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.