59 replies to this topic

[Jason]

So RaceChrono the lap timer software is now available for Android phones as an Open Beta.

I have this setup with my now really old Google Nexus One along with a Bluetooth GPS Unit the Qstartz BT-Q818XT. Go have a play and feedback to Dev...

Some screen for my setup:







Current Features:
Lap timer with Sectors
Theoretical Best Lap
Graph plotting speed vs Time or Distance
Comparison Grap ie show best Lap vs current lap to see where you were different
Create a Track
Track DB in Cloud

Feature to Come
Analyzing mode:
• Multiple session should be able to be loaded at once. Allows comparison and optimal lap calculation between any number of sessions.
• Power at the wheels generation or power curve generation
• Option for white/black background color for graphs
• Live replay of recorded data (map+graph)
• Friction circle graph
• Lap time chart as graph
• New map graph; show where you are faster than the comparison lap in green, and where slower as red.
• Ability to draw curbs over satellite imagery
• Math channels
• Data smoothing algorithms
• Braking tests

Live Timer
• Automatic pause and resume
• Audio notices of better/worse sectors and laps
• Configurable timer freeze lengths
• GPS/OBD2/DataLogger screens with all the values visible at once, maybe some debug info too.
• Sector-to-sector timing in addition to the current start-to-split timing (for Nordschleife mainly)
• Predictive lap time (comparison and actual time)
• Larger lap counter
• Configurable timer screen (drag & drop?)
• Spoken lap times
• One button click comparison lap time setting (for reliability racing)
• Video recording with overlaid gauges
• Automatic track creation

Exporting:
• Better lap/sector times exports
• Better DataLogger/OBD2 data exports (currently most of the data is lost)
• Selectable interpolation for export data at least 24-25-30-60hz
• Export to MoTeC/RacePak/Race Technology

Data logger features:
• Accelerometer support
• Gyroscope support with lean angle and drift angle calculation
• Auto-mark invalid too slow laps
• Automatically stop recording while stopped

Cloud features:
• Twitter/SMS/Email for real time data
• Data push and pull to external server

Special hardware to support:
• Parrott Asteroid
• PS Vita

Other:
• TerraTrip rally computer functionality
• Option to automatically drop incoming phone calls while in session.
• Reverse tracks option
• Automatic track selector
• Automatically create a temporary track if no start/finish set
• Pressure units in bar/kPa/PSI
• Support USB devices ?
• Session name visible in file system for easier session file search

[techieboy]

It's very good, I've been using it on and off for the last 4 years and contributed about ten of the tracks in his track library. Only really stopped when it was taking so long for Anti to decide whether he was going to move to Android and I wanted to capture more data. Thankfully Nokia made that decision easy for him in the end. The interface, even though it's missing a lot of functionality is still a bit clunky, which is a shame. But, sure he'll get there in the end, if people stop asking for esoteric features and allow him to concentrate on nailing v1.0 properly.

[Bargi]

Been using this today and Caldwell last week. Works a treat. Big thumbs up here

[dw1]

Looks like one hell of a cool bit of software. And it's free! No brainer really. Anyone who goes on tracks should use it. I reckon he should do two versions; one free version with current set of features and a second one with 'extra features' from the futures list which is chargeable about £50 ish.

[Sutol]

Bargi introduced me to this App today. looks brill - flys in the face of not recording your lap times while at the track.

[techieboy]

You don't have to look at the times until later though.

[Sutol]

You don't have to look at the times until later though.

yeah yeah

[Jason]

Its a Datalogger plots your speed and locations. You look at it later , you can get your times from video too but thats normally allowed.

Edited by Јason, 22 June 2012 - 09:50 PM.

[WrightStuff]

Whats the setup of this then ? Do you have a GPS unit mounted somewhere on the dash (for line of sight) and then just have the phone running in your pocket as you do your laps ?

[Sutol]

download app for your phone, nothing else needed

[smiley]

Silly question. Zandvoort track is not in the list. Will it tell me my laptimes if i just start doing laps and record is running, or does it require more preparation?

[Jason]

Only the Phone is needed but if you want accuracy then you need an external unit. But by all means use just the phone before investing in a GPS...

[Jason]

SO I used it with a track that didnt exist. I recorded the session and when I got home I overlayed the Split Marks ontop of the trace from the day. Its nice and easy...

[smiley]

I would initially just need to have a simple timer. Just do my rounds, and gps based should just simply show my last lap time. I've tried 5 different apps so far. looks like i'm just looking for simplicity, and they are all overcomplex in analysis.

[techieboy]

Silly question. Zandvoort track is not in the list.
Will it tell me my laptimes if i just start doing laps and record is running, or does it require more preparation?

Yep, just log one lap (maybe your sighting laps) and then insert a marker for the start/finish line and any other markers for sectors that you want and it'll work out your sector/lap times and give you lap comparisons based on that layout. Obviously, if you have it setup somewhere visible it'll do live lap timing as well, once it knows what the layout is or you've done a second lap.

Later on you can drill down into it for lines etc. You really need an external bluetooth GPS receiver with at least 5hz and ideally 10hz or more to get very accurate lines through corners. The phones built-in GPS is probably sufficient if you just want basic lap times but if you want more than that, the more data you capture, the better.

If you just want lap times, it's probably better to use it in it's current guise than when it gets weighed down with all of the fluff that's on his to-do list.

[Jason]

So seems a good fit for you, here a screenshot of the live timing currently

[techieboy]

Whats the setup of this then ? Do you have a GPS unit mounted somewhere on the dash (for line of sight) and then just have the phone running in your pocket as you do your laps ?

I just used to wedge a small bluetooth GPS receiver between the dash and the windscreen and leave the phone in one of the side pockets. TBH, it's hard to find anywhere in the VX that can't get a decent GPS signal. My PerformanceBox GPS antenna lives inside the dash void and has no problems getting a lock on 10+ satellites.

Only proviso is, if/when he ever starts to use the phones built-in accelerometer for real G readings, you'll need to make sure the phone is properly mounted somewhere and not subject to any lat/long movement, for accurate readings. A few of us did some trial G stuff a couple of years back in the Symbian days and it was terrible without basically strapping the phone down. And not much better after.

[smiley]

Yeah, that should do. On initial startup is scaired me with the go to mychronos.com and blabla whatever. Just hit start, sit back and let it do it's thing. I like.

[smiley]

I tested it this week in a roundabout setup here in the village. Worked like a charm, with the simple gui with just displaying best, prev and current. Hurray. Then activate it at zandvoort, expecting the same. but noooooo..... the stupid thing detects a track and fires off some sort of multideminsional analysis, with traps, and track layout and countless other crap i don't need. No usefull information in the gui whatsoever, and no time to fiddle with it, doing 100mph. Back to the pits 3 times trying to reconfigure it. Wasted way to much time. Seriously.... all i need is a simple timer telling me laptimes in a gui for a 3 year old. Start, run ad that's it.

[dw1]

I tested it this week in a roundabout setup here in the village.
Worked like a charm, with the simple gui with just displaying best, prev and current. Hurray.

Then activate it at zandvoort, expecting the same. but noooooo..... the stupid thing detects a track
and fires off some sort of multideminsional analysis, with traps, and track layout and countless other crap i don't need.
No usefull information in the gui whatsoever, and no time to fiddle with it, doing 100mph.
Back to the pits 3 times trying to reconfigure it. Wasted way to much time.

Seriously.... all i need is a simple timer telling me laptimes in a gui for a 3 year old. Start, run ad that's it.

You mean something like this in terms of simplicity of what it's showing...



Only trouble is, that's not a cheap option. Something like the PerformanceBox might do the trick, the screen is smaller but still readable, still a fair bit a cash though compared to free Racechrono!

There's a few gps displays on the market but you're still looking at spending a few hundred quid.

Edited by dw1, 07 July 2012 - 09:14 AM.