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Racelogic DriftBox Instruction Manual

Meter to measure drift angle
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Racelogic Ltd

Drifting

With your DriftBox you will be able to display
and log your drifting performance. DriftBox
also generates a performance related Drifting
Score, which you can submit to the DriftBox
website for inclusion in the worldwide DriftBox
drifting league tables. See how your skills
compare to other DriftBox users from around
the world at www.driftbox.com

Performance

With DriftBox it is very easy to measure
acceleration times, braking distances, quarter
mile times and many more. There are a
number of configurable screens that show
specific test results such as 0-60, 0-100, 0-100-
0, ½ mile and ¼ mile etc.
DriftBox is based on the Racelogic VBOX,
which is used by the majority of Car
Manufacturers, Tyre Manufacturers and car
magazines around the world to assess
performance.
Because it is very easy to edit the test ranges,
DriftBox is a very powerful tool for use in many
different kinds of vehicle testing.
Congratulations on your purchase
and welcome to the worldwide
DriftBox community.
Page 1
Introduction

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Summary of Contents for Racelogic DriftBox

  • Page 1: Drifting

    Car Manufacturers, Tyre Manufacturers and car magazines around the world to assess performance. Because it is very easy to edit the test ranges, DriftBox is a very powerful tool for use in many different kinds of vehicle testing. Page 1...

  • Page 2: Lap Timing

    Introduction Lap timing Displaying your Lap times as you drive around a circuit is simple with DriftBox. You can display your current, last and best Lap times, and also display split times for up to six specified split points around the lap.

  • Page 3: Power Calculations

    For drivers keen to improve their lap times and get valuable feedback on technique, DriftBox includes a sophisticated, fully functioning datalogging package. If used with a 64mb SD card, DriftBox can log up to 50 hours of continuous data, which can be analysed in great detail in the available software.

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    OUNTING RIFT OX IN YOUR CAR Aligning Your DriftBox....................10 ......10 EGISTERING YOUR RIFT OX AND ACTIVATING ALL AVAILABLE FUNCTIONS Registering Your DriftBox ...................10 Activating Your DriftBox additional functions ..............10 USING DRIFTBOX ......................12 ......................12 RIFT EYPAD ......................12 HANGING ODES ................13...
  • Page 5 Setting the Vehicle Weight..................28 Power Runs ........................29 ......................29 ALCULATING OSSES DATA LOGGING.......................31 ......................31 SING THE CARD ........................31 ILE TYPES CONNECTING THE DRIFTBOX TO EXTERNAL DEVICES ..........32 ......................32 RIFT ATA OUTPUT NMEA ......................32 DATA OUTPUT SETUP MENU ........................33 ........................33 LIGNMENT & B ....................33...
  • Page 6 ..................48 TART FINISH LINES AND PLITS Defining start / finish lines and splits in the DriftBox software........48 Loading and Saving start / finish line and split data ............48 Clearing start / finish line and split data ..............49 Moving Splits ......................49 .........................49...

  • Page 7: Drifting

    Drifting Drifting DriftBox is the first performance meter to measure Drift Angle. A car is said to be drifting when the rear wheels have a lateral (sideways) motion in relation to the road as well as a longitudinal (fore-aft) motion. In fact, the moment a car starts to turn a corner, the rear wheels need a certain amount of side-slip to go around the corner, even if you are going very slowly.
  • Page 8 This involves keeping the brakes on as you turn into a fast corner, this works best on a downhill corner as less speed is lost. There are many ways to drift a car, and we have only covered the basics. For more detailed information please use resources such as www.drifting.com, www.dailydrifter.com, www.driftworks.co.uk, www.drift411.com and www.driftbox.com. Page 8...

  • Page 9: Quick Start Guide

    7. The first time DriftBox is used it will need to be left for 10-15minutes to acquire fully the latest satellite constellation information. 8. After this initial period, DriftBox will then only take 1-2 minutes to lock onto satellites when you use it next time.

  • Page 10: Aligning Your Driftbox

    9. Now press the MENU button to exit the menus screen and return to the Drift Mode screen. Your DriftBox is now ready to show your Drift Angle. Note that this alignment is only needed when using the Drift Mode.
  • Page 11 7. A confirmation screen will display ‘Code OK’ and then the screen will go back to SETUP MENU. 8. Now disconnect and then reconnect the power to DriftBox. The full functionality of your DriftBox will now be available. Page 11...

  • Page 12: Using Driftbox

    Racelogic Ltd Using DriftBox Using DriftBox Your DriftBox can be used in a variety of modes, as described in this section. DriftBox Keypad Used to show next screen, Changes Mode. or to navigate menu. Select the menu item that Accesses the relevant...

  • Page 13: Changing The Units Of Measurement

    Searching for satellites at power up Whilst the DriftBox is acquiring satellites it will flash the image of a satellite, the location of the flashing image depends on the screen you are in. Page 13...

  • Page 14: Drift Mode

    Scores can be sent to the DriftBox website for publishing on the Top Scores database. On a fully activated DriftBox an SD card can be inserted to log your scores and data from your runs that can then be downloaded and viewed on your computer and in the DriftBox Tools PC software.

  • Page 15: Drift Mode Display Screens

    My high score. Viewing the Score Code Validation codes are automatically saved to a file on the SD card called ‘Scores’.txt’, but you can also press the OK button to display a score code on the screen of DriftBox. Page 15...

  • Page 16: Sectors

    Racelogic Ltd Drift Mode Sectors A sector is made up of two virtual gates. If you have enabled Sectors Mode, the measurement process starts at the first gate, and ends at the second. You can have up to 6 sectors defined, and you will be awarded a score for each sector along with a cumulative score.

  • Page 17: Loading And Saving Sectors

    Drift Mode Loading and Saving Sectors After creating sector information in your DriftBox you can then save this information to a sector file on the SD card. This allows the sector information to be copied onto your computer and used in the DriftBox software when you analyse your logged data.

  • Page 18: Performance Mode

    Racelogic Ltd Performance Mode Performance Mode The Performance mode is used to measure the acceleration and braking performance of your vehicle. Press the MODE button to scroll to the Performance Mode screen. This mode is divided into six screens, each of which displays different performance data.

  • Page 19: Measuring The 0-60 Time Of Your Vehicle

    The MAX value is cleared by pressing the RESET button. Measuring the 0-60 time of your vehicle 1. Install DriftBox into your vehicle as described in the ‘Quick Start Guide’ section of this manual. 2. Press the MENU button to select the Performance Mode.

  • Page 20: Editing A Performance Mode Test Range

    4. Press OK and repeat this procedure for the END speed: 1 Foot Rollout The DriftBox normally takes the start of a performance run at the point at which the vehicle moves, but at drag strips the vehicle starts 1 foot behind the timing start line. You can make the DriftBox start all timing runs from 1 foot by enabling this feature.

  • Page 21: Results Files

    Lap Timing Mode Results Files If an SD card has been inserted, DriftBox will create two results files on the card. The first file, ‘results.txt’ gives the results for every performance test made using DriftBox. The second file, ‘best.txt’, displays only the best results achieved for each type of test. Results text files are only created on the SD card if the ‘Write Results File’...

  • Page 22: Measuring Lap Times

    Lap Timing Mode Lap Timing Mode The DriftBox can measure your lap time by storing the position of a virtual gate and using this to trigger the start and end of a lap. • Start/Finish Line: Defines the point at which one lap ends and another starts. It also defines the start of a sprint or slalom stage.

  • Page 23: Split To Split Time

    MENU. Split Widths When setting a start / finish or split line, DriftBox will set the width of the line at a default value of 25m (12.5m either side of the point at which the OK button was pressed.) However this can be changed by selecting the Split Widths function and altering the value using the ▲▼...

  • Page 24: Split Output

    After creating start / finish, Splits or Finish lines you can save them to a file on the SD card which can be loaded back into DriftBox at a later stage, or used in the DriftBox Tools software. The file created on the SD card is an ‘.dsf’ file.

  • Page 25: Loading Start / Finish And Split Lines

    One Shot Mode By default, DriftBox starts the lap time from a start / finish line. If you want to start the lap time from the moment you start moving, then you need to select ‘One Shot Mode’. To set this mode: •...

  • Page 26: Recording And Reviewing Lap And Split Times

    Recording and Reviewing Lap and Split Times To record your run data and lap and split times, simply insert a SD card into DriftBox, the run data will be recorded in a ‘.dbn’ file on the SD card and the Lap Time information will be recorded in a text file e.g.

  • Page 27: Speed Display Mode

    Red Light Warning: If DriftBox is being used as a Safety Camera detector, note that this option is designed to make you aware of potentially dangerous areas where they may be in force. We do not guarantee that all of these areas are listed in any file you download. We accept NO liability whatsoever in the event that you receive a speeding fine through not being warned by this option on DriftBox.

  • Page 28: Power Mode

    Racelogic Ltd Data Logging Power Mode Your car’s power output can be measured using the Power Mode. There are two parts to this process: the acceleration run, which gives you the power at the wheels minus the losses caused by tyre and air resistance. The second part of the test measures these losses and also estimates gearbox losses.

  • Page 29: Power Runs

    Put the car into second gear at a low RPM, 2000 RPM or less. Press OK, the next screen indicates that DriftBox is ready to record the run: Once the car begins to accelerate, the power is being recorded: Accelerate to the top of the engine’s rev range, disengage the clutch and coast for a few...
  • Page 30 Racelogic Ltd Data Logging Begin to accelerate, and press OK. Continue to accelerate to the top of the engine rev range. At the top of the rev range, disengage the clutch and put the gearbox into neutral. Once deceleration has begun the screen will display the recording information:...

  • Page 31: Data Logging

    Files logged by DriftBox are named ‘DBOX_001.dbn’, where 001 increments when a new file is created. A new file is created every time DriftBox is powered up, or when the card is re-inserted. If you wish to log data to the SD card then simply insert the card into the slot in the front of DriftBox.

  • Page 32: Connecting The Driftbox To External Devices

    Drift Data output The DriftBox transmits live data on its serial port at the rear of the DriftBox when it is in Drift Mode. Any other devices with a serial input, such as a video overlay unit, can use this data.

  • Page 33: Setup Menu

    The alignment option allows you to perform a physical alignment of the internal motion sensors. It is important that you align DriftBox correctly whenever it is moved to a new position in your car or even to another car. To do this, park the vehicle on level ground and turn the engine off and select ‘ALIGNMENT’...

  • Page 34: Yaw-Rate Sensor Diagnostic Screen

    A cold start completely re-initialises the GPS engine and after performing a Cold Start the vehicle to which DriftBox is connected should be left in an open area for at least 15 minutes, to re-acquire. You should only need to do a cold start when you first receive your DriftBox, or you are experiencing poor satellite reception in an open area.

  • Page 35: Upgrading The Driftbox Firmware

    Upgrading the DriftBox firmware It may be necessary in the future for you to perform an upgrade to the firmware inside your DriftBox to add new features. Connect your DriftBox to the computer onto which you have installed the DriftBox software.

  • Page 36: Troubleshooting

    If you cannot receive a firm yes or no, then another way to check is to power up the DriftBox and hold it outside of the vehicle, receive a satellite fix and use the GPS diagnostic screen to see how many satellites you can see.
  • Page 37 No data files are appearing on the SD card Make sure the SD card is not full. If your DriftBox does not beep twice when you insert the card, then you may have to re-format the card, you should use the utility in DriftBox Tools.

  • Page 38: Driftboxtools Software

    Each of the three display windows can be resized by stretching the window, and all of these windows can be printed. All of the parameters logged by DriftBox can be displayed, and the colours of each line can be customised. In addition to the logged parameters, a number of calculated channels (such as lateral acceleration and longitudinal acceleration) can be displayed.

  • Page 39: Graph Screen Basics

    ‘Load All’ icon. Viewing a Text File A DriftBox file can be opened in Notepad by selecting the ‘Open In Notepad’ option from the ‘Load All’ drop down list. Note that for large files, it may take some time for Notepad to load all of the lines of data.

  • Page 40: Removing A Circuit Overlay

    Racelogic Ltd DriftBoxTools Software Removing a Circuit Overlay To remove a circuit overlay, click on the ‘Remove Run’ icon in the Graph screen toolbar, and then click on the ‘Remove Circuit Map’ option. Moving Around the Graphs Once a file is displayed the data from the file can be examined more closely using the following basic functions: zoom, pan and cursor movement.

  • Page 41: Selecting Channels

    The enabled channel will then be highlighted in its display colour. The data table contains all of the logged channels from the DriftBox file plus Lateral and Longitudinal Acceleration and Radius of Turn channels, calculated when the file is first loaded.

  • Page 42: Drift Results

    Racelogic Ltd DriftBoxTools Software Drift Results Pressing the Drift Mode button in the Graph Screen toolbar causes the software to scan the loaded file and apply loaded sector file information to produce a Drifting data: • Peak Drift angle • Peak G •...

  • Page 43: Lap Timing Results

    Racelogic Ltd DriftBoxTools Software Lap timing results Pressing the Lap timing button in the Graph Screen toolbar causes the software to scan the loaded file and apply loaded split file information to produce a table of Lap times with a V Max for each lap of the loaded file.

  • Page 44: Channel Setup

    Racelogic Ltd DriftBoxTools Software Channel Setup Column descriptions: Visible The tick boxes in this column switch individual channels on or off in the graph window. Channel Name This column contains the names of the available channels in this file. Units Shows the units of each of the available channel.

  • Page 45: Axis Setup

    Racelogic Ltd DriftBoxTools Software Axis Setup The Axis Setup window contains all the controls needed for assigning and configuring the y-axis of the Graph screen: Column descriptions: Visible Each tick box in this column switches an individual axis on or off in the graph window.

  • Page 46: Editing A Driftbox File

    Save a file by clicking on the ‘Save’ icon in the main toolbar. If you have made changes or edited your DriftBox file it is wise to save this file to a new name so that you do not lose the original file.

  • Page 47: Graph Measure Tool

    Racelogic Ltd DriftBoxTools Software Graph Measure Tool This tool can be used to highlight a section of data in the Graph window and produce a table that summarises the data captured in the window: Measure Window Summary Hold shift down whilst clicking and dragging to use the Measure Tool The area of data that is displayed in the table is highlighted in blue in the Graph window.

  • Page 48: Start / Finish Lines And Splits

    DriftBoxTools Software Start / finish lines and Splits Defining start / finish lines and splits in the DriftBox software To define a start / finish line, move the cursor in the Graph window to the desired point, then press the...

  • Page 49: Clearing Start / Finish Line And Split Data

    ‘Move split’ from the menu. Sectors Defining Drifting Sectors in DriftBox Tools Each sector that you set requires that you define a start line and an end line. Each sector is numbered from 1-6.

  • Page 50: Creating A Circuit Overlay

    Note: It is best to use an external aerial to get maximum position accuracy • Power up DriftBox and let it acquire satellites for at least 5 minutes. • Drive to the left hand side of the start of the circuit.

  • Page 51: Displaying Drifting Results

    Displaying Drifting Data from a Logged file. • Click the Load all button to load a DriftBox file into the DriftBoxTools software. • If you don’t have a sector file relevant to the logged data then you will need to create one.

  • Page 52: Replaying Driftbox Data

    The main run is shown in red and the compare run in blue: Replaying DriftBox Data A DriftBox file can be replayed at real time speed, or at 2 x or 5x real time speed. Replaying a file: • Load the file into the DriftBoxTools software using the ‘Load All’ button.

  • Page 53: Tools

    SD cards and the Exporting Data to Mapping Software facility. Formatting SD Cards Any new SD card is formatted in the correct format suitable for DriftBox and there is no need to format the card. You can delete any files created on the card by DriftBox through your computer when connected to DriftBox or when the card is inserted in a card reader connected to your computer.

  • Page 54: File Repair

    Racelogic Ltd DriftBoxTools Software File Repair If the file being loaded into the software contains dropped sample data (caused by travelling under a bridge, for example) then DriftBoxTools will prompt you to repair the file. This can be done by clicking on the Tools menu and choosing File Repair. Areas of dropped samples can then be repaired.

  • Page 55: Index

    Score Code, 15 Units of Measurement, 57 Sectors, 16 Zooming, 41 DriftBox Lap Timing Mode, 22 Aligning Your DriftBox, 10, 34 Measuring Lap times, 22 Contrast, 34 One Shot Mode, 25 Diagnostic Screens, 34 Reviewing Lap and Split Times, 26...

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