Colorado Time Systems (CTS) is an American company based in Loveland, Colorado that designs, manufactures, sells, and services aquatic timing systems, scoreboards, LED video displays, and related products.
History
Colorado Time Systems was born in the Test & Measurement division of
Hewlett-Packard (HP). HP wanted to explore opportunities in the sports timing industry and chose aquatics because it required such precise measurement. In 1972, a group of HP engineers spun off from HP and founded CTS.
In July 2011, Colorado Time Systems was acquired by PlayCore; based in Chattanooga, TN. Colorado Time Systems is part of the Everactive Brands division.
Colorado Memory Systems
In 1985, Colorado Time Systems co-founder William "Bill" Beierwaltes founded
Colorado Memory Systems (CMS) as a division of Colorado Time Systems.
Whereas Colorado Time Systems focused on timekeeping displays, Beierwaltes founded Colorado Memory Systems chiefly to market
data storage
Data storage is the recording (storing) of information (data) in a storage medium. Handwriting, phonographic recording, magnetic tape, and optical discs are all examples of storage media. Biological molecules such as RNA and DNA are con ...
products for the burgeoning
personal computer
A personal computer, commonly referred to as PC or computer, is a computer designed for individual use. It is typically used for tasks such as Word processor, word processing, web browser, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and PC ...
industry of the 1980s.
Colorado Data later became a major player in the field of
quarter-inch cartridge
Quarter inch cartridge tape (abbreviated QIC, commonly pronounced "quick") is a magnetic tape data storage format introduced by 3M in 1972, with derivatives still in use as of 2016. QIC comes in a rugged enclosed package of aluminum and plastic ...
manufacturing with their Jumbo line of drives and spun off from Colorado Time Systems in around 1990.
In 1992, CMS was acquired by
Hewlett-Packard
The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company. It was founded by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in 1939 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California ...
.
Sponsorship partners
Colorado Time Systems is the official timing, scoring and display partner to:
USA Water Polo
USA Water Polo is the governing body for the sport of water polo in the United States and is a member of the United States Aquatic Sports. USA Water Polo is responsible for fielding U.S. national teams and hosts 20 annual tournaments. The Organiza ...
,
US Synchronized Swimming, Mexican Swimming Federation, FINA Junior World Swimming Championship, American Swimming Coaches Association, and China Swimming Association.
Mentions
Modern Marvels - History Channel
On December 23, 2008, the
History Channel
History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...
series,
Modern Marvels
''Modern Marvels'', formally known under A&E as ''Time Machine'', is a television series first aired by the History Channel in 1995, but previously under A&E starting December 10, 1993. It is the History Channel's first and longest-running prog ...
, aired an episode titled ''"Measure It!"''. This episode discussed various modern methods of precise measurement, including the measurement of time, following the
Beijing Olympics. The segment, featuring Colorado Time Systems, talked about the construction of modern timing systems and the history of
Swimming Touchpads.
Photo Gallery
See also on Wikipédia
*
Aquatic timing system
*
Scoreboard
A scoreboard is a large board for publicly displaying the score (sport), score in a game. Most levels of sport from high school and above use at least one scoreboard for keeping score, measuring time, and displaying statistics. Scoreboards i ...
s
Footnotes
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Display technology companies
Water sports equipment manufacturers