Frustrated with TrackMate...

[turbokev]

I'm a bit frustrated with my timing system.. I spent a fair bit of time and money to make sure I was
going to have reliable timing and I've had nothing but headaches with it.. Little glitches related to
sound output, and auto detection of com ports that don't auto detect were solved by a call to
Daniel.. but the big issue has to do with the timing just hanging.. it just stops counting time.

This can happen at the 3 second mark of a practice session, or 45 minutes in to a lane rotation
event with several drivers. It's completely random, but it is hanging more and more as time goes on.

I have no confidence I can invite racers over for a night of racing and have it work through the night.

Now this morning, my red buttons no longer shut off power.. Nothing has changed to the wiring,
everything is hooked up correctly.. I was very 'meticulous' about the install.

I've tried 2 different laptops, both with the same result.

I'm using the TrackMate dead strip cable that comes in to the TrackMate circuit board and has the
little dipswitches built in to count laps in either track direction.. The hanging issue happens no
matter which direction the track is running...

I'm going to give Daniel a call..but wondering if anyone else has had issues with the software hanging like this?

[HomeRacingWorld]

Sorry to hear it man, not an issue one on mine. Even using an old PC and haven't had a problem yet.

I bet Dan will come through, he usually does.

[Florida_Slotter]

TurboKev,

Hey, I'm involved with several tracks all using TrackMate. The reason we all have the same is simple: TrackMate works for us - each and every time. It sure does sound like you have a problem though.

BTW - what operating system are you running TrackMate on?

[Ember]

If you are not happy with the Trackmate software Race Co-ordinator is designed to run with the Trackmate hardware. I've not tried it myself (don't have timing on my track) but the Aussie guys really seem to like it, and it's donation ware.

[RichD]

You could also try Ultimate Racer 3 software or even an older version of Trackmate. Another thing to try would be a different computer. Are you using the older Trackmate interface unit with the serial output? If you use one of those with a serial to USB adapter there may be a greater chance of having problems.

[turbokev]

Thanks all.. I talked to Dan for a while today.. He said hangups like this are usually interference related, and suggested several tests..
Running the software with no power supply on, with it on but no cars, with 1 car only, then a different car etc..

Basically, I have random timing stops no matter what I do with the exception of the software just running by itself with no
power supply on and no cars on the track.. then it went for 30 minutes without stopping.

I have the red controller boards with the yellow/tan inner board..

He told me to call him tomorrow after running the tests to see if I could pin it down to one scenario and to let him know what happens.
He told me if it was not apparent, he'd swap out the whole unit.. He's really easy to talk to and wants to make sure his stuff works.

I am using the serial to USB adapter as my laptops don't have the port needed. Running Windows Xp I think..
Going to talk to him about a Windows 8 upgrade as my wife and I are closing a retail location this month and
I'll have access to a 1 year old touch screen laptop that runs Win8..

Please don't take my frustration as any kind of slam against Dan.. I used his stuff in the past without issue.. I was just wondering if there
were other options to try that would work off the existing hardware.. But since he's going to replace everything, I'll give that a shot first~

[HomeRacingWorld]

Thanks for the follow up Kev. Most do not bother.

I never took it as anything bad, just could not help as I had no issues.

He is a top notch person, and stands behind his work.

[ddyke]

Try a desktop with a real serial port.

[gascarnut]

Perhaps the problem is in the serial to USB converter? Are you using the Trackmate part or a generic from a computer store?

[turbokev]

I've tried 3 different laptops now.. Gateway, and 2 IBM thinkpads, all with the same result.

Today I completely took apart my timing and power and re-ran everything.. making sure
wires were not running parallel to each other, not wire tied together, not near the
power supply etc.. I now have my power supply in the next room along with the relay
whle my laptop is down at one end of the track on it's own stand. I moved the TrackMate
control center to it's own place with no wiring near it other than the ones that go to it.
I shortened my sensor leads to less than 6 feet, and I put the extra monitor in a new location.

This took about 4 hours but I wanted to be as sure as I could be that there was no electrical
interference going on.. End result? Still randomly freezes the time when cars are running.
Doesn't matter if it's practice mode, or race mode.. the timer will just stop and everything
freezes. The cars keep running, but it doesn't count laps, it doesn't beep when you go
over the dead strip, and the track call buttons stop working..

I called Dan and I'm waiting for him to call me back.. Hopefully he'll get me hooked up with
new equipment and I can have some reliable timing again~

ps. Yes, I'm using an adapter from serial to USB.. It is not from Dan, it's from NewEgg and it came
with device drivers. Not sure why that would cause the timer to stop counting but I'll
mention it to Dan when he calls me back to see of he wants me to try his cable first.

[turbokev]

Thanks.. PM sent :auto-checkeredflag:

[RichD]

It is risky to use Trackmate with an unknown serial to USB adapter, that is why I mentioned it in my first post. Most of the time the program would not work at all if you have the wrong adapter. The fact that the Trackmate autodetect feature did not work might be significant. I use the adapter that Trackmate sells and that works well, another person in my club uses the more expensive one that Radio Shack sells and that works as well. I can't see where interference would keep the track call button from working. Only one person that I know of has reported an interference problem with Trackmate, The cable has filters to minimize problems of that sort. If the adapter is not the problem than the interface unit would be suspect, Trackmate now has an interface unit with a USB output, mabe you could swap the one you have now for the new type.

[turbokev]

Hi Rich, thanks.. Dave is sending me his TrackMate cable adapter so we'll see how that goes..

My track calls are now working perfectly after moving the TrackMate controller stuff.. maybe one of my
connections was not 100% as it went from working fine to not working at all. I know it was on the TrackMate
side of things as I used a multimeter to check for signal coming from the buttons to the TrackMate
controller and that indicated it was getting the signal.. So perhaps one of the 4 wires that connect right there
at the controller wasn't seated or clamped in there right.

The date stamp on my TrackMate stuff is 2009 even though I bought it this year.. If the cable Dave
is sending me works, I'll be happy but if it continues to fail I'll be asking Dan for the USB version.

When I was moving this stuff yesterday, I smelled the controller board and I could swear it had a
hint of that 'someone let the smoke out' smell, but I don't see any damage at all even under
magnified inspection..

We'll see !

[RichD]

If you can smell something cooking there could be something wrong with the interface unit and it would have to be replaced, in that case you might also want to go with the USB version. It is unfortunate that you can't deal with this face to face and that parts have to come from another country in your case.

[turbokev]

I'll get it sorted Rich.. I should have the actual USB adapter cable Dan uses some time this week..
I'll give that a try, if the problem still exists it will be apparent within a few minutes.
Dan has already said he'll gladly swap out my stuff even though I purchased it many months ago..
I looked at my TrackMate controller boards under a magnified light and I can't see anything that
would indicate a burn.. maybe I was imagining it LOL.. we'll see :)