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Low Cost Data Acquisition and Lap timer?


Guest TrinkyPower
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Guest TrinkyPower

Long time Lurker and First time poster.

 

This is for anyone who does track events or plans to in the future.

 

I do quite a bit of driving on the track, and I had been looking for GPS based Data Acquisition system to give me more information about my driving, here is what I came up with.

 

I do my homework, and have been looking at and comparing Low Cost Data Acquisition systems for a while now.

 

Here were my goals:

 

Lap Times without a beacon

 

Track Mapping

 

Software that was actually useful and understandable

 

Their are plenty of lap timers available, however a lap timers doesn't give you any information on how to improve and most importantly where you picked up that extra speed...

 

I have tried a couple of Data Acquisition systems, DL-1 and the newer G-Tech setup and downloaded all the software demos too. I just wasn't satisfied.

 

I was looking at some spec miata's and I saw this system called Traqmate. The top drivers at Road Atl had it in their cars, and it looked really simple to install. Eventually I tracked down more information. Here is what I found.

 

Traqmate installs in 5mins, has USB built into the display, which serves as a lap timer and a memory stick for Traqmate. The display has a lot of features like tracks/drivers/cars and remembers the tracks start/finish. It also has other modes, G-tech stuff and Drive mode, which is like a GPS plotter that gives you direction and GPS speed. All cool stuff, but does it work?

 

Yes! It does, the lap times are very accurate and once I saw the software running, nothing else compares. If you ever watch WRC on Speed and see those virtual races...Traqmate allows you to do just that. Anyone who has recorded data, at any track can upload that file to the website and share it with everyone. You can then download someone else’s laps at that track and play them against yours, see who is faster and where you can pick up lost speed. Obviously if you are serious and don't want to share your information (are you really that good? come on.)

It is great to sit down with a few people you used Traqmate that day and load all the laps, pick the fastest times for each driver and race them against each other. The data you get is just amazing, way more than I though I could get for the money. Drag & Drop sector times, friction circles, velocity vs. distance, and sector analysis...this gives entry,avg.,exit speeds, times and it is all highlighted for the fastest/slowest time. I have learned so much just play around with software already, I feel like I taking a drivers school. After using other software, Traqmate’s-Traqview software really goes above and beyond, they made it look like a friendly windows program with lots of color. Every driver has a color, everything is highlighted and it works really well.

 

Installation: You can just drop the Traqmate in and go, like a planes little black box it records everything, mount the magnetic GPS antenna and stick the display on the dash.

 

The Traqmate system meet my criteria and I was really floored after using it at a couple of events. It is really fun to go on a drive and just record the whole thing, then go back and look at the road you drove on, perfectly captured and plotted, Deals Gap looks cool J If you are interested in improving yourself as a driver, and you are looking for more than lap times this system is the way to go. After the others, this one really shines. They even used it on Dream Car Garage and Sports Car Rev. on Speed...yeah I watch too much TV, so :) It works great, and the price is right.

 

check it out

 

http://www.traqmate.com/

 

Get the software here

http://www.traqmate.com/downloads/TVSetup.exe

 

Download laps:

http://www.traqmate.com/share.php

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