I would blow off HLT, and just use my Bubo with regular video recording before I would move the mount to the windshield. The video is my primary interest, and the other info is secondary. However, as a software developer myself, it really seems like this is a simple problem to solve. The standing start interface should EITHER allow the user to get everything setup while in grid, then the app should give a very large / easy to click "Staged" button that occupies the whole screen, so that the driver can easily reach around the mount to touch the screen (anywhere on the screen) once he's at the starting line (and give a loud BEEP to acknowledge that it is "Staged") OR it should allow the user to click "Staged" while in grid, but not trigger the timer / video until the vehicle has a significant accelleration event (not just creeping forward in grid). Another option is for the standing start trigger to automatically reset itself if the car accellerates briefly before returning to a stop near the starting line. It seems like the app could actually record then discard the data and video that was captured after the false trigger.


BTW, the Bubo doesn't interfere with the internal GPS at all from what I can tell. I get all green bars. The wide angle lens is just right too! I'll post a sample shortly.

 

Here is a sample from private roads in Mexico where it is okay to run stop signs. Even though the iPhone 4 is VERY tight to squees into the Bubo, once it's in there, it is a bit loose. That is why the video gets blurry whenever the lineal accelleration changes polarity. That will be easy to fix with a rubber band or velcro strap.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o7vW7RzuP8[/media]

 

That's fine, that was all I could come up with to help on HLT. I did video for years from between the roll hoops, but at this point I find the data to be more useful during an event than the video. This works so well I was able to compare not only my runs, but my co-driver's runs at nationals. I think it made a difference in our success. It was easy to see and discuss what was going on to the point where we could focus on particular sections of the courses. Just looking at speed alone on the GPS based course map allowed us to determine that down shifting to first would be beneficial. After the event we compared segment times and found that the down shift gained us 0.88 seconds on the east course between cones 312 and 418 which is huge. I am not discounting the value or fun of having the videos, but at some point real data is key.

Have fun out there.

 

I am using trackmaster on my HTC incredible. The only gripe I have is the 1hz sampling rate. This results in an exact 2 second delay from actual time probably due to the first and last sampling points. The data in between could be spruced up by additional sampling. Although, what its doing now is still very useful. It basically seems to have the exact same functionality of Harry's lap timer.

 

guys, what do i need to od similar things on Android phone?

 

Get trackmaster and try that. Might want to get a bluetooth gps unit to increase from 1hz sampling to 5 or 10hz.

 

the thing is that i don't have a smartphone - so i need it to get one especially for this (second hand).
so what i'm looking to understand which is better for this task iphone or android?

i saw at internet that Galaxy S can't do both high speed GPS and OBDii (probbaly due not enough cpu power).
does iphone do it good?

what platform should i go?

 

The OBDII interface is a bit slow and flaky, not sure it's worth it, probably due to OBDII rate being low to begin with. I am only interested in throttle position which lags too much to be useful.

The iPhone 4 is impressive in that it can record OBDII data, 10 Hz GPS, 10 Hz Accelerometer, 720p video at 30 fps, plus what ever Harry is calculating.

Not sure what the Android offers or can do, anyone? Screen shots? Data plots? Anything?

 

For you guys using the OBDII interface with Harry's Laptimer, what update rates are you getting with '06+ AP2's? Since the '06+ has CANBUS, I would expect the update rate to be 30-60 Hz.

 

Bingo!!! When I actually go through the trouble of doing the data and only have a short period of time between runs, I just looked at the speed for the very same reason. Do I need to the F'ing downshift to 1st or not? With the AP1, this is vital!! When I was in the stock class, if I saw the speed drop to ~37ish mph, I knew I had to do the shift. Just curious, what is your decision point in STR to do the downshift? BTW, you are my hero for doing that at Nationals and proving it was that big of an improvement. I have to have the downshift argument all the time... I eventually just tell them to buy an AP1 and they will understand. Now I can say, at Nats '11 doing the downshift at the right point was an 0.88 second improvement. End of discussion! LOL

If I have lots of time (which is very rare), then doing segment times to see which approach is faster is a great tool. Since I gave up on MaxQData and I haven't figured a way out of doing this with the Trackaroo Trackmaster (Android's HLT wannabee), I've given up on doing that.

Great stuff!!

-Dave