Device for measuring G-forces?

Joko
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Edited Date/Time 5/20/2023 11:04am

Is there an accurate device to measure G-forces on the track? Which is more accurate? Go-Pro, Lit-Pro, Crossbox or another brand capable? 

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soggy
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5/20/2023 10:42am

A stark varg. 

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Falcon
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5/20/2023 12:35pm

Use your phone. There's an app for that. (Many, actually.)

Joko
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5/20/2023 2:10pm Edited Date/Time 5/20/2023 2:18pm
Falcon wrote:

Use your phone. There's an app for that. (Many, actually.)

I only see a couple for acceleration in the Apple App Store, do you know of any specific ones? Where would the phone be mounted without damaging it? I’d think vibration would degrade it without proper isolation? 
 

The Shop

forensic
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5/20/2023 2:48pm

For GPS-based g’s I use a VBOX. For DAQ you can get IMUs rather cheap but mounted to the bike you get a very noisy signal from vibrations that you have to filter out afterwards. 
GoPros record data from the accelerometers along with the video. You can access it using free online services. I just used it to measure cornering G’s in a car and it was pretty good. 
What situation are you measuring? 

Falcon
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5/20/2023 3:28pm
Falcon wrote:

Use your phone. There's an app for that. (Many, actually.)

Joko wrote:
I only see a couple for acceleration in the Apple App Store, do you know of any specific ones? Where would the phone be mounted without...

I only see a couple for acceleration in the Apple App Store, do you know of any specific ones? Where would the phone be mounted without damaging it? I’d think vibration would degrade it without proper isolation? 
 

I did a quick Google search and saw a bunch. I don't have a particular recommendation, though. 

Joko
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5/20/2023 3:39pm
forensic wrote:
For GPS-based g’s I use a VBOX. For DAQ you can get IMUs rather cheap but mounted to the bike you get a very noisy signal from...

For GPS-based g’s I use a VBOX. For DAQ you can get IMUs rather cheap but mounted to the bike you get a very noisy signal from vibrations that you have to filter out afterwards. 
GoPros record data from the accelerometers along with the video. You can access it using free online services. I just used it to measure cornering G’s in a car and it was pretty good. 
What situation are you measuring? 

Looking to measure g-out locations on various mx tracks; jumps, corner apex, rollers, etc. 

forensic
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5/20/2023 4:32pm

Cool. GPS is very simple to collect but has limitations. You will collect gps-derived accelerations of the receiver in world coordinates, this may not represent what the bike or overall cg is experiencing. Onboard DAQ you can have an IMU near the cg and measurements will be vehicle coordinates. I guess depends if you are looking for hobby or research grade. There is a new VBOX out now for $900 that collects GPS, video, and has analog/ CAN inputs. 

BobbyMyers
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5/21/2023 8:51am
Falcon wrote:

Use your phone. There's an app for that. (Many, actually.)

Accelerometer..we compared $50K laboratory units to several free apps available at the store. No noticeable difference...none. We still purchased the expensive unit.

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kNewc
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5/22/2023 5:26am

jlang13 has tested these devices and can tell you best! Reach out to him, he has recently purchased all 3 of those device, hopefully he chimes in here as well.

mxtech1
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5/22/2023 12:49pm

If you're using a GoPro, you need to make sure the model you're using has both GPS & accelerometer/gyro telemetry. Some cameras have both, some have one & not the other, & some have neither. 

 

The SkyPro XGPS160 (LitPro) receivers are pretty good and the LitPro software is very easy to use, but I believe the software is calculating g-forces rather then measuring it with an onboard accelerometer/gyro. I personally use this setup & it's easy to toggle data view to g-forces, but if I am remembering correctly g-forces are mostly only shown in corners & accel/decel zones and not on jumps.

 

If you went the RaceLogic route, you could use the VBOX Sport, but the lat/long accelerations are calculated in the post-processing software rather than an actual force measurement. You could use the IMU04 inertial sensor, but then you have to figure out how to tie it into a DAQ device w/ GPS. Gets somewhat complicated in a hurry.

 

From a plug-and-play perspective, the AiM Solo 2 DL would be the easiest route to go. It has onboard data logging and the 3-axis accelerometer, gyro, & magnetometer all tie directly to the GPS signal. The data works with their Race Studio software which is pretty user friendly, yet also very sophisticated. 

slowgti
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5/22/2023 1:34pm
mxtech1 wrote:
If you're using a GoPro, you need to make sure the model you're using has both GPS & accelerometer/gyro telemetry. Some cameras have both, some have...

If you're using a GoPro, you need to make sure the model you're using has both GPS & accelerometer/gyro telemetry. Some cameras have both, some have one & not the other, & some have neither. 

 

The SkyPro XGPS160 (LitPro) receivers are pretty good and the LitPro software is very easy to use, but I believe the software is calculating g-forces rather then measuring it with an onboard accelerometer/gyro. I personally use this setup & it's easy to toggle data view to g-forces, but if I am remembering correctly g-forces are mostly only shown in corners & accel/decel zones and not on jumps.

 

If you went the RaceLogic route, you could use the VBOX Sport, but the lat/long accelerations are calculated in the post-processing software rather than an actual force measurement. You could use the IMU04 inertial sensor, but then you have to figure out how to tie it into a DAQ device w/ GPS. Gets somewhat complicated in a hurry.

 

From a plug-and-play perspective, the AiM Solo 2 DL would be the easiest route to go. It has onboard data logging and the 3-axis accelerometer, gyro, & magnetometer all tie directly to the GPS signal. The data works with their Race Studio software which is pretty user friendly, yet also very sophisticated. 

It wouldn’t be too hard, they’re all pretty simple devices to wire and mount. Just write some can messages to the logger and feed it 12v and 0v. 
 

This IMU works very well too: 

https://www.izzeracing.com/products/6-DOF-CAN-Inertial-Measurement-Unit…

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