The Quizbowl Resource Center

Am I correct in saying that the present day is a nadir for buzzer diversity in quizbowl? Seems like due to a combination of other buzzer companies going out of business and Anderson having a superior product at a lower price, everyone is just using those Anderson buzzers now? Certainly, the last quizbowl event I moderated seemed to be exclusively run on Anderson buzzers.

Back in my day there was an astounding amount of buzzer diversity. There are two in particular I wish to discuss, and I invite others to come talk about buzzers they have known.

The first is UChicago's giant modular buzzer, which was used at practice while I was there (2004 - 2007) and for many years later. You could plug like 20 different buzzers into this system, and further the system was modular so you could plug different kinds of buzzers into it. This meant that on the same "team" one person could have a judge paddle style buzzer and their teammate could have a thumb plunger. I recall that when I was an officer of the UChicago quizbowl team, I looked into buying additional buzzers for this system and learned that you could even plug in "seat" buzzers, i.e. buzzers where you sat on the buzzer and "buzzed" by standing up. Alas, I foolishly did not order any of those. Given the great utility of this buzzer system and the many great players who have used it over the years, I might one day nominate this specific buzzer set for the Carper Award.

The second, far less well known buzzer I want to discuss is something that the MIT team had in its possession circa 2008-2009, and brought to at least a few tournaments. This was a homemade system, I think, and the notable thing about it is that the noise it made when somebody buzzed in was a "ding!" similar to the bell at the front desk of a hotel. This whimsical buzzer set brought great joy the first few times you heard somebody buzz in, and great annoyance every subsequent time. As I recall, there was a silver bell and a little arm that moved to strike it each time somebody buzzed. I bet there are no homemade buzzers in quizbowl in 2019.

Skepticism and Animal Feed wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:44 pm I bet there are no homemade buzzers in quizbowl in 2019.

Ann Arbor Skyline High School owns, and has brought to tournaments, a homemade buzzer system housed in a bright red metal toolbox.

It has occurred to me that it's been a really long time since I've seen "The Knot". It was a 16-player buzzer system, obstinately for four teams of four, but with all 16 cables coming out of a central console. The cables naturally became tangled up in a way that seemed to defy 3-dimensional Euclidian geometry, and thus it got its name. The worst part about the system was that only the moderator could really tell who buzzed, so they would have to call out "B3", and you would have had to remember that written on tiny print on your own buzzer was "B3", which meant that you were the one to get there first.

Haaaaaaaarry Whiiiiiiiiiite wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 4:39 pm It has occurred to me that it's been a really long time since I've seen "The Knot". It was a 16-player buzzer system, obstinately for four teams of four, but with all 16 cables coming out of a central console. The cables naturally became tangled up in a way that seemed to defy 3-dimensional Euclidian geometry, and thus it got its name. The worst part about the system was that only the moderator could really tell who buzzed, so they would have to call out "B3", and you would have had to remember that written on tiny print on your own buzzer was "B3", which meant that you were the one to get there first.

No that's exactly the UChicago practice buzzer I described in my OP. The little tiny printed "B3"'s wore off so what happened is at the buzzer check at the start the moderator would tell everyone what their letter and number was.

This is even before my time, but I am told that there were no commercially available buzzers in the 70s, so part of being a tournament host was building a couple of buzzer systems. Because buzzer systems were rare, tournaments would only have ~2 matches going on at a time, which meant that larger tournaments had to be single elimination.

When I started coaching in the 90s, most teams had a Quik Pro connected by telephone plugs, and there were some coaches who carried around equipment and parts so that they could replace the plug at the end of the cord when the plastic tab broke off. Other teams just taped the cords into the plug to keep them from repeatedly falling out.

Skepticism and Animal Feed wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:44 pm The second, far less well known buzzer I want to discuss is something that the MIT team had in its possession circa 2008-2009, and brought to at least a few tournaments. This was a homemade system, I think, and the notable thing about it is that the noise it made when somebody buzzed in was a "ding!" similar to the bell at the front desk of a hotel. This whimsical buzzer set brought great joy the first few times you heard somebody buzz in, and great annoyance every subsequent time. As I recall, there was a silver bell and a little arm that moved to strike it each time somebody buzzed.

Oh man, I remember using one of these at my first (and only) HS pyramidal tournament at Wilmington Charter in 2007. Quite the experience to get our butts handed to us by a mask-wearing Charter G team on such a whimsical contraption.

It's less novel on the hardware side of things, but I know of 3 separate people besides me who have created custom software to turn the PS2 Buzz buzzers into quizbowl buzzers. Interestingly, one was by the Indian Quiz Club I sometimes participate in at Microsoft.

Also I have a custom version of this that uses parts intended for MAME arcade cabinets. It works and is low-cost, but to make it functional (i.e. longer than 1 foot cords) I'd need to order some custom parts from China.

Skepticism and Animal Feed wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 4:50 pm

Haaaaaaaarry Whiiiiiiiiiite wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 4:39 pm It has occurred to me that it's been a really long time since I've seen "The Knot". It was a 16-player buzzer system, obstinately for four teams of four, but with all 16 cables coming out of a central console. The cables naturally became tangled up in a way that seemed to defy 3-dimensional Euclidian geometry, and thus it got its name. The worst part about the system was that only the moderator could really tell who buzzed, so they would have to call out "B3", and you would have had to remember that written on tiny print on your own buzzer was "B3", which meant that you were the one to get there first.

No that's exactly the UChicago practice buzzer I described in my OP. The little tiny printed "B3"'s wore off so what happened is at the buzzer check at the start the moderator would tell everyone what their letter and number was.

I assume we're speaking of this: http://c-e-d-inc.com/products.htm? I call it the Certamen buzzer, since it is the standard machine for Certamen. It may be composed of 12 or 16 buzzers (for three or four teams), though the version I own, due to my prior background in Certamen, has 12. Yale has been forced to use it at least once at a tournament in the past few years when we were one short on buzzers. It's not great, but it's better than playing slap-bowl.

Haaaaaaaarry Whiiiiiiiiiite wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 4:39 pm It has occurred to me that it's been a really long time since I've seen "The Knot". It was a 16-player buzzer system, obstinately for four teams of four, but with all 16 cables coming out of a central console. The cables naturally became tangled up in a way that seemed to defy 3-dimensional Euclidian geometry, and thus it got its name. The worst part about the system was that only the moderator could really tell who buzzed, so they would have to call out "B3", and you would have had to remember that written on tiny print on your own buzzer was "B3", which meant that you were the one to get there first.

This is the standard buzzer system for the 3-teams-to-a-match-clusterfuck that is Colorado Knowledge Bowl, so we see a lot of them out here.

In the fall of 2009 we went to Univeristy HS in Morgantown, WV to play a tournament directed by Fred and one team there had a buzzer system that I believe they had made themselves, with each buzzer housed in really beautiful wood cases. Whoever made it was a real craftsman and I don't recall there being any problems with the system.

In North County Academic League back in San Diego, "THE JUDGE" was always the gold standard. I think you had to push downwards to buzz. It did feel satisfying pressing down on the buzzer with all your might.

I was never a big fan of the Judge (the grippy part of the judge paddle seemed to always come off, making it a sticky mess) but many players of my era have fond memories of it. I'm told that in the years immediately after 9/11, it was often difficult to get the Judge through airport security.

Skepticism and Animal Feed wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 4:50 pm

Haaaaaaaarry Whiiiiiiiiiite wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 4:39 pm It has occurred to me that it's been a really long time since I've seen "The Knot". It was a 16-player buzzer system, obstinately for four teams of four, but with all 16 cables coming out of a central console. The cables naturally became tangled up in a way that seemed to defy 3-dimensional Euclidian geometry, and thus it got its name. The worst part about the system was that only the moderator could really tell who buzzed, so they would have to call out "B3", and you would have had to remember that written on tiny print on your own buzzer was "B3", which meant that you were the one to get there first.

No that's exactly the UChicago practice buzzer I described in my OP. The little tiny printed "B3"'s wore off so what happened is at the buzzer check at the start the moderator would tell everyone what their letter and number was.

Actually, this is incorrect--the practice buzzer Bruce described in his OP was modular, but The Knot (which Chicago also had one of) had sixteen buzzers that were permanently affixed to the central console.

When I started coaching in the 90s, most teams had a Quik Pro connected by telephone plugs, and there were some coaches who carried around equipment and parts so that they could replace the plug at the end of the cord when the plastic tab broke off. Other teams just taped the cords into the plug to keep them from repeatedly falling out.

Quik Pro systems are still the most common systems used in the Florida CC circuit. I have two working systems and around 4-5 broken down systems in a closet, as they do break down eventually.

I'm told that in the years immediately after 9/11, it was often difficult to get the Judge through airport security.

Going through airport security in Orlando with strongly built Ahmad Ragab carrying the USF judge system on our way to Chicago led to a lot of concern from TSA personnel, not that they'd ever profile or anything.

QuizCo was a local buzzer system company that went out of business several years ago. A lot of local high schools have their buzzers, although I don't know how many are still around.

When the INL sponsored science bowl, I think one of their electrical engineers built a custom buzzer system for them (that "ding"ed not buzzed, and was a bit touchy sometimes).

My old QB coach and MD alum Casey Reterer told me a story of once leaving THE JUDGE in a classroom overnight and coming back to discover that the university had called the bomb squad, which drilled a hole clean through it.

The Stately Rhododendron wrote: ↑Thu Dec 19, 2019 12:47 am My old QB coach and MD alum Casey Reterer told me a story of once leaving THE JUDGE in a classroom overnight and coming back to discover that the university had called the bomb squad, which drilled a hole clean through it.

I suspect Casey was pulling your leg here. I've never heard this story.

Skepticism and Animal Feed wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:44 pm The second, far less well known buzzer I want to discuss is something that the MIT team had in its possession circa 2008-2009, and brought to at least a few tournaments. This was a homemade system, I think, and the notable thing about it is that the noise it made when somebody buzzed in was a "ding!" similar to the bell at the front desk of a hotel. This whimsical buzzer set brought great joy the first few times you heard somebody buzz in, and great annoyance every subsequent time. As I recall, there was a silver bell and a little arm that moved to strike it each time somebody buzzed. I bet there are no homemade buzzers in quizbowl in 2019.

The one with the bell wasn't a homemade buzzer -- it was a Quiz-A-Matic. There was a different MIT homemade buzzer but it made a beeping sound.

I have had a couple of students in the Engineering Academy at Hoover build buzzer systems as a senior project. One was wireless and mounted inside a hollowed-out hardcover classic edition from a Barnes and Noble.

If only there were a team version of this...

I can attest that it works quite well for ocean science bowl practice

These seem to prevail in Illinois High School circuit, though Anderson is definitely making inroads as you can't beat their portability and price.
https://buzzersystems.com/
I like using the Slam-In system, but the price and lack of portability make it a non-starter for most programs. Nevertheless, it's what's used in IESA State Series (scoreboard and kid who buzzed is projected for everyone to see!).
Zeecrafts have become less and less common in Illinois ever since they lost their IESA contract, and their prices edge ever upwards...
http://www.zeecraft.com/

I have obtained 7 T&T enterprises quizzer buzzers. These buzzers say they were made in Madison Wisconsin and they have both a wood cased control system and wood cased buzzers. The company is/was based in Madison, Wisconsin, and I wonder if any of these are still in circulation besides the new MEQBA collection.

Last I knew SIUE had a wooden buzzer set - no idea if it’s the same model or maker however

A set I'd never seen before showed up in one of my saved eBay searches the other day - Bible Bowl buzzers by Cross Electronics.

Saved a photo

Whoever had it sold two sets with a day or so.

I suppose hitting two sticks together could be considered a buzzer, and would certainly be notable for all teams in attendance.

pray for elves wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2019 10:35 am

Skepticism and Animal Feed wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:44 pm The second, far less well known buzzer I want to discuss is something that the MIT team had in its possession circa 2008-2009, and brought to at least a few tournaments. This was a homemade system, I think, and the notable thing about it is that the noise it made when somebody buzzed in was a "ding!" similar to the bell at the front desk of a hotel. This whimsical buzzer set brought great joy the first few times you heard somebody buzz in, and great annoyance every subsequent time. As I recall, there was a silver bell and a little arm that moved to strike it each time somebody buzzed. I bet there are no homemade buzzers in quizbowl in 2019.

The one with the bell wasn't a homemade buzzer -- it was a Quiz-A-Matic. There was a different MIT homemade buzzer but it made a beeping sound.

A possibly apocryphal story I heard 15-20 years ago was that In The Old Days MIT had brought a handmade buzzer system to a tournament and that, for one reason or another, it caught fire mid-match. A player shouted "My buzzer's on fire!" and the moderator (and I've forgotten whether the story was presented as the mod saying this instinctively or sarcastically) said "Conferring, minus five."

jonpin wrote: ↑Mon Oct 11, 2021 10:48 am

pray for elves wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2019 10:35 am

Skepticism and Animal Feed wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:44 pm The second, far less well known buzzer I want to discuss is something that the MIT team had in its possession circa 2008-2009, and brought to at least a few tournaments. This was a homemade system, I think, and the notable thing about it is that the noise it made when somebody buzzed in was a "ding!" similar to the bell at the front desk of a hotel. This whimsical buzzer set brought great joy the first few times you heard somebody buzz in, and great annoyance every subsequent time. As I recall, there was a silver bell and a little arm that moved to strike it each time somebody buzzed. I bet there are no homemade buzzers in quizbowl in 2019.

The one with the bell wasn't a homemade buzzer -- it was a Quiz-A-Matic. There was a different MIT homemade buzzer but it made a beeping sound.

A possibly apocryphal story I heard 15-20 years ago was that In The Old Days MIT had brought a handmade buzzer system to a tournament and that, for one reason or another, it caught fire mid-match. A player shouted "My buzzer's on fire!" and the moderator (and I've forgotten whether the story was presented as the mod saying this instinctively or sarcastically) said "Conferring, minus five."

Cornell vs. ??? (Harvard, I think), preliminary rounds, 1993 Terrier Tussle at Boston University -- I was sitting in the captain's seat for Cornell. The buzzer didn't burst into flames, but it *did* start to spark and smoke in the middle of a timed round; moreover, the system in question simply had a long cord ending in a pushbutton for each player, so no independent buzzer to catch on fire. One of the players did point out to the moderator mid-tossup that the buzzer was starting to smoke; while I don't remember the "conferring" line, it would have been consistent with the sense of humor of the moderator (Sean from BU whose last name I can't remember anymore).

<chuckle> That being said, it's certainly possible there were *multiple* occasions that that, um, creative piece of engineering started to have issues mid-round -- so maybe it did catch fire at some other time.

Whiter Hydra wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 4:39 pm It has occurred to me that it's been a really long time since I've seen "The Knot". It was a 16-player buzzer system, obstinately for four teams of four, but with all 16 cables coming out of a central console. The cables naturally became tangled up in a way that seemed to defy 3-dimensional Euclidian geometry, and thus it got its name. The worst part about the system was that only the moderator could really tell who buzzed, so they would have to call out "B3", and you would have had to remember that written on tiny print on your own buzzer was "B3", which meant that you were the one to get there first.

Northern Illinois (at least as of the 2019-20 season) still uses exclusively these buzzers for their middle- and high-school Latin competitions. The strangest thing about these buzzers is that they do not lock out the players on the other teams when one team buzzes in (and in Latin competition rules, you cannot "retract" the buzz). This means that if you lose the buzzer race and one of the other teams gives an incorrect answer that is also what you are thinking of, you better have another answer ready off the top of your head or else you will be negged.

liamstarnes27 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 06, 2022 10:28 pm Northern Illinois (at least as of the 2019-20 season) still uses exclusively these buzzers for their middle- and high-school Latin competitions. The strangest thing about these buzzers is that they do not lock out the players on the other teams when one team buzzes in (and in Latin competition rules, you cannot "retract" the buzz). This means that if you lose the buzzer race and one of the other teams gives an incorrect answer that is also what you are thinking of, you better have another answer ready off the top of your head or else you will be negged.

I beg you Pliam. No more Certamen nightmares.

I saw a buzzer on fire at a tournament at, if memory serves me right, Johns Hopkins in the ‘93-94 season.
The earliest quiz bowl buzzer use I can find is the October 17, 1953 episode of NBC’s College Quiz Bowl - and it was the announcer in each of the two rooms who had them; the players raised their hands. There were earlier quiz bowls: Intercollegiate Quiz asked questions alternatively to two teams of three. Campus Quiz (high school and others) did the same, then added a final round where questions were asked and all players raised hands to be recognized. England’s Top of the Form did not have buzzer questions until the 1960s. There’s at least one surviving 1957 DelCo Hi-Q match, and the one I’ve heard does not have buzzer questions. There are suspected early formats where little is known beyond title, station, and sometimes host.
GE College Bowl had individual player buzzers on its January, 1959 debut. Syracuse University’s Syraquiz came into existence around 1955 or 6, at the tail end of College Quiz Bowl. I don’t know whether they ever used individual buzzers or not. All others are later than January, 1959.
Buzzer schematics were available to teams in the 1960s, and school team would construct them for practices, and were using them for what today we’d call packet submission invitationals by the 1963-1964 school year.
In the early 1970’s, Gordon Carper built a lockout with light bulbs on wooden planks. I hope someday somebody finds a photo of it.

Tom Michael
Speaking only for myself

I don't know how they did it, but in 2012, I swear Lincoln Land CC from Illinois (nicknamed "The Loggers" with a lumberjack logo" brought a wooden buzzer set to ICT in 2012. The main console was wood, the thing you'd hold in your hand was wood. There were obvious cords connecting the two-- but the lumberjack loggers had actual wooden quiz bowl buzzers!

To echo the Chris story, the very large man Ahmad Ragab brought a "The Judge" buzzer set through security in the decade of the 2000s and planned on showing up 4 hours early in case he got screened. He claimed he made his flight with minutes to spare.

I recently read an article on Reddit talking about these systems. Do any of you have these? Do they work well?

https://www.theverge.com/23852814/jeopa ... -the-month

Scipio wrote: ↑Thu Aug 31, 2023 6:28 pm I recently read an article on Reddit talking about these systems. Do any of you have these? Do they work well?

https://www.theverge.com/23852814/jeopa ... -the-month

I believe Rohan Ganeshan, along with a few other players in the high school circuit, have one of these for online tournaments. Rohan told me that he broke his.

Unfortunately, I cannot really attest to their durability beyond me seeing them being used in recorded matches.