FinishLynx 4.10

New General Features

New option for display of graphic overlays

You can now make your graphic overlay repeat horizontally across the entire FinishLynx image. Whether an overlay is displayed once or repeated across the screen is determined by its file extension. If an overlay file ends in .RGx (instead of .TGx), it is repeated across the entire screen and on image printouts. Select and remove overlays as you did before. If you want to use the overlay both singly and repeating across the screen, make two copies of the graphic and save one as .RGx and the other as .TGx.

 

New orientation option on the image toolbar

Now you can click on the image toolbar to change the orientation of your FinishLynx image. Also, text has been added to the event object and hardware control windows indicating whether your image orientation is set for Left or Right.

If you do not see the Set image orientation button on the image toolbar, follow these steps:

1. Click Image from the menu bar and choose Options…. The Options dialog appears.
2. Check the box next to the icon and then click Ok.
3. Open an event. The button now appears on the image toolbar (located just above the FinishLynx image).

 

Ability to display split lines on the image

You can now display split lines on your FinishLynx image. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click Image | Options from the menu bar. The Image Options dialog appears.

2. Select the color you want your split lines to be displayed as from the Splits drop-down list and then click Ok. Splits are displayed on the FinishLynx image in the color you selected.

 

Best Split field added to the Results Zone

You can now display a Best Split field in the Results Zone. To do this:

1. Click Results | Options from the menu bar. The Results Options dialog appears.
2. Click the Fields drop-down arrow to display the complete list of fields. Click to check Best Split Time and then click Ok. When you open an event, the Best Split field appears in the Results Zone.

• Configure Best Split in the LapTime module:

After you have set the Best Split to display in the Results Zone, you can then configure the LapTime module to sort the results based on Best Split instead of Cum. Split. To do this:

1. Click File | Options and select the LapTime tab.
2. In the Sort By Split: area, select the Best radio button and then click Ok.

 

Selectable Results Zone fields

You can now select exactly which fields you want displayed in FinishLynx's Results Zone. To do so:

1. Run FinishLynx and click File | Options… from the menu bar. The Options dialog appears.
2. Click the Results tab.
3. Click the Fields: drop-down arrow. A drop-down menu appears listing all of the fields it is possible to display in the Results Zone.
4. Click to select as many fields as you want displayed in the FinishLynx Results Zone and then click Ok when finished.
5. Open an event. The fields you selected are displayed in the Results Zone. To remove the fields from the Results Zone, repeat the steps in this section, but click to uncheck a displayed field. Unchecking a field removes it from the Results Zone display.

 

Automatic setting of serial port parameters for serial devices

Now, when the LapTime or Wind Gauge module is set or when the Scoreboard script is changed, the serial port parameters default to their original settings. You can still change the settings, but note that every time the module or script is changed, the settings default to their original values.

 

New Plug-In Features

Support for new lap time hardware

The Seiko CT-1000 (and compatible Seiko timers) as well as the Microgate REI2 are now supported as a LapTime option. You must have the LapTime Plug-in installed with FinishLynx (sold separately).

Note: The Seiko timer cannot be reset or re-armed through the serial port connection, so you must stop and reset the unit by hand when an event is over to prepare the unit for the next event.

• To select the Seiko or Microgate RE12 LapTime module from FinishLynx:

1. Click File | Options… from the menu bar. The Options dialog appears.
2. Click the LapTime tab.
3. From the LapTime Module:* drop-down list, select Seiko or Microgate RE12.
4. Continue configuring the LapTime settings and then click Ok.
5. Restart FinishLynx. FinishLynx is now set up to work with the lap timing device you just selected.

 

New NCP (Network COM Port) Plug-in available

The FinishLynx NCP (Network COM Port) Plug-in allows you to use a single FinishLynx computer to communicate with multiple serial devices directly through TCP sockets instead of serial ports. With the help of SeriaLynx, you can put serial devices such as scoreboards, wind gauges, and lap timers on a wired or wireless Ethernet network and then use the NCP Plug-in to enable FinishLynx to communicate with those devices.

 

UDP support added to NCP Plug-in

FinishLynx's NCP (Network COM Port) Plug-in (sold separately) now allows you to send scoreboard data via UDP. To enable this protocol on your Lynx network, make sure the plug-in is installed and then follow these directions:

1. Run FinishLynx, click Scoreboard from the menu bar and choose Options. The Options dialog appears.
2. Click New and choose a scoreboard script from the Script: drop-down list.
3. From the Serial Port: drop-down list, select Network (UDP). The port and IP address fields appear.
4. Enter the port and IP address data for the computer/s you want to send scoreboard data to.

5. Click OK and then restart FinishLynx. FinishLynx is now ready to send data to the scoreboard over the Ethernet network.

• To direct broadcast packets to devices attached to one specific network card:

1. Set the network subnet mask to 255.255.255.0.
2. In the IP address field, type the first three numbers of the IP address receiving the broadcast packet and then type 255. For example, if the host IP address is: 130.1.1.5, and the subnet mask is 255.255.255.0, then enter the subnet directed broadcast address of: 130.1.1.255.

 

New LPRC Plug-in available

There is a new plug-in available for use with FinishLynx. With the LPRC Plug-in, you now control several functions in FinishLynx remotely, including (but not limited to) the following:

• Print results

• Print an image

• Export an image

FinishLynx can be controlled remotely over a serial port (you need SeriaLynx for this - sold separately) or remotely over TCP/IP (you need the FinishLynx NCP Plug-in for this, also sold separately).

Using the LPRC and NCP Plug-ins together, you can Telnet to the TCP port that the FinishLynx computer listens on and type commands for FinishLynx to execute.