LaserLynx basics: what it is, what it needs, and what to do if the laptop goes down
A laser distance-measuring system for throws and horizontal jumps. The sighting unit ranges to a prism on the target pole, and FieldLynx on a Windows laptop turns the reading into the mark; it isn't a stand-alone device.
LaserLynx is the laser distance-measuring system for throws and horizontal jumps. The sighting unit on its tripod ranges to a prism on the target pole, and FieldLynx or FieldLynx Lite on a Windows laptop or tablet turns that reading into the athlete's mark. The unit is not a stand-alone field-event device: on its own it can only show a point-to-point distance on its display.
How it connects, from the ring outward: the target pole and prism at the mark, the sighting unit on its tripod with a clear line of sight to the circle or board and the landing area, a serial cable (or a USB-to-serial adapter) to the FieldLynx computer, and from FieldLynx out to a field scoreboard or a second display if you use one.
- Set up the control measurement once per event: sight the center of the circle (or the corners of the take-off board), click Set, and FieldLynx works out every mark from there. Confirm it with a Test Measurement against a steel-tape distance.
- Keep the prism near the ground when measuring, facing the sighting unit, with the pole upright and still.
- If the laptop goes down mid-event, you can still measure a throw on a Mato total station with Missing Line Measurement in its Program menu: sight the center of the circle, then the landing mark, and subtract the circle radius from the result yourself. It is slower and easier to get wrong than FieldLynx, so treat it as a backup.
Which total stations work, and what to do about one that won't measure, are under Is my total station supported and LaserLynx no measurement or overtilt. Setup step by step is in the LaserLynx quick start guide and the setup video.
Goes deeper
- LaserLynx quick start guide — Documents · Quick start guides
Related questions
- NetExchange came with no serial number. How do seats and licenses work? — NetExchange has no software serial: its license lives in the green USB key. Each FieldLynx device connected at once uses one seat, and more seats come as a code entered in Help | License for that key.
- Why can't I connect to the Access Point (AP) with my FieldLynx device? — The AP from Lynx is labeled with its details: an address in the 192.168.0.3x range and the SSID Lynx. Each FieldLynx unit needs its own static IP in that range; ping the AP from the wired network first.