Eagle Tree Car Data Recorder - Manual (Page 5)

Copyright © 2003 Eagle Tree Systems, LLC
http://www.eagletreesystems.com
Page 5
The supplied Windows application is compatible with USB equipped PCs running Windows 98SE, Millennium, Win
2K, and Win XP. The application is not compatible with Windows 98 Original Edition (Gold), or NT 4, even if the PC has USB
support.
NOTE: the application included on CD with the unit was current at the time of manufacture. Please check our Car Support page on
http://eagletreesystems.com to see if there is a newer version of the app which may have addressed issues you could encounter.
To install the application, just place the CD in the CD-ROM drive. If AutoPlay is enabled on your PC, the setup program should run
automatically. If it does not run, click on My Computer, click on the icon for your CD-ROM drive, and click on the “Car Data
Recorder” application icon in the drive window.
Follow the Setup Wizard to install the Recorder application. Once installation is complete, the Recorder may be launched either from
its Desktop Icon, or by choosing the Recorder application from the Start->Programs->Eagle Tree Systems folder.
Setting up the Recorder with the Application
Once the application is installed, follow the above steps to launch it. The first time the application is launched, the New Car Wizard
will be invoked.
The Wizard will prompt you to install the Recorder using the supplied USB cable.
Warning: Make sure you connect the custom USB plug with the correct polarity, and into the correct connector on the Recorde,
as shown in Figure 1 r. Not doing this could cause damage!
When you do this for the first time, the behavior will be different depending on which version of Windows you are using:
Windows 98™: The Recorder and application are not compatible with Windows 98.
Windows 98SE™ and Windows Millennium™: When the Recorder is first connected to the USB port, the New Hardware Wizard
will likely appear. Follow the steps in the Wizard, choosing the options to allow Windows to find the appropriate drivers for the
Recorder – these drivers are built into Windows. If the devices you already have on your computer haven’t required the installation
of the USB drivers, Windows will prompt you for your Windows CD to copy over the drivers. Once this process is complete, you
may be asked to reboot the system. Reboot at this point, then relaunch the Recorder Application, and the New Car Wizard should
start up again.
Windows 2000 ™ and Windows XP ™: When the Recorder is first connected to the USB port, Windows should automatically
install the correct drivers without prompting you. If you should receive a Windows prompt, however, do what it says.
Once the Recorder is correctly discovered and installed by Windows, continue on with the New Car Wizard, relaunching the app after
reboot if necessary.
Telling the Recorder what to Log
The first time you run the app, you will be prompted to choose what driving parameters you wish to log. The more items you log, the
less record time will be available. A description of the parameters is below:
Steering and Throttle movements: If one or more of these parameters is checked, the recorder will log the positions of the
corresponding servos. Choose these options if you want to see controller movements while racing, etc. Logging the steering
movements may make it easy to track where you were on a track when particular events occur.
Receiver Battery Voltage: Selecting this parameter causes the recorder to log your receiver’s battery voltage (or whatever battery is
being used to power the servos). Note that it is normal to see rapid spikes in the receiver battery voltage on playback, but if you are
seeing voltage drops below 4.5 volts on a regular basis, you should test your battery. The Recorder constantly monitors battery
voltage even if this option is not checked, and will shut itself down if the battery voltage consistently is below around 4.5 volts to save
power for the receiver. The recorder will log an error in this case. The recorder will “reboot” if the voltage falls below 4.35 volts
even for a short period, and logs an error in this case also. Error logs are displayed in the “Notification Area” of the application
during playback.
Servo Glitches: If this option is selected, the recorder detects and logs three different types of servo glitches: short servo pulses (less
than 740uSec), long servo pulses (greater than 2.25 mSec) and missing servo pulses (no pulse for 100mSec). The most common