2017 DF Zing - Business SA Design for Export Awards
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Design-led
Exporters
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Design-led
Exporters
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AWARDS > 2017 Gallery
2017 FINALIST
ZINGS
ZINGS INTERNATIONAL PTY LTD
Category
PRODUCT DESIGN
SPORTS & LIFESTYLE
Design
BRONTE ECKERMAN
About
The Zings stump and bail produce an emotive high intensity visual indication at the exact moment when bails become dislodged from the stumps during play.
This allows umpires to accurately make difficult run out and stumping decisions on field in real time, and when reviewed by off field umpires in slow motion. The emotive flashing element brings the action and energy of the game closer to the spectators at the stadium and TV viewers alike.
In every other aspect, the wicket performs and sits comfortably within the rules and culture of the game..
Design Challenge
The Zing Wicket solves a problem where both ends of a bail have to lift from the stumps before the wicket is broken. In run out decisions, the exact moment this occurs was not clear, resulting in slow, controversial decisions when reviewed in slow motion by off field umpires.
This presented a unique electronic, mechanical engineering and industrial design challenge: the bails and stumps must simultaneously be compact, resistant to extreme impact shock, produce a highly visible flash within 2 mili-seconds of bail dislodgement, only trigger when both ends of the bail are dislodged, be immune from false flashing due to vibration, function reliably in rain or when dirty, can be intuitively operated by umpires in high stress situations on live TV and by TV production crew with a minimum of training.
The bail must simultaneously incorporate a high capacity battery, a radio transmitter and an array of high power LEDs in a 360 degree solid angle, whilst fitting in a volume of less than 20 millilitres and withstand impacts with a cricket ball at 160km/hr. The stumps must incorporate a high capacity battery, high intensity LEDs and a radio interface whilst being subject to extreme impact shock and flexing.
Design Solution
The bails have a unique flexible PCB arrangement with highly integrated microprocessor and radio circuitry. This ensures maximum volume for a high capacity battery to give the most intense visual display possible in such a small volume. The stumps incorporate highly integrated electronic design with low profile, low mass components to withstand impacts. Passive detection of bail dislodgment ensures that bails, which are the critical element for decision making, will always flash on dislodgement regardless of the status of any other stump or bail.
The physical design of bails and stumps is a patented combination of hard and soft shock absorbing materials, composites and stress relieving of critical soldered joints and interconnections. The mechanical design allows controlled bending and shock absorbing in specific areas under high velocity impact, while preventing flexion and shock forces on critical electronic components. Equipment is hired out and inspected and maintained on return and parts recycled into new equipment. Bails have soft rounded edges to minimise eye injury from a sharp edge in contact with eyes. The operation of the technology is invisible to the umpires on field. Setup by crew eliminates digging of holes and trenches, with internal power supply.
Design Impact
The Zing Electronic Wicket System has been universally and enthusiastically accepted at all levels of cricket as a revolutionary improvement to the experience of the game. As such, the product is now generally perceived as an integral part of the fibre of cricket. The product is a high margin low volume high performance product. As such, the technology is made, assembled and maintained in Australia, the majority in Adelaide. As we’ve refined the product, offshore components have been replaced by locally sourced, or 3D printed items made at Zing, to control quality and delivery, and to reduce our overall costs of producing and maintaining equipment. Moving these activities to Australia has produced engineering jobs in Adelaide offset by the saving on offshore manufacturing, administration and logistics costs. The innovative design and successful and smooth implementation of the technology, means that our company has had a monopoly through our patents and the goodwill in the market to recoup the R&D and commercial investment. We have a very healthy balance sheet and are running at a significant profit which we are reinvesting into new technologies. The majority of our sales are exports bringing money into the SA economy.
