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FinishLynx Timer Spotlight: Fulton Accurate Timing

We recently spoke with Tim Fulton of Fulton Accurate Timing as a kickoff to our on-going Timer Spotlight series. Our goal for this series is to highlight some of our top service providers and find out who they are, what they do, and how they use FinishLynx technology.

 

Company: Fulton Accurate Timing

Name: Tim Fulton, Owner

Location: New York, USA

# of events timed: 125+/year

Types of events timed: Track & Field, Cross Country, Road Races

 


Can you briefly tell us about Fulton Accurate Timing?

I saw a need for track and field and XC timing in the Hudson Valley area of NY as most timers were traveling from far away to time the meets.  We focus on HS and college track and field and now have about 75 events after being in business for just 2 years.

 

What’s one thing about your company that makes it unique?

I think my experience in so many areas of the sport really helps. I’ve run track for years, have run marathons and some ultras, coached HS for 15 years, coached college for 2 years, been a meet director of youth events and huge HS events, and worked with pros on NYRR The Millrose Games.  I’ve been an official, track writer, and track photographer.  I think understanding how all of these roles fit together helps me understand how to meet the needs of my clients.

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New World Record at the 2015 Junior Track Cycling Championships

velodrome cycling world record photo-finish
New WR captured with an EtherLynx Vision camera. Courtesy of Phoenix Sports technology.

Athens, Greece – The 2015 UEC Junior Track Cycling Championships hosted some of Europe’s best young talent in velodrome cycling. The competition was held in Athens from July 14th to 19th. It was timed with high-speed FinishLynx cameras, and the timing team from Phoenix Sports Technology was fortunate enough to capture a new World Record at this year’s event.

The women from team Italy took the gold medal in the Women’s Junior Team Pursuit Qualifying Round with a time of 4:33.463 and average speed of 52.658 km/h over 4,000 meters. Their time was good enough to beat the teams from Poland and France by over 5 seconds and edge out the previous World Record by more two and half seconds—an impressive feat at any level of competition.

This photo-finish capture is especially notable because it’s the first new WR captured by the EtherLynx Vision camera. The Vision was released in late 2014 is quickly becoming a race director favorite because of its versatility and ease-of-use at the finish line.

Congrats to the timers and thanks to Phoenix Sports Technology‘s chief timekeeper Humberto Uribe for passing along the FinishLynx screen capture. Want to learn more about this year’s Junior Track Cycling Championships? You can see the full event results here. Hopefully this is the first of many new records captured by the Vision camera.

Women's Junior Team Pursuit WR
Track cycling results screenshot courtesy of Phoenix Sports Technology and trackcyclingtiming.com

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Join the Lynx Team – Now Hiring for Tech Support & Marketing Roles

May 21, 2015 – It’s been a busy few months here at the Lynx headquarters in Haverhill, MA. We released the new EtherLynx Vision camera in late 2014 and have updated all our timing packages (and support docs) to include this new technology. We’re also offering US customers a special Vision camera trade-in program as part of the 2015 Summer Promotion. The response so far has been overwhelming, and we’re excited to equip more timers with EasyAlign and the other great features found on the Vision camera.

The FinishLynx user-base has also seen tremendous growth over the past year, both in the US and abroad. It’s exciting to see new customers, timing companies, and partners popping-up across the globe. This growth not only makes the Lynx community stronger and more diverse, but also allows us to add features and develop new products we think you’ll love. In order to sustain this pace, we need to hire some more great people to join our team. Want to help us support, develop, or promote FinishLynx technology? Perfect. Then check out our latest job postings below.

Don’t quite fit the qualifications but think you can help us some other way? Head over to our Careers page to send us your resume and cover letter with more details about what you can offer. We’d love to hear from you.

 

Technical Support

Sales & Marketing

Say Hello to TaserLynx – The High-Voltage FinishLynx Security Add-On

TaserLynx April Fools
Protect your system with TaserLynx

April 1, 2015 — FinishLynx timing systems are a big investment, no matter what size organization you are. It doesn’t matter if you’re a small high school track program or a large cycling federation. Some customers spend years building up their systems, adding new cameras, software plugins, and upgrades every season. So it makes sense that you’ll want to do everything you can to protect your investment. That’s why we’re introducing TaserLynx, a high-voltage security add-on for FinishLynx.

TaserLynx is a remote-activated electric taser add-on that integrates with your FinishLynx hardware for seamless anti-theft (and anti-spectator) features. When armed, TaserLynx will deliver a 50,000 volt shock to immobilize any unwanted visitors who approach the timing hardware. The active shock range threshold can be configured directly inside the FinishLynx software using the free TaserLynx plugin.

TaserLynx sensors can be added to cameras, tripods, scoreboards, and other other timing equipment within a 100 meter radius. The TaserLynx units can draw power directly from your camera, AC power, Power-over-Ethernet, a computer serial port, or a compatible wind/geothermal source. No need to worry about the science behind it. Each TaserLynx unit also includes a powerful lithium battery for over a year of passive arming. That means your FinishLynx technology will be protected, even when it’s stored away for the winter.

TaserLynx Tesla-Coil Upgrade

After the success of last year’s NerfLynx upgrade, we decided to enhance our finish line security even further. For just $99 you can upgrade your TaserLynx to Tesla-Coil mode. Tesla-Coil mode transforms your TaserLynx from a passive security device to an active one — allowing you to use a capture button to shock unwanted intruders up to 50 yards away from your primary camera. Keep spectators, athletes, parents, and administrators in check by adding TaserLynx Tesla-Coil mode today. It’s a safe and effective way to protect your photo-finish system in the field.

TaserLynx Tesla Coil April Fools

 

 

April Fools! Please re-share on social media if you’d enjoyed it :)

Introducing ResulTV 6.0 Display Software with Custom Colors and Animated .GIFs

ResulTV 6.0 Live Results Display & Broadcast Software

ResulTV 6.0 timing display and broadcast software with gif support
ResulTV 6.0 adds new templates, custom colors, & animated .GIF support 

ResulTV is a Windows-based results display program that allows timers to stream and broadcast live event data to compatible displays and video feeds. ResulTV integrates with FinishLynx timing systems to display dynamic results data to video scoreboards connected to the network. ResulTV 6.0 is the first major update since the release of ResulTV 5.11 in March 2013. Version 6.0 has several new features including:

  • Support for animated .GIFs (like custom flags and logos)
  • Support for custom colors (RGB values) for the font, border, shadow, and backgrounds
  • Choose from new results templates
  • New speed setting inside the Bitmap dialog
  • Adjust the location of the Lynx logo
  • New hidden setting for debugging output
  • See the Release Notes for full details and comments

The latest version of ResulTV can be downloaded on the ResulTV product product page. Existing ResulTV customers can upgrade for free using their serial number. We’ve also included a large package of animated flag gifs for use with this latest version of the software. The animated flags installer (ResulTV-Flags.exe) is 337 MB includes international and US state flags in various sizes. But 6.0 also supports custom gifs provided by the user.

Visit the ResulTV Product Page Now.

If you’re interested in purchasing ResulTV, please contact us now to request a quote.

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Rare Photo-Finish Captures Triple Dead Heat in Horse Racing

Bangkok, Thailand – On Sunday, January 18th the timers at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club (RBSC) in Thailand captured a rare moment in horse racing history. Three horses finished in a triple dead heat photo-finish for 2nd place. The rare triple dead heat took place during the popular Sunday races and was captured with an EtherLynx Fusion camera at 1,800 frames per second.

According to the official RBSC results, horse #9 took first place in the 1200 meter race with a time of 1:12.84 while horses 5, 7, & 13 tied in a dead heat for second place. All three horses were officially evaluated by the judges at finish time of 1:13.33. Does that mean all three horses split the 2nd place purse, you might wonder? Not exactly. In this case, the three horses actually split the combined winnings for positions 2, 3, and 4. So at least there’s a little more money to go around.

While photo-finishes are common at horse tracks, this triple dead heat is exceptionally rare. In fact, only a few triple dead heats have ever been recorded.  This is the first triple dead heat recorded by the RBSC in the club’s 112-year history of horse racing. And one article claims there have been just 6 triple dead heats recorded since 1990. This finish at the Royal Bangkok Turf Club would perhaps be the seventh. Fortunately, FinishLynx timing cameras provide judges with indisputable, time-stamped photo-finish images accurate to at least 1/1000th of a second.

For more information on FinishLynx timing systems for horse racing, visit our thoroughbred and greyhound packages.

Triple Dead Heat horse racing photo finish
Triple Dead Heat Photo-Finish Image. Captured by the Royal Bangkok Sports Club.

 

 

Announcing the EtherLynx Vision Camera with EasyAlign Mode

Bronze Package with EtherLynx Vision Camera
Vision Bronze Package

October 1, 2014 — Lynx System Developers is proud to announce the official US release of the new EtherLynx Vision photo-finish camera. The 5L500 is the latest in a long line of EtherLynx  cameras and represents the next generation of sports timing technology. The new camera brings with it a number of exciting new features and upgrade options that will help make FinishLynx more accessible and versatile for novice users.

The Vision comes standard with full-color image captures, power-over-Ethernet, and the new EasyAlign full frame video alignment mode. It also includes upgrade options like LuxBoost low-light amplification, high-resolution captures (2,000 fps), an internal battery pack, and more.

As of October 1st, The camera will immediately be integrated into the US high school track & field packages. Along with the release of the new camera, we will also be offering a generous camera trade-in program so users can upgrade an older EtherLynx camera for the new Vision. For more details about the Vision, including feature demos and document downloads, visit the official page at: http://finishlynx.com/packages/vision/

Thrilling Tour de France Photo-Finish Image Captured by Matsport Timing During Stage 7

Just 0.001 separates Trentin & Sagan in a dramatic Stage 7 photo-finish at the 2014 Tour de France

Tour de France cycling photo finish Matteo Trentin & Peter Sagan
Dramatic cycling photo-finish image from stage 7 of the Tour de France. Matteo Trentin beats Peter Sagan by just 1/1000th of a second. Click to enlarge.

Nancy, France – FinishLynx partner Matsport Timing is getting a lot of press today after capturing a thrilling photo-finish during the seventh stage of the Tour de France. Italy’s Matteo Trentin edged out Slovakia’s Peter Sagan by just 1/1000th of a second (0.001) to win the stage. Matsport is a long-time FinishLynx partner and serves as the Lynx European Center, supporting many of our international customers. We’re always excited to see beautiful photo-finish captures in the news.  But we love it even more when the hardworking timers from Matsport can get some major press. They’re truly masters of their craft: producing reliable and high-quality photo finish results.

Of course, the Matsport timing team is no stranger to major photo-finishes like this one. They have been timing the Tour de France and many other major cycling events for years. During that time, they’ve captured some wonderful FinishLynx photo-finishes from cycling events around the world:

Tour de France photo-finish 2005
Pieter Weening wins by 0.002 at the 2005 Tour de France – Matsport

cycling photo finish crash image
A dramatic cycling photo-finish crash – Matsport

cat animal photo finish image
The cat takes first place in a tight photo finish – Matsport

Mascot photo finish Presidential Tour of Turkey
Mascot photo-finish at the Presidential Tour of Turkey – Matsport

Tour de France photo-finish image capture
Our favorite Tour de France photo finish image – Matsport

Kudos to Matsport. We hope there’s even more exciting photo-finishes to come. Want to learn more about FinishLynx timing systems for cycling? Take a look at our cycling timing packages now.

 

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Introducing NerfLynx and the Instagram Filter Software Plugin

April 1, 2014 – We’re proud to announce two new concept products to our line of photo finish technology. We’ve listened to your feedback and spent years developing these innovative new product options.

1. NerfLynx Finish Line Defense Mount

NerfLynx is the world’s first finish line defense system. When an unauthorized photographer, official, or relative comes near the finish line during an event, NerfLynx automatically fires foam darts at the intruder to scare them away from your camera’s line of sight. NerfLynx also allows manual captures. Simply record the intruder’s image and draw a box around them with the right mouse button – then select “NerfLynx Fire” in the image drop-down menu. Early season testing confirms an 85% hit ratio – that rises to 98% when integrated with IdentiLynx. Keep your finish line clear by deploying NerfLynx today.

NerfLynx April Fool's Product from FinishLynx
NerfLynx fires darts at finish line intruders at Penn Relays.

2. Instagram Filter Software Plugin for FinishLynx

This next product is one of our most requested features of all time. Over the years, customers have asked us how to “spice up” their finish line images. They love the trademark FinishLynx image look – but they’d love to add a little more flair to their results printouts. Maybe something that’s more shareable on social media. Well the new Instagram Filter Plugin looks to solve that problem.

This plugin integrates directly into your FinishLynx software and provides a number of new photo-editing and filter capabilities. Why print or post a normal FinishLynx image when you can add one of our cool new filters like Neon or Mosaic. Version 1 has 5 new filters to choose from, but we hope to add 15+ more options in version 2.

FinishLynx Instagram Filter Plugin for April Fool's Day.
Spice up your results with one of our cool new FinishLynx image filters.

 

If you haven’t figured it out by now, both of these products are just part of an April Fool’s joke. Thanks for your continued support and sense of humor! 

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Update: FinishLynx USB Adapter Compatibility with Windows 8

Sabrent USB-to-Serial Adapter
USB-to-Serial Adapter

Our technical support team has tested FinishLynx version 8.2+ and determined that the software is fully compatible with Windows 8 and 8.1. However, some Lynx users have experienced compatibility issues problems with their USB-to-serial adapters. In some cases, out-of-date USB drivers may cause problems on Windows 8 devices – making them unable to connect properly. Fortunately, this is a very easy fix. Simply download the latest device drivers for your model of USB-to-serial adapter and install them on your Windows 8 devices. This will ensure compatibility on race day. The latest Windows 8-compatible drivers can be downloaded from manufacturer websites. We’ve also included some instructions below for some adapters commonly used with FinishLynx systems. Please update your USB drivers if you use Sabrent, Prolific, or ATEN serial converters. See the directions and downloads below.

Note: If you are upgrading your computer to Windows 8 and have a Sabrent USB-to-Serial adapter (see right), you must follow the instructions below in order to update the Sabrent drivers.

1. Download the USB Driver listed below

2.  Download the file below (Ser2pl64.sys)

3. Extract the file to your Windows 8 Driver folder

C:\Windows\System32\Drivers

Windows 8 Replace USB Driver Confirmation

4. Restart your computer with the new driver

Note: You may also purchase a new Serial-to-USB adapter to avoid any potential conflicts with 3rd party drivers. Simply contact Lynx or buy the adapter online from NewEgg.com.

New recommended usb-to-serial adapter
New recommended usb-to-serial adapter

5. Your Driver Update is Complete


Prolific USB Adapter Compatibility

The directions above will work for all Sabrent USB-to-Serial Adapters that ship with FinishLynx. If you have the older “Prolific” model, you’ll need to use the following driver to ensure compatibility with Windows 8.

ATEN USB-to-Serial Converter

All current FinishLynx systems ship with ATEN USB-to-Serial Converters. We have not encountered any issues with Windows 8 compatibility. But we still recommend to you update your drivers to prevent any future issues. The latest ATEN drivers can be found below.