boxer-11

I wanted to share a lap with an instructor after getting data from my new VBOX HD2 last Friday. Reading through the user guide it says there's a button to export video on the session tab in CT. I can see the button but it seems to be greyed out no matter what I do.

Is that normal is is there some incantation that I need to do before that function is enabled??

ProCoach

The video export is not yet enabled in the Windows version of Circuit Tools 2, it IS in the OS X version.

However, if you use VLC Player, you can clip the lap you want simply and easily. Send me a PM and I'll send the screen shots to do it. It's a snap.

Matt Romanowski

Want to share the tips in VLC for everyone? I'm sure it works with all video files.

boxer-11

I'm pretty sure I could figure it out knowing that VLC can do it (that's my default player for most things). However, the cheat sheet would be useful to save me some time and I imagine others too if you have a moment to post it here, Peter.

But mostly: thanks for confirming that the feature in CT is a "tbd"...that saves me any more head scratching. I've sent a bug report or two to Racelogic already for some bits that just don't work right, but I guess this one is a "be patient and use VLC in the meanwhile" kind of thing

Oh, and I discovered what the #1 thing I'm missing from Race Studio Analysis is: seems like CT can't give you a X/Y plot of arbitrary channels; just the GG diagram (although that is a lot better than RSA since at least the aspect ratio isn't wonky! ). Or am I missing how to do X/Y plots??

Overall though, sync'd data and video playback is da bomb. Oh and VBOX Setup has exceeded my expectations for math channels...about the only thing I don't see is derivatives (and integrators).

ProCoach

It's super easy with Smart Cam camera clips for sure. No rendering, no work.

ProCoach

Mark, your adoption of derivatives, maths and integrators are the most complex, yet least called on parts of the analysis software. Call Lucie.

ProCoach

Again, I find it remarkably common how many bug reports are written before people RTFM.

boxer-11

You are probably right...as a generalization. But as a software developer by trade personally I consider it professional courtesy to read all the documentation Since I'm in that trade though, I also know that docs are often at odds with what's implemented, either because code has moved on or docs weren't really complete in the first place.

Taking VBOX Setup math channels as an example...

The docs list the functions that are supported. These include logical ("AND" as an example) and comparative ("GREATER THAN" as an example) operators but there is no information or even an example on how to form those into useful channels. I can make an educated guess that it's possible to combine these to make channels that have binary output -- either one or zero -- and then you can use those to create mathematical expressions as a channel building on the predicates. Experimentation suggests that was a good guess but absent more docs from the developers, the purpose and usage of Heaviside() as a function is less obvious (to me at least).

And I'm pretty sure there's a bug too in the serialization code for the math channels. If I put in an expression that includes
squaring the value of whatever channel is named and then save it to a scene file onto the SD card and load it then it works fine. If I close VBOX setup having saved that same scene also to the library, then open it again from the library in a subsequent run of VBOX Setup then what I see for that expression is: I've seen that syntax for to-the-power-of elsewhere so no harm there but if you visit that channel in the VBOX setup program and try to hit the TEST button you get an error message:
I suppose you could argue that if you can input the expression and get it to work once that reading it back in working form subsequently isn't strictly required. That seems like a reach to me so I think it's a bug. It might not matter if one always got channel math right first time but if you have to try it and then go back and modify getting back a broken version of what you input is really not great.

I'm not interested in anything other than getting CT and VBOX Setup working well. If I appear to be complaining then I'm giving the wrong impression. I raised a ticket with Racelogic through the support site with the instructions on how to reproduce the symptom including screen shots of two example of working input expressions and read-back channels with the error messages which I hope will either given them enough ammo to tell me where I went wrong or to find and fix the issue if it is actually a bug.

Racelogic used to have a forum to report and share issues and/or ask questions but it looks like that was EOL'd. Is there somewhere other than this forum where it would be good to take this kind of a question/discussion?? If there's a user community somewhere I'd gladly learn from the experience of those who have gone before and/or contribute things I figure out along the way.

You mention "Lucie" -- that's my daughter's name but I'm guessing you don't mean me to call my daughter How would I get in touch with the Lucie you had in mind??

BTW, your comment made me go back and double check the CT user manual for the question in the OP above. There is no mention of the feature not being enabled in the Windows version -- in point of fact the illustrations are shown using Windows screen shot examples. As I say, docs are not always in sync with what's implemented but as a user on the sharp end it's sometimes pretty hard to figure that out.

ProCoach

Mark, I was somewhat tongue in cheek with my comment, and understand completely yours and many's frustration with the paucity of (and out of synch with) the documentation on any of this stuff. I do take for granted some of this only because I work with all of these systems every day.

Good gracious, AiM, Race-Keeper and even MoTeC suffer from the same issues. But they are picking away at it.

Thank you for your work on the math channel issues. I recommend you email Lucie Norwell in the Racelogic UK office. If she can't help directly, she probably sits right next to someone who can.

The HD2 is a powerful piece of kit, and the hardware and software is capable of a creat deal more functionality and features. But like the new line of AiM display loggers, the makers are under so much pressure to release (from dealers like Matt, Jerry and I, among other reasons) that they issue it before all (or even much) of that functionality is enabled, confident they can through firmware and software updates. It's a balance!

Keep us posted on your progress with this. Thanks!

Slakker

Is this purely from an exploration and testing perspective or do you have some cool math channels you'd be willing to share?

Matt Romanowski

Not to dereail this thread, but the aspect ratio (scale) of a XY plot in RS2 Analysis is set by the user. Right click on the channels you are graphing in the measures window and then set the scale to whatever you want (say -2.5 to 2.5 for long/lat G) and then "Apply and Exit" or you can apply and then make mroe channel changes before exiting. This way you can make the scales square for better display.

boxer-11

I should have been more precise, Matt. I muck around with the min/max values for channels all the time to change the shape and placement of the lines on the graphs...so I know you can set the lat and long G to the same min/max. What I meant was: there's a grid scale in the X/Y plot window and it is, so far as I can tell, impossible to get that to looks like it's squares and not having that grid square it's hard to know if you have the same length axis when you drag to size the X/Y plot window.

boxer-11

Well, Peter recommended that I do John Block's course that walks through Race Studio Analysis and offers up a bunch of interesting math channels. I don't feel like I can share those though -- John would have to OK that. some of those are the ones that need more capable math than VBOX Setup appears to allow (although I see VBOX Tools and the file processor may have potential there -- more TBD when I get time)

On the other hand, what I've started with is working up Inverse Corner Radius. That one only requires speed and lateral G. And for giggles I did Turn Radius as well -- that one needs some capping of the value since when you are wheels straight ahead the math should produce infinite radius. I can attach the screenies of the working versions that I plugged into VBOX Setup.




Inverse Corner Radius



Turn Radius -- in this case I converted it to feet but by default you'd end up with metres since that seems to be the CT native metric (so to speak )

The inverse corner radius one came from the LapFaster.com Data Logger Secrets Revealed eBook which appears to be freely downloadable from various places so it seems OK to reproduce that one.

boxer-11

Tone is hard to read from these flat medium venues for sure...I just wasn't sure if I'd crossed a line into "unhelpful" or something.

Ok, good tip. I'm actually going to be in the UK in a couple of weeks (on the way to doing some driving with RSR Nurburg and Spa )...I wonder if they have a training session going while I'm over there now you make me think about it....probably easier to ring and talk to Lucie while I'm on BST.

Will do. I know that I'm still newb enough that I probably shouldn't be messing with the math stuff at all -- there's plenty to learn for me from the basics I'm sure. I guess it just appeals to the programmer in me

Slakker

RE: Inverse Corner and Turn Radius

Cool stuff. Thanks for sharing. I'll have to give them a try.