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Stack dash ?


Peter T

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The motec is loads better than the stack, user configurable display, three alternative display pages, gear indicator in the middle, you can use any sensor and set it up (I added gearbox temperature sensor for £7 one bored evening, not 'cos I needed it but because I could!).

 

Disadvantages are that the backlit option is a big price increase but standard on the stack, the base model is very highly specified so you can't start with a £700 display only then upgrade to logging as you go along, the base model motec was £2k when I got mine and more now I think but not anywhere near as much as £8k.

 

That price is probably top of the range, mulitple additional inputs and outputs, lambda logging, telemetry, 8Meg of logging etc. 8MB would log zillions of sensors for hours, useful for le mans perhaps but not necessary for anyone else. I've got the base model with 384k of memory and that logs all I have added (including lots of unnecessary ones) for over 8 mins, as the longest sprint I do is under 2 mins that's more than enough for me.

 

A couple of examples to show how versatile it is:

 

1 Rad fan used to be ECU controlled, on at 90 degC and off at 85 degC. I used to have to sit in the start queue with the engine running to warm the oil, by the time the oil was warm the water was up around 90 degC, too hot for optimum power. Now the fan is motec controlled and it is on when:

 

water above 60 degC AND speed less than 5mph AND brakes off for >5 secs OR

water above 90 degC

 

So in the queue the fan holds water at 60 degC while the oil warms up but I can turn it off to chat with someone by dabbing the brakes.

 

2 Motec looks at gear lever strain gauge and converts volts to kg force. There's a 3D look up table so that for each gear it produces a gear cut output at a set force and sends it to the ECU, ie:

 

never in neutral (so it doesn't stall when you select first gear at tickover)

at 3kg in first

at 2.5kg in second etc etc

 

You could just output the volts to the ECU but with the motec in the loop you can just play tunes with it.

 

3 For noise check the motec displays ........ oh no, best not go there.

 

Try doing anything remotely like that with a stack. It's not a bit of kit to add pose value to a road car but for a car used for serious competition it's a lovely bit of kit.

 

Edited by - Chelspeed on 2 Aug 2004 20:06:05

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Agree with the posts on the MXL, having used MyChron kit for years the software is excellent for road, track, rally, hillclimb and their products are very powerful. Value for money and functionality beats every thing on offer on the market by a significant margin.

 

With regards to customer service, I had a problem with my old MyChron 3's rpm cable. I assumed it was just a faulty sensor, however, after two emails to Aim (answered straight away) a pre-paid box arrived, I popped in the logger, it went off to Italy and a week later they sent it back fully operational. No cost.

 

The new MXL is a stunning piece of kit, and given the weak US dollar it can currently be ordered from there for a bargain price of £700. 8mb of memory, custom channels, full trackmapping, gear indicator (software/sensor driven), direct-to-ECU recording etc. etc.

 

The only possible reason I can see to buy a Stack is if you *have* to have an analogue gauge. Other than that, it's not even a question...

 

Graeme.

 

________________________________________________________

graeme finlayson / tyre warmer / fluke motorsport

graeme@fluke-motorsport.co.uk / www.fluke-motorsport.co.uk

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"That price is probably top of the range"

 

when i looked at it it came out at about 5-6k to match the spec of the mychron

 

teh mychron has 8mb and it will only record about 4 hours of all inputs so i reckon you need that sort of amount for races and trackdays. 1mb is just a joke and the thing is if you want 8mb you have to pay for all the other memory upgrades in between... so thats several thousand quid for a few Mb... teh dearest memory money can by i would have thought !

 

 

 

Motec ADL beacon transmitter 1000 channel £325.00

Motec ADL beacon receiver £245.00

Motec ADL 4 dash logger with backlight £3150.00

Advanced & Logging (PRO) ECU upgrade £250.00

1Mb Logging memory upgrade £150.00

4Mb Logging memory upgrade £700.00

Motec ADL 8 Mbyte logging memory (4 to 8 upgrade) £400.00

 

ok thats well over 5k and an adl specced to that level is still not as powerful as an MXL pro especially as it still does not have GPS logging and the facility to look at your lines on track maps

 

 

having said that, it looks amazing ... the baclight of the MXL and the style of the lettering is not quite the same

 

 

(prices from http://www.9mracing.co.uk/html/modules.php?name=Shop&op=modload&file=index)

 

 

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Its easy to compare the number of inputs, size of the memory etc, but one of the most important points with this type of kit (ECUs and loggers etc) is the software and help/experience available. Obvious I know, but wasnt mentioned.

 

If I had the money Id got for Motec, but the AIM stuff is more within my means.

 

Has anyone used the AIM/MXL kit to interface with the MBE? Id be interested to hear any feedback.

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I quite agree Adam, also looking at a product that will be future proof, i would not want it going out of date in a few years and finding that it cannot be upgraded and also would be worthless second hand. I suppose that 2nd hand Motec stuff goes quicker than sh*t of a shovel, as i rarely see any products. *cool*

 

Support the 7 Society...... Ehhh?

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For track days I can see you might think you want hours of logging but when would you ever get the time to review it?

 

I do sprints with a maximum duration of about two minutes per run and download after every run so 384k is about 4 times more memory than I would ever need. I don't sprint at night so don't have the backlight. Not sure what the Advanced & Logging (PRO) ECU upgrade is but pretty sure I don't have it or miss it. I also use my old stack beacon and receiver so didn't have to buy that from motec either. I guess that's why mine was only (!) £2k.

 

Whats really galling is that all of these upgrades are user upgrades, you just buy a password. So I already have the 8M of memory, multiple inpouts and outputs, telemetry etc etc built into the box, just can't access it. How annoying is that?

 

Horses for courses I guess.

 

Edited by - Chelspeed on 4 Aug 2004 09:42:02

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Chelspeed,

 

I'm not defending Stacks prices but it shouldn't be hard to accept that software development costs money. If there was no password who would send them a cheque once they started using the extra functionality? And If no-one bothered to pay, why should they make it?

 

It's in human nature to want something physical for the extra cash, but it just doesn't work that way sometimes.

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Ok guys, i see both your arguements regarding functions and cost.

I dont need hours of data logging, just want a good easy to read functional dash that can be upgraded when i need it to be. *thumbup*

 

Support the 7 Society...... Ehhh?

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