A Double and Three Halves

[chris68nufc]

Sunny in Morpeth!! No update. Dont think Rob is doing himself any favours with this thread. I think hes lying and hes got nothing new to tell

[bbkRob]

Sorry fellas, last Saturday I was up at 6am so today I sorta compensated.

There is always someone worse off than yourself, those poor souls on RaceChat won't get anything 'cos poor Harry got chopped on there yesterday!

I can't do much about.

Today I'm going to talk about the other bit of the system, the Decoder and reveal why Harry was not just a name I made up on the spur of the moment yesterday.

Harry is short for Harry the Hybrid. Hybrid means it will work on any AMB/Mylaps RC Decoder. That is the 2002 Red Box (RC2) decoder and the 2006 Buttons and Screen (RC3) one. The original RC1 Decoders were upgraded to RC2 by a factory update that enabled the USB port back in 2002. There is also a new RC4 Decoder. The RC4 looks like the RC3 but it has some new features.

Yesterday I mentioned the voltage and temperature data that is sent by Harry. You will need an RC4 Decoder to get this and of course some new race software. Or will you? Maybe not.

Since the introduction of the RC3 Decoder there has been the option to send passing data direct from the decoder to the Mylaps.com web site, provided the decoder was hooked up the internet. This connectivity is not uncommon in Europe, as is mains power and covered pits. It is not so common in the UK, so as a feature it did not make the headlines. With an RC4 Decoder hooked up to the internet, maybe via a Mobile Data Dongle, you will have access to that data via the internet, even if you are using non updated race software.

So, do all the clubs need to rush out and buy the RC4 Decoder? No, if you have an RC3 Decoder then it is able to take a free firmware update that can be downloaded. If you have an RC2 Decoder, then there is a trade in program that has been running about a year now to upgrade to an RC3. I'm waiting for details of what I can do in the UK to avoid you having to ship your RC2 Decoder back to the Netherlands. I'm also trying to short circuit the firmware upgrade as well, to provide support. Please don't bombard me with requests for details, there is a process that has to be gone through before that can happen. I'll be making sure the process is well publicised.

Introducing Harry

Between next weekend and the end of the year I'm tasked with managing the introduction of Harry to the UK. What that means is I will be visiting as many RC races to offer the drivers the opportunity to get a Harry. I'll hook up an RC4 Decoder, independently of the Decoder and race Software being used and stream the passing data back to Mylaps in order that they can get lots of data prior to the worldwide launch. Rest assured Harry has been through a lot of testing already and is a production unit. Some of you may remember that back in 2000/2001 I did a similar thing with Harry's predecessor prior to it's product launch.

If you have a race meeting that you think might be suitable please send me an email rather than a PM.

Just to complete the picture, the RC4 Decoder has more sensitive signal detection. The RC3 decoder was more sensitive than the RC2 so this is not that surprising. There is also a feature known as a Ping Box that will allow track temperature to be monitored and also test the loop. This ties in with the other features that allow the loop to be active 24/7 with internet based passing data, so you can test at a track any time. As I mentioned this augments the way some tracks operate.

So, today you found out that Harry is a Mylaps product that is backwards compatible with your existing RC decoders. The new data features can be available free if you have an RC3 Decoder and there is a trade in available if you have an RC2 Decoder. You might also realise why I have to tell you all about it before I can tell you all about it, so I can get it introduced in the UK before the rest of the world get it next year.

Got to go now, tomorrow I'll tackle the main moan about Harry's predecessor, it's price.

[bbkRob]

It's a nice day in Newmarket as well! I should be out there already!

[MatJohnson]

You know the old saying "If you have to ask, you can't afford it" anyone else thinking this is an example of that?

From a technical point of view, its sounds really interesting, will be good to see it working sometime.

[Chequered Flag Racing]

Originally Posted by bbkRob

If you have a race meeting that you think might be suitable please send me an email rather than a PM.

I have

[showtime]

i can't understand all the negativity

its newer, smaller, lighter, more efficient & should be better as it sends its code twice as often! add this to the fact that it will be able to indicate potential runaways to race control ( obviously more important in nitro racing) then it all sounds like a very good idea

Rob i'd be more than happy to help you test them & i hope it all goes well
we'll all be using them this time next year anyway

[mikeyscott]

If it's a better product then I'd get one. Price doesn't come into it, if you can't afford it stick with whatever you have.

[Col]

All sounds very good, technical and clever. But to be perfectly blunt is there realy a market for this (especially the decoder)? Presumably the majority of sales ill go to clubs (such as mine - York) who manage more than fine with what we have already. Although I've heard we might be looking for another to use at RHR...
I know I for one have not had a problem with my PT and have no interest in temps, etc...

Good luck anyway!

[mark christopher]

i have 4 pts all cloned, so unless it can be ordered with a my number, its not a move forward for me or anyone with the same

[mikeyscott]

Originally Posted by mark christopher

i have 4 pts all cloned, so unless it can be ordered with a my number, its not a move forward for me or anyone with the same

That's a vaild point

[showtime]

Originally Posted by mark christopher

i have 4 pts all cloned, so unless it can be ordered with a my number, its not a move forward for me or anyone with the same

yes but you don't HAVE to change do you
if what you have is working well & is still supported where you race then there is no problem

[mikeyscott]

At the end of the day it's a case of if it ain't broke don't fix it scenario

Myself I've just entered into the world of PTs and I know a number of my fellow club memebers will be getting PTs over time.

So it's these people that need to be targetted first?

[showtime]

well i think its of interest to anyone who runs a PT who has ever had a lap missed.

it doesn't happen often but its a pain when it does so anything that should make that better has to be a good thing

last time i was regularly missing laps was down to me jumping the loop so sometimes its not the transponder at fault

[MRD]

I have an MRT at the mo but Ive been told that for some reason they can't/won't clone a number issued by themselves so I cant get another with the same number, BUT, If I can get a new MyLaps PT (if the price is right) would I be able to have my MRT custom number changed to my new MyLaps one, making it into a clone? Mmmm.

[Darren Boyle]

The same thing happened when brushless came along, everyone who had invested in a "box full" of good brushed motors, an expensive lathe and a stock pile of brushes vowed "never to change to brushless", but sure enough over time those same people sold on the lathe etc and moved with the times to the "newer/better" replacements. I am sure the same will happen with these too, they will save space in cars which are tight on chassis room (Durango for one springs to mind) save weight for classes that this effects more (like TC and 1/12th) and bring the added "data" bonus that may benefit nitro classes too.

As showtime says, we will all probably have them this time next year.....

[mark christopher]

my point being is they should offer a cloning service!! its so m uch easier to have bugs with the same numbers in them, after all its its the dogs nuts, then it should be offered when an independant can do it.

[SlowOne]

Originally Posted by mark christopher

lol rob i like the car 7 may loose control, you can shout that every run with my driving

If that's what it does, I need one too!!

Originally Posted by showtime

i can't understand all the negativity

its newer, smaller, lighter, more efficient & should be better as it sends its code twice as often! add this to the fact that it will be able to indicate potential runaways to race control ( obviously more important in nitro racing) then it all sounds like a very good idea

Rob i'd be more than happy to help you test them & i hope it all goes well
we'll all be using them this time next year anyway

Er... it counts laps. So does the two I have now. I don't need telemetry on temps, and I run a booster to power the electrics, so it won't tell me anything about the car, leave alone the fact that I can't see computer on race control. Negative? Positive I don't need one!!

Originally Posted by mark christopher

i have 4 pts all cloned, so unless it can be ordered with a my number, its not a move forward for me or anyone with the same

Spot on Mr. C!!

Originally Posted by DMS Racing

The same thing happened when brushless came along, everyone who had invested in a "box full" of good brushed motors, an expensive lathe and a stock pile of brushes vowed "never to change to brushless", but sure enough over time those same people sold on the lathe etc and moved with the times to the "newer/better" replacements. I am sure the same will happen with these too, they will save space in cars which are tight on chassis room (Durango for one springs to mind) save weight for classes that this effects more (like TC and 1/12th) and bring the added "data" bonus that may benefit nitro classes too.

As showtime says, we will all probably have them this time next year.....

MRT do a PTX transponder that is smaller and lighter, can accept your cloned number, or generate any of the current AMB numbers 1-10. In 12th they are very popular, so we've already done the size and weight thing, and as indicated above, we've can't use any of the telemetry. Wouldn't this fit a Durango today, or indeed any other electric car that won't be able to use the telemetry? Just a thought...

[showtime]

i think you're getting a little distracted by the telemetry thing

posted earlier was the section in the rulebook that prohibits the use of telemetry or sending information back to the driver.
these don't send information back to the driver they send to the timing computer via the loop. the driver(unless he's driving from racecontrol) wont be able to see this information

he'll just benefit from using a smaller, lighter, more power efficient transponder that sends its code twice as often

[Rocking Donkey]

If this is going to be a straight swap for the PT's available now, surely the only important things are if the new PT's will work with the old decoders (not sure how much a trade-in for a newer decoder costs but I bet it isn't cheap), are they cheaper to buy an original than at present, will there be better availability and will MRT still be able to make clones. If you already have a PT then great, but if, like me, the price has put you off then this is a bonus! Am I right that the MRT transponders already run at a lower voltage, are lighter and cheaper? Its about time that AMB caught up.

[bigred5765]

just read through the whole thread, to sum up it needs to be clone able(is that a real word?) so we can have more than one one the same number,
half the cost, obviously.
half size is good but doesn't make it worth anymore,
and no one is bothered that it has telemetry because to us its worth less,BRCA wont let us use that,the better signal sounds ok

the big question you need to answer rob which you seem to have skirted all the way around so far is HOW MUCH,