Track data recording

[Kelse92]

Originally Posted by M0nk3y

So, I think I'm jumping ship and going AIM Solo 2 DL.

- any platform specific mounting solutions?

Just for track use, or are you going to try and use the solo for autox too? I still can't find anything better than the SoloStorm for autox and I don't love the platform either.

For mounting, just as an idea, I have the solo suction cup mounted to my windshield right above the dash on the driver left side by the mirror with a Ram mount. And I have a Smartycam mounted in the rear of the car with the LegSport Camera mount bar. Smartycam cables are tucked under the door sill panel and up along the rear seats.

[M0nk3y]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

Use the race capture with solostorm or circuit storm. A+ accessible data analysis instantly after your laps.

Edit: oops, didn’t see the user name, you clearly know this already and have your reasons for jumping ship. :beer:

Originally Posted by Kelse92

Just for track use, or are you going to try and use the solo for autox too? I still can't find anything better than the SoloStorm for autox and I don't love the platform either.

For mounting, just as an idea, I have the solo suction cup mounted to my windshield right above the dash on the driver left side by the mirror with a Ram mount. And I have a Smartycam mounted in the rear of the car with the LegSport Camera mount bar. Smartycam cables are tucked under the door sill panel and up along the rear seats.

My car is far from an autox legal car anymore lol

I'll still use my GoPro and Sync video afterwards. All I want is meaningful analysis and lap data after sessions. Racecapture's app is actually really terrible. And I never enjoyed Solostorm for lapping

[strat61caster]

No argument, the racecapture app is terrible. I'm sure some people have figured it out, I ain't got time for that.

[Kelse92]

Originally Posted by M0nk3y

My car is far from an autox legal car anymore lol

I'll still use my GoPro and Sync video afterwards. All I want is meaningful analysis and lap data after sessions. Racecapture's app is actually really terrible. And I never enjoyed Solostorm for lapping

We’ll at that rate, just get a Solo/Solo 2 DL and you can match it to your GoPro in RaceRender. The Garmin does nice quick analysis, but it’s mostly surface level. Really need the aim to dig further.

[timurrrr]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned "log brake pressure" on this thread yet.
That's one of the most important data channels I've used.
Reading and understanding that data channel helped me unlock the last second or two of my lap times.

The only useful way to read that data channel is by listening to the CAN ID 0xD1 (decimal 209).
RaceChrono can do that, RaceCapture can do that, AIM does that.
TrackAddict? I've yet to see anyone set it up to log the brake pedal. Heck, people can't even set up the accelerator pedal correctly.
Garmin Catalyst? Can't log either pedal, yet still costs $900+.

Originally Posted by Breezio

I use an ODBlink MX+ and mainly use it for RPM and throttle position. Sometimes gear position as well.

That looks like a very limited set of data compared to what RaceChrono can do with the same adapter.
Furthermore, your throttle channel is not set up correctly (doesn't go from 0 to 100%)

Here's my recent video with RaceChrono data.
Notice how high is the refresh rate of all the data channels, and the range of values from the throttle pedal.

On the topic of AIM vs phone apps.
I use RaceChrono for AutoX. I can exchange data with a friend parked next to me in the paddock in between each run (~5 minutes between runs), compare and discuss our data, and come up with a "strategy" for the next run: where to push, where not to push. It's all super quick and easy when you go over the initial learning curve.
I also use RaceChrono for track days. I can review the data from my track session as soon as I shut down the engine.
No laptop needed.
I don't think you can do any of that with an AIM ...without a laptop?

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

1hz phone systems are useless, and most bluetooth adapters do not have a high enough poll rate to be truly useful beyond the most basic "this is your lap time +- 1s", and "this was roughly your speed within a 1s window". Mostly useless.

With an "off the Amazon shelf" external GPS I am getting lap times consistently within 0.1s of a second of the official transponder-based timing. What were you doing wrong?

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

That, however, doesn't change the fact that the poll rate from your CANBUS is way too low.

Which year is that?!
When using OBDLink MX+, RaceChrono gets 40+ updates per second for the brake pedal data when logging all the essentials: accelerator and brake pedals, steering angle, rpm, speed, and temperatures.
That's all the data most people need, right?
You can add more channels (wheel speeds, etc.) and still have 30+ updates per second, which is plenty for almost everybody.

[dragoontwo]

I wasn't sure if I could log brake pressure with the obdlink. I failed in trying to get racechrono working as I was in the staging lane. It didn't pick up the obdlink MX that I had set it up to pair to so I gave up and just focused on driving. I'll need to set it up better before the next event.

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by dragoontwo

I wasn't sure if I could log brake pressure with the obdlink. I failed in trying to get racechrono working as I was in the staging lane. It didn't pick up the obdlink MX that I had set it up to pair to so I gave up and just focused on driving. I'll need to set it up better before the next event.

Same here. I haven't messed with getting brake pressure logged yet.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by timurrrr

I'm surprised nobody mentioned "log brake pressure" on this thread yet.

What's important to one person may not be important to another. You find in data what you look for. That's just how biasing works.

In your case, it's valuable because you've been clued in via many signals, both human and vehicular, that braking was a major area of concern for you.

[Breezio]

I thought you had to read CANBUS to get brake pedal pressure on the twins and the ODBLink MX+ doesn't do that?

Please correct my errors. TrackAddict does a great many more data channels then I routinely use.

[timurrrr]

Originally Posted by Breezio

I thought you had to read CANBUS to get brake pedal pressure on the twins and the ODBLink MX+ doesn't do that?

Good news:
OBDLink MX+ can listen to the data on the CAN bus, and RaceChrono supported that for at least a year now.
Other proper implementations of ELM327 should also be able to read from the CAN bus, although "other proper implementations" are getting harder to find.

You can find the recommended CAN IDs and RaceChrono-style equations here:
https://github.com/timurrrr/RaceChro...can_db/ft86.md
That GitHub is about my DIY CAN bus reader I've used since mid-2020; but the info on that specific page applies to MX+ too.

My gf has been using MX+ for about a year on her ND Miata in CAN bus mode (not OBD-II mode!) and the only issues she had were due to bad equations we've used and had to refine over time.

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

That's just how biasing works. [...] you've been clued in via many signals, both human and vehicular

You've also made some (biased? you seem to like this word) assumptions here,
and then proceed to ignore my factual argument against your earlier misleading (incomplete? or even incorrect?!) comment

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

What's important to one person may not be important to another.

True, but ...

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

[...] that braking was a major area of concern for you.

... but among over a dozen novice/intermediate drivers that asked me to look at their data, in many cases I saw similar issues in braking as I had when I started looking at my own early data:
a) not generating consistent braking pressure when heel-toe'ing
or
b) jumping off the brakes abruptly instead of trailing

I don't think it's an effective use of our time to argue about whether the brake pressure is one of the most useful data channels.
Ultimately it's my opinion that it is, and it's your right to disagree.
It's up to the reader if they agree with my opinion or with your arguments against my opinion. We're just two dudes on the forum, and the hundreds of other readers of this forum thread should use their own intuition and do their own fact checking when drawing any conclusions.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by timurrrr

... but among over a dozen novice/intermediate drivers that asked me to look at their data, in many cases I saw similar issues in braking as I had when I started looking at my own early data:
a) not generating consistent braking pressure when heel-toe'ing
or
b) jumping off the brakes abruptly instead of trailing

Precisely, proving my point about biasing. You find what you look for.


Useful or not is up to you, and what you're trying to accomplish. It's neither here nor there.


Fact remains unchanged that polling rate is lacking.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by Breezio

I thought you had to read CANBUS to get brake pedal pressure on the twins and the ODBLink MX+ doesn't do that?

Please correct my errors. TrackAddict does a great many more data channels then I routinely use.

yes, and you can see brake pressure data!

[timurrrr]

Originally Posted by dragoontwo

I wasn't sure if I could log brake pressure with the obdlink. I failed in trying to get racechrono working as I was in the staging lane. It didn't pick up the obdlink MX that I had set it up to pair to so I gave up and just focused on driving. I'll need to set it up better before the next event.

Yeah, it's not a "press a button and you're done", but not rocket science either. Admittedly, could have been easier.
Spend some time setting it up an evening before, or even a few days in advance, so that you don't need to think about it at the time you should really be thinking "did I check my lug nuts?". Drive around the block to verify that things work correctly.

Try this profile as a starting point:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nhJ...xdl3qqpCDtt0k/

I only remember MX+ acting up on me once, and all that was needed was to pull it out and immediately put it back in.
You can see a red-or-green circle in the bottom left corner of the screen in the "recording mode" to quickly verify that all connections have been established (green); and you can tap on it to expand more details to review that real data is coming in.

[X25]

What I use:

• RaceChrono Pro for logging on the phone
• OBDLink LX
  • Never saw much of a difference among different Bluetooth adapters really, but this was highly recommended, and did not fail like cheap ones did after a year of use.
• Qstarz BL-818GT external GPS
  • The only external GPS transponder that was highly accurate on plotting, and also the only one advertised for racing. I've tried many other before (XGPS 160, Other cheaper QStarZ models, Garmin models, etc.), and none of them were as dead-accurate as this unit. It is also recommended in RaceChrono help pages.
• RaceRender for making the final video
  • This app allows me to play with gauges, and lets you even modify them using simple Javascript.

Here's one of the last videos:

I use OBD-II sourced speed data for the speedometer gauge, but correct it per tire diameter on the gauge for accuracy. GPS speed also goes a bit wrong when you're taking a corner (since you're no longer on a straight line), so you should use this data for speedometer anyway.