Skip to main content
RACELOGIC Support Centre

Lap Timing Mode - VBOX Touch (v1)

The Lap Timing Mode allows you to view Lap Timing information in relation to a set Start/Finish line. The available information includes: 

  • live reference lap speed comparison (Delta-V)
  • live reference lap time comparison (Delta-T)
  • current reference lap time
  • last lap time
  • last lap time compared to the best lap time
  •  session time
  • completed lap count 

You can access the Lap Timing mode by pressing the Mode button at the bottom of the screen and selecting Lap Timing.

vbox_touch_modes_laptiming.png

The last selected Lap Timing Mode will be displayed after each power cycle.

The speed and distance units used for the Lap timing depend on what is set under General Settings.


Note: Lap timing gates are bi-directional and will be triggered when passing through in either direction.

Lap Timing Mode Overview

There are 2 different Lap Timing screens that you can access by using the Forward and Back arrows at the bottom right of the screen or by swiping left or right.

Lap Timing - Main Screen

This is the default lap timing screen and it displays live lap timing information in relation to:

  • A set Start/Finish line
  • Separate Start and Finish lines 
  • A Standing Start line and separate Finish line
  • A reference Lap
VBOX Touch Lap Timing Screen.png
The screen is split into two halves:

 Left-hand side:

  • Lap time: This will show either a live rolling lap time or a static lap time (previous lap), depending on the Rolling Lap Time setting. If you want a rolling lap time displayed, the previous lap time will be displayed for 5 seconds when a new lap starts, before reverting back to displaying the current live lap time. If the Start/Finish line has yet to be crossed, the circuit name/layout will be displayed with a distance countdown to the Start/Finish line (if the unit has satellite lock). If you have enabled Standing Start, you will see a 'Standing Start Mode Enabled' message. If you have not defined a Start/Finish line or VBOX Touch cannot detect a Start/Finish line, you will see a 'No start line' warning.
  • Time difference to best lap: This is the time difference between the last completed lap time and the quickest lap time. The data displayed is configured in the Rolling Lap Time settings. If Rolling Lap Time is disabled, the data will be displayed continuously. If Rolling Lap Time is enabled, the data will appear for 5 seconds after a lap has been completed. If the Start/Finish line has yet to be crossed or a lap hasn't been completed, it will not be displayed.
  • Reference lap time: This is the current active reference lap time and it will update when the reference lap is superseded by a faster lap time, unless you have set fixed the Reference Lap in the Settings. If you have fixed a reference lap, you will see a padlock icon to the right of the reference lap heading. If a reference lap time is being created, you will see a rolling lap time.

Right-hand side:

  • Delta-T: This presents a live difference in lap time at the current location on the track, between the current lap time and the reference lap. If the detected speed drops below 10 km/h or the satellite reception is lost (less than 4 satellites), the time comparison will freeze on the last known valid value until the speed is increased or the satellite reception is regained. If a reference lap is being created, you will see a 'Creating a Reference Lap' message.
     
    • If the current lap is faster than the reference lap, the value will be signed negative and be green in colour.
    • If the current lap is slower than the reference lap, the value will be signed positive and be red in colour.
    • If the current lap is the same as the reference lap, the value will be unsigned and be black in colour.
       
  • Session time: Total time passed within the session.
  • Completed lap count: Number of completed laps within the session.

OR

  • Delta-V: When there is a reference lap, the 4 LEDs at the top of the screen will provide a live reference lap speed comparison at the current location on the track. You can configure this in the Delta-V Range settings.
    • If the current lap is faster than the reference lap, the LEDs will be green in colour.
    • If the current lap is slower than the reference lap, the LEDs will be red in colour.
    • If the current lap is the same speed as the reference lap, the LEDs will be off
You can reset the data on the Main Lap Timing screen by pressing the Reset button at the bottom of the screen, or by pressing and holding on the screen.

Lap Timing - Basic Screen

This lap timing screen displays a lap time in relation to:

  • A set Start/Finish Line
  • Separate Start and Finish Lines 
  • A Standing Start line and separate Finish Line 
  • A reference Lap
VBOX Touch Lap Timing 1.png
  • Lap time: This will show either a live rolling lap time or a static lap time (for the previous lap), depending on the Rolling Lap Time settings. If a rolling lap time is being displayed, the previous lap time will be displayed for 5 seconds when a new lap starts, before it reverts back to displaying the current live lap time. If the Start/Finish line has yet to be crossed, the circuit name/layout will be displayed with a distance countdown to the Start/Finish line (if the unit has satellite lock). If you have enabled Standing Start, you will see a 'Standing Start Mode Enabled' message. If you have not defined a Start/Finish line or VBOX Touch cannot detect one, you will see a 'No start line' warning.
  • Time difference to best lap: This is the time difference between the last completed lap time and the quickest lap time, and it is displayed depending on the Rolling Lap Time settings. It will either display continuously if you have set the Lap Timing screen to display a static lap time, or will appear for 5 seconds after a lap has been completed if you have set it to display a rolling lap time. If the Start/Finish line has yet to be crossed or a lap hasn't been completed, this data will not be shown.

How to Manually Set a Start/Finish Line

You can set a Start/Finish line manually when moving. This will overwrite the line detected in the circuit layout.

To manually set a Start/Finish line, tap the screen once when on the Basic Lap Timing Screen or select Set Start Gate in the  Settings.

A screen will be displayed, allowing you to cancel the Set Start/Finish Line action within 5 seconds by pressing on the screen. After 5 seconds, you will be asked to drive forward in a straight direction to complete the process. The gate is set at 90° to the detected heading and the width depends on what is selected in the Gate Width Settings.

When the screen is initially pressed or the start gate is set, the detected location is used as the centre point of the start/finish gate. 

If you are defining a separate Finish Line, this gate will act as the Start Line only

VBOX Touch Lap Timing New Line.png
New start/finish line cancellation screen

Notes:

  • The vehicle must be moving >0.8 km/h and the unit must have satellite lock to be able to set a Start/Finish Line.
  • If the setting of the start/finish line is cancelled, any live lap prediction for the current lap will be lost and unavailable for use.

How to Manually Set a Separate Finish Line

You can set a separate Finish line when moving manually, overwriting the Finish line detected in the circuit layout.

If you have selected Standing Start, you can tap the screen once when on the Basic Lap Timing screen. Alternatively, you can select Set Finish Gate in the settings.

A screen will be displayed, that allows you to cancel the Set Finish Line action within 5 seconds by pressing the screen. After 5 seconds, you are required to drive forward in a straight direction to complete the process. The gate is set at 90° to the detected heading and the width depends on what is selected in the Gate Width Settings.

When you press the screen initially, the detected location/finish gate is used as the centre point of the Finish line. 

You must set a separate Finish line if you are using Standing Start Mode.

VBOX Touch Lap Timing New Finish.png
New finish line cancellation screen

Notes:

  • The vehicle must be moving >0.8 km/h and the unit have satellite lock to set a Finish Line.
  • If the finish line setting action is cancelled, any live lap prediction for the current lap will be lost and unavailable for use.

Creating a Reference Lap

A reference lap is required for VBOX Touch to calculate Delta-T and Delta-V lap timing values. VBOX Touch will automatically begin to create a reference lap once the Start/Finish line is crossed or it detects movement in Standing Start mode. The action will complete when the Start/Finish line is crossed again, or when the separate Finish line is crossed. 

Requirements for creating a reference lap:

  • Lap is longer than 20 seconds.
  • Lap is greater than 100 m.
  • Maximum speed achieved is greater than 40 km/h.
  • Lap is over half the stored reference lap distance.
  • Lap time does not exceed 43'40.00".

You can also choose to ignore short laps when creating the reference lap by entering a Minimum Lap Time in the Lap Timing Settings.

When a reference lap is being created, you will see a 'Creating a Reference Lap' message on the Main Lap Timing Screen in the Delta-T section and the reference lap section will show a rolling lap time. The LEDs will also illuminate blue during the creation process.

The reference lap will be updated if a faster lap is achieved or if the lap distance is more than double the stored reference lap (unless the Reference Lap has been Fixed within the Lap Timing Settings).

You can also load reference laps from previously saved or provided files, or Save reference laps for future use.

The reference lap will be retained after each power cycle.

Lap Timing Settings

You can access the Lap Timing settings screen by pressing the Settings button at the bottom left of the screen and selecting the Lap Timing option. It is split over 2 pages and lets you choose the lap timing parameters.

You can move between the different pages by selecting the Forward and Back arrows at the bottom right of the screen or by swiping left or right.

VBOX TOUCH FW v1.5 - Lap Timing Settings Page 1_600px.png VBOX TOUCH FW v1.5 - Lap Timing Settings Page 2_600px.png
To return to the main screen, press the Exit button on the bottom left.

Select a Track

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Track.png
 

VBOX Touch has an inbuilt track database containing a vast number of circuits throughout the world. You can find a list of the currently supported circuits here.

The unit will display the currently selected track based on the current GPS location. If multiple layouts are available, you can press the Select button to scroll through the different options. Choose a layout by pressing the desired option and then the Confirm button at the bottom right of the screen. Press the Cancel button at the bottom left of the screen to return to the Settings screen without saving.

Note: If you press the Select button when you are not in the vicinity of a known track, the unit will display a NO LIST AVAILABLE message.

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Track Select.png

If the layout is changed, the LEDs will briefly flash green twice and the unit will emit an audible confirmation notification. The layout will be remembered after each power cycle if it is determined to be local to the detected location.

Note: When the selected track is changed, all existing lap timing values will be cleared and the new lap timing gates will be used.

Set Start/Finish Gate

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Set Start Gate.png

By using the Set Start Gate option in the Lap Timing Settings will manually set a start/finish line when moving, and overwrite the line detected in the circuit layout. If you are defining a separate Finish Line, this gate will act as the Start Line only.

Note: The vehicle must be moving >0.8 km/h and the unit must have a satellite lock to be able to set a Start/Finish Line.

Set Finish Gate

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Set Finish Gate.pngVBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Set Finish Gate.png

Selecting the Set Finish Gate option within the Lap Timing Settings will manually set a Finish line when moving, overwriting the finish line detected within the circuit layout. A separate finish line must be set if you are using Standing Start Mode

Note: The vehicle must be moving >0.8 km/h and the unit have a satellite lock to set a Finish Line.

Clear Finish Gate

(Only selectable if a Finish gate has been set)

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Clear Finish Gate.png
 

Selecting the Clear Finish Gate option within the Lap Timing Settings will clear the separate finish line and will use the active Start line as a combined Start/Finish line.

A screen will be displayed, allowing you to cancel the finish line clear within 5 seconds by repressing the screen.

If the finish line is cleared, the LEDs will briefly flash green twice and the unit will emit an audible confirmation notification.

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Clear Finish.png
Clear finish line cancellation screen 

Notes:

  • When the finish gate is cleared, all existing lap timing values and lap history will be cleared.
  • If the finish line setting is cancelled, any live lap prediction for the current lap may be lost and unavailable for use.

 Load a Track Database

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Track Database.png

The Track Database installed in VBOX Touch is updated whenever a new firmware file is uploaded onto the unit. However, you can update the Track Database independently by pressing the Load Track Database button in the Lap Timing Settings. If VBOX Touch detects an SD card with a saved .tdb or .bdb track database file in the root directory (not in the media or any other folder), the unit will load the file. This will update the track list but not overwrite any existing track information.

The progress of the track database update will be indicated by the LEDs; each lit LED will represent 25% of the process with all LEDs extinguishing when the process is complete.

This area also displays the currently installed track database version information.

You can find more information on loading a Track Database here.

Lap Timing Gates

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Gates.png
Load Start/Finish or Finish Line Gates

You can load previously saved or provided Start/Finish line gates by inserting an SD card with gate files contained in an SF LINES folder and pressing the Load Lap Timing Gates button in the Lap Timing Settings. If only one file is located on the SD card, the file will be loaded immediately.

If multiple files are located on the SD card, the unit will display all the available files. Select a file and press the Confirm button at the bottom right of the screen. You can also press the Cancel button at the bottom left of the screen to return to the Lap Timing settings screen without saving. A success screen will briefly display to show that the file is loaded successfully. If there are splits saved in the file, these will also be uploaded to the unit (max 10 gates/splits).

Note: When a new Start/Finish or Finish line gate is loaded, all existing lap timing values will be cleared and the new lap timing gates will be used. 

Save Start/Finish Gates

To save the currently defined Start/Finish gates, press the Save Lap Timing Gates button in the Lap Timing Settings. If VBOX Touch detects an SD card, it will be saved as a file named gates.spl in an SF LINES folder on the SD card. A save success screen will briefly display. If a gate file already exists on the SD card, VBOX Touch will display an overwrite cancel screen. This gives you 5 seconds to cancel the overwrite by pressing on the screen.

Gate Width

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Gate.png
 

You can change the width of the Start/Finish Line by pressing the value box and using the presented keypad.

To save the your selected value, press the Confirm button at the bottom right of the screen. You can press the Cancel button at the bottom left of the screen to return to the Lap Timing Settings screen without saving. The default setting is 25 m / 82 ft, but you can select between 3 and 100 m / 10 and 330 ft. This value will be remembered after each power cycle.

Note: The width can be entered with 1 decimal place.

Input Gate Width (25) - No Frame_600px.png
Gate Width Keypad Example
This option is particularly useful if the VBOX Touch is not detecting the correct number of laps. For example, when racing at a very narrow circuit where the pit lane is right next to the start line, it could be possible to trigger lap timing in the pit lane, which would give an incorrect number of laps.

Rolling Lap Time

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Rolling.png

If enabled, the Main Lap Timing Screen or Basic Lap Timing Screen will display the current live lap time. When a new lap starts, the previous lap time will be displayed for 5 seconds before it reverts to displaying the current live lap time. When this is disabled, the previous lap time will be displayed until you start a new lap.

Note: This setting is enabled by default.

Standing Start

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Standing Start.png
 

When Standing Start is enabled, VBOX Touch can use the logged position at the start of a movement to trigger the lap timing. This is particularly suitable for sprint-style events. In this mode, the Lap Timing will only stop at a defined finish gate. With standing start enabled, any existing Start/Finish or start gate will be ignored. Once enabled, the LEDs will briefly flash green twice and the unit will emit an audible confirmation notification.

You are then required to return to a Lap Timing Screen by pressing the Exit button at the bottom left. When stationary (<0.5 km/h) for 2 consecutive seconds, it will display an activation screen. This will ask you to wait 5 seconds before you move the vehicle. If you press the screen, move, or lose the satellite lock before the standing start activation period has expired, the feature will be cancelled.

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Standing Start Activated.png
Standing start activated cancellation screen

When the activation period has completed, you will see a 'Standing Start Mode Armed' screen notifying you that the unit is ready for movement. Pressing the screen will take you back to the Lap Timing Settings menu.

When VBOX Touch detects vehicle movement (>0.5 km/h), it will assign the Start gate at 90° to the detected heading. Lap Timing will only be complete once you cross a defined separate Finish Gate.

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Standing Start Armed.png
Standing start armed notification screen

Delta-V Range

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Delta V.png

The brightness of the LED feedback in relation to the Delta-V speed is adjustable. You have 3 available options; 2 km/h / 1.2 mph, 5 km/h / 3.1 mph (default) and 10 km/h / 6.2 mph. These relate to the maximum speed difference at which the LEDs are brightest.


Let us use the default 5 km/h setting as an example:

The current lap is >5 km/h quicker than the reference lap

LEDs will show bright green

VBOX Touch Green LED.png

The current lap is 2.5 km/h quicker than the reference lap

LEDs will show dull green

VBOX Touch Light Green LED.png

The current lap is the same speed as the reference lap

LEDs will be off

VBOX Touch No LED.png

The current lap is 2.5 km/h slower than the reference lap

LEDs will show dull red

VBOX Touch Dull Red LED.png

The current lap is >5 km/h slower than the reference lap

LEDs will show bright red

VBOX Touch Red LED.png

Alternatively, if you have selected 10 km/h and the current lap is 5 km/h quicker than the reference lap, the LEDs will show dull green as it is halfway to the maximum value.


Tap the button to change the setting.

Reset Data

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Reset.png
Selecting this option will reset the lap timing data, the lap time history and the reference lap. Once you have selected Reset, you will see a cancel timeout screen giving you the option to cancel the reset (within 5 seconds) by pressing the screen. After 5 seconds, the LEDs will briefly flash green twice and the unit will emit an audible confirmation notification.

Fix the Reference Lap

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Fix Ref.png
This option will fix the current reference lap. When fixed, the stored reference lap will not update if a faster lap is achieved. If there is no stored reference lap, the next complete lap will be used as the fixed reference lap. Alternatively, you can fix the reference lap by triple-tapping on the Main Lap Timing Screen. After triple-tapping, you will see a cancel timeout screen giving you the option to cancel the fixing within 5 seconds by pressing the screen. 

When you have fixed a reference lap, you will see a padlock icon to the right of the reference lap on the Main Lap Timing Screen.
 

To unfix a reference lap, press the button again to change it from enabled to disabled. Alternatively, you can unfix the reference lap by triple-tapping on the Main Lap Timing Screen. After triple-tapping, you will see a cancel timeout screen giving you the option to cancel the unfixing within 5 seconds by pressing the screen.

Reference Lap

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Ref.png
Load a Reference Lap

You can load a previously saved or provided reference lap by pressing the Load button (as long as the unit is not logging and the vehicle is not moving). If an SD card is detected, the unit will display all the .ref files located in the REF LAPS folder on the SD card. Select a file and press the Confirm button at the bottom right of the screen, or press the Cancel button on the bottom left of the screen to return to the Settings screen without saving

If confirmed you will briefly see a load success screen.

If there are splits stored in the file, these will also be uploaded to the unit (max 10 gates/splits).

Note: When a new reference lap is loaded, the Start/Finish gate stored in the .ref lap will be applied as the active Lap timing gate if it is different to the currently loaded gate. If the gates are changed, all existing lap timing values will be cleared and the new lap timing gates will be used. 

Save a Reference Lap

If you have created a reference lap, you can save the lap for future use (as long as the unit is not logging and the vehicle is not moving) by pressing the Save button. If the unit detects an SD card, it will be saved as a file named lap.ref in a REF LAPS folder on the SD card. You will see a save success screen. If a reference lap file already exists on the SD card, VBOX Touch will display an overwrite cancel screen, giving you 5 seconds to cancel the overwrite by pressing the screen.

Ignore Short Laps

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Ignore Short.png
 

You can choose to ignore short laps so that they do not create the reference lap. When enabling this setting you can set a minimum lap time that is acceptable to be used as a reference lap.

To change the time, press the Short Lap Time button and use the keypad presented. 

Input Minimum Lap Time (60) - No Frame_600px.png
Minimum Lap Time Keypad Example

Save the selected time by pressing the Confirm button at the bottom right of the screen, or press the Cancel button at the bottom left of the screen to return to the Settings screen without saving. The default setting is 60 seconds, but you can choose between 10 and 86400 seconds. The value will be remembered after each power cycle.

Note: Time can only be set in whole numbers.

Ignore Double Distance Laps

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Settings Ignore Double.png

By default, this setting is disabled, and a new reference lap will be created if the lap distance is more than double the stored reference lap. This is useful if you are, for example, warming up on a smaller part of a longer circuit (such as the Nurburgring circuit and Nordschleife) and you want the reference lap to update once you have moved on to the longer circuit.

Alternatively, with this option enabled, the reference lap will not update when the lap distance is more than double the stored reference lap. This can be useful in circumstances such as when the in-lap covers more than double the distance of the reference lap.

 Lap History

You can view a history of the lap results by selecting the Results button at the bottom of the screen.

Lap results will display until you press the Reset button.

VBOX Touch Lap Timing Results.png
Sample history screen

The most recently completed lap will show at the top of the screen and the fastest lap will be highlighted. To scroll through the history, use the scroll bar on the right-hand side of the screen.
 

Information includes:

  • Lap number
  • Lap time
  • Time difference from the fastest lap

You can take a screenshot of the lap history by pressing the Screenshot button.

To return to the main screen, select the Exit button on the bottom left of the screen.

IMPORTANT
Up to a maximum of 127 laps can be displayed. However, 
if you complete more laps, they will still be recorded on the SD card. When the limit has been reached, you will see a warning message advising that further laps will not be saved to the Lap History. The message will show again if the unit is power-cycled. To view new lap history results, press the Reset button.

Save Results

You can also save the lap history as a .txt or .csv file (dependent on the option selected) to the SD card by selecting the Save button at the bottom of the screen. When you press this button, the unit will emit an audible confirmation notification. If the results could not be saved successfully, for example, if no SD card is inserted or the card is full, the button will flash 3 times and VBOX Touch will emit an audible error notification.

If saved successfully, the file name will include the date and the time when saved. Along with the lap history information described above, the results file also incudes the date and the time it was saved.

Reset

Selecting the Reset button at the bottom right of the screen will reset the lap timing data, lap time history and reference lap. Once Reset is selected, a cancel timeout screen will display, allowing you to cancel the reset within 5 seconds by pressing the screen. After 5 seconds, the LEDs will briefly flash green twice and the unit will emit an audible confirmation notification.

Touch Shortcuts

Screen Shortcut Function
Swipe Left/Right Accesses different lap timing or settings screens
Triple tap the Main Lap Timing Screen Fixes/Unfixes the reference lap
Press and hold the Main Lap Timing Screen Resets the lap timing data, lap time history and reference lap
Tap the Basic Lap Timing Screen Sets a Start/Finish or Finish Line at the current location

 

 

  • Was this article helpful?