The RaceDB QLMux Git Archive is designed to provide a robust and easily deployable system for running RaceDB with integrated support for Brother QL printers and Impinj RFID readers. This system is ideal for events where efficient management of registration and timing is critical.
Wimsey and Escape Velocity have been using Impinj RFID readers and Brother QL label printers to support timing and registration since 2014/2015. The use of low-cost RFID tags allowed racers to retain their tags for future events, enabling RaceDB to quickly recognize returning participants.
On-demand printing of BIB and frame numbers has significantly reduced the time required for rider registration and check-in at events. These improvements have also decreased the number of volunteers needed. Typically, two or three volunteers can manage the registration and check-in for a 100-200 rider event in less than an hour. With four volunteers, 200-300 riders can be processed in the same time frame. This efficiency assumes approximately 50% pre-registration and 50% day-of registration, with a similar percentage of riders having their own RFID tags.
The racedb_qlmux project is a revised version of the older racedb_qlmuxd archive. It includes management scripts to support running RaceDB, PostgreSQL, QLMux Proxy, and Traefik in containers on a Linux system.
This updated version uses the new QLMux Proxy, an enhanced version of qlmuxd, which leverages SNMP to find and monitor the status of Brother QL printers and Impinj RFID readers.
If you want to integrate QLMux Proxy and Traefik into an existing RaceDB installation, you can use the provided tools and documentation.
Detailed instructions for installation and configuration are provided in the Makefile. For containerized deployment, refer to the docker/docker.md file for a simple build and run example.
When running the QLMux Proxy container, make sure to use host networking (--network=host) to allow SNMP broadcast discovery to function correctly.