10 replies to this topic

[Phil Smith]

I'm having some problems with a new install of TrackMate. Everything works perfect in practice mode. Laps and times are counted and remembered. But in race mode, the instant that the race starts. I get an error window that says the lap counter (a dead strip) in all 4 of my lanes has a problem and to check my settings. It's counting and timing laps during the heat, but when the next heat starts it erases all the laps and doesn't keep count of total laps. At the end of the race, all the times and laps are all blank. It's as if there hadn't been a race.

 

Plus the error window doesn't go away and blocks the screen. And the space bar doesn't pause the race. If you minimize the window, it knocks out the sound.

 

Anyone experienced this before?

 

TIA!

 

[Ramcatlarry]

Double check the lap counter polarity.  We had one harness where the color coding was mixed up....but may not be your fix.

 

Newest download?  Might be a bug....

[NSwanberg]

Make sure you are not in sell time mode. I have found that can cause all sorts of gremlins during a race.

[dalek]

Since it's working properly when practicing, I doubt that the deadstrip cable is the problem, but just FYI, if the deadstrip cable (the cable from the Trackmate box to the deadstrips) doesn't have a filter in it, then you probably need the one that Trackmate sells:  

http://www.trackmate...sor-cables.html

 

[jtipps]

Did you try deleting and re-installing the program?

[Phil Smith]

Thanks for the responses!

 

I have the cable in the link.

 

I'll try all the suggestions and report back.

[Phil Smith]

I swapped the polarity on one lane of the dead strip and that made it not work at all, so that was eliminated as a problem.

 

I uninstalled the program and downloaded the current version, which did seem to be an older version, so maybe I did unknowingly have a beta version. That solved the problems, but I didn't realize it at first. Having no experience with timing systems I made assumptions on how it would work. So I thought it was still broke.

 

It accurred to me to look check on youtube for instructional videos and I found a couple from TrackMate. I learned a few settings that are a bit hidden and how the software is suppose to function.

 

With a lot of poking around and testing of different features, I have it doing most of what I wanted, and I'm  finally ready for the grand kids to race. It falls a little short of what I expected but it will work!

 

Thanks for the help!

 

PS: I would like to try out Race Coordinator. So far I can't get it to recognize my dead strip and the power relay doesn't work in race mode. I haven't spent much time with it so I'm hopeful that I can get it sorted out.

[Phil Smith]

Last night I got Race Coordinator working. I wanted to display current heat info as well as overall standings, as the race was running. TrakMate would do that, but not as well as Race Coordinator. This is what I came up with. It's good enough, but I was curious if there was a better way.

 

 

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[dalek]

Last night I got Race Coordinator working. I wanted to display current heat info as well as overall standings, as the race was running. TrakMate would do that, but not as well as Race Coordinator. This is what I came up with. It's good enough, but I was curious if there was a better way.

 

 

 

I just went to the Race Coordinator web site and looked at their screenshots.  They show various screen layouts that are available. 

 

If none of the available layouts gives you the info you want, then what info, exactly, do you want to see during a heat?

 

Such as, each driver's:

-- Lap count for the heat

-- Lap time each time the car crosses the lap counter

-- Best lap time for the heat

-- Total lap count for the race so far

-- What else?

[Phil Smith]

 

I just went to the Race Coordinator web site and looked at their screenshots.  They show various screen layouts that are available.

 

Dale, thanks! I'm glad I ask instead of just sticking with what I have. The very first photo on Race Coordinator's website is exactly what I was looking for. Duh! I don't know why I didn't think to check their website. Too obvious I guess. The header on the window on the right says "Leader Board". That should be easy enough to find.

 

[Dr Electron]

I'm a long time TrackMate user (since the days of the old DOS program!) and one thing that has never worked for me in any version is the "add late racer".  The option is always grayed out and inactive, regardless of where we are in the current race.  We always use Round Robin Rotation as we have more than 4 racers almost always (maybe once in a year and we race every week twice per week) on a 4-lane track.  Occasionally someone who is running  late doesn't call ahead to tell us so we can put them in at the end of the rotation before the race starts.  We've tried doing so between heats, after the last person previously entered in the rotation has started, before  the first sit-out comes back in, etc. etc.  Name a possible time to add them and we've tried, but it never works.  So far have not seen a response about this from Daniel, so asking others here if they have the same issue (it just doesn't work and might be future enhancement  he's left space for, or what), and if they have solved it somehow.

 

thanks!