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Thoughts on NEW Aim Solo DL 2?

BryanPendleton

By BryanPendleton,
in General Talk

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BryanPendleton

BryanPendleton

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I am currently rocking the Aim Solo and I shuttle it from car to car as I race my own and with a few other enduro teams, but I have always wanted more data, specifically driver inputs as ultimately how you use the inputs will determine you pace around the track.

 

So what does the DL 2 bring to the table?

 

Wi-Fi:

First thing that peaks my interest is WiFi. Could this be used to download data during an enduro pitstop? Is that enough time? Is AiM’s Wi-Fi robust enough to connect quickly and gather that data?

 

RPM Pick-Up/Shift Light Option:

Not quit sure how this works, but there appears to be an option for grabbing RPM for non-CAN cars, which is everything I race or track. Along with a good RPM the DL 2!allows for programmable shift light. More feedback to help pilot a car is usually a good thing.

 

Better Accuracy:

Aim markets the new Solo 2’s has have much improved accuracy with help from another collection of satellites or something. Is this just fancy marketing hype?

 

Finally can you emulate an OBD or CANBUS to somehow rig up a car that you could simply plug in a DL 2 and log you own custom sensors via you own emulated OBD or CANBUS?

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Vinnieb

Vinnieb

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This is through the grapevine but apparently the GPS deal has something to do with being able to access international GPS satellites as well as American ones.  Don't quote me on that.  Wifi should make uploading a snap which is nice.  I don't think either of these are enough to cause me to kick my Solo DL to the curb though.

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Guest lobster

Guest lobster

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Glonas is the Russian equivalent to gps

 

 

It has a smaller constellation than GPS but devices that support both typically can utilize both at the same tim improving accuracy

 

In the case of the aim sample rate will tend to matter but if the dl2 has the same sample rate but adds additional satellites it’ll be more accurate

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mkarr

mkarr

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Finally can you emulate an OBD or CANBUS to somehow rig up a car that you could simply plug in a DL 2 and log you own custom sensors via you own emulated OBD or CANBUS?

 

Supposedly it lets you define your own custom can message to read/decode. If that is true, then it should be possible to either use commercial can bus sensors (assuming they use the same baud rate and can address length) or analog->can converters. It's something I personally am interested in and am waiting to see more information about.

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PoBoyR6

PoBoyR6

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Wi-Fi:

First thing that peaks my interest is WiFi. Could this be used to download data during an enduro pitstop? Is that enough time? Is AiM’s Wi-Fi robust enough to connect quickly and gather that data?

My Aim MyChron5 dash uses WiFi which I'm willing to bet will be exactly the same as on the new Solo. Its pretty nice. Takes about a second to connect and downloads GPS & channel data just as fast as a hard connection. Just depends how long your pit stops are and how many minutes/hours of data & number of channels you're looking to download. For reference with my DL and a lot of channels (i.e. ~20 from CanBus + all the GPS data) a couple 30 minute sessions would download in ~5 seconds.

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BryanPendleton

BryanPendleton

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Supposedly it lets you define your own custom can message to read/decode. If that is true, then it should be possible to either use commercial can bus sensors (assuming they use the same baud rate and can address length) or analog->can converters. It's something I personally am interested in and am waiting to see more information about.

And this is exactly what I was looking to take advantage of. Simplified data system, that is somewhat portable.

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BryanPendleton

BryanPendleton

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Supposedly it lets you define your own custom can message to read/decode. If that is true, then it should be possible to either use commercial can bus sensors (assuming they use the same baud rate and can address length) or analog->can converters. It's something I personally am interested in and am waiting to see more information about.

Found this analog/can interface:

https://www.autosportlabs.com/product/analogx-4-channel-analog-to-can-interface/

 

Looks promising, and is relatively inexpensive.

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mkarr

mkarr

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Found this analog/can interface:

https://www.autosportlabs.com/product/analogx-4-channel-analog-to-can-interface/

 

Looks promising, and is relatively inexpensive.

 

That would likely work fine. And probably is gonna be the cheapest option available. The autosports people (the same guys who do the racecapture) post up all their source code and documentation, too. And they are pretty good about responding to you and resolving problems.

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  • 1 month later...
BigMatt

BigMatt

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Colored LED's on the face show green/red on the predictive lap to show how you are doing also.   I'm REALLY stoked for the AIM solo2 because at $399 new, it should make the used original solo's on the market drop down to $200 or less.  ;)

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  • 5 months later...
mkarr

mkarr

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Found this analog/can interface:

https://www.autosportlabs.com/product/analogx-4-channel-analog-to-can-interface/

 

Looks promising, and is relatively inexpensive.

 

 

I managed to get this working, after a bit of a frustrating false start (had a bad module).

 

1. Get a 7 or 8 pin male Binder 711 or 712 connector. The 711 is plastic shell and the 712 is metal shell. The specific connector I used this one:

 

https://www.binder-usa.com/subminiature-circular-connectors-m9-ip40-cable-plug-connector-10.html

 

2. Wire up the connector to the pigtail that came with the AnalogX according to this:

 

5b37e1bfc0eaf_solo2analogx.png

Note: Pin 3 (vb+) does not appear to get power when running off the Solo 2 battery. So if you want a portable setup, you will need to provide external power for the AnalogX and sensors.

 

3: Load the ECU Stream definition found here: 

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pzjl5ius060afs2/RaceCapturePro_AnalogX_%4020180618_003546_008066.xc1?dl=0

 

Make sure the "Enable the CAN Bus 120 Ohm Resistor" option is checked.

 

4: Connect sensors to the AnalogX board and see their values displayed on the Solo. I am just using a potentiometer here for testing. The values are displayed in volts, but can be scaled to sensor units if you want. The definition specified an update value of 10 Hz. But this should be able to be raised to 50hz if you need it.

 

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BryanPendleton

BryanPendleton

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My DL2 arrived a week or so ago.  I have not done much with it other than some basic setup and configuration. 

 

I found some Binder M9 patch cables here:

http://www.newark.com/binder/79-1425-12-08/cable-assembly-m9-plug-8way-2m/dp/59M6116?MER=sy-me-pd-mi-acce#

 

I am looking to pickup one of these to avoid having the solder that 8-pin 712 binder connector.  

 

The big question I have is can you run the RPM pickup and the CAN features or are they mutually exclusive from a software standpoint.  

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BryanPendleton

BryanPendleton

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3: Load the ECU Stream definition found here: 

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b2wd9h45q5f9sen/RaceCapturePro_AnalogX_%4020180618_003546_008066.xc1?dl=0

 

Make sure the "Enable the CAN Bus 120 Ohm Resistor" option is checked.

 

 

The ECU Stream definition, is that a DL2 CAN configuration thing or is that to configure the AnalogX?  How did you configure the DL2 CAN's setting from the AIM RS3 Software?

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mkarr

mkarr

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I found some Binder M9 patch cables here:

http://www.newark.com/binder/79-1425-12-08/cable-assembly-m9-plug-8way-2m/dp/59M6116?MER=sy-me-pd-mi-acce#

 

The big question I have is can you run the RPM pickup and the CAN features or are they mutually exclusive from a software standpoint.  

 

Honestly, I think soldering the connector just as easy, if not easier than cutting and stripping a pre-made cable. It may be a little trickier without already having the tools and supplies though.

 

And yeah, the RPM pickup and CAN features are mutually exclusive for whatever reasons.

 

The ECU Stream definition, is that a DL2 CAN configuration thing or is that to configure the AnalogX?  How did you configure the DL2 CAN's setting from the AIM RS3 Software?

 

That definition is importable into the RS3 software under the "CAN Protocols" button at the top. Then, when you create the Solo 2 DL configuration, under the ECU Stream tab, select the RaceCapture AnalogX option.

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BryanPendleton

BryanPendleton

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Honestly, I think soldering the connector just as easy, if not easier than cutting and stripping a pre-made cable. It may be a little trickier without already having the tools and supplies though.

 

And yeah, the RPM pickup and CAN features are mutually exclusive for whatever reasons.

 

 

That definition is importable into the RS3 software under the "CAN Protocols" button at the top. Then, when you create the Solo 2 DL configuration, under the ECU Stream tab, select the RaceCapture AnalogX option.

I have a nice solder station, but its not setup for 24 or 26 Ga or whatever that tiny wire is.

 

I bet they are mutually exclusive to prevent the Solo DL from stepping on dash and logger sales

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  • 7 months later...
  • 2 years later...
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