The capture button stopped working mid-meet. What do I do right now?
Switch to keyboard capture: File | Options | General, set Capture Button to Keyboard, then tap the Space bar once to start and once to stop.
- In File | Options | General, set Capture Button to Keyboard and click OK.
- Open the event and click the Capture icon. The Keyboard Capture dialog opens.
- Click the dialog so it has focus, then tap the Space bar once to start capturing and once to stop. Don't hold the key down.
While keyboard capture is on, the keyboard can't be used for anything else, so tag athletes between races.
If the button works when the event loads but stops after a few races, Windows is probably putting the USB port to sleep: in Device Manager, open each USB Root Hub, and on the Power Management tab uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power. On Windows 11, also check Device Manager for a warning symbol on the button, which means Windows replaced its driver.
Goes deeper
- Capture button not working — Troubleshoot · Software · FinishLynx · Capture
Related questions
- Can I use the keyboard to toggle capture? — Yes, as a backup: set the capture button to Keyboard in File | Options | General and tap the spacebar on and off. It's easy to lose track of, so the button is better.
- Which capture button cable do I need? — Two kinds: a 9-pin serial to 3-pin XLR cable with a USB-to-serial adapter (older), or the current USB-to-XLR cable with no adapter, which is Windows 11 compatible. Each needs its own driver.
- My USB adapter is installed, but the COM port isn't listed in the dropdown. — FinishLynx reads COM ports when it opens, so plug the adapter in first and restart FinishLynx. If Device Manager shows a warning on it, reinstall its driver; current versions already list every port type (TypeMask -1).