Issue Scenarios

➧ Unable to detect console

➞ Likely Cause

When you initialize the timing system, if it halts on this step and provides the error - Unable to detect CTS System 5/6 console (or Gen7), then Maestro does not see any serial ports in your system. There is likely a hardware or Windows driver issue. Follow the steps below.

➞ Resolution

Step 1: Follow the suggested steps to resolve the issue depending on your specific system:

General to all systems: 

1. CTS console is powered on?
2. CTS console is connected to this computer?
3. The swimming interface is loaded on the CTS console?

System 5/6:

• Make sure you are connected via serial cable to the CTS port labeled "COM PORT 1"
• Make sure you have "Swimming" selected on the console. 
• You should see a green and blue screen with "RESET" in the upper left.

Gen7: 

• Make sure the USB cable is plugged into the port with the 'clipboard and stopwatch' icon. (We do not support Ethernet at this time.)
• If the cable is plugged into the wrong port, Device Manager in Windows will list 3-4 consecutive ports instead of a single port.

Step 2: Click the Retry button.

Step 3: If the issue still persists, verify that Windows detects the serial port:

Open Device Manager

Verify that your device is displayed under ‘Ports (COM & LPT)’.

» Note: Windows selects the COM port number for you and it may differ from this example (‘5’ in this case). Make note of the number as we will use it in a later step.

If the ‘Ports’ category is missing, Windows did not detect your device! To tell Windows to scan for devices select the menu Action -> Scan for hardware changes

• If ‘Ports’ is still missing, unplug the device from your computer, wait 5 seconds, plug in the device.
• If ‘Ports’ is still missing, unplug your cable, restart your computer, plug in the cable.
• If it is still missing, your cable is likely faulty or damaged.

Step 4: Verify that Windows has valid drivers installed:

Right-click on your device. Select Properties.

A device with a properly installed driver will look like this. If you see errors in Device status, try updating your driver. 

Step 5: At this point, Maestro should be able to connect to the device. If you are still experiencing issues, Contact Colorado Time Systems for additional assistance.

➧ Ports are detected, but they are busy

➞ Likely Cause

When initializing the timing system, if it halts on this step and lists one or more ports with errors that say Resource busy then there are two typical causes:

1. There is another software application running on your system that has a ‘lock’ on the device
2. The Windows driver mistakenly thinks an application has a ‘lock’

➞ Resolution

Step 1: Close any other applications which might try to talk to a CTS console.

Step 2: Open Device Manager 

Step 3: Open the section titled ‘Ports (COM & LPT)’. 

Step 4: Unplug the USB cable from your computer. You should see a COM Port device disappear from the list.

Step 5: Reconnect the cable. You should see the device reappear. Take note of the COM port number.

Step 6: Retry the connection in Meet Maestro.

➧ Event Sequence: Accidentally changed it and need to change back to default.

Meet Maestro will write the event sequence to the default slot #9. It is unlikely that you will need to change this, but if you did so on accident and you're not sure how to change it back, here is how: 

Step 1: From the Timing Setup screen, click the "Change" link next to the Target Sequence.

Step 2: Change the location back to the default slot (#9).

➧ Wrong times / No times loading / Can't find correct meet - (CTS date/time issue)

➞ Likely Cause

The CTS system date/time is wrong due to a dead battery, and the wrong meet was selected. 

➞ Background

Meets are identified by timestamp in the CTS Console. By default, Meet Maestro will select the most current date as the ‘Selected CTS Meet.' 

The CTS System 6 console has a built-in battery. If the battery is not charged and dies, or is drained from being unplugged for too long, the CTS will not have its system time set correctly to select the most recent meet.

➞ How to Verify the CTS System 6 Date/Time

If your screen is displaying the error above and you hover over the "?" tooltip, you can see where the CTS Sys 6 console displays the date/time:

➞ Resolution: The meet has NOT started

1. Update the CTS console's date/time - How to update the CTS date/time.

2. Create a new meet in the CTS console.

3. Select the correct meet in Meet Maestro - How to select a CTS meet in Meet Maestro.

➞ Resolution: The meet HAS started

This is usually the case where CTS was running with the correct date/time, times were coming into Meet Maestro correctly, but then the power is "cut" from the system. When back up, CTS doesn't have the correct date/time set, and has created a new meet with the default 2002 date. 

➞ Option 1 (Trial and error) - It's likely the "oldest" meet, so select a meet and pull the times to see if they are what you expect. - How to select a CTS meet in Meet Maestro.

➞ Option 2 - If finding the meet is not working, a new meet will need to be created. If races were run after the power outage, those will have to be hand-entered. 

1. Stop the meet.

2. Update the CTS console's date/time - How to update the CTS date/time.

3. Create a new meet in the CTS console.

4. Select that CTS meet in Meet Maestro - How to select a CTS meet in Meet Maestro.

➞ How to Set the CTS System 6 Date/Time

Step 1: Select "Setups"

Step 2: Navigate to “Set Date/Time”

Step 3: Press 1 to set Time of Day

Step 4: Press 2 to set Date

Step 5: Select "Save Setups"

➞ How to Select a CTS Meet in Meet Maestro

Once you know the date and time of the CTS meet are set correctly, return to Maestro and press the gear icon to access the CTS settings. 

» Note: The "Return to current meet" button is only displayed in Gen7.

This can also be accomplished from the Timing Setup screen in Settings:

➞ Another Possible Cause: A test race is needed to 'write the meet'

If the battery is not the issue, you may need to run a test race. The CTS console needs to first write the meet, for Meet Maestro to detect the meet from the CTS console. This doesn't take place until after the first times are captured. It's important to run a "test heat" on the CTS console to connect to the correct Meet from Meet Maestro. 

You do not need to progress to the next event/heat on CTS, but it must capture the times in order for the CTS console to begin writing the required files. If the CTS system date/time is not the issue, the need for a test race might be.

➧ Event labels are incorrect in my CTS interface

➞ Cause and Resolution

Sometimes, the CTS interface does not immediately update after writing the Event Sequence.

1. Press Next Event (on the CTS Console)
2. Press Edit Event Heat, then enter event and heat numbers (on the CTS Console)

➞ Cause and Resolution

Someone changed the Event Sequence data using the CTS console.

1. Use the Maestro Timing Setup interface to rewrite the event sequence to the CTS Console

➧ Alphanumeric event numbers unsupported

➞ Cause

Alphanumeric events are not supported by the CTS Consoles.

» Tip: We strongly recommend users not use alphanumeric event numbers with the console. 

It will sort of work, but only if all alpha events have the same distance. For example, ‘1A’ and ‘1B’ are both 50 yards, but different competition categories or age groups. If you have no choice, here is what happens:

• There will be one event ‘1’ in the CTS, not ‘1A’, ‘1B’, ‘1C’, ‘1D’
• The event description in the console for event ‘1’ will match the last alpha. ‘1D’ for example
• The auto-detection of new race data will not work for events ‘1B’, ‘1C’, and ‘1D’

If the alpha events have different distances, then the last distance will win and the console will be confused about the number of lengths and therefore capture the final time too early or late.

➧ Using CTS touchpads and backup plungers- want to use plunger times

Product Support

"Customer Happiness" is not just a team name at SwimTopia, it's our mission!

➧ Colorado Time Systems Support

If you have questions specific to your CTS system or setup, please reference their support resources below. Meet Maestro seamlessly integrates with CTS to pull in times, but they are the experts at helping you configure your CTS System.

• CTS System 6: https://coloradotime.com/products/system-6-timing-console?hsLang=en
• CTS Gen 7: https://coloradotime.com/products/gen7-swim-timing-serial?hsLang=en

• Product Support
  • 1-800-287-0653 or 1-970-667-1000
  • Email: support@coloradotime.com
  • https://coloradotime.com/support/support-request

➧ SwimTopia Support

If your issue is not covered in one of the above scenarios, feel free to contact SwimTopia Support for assistance. 

• Submit a Support Ticket (Or click "Submit a request" at the top of any Help Center page)
• Business Hours Phone Support (M-F 9am-6pm CST): 877-856-2940 (Option 2)
• After Hours (Emergency Meet Day) Phone Support: 877-856-2940 (Option 6)

➧ Finding Help Resources in Your Meet

We're here to help! If you need assistance before or during your meet, we want you to be able to reach us as quickly as possible.

Click on the located at the top right, and you can self-serve through our extensive topic-organized online Help Center, submit a support request, or contact us via phone. 

You can download logs under the settings on the timing system bar to provide in your support ticket.

We also provide a remote troubleshooting option under the Help icon to create a read-only replay of the steps you are taking when an issue occurs. Before reaching out to us, slide the bar to Enable Remote Support, and retrace your steps to recreate the issue. Include the "Session Id" in your ticket or call.

➧ Additional Resources

In addition to this checklist, we have training options covering all of the functionality Meet Maestro has to offer to make your meet day a splashing success!

• Help Center ➞ See the Meet Maestro section
• ▶️ Training Videos - Meet Management with Meet Maestro
• Additional Training Videos ➞ Check out our YouTube Channel
• Workshop Webinars ➞ Sign up for live Workshop Webinars (when available)
• Community Center ➞ Check out our Community section for many tips and tricks
• SwimTopia Reddit ➞ connect, and share tips on our Admin's Hub

➧ League Admins ➞ See the League Management section for league-specific guides

➧ Team Admins ➞ See our Meet Maestro - Best Practices for Running a Successful Meet (Start to Finish) and Meet Maestro - Meet Settings Checklist (after meet entries are merged)