ImmersionRC LapRF Manual de usuario
LapRF Personal Timing System
Operator's Manual
Rev 1.2 - August 2017
Specifications
5.8GHz RF Detection
Frequency
5.3-6.0GHz
Programmable Attenuation
0-32dB
Threshold
Programmable to fine tune (but not normally required)
Antenna
Custom linearly polarized (Suitable for LHCP, RHCP, Linear use)
Channels
Arbitrary (defined by connected app.)
Pilots
1-8, depending upon required precision and gate speed
Mechanical
Dimensions
L =100mm, W = 100mm, H = 25mm
Weight
121g
Battery
Cell
18650, 2600mAh, 3.7V nominal
Consumption
~300mA @ 3.7V
Bluetooth
Standard
BLE, Bluetooth Smart
Antenna
Internal CE-compliant, or external dipole for extra range (up to 50m)
App Support
Mobile
iOS and Android
Compatibility, iOS
iOS devices require BLE, iPhone 4s or later, iPad 3rd Gen. or later
See here for more details: http://www.iphonefaq.org/archives/973945
Software Interface
Ports
Bluetooth Wireless, and USB Wired
Protocol
LapRF Comms Protocol (available upon request for developers)
PC Software
LiveTime scoring engine (Beta 2.8.1, Available)
WARNING: To avoid problems with charging the 18650 battery via USB, be extremely
careful with battery polarity when inserting the cell. The spring terminal must be
connected to the negative (-) terminal of the battery.
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Introduction
The LapRF Personal Edition is the first in a family of race timing systems from ImmersionRC.
LapRF technology uses the emitted 5.8GHz RF from race quadcopters (or fixed wing aircraft) to
detect a passage through the start-finish gate.
Different from other offerings on the market, the LapRF uses custom timing receivers with specially
designed antennas to ensure that only quads which pass through the ‘beam’ are timed, and other
sources of interference are ignored.
All that is required to use the LapRF in a race is to program the band, and channel that each pilot will
use, place the timer in the start/finish gate, and go fly! No transponders required.
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Getting Started
Charging the Battery
Using a standard USB Micro cable charge the timing puck for at least 3 hours before use.
Ok, so nobody actually wants to do this… the battery is delivered approx. 70% charged, and won’t be
damaged if the timer is powered up, and a few laps flown. Do not run it for long though before charging it to
prevent permanent damage to the battery.
App. Download
Search for the term ‘LapRF’ in either the iOS App. store, or the Google play store.
Download the free app. and install.
Powering On
To power on the LapRF, press and hold the power button, located on the underside of the timer, for
about 4 seconds until the LEDs light up, and the LapRF beeps.
To power off, repeat this procedure.
Connecting to the LapRF
Take note that despite the fact that there’s a ‘bind’ button on the bottom, and the LapRF is a
Bluetooth device, you do not need to pair it with your phone or tablet. The LapRF won’t show up as a
Bluetooth device either.
Instead you start the app and click on ‘Race Setup’ and subsequently on the ‘Select Timing System’ in
the top left corner. This will list all available timing systems, check on the bottom of yours to see how
it is called, for example ‘TidyLawn’ and select it, refer to the below noted image for an impression of
what the ‘Race Setup’ page looks like, note the ‘Select Timing System’ top left.
Subsequently the ‘Start Race’ icon on the Race page should go green to indicate a good connection.
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Configuring the Bands/Channels
Once the LapRF is connected, click on the ‘LapRF Setup’ icon and configure your bands and channels.
The switch on the left enables/disables each pilot slot, be sure to disable unused slots for maximum
accuracy.
Once the band and channel have been selected, the frequency is displayed.
Use the power switch to select the power level that you will be running.
Click the ‘Write Settings to LapRF’ button to program the time. Note that once these are
programmed, the settings will persist even when the timer is power cycled.
Finally, Race!
Click on the Race button, and then ‘Start Race’.
‘Goggles Down, Thumbs up’
Joe Scully - Some time in 2015
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Battery Charging
The internal 18650 li-ion battery may be charged by simply connecting the puck to a USB power
source using a standard micro-B cable.
The maximum charge current is approx. 800mA, which results in a charge time of a little more than 3
hours.
For extended use, the 18650 may be easily swapped out and replaced with a fully charged pack.
WARNING: 18650 batteries can be extremely dangerous if mishandled. Keeping
unprotected batteries in your pocket, especially with other metallic objects, can result in an
explosion, and severe burns.
Always use a protective carrying case when transporting these cells.
WARNING: To avoid damage when charging the 18650 battery via USB, be
extremely careful with battery polarity when inserting the cell. The spring terminal
must be connected to the negative (-) terminal of the battery.
When purchasing batteries, name-brand cells from reputable sources are highly recommended. Many
of the ‘budget’ cells available from online resellers may not be as safe as genuine cells.
Battery Life
The supplied 2600mAh cell should suffice for approx. 8 hours of racing. As the cell voltage reduces,
the gate will automatically turn off, after beeping to warn the user approx. 5 minutes before.
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iOS Application for iPhone and iPad
Main Screen
The main screen shows the lap times, including average, best, and total times, for each active pilot.
Times in green are the best lap times for each pilot.
Note: When a timing system is not connected, touching the large pilot number on the left side of the screen
will create a manual time, and can be used to evaluate the app.
The color if the ‘Start Race’ button currently indicates a valid connection to the lapRF. Red for no
connection, Green for a good connection.
On the race screen, the pilot icon shows Red when the app is in ‘First to Gate’ mode, and the pilot
hasn’t reached the first gate to start timing yet.
Once the pilot does reach the gate, it will turn Green, and times will start appearing.
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LapRF Setup
The lapRF setup page is where the number of active pilots is set, plus the band and channel that each
pilot is using.
In addition, the power level used for the race (all pilots should ideally use the same vTx power) is set
here, along with a ‘sensitivity tweak’ which works a bit like the exposure correction on most high-end
cameras.
If you are missing laps, increase sensitivity, if you are getting false hits, decrease it.
This is a good time to talk about pilot count, and its effect on resolution/accuracy/gate speed.
The personal time has a single timing module, which scans each of the active channels.
When a single pilot is enabled, the RF signal is ‘sampled’ at the maximum rate, and supports quads
flying through the start/finish gate at over 160km/h.
When a second pilot is enabled, the timing module has to toggle between the two channels, reducing
the accuracy of each channel, and decreasing maximum gate speed.
In practice, for 250 sized quads, with pilots of typical skill level, 4 pilots can easily share a single lap
timer.
For slower quads, tiny-whoop class for example, even more pilot slots may be enabled.
For the best accuracy at 200km/h+ gate speeds, and up to 16 pilots, the lapRF Event system is a
better choice, and should be used for larger events. Availability July 2017.
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Race Setup
The Race Setup page is where miscellaneous race settings/preferences are configured.
Select Timing System
Click this to select the LapRF. If the device doesn’t appear in the list, ensure that bluetooth is enabled,
and that no other mobile device is using it (even in the background).
Race Start Delay
Configure the delay between hitting the ‘Start Race’ button and the race starting. Use it to give time
to get your goggles on before flying.
Start Time From
FPV races are usually either configured to start from the tone (start grid is positioned after the
Start/Finish gate), or from ‘First to Gate’, where the start grid is positioned before it.
With the latter, lap times are for full laps, including the first lap.
Race Type
For races with a fixed number of laps, select ‘Lap Count’, and set the number of laps to be raced.
For races which are fixed-time, select ‘Fixed Time’ and be sure to enter the Race time.
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For Practice events, select ‘Practice’, the race will continue to run and record lap times until your
LiPos croak. Note that only the first 8 times will be shown on the Race page.
Diagnostics
The diagnostics page shouldn’t normally be required, but can be a useful tool during debugging.
The RSSI level of each configured pilot slot is shown. Power on video transmitters and walk them
through the gate to ensure correct configuration of the lapRF, and the video transmitter itself.
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