[cbrown9064]

So...I like the Autometer Wideband AFR, but it appears their voltage output is 0-4v and does not work well to datalog directly in BE. Conversely the AEM or Innovate products work seamlessly.

Here is the question. Can you hook an Autometer AFR to BE directly via USB? I still have EGR, so not going that route. Do I need a datalog box in between the AFR and BE, or can I hook the outputs from the AFR into a serial port, then USB to BE. If so, what needs to be done in BE to change the voltage range?

If it is just not possible without a datalog box, then I "get" why to use a AEM or Innovate.

Thanks!
Chris

[cgrey8]

I don't think you can do what you are wanting with Autometer. BE has to support the serial protocol of devices that speak over USB. And if it doesn't, then you have to datalog through BE in some other method that is supported (i.e. DataQ A/D converter).

I know 1st hand that Innvoate LC-1 works with BE via USB-to-Serial232 converter. The LC1s are only RS232 and my laptop doesn't have a RS232 serial port so USB-to-serial is my only option. And that works well. And since the logging is done digitally, there's no voltage conversion. The LC1 reports the values directly as-is. IMO, you get far more accurate logging over the digital connection because you receive the value the LC1 intended to transmit. With the voltage conversion, the LC1 has to put out a value translated into voltage. Then you have to interpret the voltage you receive, which may or may not be exactly the voltage the LC1 was intending to transmit to you. In that event, the error between what you receive and what it intended will be error in your datalogged AFR/lambda value.

I do like that the LC1 will datalog directly. But what I don't like is it doesn't log very fast and when I start datalogging, it takes BE a good 7-8 seconds before it starts displaying datalogging values. And then once it starts updating, LC1 updates are in the 200ms range. Compared to BE's ability to datalog my Moates QH upwards of 25ms, it makes the LC1 values noticeably sluggish.

Back when I got the LC1, BE didn't yet support direct serial logging of the LC1 so I also got a DataQ analog-to-digital converter which was also USB. It was VERY fast datalogging. When BE started supporting LC1 logging, I could log both the LC1 and DataQ simultaneously and perfect my DataQ's voltage transfer in BE to be more accurate. About a year later, the DataQ went bad so now all I have is Innovate direct loggging. But I have to admit, I really preferred the DataQ.

[cbrown9064]

Thanks for the reply!

That helped to sort this out a lot. I totally missed the LC-1 having both digital and analog...makes sense now.