Buzzer

From QBWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
The Judge

Buzzer system, buzzer, and lockout system are the common names for the device used to indicate which player has signaled their desire to answer a question first. Such systems are necessary for all standard quizbowl games because they make it clear which player was the first to attempt to answer a question.

While using a buzzer system, players buzz to answer a question. Other players are prevented from buzzing ("locked out") after one player has buzzed until the system is reset.

A buzzer system consists of a control unit that sits near the moderator, which connects to individual buttons or paddles held by each player. When a player buzzes in, the system produces a sound and activates a light indicating which player buzzed. Many more expensive systems have individual lights next to each player, while most lower-priced systems have smaller lights or light only on the control unit.

Almost all tournaments require some number of teams to bring buzzers in order to have enough to run the tournament properly; for this reason, Tournament directors usually offer a discount to teams that bring a buzzer. When too few buzzers are present, teams must play slapbowl, where buzzing is indicated by slapping the desk or saying something like "buzz." This is no longer common in the vast majority of modern quizbowl tournaments.

Online tournaments typically use an online buzzer system like Buzzin.live, which functions in much the same way as an in-person buzzer. It is possible to use USB buzzers attached to players' computers, but this is impractical and rarely used.

History of Quizbowl Buzzers

The earliest quizbowl-style competitions appeared to use either a system of hand-raising (sometimes with other officials activating a buzzer after seeing a hand raised) or shouting the answer before the other team. The College Bowl TV show implemented a buzzer system as part of its studio set, but portable buzzers took longer to emerge. The Berry College team in 1971 created a home-made portable buzzer system while a patent for a portable buzzer system was filed in 1972. Previous "lockout" buzzer systems had been used by Bible Bowl as early as the 1960s, but they were apparently not very portable.

Some older buzzer systems used a mechanical bell that was rung when players buzzed-in instead of making a "buzz" sound. Almost all modern buzzer systems now have some kind of light that indicates who buzzed in first.

Choosing a buzzer system (2020 post)

There are many things to take into consideration when deciding which buzzer system to purchase including price, durability, portability, and other factors. Below is a brief overview of Em Gunter's guide to choosing a buzzer system on the hsquizbowl.org forums. This covers 4 of the most commonly seen systems that can still be purchased as of March 2020 (thus leaving out The Judge, which appears to be unavailable for purchase anymore, but which due to its near-indestructibility remains present on many circuits).

Anderson Buzzers: [$265-$290]

Anderson buzzers come in two versions: daisy-chained boxes and individual hand-held indicators. purchasing the daisy-chained version is suggested due to their ease of use and high durability. When disassembled these buzzers only have 4 parts making it nearly impossible to accidentally leave part of the system lying around. The control unit is a simple box and each strip of buzzers connects on either side of the unit. These buzzers are extremely durable and are only known to fail in cases of extreme negligence. Andersons are the cheapest and most reliable buzzers that can be purchased and are often recommended over any other system. In general, it is a much better idea to purchase two sets of Andersons rather than a single set of QuikPros or Zeecrafts due to the far superior build of the Andersons. The one downside, however, to Andersons is that the AC adapter for the system is extremely short so purchasing an extension cord is highly suggested.

BuzzerSystems.com Buzzers: [~$299]

The buzzers from BuzzerSystems.com feature a control unit with individual activators contained within boxes that connect to the control unit by audio cables. The control unit features a reset button and 16 ports to allow the support of up to 16 players which is higher than any other commonly found system. Set up of this system is slightly more complicated than the Andersons because you have to plug a cable into each individual activator and a port on the control unit. Players who enjoy holding their activator but are seeking a higher quality or cheaper set will most likely prefer this set over Andersons. The main downside to this system is the quality of the cables that come with the set when you purchase it. When purchasing this system it is recommended that you additionally invest in a set of replacement cables that can be found at Amazon or a local electronics retailer.

QuikPro Buzzers: [$289-$489]

QuikPro buzzers come in two general types. You either have hand-held activators directly connected to the control unit from a single connection or individual lights with hand-held activators attached. The version with hand-held activators but not lights are generally far more reliable than the version with individual lights. QuikPro buzzers use cables similar to those used for home telephones and the connectors are often prone to snapping. The reset button on QuikPro buzzers can often fail due to poor wiring and may require the splicing of new wire in for continued functionality. The set up of this system is fairly simple but there are many cords that can easily get tangled or damaged which can increase set up and tear down time significantly compared to other systems.

Zeecraft Buzzers: [$465-$730]

These are by far the most expensive buzzers you can buy and while they look extremely nice they don't hold up very well. Many people have experience with these sets as they commonly show up at various national championship tournaments. Zeecraft systems have 8 individual lights with individual hand-held activators. The individual lights themselves are extremely fragile and will crack or pop off if they fall on the ground or jostle inside the case. The buzzers connect to the control unit using telephone cables and the clips on these tend to snap off quite easily. The craftmanship of Zeecraft buzzers is inferior to that of other systems. The soldering is often messy and these systems fail significantly sooner than other systems available for purchase. Additionally, Zeecrafts are incredibly time-consuming to set up and take even longer to put away due to the barely-big-enough case designed for the system. Taking into account the very high cost and lack of durability it is suggested that you stay away from Zeecraft buzzers for individual team use.


Model-specific information

Manufacturer Model Still being made as of 2022? Lowest cost for usable system[1] Advantages Disadvantages
4 D Designs Combo Quik Pro Yes $395
4 D Designs Quik Pro Basic Yes $289
4 D Designs Quik Pro Deluxe Yes $489
4 D Designs Quik Pro Deluxe Strobe Yes $518
Anderson Enterprises Elite Yes $448
Anderson Enterprises Officiator Handheld/Handpad Yes $320
Anderson Enterprises Officiator Tabletop Yes $290
Boling[2] Funbuzzer Yes $445
Novel Electronic Designs/BuzzerSystems.com 10-Player Quiz System Yes $360
Novel Electronic Designs/BuzzerSystems.com High-Visibility Buzzer System Yes $559
Novel Electronic Designs/BuzzerSystems.com Line-Up Chain-Link Quiz System Yes $645
Novel Electronic Designs/BuzzerSystems.com Team-Box Quiz System Yes $475
Novel Electronic Designs/BuzzerSystems.com Traditional Buzzer System – BASIC Yes $339
Novel Electronic Designs/BuzzerSystems.com Who's Next? Buzzer System Yes $399
Quiz Equipment A/G Quizbox Yes $465
Quiz Equipment Basic Quizbox Yes $305
Quiz Equipment Quizbowl Quizbox Yes $436
Quiz Equipment World Bible Quiz system Yes $535
QuizSystems QS2000A Yes $260
Trebisky Game Show Buzzer Yes $90
Triple-Q/Sho-Me Smart Light Yes $450
UniAsia[3] QZ-825 Yes $115
Zeecraft Challenger I Yes $495
Zeecraft Challenger II Yes $610
Zeecraft Challenger III Yes $720
Zeecraft Discover Yes $365

Purchasing a buzzer system

New quiz bowl programs commonly ask how and where to buy a buzzer system. Overtime all buzzers break down, so it is often better to purchase more durable systems such as Andersons, which are the cheapest and provide good warranties, than to a more expensive system because it looks better or you have heard rumors that it is less likely to fail. Local civic organizations are a good place to reach out to if your school division denies funding for a buzzer system.

There are other concerns about buying a buzzer system for quiz bowl:

  • Quiz bowl does not use "self-resetting" systems; you should buy a buzzer with a moderator reset button.
  • Wireless buzzer systems are inappropriate for tournament play due to the potential for lag.
  • Phone- and tablet-based buzzer systems are inappropriate for tournament play and serious practice due to the potential for distraction or cheating by using such devices' other functions.
  • Battery-operated buzzer systems will require you to always keep spare batteries in the case in the event of a mid-tournament battery failure. For tournament use, systems plugging into building power are preferred (it helps to keep an extension cord in the case because some rooms have inconveniently-located power outlets).
  • Individual player lights on or next to each player's buzzer make it easier for everyone to recognize who has buzzed in first.

Matt's Buzzers

Matt's Buzzers is a charity set up by Sheryl and Mike Cvijanovich, the parents of Matt Cvijanovich. It awards grants to teams seeking to buy buzzer systems. These grants are given in Matt's honor.

Buzzer exhibit

The Fondren Library at Rice University displays three buzzer systems formerly used by the Rice team as part of an exhibit on the history of Rice's quizbowl program.

Terminology

"Buzzer system" (used in most mainstream quizbowl) and "lockout system" (used in College Bowl) are the most common terms. Game shows such as Jeopardy! that use similar systems refer to them as a "signaling device." The terms "indicator system," "lockout/indicator," and "quiz box" are seen occasionally.

The rules of at least two high school leagues in 2022 (one in Ohio and one in Georgia) still use the trademarked model name "Quiz-a-Matic" to refer to buzzers in general, despite the fact that the Quiz-a-Matic has not been manufactured since 1996, suggesting that this system was once so common that its name began to genericize.

Official systems

While almost all tournaments allow any buzzer that meets their technical requirements and rarely have the luxury of turning away any working buzzers supplied by teams, some models are more common in certain environments:

  • NHBB endorses the Anderson Officiator to teams and uses that model for their company-owned reserve of buzzers.
  • NAQT owns several dozen NED buzzers and does, or formerly did, have many company-owned Judges as well.
  • VHSL Scholastic Bowl uses a stock of Quik Pro Deluxe buzzers at its state tournament and endorses Quik Pro for purchase by participating teams. Scholastic Bowl-only programs almost invariably own a Quik Pro Deluxe with the siren-style buzzers; other models appear at regional-level VHSL tournaments only when more active teams that purchased buzzers outside of VHSL's recommendation supply them.
  • Off-TV College Bowl used Zeecraft Challenger I buzzers at its official events after University Research Company stopped making its prior official buzzer, the Quizamatic, in 1996. The purchase of this model by colleges running intramural tournaments and the subsequent end of the College Bowl campus program may explain this buzzer's frequent appearance on secondhand resale websites.
  • Televised high school quizbowl shows that don't build their own custom buzzers through the TV station's engineers often use Zeecrafts with the Showtime activators, which are fairly easily modified to output to a large light in front of a podium.

The Quik Pro Deluxe "siren" style buzzers provide some advantage in games played before large audiences, as they have by far the largest lights, and the only large lights that are omnidirectional, of any available system. In extreme cases (e.g. national finals games played on stages in hotel conference rooms in front of hundreds of people) there is no out-of-the-box buzzer that lights up brightly enough to overcome the combined effects of the stage lighting and the size of the room, and the audience has to rely on listening to who is answering the question to determine who buzzed. The only way to overcome this is to re-route the light bulb socket in a buzzer that uses lamps (such as certain Zeecraft or NED models) to a larger, more powerful light on the front of the players' table/podium; outside of televised events, this method was once commonly done at the National Academic Championship and was used for the finals of the 2004 PACE NSC.

Gallery of buzzer systems

Reference for common buzzer parts & repair tools

  • Anderson power pack - available on their website http://www.andersonbuzzersystems.com/replacementparts.html, if using a third-party power supply, set output to 9V and use the 3.5mm connector (off-the-shelf power packs should come with an assortment of connectors)
  • Bulbs for Zeecraft "showtime" activators - #47 or #1847 "bayonet" or "pinball" style such as these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LC968GK (LED) or https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00455IHYM (traditional incandescent filament) Note - Modern LED bulbs placed in older Zeecraft systems will glow faintly whenever the system is plugged in, but they will still clearly get much brighter when the player buzzes and are entirely usable for the purposes of a buzzer. If you can get old incandescent bulbs, they won't do this, but they are more expensive, you will have to replace them more often and, at some point in the future, such bulbs will no longer be made.
  • Bulbs for NED systems - while these look superficially similar to the Zeecraft bulbs they are not interchangeable. NED sells replacement LED bulbs here: https://buzzersystems.com/product/light-bulb-long-life-red/ and the specs per their page are 12-14V, 25mA, T 3-1/4 BA9S size
  • Fuses for QuikPro systems - 0.5 amp 1" x 1 1/4" glass tube, e.g. these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BXHWAM
  • Soldering iron for wire connections - any kind, available anywhere hardware is sold
  • Crimping kit for RJ11 ("phone jack") and RJ45 ("Ethernet") tab connectors used by QuikPro, Zeecraft, and other manufacturers - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0756SN86D or any similar kit plus pack of connectors https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008EAK1FM
  • Screwdrivers are needed for opening Anderson units to fix sunken bulbs, opening Zeecraft showtime light units to replace the bulbs, and other general repair tasks. These will be included in most crimping kits, otherwise supply your own.

Keeping the above tools and parts with your buzzer can save a tournament from running short.

External Links

  • Lowest possible cost, excluding shipping, for a new system in the model line that can currently be ordered from the manufacturer's website and meets NAQT's definition of an acceptable buzzer. Higher-priced systems with more features, or lower-priced systems that are not usable for ordinary quizbowl (e.g. because they have fewer than eight activators), or usable lower-priced models that are no longer offered as new products and can only be acquired secondhand, may also be available. Information was researched and current as of 12/20/22.
  • This company appears to still be in business but their website is non-secure so the link is not included at this time.
  • This company appears to still be in business but does not have a website that I could find.