If you guys haven't gotten a chance to try the latest version of Harry's Lap Timer, it's now an even more suitable replacement for conventional lap timers.

The new version allows the app to record video while displaying in lap timer mode. Clicking on the time display shows a focused timer without all the ancillary values.

One new function, I noticed or perhaps just new to me, is with my OBD2 Elm327 dongle I was able to get live digital coolant temp values on the verbose timer display

Now if, they can get predictive lap; that would be really awesome!

Only problem now that I see, is that on really really hot days from time to time the phone will overheat and crash, in the phones/app defense...I had the heater going and it was 112 degrees outside...I was dying, the car wasn't happy so I guess it's a bit too much to expect the phone wouldn't complain.

One UI annoyance with this new UI philosophy is that if you do want to record video with your phone, camera settings must be accessed in the following sequence:
HLT app>I agree>Race>Video>PREVIEW>Wrench Icon

I wish these values were located in the global settings menu.

[attachment=95497:IMG_1665.PNG]
[attachment=95498:IMG_1666.PNG]

 

The promised functionality of Harry's Lap Timer is great, but I've only actually gotten it to completely function properly from recording to overlay for maybe one lap in several years of having it. I nearly always have issues with the video not saving, saved video being way off the data logs, the overlay function crashing the program, et cetera. It seems to do ok if all I do is log data, but there are plenty of cheaper apps that can do that just as well. I've had the issue across multiple phones, SD cards, et cetera. Poured over the forums and guides, checked every setting. It's just a seriously buggy app. Maybe it works better on iphone than android?

 

Oh for sure its way stable on iPhone, but then again so is any app not named Google...heck j wouldn't be surprised if Google apps were more stable on iPhone.

My friends HLT took nearly 1 day to render since the code base for android couldn't take advantage of hardware acceleration. He ended up buying an iPhone 5 as a standalone Harry's, can't blame him it works great and you get to review things in between sessions with out having to whip out the laptop.

I'm on an IPhone 6 I rarely ever lose data or video and it just works except when it has overheated. Render time for me for 1 lap occurs faster than real time at 1080p for me. I'm also supplementing my iPhone with a 5hz GPS receiver and my elm327 obd2 adapter

 

While we're on the subject, what are you guys using to hold the phone while in the car?

I DO NOT have HLT but have thought about it.

 

Just wanted to mention my Samsung Note 4 has never overheated and runs Race Chrono flawlessly.

 

Let me clarify; it has only overheated in temps during high temp track days (95+) while recording video (720p60) and syncing bluetooth GPS + wifi obd2.
My phone is also mounted directly on the windscreen for recording purposes so also right in direct sunlight. HVAC on max temp

...does your Note 4 run under similar conditions?

 

Here's one of my mounts:
https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/104...t-semi-custom/

I've also used this one
http://www.sportys.com/pilotshop/ram...FVFlfgodsgEHwg

 

I think the preferred lap timer for Android is Race Chrono. It's been a little while since I've used HLT but it sucked on Android compared to Race Chrono a couple years ago. A few gripes I had.. it lists all your laps rather than sessions. Hopefully they fixed that. The lack of predictive lap timing kinda blows as well. I had a few other complaints but I can't remember them offhand anymore. I've run Race Chrono on a few android phones now and it works very well. You can review data in the pits just like HLT with different splits/sectors/etc. Ultimately I much preferred Race Chrono to HLT, although it's been a while since I've used HLT.

 

I rock this one personally. It's bolted to the front passenger seat bolt and is awesome and not in direct view:
http://www.amazon.com/Arkon-Phone-Fl.../dp/B004M8ST3Q

If you're on Android do yourself a favor and use racechrono. If you're an iphone guy, I think HLT is the best option.

 

Hi guys,

Some comments on the statements in this thread.

First off, for any issues you run into, just drop me a mail on Harry@gps-laptimer.de. That's in particular true when device specific issues kick in.

As an example, the new hardware accelerated video overlay is super device dependent and hard to manage on Android. Google did a great job in many areas but miserably failed with their video processing support and integration testing with hardware manufacturer's own implementation. So although it should not be necessary to tweak an app device specific, it is sometimes necessary. For those facing issue with the hardware approach, switch back to Software as a work around and ping me for a solution: LapTimer ‣ Administration ‣ Settings ‣ Expert Settings ‣ Video Tweaks ‣ Force Software Encoding. Besides this, the latest version has a real time overlay build in. Just press the Play button and overlaid gauges can be viewed without the extra step. A physical overlay is required for video distribution only.

Harry's LapTimer for Android has been ported from iOS initially - that's true. It has received a lot of effort since the initial port 3 years ago and should be en par with the iOS version nowadays. It is the best selling lap timer on Android now too. In case you experienced issues with initial versions, try the latest - you have it licensed anyway.

Predictive lap timing. The term has been introduced by Racelogic some years ago. LapTimer has this feature since 2006 - even before other smartphone lap times have been available at all. The term used by Harry's LapTimer is "gap analysis" because it focuses on the gap between your current lap and a reference lap - and not on predicting the final lap time of the current lap as an absolute value. To get the gap view, have a look into the snapshots attached to gptoyz's initial post. You see the selector showing Lap / Gap / Sector. Select Gap to get a delta analysis 5 times a second. You will get the gap (e.g. -00.00:45), coloring (green is ahead, red behind) and change in gap (i.e. winning or losing).

Overheating. For any recent smartphone (both iOS and Android) using all components build in at once will overheat the device. Apps not demanding a lot will not generate this effect, apps using all or many components can run into overheats on hot days. The good thing is you are in control of which components are used and there is a simple work around too: place the smartphone in a position it gets an air stream from car cooling (either with or without AC) and the problem will go away. Please have a look into this FAQ for more information.

I hope this helps. Please do not feel monitored, I just try to do some front up support. :-)

- Harry