Yes. All full-frame digital video cameras can be used with the VeriLynx profile. The VeriLynx camera is the recommended model and meets the minimum requirements.
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What are the minimum computer requirements for a laptop to run the FinishLynx software?
Windows Operating System
All FinishLynx software and plug-ins are developed for the Windows operating system. Therefore, all computers used by FinishLynx operators must be running some version of Windows. FinishLynx is not compatible with Apple, iOS, Android, or Linux operating systems. We don’t recommend you try to port the FinishLynx software to another operating system.
FinishLynx is compatible with all modern versions of Windows, including Windows 11. If you plan to use FinishLynx with Windows 11, please review the Windows 11 compatibility information provided here.
Minimum Computer Specifications
Generally, any Windows-based computer purchased in the last 10+ years should be powerful enough to run FinishLynx, LynxPad, and all other Lynx software. The more RAM and hard drive space it has, the easier it will be to capture large events. See the table below for our minimum and recommended computer specs.
| Computer Specification | Minimum | Recommended |
| Operating System | Windows 98 or later | Windows 10 or later |
| Processor Speed | 500 MHz | 2 GHz Core i7 or higher |
| RAM | 512 MB | 8 GB or higher |
| Storage | 16 GB HD | 512 GB SSD or higher |
| Screen Resolution | 800 x 600 | 1920 x 1080 or higher |
| Network Card | 10/100 Ethernet | 10/100/1000 Ethernet (RJ45 port) |
| USB | 1 | 2+ |
| Computer Features | Number Pad
Matte Screen |
If you require additional technical support, please send an email to support@finishlynx.com or call 978-556-9780.
How do I access FinishLynx hidden settings?
FinishLynx photo-finish software allows users to program their own keyboard shortcuts or “hot-keys” to simplify some of the most common commands used during an event capture. To access the hidden settings, while in FinishLynx click on File | Options… while holding down SHIFT + CTRL.
This video demonstrates how to add custom keyboard shortcuts using the “Hidden Settings” menu inside FinishLynx.
For a list of existing keyboard shortcuts, click here.
How do you set up networking for a Capture and Read computer?
1. Set a unique static IP for each computer in the same network protocol (192.168.0.xxx). We suggest 192.168.0.5 and 192.168.0.15.
2. Each computer should be in the same Workgroup and avoid being on a Domain to keep it simple.
3. Have a common Shared Directory which has full read and write privileges for all users (Images saved locally on the Capture computer).
4. Share the Lynx directory on the C-drive and give full read and write privileges when using Windows 7 computers.
If you have additional questions, please contact technical support.
Can I use my EtherLynx camera as a LapTime device for capturing splits?
Yes! Click on the link below to learn how to create splits with an EtherLynx camera by configuring the FinishLynx software and LapTime plug-in. The LapTime plug-in allows you to set the number of laps per race and evaluate the Lynx image on each lap to create split times for athletes. More info on the LapTime plug-in here.
How do I recover an unsaved FinishLynx event after a computer crash?
FinishLynx software auto-saves open Events/Files/Images into a TEMP directory. In the event of a sudden software/computer crash, the event running prior to the crash can be recovered from the computer. Simply navigate to C:/Lynx/Temp to find the auto-saved event.
How can I correct overexposed/underexposed FinishLynx images?
Overexposure which may be called “blown-out highlights” or “flared highlights” in photography discussions and may be due to brighter whites or reflective surfaces a bit like the White hip stickers with a black number imprinted on them. If there is overexposure in the image, then reducing the brightness value will help to even out the image exposure.
If your camera is focused properly, you are using AGC and the gain value is between 70 and 90 then you can adjust the Brightness under camera settings to reduce this overexposure.
- Go to Camera Settings | Parameters where you will find Brightness listed next to AGC Parameters (if you use manual gain this setting does not apply)
- Reduce the value in increments of 5 until you find a good image from trials of capturing images.
- Be aware that this will change as the sun moves so don’t forget about it.
Underexposure where detail is lost to shadows and may be called “crushed shadows” or “crushed blacks” in photography discussions. If there is underexposure in the image, then reducing the Gamma value will help to bring out some of the detail.
If your camera is focused properly and the gain value is between 70 and 90, then you can adjust the Gamma.
- Go to Camera Settings | Setup where you will find Gamma listed near the bottom (this will work when using AGC or Manual Gain).
- Make small adjustments in increments of .05 until you find a good image from trials of capturing images.
- Be aware that this will change as the sun moves so don’t forget about it.
To learn about additional factors that affect the quality of your FinishLynx images, click here.
Keywords: bright, dark, picture
My results are in military time (24 HR) format, how do I fix it?
Results displayed in military time are the result of not having a start time applied to a particular event. It correlates with the time of the day that the athletes cross the finish line.
If you have not already turned off the camera, open the event again with the invalid race times and look at the TOD for the first place time. Scroll down in the list of starts and find a start time which would be equal to the TOD at finish minus the time that it took to run the race. Select this time and then click on the icon with 3 Traffic Lights (“Apply selected start to event”) and it will add the start time to the event. Next, click on the finish times and see if they recalculate and show valid finish times. You may need to try multiple starts to find the correct one.
If you have powered off the camera and are running FinishLynx 8.20 and higher, start times are saved in a file associated with each event. Open the event with the invalid result times and then click on Event from the Menu and click on Select Start. There will be a list of about 5 start times (the number saved can be increased in the hidden settings – read Release Notes for Version 8.20), select the appropriate start time based on the finish TOD and then apply it to the event. Click on the 1st place time in the Results area and it will recalculate the results based on the new start time.
If the version of FinishLynx is older, then the only method of correcting the times is to find a Hand Time for first place and then manually do the math using the Delta time between each athlete to determine hand times.
Can I use the keyboard to toggle capture?
The Spacebar toggle for capture is a safety feature in case something is damaged or lost. It is not the best option for capturing because it is easy to be mistaken when it is off or on. Additionally, if you leave it on for an extended length of time, the excessive amount of image capture could bog down the computer.
The Spacebar works differently than the capture button. When you first tap the Spacebar to toggle capture it turns on capture. You must tap the Spacebar again to turn off the capture. If you are constantly stopping and starting capture because a race is spread out, it is easy to become confused whether it’s on or off. This could result in capturing moments when there are no competitors finishing.
If you go to File | Options and under the General tab, there is a dropdown for capture button and simply set it to Keyboard if you have to use the Spacebar to toggle capture. If there is no COM port available for the capture button, then the software will automatically default to keyboard capture.
Key words: capture, keyboard, spacebar, toggle
Why aren’t the athlete names loading into FinishLynx events?
Be sure that the database is pointed to the folder where the meet management software is saving the files for your competition.
Open File | Options | Database. Confirm that the Input Directory and Output Directory are both pointing to the competition directory where the meet management software is saving the competition files. If not, click on Browse and point both of these to the correct directory. They should both be the same path.
You can also open the competition directory and confirm certain files are being written to the directory (lynx.evt; lynx.ppl). Once confirmed, try loading an event again. If it is still not working, see the Technical Support Guide on FinishLynx Networking with Meet Management (LynxPad or Hy-Tek).
Also, check out our Interfacing with Meet Management Software video playlist on our Support Videos page.
Keywords: start list, athletes, events