Help - Dash2 works and then feezes

rbahr
Posts: 19
Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2008 12:08 am
Location: Boston

Help - Dash2 works and then feezes

Postby rbahr » Sun May 05, 2013 5:54 pm

Hope to be at the track tomorrow... I have a dash2 connected to a DL1. After the car is on for ~ 5 min the Das2 display freezes with whatever is being displayed -

1st question - can the RS232 connection cause this is I have mucked things up? Is there supposed to be a crossover between the Dash2 and the DL1?

Thanks

Ray

Peter Carroll/Toronto
Posts: 110
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2007 11:33 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada
Contact:

Postby Peter Carroll/Toronto » Tue May 07, 2013 3:44 am

I've had problem like this related to bad serial connections. Vibration in a race car is hard on the connections. I've had bad cables (the cheap grey one). Also broken solder connections within the black RT shells. Or the screws could just be loose and vibrating.

With the RT devices, the serial cable is more like a serial ring. One bad connection breaks the ring and you get stuff like this.

Also check you have the latest firmware on the dash. Though that was several years ago.

Could also be bad power. Cigarette lighters are notorious. Use a hard connection even if it's just to the back of the cigarette lighter.
Peter Carroll, Toronto, Canada
DL1 and Dash2 - http://DriversMeeting.com/pcarroll

rbahr
Posts: 19
Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2008 12:08 am
Location: Boston

Postby rbahr » Wed May 08, 2013 1:54 am

I think I found it. I found a ground loop and wired in a good solid ground, I also removed the Dash2 config file from the DL1///

Thanks

Ray

osborni
Posts: 497
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2007 9:08 pm
Location: USA, Michigan

Postby osborni » Wed May 08, 2013 6:35 pm

Also - make sure you don't push anymore data to the Dash2 then you really need. 5hz is sufficient for most data. 25hz for RPM. Turn off channels from the DL1 that you don't need.

There isn't any flow control or error checking in the serial ring. Any corruption or overflow will freeze the dash.
BMW 2000 M Coupe

rbahr
Posts: 19
Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2008 12:08 am
Location: Boston

Postby rbahr » Wed May 08, 2013 8:13 pm

Thanks!

Why is this interface so badly designed? It is not at all difficult to avoid a lot of these problems...

Ray

osborni
Posts: 497
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2007 9:08 pm
Location: USA, Michigan

Postby osborni » Thu May 09, 2013 1:33 pm

It's not "bad", just consequences of choices.

My understanding (my assumptions and with conversations with R-T) is that the choice of communications technology to control costs limits the available bandwidth - which requires removal of error checking and flow control.

It works great as long as you don't flood the bus and have well done wires. Shorts to grounds will flake out any communications technology.

I don't think I've had a lock up of the Dash in the last 3 years or so. Better firmware and getting smart about the DL1 config files.
BMW 2000 M Coupe

rbahr
Posts: 19
Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2008 12:08 am
Location: Boston

Postby rbahr » Thu May 09, 2013 1:45 pm

Perhaps 'bad' was not the best choice of words. Having designed fairly complex communication systems for the last 30+ years, I make some assumptions, no flow control and simple ring architectures make for systems that are less tolerant to faults and there are better easy ways. Also I am more than willing to pay a bit more so that I need to know less...

Granted, installing the gear with a ground loop was pretty dumb on my part :roll:

Thanks for your help and experience. I have not seen any more lock ups since I made the few changes I did.

Ray


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