MicroTab LED Display

Confirm the board is in Base Program

1. Turn the display off and on.
2. At the end of the boot-up sequence, confirm it shows that it is in "Base Program".
3. If it isn't, change the program from the side panel:
   • Hold the yellow Lap-Setup button for at least 3 seconds. The current program is shown.
   • Press the green Start-Modify button to scroll through the programs until Base Program shows.
   • Press the yellow Lap-Setup button to confirm.

Serial: match the Serial Port to where the cable goes

The MicroTab in the Domestic Gold track package (and some other sports packages) connects with a serial cable, straight to the camera or through a Connection Box.

1. Check that the cable is connected to the display in Serial 1.
2. Check where the other end goes, and set Serial Port in Scoreboard | Options to match.
   • Straight to the camera: the serial cable goes into the 9-pin SERIAL port on the back of the camera (not the Connection Box port). Set Serial Port to <Camera Name> (Body).
   • Through a Connection Box: the serial cable goes into the Connection Box's serial port, and the connection box cable links the Connection Box to the camera's Connection Box port. Set Serial Port to <Camera Name> (C-Box).
   • To the computer: set Serial Port to the COM port the cable or USB-to-serial adapter is on.
3. Confirm Script is a uTabLED script and Running Time is set to Normal.
4. Test with Scoreboard | Show Time of Day.

Ethernet: prove the network, then set Network (connect)

Ethernet needs FinishLynx 13.00 or later (Network COM Port is built in) or the Network COM Port plug-in on an older version. The MicroTab ships with the IP address 192.168.0.123, and the FinishLynx computer must be on the same subnet: the first three numbers (192.168.0) match and only the last one differs.

1. Connect the MicroTab to your network switch with an Ethernet cable.
2. Give the FinishLynx computer a static IP address on that subnet. On Windows 11, go to Settings | Network & internet | Ethernet, click Edit next to IP assignment, choose Manual, turn on IPv4 and enter:
   • IP address: 192.168.0.5 (any 192.168.0.x address not already used on the network)
   • Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0 (prefix length 24)
   • Gateway: leave blank, then click Save. The Networking (Windows 11) QSG shows these screens.
3. To confirm or change the MicroTab's own address, hold the yellow Lap-Setup button on the side of the clock and go to Advanced Setup | IP Address.
4. Test the network before FinishLynx: open Command Prompt and run ping 192.168.0.123. Replies mean the network side is good. A time-out means an IP or cable problem to fix first.
   • A laptop joined to a school network may not be using the address you set; use the adapter that connects to the switch the MicroTab is on.
5. In Scoreboard | Options, set the entry to:
   • Script: any uTabLED script
   • Serial Port: Network (connect)
   • Port: 21967
   • IP Address: 192.168.0.123 (or the address you set on the MicroTab)
   • Running Time Normal, Results Auto
6. Close and reopen FinishLynx so the entry opens the port, then go to Scoreboard | Show Time of Day to confirm the board receives data. Turn it off before your first event.

Set up the scoreboard entry (serial MicroTab)

This is the complete entry for a serial MicroTab, and what to recheck after a factory reset of the board.

1. Go to Scoreboard | Options (the Scoreboard tab of File | Options).
2. Click New to create a scoreboard entry.
3. Set Script to uTabLED.lss and Name to uTab LED (or any label that helps you identify it).
4. Set Code Set to Single Byte.
5. Set Serial Port to where the MicroTab cable is plugged in: <Camera Name> (Body) for the camera's SERIAL port, <Camera Name> (C-Box) for a Connection Box, or the COM port on the computer.
   • Check Device Manager if you're not sure which COM number Windows assigned.
6. Set Baud to 1200, Data Bits to 8, Parity to None and Stop Bits to 1.0.
7. Under Running Time, select Normal.
8. Under Results, select Auto, Always send place and Paging, set Size to 1, and set Time to how long each page should stay on the board.
9. Click OK, then close and restart FinishLynx so the new entry opens the port.
10. Test: go to Scoreboard | Show Time of Day. The current time should appear on the board. If it does, results will follow when you load a result into an event.

The video Connect a MicroTab LED Scoreboard to FinishLynx walks through the whole process.

A clock far from the computer (for example at 200 m)

1. A cable across the infield gets stepped on and tripped over. A wireless Ethernet bridge between the timing network and the MicroTab avoids it: to FinishLynx and the display it is the same as a cable, so the Ethernet setup above applies unchanged.
2. Driving the clock with radio start signals instead (a DecRadio receiver at the board) is clumsy: the board only stops when it receives another start signal. Lynx support recommends the network route.

If the board never finishes booting

When only the four lights (2 by 2) in the upper left keep blinking, or the board stops responding to its buttons, do a hardware reset. It restores the factory settings (page 18 of the MicroTab LED User Manual).

1. Turn the display off with the Power switch.
2. Hold down the green Start-Modify and yellow Lap-Setup buttons together, and turn the display on while you hold them.
3. Keep both buttons held while the first four LEDs (2 by 2) in the upper left corner blink.
4. When six LEDs (3 by 2) blink, release both buttons.
5. When the board asks "Reset Setting? Yellow=Yes", press the yellow Lap-Setup button.
6. Confirm the board shows Base Program (first section), set up the FinishLynx scoreboard entry above again, and test with Show Time of Day.
7. If the reset doesn't bring it back, re-flash the firmware (page 17 of the same manual).
   • You need a USB cable like a printer cable and Windows Mobile Device Center on the computer. Windows 10 and 11 no longer include it; this guide shows how to install it.
8. If it still won't finish booting after a firmware update, the main board needs replacing. This needs a repair: submit an RMA and send the MicroTab in to Lynx.

Using the MicroTab with FieldLynx

FieldLynx has its own MicroTab scripts. If you don't see them, update FieldLynx to the latest version from the Software page. For a serial MicroTab, set the FieldLynx Scoreboard options to:

1. Result Script: uTab16-9_result.lss
2. Standings Script: uTab16-9_standing.lss
3. Code Set: Single Byte
4. Serial Port: the COM port the MicroTab is on (cable in Serial 1 on the display)
5. Baud 9600, Data Bits 8, Parity None, Stop Bits 1
6. Confirm the MicroTab shows Base Program, then send a mark or the standings from FieldLynx to test.

See also Scoreboard plug-in and settings.

If it still doesn't work

• Won't power on or charge at all: Race clock dead or won't charge
• The clock runs but won't stop, or tenths are missing while it runs: Time missing or clock won't stop
• The Status isn't Running after a restart: Scoreboard stopped working