Gtech Pro Competition User manual

Update 3.1.1 Dec. 2003

Table Of Contents
1G-TECH / Pro Competition User Guide, Release 3.1 1
Table Of Contents
Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
G-tech Front Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
G-tech Back Side. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Cables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Menus and Scroll Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Operating Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Quick Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Quick Setup and Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Setting Time and Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Setting Vehicle Redline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Setting the Shiftlight Setpoint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Setting Vehicle Weight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Calibrating RPMs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Calibrating Accelerometers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Calibration & Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Mounting the G-tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Assembling the Bracket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Mounting the Bracket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
G-Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Drag Strip Mode Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
G-Window: Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
G-Window: Acceleration Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Self-leveling the G-tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Acceleration Runs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Measuring Your Runs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Stopping the E.T. clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Viewing Run Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Discarding Run Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Saving a run / default name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
G-tech Stored Runs Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
The G-tech Keyboard Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Renaming and saving a run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Checking Free Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Saving a run / low on memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Analyzing Runs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Loading a Stored Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Overview — Run Viewing Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
HP & Torque vs RPMs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
HP vs time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
RPM vs time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Speed vs time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
Measuring 0-40 MPH, etc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Measuring 50-70 MPH, etc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Measuring 0-100-0, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
Gs (Acceleration) vs time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Braking Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
Stored Runs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Recalling a Stored Run. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Reviewing Stored Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
Renaming A Stored Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95

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Deleting a Stored Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Downloading A Stored Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Deleting ALL Stored Runs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Downloading All Stored Runs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Advanced Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Setting U.S. or Metric Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Setting the Speed Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Setting the Distance Marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Shiftlights Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Enabling / Disabling Shiftlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Cornering Lights Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Setting the Cornering Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Displaying Firmware Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Resetting to Factory Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Serial Port Baud Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Adjusting the LCD Contrast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Multiple Vehicles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Multiple Vehicle Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Vehicle-Specific Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Selecting a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Renaming a Vehicle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Showing the Active Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Pro Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Reaction Time / Start Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Using the Timing Tree Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Setting the Rollout Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Additional Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Tips for Improving Accuracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
Accelerometer Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142
X-Y-Z Gs Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
Erasing Accel. Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
RPM Calibration Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
Drag Strip Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
Adjusting the bracket. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
Removing the bracket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
Permanent Mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
Firmware Upgrades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
Battery Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
Frequently Asked Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154
I Want To... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
G-tech-Computer Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
Horsepower, Torque & G-tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
What does my vehicle weigh? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162
For more info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

List Of Figures
3G-TECH / Pro Competition User Guide, Release 3.1 3
List Of Figures
Figure 1: G-tech front. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 2: G-tech rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Figure 3: G-tech cables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Figure 4: A G-tech menu with a scroll bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Figure 5: Configuration Mode — Main Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Figure 6: Drag Strip Mode — Main Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Figure 7: Switching between Drag Strip & Configuration Modes . . 15
Figure 8: G-tech accelerometer calibration request . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Figure 9: Mounting bracket parts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Figure 10: Drag Strip Mode — G-Window screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Figure 11: G-Window tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Figure 12: Acceleration Bars & Primary Acceleration Indicator. . . . 48
Figure 13: Primary Acceleration Direction Indicator. . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Figure 14: Staging Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Figure 15: G-tech is staged and ready to go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Figure 16: G-tech screen during a run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Figure 17: G-tech screen at completion of 1/4 mile run . . . . . . . . . 55
Figure 18: G-tech Run Viewing Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Figure 19: G-tech 1/4 mile results screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Figure 20: G-tech milestones screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Figure 21: Run Save menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Figure 22: Confirmation before discarding run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Figure 23: G-tech Run Viewing menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Figure 24: G-tech Run Save menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Figure 25: G-tech display while run is being saved. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Figure 26: G-tech 30 file limit warning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Figure 27: Choose a file to delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Figure 28: Low on Memory Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Figure 29: Deleting runs to free memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Figure 30: Run Viewing Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Figure 31: G-tech Run Viewing Menu Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Figure 32: Horsepower / Torque summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Figure 33: Graph of Horsepower & Torque vs RPMs . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Figure 34: Graph of horsepower vs time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Figure 35: Graph of RPMs vs Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Figure 36: RPMs vs Time — launch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Figure 37: RPMs vs Time — milestones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

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Figure 38: RPMs vs time — shifts and gears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Figure 39: Graph of Speed vs time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Figure 40: Graph of Gs vs time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Figure 41: Braking and accelerating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Figure 42: Cornering Lights Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Figure 43: Configuration Mode Menu Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Figure 44: Drag Strip Mode Menu Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Figure 45: Performing an Acceleration Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Figure 46: Permanent Mounting Stem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Welcome
5G-TECH / Pro Competition User Guide, Release 3.1 5
Welcome
Note: DO NOT CALIBRATE ACCELEROMETERS or ERASE ACCELEROMETER CALIBERATION 
on G-tech units which were shipped after August 2003. They have already been calibrated in the 
factory. Older G-techs will automatically request calibration. If you are unsure contact tech support.

6G-TECH / Pro Competition User Guide, Release 3.1
Note: DO NOT CALIBRATE ACCELEROMETERS or ERASE ACCELEROMETER CALIBERATION 
on G-tech units which were shipped after August 2003. They have already been calibrated in the 
factory. Older G-techs will automatically request calibration. If you are unsure contact tech support.

Welcome
7G-TECH / Pro Competition User Guide, Release 3.1 7
G-TECH / Pro Competition
Performance Meter
Thank you for purchasing your G-TECH / Pro Competition
Performance Meter.
I am very pleased and proud to present this product to you
and welcome you to our G-tech users family.
As you read along and especially as you start having fun with
your G-tech you will realize something. You will see that this
is a precision instrument with a high level of sophistication
usually found in products from large industrial conglomerates.
But in the case of the G-tech, the development comes from
enthusiasts, guys who are not driven by the bottom line, guys
who – just like you – have gasoline in their blood and a love
for cars. Guys who have spent years of sleepless nights to
perfect this product.
It’s up to you to decide how far you want to take the G-tech.
You can do 0-60 MPH and 1/4 mile measurements after only
a brief setup procedure.
As you become more familiar with the G-tech’s powerful
capabilities, you will learn how to create very valuable tuning
records and increase the consistency of your measurements.
For us, the G-tech has been a labor of love. It has all of the
features you’ll ever want and there is truly nothing else like it
in the world. Our motto has always been to bring the latest
technology and innovation into the hands of our customers
and maybe contribute, in a small way, to brightening their day.
So, without further ado, go out there and have some fun.
Please drive safely.
Jovo Majstorovic
President, Tesla Electronics Inc.

8G-TECH / Pro Competition User Guide, Release 3.1
Warning: Always obey all local and federal laws when
using this device. This device is not intended for street or
highway use. Use only in designated areas, closed courses
and racetracks.
Warning: Adverse weather conditions can severely impair
a vehicle’s controllability, especially at high speed. When
using this device, drive cautiously and within the limits of
your vehicle under the conditions.
Warning: Don’t take your eyes off the road. The G-tech
will record your results for viewing and playback after the
run. This device is designed as a test and tuning tool to mea-
sure performance and safety characteristics of a given vehi-
cle. Use it for that purpose only.
Tesla Electronics, Inc. shall not be held liable for technical or
editorial errors or omissions made herein; nor for incidental
or consequential damages resulting from the furnishing, per-
formance or use of this material.
Tesla Electronics, Inc. shall not be held liable in any way for
any incidental or consequential damages to the vehicle,
driver, passengers, and/or other involved parties or property
occurring while using the G-tech.
TESLA Electronics Inc. reserves the right to make changes to
this manual and other product specifications at any time
without any further notice.
The content of this manual is for informational use only and
is not intended as a commitment of any kind.
Please drive safely.

Basics
9G-TECH / Pro Competition User Guide, Release 3.1 9
Basics
This section will give you a basic overview of the G-
tech.
Every new user should read this section!!!

10 G-TECH / Pro Competition User Guide, Release 3.1
G-tech Front Side
We want you to be up and running in no time, so we have
created a “Quick Setup Procedure” to streamline the pro-
cess.
Please follow the steps described in this section to familiarize
yourself with the product, and to set it up.
Note: In this manual, we will refer to the G-TECH / Pro
Competition product simply as the “G-tech”.
All input to the G-tech is done through the buttons on the
right-hand side.
Figure 1: G-tech front
•Photosensor – measures ambient light
•Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) – red lights that turn on
under certain conditions
•OK button ( ) – used to confirm entry of data and
make menu selections
•MENU button ( ) – brings up multi-line menus
•Navigation buttons ( , , and ) – used for
moving cursor around in menus, graphs, etc.
OK Button
Menu Button
Navigation
Buttons
Photosensor
LEDs

Basics
11 G-TECH / Pro Competition User Guide, Release 3.1 11
G-tech Back Side
The back of the G-tech has 2 connectors as shown in Figure
2:
Figure 2: G-tech rear
•DC Power Jack – plug in either of the supplied DC
power cables into this connector
•Serial Communications Port – plug in the supplied
serial cable into this port to enable communications
between the G-tech and a computer
Cables
The G-tech ships with 3 separate cables:
Figure 3: G-tech cables
•Serial Cable – used to connect the G-tech to a com-
puter for data transfer
•AC Power Adapter – this cable supplies power from
any 120V AC wall socket
•12V cigarette lighter DC Power Cable – supplies
power from vehicle’s accessory (cigarette lighter) socket
DC Power Jack
Serial Communications Port

12 G-TECH / Pro Competition User Guide, Release 3.1
The 12V cigarette lighter DC Power Cable has a fuse in the
end that plugs into your vehicle. If the cable does not seem to
provide power when the vehicle is running, the fuse may be
blown and need replacing.
To replace the fuse, unscrew the tip and replace the fuse
with a standard 1 AMP fuse. Fuses can normally be purchased
at any automotive parts store.
Menus and Scroll Bars
Generally, pressing will bring up a multi-line text menu.
An example of one of the G-tech’s menus is shown in Figure
4:
Figure 4: A G-tech menu with a scroll bar
Some menus have a scroll bar on the right hand side. This
means that there are more items in the menu than the G-
tech can display at once.
Use the / arrow keys to move through all the choices
in the menu.
Scroll bar

Basics
13 G-TECH / Pro Competition User Guide, Release 3.1 13
The shaded portion of the scroll bar will move as you scroll
through the choices. Operating Modes
The G-tech has two basic modes of operation:
•Configuration Mode
•Drag Strip Mode
You use Configuration Mode to tailor the G-tech to your
vehicle and personal preferences.
In Drag Strip Mode, you can use the G-tech to make all sorts
of popular measurements, including:
•0-60 MPH Times
•1/4 mile E.T. and trap speed
•Horsepower and torque measurements
•Braking distance measurements
•Cornering / lateral G measurements
The G-tech remembers which mode it was last in when you
power off. When you power it on again, it starts up again in
the same mode it was in before.

14 G-TECH / Pro Competition User Guide, Release 3.1
If you power on your G-tech and the display looks like Figure
5, your G-tech is in Configuration Mode.
Figure 5: Configuration Mode — Main Screen
If you power on your G-tech and the display looks like Figure
6, your G-tech is in Drag Strip Mode.
Figure 6: Drag Strip Mode — Main Screen
You can easily switch between the two modes, as shown in
Figure 7.

Basics
15 G-TECH / Pro Competition User Guide, Release 3.1 15
Figure 7: Switching between Drag Strip & Configuration Modes
Drag Strip Mode
Main Screen
Configuration Mode
Main Screen

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Quick Setup
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Quick Setup
This section will get you up and running as quickly as
possible.
This section must be completed to obtain accurate
results!!!
Note: DO NOT CALIBRATE ACCELEROMETERS or ERASE ACCELEROMETER CALIBERATION 
on G-tech units which were shipped after August 2003. They have already been calibrated in the 
factory. Older G-techs will automatically request calibration. If you are unsure contact tech support.

18 G-TECH / Pro Competition User Guide, Release 3.1
Quick Setup and Use
Here you will customize the G-tech for your vehicle and your
personal preferences.
The G-tech saves your configuration choices internally, even
when it is powered off.
The table below summarizes the Quick Setup Procedure, and
how much time each step will take to perform.
Setting Time and Date
The G-tech has an internal clock that keeps time and date,
even when no power is applied.
Whenever you make measurements with the G-tech, it
stores the time and date as well. This makes it easy to review
your measurements and make sense of them.
Setup Item Estimated Completion Time
Set time and date 1 minute
Set vehicle redline 1 minute
Set shiftlight setpoint 1 minute
Set vehicle weight 1 minute
Calibrate RPMs 2 minutes
Calibrate accelerometers 3 minutes
Mount G-tech 2 minutes
1Start in Configuration Mode.

Quick Setup
19 G-TECH / Pro Competition User Guide, Release 3.1 19
2Select “Gtech Setup” and press .
3Select “Set Date and Time” and press .
4Set the date.
and move between fields, and
change values.
Press when done.
Note: Day of week (e.g. Tuesday) is calculated
automatically and cannot be set.
5Set the time.
Use to move and adjust fields.
Press when done.