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Affordable game clock?
http://lifein19x19.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=13538		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Ninjaboots [ Wed Aug 31, 2016 5:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Affordable game clock?
The Excalibur and Chronos are a bit out of my price point, as I'm looking for an inexpensive clock for home/club use...

This clock looks affordable and comes with some nice features (like USB power and some byo-yomi settings: 1 hour main + 3 periods of 30 second byo-yomi and 20 seconds main with 10 periods of 20 seconds byo-yomi are a few of the presets) but it appears that all of the possible time settings are presets (i.e., you can't select your own) and there's no evidence to suggest it supports Canadian byo-yomi (which would be nice, but I suppose, not required.)

Does anyone have suggestions for a more affordable clock? I simply can't justify spending $80-100+ on a clock right now, but would love to be able to play timed real-board games.
Author:  Bonobo [ Wed Aug 31, 2016 7:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Affordable game clock?
If you have internet connection and a computer at your side while playing, you may want to look at this: http://www.timesqueezer.de/index_131.htm, it costs nothing.

Ah well, just go directly here http://www.timesqueezer.de/zd/prev/ts1/ts1e.htm and play :-)
Author:  Ninjaboots [ Wed Aug 31, 2016 8:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Affordable game clock?
That's a great site! I'll have to check it out. Unfortunately I won't always have a computer/device or internet.

I'm kind of an eccentric and prefer the aesthetic of an actual clock, plus something that will work if the power goes out or if I'm camping in the middle of no where is always great! ;-)

I'm also looking into the "ZMart Fun ZMF-II"... for only a little more money than the one I posted before, it has programmable byo-yomi.

Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the other timing modes to know what they do (such as "incremental" time). It appears that a certain amount of expected moves can be set for the main time (kind of like Canadian Byo-yomi) but I can't confirm that it supports canadian byo-yomi.

A completely programmable and customizable clock is really appealing, particularly because this one is at least half the cost of some of the higher end clocks out there.
Author:  xed_over [ Thu Sep 01, 2016 10:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Affordable game clock?
you could download an app for your phone
Author:  Ninjaboots [ Thu Sep 01, 2016 11:23 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Affordable game clock?
xed_over wrote:
you could download an app for your phone



I've got an app. It was certainly inexpensive if nothing else. And I've got a computer. I suppose it would work in a pinch, but having to move the mouse so much instead of set buttons is annoying.

I won't always have these things. They won't always be available. Having a device dedicated to this purpose also means I can use my phone for something else if I have to etc. (my phone is actually getting old and has issues anyway, it wouldn't surprise me if it died mid-game trying to use it as a clock)

The point is, I don't mind buying a physical clock. I just don't want to spend $100+ on it. If people are suggesting non-clock things, it makes me curious if they are suggesting them because they are inexpensive, or because they believe it isn't worth buying a clock for less than this?

Having some actual feedback on, or thoughts on, clocks (the one's I've brought up or others) would be super helpful :tmbup:
Author:  jeromie [ Thu Sep 01, 2016 11:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Affordable game clock?
The ZMF-II seems to be well regarded, though I haven't used it myself. I looked at the page you linked, and I don't think you could do Canadian byo-yomi with this clock. What are your minimum requirements for what time settings you want a clock to support?

I'd guess that people who recommend options other than a physical clock are trying to maximize the "affordable" part of your statement. That has different meanings for different people, and many (including me) play timed games over the board rarely enough that it's hard to justify spending money on a clock. If I was going to do that regularly, I do agree that a physical clock is much preferable to a digital solution.
Author:  sparky314 [ Thu Sep 01, 2016 12:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Affordable game clock?
There's also DGT. Though, you'll need to do research before finding which versions support byo-yomi and which don't.
Author:  Ninjaboots [ Thu Sep 01, 2016 12:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Affordable game clock?
Yes, I figure the digital suggestions are erring on the side of affordability. And it is super neat that they are even options in the first place. Sadly my devices lack battery life or ease of use. It would be nice to have a physical clock for club/coffee shop use. Plus I have a friend who is rather interested in Chess, and it might make our games feel "more official".

jeromie wrote:
What are your minimum requirements for what time settings you want a clock to support?


Ideally, I'd like a clock that supports programmable timing (not just presets) and programmable byo-yomi (Japanese, Canadian byo-yomi would be a bonus). The ZMF-II has this, though from videos I've seen of the byo-yomi settings, you have to set it in increments of minutes. The ideal thing would be to be able to set it in increments of seconds, so I could have 20 or 30 second byo-yomi periods as well as 1 minute periods. It's good to hear that the ZMF-II is well regarded, as it is my prime candidate at the moment. At about half the cost of a Chronos, and up to 1600 hour battery life, and it still has the stainless-steel touch pads and the three button setup, it's quite appealing.


sparky314 wrote:
There's also DGT. Though, you'll need to do research before finding which versions support byo-yomi and which don't.


Right, I've looked at the DGT 2010 and 3000. The DGT 2010 looks a bit more affordable than the 3000, and reviews seem a bit better on it as well, which is strange considering the 3000 is supposed to be the newer, upgraded version of the two. It's been difficult finding specific information regarding the byo-yomi settings of any of these clocks, as I assume most people are buying them for Chess, and not Go :-|
Author:  jeromie [ Thu Sep 01, 2016 1:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Affordable game clock?
You can see the manual for the ZMF-II on their web site, which spells out the features in more detail. Here's a link to the pdf. Of note, byo-yomi is set as a number of seconds. It doesn't say what the maximum number of second is, though.
Author:  Jhyn [ Thu Sep 01, 2016 5:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Affordable game clock?
Ninjaboots wrote:
Right, I've looked at the DGT 2010 and 3000. The DGT 2010 looks a bit more affordable than the 3000, and reviews seem a bit better on it as well, which is strange considering the 3000 is supposed to be the newer, upgraded version of the two. It's been difficult finding specific information regarding the byo-yomi settings of any of these clocks, as I assume most people are buying them for Chess, and not Go :-|


I own a DGT 2010 and it supports arbitrary canadian byo-yomi.
It is the only clock I ever owned so I can't make any comparisons, but I have absolutely no problem with it (except possibly for the price, but as you saw this is a common problem with clocks - my club used a version similar to this: http://mcsmith.blogs.com/.a/6a00d83451c ... 8834-popup)
Author:  Ninjaboots [ Fri Sep 02, 2016 2:16 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Affordable game clock?
Thanks for the link Jhyn.

It appears from the manual that it is capable of byo-yomi in seconds and not just minutes. This will likely be the clock I end up going with, but I'm going to keep doing research for awhile and see what I can find.
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