Troubleshooting

Updated on Mar 4, 2026

See below for possible error messages and causes.

trouble1 (1)

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YOU ARE >50KM FROM START LINE

Over 50 km away from selected SF line. Check you have the correct track selected, note that it may be necessary to first select clear start and splits from the Lap timing Menu.

trouble2 (1)

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NO REFERENCE LAP TRANSFER WHILE MOVING

Make sure you are stationary before attempting to load/ save a reference lap.

trouble3 (1)

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FAILED TO LOAD

No reference lap file present on SD card to load into VBOX LapTimer. Make sure file is called ‘LAP.REF’.

trouble4 (1)

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PREDICTIVE LAP TIMING FROZEN

Predictive Lap Timing does not update, or lap time is fixed on screen. Check ‘Split time display period’ in MENU is set to 5 seconds.
Also try clearing errors by using the RESET LAP TIMING DATA option.

trouble5 (1)

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VEHICLE IS NOT MOVING

Unable to set S/F, split or finish point as the vehicle is not moving above 10 km/h.

no_tracks_available2 (2)

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No tracks available

The vehicle is either located within an area where there are no pre-loaded track map layouts available or custom start/ finish lines have been inputted. To view available pre-loaded track map layouts, go to the LAP TIMING MENU and select CLEAR START & SPLITS.

There have been reported instances where VBOX LapTimer will freeze every time it is powered and connected to GPS.

The way to rectify this is to perform a GPS Coldstart by following the instructions below:

  1. Power VBOX LapTimer without the GPS antenna connected.
  2. Navigate to MENU > GPS OPTIONS > COLDSTART.
     
gps_coldstart (2)
  1. Once COLDSTART has been selected, quickly connect the GPS antenna to VBOX LapTimer.
  2. If the GPS coldstart is successful, leave the VBOX LapTimer powered for 15 minutes, ensuring the GPS antenna is unobstructed and has a clear view of the sky.

If you are using a VBOX LapTimer and a communication error is shown on the display when running VBOX Sim, there a number of steps that can be taken to try and rectify the issue.
 

  1. Ensure that VBOX Sim software is running in the background.

  2. Make sure the correct COM Port has been selected, and the 'Open' button has been clicked.

If you are using a VBOX LapTimer and there is a large distance to start line when running VBOX Sim, it is likely that VBOX Sim has not yet completed it’s start line detection process. Please complete 2 or 3 laps to auto detect the start line.

If you are using a VBOX LapTimer and it is not being recognised by VBOX Sim, there a number of steps that can be taken to try and rectify the issue.
 

  1. Ensure the correct COM port has been selected.

  2. Restart your PC after plugging in the serial to USB cable.

  3. Ensure the FTDI drivers have been installed correctly.