Laser distance sensor instead of pot sensor for measuring lift/downforce
 

Hey guys, been looking into suspension based pot sensors to meausre lift/downforce and just wondered:

Can a laser distance sensor be mounted to the underbody of the car facing to the ground, and then use that to accurately measure ride height fluctuations?

I see that some of these sensors are capable of 0.1mm accuracy, however not sure if doing that on a moving target like the road will work.

Best,
Kris

Yes. Many top-level prototypes use these.

I only have experience from several years ago when they were $20K+. EACH, and you needed two...

They're a LOT less expensive now.

I sell the KA US made sensors. Stock 8" range (ground clearance down to 2.4" and 8" above that), optional 20" range, stock range is $2105 with an Autosport connector, 40" or 80" flying leads.

http://www.kasensors.com/sites/defau...RHL3.412aU.pdf

I use shock pods for this with good results and they allow you to calculate aero balance as well. In ground effect cars, ride height is an important factor. In the cars that we mortal drive, it isn't. I'd go with shock pods because you can also use them for suspension tuning.

Aww, Frank, you could use four of these KA RHL3's and do the same thing! :D

J/k! :p

I'm still working with an MXL Pista!

I have some of the "kit" stuff but haven't tried it yet. If you want a finished solution, the best value (and I believe lowest price) is from Izze right now. There are a number of different sensors available out there

If you want to hack something together, RacePak has laser sensors that might work for $625/each.

Then, for MoTeC, AiM or VBOX you could build a CAN protocol to have those loggers accept the V-Net CAN info.

Peter, unless Racepak has changed their products, the ride height sensors do not connect to the V-Net CAN. Instead, they have an analog voltage output. At least, that is the way they are/were on the G2X Pro.

Edit: It looks like if you just use the sensor, it can be analog output. Or the module could be used along with the sensor which can connect to their V-Net CAN.

I continue to use my OEM Butt Dyno! It's been updated through the years with pizza, hot dogs, beer, and ice cream.

Ah! I missed the "or V-net" after the analog out. Pretty good deal. Thanks!

And Frank, you could use it with a channel expansion on your MXL!

The problem is the update rate. For shock tuning (and I suspect this may cause discussion) I was told 1Khz. The laser based TOF sensors are not nearly fast enough unless money is no object

If someone wants some used Racepak sensors, I can help them out. I have a friend with about 12 of them.

The izze racing are the most economical I've found.