need help deciding on what to log with

[me612]

ok, i've searched and i've found lots of info, but still no one ever really got a responce i could use. OK, my car is slighty modded right now, and in the near future i am getting a bunch of new things because of this money i'm making for being in kuwait during this war. So I am going to need to start logging. Now I have a laptop in my room. Is there anyway I can use this to log? I don't need to adjust stuff like what DSMLink would allow me to do, I just need to be able to log. Second option of course would be to buy a palm pilot and do it that way, but I already have a laptop so if i can use that instead and save some money by not having to buy a palm pilot then i will use that. But it seems everyone is saying the only ways to use a laptop are with DSMLINKshich is 500 or TMO which is like 300. All i need to do is log, and i want to do this the absolute cheapest way i can. thanx for any help anyone can offer.

 

[crazyjoe]

Check into the pepperlogger, it's about 100 bux for the cable and software.

 

[Benji]

Nothing Beats TMO!

 

[brads]

If all you need to do is log, and do it the absolute cheapest way you can, I suggest a pencil and paper. Anything more than that, and you should weigh the features vs. the cost. After all if its the cheapest, but doesnt do what you really need, its still a big waste of money.

The OBD2 loggers are slllllloooooooowwwww. I used one for a little bit, specifically the Alex Peper logger someone else just recommended. The more stuff you try to capture at once, the slower it gets. Sure it will tell you timing advance, and it will tell you airflow, and RPM, and O2, but if you even log just those all at once, it will only log 2-3 of each per second. Its slow. It also doesnt log knock, and the timing numbers by themselves, arent going to tell you if you have knock. Did I mention OBD2 was slow also?
If you want to be able to log knock, airflow, O2s, etc at a rate thats fast enough to see what is going on clearly(around 20 samples of each item per second), then you only have DSMLink as a choice. The new EPROM gets around the slow data rate that OBD2 has, and allows you to logs lots more stuff. Its not cheap. But sell your AFC (DSMLink works much better), and the cost doesnt seem so bad. And it gives you a free two step rev limiter, lots of other features, so it saves you $ in the long run.

TMO for $300 is the new EPROM, not a logger. I dont even know that TMO has a 2G logger. But either one of these products for a 2G, is not worth it, even if TMO was still in business.

Brad
PS Keep up the good work! How are you able to get net access? I have a brother in Iraq somewhere right now, he hasnt been able to make a single call out yet.