Chronos Touch Clock

[Ron_Suarez]

Come to my tournament that I run early next year and I’ll let you use my Chronos Touch. How’s that for enticement?!?

[KeithAmmann]

@Ron Suarez

Come to my tournament that I run early next year and I’ll let you use my Chronos Touch. How’s that for enticement?!?

How about you come to the one I’m running? We need all the sets and clocks we can get.

[ppwchess]

@srdudley

I returned to tournament play after a long absence and one of my first encounters with digital clocks was the Chronos Touch Clock. More than once in the game I “touched” it only to find out some time later that it didn’t get touched all the way, and my clock was still running. This doesn’t happen with “normal” clocks, digital or otherwise, that have buttons that depress. While I would not try to argue that It’s not legal equipment, I do call it a serious design flaw. When I use this clock (and I won’t if I don’t have to), I will have to stare at the clock after each time I push it, just to make sure.

What a pain, and for what? Cuteness?

The clock buttons are actually very sensitive to the touch so it doesn’t take much to activate the clock. I’ve hit the edge of the button and had it stop my side and start the opponent’s. It doesn’t respond if you use a piece to press the button or if you’re wearing gloves. I guess it wouldn’t be a good choice for cold weather outdoor blitz chess.

I prefer it over the button model because it eliminates the sound of the compulsive clock tapper who presses the button 4-5 times on each move. I was running the computer for a scholastic tournament last week, and across the room I could hear some kid tapping the button several times on each move. Even that I found annoying, and I wasn’t even playing.

[LaughingVulcan]

@srdudley

I returned to tournament play after a long absence and one of my first encounters with digital clocks was the Chronos Touch Clock. More than once in the game I “touched” it only to find out some time later that it didn’t get touched all the way, and my clock was still running. This doesn’t happen with “normal” clocks, digital or otherwise, that have buttons that depress. While I would not try to argue that It’s not legal equipment, I do call it a serious design flaw. When I use this clock (and I won’t if I don’t have to), I will have to stare at the clock after each time I push it, just to make sure.

What a pain, and for what? Cuteness?

Not cuteness. The biggest weak point of the Chronos is that given enough time (and pressure) the punch-buttons become weaker and eventually fail. Theoretically, the touch-buttons will never fail - at least not mechanically.

@anjiaoshi

@Ron Suarez

Come to my tournament that I run early next year and I’ll let you use my Chronos Touch. How’s that for enticement?!?

How about you come to the one I’m running? We need all the sets and clocks we can get.

How 'bout you both come to the new tournaments TCCC is going to be running? :mrgreen: I think we got both a Chronos Touch and Button models… even though the tourneys are usually primarily run on the Saitek Competitions… Better still - we could work up a club exchange or maybe even club tournaments?

But seriously, do y’all list your upcoming tourneys at ICA? (You could PM me with the response so we don’t derail the thread.)

[KeithAmmann]

@ppwchess

I prefer it over the button model because it eliminates the sound of the compulsive clock tapper who presses the button 4-5 times on each move. I was running the computer for a scholastic tournament last week, and across the room I could hear some kid tapping the button several times on each move. Even that I found annoying, and I wasn’t even playing.

Having a clock whose buttons stay down when pressed (Saitek, Excalibur, any analog) rather than spring back up (Chronos) also solves that problem.

Anyway, if it’s really bugging you, you could always lodge a rule 20G complaint.

[ppwchess]

@anjiaoshi

@ppwchess

I prefer it over the button model because it eliminates the sound of the compulsive clock tapper who presses the button 4-5 times on each move. I was running the computer for a scholastic tournament last week, and across the room I could hear some kid tapping the button several times on each move. Even that I found annoying, and I wasn’t even playing.

Having a clock whose buttons stay down when pressed (Saitek, Excalibur, any analog) rather than spring back up (Chronos) also solves that problem.

Anyway, if it’s really bugging you, you could always lodge a rule 20G complaint.

I wonder if 20G applies to a player annoying the TD. If it gets annoying I ask the player to please stop hitting the clock so much. That usually does the trick. Having my iPod on, also works.

[GeneM]

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@ppwchess

@srdudley

… the Chronos Touch Clock. More than once in the game I “touched” it only to find out some time later that it didn’t get touched all the way, and my clock was still running.

The clock buttons are actually very sensitive to the touch so it doesn’t take much to activate the clock. I’ve hit the edge of the button and had it stop my side and start the opponent’s. It doesn’t respond if you use a piece to press the button or if you’re wearing gloves. …

I prefer it over the button model because it eliminates the sound of the compulsive clock tapper who presses the button 4-5 times on each move. … annoying …

Yes, clock noise is annoying.
Any aspect of clock design that brings it closer to total silence is good; with the only exception being that the clock should give a rapid couple of short beeps when flag fall occurs. (Some disagree with my exception, but I believe in designs that mitigate side effects of the clock.)

The Chronos buttons do not vary their position depending on whose turn it is; whereas a rocker bar-switch or old mechanical buttons do vary their position. This can make it impossible to know whose turn it is if the clock happens to be oriented toward a close-by wall. This is bad for the spectator or the wandering player who wants to return to the board when his clock is restarted.
Chronos offers to light little red LEDs next to each button to show whose turn it is, but the clock owner can turn off those LEDs. In some cases I would object to the LEDs being turned off. Uses more battery power, tuf.

I find srdudley’s recollection so surprising that personally I would have to see it to believe it. At home when I attempt to touch my Chronos button without it detecting the touch, my attempt alway fails – the clock always detects.
. .

[MHoffpauir]

I agree completely with Tim Just’s view … players should use their hand to press the clock. Nothing wrong with using the piece as many players do, but in this case I would simply have told the complainant to use his hand because the clock being used was fully compliant with USCF rules.

Mike Hoffpauir
ANTD