Matt Romanowski

The step up from a Solo DL to an Evo4 with G Dash is $700, but the capability increase is substantial. I don't think the historic market is forgotten, it's just tougher to follow. I've always been amazed that Stack hasn't put better data in their analogue dashes. I think those would take off.

ProCoach

Yes, I was speaking primarily going forward. It's an economic necessity to focus forward. The legacy items, kept current as AiM does, will take care of the rest.

The EVO4 is my best selling AiM logger besides the Solo DL, simply because most historic cars don't care to use a big, flashy, ungainly and often inappropriate instrument cluster replacement display/logger.

I have sold a ton to 2-liter sports racers, historic Formula One, now WSC cars (to use on top of EFI dashes that have $#!t logging) and been very happy.

While I too love the iconic ST8600 dashes, DataPro from Stack is HORRID!

I started selling Stack ST400's in 1990, then ST8100's later. By 1998, I was already incredibly frustrated by the DOS version, then the Windows took it to a whole new level of aggro!

That, and Pi Research, are part of the reason I have no hair!

boxer-11

+1

Credit card is armed and the safties are off...all that's needed is a target.

ir_fuel

RaceNavigator

tentenths

I hate to ruin all this for everyone of these great AIM dealers and folks who have helped me directly but you can build a "budget smartycam" setup for under $250 piecemeal and I venture it will do 80% of what the typical Solo DL does for the pcar track day audience on this forum...this does NOT include video overlays in realtime..they need to be rendered but they are there and this does not include the analysis depth of math channels. There are many workarounds to getting things done too if you dig and have the ability to do video compare but not within the same application yet. I will not post what it is or how it can be easily done but a little digging the gold is there. AIM better hurry up because many are catching up.

I'm using "that" for now as I wait for RSA3 and it's new file format for spring 2017 based on the above threads and see what it can do with video all in one.

That was a great history lesson Peter...2 notes I would add...I disagree on the quality of the Smartycam sensor...there have been for a long time better sensors in other cameras with tradeoffs in ergonomics for sure but not image quality and 720 is substandard these days. Just not having rolling shutter issues is not an accomplishment in and of itself.

I remember well the day I first learned about the first Smartycam…I read it was SD and I actually contacted AIM in Italy and re_med them because there were already $60 Aiptek cameras with good 1080 and many others readily available and they did all their R&D in SD...this was a scary oversight…and I agree with Peter that this should have been done a long time ago. Traqmate does 1 video within the software very well for years and they seem to do no r&d anymore.

....and I took a ReplayHD in 2012 to Watkins Glen and it never made a complete lap..POS IMHO...maybe better now but sheeesh...I know Traqmate unfortunately peddles them.

ProCoach

I'm not worried. Knock yourself out!

Sure, you might be able to cobble something together, but it won't do the ONE thing the "pcar track day audience on this forum" wants (and is willing to pay for). Render that video. And even that isn't enough for other, existing and lesser cost systems that can do just that...

Low cost is not the only consideration people prize when deciding to buy this stuff.

Support is more important than I thought. I'm a geek, so I'll latch onto a technology or particular hardware and sink my teeth into it until I live it, breathe it, sleep it. Most others have better things to do...

Convenience and usability ranks highly. Doesn't matter how cheap it is if it doesn't work, just about every time. And, can I get what I need out of it quickly?

To keep learning and make it relatively future-proof, more powerful singular and comparative performance analysis software has to be in place for those who want "more."

I learned a long time ago, a spec sheet is meaningless if the feature set isn't there.

Moore's Law is alive and well. Technology is one thing. Turning the results of this ever improving technology into an action plan for the next session on-track is completely another.

ProCoach

Hardly call a $2600, oddly shaped (with no NA tracks loaded) recorder (with no installed base here in NA for people to compare laps) disruptive to the current market.

That said, iOS tablet integration may drive people towards it. I have made an inquiry. We'll see.

tentenths

I did knock myself out and a few others are blown away too with the capability. Just to clarify...nothing nefarious here at all...no reverse engineering...all legit, registered, clean.

There is no price for the support of you AIM guys here...and I appreciate all the help.

The "hacker gang" is pretty close to getting video to scrub and sync in the app and I bet they get it working before AIM....but all in all I know the power of AIM and will be back in..just sitting out until RSA3 because I believe the benefits to be much more than "helping older cars".

Is anyone close with Glen at Traqmate? I would love to see something new from those guys too.

ProCoach

Would love to see it. As you know, I sell five lines and am pretty conversant pretty in five more. I don't really care WHAT system people get or use, just as long as they use SOMETHING!

Trust me. NONE of them do everything that is the killer app, for each!

I sold a lot of Glenn's stuff over the last decade. He and Andre are holding it together, but nothing new in the last three or four years has really put a damper on things. I'm sure he'd like to talk. PM me of you want an intro or contact info.

ir_fuel

This forum is not ran nor owned by people having stakes in AiM/MoTeC/..., so maybe you can share your wisdom and make the track day world a better place for everyone in stead of acting like this?

I really wonder what you are talking about:

We are getting "80% of an AiM Solo DL", "no video overlay" and this for under $250.

One would think it's HLT, but even that has video overlay.

So what exactly DOES it do then?

tentenths

??? huh

What I was posting about can get very nice gps data at 20hz, many channels of OBD2 data (probaby NOT as many as AIM though) with full analysis (imho 80% of RSA2) with comparisons of different laps and drivers and video with data overlay POST SESSION RENDERED...meaning if you require your video to have the data overlaid within the analysis software you must render and that can take time. Personally when I used Traqmate just having the video sync locked and scrub with the data is what I needed…there is far more in the graphs than anything you can get from the overlay including smartycam.

…however…and it’s a big HOWEVER…right after your run, you can simply pop the card in to a lap top and get to work using the video right after the session without overlay…when you have graphs why do you need overlay???…overlay is for youtube graphs are for learning…use video really for line and driver feedback analysis.

“They" are very close to sync lock "within" the analysis software...it has been done with a complex work around and is not easy...somone will soon be making it easy and then the cat is out of the bag for AIM...cmon Italy get going on RSA3 with the video goodies…show in march ship in may…please. No matter what I will be back with AIM because of the time and effort invested in learning it and the math channels and best overall TURNKEY value so far….if they get the video analysis/comparison part working.

What i will do is give you a link of something else everyone should be following and I missed the initial buy in but these folks are really on to something with this being open source. Read in on it…seems really good and I look forward to the reviews…and btw..they already have realtime telemetry via 4g cell as the big companies are just figuring that out now….and (I think) they ship in a few months.

https://goo.gl/ZXc2db

ShakeNBake

Have you not seen the Vbox stuff tim and I use? It will make you a believer.

ProCoach

Hahaha! I should have known that was what you were suggesting...

I've known Brent and Kelly since Ross turned me on to the initial Kickstarter release. I got the first KS RCP Rev1 with the external cell modem years ago and now have an RCP Rev2. I am not a dealer because this stuff is NOT PnP, and while you have live monitoring and logging via SD card, you need to be pretty damn geeky to get it going. While I can figure it out and build Lua scripts for my specific needs, 95% of my customers aren't interested. And so it sits...

As you said, they are working HARD on an analysis software and remote 802.11 triggering of cameras, but this is a ways off (maybe as long as RS3?). For ~$650-750, depending on options and harnesses, it's a cool science project, but not ready for prime time. And I've been waiting on that for two hardware releases and several years now...

What I am hoping to use my RCP2 for is transmit a live AiM CAN stream via cell modem from the car, the code is known. But, the latency through the RCP servers is huge, so no live coaching feedback is possible, right now.

We'll see...

ProCoach

Don't know if mike has seen that.

In my client interactions, as part of our engagement, I will install a self contained (battery powered, in a ballistic nylon bag strapped in the car) VVB or VVB HD in the client's car because, even if they have AiM, MoTeC, Bosch, Cosworth, I can get more info in less time than any other system, info that can HELP them...

The side by side video, and particularly the GPS position based syncing between multiple laps IN VIDEO, is amazing! I can't WAIT for the VVB HD2, maybe this summer?

Now, if they could just improve their CAN/OBDII capabilities, we'd be set. Also, analysis capabilities of the software are extremely limited, similar to Race-Keeper.

tentenths

Nope. What I am referring to controls buttery 1080/60 video right now superior imho to smartycamhd. This is the poor mans data logger with the rich man's results...a "budget smartycam" that only CAN'T render overlay in realtime...but can do overlay....and has no math channels...so in all imho 80% of a solo DL with probably less obd2 channels available due to not having AIM’s specific ecu config files…and right now you can’t view the video inside the analysis app unless you perform a complex work around…but the ability to do it easily it’s coming.

This is not a turnkey solution and requires getting the 4 parts from eBay/amazon under $250 maybe even under 200…maybe even under 100 if you already have the most expensive part…but a little secret here...it actually helped make and then ruin a side business I had so I am very aware of it’s huge potential and I guarantee it has put a dent in to AIM Solo sales hence why I'm not posting it….I love all the AIM people and the big brain support on here. Here is a video using a much earlier version years ago just for track videos on youtube The camera quality and overlay is far better now. That overlay was built in other software I no longer use.

It's not that hard....google is your friend.

I’m sure someone will figure it out but probably should not post it here. The only way I will divulge it is if someone makes a contribution of any amount to http://www.travismanion.org/ and sends me the receipt via a personal message then I will provide all info hoping that you do not post it here.

Merry Christmas !!!