Top light will not stay green! Please help.

[cberglof]

I just picked up a SkyTrak on Friday. I have a nice net and mat set up in my garage along with a new PC and a 55" monitor. Golf season is just starting here in ND and I'm itching to hit some balls.

I got everything all set up. Downloaded the SkyTrak app on my PC along with the app on my iPad Pro. I also made the plunge right away and purchased the Golf Club Sim software (one time pay) got everything installed and hooked up. I tried the SkyTrak app first and hit about 50 balls with various clubs. Disappointed in my yardages, but no big deal, made a few adjustments and got comfortable with my distances.

As it got later in the evening, I wanted to try to play a round on TGC, but suddenly the laser would not stay on. Bottom two lights green and top light would NOT stay green, kept flashing from red to green. I was thinking that it might be the lighting. No sunlight coming in the windows anymore. Gave up for the night.

I called SkyTrak the next day from work and they were no help and said to call back when I was in front of my unit. I did a lot of reading over the next few days and had a day off today and called them. They again were not much help and wanted to blame my network. That is NOT the problem. More on that later.

I wasn't having the same problem anymore (2 green lights and top light not staying green), but instead I was having disconnects. I would hit anywhere between one and four shots and then I would have to reconnect in the TGC interface. Everything would work for a few more shots and I'd have to do it again. Very frustrating. What seemed to fix this for the most part was disabling the USB power saving features and shutting off the firewall. Played a whole round and didn't have any disconnects. I did have some lag (shots would take more than a minute to register)...but progress.

Then this evening, thinking I had it all figured out, went to the garage to test it with another 18 and same problem as Friday night. Top light won't stay green allowing me to even hit a single shot. Both in SkyTrak app and TGC app. So I thought maybe it is a network problem (even tho I am connected via USB, TGC uses internet). So I went offline on TGC, and same thing...TOP LIGHT WILL NOT STAY GREEN, hence no laser on the mat, and no way to play golf. If I can post a video below, I will.

Has anyone else had this issue and successfully fixed it? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

[cberglof]

Another update. I'm no longer sure it's the mat. Tried some different lighting, tried the drop cloth again, this time I had the flickering light issue again. Tried a black rug. It has something to do with night time. Maybe during the day, something is shut off that doesn't cause interference, because it seems to work when I'm home at lunch. At night time, I have the flickering light issue. Going to send it off, tried everything I can think of. I'm still open to suggestions. I wish somebody else had experienced this issue and knew of a fix, but apparently mine is unique. I can't think of anything else except maybe shutting off the internet at home and trying it out offline and see what happens.

[KerrHughes]

Sounds like the light you are using at night is washing out the cameras on the unit, either indirectly reflecting off your hitting surface or directly from above. What lighting are you using at night and how are they positioned?

[cberglof]

I virtually use the same lights at night. I have approximately a 900 square foot L shaped garage, 2 bays up front and a 3rd bay that could fit a car plus a fridge and freezer and some tools, but this third bay is where my net and SkyTrak is set up. I usually park my golf cart and either a lawn mower or snowblower depending on the season. 3-8 foot garage doors, white. There are 7 total 60w soft white light bulbs on the ceiling, 4 in the back bay where I hit. They are on during the day when I hit and at night when I try to hit. I will try to post a picture I took this morning and I'll take another one tonight. The bulbs are LED, I tried some daylight bulbs last night, same result, so I switched them back to soft white. Never mind the mess in the picture, and the desk lamp on the floor was something I tried last night with all the lights off. All different positions, no luck. But it works fine this morning. There are 3 small windows in this garage and two doors with windows.

[cberglof]

Here is a view from the third bay where my net is set up. The other two bays are behind me and empty when I hit balls.

[cberglof]

I'll take some more pictures of the set up either tonight or tomorrow. I will say that the light in there to my naked eye, seems identical, except for the sunlight coming in the window from the door.

[cberglof]

Trying some black cloth hanging from the ceiling...and a different bay in the garage. So far so good, but the real test will be at night. Night is where I seem to have all the trouble. But maybe it is glare from the white door and white fridge. Will find out soon enough. Then the SkyTrak will be going back for diagnostics, if this doesn't do the trick.

[StanMI]

Just a thought , in your middle picture I can see a shadow being cast from your hitting light. Might try a different location for that light. I had a similar situation with no reads. Covered the only window in the barn and the problem went away.

[cberglof]

Right around 7:30 pm I have the same problem again. Top light won't stay green and laser won't show up on the mat. It almost has to be something with the light, but I've tried it with no lights, different place in the garage, different light bulbs, etc. Sending it in, with a note that I'd like a replacement unit. At least I will know for sure if the replacement unit does the same thing. Unfortunately, I can't swing a club anywhere else indoors besides my garage and we got snow today, so it'll be at least till next weekend before I can actually get out on the real golf course and now I'll be without the SkyTrak for at least a couple of weeks. Damn. Thanks StanMI, but I've tried different positions with that light, tried without that light, everything I can think of. Just not working at night at all.

[ganders75]

Mine defo struggles more at night too. I get loads of no reads (red laser-off-red laser but no launch). I've found that moving ball position helps, but there is no magic bullet, and it seems to be different for every golfer who hits on my unit. Frustrating to say the least. Your situation sounds a little different to that though, to be fair.

To try and get a view of what the camera "might" be seeing, you can use a wildlife camera (or similar) which has a night vision setting with IR flash. It's useful to use it so you can see if something is maybe massively IR reflective, etc.

[cberglof]

Thanks ganders75, I will try that wildlife camera idea. However, I'm really hoping there is something wrong with the one I got. I sent it back for "diagnostics", but if they tell me that nothing is wrong with it I will be very disappointed as I invested so much more than just the SkyTrak. TGC 895, Net Return net 395, nice golf mat 200, new PC just for TGC 900 (Mac guy), etc, etc. If it comes back and they say it works fine, I will probably have to return it, because it doesn't work for me. Are there any other $2000 launch monitors that work with the TGC, I've already paid for? Anyone know?

[N54TT]

The SkyTrak should work in complete darkness. Does The green light and laser stay on if you turn ALL the lights in the room off(totally dark)? That should be your test if you have an issue with the unit or something else. If it does work in total darkness maybe its the LED bulbs? I know you changed the color of the bulb but we're those also LED? LED lights can give off an imperceptible flicker that can only be seen with higher frame video cameras. Maybe the added sunlight during the day helps the offset any impact that may have?

[cberglof]

Yes, I've tried with all the lights off and it does the same thing.

[N54TT]

Yes, I've tried with all the lights off and it does the same thing.

Then it's not a lighting/interference issue. That narrows it down to a SkyTrak issue or a network issue. Does the second light stay green when this happens? If it does, then it's def your SkyTrak. If it doesn't you have a network/connectivity issue.

[cberglof]

2nd light stays green. Have it hooked up with USB, but same issues if I use wifi.

[jut111]

have you tried it in direct mode? Out of thousands of swings in various settings, my Skytrak has missed maybe 15 shots.

[N54TT]

2nd light stays green. Have it hooked up with USB, but same issues if I use wifi.

Sounds like an issue with your SkyTrak unit then.

[SkyTrak_Seth]

cberglof , looking through all of your posts, I don't see anything in your setup/environment that would cause any issues. I do think the outdoor carpet "could" pose a problem with reflection. Surprisingly enough, even real grass is very reflective - I can only imagine that outdoor carpet material would be significantly more. I have my fingers crossed as well that there is something wrong with the hardware, because I can't see anything that would be causing this given how sometimes it works fine.