I don't do enduros or have any other requirements that make fuel level even a "nice to have." but I can see how others may have a need for this.

I think the AIM USB bulkhead deal is probably great, but if I am not mistaken it costs around $60-75. I like Peter's solution... I couldn't find a double USB female cable like that when I looked a couple of years ago when I bought what I bought (my application at the time was video camera I/O, not data I/0).

However I don't like the idea of blue USB cables. I think black is beautiful, and I am considering a nice 10-15 foot unit so I can connect it then sit back down in my rocking chair in the paddock.

Anyone know whether AIM EVO4 will communicate at USB 3 speed? I suppose there is a spec listed somewhere.

 

Nope.

No need. Files are small, download would be reasonably quick on even 1.1, but I believe it's 2.0

 

Closing the loop...

Mr. Cadell or anyone else:

Does my creation of a custom sensor for brake on/off make sense based on what I described I want to achieve? If so, which of my two custom sensors (shown in previous post) makes the most sense? If not, what would you recommend?

Thanks and Happy New Year.

 

Many ways to skin a cat. I would do the first one but change it to 10 volts instead of 12. Anything more than 10 will give you the on condition. Also change the y from 5 to 1. That way you have 0 as off and 1 as on.

Just curious, what is your ultimate goal out of adding the data system and how do you for see yourself using it?

 

Thanks Matt.

Can you explain a little more about why I should change from a 5 to a 1? I have collected some data on a street drive but not yet looked at it in Race Studio. I want to be able to see when (in time) the brake lights go on, having set my mechanical switch such that as soon as I touch the pedal, the lights are on. I want precision with this signal. So how does a 1 help me instead of a 5 in the data?

The reason I decided to add a system started with a desire for a modern, GPS-based lap timing and display capability with predictive features. Previously I have used a Hot Lap timer.

I considered several possibilities that were all greater than $300. I did not consider phone apps... don't want to use my phone in the car's harsh environment. I did consider a Solo, but found its list of features to be insufficient compared to its cost, for my application.

My existing "system" is a video camera and dash lights in the FOV for brakes on/off and WOT. I considered adding a (second, dedicated) tach in the FOV so I could see relative exit speed.

My friend/engine builder/tuner is a proponent of dialing in the AFR on track, so we drive around and make observations at various rpms and try to remember the AFR's. He is exceptional at this. I am not as good as he is and I have always wanted a tool to make it easier, perhaps capturing the AFR gauge and tach simultaneously in the camera FOV. There are modern logging tools just for this purpose, but again the feature versus cost equation did not motivate me to purchase.

In the end concluded that the EVO4/GDASH that folks like Peter and my old friends at Veracity have long recommended would be a good basic solution. This allows my to log rpm, brake on/off, AFR and TPS, and with a tool like Race Render I can see what I want on a rendered video. The fact that I can bring oil pressure and temp into the log isn't really that important to me as I already have the factory combo gauge and warning lights for both and I don't need to review these parameters retrospectively.

With the new system, I have already gotten rid of my tach, so I can sell it to offset the Gdash/EVO4 cost if I want. And if I get rid of my stock oil pressure and temp gauge, the same is true.

I will probably add a Smartycam later on down the road to save time getting the video I want. It would be an expensive "convenience."

I am open minded about using the squiggly lines, and hope to learn how they can help me at an upcoming seminar at TC Design.

I have been doing track driving and racing on and off since 1987, and just got back in the driver's seat after a 4 year break. I have many, many laps of experience at the three tracks where I expect to drive most often and generally know where the time is that "matters" in terms of what I want to achieve and how I want to compete.

 

Why not try to find a used non HD smartycam, probably cost you $100-150? Would eliminate the whole video rendering step and make looking at video/data between sessions a lot easier/faster, and therefore make it much easier to make adjustments for the next session. A lot more reasonable "convenience"

If you really want HD video, you can run your current camera also, and render that video later to show all your friends.

 

The scale of the channel doesn't really matter. For systems I set up, I am consistent that 1 is on and 0 is off. That is how most systems spit out things like trouble codes, CEL, etc. I also use them in some applications with math channels to signal abnormalities or problems. 5 will work as well as 1. It won't change the precision of the system as the switch at the pedal will either give 0 volts or 12 volts (otherwise your brake lights would be gradual not on/off).

You'll end up with a graph that looks like a top hat. You can do the same sort of brake on/off graph with long G - setting a threshold where it shows brakes on or off. Probably more important that when on the brake is the rate of application and release. You'll get those through long G and brake pressure if you add it.

 

Used standard definition SC's with antenna have been running $400-$500 and standard definition SC GP's with all accessories including power cables have been running $550-$650 (and I always stock several used GP's).

Reason for this is that the old crappy ones (pre W.08 revision) are out of circulation due to AiM supporting them long after warrranty ran out, also because several forward thinking instructors use them as portable video/loggers to put inside students cars to capture not only video, but all the measures of the Solo, too. So these standard definition SmartyCams, in both versions, also record everything the Solo does, basically an all in one package.

I sometimes have used HD's, too...

 

One of my favorite movies

 

A used SD SmartyCam could be viable. But I strongly prefer HD. If the price delta is ~$200 I think I'd pay it.

I have accumulated quite a few cameras through the years...

Sony Hi8 camcorder
Two super hi res bullet cameras
Aiptek HD camcorder
Oregon Scientific HD action cam
Replay XD 1080p action cam

Along with a range of tack on wide angle lenses, microphones yada yada yada. Most of this stuff has no resale value... just like my Hot Lap timer

I think whatever I buy next will be the last thing I buy. A gen 2 SmartyCam HD seems like it might fit my needs.

 

I am sure I will learn more about this soon, but just how does the rate of brake application and release get you lap time? For a really good and experienced am driver that drives a lot and is very consistent, how much time do you guys find is really there with just this one variable? Tenths? Hundredths?

I will never forget what Skip Barber said about late braking versus exit speed as a focus in the Going Faster! video I watched before my first track driving experience at LRP in '87. Probably going to do my annual viewing of this video this weekend between football games. Every winter since 1987! And since about 1988 with the wife at my side.

 

it's all about maximizing the contact patches through the turn. Late threshold braking may be good if you're racing somebody into a corner, but it's not necessarily the fastest way through the turn. Breaking a little earlier and smoother not upsetting the balance of the car may mean that you actually have to scrub a little less speed and thus carry a little more speed through that turn which translates into a couple more miles per hour starting off onto that long straightaway. That will more than make up for the earlier braking. each turn is different, and knowing how much if at all and I which turns is where looking at more than just brake on or off comes in handy.

 

If the next camera you buy (after that long and historic list) will be your last, then get the Rev 2.1, which is current.

The secondary market is non-existent on these, because they're current. The older the camera, the more there are available on the secondary market, but keep looking and check in with all of us periodically.

Great video, and a good reference that is still current.

The rate (attack) of brake application (seen as pressure and/or LongG), the consistency of the deceleration, the release rate (decay) and most importantly WHERE that release begins and HOW the end of braking blends into the assumption of cornering forces IS the most important (and variable, even for the most experienced drivers) skill execution.

This data, plus brake pressure at some later date, will allow you to reconcile what you think you are doing with what you are doing. Plus, it will tell you how much and in which of the five areas of braking I've outlined above you need the most work and have the most margin for improvement.

Literally, I could write a book about this one, seemingly innocuous, skill execution.

Bingo on the bold.

The only issue I have with the rest of your explanation is that it's not treating the five separate steps of braking as discrete units, each to be evaluated and goals set for improvement. It's too simplistic and runs counter to your initial (and correct) premise.

I'll save the longer discussion for Ross's webinar later this winter, but you need to utilize the maximum capability of the tire throughout the five separate steps. Attack (without upsetting the car), Consistent Decel Rate (achieving a high rate of deceleration compared to ultimate stopping capability, especially in a straight line), Decay (without upsetting the car), Where the Decay ends (such that the nose isn't unweighted prematurely, for ANY speed corner) and How the Decel blends into Cornering State (no dips in the GSum throughout).

Simple, right?

 

^^^ isn't that exactly what I said? OK maybe I was a little too simplistic in my explanation, but that's what I meant. if only it were that simple, I'd be a heck of a lot faster. that's why I need to learn how to use the data from my new aim system, but VIR is a little too far for me to go for that. Lucky for me, Roger is coming to do a seminar right near where I live. I can't wait.

 

"For a really good and experienced am driver that drives a lot and is very consistent, how much time do you guys find is really there with just this one variable? Tenths? Hundredths?"