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Light Based Pacing System for OIT Track
Project Proposal
Prepared for:
Dr. Feng Shi
Electrical Engineering and Renewable Energy
Associate Professor & Program Director
Oregon Institute of Technology
Prepared by:
Kai Miles
Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Student
Oregon Institute of Technology
EERE Department
Image credit: Landel, S. Athletes running with Wavelight technology [Photograph]. World
Athletics. https://worldathletics.org/news/feature/wavelight-technology-athletics
June 4 th, 2025
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June 4 th, 2025
Dr. Feng Shi, Associate Professor
Electrical Engineering and Renewable Energy Department,
Oregon Institute of Technology
3201 Campus Dr.
Klamath Falls, OR 97601
Dear Dr. Shi,
Enclosed is my unsolicited project proposal for a light-based pacing system for Oregon
Tech’s track and field facility at Moehl Stadium. This project would take the form of a senior
project for myself. As such, I have included my designs, an implementation timeline, and a
cost analysis for this project, in such a case as it is approved. I have also analyzed the
specific design requirements brought on by the track facility of Oregon Tech and present
within this report my ideas for how to overcome them.
This project is important to me as I am not only an electrical engineering undergraduate,
but also an athlete on our school’s track team. This sort of system is only used at the
highest level in track and field, but as a technical institute, I believe we have a unique
opportunity to create such a system for our athletes and students to enjoy.
Thank you for taking the time to read this proposal and for considering my project. I am
eagerly awaiting your response and truly hope that you will consider working with me to
make this project a reality. Any input that you have would be greatly appreciated and I
would be willing to make changes to my project if you believe it will be necessary to get this
project approved.
Sincerely,
Kai Miles
kai.miles@oit.edu
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Light Based Pacing System for OIT Track
Project Proposal
Prepared for:
Dr. Feng Shi
Electrical Engineering and Renewable Energy
Associate Professor & Program Director
Oregon Institute of Technology
Prepared by:
Kai Miles
Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Student
Oregon Institute of Technology
EERE Department
June 4 th, 2025
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page #
1) ABSTRACT ..........................................................................................................6
2) INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................7
a) Proposal Description.................................................................................7
b) Proposal Scope.........................................................................................7
c) Proposal Format.......................................................................................7
3) BACKGROUND....................................................................................................8
a) What is WaveLight?...................................................................................8
b) Benefits for Athletes..................................................................................8
c) Benefits for the School..............................................................................9
4) PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED...................................................................................9
a) Segmented Rail.........................................................................................9
b) Diverging Paths: Steeplechase.................................................................10
c) Lack of Power Sources Inside Track..........................................................11
5) PROPSED DESIGN.............................................................................................11
a) Power System.........................................................................................11
i) Photovoltaic Power System...........................................................1 2
ii) Klamath’s Weather Effects on Solar Cells......................................12
b) Variable Speed Control (Pace Setting)......................................................1 3
c) Avoiding the Gaps...................................................................................1 4
d) Complete System....................................................................................1 5
6) COST OF MATERIALS.........................................................................................15
7) IMPLEMENTAION TIMELINE................................................................................1 6
8) CONCLUSION...................................................................................................1 7
9) REFERENCES....................................................................................................1 8
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Page #
Table 1. “Frequency Change Over Points” .....................................................................13
Figure 1. Oregon Tech’s Track Facility............................................................................10
Figure 2. “Losses attributable to snow in the winter of 2010/2011, the different shaded bars
represent a different module manufacturer or surface treatment” .................................12
Figure 3. Big Dome 20mm LEDs Green Product Package Dimension..............................1 6
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Abstract
This document serves as my unprompted project proposal for a potential senior project
that I want to take on. It details my project, which is creating and implementing a lightbased pacing system, often called a “WaveLight system”, at the Oregon Tech track. This
would be controllable and would allow for the time per lap and number of laps to be
chosen by the operator. I will start by explaining the benefits such a project would bring to
the athletes at Oregon Tech and to the school itself. My proposal then outlines the
background of this technology, and the specific issues that the OIT track creates for this
project. Namely, the removable nature of the rail, the lack of power sources at the track,
and the different paths different races take on the track. I also go over my proposed
solutions to those issues, my complete design idea, an implementation timeline, and cost
of the project. With all of those included, this proposal should be adequate to start the
next steps required to get this project off the ground.
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Introduction
In this project proposal, I will outline my idea for implementing a WaveLight pacing system
at the OIT track facility. I will explain the benefits of such an implementation, my designs
for such a system, and the logistics of cost and time that this project would take.
Proposal Description
This project aims to implement a WaveLight pacing system at Oregon Tech’s track in the
form of a senior project for myself. Through this proposal I seek to gain permission and
approval for this project and for support once said project actually begins. I am willing to
amend aspects of this proposal as needed to get this project approved, but this proposal
contains my desired design and implementation ideas.
Proposal Scope
This project is designed to be a senior project and should not take more than a year to
complete. In this proposal, I will present my current design ideas, a tentative schedule,
and an initial budget. However, these are all subject to change upon implementation as I
may find my first designs insufficient, or roadblocks may change the timeline or cost of
implementation. As such this proposal will not contain a definitive list of materials, and the
implementation timeline is loose with only a few fixed dates.
Proposal Format
This report will contain the following major sections that will be covered in depth in the
main body of this proposal.
•
Background
•
•
•
Problems to be solved
Proposed design
Cost of materials
•
Implementation timeline
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Background
I feel it is important to cover why I want to see a WaveLight pacing system implemented,
but firstly I will clarify what that system even is. Additionally, I want to explain some of the
reasons why I specifically want to implement this type of system.
What is WaveLight?
WaveLight is the name of the recently popularized system that describes a light-based
pacing system. In essence, a WaveLight pacing system, or just WaveLight, is a series of
L.E.D.s installed on the interior rail of a track that glow one after another at a pace that the
operator decides. These are most generally called a light-based pacing system, but I will
be referring to it as “WaveLight” or a “WaveLight system” because that is the specific
model I wish to emulate in this project.
These started being developed in the 1970s, but didn’t see high profile use until 2020. This
was the year when the WaveLight system was first allowed to be used in professional track
meets by the World Athletics organization (Landells, 2020). Several world records have
already been set with the use of WaveLight, including the men’s 10,000m, the men's
5,000m, and the women’s 5000m (Taylor et al., 2021).
Benefits for Athletes
There are several reasons that such a presentation would be appreciated by the track
athletes here at Oregon Tech. The primary reason for this is that Oregon Tech sits above
4,000 feet of elevation. This has an adverse effect on long distance running, as running is
an aerobic exercise, meaning it uses oxygen. But at higher altitudes, the air is less dense,
thus every breath a runner takes will provide them with less oxygen and thus reduces their
running potential and the perceived effort of running at the same pace compared to at sea
level (Hollings et al., 2011). This makes Oregon Tech a less desirable location for teams to
compete in as if they are not accustomed to higher altitudes; they will find it increasingly
difficult to run long distance races well here.
This is in large part because of the increased effort of running at the same pace here at
elevation. However, it becomes easier to maintain hard paces if the runner has something
or someone to pace them with, so they only need to follow the pace, not set it themselves.
Furthermore, consistent paces lead to faster times, as shown by a study published in the
Journal of Sports Sciences, Christian Theil et al. (2012) compared the speeds of the 2008
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Olympic finals of the long-distance races to the available data of the respective world
records of each event. They found that the world records were set at much more
consistent speed than the Olympic finals had, and the times in the finals were
correspondingly slower. All this to say is that a pacing system at OIT would encourage
more teams to come and compete so they could run faster races set by the pacing system.
Benefits for the School
By implementing this project, Oregon Tech would gain an example of exceedingly rare
technology at its track. There are no schools on the west coast and part of NAIA that have a
light-based pacing system on their track. This would make Oregon Tech one of a kind,
which could help attract other schools to seriously compete at the track meets that our
school hosts. More schools competing here means more money for the school as those
teams must pay to compete and more people could lead to more sales at concessions.
This means that this project could pay for itself once it is up and running.
And furthermore, a light-based pacing system at Oregon Tech fits with the school’s goals of
facilitating and displaying student excellence and hands-on experience. Having a project
such as this will make OIT look more appealing to potential students by highlighting the
hands-on experience that Oregon Tech advertises. Additionally, the project would make
the school more appealing to track athletes, which helps with student retention as athletes
are more likely to complete their degree.
PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED
In this section, I will outline the unique features of Oregon Tech’s track that create
problems for a WaveLight system that must be addressed by my design. As the track was
just recently renovated three years ago as of the time of this report, there is a rail in good
condition that would function as a perfect fastening point for the system’s L.E.D.s.
However, the structure of the rails and lack of power access to the rails creates the largest
problems to be addressed.
Segmented Rail
The railing on the interior of the track is not one continuous 400-meter-long strip of metal.
Rather, it comes in pieces roughly five meters long that fit together and have stakes that fit
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into the track. This in itself is not an issue as the WaveLight system I am proposing would
be removable as well, only propped up against the rail for structure and support. However,
an issue would arise during competition; there are two instances where certain portions of
the rail are removed during competition. These being for the high jump and steeplechase.
On figure 1 on the following page, I have highlighted the affected areas. Blue represents the
segments that are removed commonly. The green markings will be discussed later in the
Diverging Paths section.
High jump removes the rail on the west side of the track so athletes can get a long enough
run up to the matt. Steeplechase removes the rail because the runners must run an
alternate route inside the east side curve to reach the water pit. Both situations require
obstructions to be cleared and having a string of L.E.D.s in the way after the rail has been
removed would simply not be acceptable. As such, my design must accommodate these
gaps, while still allowing for the L.E.D.s to light up on the rest of the track.
Figure 1: Oregon Tech’s Track Facility
Note. Edited photo from Apple Maps
Diverging Paths: Steeplechase
In addition to opening two gaps on the rail, when the steeplechase is run another problem
emerges. The race cuts inside the east side of the track, meaning it doesn’t follow the
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standard lap shape or distance. Each lap of the steeplechase is actually 396.23 meters
long at Oregon Tech’s track. This means that my design needs to accommodate the
alternate route for the steeplechase, which would require additional L.E.D.s to stay on the
secondary rail that follows the steeplechase route as well as a method of selecting which
route the lights should take on the controls.
Lack of Power Sources Inside Track
Of course, this system will need to be powered somehow, but this problem is not the
simplest to solve. There are no power outlets found in the field in the interior of the track,
which is where this system must be located. This is because any power chords crossing
the track would be a tripping hazard and as such are out of the question. This means that
the controls must be inside the track, and power cannot be drawn from a source outside
the track such as the press box above the stands.
To solve this problem, I must implement a power source on the interior of the track. A
simple option could be to make the system battery powered, however large batteries
would be needed, and this would create recurring upkeep costs as new batteries would
need to be purchased regularly. Ideally, this could be solved with a renewable power
source, such as a solar power bank.
PROPSED DESIGN
My proposed design integrates several systems to address the problems discussed in the
Problems to be Solved section. It uses a solar panel generator for power, wireless
communications, and 500 L.E.D.s to allow for consistent pacing around OITs track despite
the design challenges.
Power System
As a way of avoiding drawing any extra power or putting any power cords across the track, I
want to implement a photovoltaic power generator and power bank. Such a power system
would not cost any extra money to power as it could power itself. As Oregon’s Capital of
Sunshine, Klamath Falls has uniquely advantageous photovoltaic power generation with
300 days of sunshine a year.
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Photovoltaic Power System
As designing my own solar powered power bank would be a complex prospect that could
easily be expanded into its own senior project, I would prefer to look at purchasing a solar
powered generator with a power bank. There are many options that can provide over 100
volts and 200 watts while only costing $200 or even less. Additionally, I could look at
designs for DIY designs that cost less with only a minimal amount of assembly, if
necessary.
Klamath’s Weather Effects on Solar Cells
Even though Klamath Falls has 300 days of sunshine per year, it also has a considerable
amount of snowfall in the winter. While this is a concern to winter operation, remedies can
be taken, such as by setting up the solar panels at an angle to reduce the buildup of snow
(Andrews et al. 2013) as showcased by the graphs below.
Figure 2: “Losses attributable to snow in the winter of 2010/2011, the different shaded bars
represent a different module manufacturer or surface treatment” (Source: Andrews et al)
As shown by Figure 2, snow cover that accumulates on top of solar panels can lead to a
loss of up to 3% over the year on flat solar panels. As the angle of the solar panel is
increased, the power loss decreases. This is due to the snow being able to fall off or slide
down the panel, exposing more panels to the sun. As my system would only use a single
solar panel which would only be a few square feet wide, it would be easy to clear in the
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wintertime, assuming it is used at all as the track competition season occurs during the
spring.
Variable Speed Control (Pace Setting)
The most important part of this project is the system that controls the speed of the lights
flashing, as that is the whole point of the project. Choosing the pace at which the lights
flash requires a control panel that can affect the number of laps that the lights will flash,
and the time it will take for the lights to go around a lap. It should also be able to change
between steeplechase laps and normal laps. That last part could be easily achieved by
using a pushbutton attached to a flip-flop state machine that could swap between signals
to act as modes.
To achieve speed control of the lights, I plan to create a circuit that implements a variable
clock signal generator, inspired by the system presented by Singh et al. (2024) at their 2024
IEEE International Symposium on Smart Electronic Systems conference. Their panel, titled
“A Method of Variable Frequency Clock Generation” displayed their design for a variable
clock frequency generator that can produce different frequencies of clock signals to send
to the L.E.D.s at different speeds. This is achieved with a multiplexer that can easily swap
signals with another switch. The table of frequencies from their panel is shown below in
Table 1.
Table 1: “Frequency Change Over Points” (Source: Singh et al)
The different frequencies offered by this type of system should allow for a wide range of
options to swap between while the circuit is in operation. These frequencies should allow
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for the different speed of signals needed to control how fast the lights will complete a lap
around the track, which is the main function of the system.
Avoiding the Gaps
To address the issues of gaps in the track by the high jump pit, I wanted to implement a
wireless communication system. This would require a secondary control system for the
short stretch of track in the middle of the west end curve of the track. However, after
researching this path, I determined that such a system would not be feasible for me to
implement.
This comes down to the fact that this would split my pacing system into two separate
circuits: a main one that covers most of the track, and a small one that covers the few
meters between the high jump runway openings. This would require another power source
to be attached to the smaller circuit.
This would also require advanced systems of Bluetooth, or some other method such as the
L.E.D. based wireless system I was initially inspired by from the Journal of Lightwave
Technology (Yang et al. 2022). This system would use a series of L.E.D.s that would flash
between circuits to transfer information between different circuits. This would
substantially increase the testing phase and make errors in operation far more likely. It
would also likely not work due to the extensive distance that the gaps in the track rail have.
To address the issue of the gaps in the rail, I would have the wire run around the high jump
pit area, run back through the middle of the high jump to the rail and back the same way
before continuing back to the rest of the rail by the discus ring. I would put into the wire
resistors with the same resistance as the L.E.D.s with as many as would be in the rail if the
gaps did not exist to simplify the calculations for the speed of the lights. This way I can
treat the system as if there were no gaps in the lights. Unfortunately, this will leave small
sections of the rail without any lights, but they are small enough sections that I do not think
will affect the use of the system.
For the steeplechase gap, I would have two strings of L.E.D.s that can be plugged into the
main string. One would continue around the normal track, while the other stays along the
steeple pit. To swap between, simply plug the main string into the path desired. The
plugged string will be where the circuit is completed, and the non-plugged string will not
affect the circuit as it would be an open circuit. It would be like how you can plug extra
strings of Christmas lights together with male and female receptors at the ends of the
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strings of lights. This would mean there would be two strings of 100 L.E.D.s on the east end
of the track.
Complete System
My complete system would be composed of 500 L.E.D.s connected in series that would be
able to be propped up to the existing inner rail at Oregon Tech’s track. It would run around
the high jump pit and through the center to avoid the gaps in the west curve of the track,
and then back around to the discus ring. It would continue before continuing to the
steeplechase opening on the east side of the track, where a plug would allow a choice
between paths that the L.E.D.s would follow. This will all be controlled by a control system
with push buttons variable resistor dials that control the speed the lights will complete a
lap in, how many laps they will complete, and if they will make normal laps or
steeplechase laps.
COST OF MATERIALS
The cost of this project would come entirely from material costs as I would be the one
providing all the labor for assembly and installation. This will not include costs such as the
cost of maintaining the school’s labs which I would use, along with standard materials that
the school provides in its lab such as solder. I am only going to include the extra costs of
items that would need to be bought specifically for this project.
My design requires 500 L.E.D.s to line the 400-meter track, with an extra 100 to run along
the steeple pit. Fortunately, L.E.D.s are cheap to buy in bulk. I found a good style from
Electronix Express for $0.08 per part pictured on the following page, which is $40.00 for
500 of them. The wiring would raise the price considerably as I would need 500 meters of
wiring to cover the whole track, which would cost around $630 to get that much wiring with
insulation for being outdoors. A campsite solar power generator could be bought for about
$200, which should be enough to power this system. Finally, the control system could be
housed in a 3D printed case, and the circuit components such as logic gates and shift
registers that will be housed in the control system should come out to be about $5 as all
those components are a few cents per part as well as the school already having several of
those components.
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Figure 3: Big Dome 20mm LEDs Green Product Package Dimension (Source: Electronix
Express)
This brings the total cost to $875.00, which is a rough estimate. If this is too much for a
standard project, I am willing to work on ideas that will lower the cost such as by making
the system battery powered or by removing the extra 100 meters for the steeplechase laps.
I would rather not limit the functionality of the system, but I understand the limitations that
budget constraints may bring.
IMPLEMENTAION TIMELINE
As this proposal is for a senior project idea, it would not start in earnest until the fall 2027
term, which is my current projection for my senior year. Since I have already had this
proposal prepared, I would ideally be approved to start implementation as soon as
possible. Ideally, by week two or three of that term. Durning this approval time, I could
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breadboard miniaturized proof of concepts for my circuit designs to prove that my theory of
operation is correct.
The initial set of materials and components should all be ordered before the end of week
seven of said term. Ideally, this would give me time to inspect the components and
materials for any defects or issues before the end of the fall term. This would allow for the
first assembly of the components during the winter 2028 term. This would take a
considerable amount of time as there will be 500 L.E.D.s that must all be connected to the
system. This is also when I would troubleshoot my wireless communication systems to
address the gaps in the rail.
I would have all the components assembled separately and tested to ensure proper
function before the end of the winter 2028 term. This would allow for a complete assembly
at the start of the spring 2028 term at the latest, where all components would be moved to
the OIT track. Once all parts are set up, testing will begin. First to ensure that the L.E.D.s
complete one lap in the time determined and that the number of laps also matches the
input. Then the system would be tested with the gaps in the rail removed. As a track athlete
myself, I could run along with the lights in test runs to inspect that the lights glow at an
even rate.
CONCLUSION
My proposed design should be able to adequately address the specific requirements that
building a light-based pacing system at Oregon Tech’s track entails. I may make further
refinements as I continue my electrical engineering education, but I believe this initial
design is sufficient to get started. If any part of my design is unrealistic or unfeasible in
some way, I am willing to work with you to make it realizable. I am also willing to do work to
get funding for this project such as seeking scholarships if the department cannot cover
the expenses.
I look forward to working with you to make this project a reality. Please let me know if I
need to present this project to any other faculty that I may need to get this project
approved. Then we can work together on the next steps that will be needed for me to start
my project.
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REFERENCES
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Apple Maps. (n.d.). https://maps.apple.com/
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PdirJETH6ylYLj
Finances, budget and Facilities. Oregon Tech. (n.d.). (2014)
https://www.oit.edu/sites/default/files/2020/documents/bot-orientation-sectioniii.pdf
Hollings, S. C., Hopkins, W. G., & Hume, P. A. (2011). Environmental and venue‐related factors
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Home: Wavelight Technologies. Wavelight. (n.d.). https://www.wavelight-technologies.com/
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Singh, V. K., Yadav, V. P., Pokhrel, T., Bhattacharjee, P., & Majumder, A. (2024). A method of
variable frequency clock generation. 2024 IEEE International Symposium on Smart
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Taylor, J., Atkinson, G., & Best, R. (2021, May 21). Paced to perfection: Exploring the potential
impact of WaveLight technology in Athletics. Wintec Research Archive.
http://researcharchive.wintec.ac.nz/7751/
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Yang, X., Tong, Z., Zhang, H., Zhang, Y., Dai, Y., Zhang, C., Chen, X., & Xu, J. (2022). 7M/130-Mbps led-to-led underwater wireless optical communication based on arrays of
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