10hz support & some ideas...

Hi!
First of all I want to say: Thank you!!! for your outstanding gps laptimer program :)
I have run it on my Nokia N82 using internal AGPS this week and it works superb. Ive mentioned/showed it to almost everybody I know and the rection among people is "Whoa!"
Well done ;)

I´ve been looking at a 10 hz bluetooth gps from Maxqdata and Im wondering if RaceChrono software supports 10 hz ?
( 16 paralell channel GPS. sensitivity -158 dBm. accuracy 2.0 m
CEP with SBAS. uBlox chipset. )


Some thoughts:
Any plans of implement key lock in RaceChrono?
I am running sportbike and some roadracing and it would be good if U could start the program, lock the keys and then just put the phone inside your inner pocket in the leather suit.

Would it be possible to let the program get satelite fix before starting a event?
As it is now U have to wait until u get a fix.
How about adding a time counter who counts down time so U have time to put the phone away, move vehicle to right position etc. and when time is at 0 U hear a little beep who signal it's ready.

With best regards from your neighbours in Sweden...

Comments

  • edited May 2008
    Hi Nicklas, nice to hear that you have been advertising our software!



    RaceChrono does support 10 Hz. I have been using BlacklineGPS's Fuel bluetooth unit for my reference device. It is expensive, around $600 CAD, but works perfectly with RaceChrono and the accuracy of it is amazing. Same hardware is used in MoTeC's receiver (without the bluetooth), which is used by many racing professionals. Also sessions imported from PerformanceBox work just fine.



    BlacklineGPS Fuel: http://www.blacklinegps.com/fuelgps.html.



    Unfortunately I don't think Maxqdata GPS offer is not that good. The GPS looks to be Wintec G-Rays unit that that is sold for $70 here: http://www.semsons.com/wigiwblgpsre.html.



    The unit might be good but it is not 10 Hz. It's really a 4 Hz chipset that interpolates by software to 10 Hz. It's probably still a good device, just don't buy it from MaxQData for 8x the real price.



    Here's the specs sheet for the chipset:

    http://www.atmel.com/dyn/resources/prod_documents/doc4630.pdf



    The key lock is not in menus, but depending on a phone you should still be able to enable it. Try pressing power button (very shortly) and selecting lock keys from the menu. Notice that you are still able to call emergency numbers when keys are locked, so makes sense to try to prevent key presses some other way as well.



    I usually just keep the session running while in pits, so I always have fix to satellites. It causes memory usage and some unwanted data to the logs, so I'm planning a feature to eliminate the data while not moving. It is true that I have to wait before I go to track the first time.
  • edited May 2008
    I just got a email from Maxqdata with some specs and youre right. It´s the same chip (Antaris 4) as in wintec G-rays. Crap!
    Looking at the spec of Blacklinegps Fuel, sure looks promesing but no internal battery and I cant seem to find any spec for bluetooth support? Would be great to have a true 10hz gps puck with internal battery and bluetooth but I cant find one anywhere on the net.

    Ive mailed blackline for some info.
    Cheers... :)
  • edited May 2008
    It's not all about the Hz. The normal chipsets like SirfStar3, MTK and Atmel are made for car navigation, so they do not handle standing starts and high G-force corners as well as for example Fuel. So even if some these consumer chipsets support 4 or 5 Hz it does not make them a professional data logging solution. Also most of the cheap receivers lack external antenna connection. Sure they are excellent for the price for under 100 EUR.



    Fuel promises 20cm-50cm accuracy, and for normal GPS receiver 3 meters is usually promised. I'm not sure if Fuel is that good, but at least I can get all my laps well inside 2 meters range. This is in the places where I can drive consistently, but I'm not sure how much of that variation. is caused by me. With a Qstarz 5 Hz receiver the variation is around 5-10 meters which is still very good for lap timing. The positional accuracy directly translates to timing accuracy, so you can say Fuel is at least 3-5 times as accurate.



    As the corners are not as accurate as the straights with normal consumer GPS receivers (due to the high G-force problem), the traps should be placed to relatively straight sections of the track to ensure the timing accuracy does not suffer.



    Actually I'm not sure if they still have the Bluetooth support in the Fuel. It could be that I have some special model that includes Bluetooth. Let me know what the manufacturer replies. Might explain why the price was different for the as well.



    Bluetooth can be of course added to any GPS with RS232 port, just buy RS232 <=> Bluetooth adapter. Downside is that it has added cost and is not very elegant.

    http://www.datasoft.se/bluetoothserialportplug.htm



    It doesn't have a battery so a semi-permanent installation is a must for a motorcycle. For a car you can just use the cigarette lighter.


  • edited May 2008
    Got this mail today:


    "Fuel does not carry Bluetooth as a default, but it is Bluetooth Capable. We also can spec an external rechargeable battery that would supply approximately 10 hours of run time.

    I would need a 10 unit minimum order in order to process this custom job."



    So, how much bigger is Blacklines Fuel gps compared to Qstarz 818?
    Double?
    External battery, hmm dont think I would pay extra for that, doesnt seem to hard to build on my own.
  • edited May 2008
    Ok thanks for the info. It's much bigger, I'd say over 5 times, but still small enough to hide somewhere on the bike. It can be hidden since there is an external antenna. I would think it would be easier to get 12V connection than start playing with an another battery.

    BTW: You could use virtually any racing oriented GPS with RaceChrono as long as there is RS232 connection that outputs NMEA. I think they would work fine, when used with RS232<=>BT adapter. Atleast with small tweaking atleast on my side, I'd be happy to do that. Fuel without Bluetooth seems the most affordable, if you don't need other logging facilities than RaceChrono.
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