Adding track markers using the Analysis Software, and saving them onto the DL1 or VIDEO4
This section covers how to use lap marker files to define tracks and sectors using Analysis. Read this section to the end before you begin using lap files to add track marker information. If your Analysis version is less than or equal to 7.5.0 please update to 7.5.1 or higher by downloading our latest software package. Version 7.5.1+ has some important improvements with regards generating lap marker files and ensures more reliable results.
Using the Analysis software you can generate a lap file (.LAP) that consists of the information of lap, track and sector details. To generate lap files, Run data files (.run) are used. Generated lap files are transferred to the CF card of the data logger. Lap timing functions of the data logger use this file to get track marker information. So you don’t have to enter them manually while you are on the track.
There are three methods of creating track markers using the Analysis Software: Manually, Automatically and Programmatically. For 99% of applications it is most convenient to manually or automatically add track markers, adding markers programmatically is for specialist applications only. These three methods are described in the “How to Add and Remove Track Markers” section.
Once track markers have been added as required, they must be saved as a lap file (More information). To use the track marker information you simply need to transfer the information onto the “root directory of the CF card” which is to be used in the DL1 or the VIDEO4
To get the lap timing working correctly you should read and understand the following things:
- Make sure that the markers are added correctly. (More information)
- Lap files must have the following naming conventions. The file names MUST be in 8.3 format; meaning that it must have no more than 8 characters before the decimal point and 3 characters after the decimal point.
- The file extension MUST be .LAP
- Keep lap files in the root directory of the memory card. For example, if when you insert the memory card into your PC, it shows up as drive “f:” then the lap file must be place at “f:\”. It the lap file is placed anywhere else the system will not find it.
- Only ever have a single lap file on the memory card at any one time. In theory the DL1 and the VIDEO4 support having multiple lap files on their CF cards. In this case, once the system gets a GPS lock, it checks all the lap files to find the one for the current region. In practice, it is normally far simpler to just use a single lap file, and so having multiple lap files is not recommended.