So I've been looking at and taking about buying a datalogger for some time now. I'd like 3 cameras forsure. My question is should I go with the race-technologies one or the race-keeper unit.

links-
http://www.race-technology.com/video4+gps_8_31035.html
http://www.race-keeper.com/RK_system

I've played with the race-keeper program and understood it completely within a few mins of using it. It's very simple! On the other hand I played with the race-technologies program for over two hours and still felt lost. The RC unit has way better hardware specs but is a little more exspensive. On the other hand the RK program is awesome to use! Which one would you go with and why?

My concern is the RK unit doesn't have as good of cameras, only 4hz gps (wtf!), and overall not as good hardware specs compared to RT. The RT unit has 20hz gps and HD cameras.

 

Have you looked at the chase cam setup?

 

Not really I'll look into them today. Can I download their program and sample files to play around with it? I feel like the RT program is more capable and has more features then the RK unit but dang it's complicated. I guess over time you'd learn to use it. Kind of like learning how to use Rivit, AutoDesk Inventor, and CAD.

RT seems to require a licensed engineer to use yet RK could be used by a 3rd grader with a reading disability. If Chasecam could match the hardware specs of RT yet be alittle easier to use then that might be the best option.

What's the most common datalogger used in autocross? Which ones the most autocross friendly?

 

The chasecam diva is a fantastic product for making pretty video, but it is nearly useless as a data analysis tool. The software is designed around building the data overlay onto video. It's awful to use for actually comparing sessions. I was really fascinated with the multi-camera idea, but once I had it, the novelty wore off after a couple of events. I'd much rather have a single HD camera view and good data that I can analyze easily. I sold my chasecam setup after Nationals, and I'm sticking with traqmate, and a gopro.

 

Well that puts chasecam out. the race-keeper data looked to be at the right timing and everything but I've only played with it a couple hours. I'm sure RT has a great product and I would expect it "works." anyone have a dl-1 from RT?

 

Just a couple thoughts:

-I use the RT DL1, basic model (5hz). No video, I just use my Aiptek and manually sync it.
-GPS is a bit dissapointing most of the time - the accuracy is plus or minus meters and autocross is a game of inches, not meters, so the GPS position is mostly useless other than giving a broad estimate of what's going on. This will be true for any logger, not just race technology.
-What's really useful is the accelerations and speeds, and other inputs if you use them, which either unit will give you at high frequency.
-The race technology software, while confusing at first, does work quite well once you get the hang of it.

In summary, I've never used the race keeper software or datalogger so I can't comment on it, but I can say my DL1 has helped a lot and given me lots of good data. I suspect based on specs that the race keeper will be similar. And I wouldn't worry about the GPS frequency - like I said it's not that useful anyway. I doubt you could go wrong with either choice. The race technology is a bit of a safer bet though, there are more people that use it.

 

Race technologies also has the 20hz gps now so I would assume it would be alittle more preciest over the 5hz dl-1 you have. Thanks for the input!

I guess learning the program is just going to take some time. The how to videos would help also but I haven't watched many of them yet.

 

I have a DL1. Overall, it's excellent.

-The software can be difficult to use initially but it's quite powerful. Features like "slip rate" (where exactly your loosing time and at what rate) are excellent when comparing sectors/laps.
It's helped me improve my lap times, and in many different respects, significantly.
-GPS position accuracy is okay but it doesn't mean much to me. I'd much rather analyze overlays of acceleration, steering, brake, throttle, etc. than an overlay of GPS position.
-The sampling rate limit of 100 Hz (analog inputs) is kinda lame, especially if your logging suspension movement or doing frequency analysis. But then again, most DL1 users won't be doing this.

You can't go wrong with the DL1, it's well worth the money.

 

All GPS-based systems have around a 3m (9') error. That's hard-coded into the military satellite signals. Getting a higher sample rate means that you get updated more frequently, but each update is subject to the same error. I've had some extremely odd 'lines' even when I had good satellite strengths and quantity, as in jumping 10' straight sideways while rolling at 50 mph in a straight line. This is fairly uncommon, but it happens.

I have a DL1 and have been using it for 3 years or so. It's amazingly powerful. You can hook up any sensor that reads 0-5 or 0-12V. I monitor throttle position, RPM, coolant temp (all are tapped ECU wires), AFR (aftermarket wideband), & steering wheel angle (string pot wrapped around steering shaft). I bought the video license option to sync video from an external camera, but it's limited to low-res video. You can see some of these videos on YouTube, search for username 'coreydyck'. They're the older ones. Syncing the video sucks and takes more effort than you'd think. The data overlaid on video is a nice thing to show others, but it's not really any more useful than raw video for analyzing your runs. G-Force, throttle position, and RPM tell you enough to keep you busy for a long time if you're primarily interested in driver development.

I haven't been able to check data between runs - I just can't navigate the RT software fast enough. I seem to need about 5-10 minutes to make meaningful discoveries - which is too short when co-driving at our local events or Nationals. Other software packages seem to be more tuned to these quick/dirty analysis than the RT stuff. After the event, you can really pour over the details to see what's going on. Custom equations are possible, I set up an equation to calculate the steering angle you need based on GPS turn radius - comparing this to the actual steering angle is interesting. I wouldn't spend the money on a string pot again, it's entertaining but an in-car video tells you more about smoothness and turn-in than a data trace can.

The biggest benefit of any data acquisition is to be able to compare a co-driver's runs to yours. It's rare that you don't see big swings in 'time slip' through runs of two different drivers. If you can combine the best parts of each driver's strengths you can drop a lot of time on any given course!

 

Thanks man! might be picking up a DL-1 with the intigrated video 4 or maybe the all in one package I listed in the link in the OP. Well see. From what I've read it will sync video perfectly if you buy either of the 2 units I just listed. I'd have fun playing with that steering angle calc. It would prove to myself on how late some of my turn ins are.