| Document Number | CTN0003 | ||
| Title | Basic GPS Beacon Setup with MoTeC's Dash Loggers | ||
| Approved By | JA | ||
| Revision | Date | Prepared By | Change History |
| 1.0 | 23/09/2009 | OFK | |
| 1.1 | 25/09/2009 | AW | Corrections in the GPS Co-ordinates table |
| 1.2 | 16/04/2013 | YK | Automatic GPS Beacon (automatic venue detection) |
| 1.3 | 06/02/2026 | SD | New Format |
Introduction
This document describes the procedure to set up or change the GPS Lap Beacons in your MoTeC Dash Logger (e.g. SDL, ADL2).
The MoTeC Dash Manager software can place a lap beacon at a definable location for automatic lap time generation.
In addition to the start/finish beacon, the GPS can produce of up to 4 split beacons, enabling the racer to split up the track for accurate split times.
You only need to set up your beacon points once per venue. The location will be saved within the venue file on your PC. When you go back to a track, all you need to do is load the venue file of the track you are racing at and send it to the Dash Logger.
Below are instructions on how to do this.
Scope
GPS Lap Beacons work with all MoTeC Dash Loggers (except for the first generation of ADLs). It requires a GPS receiver that transmits data via RS232 (NMEA messages RMC and GGA) at a minimum of 5 Hz.
Vehicle Speed Trigger
Vehicle speed must be above 20kmh to trigger a GPS beacon.
Details Confirmation
During sending or receiving configuration and/or log files; the event, venue and vehicle details can be confirmed. The trigger for enabling this confirmation is set by selecting the appropriate options in the Details Confirmation tab in the Options menu.
GPS Lap Beacon Setup
Note
These setup instructions do not include functionality available in the latest Dash Manger versions, see New functionality – Automatic GPS Beacon selection below for information on this new functionality.
1. Connect the communications cable from your laptop to the Dash Logger (UTC, USB or Ethernet).
2. Turn on power to the Dash Logger.
3. Open your Dash Manager software.
4. On the Online menu, click Get Configuration and then click OK in any of the boxes that may pop up.
5. On the File menu, click Edit Details
6. Click the Venue tab and then click Select
7. Choose the race track that you are going to and click Open.
Select Venue file screen
If the track does not exist in the list, click Cancel
In the Details Editor, click New, enter a Venue Name and click OK.
It is good practice to fill in the other venue details, but this is not required for GPS Lap Beacons.
In the Venue Type box, ensure you select Loop or Cross Over if you are on a closed circuit.
New Venue screen
8. You should now check if you already have set your beacon coordinates for this track. To check the GPS Coordinates or add new ones click GPS Coordinates.
9. If the correct Latitude and Longitude numbers and a Start and Stop name are in the table, you have already setup your beacon positions. (see list of GPS coordinates of beacon positions below). Click OK and continue at the next step.
GPS coordinates Editor screen
If the numbers in the table are wrong, click on the Start/Stop row in the table, then click Edit to enter the correct latitude and longitude coordinates for the beacon.
If the numbers in the table are blank, click Add to enter the correct latitude and longitude coordinates for the beacon.
GPS Coordinates screen
If your track does not exist in this list see the Determining a beacon position topic below.
10. Once you have added the Latitude and Longitude Coordinates, click OK on the GPS Coordinates window, and then click OK on the GPS Coordinates Editor window to accept the changes into the venue file.
11. Click OK to get back to the main MoTeC Dash Manager window.
12. On the Online menu, click Send Configuration.
You are now ready for GPS Lap Timing.
Determining a Beacon Position
If you do not know the beacon position for your track, and it is not in the list above, one way to find the GPS latitude and longitude is to go to Google Earth.
1. Search for your race track and put your cursor on the start finish line.
2. Read the lat and long values from the bottom line of the display (see picture of Sepang race track below).
These lat and long values can be a little out, compared to measured GPS positions. Ensure that you use a beacon detection radius of 30 meters or more when you first go to the track.
After you have done a few laps of the track, you can use your logged GPS data to improve the accuracy of your position. Ensure you have logged the longitude and latitude channels.
Using MoTeC's i2 data analysis software, you should determine the position of the start finish line, and then send these values to the dash, as described above.
New functionality – Automatic GPS Beacon selection
Starting from Dash Manager version v5.31, v4.31 and v1.31 for ADL3, SDL3 and CDL3 respectively there is new functionality that allows automatic GPS Beacon selection.
This new functionality is described below.
New Details Editor window
The new details editor is similar to the following example.
Selecting the Manage Venues button opens the Venue Manager window where venues can be added (new venue file), imported (existing venue files), edited or removed, an example of the Venue Manager window is shown below.
Notes on the new functionality
• When a configuration file is sent to the Dash, all the venues (in the Venue Manager) are also uploaded to the Dash.
• When a vehicle drives past a start/stop coordinate of a venue contained in the Venue Manager’s list, the beacon is automatically triggered (if the GPS beacon type is selected).
The beacon will be triggered regardless of what Default Venue is selected in the Details Editor.
For example, if venue A with GPS coordinates Xa Ya is selected as the Default Venue and the vehicle actually drives past coordinates Xb Yb, which are associated with venue B, the Lap Beacon will automatically trigger and log the event as at venue B.
Consequently, when the log file is downloaded, venue B will appear in the log (even if Default Venue was venue A).
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