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We are considering switching to EBUScore and Bridgetabs. Is this a good idea?

We currently run on Scorebridge and this has let us down twice recently. The file became corrupted for no apparent reason. Also, our Bridge Pads are no longer supported.

We have the option to share Bridgemates but thought this was a good opportunity to start afresh with EBU Score and Bridgetabs.

However, having got a temporary licence I am having difficulty getting the tablet to connect to the laptop. This may be a Firewall problem.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

David

Comments

  • David

    1. The most likely reason for the Scorebridge file corruption is that the harddrive in your PC is beginning to fail. I suggest you run Crystal DiskInfo available here https://crystalmark.info/en/download/ to check the disk. If it says Caution or Bad you need to replace the disk.

    2. I have successfully used Bridgetabs with EBU SCore. It is some time ago, while we were evaluating several systems to replace Bridgepads, so my memory is not that clear. Key points were the scoring PC and the Bridgetabs must all be connected to the same router/wireless access point and you must run EBUScore (and thus the Bridgetabs) through BOS. If you can describe the problem in more detail I may be able to help.

    Stan

  • Thank you, Stan. Interesting that you tried but chose another system. What did you settle on?

    The error message I get is “Check that BT Admin is connected to the BT Network”. I'm not getting much response from the Bridgetab service number.

    You are probably correct about the hard drive issue, the laptop is very old.

    Any chance you could call me on 020 8554 5578?

  • When I tried out Bridge Tabs I did indeed have a firewall problem. I was using Windows Defender. In settings for Windows Defender you can set 'Allowed Applications'. The app you need to allow is Bridge Tab Admin. You need to allow it for both 'Public' and 'Private'. Once I had done that I got the whole the whole thing to work together.

  • We have used Bridgetabs /Bos/ Scorebridge system for about 3 years .

    Essential to allow the application, Bridgetabs, through the firewall for both private and public . You have to change the firewall settings see Help/ BT " Communication Problems " "Select Windows Firewall option"

    Also system works better if run a local are network via your router . See advice in Help/BT_ap o "BT Admin 's IP " on public networks If you only use one router then disconnect it from the internet . We use two routers , one connected to the internet and one to create a LAN , with an electronic switch in the PC between the two routers.

  • If you are asking for an opinion, then my own preference would always be Bridgemate, but I understand Bridgetab can work well (and is cheaper) however my warning would be the clunkiness of using BOS and difficulty of getting any compregensible support from Jannersten.

  • Thank you for your time speaking to me today Stan, it's been a great help. For anyone reading this thread, I was going wrong because I was starting the scoring program first as we do with Bridge Pads.

    You have to first open BOS then click Create which opens the scoring program and establishes the link.

  • Happy to help, Dave. We chose EBUScore and Bridgemates, a deciding factor for us was the problems of keeping up to 20 Android tablets charged ready for use three days a week in a rented venue.

  • To add to JeffreyS and StanC choice of system . I feel that both their comments are fair.

    We gave up Bridgepads about 3 or 4 years ago due to wear and tear and the need to go to USA for support /parts . When we bought Bridgepads (about 2008) they were slightly ahead of the original Bridgemates.

    Players like BridgeTabs because they are intuitive to use and contain more info than Bridgemates .

    However the down side is that BridgeTabs are much more technically difficult to use for the scorer than Bridgemates and more things can go wrong from an IT perspective. I think that capital layout is lower with Bridgetabs - but that should not be a factor..

    As you know BridgeTabs use a run of the mill tablets - say £70 - and you pay a yearly license for each tablet in use - this offers flexibility if you want to temporarily increase your field size ( unlikely to happen) .

    IF a tablet should fail (none so far) you can pop out and buy one . This was not the case with our former system Bridgepads (not Bridgemates) and was a big factor when we chose the new system. We wanted a system where failed units could be replaced quickly. However I believe Bridgemates are more robust than Bridgepads: I am unaware of how Bridgemates perform over the long term with respect to damage to the units.

    When setting up Bridgetabs It took quite a while to iron out problems when running our new Bridgetabs system from the scorers point of view , but players really like them.. Talking with other users Bridgetabs are popular with members - I have not come across any players who shy away from using them. If you opt for Bridgetabs the club people who run the system need to be committed. I don't have any regrets using Bridgetabs but feel Bridgemates would be easier to operate.

    A difficult choice when selecting your system.

  • That is very clear rosss and all these comments have really helped. I will show your summery to my committee.

    It is all working well I downloaded BOS on to a second computer with Scorebridge and EBU Score loaded. Thanks to StanC, when I clicked create I was able to select Scorebridge 10. This was great as the tablets even converted the Member ID numbers to their names. When I tried repeating the exercise it didn't give me a choice of scoring system but opened EBUScore instead of Scorebridge. Even when I Shift Clicked. Also, I cannot get EBUScore to show the players' names.

    My two questions are:

    1. How do I get the 'Select Scoring System' menu back so I can choose Scorebridge10?
    2. How do I get EBU Score to transmit Player Names when the Member ID number is input on the tablets?

    I am really grateful for the help and advice.

    David

  • Hi David

    1. How do I get the 'Select Scoring System' menu back so I can choose Scorebridge10? Hold down the Shift key while you click on Start Scoring This does work so perhaps BOS is remembering the settings for an event you have already started, try again with a new event.
    2. How do I get EBU Score to transmit Player Names when the Member ID number is input on the tablets? One thing to check in EBU Score is that on the Player Database|Player Management tab "Disable using Player IDs for name entry" is ticked. I know this sounds counter intuitive but ticking the box forces EBU score to use EBU numbers rather than club player IDs.

    Stan

  • Hi Dave

    At this stage I cannot be very helpful without checking at the club

    1. When setting up BOS you are able to set and select the scoring program - however without using the licensed club version of BOS (i.e. checking ) I am unable to give you full instructions. It is simple to select the programme once you know how and pick the right control steps.
      2.. It is possible to "load names " into the tablets - . This is quite a complicated procedure - In essence, for Scorebridge, you create a file with the player club numbers then load them into the tablets . This eliminates the Disney character names on the test versions . I have a set of instructions on how to do this . It stops the odd names appearing.

    Although I use Scorebridge I expect the principles are the same for EBU Score. (Does EBUScore have a player data base with EBU numbers and separate club numbers - I expect so). In BOS there are a selection of options for EBUScore - with separate selections for pairs , teams etc plus software programmes from other countries e.g. USA.. The selection of scoring software that BOS runs on seems comprehensive

    The manual issued by BridgeTabs is comprehensive but takes a lot of effort to find the way around. It seems to cover most things but is extremely difficult to navigate . For example, I tried the Help page before writing this to see how to set the scoring program but could not find the relevant page and this in the context of someone who has used Bridgetabs for several years but has difficulty in finding the way around the manual.

    I can do the following

    (a) check how you control the scoring programme software selection and come back through this forum in a day or two or
    (b) ring me on 01604 946143 and let me have your e mail address and I will try to answer your queries the best I can,

  • edited November 2019

    REF SELECTING SOFTWARE SCORING StanC is right - to select the program press "shift and left click " on scoring program together . You can then select the scoring software and "remember it " if required

  • Hello All

    I have been using BridgeTabs for 11 months now and mainly it has proved to be very good but have been having what looks like comms problems recently (after changing location) e.g. tablet hanging on the table entry screen (BSC shows table entered) and unable to send results to the laptop. Tried the obvious things like checking the ip address and moving tablet closer to the router. All works OK at home. Has anyone had similar problems.

    Trevor

  • To be honest, I have given up with Bridgetabs. I found them completely unhelpful. As a result, I have discovered BridgePal which is free and was working in a day. The club members love it. We have been using it for two months now. It works with any Android tablet or phone and the instructions are really clear. Check it out: https://mirgo2.co.uk/bridgepal/index.php?section=1

  • Hi Trevor

    I suspect at home there are not nearby routers which cause interference with the signal between your tablets and computer router but perhaps in your club premises there are competing router signals

    See http://www.jannersten.com/Help/BT_app/html/bt_admin_s_ip.html on this issue

    We run two routers in the club - one on the internet and a private Local Area Network with no internet connection . This is described in the penultimate para of the Help link above. An alternative way to test this is disconnect the Ethernet cable from your router to the phone line when in the club premises. I am making assumptions on your set up which may be different to what I have described.

    Ross

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