Data Logger Recommendation
 

Tried to do a search in the forum but failed to find much information about what data logger all you guys are using for track days. Any recommendations? Or setup suggestions?

So far, I think AIM SOLO2 seems like a good option for accurate GPS position. But I am not sure about how it does for video overlapping.

My goals are:
1) Accurate GPS position on track
2) Can log throttle, brake, steering, engine rpm, speed, gear(maybe)
3) Lap time
4) Has camera, or it's compatible with GoPro so that I can do overlay later in the software

I have Harry Lap Timer and used it before, but it's not really happy about the GPS accuracy.

TIA!

RaceCapture Track/MK2

$299 IIRC, can tap into CANbus via OBD2 and overlay using RaceRender.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEuR...nel=KyleHerbst

I have a Google Nexus Tablet with ProClip Mount on my dash (as seen) for lap times and data recording.

TrackAddict or RaceRender are popular choices depending on what features you want.

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Harry’s with the Vbox Sport. Harry’s and those other phone apps alone aren’t that accurate

I find it very easy to use race render to overlay my Solo2 DL data over my go pro video.

From my experience

RaceChrono (like Harry's)
Great app and reliable but I got sick of firing up the GPS nugget, the Gopro, plugging in the OBDII reader and making sure it all connected. It was all too much hassle for me combined with the desire for "better" data I searched for something more cohesive. That said, I loved the app and the quick view of sector data is great.

RaceCapture track
I bought into the original kickstarter with healthy skepticism and a little hope. To me it failed on nearly all levels. To preface, the last time I used it was 2 years ago, maybe it's better now. At the time the software and analysis was meh at best and buggy. Additionally, I never got the CAN data to work reliably. I ended up so frustrated with it I listed it for sale from the track one day.

Aim Solo II DL
I've had this for 2 years and so far it's been rock solid. It's portable and the amount of data is collect is awesome. The software has a bit of a learning curve but once you get it setup how you'd like it greatly accelerates things (If you aren't using the profiles you need to get on that!) The biggest drawback it that it requires a standalone computer to run the analysis. The Smarty cam has good integration from what I've seen (I don't personally own one but know those that do) but is OMG expensive. Race render, as mentioned before, is another option for overlay.

What do your friends or competitors(if they'll share data) use? That is a big factor as well.

The Garmin Catalyst look interesting, I'd love to give one a chance.

You've listed a few basic requirements for the hardware, but what are you looking to get out of said hardware?

If your main goal is getting videos with a pretty track map and data on it, then there are a number of them that will work.
Harry's Lap Timer, RaceChrono, and TrackAddict are phone apps that do video and overlay, etc.
http://www.motorsa.co.za/top-five-sm...ne-lap-timers/

Many of those apps have a data resolution limit though because the phone's GPS only updates at 1Hz. (there are add-on GPS modules that get your phone to 5 or 10hz, but they eat tons more battery). include the error built into consumer grade GPS, and your lap times and lines around the track aren't going to be terribly accurate for study and driver coaching. They are good to get started though...

So if you're interested in basic stuff and only concerned with getting the lap time accurate within a few tenths, then those types of guys are great and FREE.


If your goal is to use the data and videos to learn and improve your driving, then the sky is the limit for what you can spend and record. Of the big data guys, AIM is the most popular, but there's a dozen or so major companies out there.. AIM, Motec, Racepak, RaceLogic, Traqmate that I can think of off hand.

If you want to work on improvement and not necessarily concerned about high def video with pretty graphics, then the Garmin Catalyst is the latest widget on the market. driving coach in a box! Even guys that were already pretty good drivers were able to quickly find ways to drop time with those units. they literally tell you "brake later in turn X, or take a wider entry at turn Y. here's a screenshot of what you should see at the correct brake point. [insert photo of 100ft later on track]
https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/690726

AIM's product line seems to be the current go-to for real data because of wide installation base and a large product line. They are fairly pricey, but they do a lot and "everyone" has data you can compare. The Solo2DL is a great unit and will do everything on your list. If you want to go this way, make sure you get the Solo2DL, not the Solo2. (The DL part is the CAN bus interface)

Mating the AIM data to a non-SmartyCam takes external software. it's doable, but adds time to the process, so a quick data/video review after a track session isn't as easy. you can't just scroll through your AIM data and video to quickly find what caused that spin on lap 3.

AIM also has their proprietary SmartyCam hardware which interfaces with their data units. it starts recording when you go over 10mph or 2500rpm and dumps the data and video straight to an SD card. after you're done, pull the card out of the camera and plug it into a laptop. voila. video and data is all there and EASY. but it's expensive (Cameras are $1000 each new)

The AIM setup is easy-- find power in the dash and connect the CAN lines to one of the car's CAN busses. set up the logger (once) via laptop and configure all the CAN stream. there's basically a driver you download from AIM that gives you all the settings for the FRS/BRZ CAN bus, and it works. If you want moar data like ECU parameters, you can log them too if you know the CAN address and manually program it.

..........

My personal setup is an AIM MXP with two GoPro3 (front and rear).. I just bought a SmartyCam, but haven't gotten it installed yet.

After a session, I download the AIM data to my laptop via Wifi. The AIM data gets processed by their software and and exported to a .CSV file for video processing (this takes like 3-5 min- not hard).. Then I pull the SD card from the GoPro(s) and combine the data and video in RaceRender.

You want the Solo 2 DL, not the Solo.

The DL will get you chassis data, including your inputs to the car, so you can precisely see what you are doing.

PM me to order.

I use Racepak. I have found it to be super durable and simple to figure out. It's not cheap but good parts never are. They make a CANbus plug that plugs into the OBD II so you can use your factory sensors.

Is there a way for Trackaddict to read oil temp? I haven't been able to find out how.

Have you tried RaceChrono with an external GPS?
I use RaceChrono with XGPS160 and it's fairly accurate, I've heard Qstarz BL-818GT works even better if you can find one.

If you also buy an OBDLink MX+ you can log throttle, brake pedal, engine rpm and speed.
Gear you can typically tell by looking at rpm and speed, and the steering wheel is easy to tell if you have an onboard video.
The refresh rate is about 10 Hz and not super stable, but that's a great starting point.

The app also has an experimental CAN-bus reading through OBDLink devices. It has some bugs, but the author is working on it.

If you want to save some money and are open to learn something new as you DIY things, check out my DYI CAN bus reader project.
It was laughably cheap, and is specifically designed for RaceChrono, and works awesome.

I did have some of the "forgot to turn on" things when I was just starting to use RaceChrono, but I quickly got used to it.
My current voodoo dance includes starting the GPS, helmet camera and sound recorder a few minutes before the start of each session/run. In fact I believe RaceChrono can turn on the camera remotely, but I was lazy to set it up :) The external sound recorder with a mic on the rear bumper is IMO a must for good quality audio if you drive with side windows down.
Looks like if you skip the external audio thing completely in the beginning you should get away with just "don't forget to turn on the GPS before each session".

Honestly, the battery in my GoPro has caused me more headache than all the other things combined...

Here's an example of what kind of onboards I can now create:
https://youtu.be/j01LALSN7dQ

+1 RaceChrono on my phone with a external GPS that's a QStarz 5hz and OBDLink MX.

I just set it all up at the start of the day, make sure everything is paired up and RaceChrono is running and then let it record for the whole day. I don't turn off the GPS throughout the day and the battery lasts the whole day easily.

I also walk off with my phone and when I get back everything automatically pairs up again.

Finally I use a GoPro for video which I do need to remember to start and stop every session.

Overlay is done with RaceRender. A bit finicky finding the start point but otherwise all works well.

My video at Phillip Island: https://youtu.be/HvqGohvRB7o



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I've used a Solo DL and a Go-Pro camera and overlaid the data with RaceRender. It can make some great videos like this one.

https://youtu.be/A4lui0wppiM


Problem is that it's a whole process to get the data on the video. It's not really useful for analysis at the track. It did make some good videos for my turn by turn guides.

Now I use a Solo DL with a SmartyCam. I like this a lot. It's all automatic once it's set up. Turns on automatically, records automatically. Overlays the data automatically. And the end of a session I can pull out the SD card, stick it in my laptop and open up the video. I get video like this one. I do wish the MX5 had brake pedal pressure PID like the BRZ.

https://youtu.be/nGIwoegDfL0

Just curious, does RaceChrono have a CSV export which you could then import into MoTeC i2C Pro or McLaren Atlas? These are very powerful tools used by F1 teams and as a sim racer I’m used to using both of them. If you have an iRacing subscription then Atlas is available for free and MoTeC i2C Pro is free if all you are doing is CSV imports.

I’m tempted to build your rig but do the CSV dump right within your software and not bother with the RaceChrono stuff at all. Or maybe do both.

Here are the currently supported formats for export:
https://i.imgur.com/BFPDo7y.png?1

If none of them are directly compatible with the software you use, there are still a couple more options:
a) Ask the RC developer to add those export formats (he is fairly responsive, and generally open to support more import/export formats)
b) Write your own converter from one flavor of CSV to the one you need (in case you have at least basic Python knowledge)

I've heard about this software before, but didn't realize they can be used for free in these cases — thanks!

Good news is that in order to test whether exporting in the desired format(s) works, you don't need to buy or build any hardware. For starters you can just test whether exporting of phone's GPS data works.

Add
5) ability to conveniently review data between sessions

With RaceChrono, you can review data whenever you can use a phone.
In my personal experience, it's incredibly useful to be able to see the sector breakdown and comparison between laps. After each session I see where my next "opportunities" are, and focus on those, rather than "try to mildly overcook the whole lap and see what happens".

I believe most AIM products require using a laptop (laptop!) and additional software to be able to review things.
That IMO is something not everyone is going to bother doing after each session.
Whereas with RaceChrono (and probably HLT?), reviewing data is so accessible that why not?

Any solution that requires wireless connections and multiple different pieces of hardware working in conjunction is going to be more prone to error. Look at the number of Harry's lap timer videos where the speed clearly is not matched to or consistent with what you are seeing on the video.

Any system that does not automatically overlay data and video together quickly just makes it harder and more time consuming to watch video and data together.

Although data analysis on its own can be very informative, for a lot of people, hovering over a laptop in between sessions etc. just doesn't work. Data analysis post-track day with notes for the next time you go to that track is often the outcome.

I bought an AIM dash thinking I would use data in between sessions, overlay video at lunchtime and overnight before day 2. I used the GoPro I already had instead of paying over a grand for a smartycam. After one season of screwing around with that, I went and got a smartycam. Now, I can pull video immediately after a session, watch it with people, and get instant feedback on what I can do differently.

To be clear, video, even with overlaid data is not a substitute for data analysis but it can be very helpful "immediately" when at the track.

Just my experience.

It was painful to sync data to video in the past for me too. The trick I learned back when my data was from OBD is listening to the engine sound while watching the rpm data channel. It was still time-consuming, but I was getting good results. (those HLT people are just lazy!!!111)

Since I started logging CAN data, which includes a data channel for the steering angle, it became very easy to sync video to the data perfectly. I first approximately sync audio vs video my checking the map, and then I only need to find one place in the data log where I do some quick steering correction (e.g. counter-steering). The whole process takes less than a minute for me now. You can gauge the quality of results in the examples I shared above.

Totally agree, this is why IMO mobile apps such as RaceChrono are superior to PC/Mac software for most people — they make the process of analyzing data between sessions much easier.

I'm sure a lot of people can relate to that experience!
That's why Garmin Catalyst is so popular, despite being a $1000 product with no OBD connector.

I am going to start with the following setup

HP tuners track addict
Andriod phone
External gps Qstarz BT-Q818XT
BAFX Products Wireless WiFi (OBDII)
Campark X35 Action Camera 4K 24MP Wi-Fi control
Tackform Headrest Mount for GoPro
ARKON BT010 Windshield Suction Mount for external gps

Use the lap comparison built into track addict.

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Any particular reason to choose Track Addict over RaceChrono?
Just a few weeks ago someone in the 86DC told me that TA still doesn't even support custom OBD PIDs.
You really want to be able to log the brake pedal input, and it's not a standard PID.

I used Track Addict a couple of times before I tried RaceChrono, and never looked back after I switched to RC.

Will try it this weekend. Can you share your pid setup for the brake pedal.

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Sure, https://racechrono.com/forum/discuss...r-frs-brz-gt86

Channel: Brake Position (%)

OBD-II header: 0x7B0

PID: 0x2141

Equation: min(100, 1.1 * max(A-10, 0))

Edit**

Got it to work. Just needed to restart my One Plus 7 Pro after I added the custom Channel and its working! Noticed Throttle % idle is at 14. Normal or is there a way to adjust this? Also is there a way to figure out current gear like in Track Addict?

Maybe if we get another Stimmy check I will pony up the $$$

Yes, because it's throttle (valve), not accelerator (pedal) :)
See another custom PID I posted on the same thread on July for accelerator.

Yes, but I don't remember how to set it up.
TBH, the gear number is not the most useful channel, since you can generally tell the gear by looking at speed and rpm. This is also how the gear is calculated by the ECU anyways. Given how limited is the bandwidth of data over OBD, I'd recommend getting the data on other channels at higher rates rather than wasting bandwidth on the gear number.

With race Chrono do you need to have the channel active on one the screens to get the data available for videos and analysis?

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No! As long as you select the right channels in vehicle profile, it will be logged even if the RaceChrono screen is set up as a simple lap timer.

Btw your custom pids worked perfectly. Thanks!

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Surprised Petrel hasn't come up, they nailed quick intuitive data analysis imho. I always struggled with racechrono and track addict to get it to show me what I want, but it's been years since I tried them. If you've got the money for AIM and don't mind whipping out a laptop it's still the best at getting every piece of data synced and ready for review, if I was chassis tuning a serious competition vehicle that'd be my choice hands down (racecapture a close second) but as a hack driver Solostorm and upcoming Circuitstorm focus on where I need the most help.

https://www.petreldata.com/

Sorry for the delayed response. Not here that much.

Next version of Garmin Catalyst should have the accelerometer etc. in the camera. USB cable to the tablet in the paddock. Too much data to observe and assimilate on track. With that setup, nothing other than the small camera to mount in cabin (like the SmartyCam non-GP). Maybe just a small display like Apex Pro or Solo II.

Re: HLT, the issues I've seen aren't manual sync issues, they are GPS/data transfer issues. Like speed going from 90 to 55 in a split second.

For video synching, I used to have the AIM dash visible in my GoPro frame and I would sync based on MPH on the big straight.

Discovery Parts sells a nice kit with a combo mount, AIM Solo II and a Smarty Cam. Like $1800. Everything you need.

What kind of mic are you running with this set up? How do you route the wire and mount the mic? Got any pictures for reference?

Sony ECMCS3 ($20) taped to the middle of the rear bumper,
wire goes into the trunk, then into an audio extension cable
which then goes through the seam around the back seat,
and connects into a Sony ICD-PX440 (was $60, there are newer models available now)
that I put in the pocket on the back of the passenger seat.

After a bit of testing, I concluded that even a cheap Sony recorder captures sound
way better than a GoPro with the same mic plugged in.

To synchronize the sound and the video, I record a clap on both the video and the sound recorder
(before the mic is plugged in), and then match them in iMovie when I come home.
It may seem complicated at first, but once you figure out the workflow it won't take
you much extra time, and the results speak for themselves.

Funny thing is, when I first tried that "use clap as a reference to align sound and video",
I found that my clap-sync external audio is better synced to the video than the files straight out from the GoPro.
Apparently there's some A/V sync bug in GoPro's :bonk:

This is my current setup. Audio portion is new and hope its passable quality,

RaceChrono(Using CAN Bus) Pro App(support the DEV)
OBDLink LX OBD2 Bluetooth
QSTAR 818XT GPS Bluetooth
Campark Xtreme I+ UHD 4K 2021(cheap) 2.5mm Mic input is key and Wireless remote
2.5mm to 3.5mm Adapter for Fuji Film camera's to support 3.5mm Mic
16ft 3.5mm Single Head Lavalier Lapel Microphone Omnidirectional Condenser Mic

@timurrrr a few questions on your setup:

• Is it possible to get video of the inputs (Brake/throttle) this smooth using the OBD II reading on the OBDLink MX+? I set mine up with the brake PID you listed on the racechrono form: OBD-II header: 0x7B0, PID: 0x2141, Equation: min(100, 1.1 * max(A-10, 0)), But see that it is quite slow. Wondering if I need to switch to experimental CAN to get that smoother.
• Does RaceChrono somehow read the video off of your GoPro to do the final render? Was unclear how you rendered out the final result, I see that RaceChrono does rendering in-app rather than on desktop which I like but curious how it works with external camera.

Did you turn on the experimental feature and use the can-bus vs obo2 setting?

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Import the video and data into racerender

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If you have an adapter that supports the CAN mode, definitely use the CAN mode.
The OBD-II protocol doesn't allow you to query data nearly as frequently as
what is already available on the CAN bus for passive listening.

I just pull the video from the camera to my laptop, and then put it on the phone.
As I use an external sound recorder, I need to swap the audio track in the video,
so I need to have the video on the laptop at some point anyways.
I also do some brightness/contrast correction as needed.
It is a bit of a voodoo dance to go through the whole thing, but once I did
it twice, it became easy.

I believe RaceChrono supports pulling the video from some GoPro's automatically,
but I never tried it. You may want to check the RaceChrono tutorials.

@timurrrr I've got a few questions on the Racechrono logger if you happen to know the answers. :)

I'm seeing that the experimental CAN channels are based on the PID format. I'm assuming these are standardized PIDs for the GT86/BRZ, similar like OBD2 where it is known you can request A and it returns the vehicle speed and is also consistent across the models/years/calibrations?

The Tactrix 'method' of logging seems to be somewhat similar to the CAN method, from what I understand how it differs is that it reads memory addresses directly, but these addresses change from every calibration (you can't use an A01G address set on a K00G for example).

An example snippet for A01G is below:

My intention is to see if I could somehow reuse these addresses and log them into Racechrono and add on to what you currently have.

I'm pretty sure it's not going to work this way. You may want to ask on racechrono.com/forum if you want a more educated answer from the RC developer.

Why not just use the CAN PIDs with OBDLink MX+?

Generally speaking, yes.
The might be minor differences in low level PIDs between model years / trims (e.g. I know that automatic and manual NC Miatas have transmission-specific PIDs), but the most important PIDs should be the same.

I was hoping I could import the log items in the Tactrix logger together as part of the OBDLink MX+ CAN PIDs.

Also this is slightly off-topic but RC is the only Android app that can utilize CAN PIDs at the moment?