The current owner’s manual that comes included when you buy a Firefly has not kept up with recent changes in Firefly functionality. This page serves to supplement the user’s guide; eventually, this information will be included in the print owner’s manual and can all be downloaded in one piece.
Important note! This manual applies to the latest firmware version, 1-13 or higher! If you have an older firmware version, please update your Firefly first!
Currently, the remote control and AutoClock™ are incompatible; you must disable AutoClock™ to use the remote control. To disable AutoClock™, hold down the AutoClock™ button for two seconds and release. The clock will display ‘no AC’ to indicate AutoClock™ has been disabled. To re-enable AutoClock™, simply repeat the procedure. Once AutoClock™ is disabled, you may use the remote to control the clock. Press “preset” to cycle through the available presets (1:00, 3:00, 0:30, 1:00, 10:00). The last two presets (1:00 and 10:00) are automatic clocks; once they are loaded, they will relentlessly count down, and you cannot stop them with the remote. For all other clocks, simply press the “start/stop” button to start the clock (if it’s stopped) or stop it (if it’s started). Please note that when a touch is scored, the clock will stop automatically. The remote control uses an invisible infrared beam, which requires line-of-sight to operate. That is, if something is between you and Firefly (like a fencer!), the remote will not operate. Additionally, it can take some practice to aim the remote accurately enough. If you are having extreme difficulty aiming the remote, you can try increasing the sensitivity of the remote: see “Saved Settings” below.
There are several Firefly settings that can be saved permanently (so that they don’t change even when Firefly is turned off). Each setting has a number and a value, which are documented below. To access the settings menu:
Once you’re in the settings mode, you can go through the settings and make changes. Please note that you must save the settings before they go into effect! To change & save settings:
The currently available settings are listed below:
| Setting Number | Supported Models | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 00 | All | Blink valid lights. If 1, valid lights will blink rapidly when a valid touch is scored. If 0, valid lights will light solidly when a valid touch is scored. |
| 01 | All | Blink off-target lights. If 1, off-target lights will blink rapidly when an invalid touch is scored. If 0, off-target lights will light solidly when an invalid touch is scored. |
| 02 | All | IR remote sensitivity. This sets the sensitivity of the remote sensor, where 1 is a very high sensitivity, and 5 is a very low sensitivity. You should leave this on a high sensitivity (1 or 2) unless you’re getting a lot of interference from florescent lights, other remotes, etc. |
| 03 | FSR1d | “Forgiveness” mode. In this mode, the normal resistance threshold to score a touch is increased from 200 Ohms (per FIE/USFA rules) to 450 Ohms. If you have old or poorly-maintained equipment, this mode may help. 1 turns forgiveness mode on, 0 leaves it off. |
| 04 | All | Note for touch buzzer. You can specify any note on the chromatic scale from C4 (middle C on the piano) up to C8 (the highest note on an 88-key piano). C4 is 0, C#0 is 1, and so on, all the way up through C8 (48). See “choosing a buzzer sound” below for more information. |
| 05 | All | Default buzzer note. This is the note used for all other sounds (AutoClock™ starting, beeps, etc.). The values are the same as for the touch buzzer. See “choosing a buzzer sound” below for more information. |
| 06 | All | Repeater mode. Set to 1 to have this Firefly act as a repeater (extension light), or 0 for normal operation. To use as a repeater, connect to another Firefly with a crossover (null modem) serial cable. Only serial lines 2, 3, and 5 are used. See “extension light protocol” below for more information. |
You can now select any musical tone for the Firefly buzzer, from C4 (middle C on a piano) to C8 (the highest note on an 88-key piano). You can change the touch buzzer tone, and the default buzzer tone seperately. It’s recommended that you make them the same note, or a fifth (7 semitones) apart, else it may sound unpleasant! While you may choose any note in this range, the piezoelectric buzzer used in Firefly is most efficient around 2kHz, so notes between G6 and E7 will be loudest. The table below lists all the notes, the setting value on Firefly, and the frequency of the note.
| Note | Setting Value | Frequency (Hz) |
|---|---|---|
| C4 | 0 | 261.63 |
| C#4/Db4 | 1 | 277.18 |
| D4 | 2 | 293.66 |
| D#4/Eb4 | 3 | 311.13 |
| E4 | 4 | 329.63 |
| F4 | 5 | 349.23 |
| F#4/Gb4 | 6 | 369.99 |
| G4 | 7 | 392.00 |
| G#4/Ab4 | 8 | 415.30 |
| A4 | 9 | 440.00 |
| A#4/Bb4 | 10 | 466.16 |
| B4 | 11 | 493.88 |
| C5 | 12 | 523.25 |
| C#5/Db5 | 13 | 554.37 |
| D5 | 14 | 587.33 |
| D#5/Eb5 | 15 | 622.25 |
| E5 | 16 | 659.26 |
| F5 | 17 | 698.46 |
| F#5/Gb5 | 18 | 739.99 |
| G5 | 19 | 783.99 |
| G#5/Ab5 | 20 | 830.61 |
| A5 | 21 | 880.00 |
| A#5/Bb5 | 22 | 932.33 |
| B5 | 23 | 987.77 |
| C6 | 24 | 1046.50 |
| C#6/Db6 | 25 | 1108.73 |
| D6 | 26 | 1174.66 |
| D#6/Eb6 | 27 | 1244.51 |
| E6 | 28 | 1318.51 |
| F6 | 29 | 1396.91 |
| F#6/Gb6 | 30 | 1479.98 |
| G6 | 31 | 1567.98 |
| G#6/Ab6 | 32 | 1661.22 |
| A6 | 33 | 1760.00 |
| A#6/Bb6 | 34 | 1864.66 |
| B6 | 35 | 1975.53 |
| C7 | 36 | 2093.00 |
| C#7/Db7 | 37 | 2217.46 |
| D7 | 38 | 2349.32 |
| D#7/Eb7 | 39 | 2489.02 |
| E7 | 40 | 2637.02 |
| F7 | 41 | 2793.83 |
| F#7/Gb7 | 42 | 2959.96 |
| G7 | 43 | 3135.96 |
| G#7/Ab7 | 44 | 3322.44 |
| A7 | 45 | 3520.00 |
| A#7/Bb7 | 46 | 3729.31 |
| B7 | 47 | 3951.07 |
| C8 | 48 | 4186.01 |
The extension light protocol uses 5 different single-byte messages that repeat at a rate of 200Hz (so each message gets updated at a rate of 200/5=40Hz). Serial settings are 4800 baud, no parity, 8 data bits, and 1 stop bit. The messages are described below:
The basic message includes touch lights (RV=right valid, LV=left valid, RI=right invalid, LI=left invalid), grounding lights (RG=right grounding, LG=left grounding), and buzzer (B). These messages are easy to recognize because the MSB will always be 1. Format:
| 7 (MSB) | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 (LSB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | RG | LG | RI | LI | RV | LV |
The extended message (with MSB 0) contains information about the weapon and clock, with room for future expansion. The format of the message is:
| 7 (MSB) | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 (LSB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | M2 | M1 | M0 | V3 | V2 | V1 | V0 |
M is a 3-bit message type, and V is a four-bit value for that message. These extended messages are:
| V3,V2 | V1 | V0 |
|---|---|---|
| 00=foil 01=épée 10=saber 11=unused |
0=colon off 1=colon on |
0=TM blank 1=TM 1 |