup is recommended for hosting a successful OnStage competition. Components required by the rules are written in bold.

Audio / PA-System#

The following audio devices are controlled by a mixer located at the FOH:

  • Speakers for the audience

  • Optional: Monitor speakers for participants on stage

  • Two wireless microphones on stage for team use

  • Optional: An additional wireless microphone for the stage host / MC

  • Computer to play media provided by participants

  • 3.5 mm audio jack with ~6 m cable on stage, allowing teams to connect their robots to the audio system

Video System#

The following video devices are controlled by an HDMI mixer at the FOH:

  • LED wall or projector with screen, positioned at least 1.5 m above the stage floor

  • Computer to play media provided by participants (can be the same as for audio)

  • HDMI plug with ~6 m cable on stage, allowing teams to connect their robots to the video system

Additionally, a wireless presenter for controlling slides is helpful for the teams.

Timer System#

During performances, two timers must be displayed on a separate screen:

  1. A countdown timer showing the maximum time a team is allowed on stage, including setup and clearing (7 minutes)

  2. A stopwatch timer measuring the team’s actual performance time, excluding setup

Equipment required:

  • TV screen (~48 inches) placed near the stage

  • Dedicated computer at the judges table to control the timers

Recommended software for displaying the timers:

  • Timer software Stagetimer.io

  • Screen control software Dashmaster 2k (Paid version is very affordable in the montly subscription and gives a clean look on the screen)

Screenshot showing a 7-minute countdown timer and a stopwatch timer counting up

Exemplary timer screen layout#

Setup#

  1. Create two new Rooms in stagetimer.io

    1. Room 1:

      • Name / Title: Stage time

      • Start: Manual

      • Duration: 00:07:00

      • Appearance: Countdown

      • Wrap-up times, yellow: 01:00, red: 00:30

    2. Room 2:

      • Name / Title: Performance time

      • Start: Manual

      • Duration: 00:01:30

      • Appearance: Count Up

  2. Create Controller Views for the Judges controlling the timer

    1. Select Output Links

    2. Viewer

    3. Send link to Judges device and open in new browser tab

    4. Repeat the same for the other Room and open this link in a different browser tab

    5. Place browser tabs next to each other

  3. Create a new Daskmaster 2k view

    1. Adjust view to show two elements only

    2. Edit views to show stagetimer.io content

    3. Grab Stagetimer Room ID from stagetimer.io URL: e.g. https://stagetimer.io/r/K1I22P9N/controller/ would be K1I22P9N

    4. Paste ID of both rooms in the two views

  4. Share Dashboard URL with the Timer screen (either direcly on a Smart TV or though a separate computer). Hiding header and footer is possible with paid subscription.

Tip

Using a wired internet connection for viewing and controlling device is recommended, as Wifi will lead to a higher latency!

Alternative to TV screen: Two sports timers that can be remotely controlled from the judges’ table

Sports timer

Warning

It is required to make sure, that the timers don’t both react on the same remote control signal, so they can be started and stopped independently!

Contents