GPS Options for ADL - Not ADL2

[mwiener]

I saw that Motec released a GPS module for the ADL2, but the ADL is not listed as a supported device for the GPS sensor. Are there other options to use an ADL with a GPS? Would you have to upgrade the ADL to an ADL2 to get GPS capabilities?

What software would you use to get a track map? My guess is you can get a GPS to log the information, but there is no option to integrate the track map data with the graphed data like I have seen with other data loggers.

I am interested in track map and MPH features. Application is for boat racing.

Any information would be appreciated.

Mike.

[jurgen]

Hello

I used schortly a garmin gps5 on a adl. I had course over ground and speed. I didn't do anything with track mapping.
I ysed rs232 comms.

I'm planning to do some further test.

Let you know

Send me your e mail on pm

regards

Jurgen

[RossB]

GPS track mapping can not be done on an ADL, you will need to upgrade to ADL2 to do this and use the latest version of i2 for analysis.

[mwiener]

just for the sake of argument, are there any trade up programs to move from an ADL to ADL2? Are ADLs connector and pin compatible with an ADL2?

Competing solutions ( complete with all sensors and software ) are available for considerably less than a rip and replace of the ADL to an ADL2 based on what I have seen. I have used the competing solution extensively over the last 5 races and it works well. Very well.

I will not post the competitor out of respect for your site.

We were promised GPS capabilities when we bought the ADL 5 years ago, but the feature was never made available. Now I am in a position where it is no longer nice to have, but a must have. I am trying to justify the continued investment in Motec at this point.

Any help would be appreciated.

Mike.

[RossB]

MoTeC do not have a trade-in system for older units but the older ADLs do sell well and seem to attract good prices on the second-hand market. Changing to an ADL2 would not require any wiring changes although you would probably want to add a USB connection for faster data download. Another less costly alternative could be an SDL, this would depend on what you have connected to your ADL. The SDL, if suitable, would not require changes to the wiring but would need a different connector.

I do not know what you were promised 5 years ago but the availability of high frequency GPS at reasonable cost has meant that we can do a lot more with GPS now than we would have thought possible then. I understand your frustration at having a product that has not got the capability of what is currently available but unfortunately we can not always anticipate the advances that are possible and some features can not be made to work with older hardware.

There are, of course, other products available that have GPS functionality but these will not have the features and level of configurability and functionality that you would have with an ADL2. I would recommend that you have a chat with your MoTeC dealer and discuss the options available.

[jurgen]

Dont change to anything else, you will be dissapointed, i'm sure!!!

[JamieA]

To add a little more to this question, the main problem is resolution. You need very long numbers to deal with GPS lat and long if you are to get an accurate position indication for track mapping and beacons. Special software was written for the ADL2 to allow it to read long numbers from a GPS for this purpose. Reading long numbers cannot be done in an ADL.

[Robin Poenisch]

I have GPS running with an old ADL! ADL is configured to receive the lat/long data splitted to deg/min/sec in different channels. These channels then are reassembled together to one lat and one long channel in i2Pro. Trackmap is no problem then.
I use a very old GPS mouse for PC purposes with the ADL, just 1Hz update rate and not the best accuracy. But resolution of the logged data is even though normaly better than 3 meters. Google Earth export shows good conformity with the roads i drove

[mwiener]

Robin,

That is the kind of creative response I am looking for. It makes sense to put it into 6 channels 3 lat 3 long. I have lots of available channels, so that will not be a problem. I think I need to dig in a little more on the data returned by a GPS to fully understand how I might be able to get this to work. What is the interface to the ADL? Did you use RS232 or did you use digital inputs? If you used RS232, how did you break up the minutes degrees and seconds?

Did you then create a mathematical channel to combine minutes degrees seconds into a long number for I2? I have never used I2, so I am not sure if it is like the interpreter software and just adds mapping capabilities, or is it a separate application that reads the same log file, and draws the map?

I think the accuracy level you are talking about would also work for me. I would like it to be more detailed, but I can't justify the cost to make it more detailed.

Motec, this is an opportunity for you to integrate GPS into the ADL customer base, admittedly with a lower resolution, and provide some investment protection for those that have ADLs that are working for their needs.

I would rather buy it from Motec than do all the engineering myself, but I am capable if that’s my only choice. At least now I have something to work with my dealer on other than a rip and replace discussion.

Thanks Robin, great info.

Mike.

[Robin Poenisch]

I receive GPS data over RS232. The lat/long data is splitted in the RS232-receive-template.

i2 is a modern version of interpreter with some additional features.
The splitted lat/long data is combined to one lat and one long channel by maths channels with i2Pro. I think with i2Standard it should work as well.
If i find a free minute, i will post my configs or some screenshots of it...

The "poor" accuracy of my system results of the bad GPS receiver, i think with a good receiver it will be much better.