CARPC and HDD life in a drag car????

DaVa · 09-18-2006, 04:56 PM

Ok you may think i have lost the plot

but a good friend of mine has given me a project that involves installing a carpc in an RX7 drag car. This car IS one of europe's quickest RX7s (9.6 quarter) runs heavily modified induction and fuelling (obviously

). The ECU is currently an apexi power FC with a separate FC hand controller. Apexi supply PC software to give a more user friendly and versatile system for viewing/recording the cars telemetry. This is all topped off with a section designed purely for remapping. So far he uses a laptop to do this but its not very practical. I threw the CARPC idea past him and he loved it. The carpc will be made using a machined billet aluminum case with a micro atx motherboard, no PCIs required.

The problem being that this is an extreme car, still only running about 60% of its full potential, but still think a rotary lump running atmospheric wastegates is a very harsh environment for a CARPC. The vibrations will be unbelievable.

ideas on mounting it anyone? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
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Tidder · 09-18-2006, 05:14 PM

Maybe get an industrial grade solid state hdd. That should last for quite a while.

scott_fx · 09-18-2006, 05:30 PM

how bad are the vibrations?

i wonder if you make a mount for the hd and then put that mount on some memory foam. that may reduce the vibrations and any chance of oscilations.

awesome 13b though!

SFiorito · 09-18-2006, 05:34 PM

well, if all he needs is basic functionality instead of a "full" carpc with navigation, music, videos, etc. he can fit everything very easily on a 1GB or 2GB CF card. cheaper than a SSD and just as effective.

Tidder · 09-18-2006, 05:39 PM

Ahh true. CF card would be perfect.

DaVa · 09-18-2006, 05:49 PM

Any info on installing on cf card? would be a good idea though he may be using many gigs of telemetry information and software. He will want to compare many readings of telemetry.

This man HAS to wear ear defenders, that is how harsh the vibrations are

SFiorito · 09-18-2006, 08:27 PM

i've written a small HOWTO which is located here: http://osf1.gmu.edu/~sfiorito/eXPinstall.htm and you can find lots of info on this board over in the OS Optimization forum.

if he needs to store gigs of data then a CF card would be limiting. I'd recommend using the CF card for the OS and then having another medium to store telemetry data. probably a thumbdrive so he can easily move it to his laptop after the races instead of storing it on the carpc.

scott_fx · 09-18-2006, 08:37 PM

how about a cf drive and an ipod for data storage?

Wiredwrx · 09-18-2006, 08:45 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by SFiorito

i've written a small HOWTO which is located here: http://osf1.gmu.edu/~sfiorito/eXPinstall.htm and you can find lots of info on this board over in the OS Optimization forum.

if he needs to store gigs of data then a CF card would be limiting. I'd recommend using the CF card for the OS and then having another medium to store telemetry data. probably a thumbdrive so he can easily move it to his laptop after the races instead of storing it on the carpc.

Why can't he actually SEND the telemetry to another computer. You can install a wireless card, setup an ad hoc network with another computer/laptop, and use something like WIN VNC or another VNC program, and log to the other computer. Since Wireless cards have no moving parts, vibration shouldn't be an issue, unlike other storage devices.

Michael

SFiorito · 09-18-2006, 09:18 PM

yeah, that'd be cool like a hobbiest version of a pit team.

that'd be a good solution as long as he's got someone in the stands, but if he's alone then he'll need something else of course.

Wiredwrx · 09-18-2006, 09:44 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by SFiorito

yeah, that'd be cool like a hobbiest version of a pit team.

that'd be a good solution as long as he's got someone in the stands, but if he's alone then he'll need something else of course.

True, but with a 9 sec car, I could almost guarantee he has someone else with him. And, even if not, I doubt he drives the car to the track. He can set up a computer/carputer/laptop in his tow vehicle, and just have it record the entire time he is there. Wouldn't be too bad.

I have done this when I went to the track (not the drag, the one with turns ,in both directions) I VNC'd to the car while a friend was driving, and monitored boost, fuel, and spark, from pit lane. It was pretty cool.

Michael

turbocad6 · 09-18-2006, 10:14 PM

dude, how bad can the vibration's be with a 9 second car... vibrations are easy to isolate, mounted in a box on fluid mounts the vibrations shouldn't be so much of an issue, I think I'd worry more about the g forces of the launch, but even so, I ran a national in the 9's with 1.29 short times with the laptop for the dfi on the passengers floor,car launched like it was rearended by a semi... no issues or glitches in datalogging at all....

I think your making this more of an issue than it needs to be, you shouldn't have any problems unless you directly bolt it to the floor directly over the header exit..., isolate it even a little & you'll be fine, & use a laptop drive rather than a 3.5".. now if you told me your running a top fuel car or something, then maybe theres more concern, but you should be fine...

guillemasco · 09-18-2006, 10:37 PM

more car pics

DaVa · 09-19-2006, 04:50 AM

Thanks all for your advice, got some info on logging size and it isnt too big, think i will go solid state root, XPe on CF and 2gb or similar thumbstick for the logs. If he really gets bored then he can take the thumbstick home and weigh up the logs.
Ok a lapotop drive will be far more robust than standard, i agree though i live many miles away and dont fancy travelling to fix his hdd IF it fails. Wouldn't be very good if he's on the final and the damn thing wont boot. Ok we have all had scenarios: "mine survived three crashes and two rolls, one of which off a bridge" then we get "CARPC= dead, after hitting a curb my HDD failed!" making it more of and issue than it needs to be?! i dont think so, i want something that will last.

How did you VNC the car? wifi reception is restrictive.

96TransAm · 09-19-2006, 08:53 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by turbocad6

dude, how bad can the vibration's be with a 9 second car... vibrations are easy to isolate, mounted in a box on fluid mounts the vibrations shouldn't be so much of an issue, I think I'd worry more about the g forces of the launch, but even so, I ran a national in the 9's with 1.29 short times with the laptop for the dfi on the passengers floor,car launched like it was rearended by a semi... no issues or glitches in datalogging at all....

I think your making this more of an issue than it needs to be, you shouldn't have any problems unless you directly bolt it to the floor directly over the header exit..., isolate it even a little & you'll be fine, & use a laptop drive rather than a 3.5".. now if you told me your running a top fuel car or something, then maybe theres more concern, but you should be fine...

My drag car bounces quarters out of the cup holders and it only runs low 10s. It just depends on the cam lope. a Tubo car obviously will run a lot smoother, but most fast RX7s have a V8 conversion.

What are the 60 foots? If it is a turbo car then the shock will be much less and a normal HDD will probably hold up fine. If it is a LS1 conversion or something with a 1.4-1.5 60 foot...then I really don't know. Next time use a G force measurement tool and compare the Gs with what the drive is rated for. Also, have him make a pass with a running laptop in the car, if that works with out hainging then so should the CarPC.

The reason you hear about drives surviving crashes is newer drives have a new technology that locks the head in place when G forces are suddenly increased (i.e. being dropped, or hitting a bridge at 150)

it sounds to me like he has been using a laptop in his car for sometime now, how is a CarPC laptop drive going to be any different?