nathalis

CY8CKIT has RX and TX pins, so are they useful for serial communication?

nathalis

In first attempt I used rpi3 to send Serial data to Arduino, but it is not practical solution:



and Rentix Software:

mroc

I don't understand why you must use the arduino, and not directly connect to the PC ?

mroc

Heu, why you don't use socat ?
socat /dev/ttyACM0,raw,echo=0,crnl /dev/ttyS0,raw,echo=0,crnl

Snowblind

I am not sure what you are trying to do but have a look at this.. I have used it before to watch a rs232 port to see how something was being sent commands.

http://com0com.sourceforge.net/

It is a virtual serial port driver for Windows. Allows forwarding port to TCP. also allows sharing the decoder output to many programs, etc.

You could use this to put a program between the decoder and any lap software to convert the the decoder output to whatever you need.

mv4wd

Have you tried Rentix with the new AMBRc emulation from beta 3. It's very basic but it might work. The protocol you've written in the previous message is unknown to me. Do you have any document decribint the fields meaning/encoding?

nathalis

I used arduino for modify comunication protocol over Serial, because output of RCHourglass decoder is not mylaps compatible, which is required for Rentix program.

nathalis

MyLaps decoder protocol

Snowblind

You could write a program on windows that would open the decoder serial port then change it to what you need open a com0com port then connect the other side to the Rentix software

nathalis

I want to use arduino, because than I can connect LCD display.

mv4wd

This is just a teaser
It's working 90%, so it will be soon released.



RCHourglass manager prototype

Has anybody successfully tested RC4 transponders with the 0.3 beta release?

ljl23

iTrader: (11)

Looks nice! Just a question. I might be starting a track soon and I am wondering if this might be a cheaper solution to the $2000+ AMB systems. About how much will all the materials and system cost? Of course, if I use this for paid track racing I will make the donation to the charities.

mv4wd

I haven't got a precise number, but I think the bill of material for the decoder (and a few transponders) might be under 50 euros (or dollars). You then have to add the amout of time and tools to build it. But to be honest I think a direct comparison with MyLaps system (not AMB) in unfair.

First of all, given the transponder compatibility issues with pre-RC4 transponders, everything 'before' Mylaps RC4 (AMB RC etc) in worth only it's trade-in value to upgrade to an RC4, so I would avoid any second hand system.

With MyLaps you buy a LOT of features like GPS timing sync, millisecond precison, ethernet connection to MyLaps site to publish lap times on the web, professional support. Also you get a de-facto standard equipment mentioned also in racing rules and used in world events. Also I suppose the quality of signal reception is better than RCHourglass with error corrections etc. ALL this of course has a cost.

Having said that, for RC racing as most of the people do, having the beep when your car passes and registering the lap times with enough precision is more than enough. I don't have direct measures, but a side by side installation showed a 1/100 second precision compared with an RC4.

One of the real limitation of RCHourglass right now is that reading RC4 transponders requires leraning them first. This can be good (if you want to control who's driving on your track) or can be bad if you want to leave the system unattended.

The plus is that it should work fine with all transponders (RC3, MRT, CANO and RCHourglass) whereas I'm told that if you buy a new RC4 you'll get the new firmware, which is compatible only with RC4 tranponders. Greater compatibility is a plus from the track owner point of view.

Another thing you might want to consider is how many handouts transponders you need. This can sum up to the total price for the system. Basically with the 'personal transponder' thing this cost has been moved to the driver. But this can be a show-stopper for people coming for the first time to the track. Also nobody noticed that the 'rules' say that the track MUST give handouts to racers without a transponder. I'd like to see 10 drivers requesting for a transponder at any event...
The transponder BOM cost is so low that it could be part of your track fee.

What is really missing, and I would like to work on, is an easy system for the 'unattended' track. Before I joined my club, RC4 was turned off most of the time, used only during race days. I understand that it's not easy to install a lap timing software, setup etc. But now we have races at every session..

mroc

Hello,
I have beginning to write a race software, principally for MX race.
Actually is developed on Linux/Unix, but i have try it on Windaube10 end
it run without problem.
I think it could be good to have the option to add an GPS entry to the decoder, only
to synchronise two or more decoder if we use partial timing.

Thor

ljl23

iTrader: (11)

Thanks for clearing this up. I meant the outgoing model RC4 system, the AMB system might be older. I will probably make some house transponders for everybody. Seems like the best solution. The other track in my area has a set of the old AMB brick style ones, they run on a separate battery than the car for the house transponders.

So with the track having to learn RC4 transponders, does that mean you just have to check the cars in when they drive across the line and assign them to a name? And after the race the system will forget the number assigned to name? Or is it more complicated.