moveswiftly

Got requests from a few forum members to share the details of Laptimer setup as shown here:



A. Application

I use Harry's Laptimer on an iPhone 7. It is not as accurate as some of the AIM / Racelogic setups but doesn't cost anywhere near as much as those setups do. You can find more information about Harry's Laptime here. For information on how to use the lap timer please see this link

B. The Mount

If you want to be able to see your lap times as you drive or use your iPhone to record the front of the vehicle you will need a mount. I use a RAM Mount. I use the iPhone specific cradle so you will need the following components:

Suction Cup

and

iPhone 6 Cradle [Works with my iPhone 7]

It's pretty good and can be configured to various angles and views. The only drawback with windshield mounts is the small vibrations that get absorbed by the mount and cause the camera to shake a tiny bit. I don't use the the iPhone camera as the primary source on my videos anyways so it doesn't matter to me.

You can configure the mount and timer to either show you the lap times as such (angled in a fashion to not block visibility):



I generally don't look at the time as I drive and usually keep the mount in the forward looking position:



Some clubs may also require you to run a tether for the mount. It's safer. You can use one like this and modify it to fit your application.

To get started all you need is the application and the mount. The rest of this post is optional but substantially improves the data and video.

C. Connectivity [Optional]

1. OBD Connection

In order to get RPM information, coolant temperature, gas level, horsepower level, accurate speed info, and throttle inputs - you will need a bluetooth (or wifi) OBD connector. I use the GoPoint BT1. It's on the approved list on Harry's website and is not too costly.

You can find the BT1 for iPhones here.

There is no setup required other than pairing the BT1 with your mobile phone. I will note the OBD port is close to the dead pedal and I didn't want to inadvertently hit it on the track, so I zipped it to the OBD port like this:



2. GPS

While the iPhone GPS is an all around decent GPS, it does not refresh frequently enough to produce accurate laptimes. Therefore, it is recommended to pair a GPS sensor to your iPhone in coordination with Harry's Laptimer.

I purchased the Dual XGPS 150A here. You need to update the firmware to unlock the faster refresh speeds (5 Hz v 1 Hz). It works great and the battery lasts a while (8+ hours). I usually recharge at the end of a track day.

To mount the XGPS, you should place it near glass so that it is clear of obstructions. I mounted it here using a combination of a velcro strip + rubber holder:







D. Video

Beyond the iPhone video recorded on Harry's Laptimer, you can pair it with a GoPro for Multicam footage. The great thing about the laptimer is that it can actually control the GoPro and starts recording when you begin your first lap (setup required). I got many of the ideas here from syzdanski's post on Planet-9 but have modified and changed many things.

My setup uses a GoPro Hero 4 Silver that I purchased from Costco.

I've mounted it to the Luggage bar that is right behind the seats:









1. Clamp

My setup uses a clamp found here and GoPro 1/4" TriPod adapter found here.

The nice thing about this Clamp is that it has a quick release:



2. Frame

You also need a GoPro frame mount to run the wires to the camera and connect the battery bacpac below. You can find that here.

3. Battery Solutions

Now I recommend getting a battery (not pictured above) to connect an external power source to the GoPro. I generally have to change the battery every for every hour of recording. It would be much easier to just have it hardwired (just ordered). However, the mini USB port on the camera is also used for the microphone. To be able to plug a power source in AND connect a microphone you need a GoPro bacpac like this.

You may have to modify the Frame to get this to work as I haven't tried the backpack yet but will report back shortly.

Another alternative is to get a cable expander:

4. Camera Settings

1080P, 60 FPS, Spot Metering ON and Narrow view to get the following view:



E. Audio

1. Adapter

First, to connect any external microphone to your GoPro camera you will need to get an adapter like this

2. Cable

Then, I ran a 10 foot (overkill) audio cable from the go pro (zip-tying it to the luggage rack and cabin) all the way to the back of the vehicle.





3. Microphone (very important)

To get the audio right to lots and lots of trial and error. I tried out three different microphones and on a recommendation from Fabspeed used the Sony ECM-DS70P stereo microphone found here.

4. Windscreen
I also used this windscreen on each side of the microphone and then overlapped it with this additional windscreen to muffle as much wind as possible.

5. Mounting

You can tuck the wire in the crevices between the rear light and the body and route it to the rear license plate area. This is the best area to mount a microphone because it is most insulated from the wind.

Once again, most clubs require a tether so I tether the microphone before each event to one of the cable's to the rear license plate light as follows:



Pull the light down



Unclip the light and put in a safe place



Ziptie to bulb cable



That's it! To me the presentation and quality of the videos matter a lot and I think the end product is great. The total cost of this setup is approximately $650 but a lot of the components are optional and not necessary. Enjoy!

PistolPete

Good stuff, thanks for posting!

stingray84

Thanks for the detailed write up. Very informative. I tuck the mic wire under rear hatch carpet then route it through the rear bumper to the license plate light opening. Mic is normally hidden inside bumper attached to the license plate light. When on track, I take out the light housing and bring out the mic. It's stealth and convenient.

moveswiftly

oh this is a great idea. I need to look into this.

AEsco48

Great setup! I had a similar one when I had my 997 GT3.

One suggestion is to use the GoPro Como Cable (http://shop.gopro.com/accessories-2/...ANCBL-301.html)

With this one cable to can run the 3.5mm Mic cable as well as hardwire the camera to a USB power adapter to power the camera, no Bacpac needed!

hlvg

Very interesting read - thanks for all the info!
Regarding audio setup, I have a Zoom H4N as audio recorder connected with two Rhode mics but found it hard to not clip audio and I have to lower rec levels way low. How do you like the Sony mic? Any clipping at all? Does the GoPro automatically adjust record levels?

C5driver

Great timing for this thread. Last Sunday, I hooked up the GP4 and a Audio Technica Lavalier condenser mic attached to the license plate frame.

The video looked like it was at slow motion and the sound cut out half way through. Could the video be due to the speed of the card? Thoughts on why the audio would cut out?

moveswiftly

You're welcome. I really like the Sony microphone. I don't believe there is any clipping. It is just how the exhaust sounds (I could be wrong). Yes, I don't set audio levels the GoPro adjusts itself.

moveswiftly

Might be due to the speed of the card. I haven't noticed any cutting or slow motion? Anyone else notice this? could just be a youtube issue.

moveswiftly

Oh that's good. I will update the thread.

John@Fabspeed

We used the exact same mic location for the majority our videos, very nice writeup! Here is a clip of this mic location on my Cayman R with our Race Headers. Clear as day as fast as you care to go.

bk_911

Nice write up. Stupid question does the BT1 only show the data you're overlaying on the laptimer screen? Or does it gather any other data points?

hlvg

Very nice - What mic(s) did you use for this video?

John@Fabspeed

This little guy haha.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/2621259...&ul_noapp=true

My quick routing method

TRAKCAR

Ive has some success with Harry's lap timer. Its OK for the $50.
But too often it failed to record at all and there is of course no data to study.

I just went back to my trusty Racelogic / VBox. Breath of fresh air.
Its $2500 but its complete out of the box and by the time you add on all the brackets and holders and stuff above it also adds up.

Grab SD card, edit and load on Youtube.
You need a laptop, the only disadvantage over Harry's Laptimer