Known limitations and workarounds
Things FinishLynx and LynxPad don’t do today, how they show up, and what to do instead.
Each entry below is a limit Lynx technical support has confirmed to customers. It lists how the problem usually shows up, what the software does, and the current workaround.
Chip timing, splits and time of day
Two chips per athlete: FinishLynx uses the first read, not the best
What you might notice
- “Athletes wear a chip on each shoe and the split comes from the slower one”
- “Which time does FinishLynx use when an athlete has two transponders?”
- “The rear chip’s read is used instead of the faster one”
What FinishLynx does
When an athlete wears two transponders, FinishLynx LapTime uses the first read the decoder sends for each split, not the faster of the two. The decoder can deliver the rear transponder’s read first, so the split can come from the slower chip.
Changing the LapTime hidden setting DuplicateMode to 2 has been tried for this and did not change it.
What to do instead
There’s no setting that picks the better of two reads. Check suspect splits and correct them by hand:
- Click the athlete in the Results Zone so they’re highlighted.
- Click LapTime > Edit split times...
- Select the split, change its Cumulative Time and click Ok.
More detail is in LapTime operations in the manual.
A missed split read can shift the splits and the finish
What you might notice
- “A runner missed a split mat and now the finish read shows up as a split”
- “A course split was taken as the official finish time”
- “How do I stop the finish reader being counted as a split?”
- “Chip reader missed a split in cross country”
What FinishLynx does
FinishLynx has no setting that ties the official finish to one particular reader. When split readers and a finish reader feed the same FinishLynx, a missed split read can make FinishLynx take a course split as the official finish, or treat the finish read as a split.
What to do instead
After the race, fix the missed split. Select the athlete in the Results Zone and click the insert-split button. That only works if the athlete hasn’t received any later splits; otherwise insert or edit the split in LapTime > Edit split times... See LapTime operations.
For races with split mats, keep splits and the finish apart. Run a second FinishLynx for the split readers only, and keep the main FinishLynx for the finish. Some results platforms can merge the two sets of LIF files.
Image clicks show time of day only when there’s no start
What you might notice
- “Clicking the image shows race time, not time of day”
- “I need time of day in the image for a cycling race with transponders”
- “Time of day only shows with no start signal, but then the transponder lines disappear”
What FinishLynx does
When you click the image, FinishLynx shows time elapsed from the start signal. It shows time of day only when the event has no start signal, and by default an event with no start loses its transponder overlay lines. Image clicks can’t show time of day while a start signal is applied.
What to do instead
- New events: remove the Start Mask value in LapTime > Options... to get time-of-day transponder times with no start.
- Saved events: open Results > Filters, enable Offset and enter the start signal’s time of day.
- Lap data: the Time Mode option in LapTime Info switches lap data to time of day.
- On the image: line labels (turn them on from the Image > Overlay menu, or press Alt-N) are a partial workaround. See Overlay features.
Computers, cameras and FinishLynx LITE
A camera connects to one FinishLynx at a time
What you might notice
- “Can two computers running FinishLynx share one IdentiLynx camera?”
- “The second computer keeps trying to give the camera a new IP address”
- “Can one camera feed two copies of FinishLynx?”
What FinishLynx does
A camera can connect to only one FinishLynx instance at a time. Two computers can’t both load the same camera.
What to do instead
- Two people working one race: keep the camera on the capture computer and set the second computer up to evaluate. Set its Hardware Type to None and share the Event Directory. See Capture-and-read FinishLynx setup.
- Two separate systems: give each FinishLynx its own camera. One RadioLynx transmitter can start both if both receivers are set to the transmitter’s frequency: match the DIP switches on an external receiver, or set the internal receiver on the Camera Settings > RadioLynx tab.
- Scoreboards: drive them from one of the computers. Set them up in Scoreboard | Options on that computer only.
No scoreboard output in FinishLynx LITE
What you might notice
- “Does a race clock work with FinishLynx LITE?”
- “Can I drive a scoreboard from our Scholastic package?”
- “Can we add a scoreboard to our LITE system?”
What FinishLynx does
Scoreboard output, sending running time and results to a scoreboard or race clock, isn’t available in FinishLynx LITE. It’s part of full FinishLynx.
What to do instead
To drive a scoreboard, upgrade to full FinishLynx. See Upgrading to full FinishLynx. Full FinishLynx sends running time and results to the board using a scoreboard script (.lss) set up in Scoreboard Options (Scoreboard configuration).
FinishLynx runs on Windows only
What you might notice
- “Does FinishLynx run on a Mac or MacBook?”
- “The software won’t install or run on my MacBook Air”
- “Is there a version for Mac or iPad?”
What FinishLynx does
FinishLynx needs a Windows computer; there’s no macOS version. All FinishLynx software and plug-ins are built for Windows, and FinishLynx isn’t compatible with Apple, iOS, Android or Linux.
What to do instead
- Use a Windows 10 or 11 computer. See Computer requirements in the manual.
- On a Mac, FinishLynx can only run inside Windows, for example Boot Camp or a Windows virtual desktop. If you go this way, test the camera connection, start and capture on that setup well before a meet.
Results files, printouts and displays
LIF result files have fixed columns
What you might notice
- “Can I add more user fields to the LIF file?”
- “Add User 4 to User 7 to the results file”
- “Change the LIF column order to match my results view”
- “The LIF columns don’t line up with my spreadsheet”
What FinishLynx does
The LIF results file has a fixed set of fields in a fixed order. You can’t add fields beyond the supported set (for example, extra user fields such as User 4 and up) or change the column order. The LIF option in the hidden settings (Database > LIF) only lets you leave the extra fields out; it can’t add new ones.
What to do instead
- Reorder the columns in your spreadsheet after you import the LIF.
- Or add a small middleware step that reads each LIF and writes the layout your system needs.
No logo option on the results print layout
What you might notice
- “How do I add our logo to the printed results?”
- “Put a logo on the results print layout”
- “Add a sponsor logo to the results PDF”
What FinishLynx does
FinishLynx has no setting to place a logo on the results print layout.
What to do instead
- Add the logo to the results PDF afterward, in a PDF editor. That’s how other timers do it.
- To put a logo on the photo-finish image itself, use an image overlay. The logo has to be a 24-bit Targa (.TGA) file, and you place it from Image > Overlay. Overlays print with the image, though they may not look exactly as they do on screen. See Overlay features.
No raw live wind feed for your own display
What you might notice
- “Can I get the live wind reading into my own display?”
- “I want the raw wind data from the gauge plugged into the camera”
- “Show real-time wind on a custom screen”
What FinishLynx does
There’s no way to get the raw, live wind feed out of a wind gauge connected to the camera for your own display.
What to do instead
- Use the reading FinishLynx takes for each race. It goes out with the results: to the scoreboard (most Lynx scoreboard scripts include a Wind field), onto printouts and into the LIF file. See Wind gauges in the manual.
- With a Lynx wind gauge and the Standalone Wind Gauge Controller, FinishLynx can send each reading to a Gill countdown timer in Wind mode. The setup is on the same manual page.
LynxPad field series come from FieldLynx
What you might notice
- “How do I enter high jump heights in LynxPad?”
- “Type pole vault attempts into LynxPad without FieldLynx”
- “Enter a field event series by hand”
What FinishLynx does
LynxPad can’t take a field series (the attempt-by-attempt heights or marks) typed in by hand. The series has to be imported from FieldLynx or FieldLynx Lite.
What to do instead
- With FieldLynx or FieldLynx Lite: point LynxPad at the shared competition directory, run the event in FieldLynx, then import it. Highlight the event, click the Heats window, then Heats/Flights > Load Results (or Competition > Refresh All Results for everything). View the series with Heats/Flights > Field Series, and tick Field Series when you print a report. See Using LynxPad with FieldLynx.
- Without FieldLynx: you can still type each athlete’s final mark in the Mark column of the Heats window, just not the series. See Entering results manually.
- To add FieldLynx or FieldLynx Lite, contact Lynx sales.