AetherForge Product

Aether Derby

Pinewood derby, fully wired.

A complete race management system that handles everything from car registration to final standings. Built for Cub Scout pack leaders who want race night to run smoothly without a dedicated IT team.

Aether Derby scoreboard display showing race standings

Features

Everything you need to run a professional pinewood derby.

🏁

Race Management

Perfect-N scheduling algorithm ensures every car races in every lane. Sequential or accelerated mode for any pace.

Live Timing

Serial timer integration with sub-millisecond accuracy. Mock timer mode for testing. Gate drop detection and timeout handling.

📸

Photo Finish

Automatic photo finish detection when times differ by less than 0.01 seconds. Visual highlighting for close races.

🎥

Webcam Replays

Automatic race recording from a USB webcam. Review any heat instantly from the race list.

📺

Display System

Multiple real-time display views: on-deck staging, live race, scoreboard, leaderboard, auto-cycling. Socket.IO powered.

🗳

Spectator Voting

Canned goods donation voting system. Each donation generates a weighted vote code. Design award categories with live tallying.

📱

Self-Registration

Families register on their own phones via PIN code. Upload car and driver photos. Check-in at the admin table.

🎪

Multi-Event Support

Run multiple derbies from one server. Admin sidebar event switcher with localStorage persistence. All data scoped per event.

Screenshots

From a real Pack 526 pinewood derby event.

Admin Dashboard

Admin Dashboard

Event overview with stats, quick actions, and racing class counts

Race Results

Race Results

Full results table with per-round times, averages, and CSV export

Scoreboard Display

Scoreboard Display

Animated standings with car photos, auto-cycling through classes

Check-In

Check-In

Car registration management with photo uploads and weight tracking

Race Control

Race Control

Manage heats, drop the gate, accept or rerun results

Race List

Race List

Browse all heats with lane assignments, times, and video replays

Leaderboard Display

Leaderboard Display

Overall rankings by fastest average time across all cars

Tech Stack

Built on a modern, proven foundation.

Next.js Framework
React UI
Socket.IO Real-time
SQLite Database
Drizzle ORM ORM
Tailwind CSS Styling
TypeScript Language
Node.js Runtime

Ready to run your derby?

Self-hosted, no subscriptions, your data stays with you. Let us set it up for your pack.