Low cost Data Logger

Any recommendations for a low cost, entry level data logger with good support? Not looking for a dash type system. Any recommendations on channels to monitor or any other information to be aware of?
Thanks.

A goPro pointed at the gauges, about as low cost as it gets. After that low cost is really not in the equation for data logging.

What he said ^^^^

I did this for years....Tough to read the gauges with it as the car and gauges have some vibration. You would have to put the camera rigth up to them, and even then, you may miss a spike or other quick change....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Znuo3jMUXTk

The next jump up, and one I have adopted is the Holley Stand Alone dash.....Not as easy to setup as I thought, but you can expand it to read anything you want to monitor. So far I like it.

I think the goPro is very usefule and cheap. Guess it depends on how your gauges are arranged. You kniow where the needles should be whne things are going well. In my case a GoPro worled well, but I also have a delay box to show RPM and a racepak but at one point the GoPro was it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73PrnH45uec&t=3s

I used an Innovate SSI-4 successfully for a while. The bad thing is you have to have the laptop in the car to do the "logging", but it's probably the cheapest way into it all.

https://www.innovatemotorsports.com/ssi-4-plus-4-channel-sensor-interface.html

This alone though really only gets you very simple inputs that maybe you already have like RPM, Trans brake release, or temps (if you're running electric sensors).


In the end it just depends what you're trying to read. Every sensor costs money, some more than others, some more valuable than others.

Are you trying to tune the engine, tune the suspension, etc... they all need different sensors, and will have different costs to get there in the end.


I personally think RPM, O2, Driveshaft Speed, and Acceleration (g-force) are probably the 4 most useful.

This video is with an iPhone. I have purchased a used GoPro 7 because it has the stabilization. Hopefully I can button up the new engine in the next week and be able to give it a try.

https://youtu.be/CXS3ksWzN-U

I have been wanting a low cost data logger myself, and have been using a camera aimed at my AFR, Tach, and other gauges with mixed results. I'm not as serious racer as you guys running every weekend, so I'm making the camera thing work.

I had an LM-2 setup to log O2, Pan Vac, Nitrous pressure, Nitrous fuel pressure and it worked pretty good. Lowdoller Motorsports has fairly low cost analog sensors for just about everything. We have 3 other cars using Computech DataMaxx loggers so I switched mine over. Their stuff is pretty reasonable and seems to work well.

We've been using Low Doller Motorsport sensors on our racepak, happy with them so far. They are a way cheaper alternative to the plug 'n play branded v-net sensor but have to be used via a universal serial module (USM). Some low doller sensors may need the calibration table inputting but as far as I can tell, the majority are like for like.
One advantage of data logging over a go-pro is you can overlay runs and see if your adjustment / tweak, has made any improvement to that particular parameter during the next pass and if it has helped 60ft / et / mph etc.
I would keep an eye out on the various racing websites as a lot of Data logging stuff comes up for sale and can be had cheaper than new but there's obviously the S/H caveat. I've found support for Racepak real good here in England, appears to be the most popular logging system used and the various websites / forums are pretty good too for help and info.

In my experience you can datalog a voltage relatively inexpensively. The cost goes up if you require interactive software to interpret the results. Recording a 0-5v datalog can be done on a multimeter. Many of them have bluetooth capabilities so the data can be exported and manipulated in excel.

I guess for discussion if you want a data logger what data is important to you? The main things I want to see are drive shaft RPM engine RPM, 02 sensors, oil pressure, fuel pressure, Exhaust temps are old school but can be valuable info. Next is the sampling rate, the higher the rate the higher the cost. And as mentioned in other posts the software that interprets the data. How friendly it is displayed so you can use and understand it.

I will say the lower dollar you try to go, the more tech savvy you need to be. LOL

I use a gopro Hero. (One of the older ones that look like a cube.) I put it in the middle of the cross bar on cage hoop. It shows gages good enough to know what is going on.

It actually saved me years ago when I realized my car was losing oil pressure on launch with the wheelies.

As far as the LM2 that was mentioned, I have one, but IMO they are a flakey piece of junk sometimes. I have never been able to get mine to work half the time, and never did get the RPM to record. If you get a good one you are lucky. I sure wasn't.

I have been considering dropping the cash on a Racepak Sportsman.

Need to log RPM and Wheel speed to get my suspension sorted out.

Yep, that is how I have full sequential EFI and can data log anything I want for less than the cost of some dataloggers. Had to do my research though! lol

GoPro isn't going to give you driveshaft speed, input shaft RPM in a stick car, Gs, or a bunch of other stuff, or be able to pick up glitches that a good logger will.

I've heard guys complain about the cost, until they get it in the car. Then it's worth every penny. How much money you spend running up and down the track trying to figure stuff out?

Not low cost but I run Racepak with numerous sensors. It can be worth every penny for many different reasons. One I can think of one of my buddies cars had an issue where the car would slow down .3-.4 periodically. I noticed one time looking at his nitrous pressures it was always off with one particular bottle. Tagged the bottle and set it off to the side. The problem went away.

If you buy second hand, just make sure you are not going to have to pay for software updates etc to use it. I bought a system many years ago, the Software update was worth half a new unit.

I am going to go down the ECU route for my own project. It will do the data logging I need, plus I can look at controlling the ignition etc with it.

It's amazing how fast you can pick up on things, and improve your race program with a data logger. There is no guessing, did it do this, or that? It's proved it's worth for a clutch car.

Agreed, I am data logging 23 different sensors on one of my cars. I am still learning how to use it all.... Lol.

Look for low cost out dated efi systems with on board data logging. You could easily find a sub 500 dollar system that would allow logging.

I think I am going to go that route on my car. I can't seem to keep the suspension happy with changing track conditions and I have wasted so much money the last few years going to TNT I could have bought one. I need to log wheel speed and see what the changes are doing instead of guessing.

Are there no computer geeks on here that made a DA out of an Arduino or Raspberry Pi?

I was wondering the same thing. Basic Data collection can't be very complicated.

https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-data-logger-shield/overview

I couldn't find a data rate. It looks like six analog inputs, but more digital inputs.