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Their website lists two models that would seem to work good for Stock Category autocrossing, the MQGPS and the MQ200-RT. What one is more popular? It looks like you can get all the basic data with the MQGPS for half the price.

 I have a HP iPAQ h4300 with Bluetooth and Windows Pocket PC 2003 but on the website it specifically says this model doesn't work with their products. Anybody know why? I tried to register with their forum site and post this question there but I couldn't complete it. I'm hoping some experts might be lurking here.

I love the MaxQData system.  I use the MQGPS with bluetooth along with an HP IPaq 2215.  Kevin Dietz turned me on to it, and I've now sold about five TX folks on it (Including Erik S).  It rocks.

That said, its a total pain to get working right.  The units must be reconfigured to your own situation before they will work.  Add to that the fact that most people don't know anything about the WinCE OS or PocketPc particulars and you get a nightmare situation for anyone who is not technically savvy and patient.  Dietz had to help me troubleshoot mine, and I've had to walk every one of the folks around here through it.  The docs are incomplete and difficult to find the info even when it is there.  And there's lots that can go wrong at setup time and little feedback on what the problem is.  (Inside joke for existing owners: "LIME CODE").

Once working, the system is very useful as Jason indicates for overlaying runs to find differences.  I use the VCR-playback function a lot, sometimes with a superimposed speed trace.  Those two items pretty much tell me what I need to know quickly, and I can do it between runs.

The good news is that the developer is very interested and responsive to improvments that work for autocrossing.  Most of the other data acq companies could care less about us and are mostly interested in track events.

--Andy 

Andy Hollis:

I love the MaxQData system.  I use the MQGPS with bluetooth along with an HP IPaq 2215.  Kevin Dietz turned me on to it, and I've now sold about five TX folks on it (Including Erik S).  It rocks.

That said, its a total pain to get working right.  The units must be reconfigured to your own situation before they will work.  Add to that the fact that most people don't know anything about the WinCE OS or PocketPc particulars and you get a nightmare situation for anyone who is not technically savvy and patient.  Dietz had to help me troubleshoot mine, and I've had to walk every one of the folks around here through it.  The docs are incomplete and difficult to find the info even when it is there.  And there's lots that can go wrong at setup time and little feedback on what the problem is.  (Inside joke for existing owners: "LIME CODE").

Once working, the system is very useful as Jason indicates for overlaying runs to find differences.  I use the VCR-playback function a lot, sometimes with a superimposed speed trace.  Those two items pretty much tell me what I need to know quickly, and I can do it between runs.

The good news is that the developer is very interested and responsive to improvments that work for autocrossing.  Most of the other data acq companies could care less about us and are mostly interested in track events.

--Andy 

And when software updates come out they are free.

Andy Hollis:

I love the MaxQData system...The good news is that the developer is very interested and responsive to improvments that work for autocrossing...

--Andy 

modernbeat:

Andy Hollis:

I love the MaxQData system...The good news is that the developer is very interested and responsive to improvments that work for autocrossing...

--Andy

How is that coming? Is the instruction feature coming out?

I have not spent time on that yet, no.

--Andy

So it sounds like the MQGPS is working fine for you guys. Doesn't sound like the added features of connecting to the car through OBDII has really been a need so far, huh? I was thinking the OBDII and extra channels might come in handy developing a setup down the road but as a tool to see how to be a better driver and basic performance parameters, the basic model fits the need just about right it looks like.

The only thing my iPAQ is used for anymore is as a middle man between Outlook on my PC and Outlook on my work laptop. I have a Treo 650, which is getting old, so if this iPAQ is not going to work maybe one of those 700ws would kill two-birds for me, too.

Thanks for the replies!

I actually just ordered the MaxGPS for my little 1972 Fiat 128 racer last week.  I was interested in the RT-200 because of the added inputs, but I couldn't think of anything besides RPM that I would initially use, so the new rechargeable bluetooth version sealed the deal for me.  Ed was also very helpful responding to my questions via email.  I also just got a new Dell Axim 51V for work/personal, so this should be a good setup for me.

Chris H.

I appreciate everyone's input on this thread.  A moderator suggested I chime in, so here's the "official" word on this question ("Which MaxQData for autocross?")...

The MQGPS has proven to be a good solution for the majority of our autocross customers.  You get the data that's most important in a package that's easy to install and use, and pretty inexpensive   considering its capabilities.  The MQ200-RT has a ton more capability, but it also takes more work to install and it's more expensive.  It can also drown you in data if you aren't organized.

Here is our general guidance.  Simplifying things a bit, we believe 5 Hz sampling is good enough for autocrossing, and RPM is nice to have but not critical.  This is backed up by customer feedback.  An MQGPS delivers enough value to keep most people busy improving their driving skills for at least a couple of years.  So the MQGPS is our default autocrossing recommendation.  But customers that know they want RPM, or who are looking towards future expandability, or who are putting as much time into tuning their car as they are their driving style, should look at the MQ200.

We're more than happy to take the time to understand each driver's situation individually, so feel free to contact us.

- Ed

Chris, good to hear from you. Hope things are well!

 Ed, thanks for the reply! It appears that the MQGPS was used by a couple National Champs and trophy winners, I think that says a lot. Also, since I'm in the Stock Category and can't do a whole lot that the extra data channels would help with, it looks like that less expensive product ought to work fine. I look forward to placing an order with you in the hopefully not to distant future.

The other question I asked about was about Pocket PCs. As far as I can tell an iPAQ h4355 meets your requirements for a compatible device according to the 200 manual but in the FAQ section of the website, it says the h4xxx series doesn't work. Do you know why? Near as I can the difference between an h and a hx iPAQ is the microprocessor.

Happy New Year

In answer to SteveW's question about the iPAQ h4355...

Sorry for the confusion about this.  I have updated our website with better information.

The problem with the HP iPAQ h4xxx series Pocket PCs is simply that many of them don't have serial ports.  The software will run, but you can't use a cable to connect to a MaxQData system, unlike most other HP iPAQ models.  This fact was not well-documented by HP and has caused some customer dissatisfaction.

However, the h4355 has Bluetooth, so you can use that instead of a cable.

Still, the h4355 is based on Windows Mobile 2003, which has a few distinct disadvantages.  The one that trips up a lot of customers is that main memory is stored in battery-backed RAM, and if you leave the device off charge for a week or so, the battery will go dead and you'll lose all your data, plus you'll have to reinstall the software.  Windows Mobile 5.0 solves this problem by using memory that persists even if you take out the battery altogether.  Also, the Bluetooth integration under WM5 is nicer, and the OS adds a number of new features which we'll be using in upcoming versions of our software.

So our recommendation these days is to use a device based on Windows Mobile 5.0.  I wouldn't necessarily tell you to get rid of your h4355 right away, but there are better units out there now, both new and used.

- Ed

mitchman:

From talking to Kevin and FastMike, the main reason I like the MQGPS is because it's so easy to swap from car to car.   I can't tell you how many times I've raced against someone and we can't figure out why one or the other is getting faster times.  Now I'm hoping that I can just plop the MQGPS into my competitiors car and compare runs easily.  (at least that's the plan)    I like the function where you can do segement timing to see who is faster through the slalom for example.

I'm hoping to order one soon. (gotta pay for Christmas first!) :)

Mitch

 Hi Mitch, my issue with this Christmas is I took the kids over the pass to do a lap around PIR in my SRT-4. I've always wanted to run some laps there and finally did. Although, it was in the dark, with no lights, and idling the entire time in 1st gear, going the wrong way around the track...for the festival of lights :) Well, the issue was my kids aren't getting any smaller and I had to listen to them complain about how little room there was inside in between coil-bind slaps from the rear struts. I need to get a truck or SUV thingy. Plus, it should have enough tow capacity to drag my car around eventually. And then I'll need a trailer, which I wouldn't be able to store in my apartment. So, I'll also have to get a house, which would be smart anyway. And on and on.

 Atleast, my iPAQ looks like it will work. Cool.