Getting Started

What this tool does

For time-certain races, this tool answers one question: which lap gets the white flag? From the leader's pace and the time remaining when they last crossed start/finish, it computes how many more laps fit in the race window, counts you down to the white-flag lap, and alerts you — visually and audibly — when the next crossing should be the last lap. The white flag call is always computed here, not by Orbits: the timing feed has no white-flag state, so this display is the source of truth for that call.

Quick start — live from Orbits

Use this when Orbits is running on this machine (or reachable on the network) with its scoreboard/RMonitor output enabled.

1. 1

   Find the RMonitor port in Orbits

   The app is set up for Orbits 5 out of the box (local feed on port 60000). Running Orbits 4? Its feed is on port 50000 — use the Orbits 4 preset in Settings. Check Orbits' scoreboard/results-output settings if you've customised the port.
2. 2

   Connect

   Click SETTINGS in the top bar. Pick the Orbits 5 or Orbits 4 preset (or type a custom port), enter the host (use 127.0.0.1 if Orbits runs on this same machine), then click Connect.
3. 3

   Switch to LIVE mode

   Click LIVE in the top bar. When data is flowing, the status pill shows LIVE · Orbits 127.0.0.1:60000. Leader laps, lap times, and flag state now come from the feed automatically.
4. 4

   Arm audio alerts

   In SETTINGS, click Arm Audio and use Test Chime to confirm you can hear it over the booth. Browsers block sound until you've clicked something, so do this before the session goes green.
5. 5

   Pick the pace source

   In the leader panel, choose AVG (average of the last few laps — pick how many), LAST (most recent lap), or MANUAL. An average rides out traffic and isolated slow laps; last-lap reacts faster to a genuine pace change.

Quick start — manual mode

No feed? You can run the whole race by hand. Click MANUAL in the top bar, then in the Manual Controls panel:

1. 1

   Enter the leader's current lap

   The lap the leader is currently on, from your scoring screen or pit board.
2. 2

   Enter time remaining and leader pace

   Type digits only — 1230 becomes 12:30. Time remaining is the race clock at the moment the leader last crossed the line; pace is their representative lap time.
3. 3

   Press LEADER CROSSED LINE every time the leader crosses

   This is the heartbeat of manual mode. Each press re-anchors the countdown to that crossing and advances the lap count, keeping the projection honest. Watch the start/finish line and press it on every leader crossing.

Manual controls also work while LIVE — anything you enter or override takes precedence, so you can correct the feed without disconnecting.

Reading the display

• Flag strip (top edge) — the current flag state across the full width: green, yellow, red, pulsing white/black for the white flag, checkered pattern at the finish.
• Time Remaining — live countdown anchored to the leader's last crossing. This is race time left, not lap time.
• White Flag Lap card — the computed last lap. This number is the call you'll make on the radio. It updates whenever the leader crosses the line or their pace changes.
• Projection table — lap-by-lap forecast of the time remaining at each future crossing, with the white-flag lap highlighted. Use it to sanity-check the call: if the leader suddenly slows or speeds up, you can see how close the margin is.

Status pill

Alerts

• NEXT CROSSING IS WHITE FLAG — amber pulsing banner plus a two-tone chime. The leader's next start/finish crossing should get the white flag. This is your cue to brief the flag stand.
• WHITE FLAG NOW — distinct three-tone cue. The leader is on, or starting, the last lap.
• Banners never block the display; click to acknowledge. If pace shifts move the white-flag lap after you've acknowledged, the alert re-fires.

Overrun tolerance

In SETTINGS, the overrun tolerance is how many seconds past the allotted time you're willing to run to squeeze in one more lap. With 0, the race always finishes inside the window. If your event allows finishing the lap in progress with a small grace, set the tolerance to that grace and the calculator will count an extra lap when it fits. When the projection shows the final crossing landing within a few seconds of zero, expect the call to be tight — watch the leader's pace trend in the table.

Race-day checklist

• Open the app before the session and confirm the Orbits connection shows LIVE.
• Arm audio and run the test chime at booth volume.
• Confirm the time remaining matches the official race clock at a known point.
• Agree with race control on the overrun tolerance and set it.
• Know your fallback: if the feed drops, you keep scoring with LEADER CROSSED LINE.
• Brief the flag stand on how the white-flag call will come (the alert banner is your cue, the radio is theirs).