Topic: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

How cool would it be if we could access the main scoring computer from one's own laptop in the pits using 802.11?  I got the OK from Jay to research that idea.   I think having live scoring broadcast to the pits would add some content to the race.  I know there is a wealth in information in this group of racers/computer freaks.   So, who knows what hardware we can use to this end?  I figure we need about 1000 feet of range.  Also,  we're on our own (donations) when it comes to aquiring the hardware.  If it works out, I think each region will have to supply the transmitter as we can't expect  Jay to pack one to each race.  The output from the scoring computer will be vga.  That's it...vga to 802.11...1000ft!  Shouldn't be that hard or expensive.

sawinatthewheel...sometimes too much, sometimes not enough...just like life

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

Oh how sweet would that be!!!  Or, we can do it a simpler way and just have 3 or 4 monitors set up in areas around the 'pits' being fed info relayed from T&S.  That may be a little cheaper, eh?  Plus wouldn't Jay be able to tote just three extra monitors around??  hhmmm....
None the less, I'd love to see live T&S on my laptop while I'm studying live telemetry of our LeMon.  smile

We are the people your parents warned you about.

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

$169
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a … 6833127164
Indoors:
98ft (30m) @ 54Mbps
112ft (34m) @ 48Mbps
128ft (39m) @ 36Mbps
154ft (47m) @ 24Mbps
184ft (56m) @ 18Mbps
217ft (66m) @ 12Mbps
259ft (79m) @ 9Mbps
325ft (99m) @ 6Mbps
Outdoors:
367ft (112m) @ 54Mbps
820ft (250m) @ 18Mbps
1640ft (500m) @ 6Mbps

so i guess it all depends on what speed you think is acceptable

arse-sweat-apalosa thunderhill 2011 : team killer zomBee!

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

Tajracing45 wrote:

None the less, I'd love to see live T&S on my laptop while I'm studying live telemetry of our LeMon.  smile

Live telemetry? How the hell are you doing that? Please share, I'd love to see how this works. I'm such a dork...

Pat Mulry, TARP Racing #67

Mandatory disclaimer: all opinions expressed are mine alone & not those of 24HOL, its mgmt, sponsors, etc.

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

Mulry wrote:
Tajracing45 wrote:

None the less, I'd love to see live T&S on my laptop while I'm studying live telemetry of our LeMon.  smile

Live telemetry? How the hell are you doing that? Please share, I'd love to see how this works. I'm such a dork...

if your an iphoner....

http://apps.libertyforone.com/g-tac/g-tac-pro

arse-sweat-apalosa thunderhill 2011 : team killer zomBee!

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

jerjozwik wrote:

if your an iphoner....

http://apps.libertyforone.com/g-tac/g-tac-pro

...or just a complete knucklehead dork with too much time on his hands like me, build your own...

http://www.ianwood.com/news/story.asp?sid=36

http://www.ianwood.com/images/db/medium/cm-003.jpg

The Sharks
Home of the E28 Turbo Tuner Fish and the Hammered Head 944 Turbo

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

i remember seeing that! it is very nice.

i wish i knew some coders to make an application that uses my phones gps and acc to log this crap

arse-sweat-apalosa thunderhill 2011 : team killer zomBee!

8 (edited by maxslug 2009-07-17 02:14 PM)

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

Hmm offhand here's how I would do it :
1. Wireless Access Point (as above) w/ external antenna(s) - $200ish
2. VGA to USB capture adapter - $100ish?
3. Multicast streaming software (http://www.videolan.org/) - Free
4. Laptop
5. VGA Splitter (if there is only one feed and we need to tap off of it )

Everyone would point their computers to the wireless and then tune windows media player (or equivalent) to the multicast address setup in #3.     Multicast means that you send out one signal and everyone listens to it (like a PA system) instead of everyone making separate connections to the computer and bogging it down.

Big questions would be :
A.  Can a bunch of racers figure out how to connect to the WAP and Streaming server
B.  Will the VGA adapter work w/ the streaming software
C.  Would it actually last the whole race w/out breaking

For extra geek points you may be able to use the computer as the wireless access point.
-m

Team Boxwrench Garage #916 - The OG Saab Team

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

jerjozwik wrote:

i remember seeing that! it is very nice.

i wish i knew some coders to make an application that uses my phones gps and acc to log this crap

Workin' on it!

The Sharks
Home of the E28 Turbo Tuner Fish and the Hammered Head 944 Turbo

10 (edited by Mulry 2009-07-17 04:25 PM)

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

maxslug wrote:

Big questions would be :
A.  Can a bunch of racers figure out how to connect to the WAP and Streaming server
B.  Will the VGA adapter work w/ the streaming software
C.  Would it actually last the whole race w/out breaking

For extra geek points you may be able to use the computer as the wireless access point.
-m

I think that the answers go like this:

1. I suspect that LeMonsers are on average geekier than the average racer. The connection setup on this shouldn't be too complicated and we should be able to get it down to a one-page setup that we could hand out on Friday or even get to Jay and crew to insert into the packet they hand out at sign-in. Any change (like IP address or stuff like that) could be mounted on a whiteboard at the track.
2. There's only one way to find out
3. Ditto 2.

I might have an extra WAP sitting around in the attic, but if not then shouldn't a -g spec one from eBay work just fine? Plenty of those in the $30 range. No reason to buy a new one for this, although weatherproofing it might not be the worst idea. Ziploc gallon-size bag to the rescue smile

I wonder if the VGA-to-USB solution is optimal. Although I haven't seen the T&S monitor during a race, given the number of teams involved, are all teams T&S data displayed on one screen simultaneously?

Pat Mulry, TARP Racing #67

Mandatory disclaimer: all opinions expressed are mine alone & not those of 24HOL, its mgmt, sponsors, etc.

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

Mulry wrote:

1. I suspect that LeMonsers are on average geekier than the average racer.

Oh hell yes, especially at the West Coast events; my day job is in the software industry and I can smell the extreme geekness on many of the teams. Plenty of high-level tech industry types in those Lemons; were a huge meteor to come screaming down onto Buttonwillow during the race and wipe out everyone there, half the companies in Silicon Valley would probably go bankrupt the next week.

Oh wait, they're already going bankrupt. Never mind!

12 (edited by Mulry 2009-07-17 04:33 PM)

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

SharkBait wrote:

...or just a complete knucklehead dork with too much time on his hands like me, build your own...

http://www.ianwood.com/news/story.asp?sid=36

http://www.ianwood.com/images/db/medium/cm-003.jpg

Dude, that is awesome. Freaking spectacular. I wish I had the chops to pull off something like that. Please tell me that you work in this field and aren't just, like a law-talkin' dude with extra time on his hands. smile

Pat Mulry, TARP Racing #67

Mandatory disclaimer: all opinions expressed are mine alone & not those of 24HOL, its mgmt, sponsors, etc.

13 (edited by sawinatthewheel 2009-07-18 07:30 AM)

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

Stupid me....I should have gone to AMB first....Those good folks are way ahead of us...They sell a program called 'My Laps Monitor' (My Laps webpage) that everyone loads on their laptop.  Then all we have to do is a hang a router on the main scoring computer and that 'should' do it.  At least that's what AMB has told me.  The program isn't cheap at $300.  We are a West Coast team and are willing to buy the program and share it with everyone.  Just come by our pits and we'll load'er up.  As far as the router goes, I'm going to find out what other tracks use before we purchase one.  I hope to have all of this together by BW.  I think everyone already knows the value of live scoring...maybe we can make these races more competitive...the winner of the last race was 32 laps ahead????wtf!   So, all you West Coasters come by Miss Lipstick Piggy's pit and we'll git'er done.

sawinatthewheel...sometimes too much, sometimes not enough...just like life

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

Mulry wrote:

Dude, that is awesome. Freaking spectacular. I wish I had the chops to pull off something like that. Please tell me that you work in this field and aren't just, like a law-talkin' dude with extra time on his hands. smile

Like my team in Lemons, it's an idea that just ran amok! I work in tech though so its not a big departure from my day to day. We ran it at Reno for the first time and came up with some pretty useful data afterwards. Still, lots of bugs and tweaks to work out though. Here's a screenshot of one of my laps:

http://www.ianwood.com/images/db/medium/reno-lap-iw-2.jpg

The Sharks
Home of the E28 Turbo Tuner Fish and the Hammered Head 944 Turbo

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

sawinatthewheel wrote:

Stupid me....I should have gone to AMB first....Those good folks are way ahead of us...They sell a program called 'My Laps Monitor' (My Laps webpage) that everyone loads on their laptop.  Then all we have to do is a hang a router on the main scoring computer and that 'should' do it.  At least that's what AMB has told me.  The program isn't cheap at $300.

CMP is only 8 weeks away!  This sound like a great idea.  I can't swing $300 EXTRA dollars for this but I'd definitely contribute to a group fund for this "project".  Can we get 30 or so teams who'll be at CMP on board with this?

Mike
Lab Rats Motorsports
1988 Mitsubishi/Dodge/Fiat Colt Carpocalypse Edition

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

For all you guys that have G Phones just get the Track Master app for a whopping $4.99 and you get a full lap timer and data recorder. I have used it for about 5 months now and it works great you just have to setup your track via Google maps and set your data points and it does the rest. It even sends a tweet (via Twitter)on every lap completed so whoever is signed on to your Twitter watch can see every lap. They have just upgraded the app to include setup info from shock settings to brake pad compound and alignment settings. You can also e-mail your data ether in a XL spread sheet or a google maps file to anybody.

Pendejo Maximo

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

Calling all geeks!
There is a small problem with adding a router to the scoring computer used in some of the west coast races..."CSRG installed an instant msg program on the system which utilizes the IP address.  If I try to connect to the 10BaseT connection I get a system unavailabale msg and told to contact my system administrator.  I don't know how to override this message".  And...of the instant msg program..."its not turned on right now but I still cannot access the IP.  I don't know how to enable the port."
We need help sorting this and our chief scoring man Bob doesn't want to go to the system admin.  Thanks

sawinatthewheel...sometimes too much, sometimes not enough...just like life

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

Great News....Buttonwillow will have wireless live scoring available in the pits.  Also, there is a scoring monitor in the lunch room.  Bring your internet accessable laptop.

My last post has more to do with Thunderhill...and not BW. We still need help.

For Captain Rat...I suggest you contact Jay and ask him for a contact at CMP.  He is very enthusiastic about live scoring.  You need to talk to the T&S folks at CMP.  One, do they have the pits wired for wifi? and two, if they don't, will they allow you to install a router on their scoring computer. and three, everyone will need a monitor program.  One copy and share. and four, let me know how it went.

sawinatthewheel...sometimes too much, sometimes not enough...just like life

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

sawinatthewheel wrote:

For Captain Rat...I suggest you contact Jay and ask him for a contact at CMP.  He is very enthusiastic about live scoring.  You need to talk to the T&S folks at CMP.  One, do they have the pits wired for wifi? and two, if they don't, will they allow you to install a router on their scoring computer. and three, everyone will need a monitor program.  One copy and share. and four, let me know how it went.

CMP does have wifi, used it last time for live race updates to our website.  But I guess I'll have to get with Jay and CMP about the details.  Still need people to share the cost of the program though!

Mike
Lab Rats Motorsports
1988 Mitsubishi/Dodge/Fiat Colt Carpocalypse Edition

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

We did text-message-based live scoring at the last Texas race which seemed to work pretty well. Working on implementing it at BW....

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

I just got my greasy little hands on the 'my laps monitor' manual.  Here are the system requirements: IBM compatible Pentium III or better (600mhz), 128 memory, 10MB hard drive, CD-Rom player, network connection, Windows 2000, XP home or pro.  That 's it...For Buttonwillow...come by Miss Piggy's (#16) pit and one of her littermates will load it for you.  Boss Hogg

sawinatthewheel...sometimes too much, sometimes not enough...just like life

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

Sawinatthewheel, did you have to call AMB to get this software?  I was over at their site and I couldn't find a "buy" button anywhere.

Mike
Lab Rats Motorsports
1988 Mitsubishi/Dodge/Fiat Colt Carpocalypse Edition

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

Yes, I had to call...Balton at ext. 313 or any salesman.

sawinatthewheel...sometimes too much, sometimes not enough...just like life

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

Pendejo wrote:

For all you guys that have G Phones just get the Track Master app for a whopping $4.99 and you get a full lap timer and data recorder. I have used it for about 5 months now and it works great you just have to setup your track via Google maps and set your data points and it does the rest. It even sends a tweet (via Twitter)on every lap completed so whoever is signed on to your Twitter watch can see every lap. They have just upgraded the app to include setup info from shock settings to brake pad compound and alignment settings. You can also e-mail your data ether in a XL spread sheet or a google maps file to anybody.

Pendejo Maximo

Bingo!  I ran this for our car in reno to try it out.  You don't need to setup your data points though on Google Maps.  Simply, put a marker on the start/finish line, and it will bebuild the rest when it triggers off of it.

It's a little lagging with a 1-2 second sample rate, and there's only GPRS signal in Buttho... willow, so the data won't be 100%

yeah, v 1.4 is crazy-- not bad for 5 bucks.  I have a 2nd G1, might set it up as a spare data collector.

Re: wireless scoring to everyone's laptop

sawinatthewheel wrote:

Stupid me....I should have gone to AMB first....Those good folks are way ahead of us...They sell a program called 'My Laps Monitor' (My Laps webpage) that everyone loads on their laptop.  Then all we have to do is a hang a router on the main scoring computer and that 'should' do it.  At least that's what AMB has told me.  The program isn't cheap at $300.  We are a West Coast team and are willing to buy the program and share it with everyone.  Just come by our pits and we'll load'er up.  As far as the router goes, I'm going to find out what other tracks use before we purchase one.  I hope to have all of this together by BW.  I think everyone already knows the value of live scoring...maybe we can make these races more competitive...the winner of the last race was 32 laps ahead????wtf!   So, all you West Coasters come by Miss Lipstick Piggy's pit and we'll git'er done.

So... did you guys run this at Buttonwillow? If so, how did it work? I'd love to make this happen at NL and MSR-Houston.

Pat Mulry, TARP Racing #67

Mandatory disclaimer: all opinions expressed are mine alone & not those of 24HOL, its mgmt, sponsors, etc.