⏱ How to sync Harry's Lap Timer with external GoPro (Hero 4/5/6/7/8) camera for video data overlay

[@pizzasubs]

I have a friend that uses Harrys lap timer for autocrossing, would you mind if possible making a video like this showing how you setup Harry's lap timer for autocross?

[@AtypicalDriver]

Oh interesting, I didn't know that you could use Harry's for something like autocross which is a uniquely shaped course each time (rather than the same track). I'll look into it but no promises! Thanks for watching my video!

[@Black16STI]

So when I hook up Harry's and select External Camera, instead of the phone + external, will the Harry's data/Lap times automatically overlay onto the GoPro footage which gets stored on the SD within the GoPro? I've been managing to sync only 1 individual lap with a trimmed GoPro footage/video lap through DashWare. It would be nice to get the overlay across the entire session. We're heading to Laguna Seca here in April and really want to make sure I don't screw this up AGAIN and miss completely sessions worth of lap times lol. It would be super nice to have Harry's, when sync'd to my GoPro 5, throw the overlay onto the GoPro footage. Otherwise, what's the point of syncing the two when not using the Phone video as "your footage" from the track day? Or am I completely missing something.

[@AtypicalDriver]

Hey Ryan, thanks for watching! I was just at Laguna Seca yesterday (I tested out a Garmin Catalyst and will post a video on that soon.) Anyway, it's not quite "automatic" in terms of the overlay, mainly because the video files on the GoPro are huuuuuge and you have to transfer those to your phone (best done with a cable connection) and then you have to just tell Harry's Lap Timer app which GoPro file goes with which set of data. Once you do that, you can fine tune the start point in the Harry's app and then it will overall the whole 20 minute session for you from that. Check around the 7:40 mark in the video which talks about how to merge the GoPro files with the Harry's timer data. So...yeah not automatic but a little easier than Dashware and the other computer apps.

[@MiniRacer76]

Thanks for the movie, that means, if I only record the videos with the GoPro (in my case GoPro 4), I can't copy them to my pc for example and make an Overlay there? Videos always need to be loaded onto the mobile phone in order to create an Overlay, is that right?

[@dallasasher554]

Nice video explainer, took me a while to just sit down and figure it out myself one day. Thanks for the feature! :)

[@AtypicalDriver]

Yeah, I feel like I actually learned the process better by teaching it in this video! It's really about just going through the steps I suppose. That said, I have a trackday coming up and I just scheduled a reminder for myself to test this out the night before to make sure I don't miss anything! Thanks again for letting me use your super-smooth footage.

[@samgao]

Well it didn’t work as I expected it to. Because I had a ton of laps, I didn’t know which video belonged with which. Also, Harry’s has a 3GB limit. Lastly, I couldn’t figure out how to use just external cam, and not the phone cam. It just didn’t work. The LapTimer is a good idea, just doesn’t work...

[@AtypicalDriver]

Did you have the Grand Prix edition of Harry's it's the only one that supports the external camera.

[@samgao]

@@AtypicalDriver I do, I only can get my external camera to work with “multi cam” setup. I guess I’m not too savvy on how it works... plus going through my GoPro footage and lining it up can be a bit intimidating... like which one is which? Haha maybe I should use markers next time lol

[@AtypicalDriver]

@@samgao One thing that I've found helps is to make sure the date/time is set right on the GoPro, so that at least then you can figure out which order the sessions are in. An alternative if you don't mind using your computer is to use software like RaceRender to merge the data and the video. Sounds like you have a pretty advanced use-case with multiple cameras so that might be a better option?

[@BISCOTT3_TIME]

Hello ! Does it works with a gopro 9 ?

[@AtypicalDriver]

Thanks for watching Ruben, unfortunately I have not figured out how to make it work with the Hero 9, which is a bummer since I just bought one! I posted that question on the Harry's forum here if you want to follow for any updates: forum.gps-laptimer.de/viewtopic.php?p=28497#p28497

[@rayrocket_18]

What if you want to use this on a motorcycle track day and only want to use the gopro to capture will still be possible to do the overlay?

[@AtypicalDriver]

@ray halili - that's a good question. You definitely can use the phone just for the data piece and the gopro just for the video piece. That is one of the options in the video setup screen. But you will still need to start the Harrys Lap Timer before your session and carry your phone with you on the bike, either in a pocket or mounted somewhere so that I can get your GPS signal and timing for your laps. So I think it ought to work for what you want to do!

[@lettheroadtakeyou]

Thank you for the tutorial. So it appears that my gopro is connected to my phone via bluetooth, not WIFI (I don't think that the GoPro8 uses Wifi). I am back from the track and the Harris' lap timer is trying to find the video from the Gopro8 but nothing comes up. Any thoughts?

[@AtypicalDriver]

Thanks for watching and for the question! I am not 100% sure on the Hero 8, but I have a Hero 9 now and have not been able to get it to work at all. My understanding though is that it uses Bluetooth for simple "start/stop recording" types of signals, but if you want to transfer the video file (which is really huge probably) then you need to use either wifi or a wired cable connection. The official Harry's PDF doc has a section on video recording and transfer that might be helpful - www.gps-laptimer.com/LapTimerDocumentation%20-%20Video%20Chapter.pdf

[@lettheroadtakeyou]

@@AtypicalDriver I was able to make it work over the weekend. It appears that when you go into the "view media" the gopro connects via wifi (GoPro8). At that point I started the LapTimer App and got into the video section where I was able to see the videos...that said, I am now having issues with putting it all together in pic-in-pic.

[@AtypicalDriver]

@@lettheroadtakeyou Glad you figured that part out, but it really is a bit of a clunky process. I recently bought a Garmin Cataylst (see my review video on the channel) and even though it's crazy expensive at $1000, the simplicity and ease of use is exactly what I wanted.

[@historicracergroups]

Thanks for the instructions, does Harry LapTimer start the GoPro recording automatically when you start the lap or do you have to hit record on the GoPro before you go out?

[@AtypicalDriver]

Thanks for watching my video! You do have to turn on the gopro manually, but Harrys Lap Timer should trigger the recording automatically.

[@jeffbuk861]

Thanks for sharing

[@AtypicalDriver]

Absolutely! Hope it helped you.

[@samgao]

I think the biggest challenge for me is when I have multiple cameras, rather than just 2 cameras and then trying to figure out what's what... Is that when timecode comes to play to make sure I have the right run? Last time I did this, I didn't have my go pro synced, so I just guesstimated which video was which since I was taking independent videos using internal camera and gopro

[@AtypicalDriver]

Thanks for watching the video! So I think in the case with multiple cameras you definitely need a post-processing solution like RaceRender or other desktop software. But agreed on it being hard when you get home to sort through all the video files and keep them straight. A couple of tips here: 1 - Make sure all the cameras/phones have the correct time/date set so that the files will be in the right order and you can figure out which session is which 2 - Do some type of gesture within view of all the cameras if you can..hold up 1 finger for the first session, 2 fingers for the 2nd session, etc. That way when you review the footage you know which are which. 3 - In TV/movies they use one of those clap boards to sync up video/audio from multiple cameras....you can clap your hands in front of the camera to do something similar. Not sure if that'd be useful in this case or not.

[@samgao]

So basically, to start video we have to go to the preview and hit record to start recording right? Like right when we leave our pits make sure we hit video-preview-record

[@AtypicalDriver]

I always do the preview thing right before going on track to make sure it's working properly.

[@pierrekitts7089]

Just to add information, I was having trouble accessing the GoPro Wifi password, it's not "goprohero" ! to find it on the GoPro Hero 8 swipe down and go to preferences then connections and scroll down to camera info, and voila the password to the GoPro wifi of you camera is displayed, enter it exactly as displayed into the GoPro Wifi connection on your phone and it connects the wifi of the GoPro without internet connectivity since you do not need it. Your GoPro 8 will now show as connected to Harry's lap timer now. I did not need to forget any of the other wifi connected to my phone by the way. I have a Samsung Flip3. Thanks, for the setup video ATypical Driver!

[@AtypicalDriver]

This is great, thank you so much for adding this information to help everyone!

[@joegenshlea6827]

Thank you!!! very well explained and I was able to get Harry's LT connected to my Hero 8 / iPhone.

[@AtypicalDriver]

Awesome, glad that it helped!!!

[@josephismajoseph]

Thank for the video! It really helped me! I was wondering if there's only one option of the on screen layout off the Harry's data? Is it possible to place the data where you want on the screen ?

[@AtypicalDriver]

I don't think there are any options for adjusting the screen layout of Harry's, I think it's all fixed / standard for that app. If you want to tweak it you would need to use RaceRender or a similar desktop app. Thanks for watching the video!

[@jorgegomez2107]

Hey, great video. Do you know if it works with GoPro Hero 9?. Thanks!

[@AtypicalDriver]

Thanks for watching and funny you should ask. I was just trying to get it working with my new hero9 this weekend but so far have not had any luck. I can get it to connect to the camera but that's where it ends. I'll try to mess around with it more to see if there is a way.

[@luca_r4116]

Hello, Do you need an external GPS for Harry's Lap Timer ?

[@AtypicalDriver]

Hey Luca, actually no, you do not *need* one, but if you just use the internal GPS in the phone my understanding is that your lap times will only be accurate + or - 1 second due to the slow update rate of the internal GPS. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@zacticktack]

So perfect. Track day at Sonoma next week. Would have never got it working at the track. Thank you.

[@AtypicalDriver]

Awesome, thanks for watching and have fun at your trackday!

[@anthonyvalenzano1674]

I have low to moderate confidence i get final picture in picture video by following your clear guidance. will know on Monday. i thought i had it figured out during my last session but i think i actually turned the recording off using my remote go pro start button. any clue when the video typically starts? i should see blinking red light as i’m leaving paddock i’m guessing?

[@AtypicalDriver]

So I'm curious how did it go? I don't have the GoPro remote (unless you mean the app), but you can see around 5:54 in the video what it should look like when you start recording. Yes on the GoPro unit itself the red light should be blinking.

[@anthonyvalenzano1674]

in one attempt i got a picture in picture mode of the same video taken from my iphone. In a second attempt i got a picture in picture video from my iphone and gopro which was great, until i realized they were from completely different sessions. i give up. gonna just focus on driving.

[@leangm]

I have run cam it does not have wifi can I still do picture in picture?

[@AtypicalDriver]

I am not sure what Run Cam is, but if you have two cameras but they are not connected by wifi to sync, you can manually do picture in picture using desktop software like RaceRender. But it's a lot more work!

[@rdvideoclips]

Thank you. That was very informative!. I was struggling with connecting to my Hero3, I think because I had not disconnected from my home router. My Galaxy 21 camera actually works really well, but it blocks my view. I'm hoping to located my GoPro in a better spot and use that instead of the Galaxy 21 internal camera. Only thing I'm wondering is if I need to upgrade the GoPro Hero 3 + to the cheapest model with image stabilization. Any thoughts please?

[@AtypicalDriver]

The image stabilization does help a lot in a car. But if you want to minimize vibration on your current camera just make sure it's securely mounted and with a very short mount...such as the go pro stick on mounts. If the mount has a long "arm" between the mount and the actual camera it'll vibrate more.

[@rdvideoclips]

@@AtypicalDriver Just a follow up question. I have Harry's Laptimer Grand Prix Edition, blue light flashing on my GoPro Hero 3plus, switched the auto connects to my home wifi OFF, still cannot find the GoPro on Lap Timer. Any ideas please?

[@rdvideoclips]

oops, sorry, I forgot to mention that although I get under SETTINGS External Cam. This preference's current value: GoPro HERO3/3+ But apparently it still doesn't see it?

[@AtypicalDriver]

@@rdvideoclips Hmmm, I'm not 100% sure on the Hero3, but have you checked this out? It had some tips for that camera: forum.gps-laptimer.de/viewtopic.php?t=1241

[@DiffPerspective]

Thanks. My track day is tomorrow!

[@AtypicalDriver]

Practice this before you go! Good luck and have fun.

[@ShawnGayton]

Thanks for the tutorial, I'm gonna try this next weekend during my next autocross, if I can figure out how to properly set the start/finish points! Lol

[@AtypicalDriver]

Good luck! I've never tried using Harry's for autocross but the process for linking the video should be the same. Ironically I was at an autocross yesterday! What are you driving?

[@ShawnGayton]

Atypical Driver I drive a Focus ST in GS...a lot of times when I’m setting the start/finish points it doesn’t start recording, or it records when I’m leaving the stop box to where I park the car lol

[@onehundredpicks5531]

Can I use my phone camera?

[@AtypicalDriver]

Yes, absolutely. The default in Harry's Lap Timer is to use the phone camera. This video is just if you want to also use a GoPro as a second view.

[@crossphaded]

Will be at Laguna Seca next weekend and this video is just what I needed to get me set up! 👍🏽

[@AtypicalDriver]

That's great, which GoPro version are you using? I have found my Hero4 wifi is a little flakey establishing the connection but my friends with the Hero7 all say it works great.

[@crossphaded]

@@AtypicalDriver I have an old Hero4 Silver as well. Sheesh. I'll have to test it at home before going to the track.

[@k1564]

Thanks for sharing that information.

[@AtypicalDriver]

Absolutely, hope it was useful!

[@jamesdriscoll2478]

thank you

[@AtypicalDriver]

You're welcome, glad it was helpful!