Racelogic VBOX User manual

Video VBOX Hardware Manual
Issue 10
20 October 2010

VIDEO VBOX MANUAL
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VIDEO VBOX MANUAL
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VIDEO VBOX MANUAL
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Introduction
The Video VBOX is a multi-camera, solid state video recorder with GPS data-logging and graphical overlay.
Included are three software packages:
Circuit Tools - Lap analysis
Video VBOX Setup - Graphics and logging control
Performance tools - Detailed performance analysis
Note: This manual is based on the latest firmware and software releases which are available for
download from our website:
www.videovbox.co.uk under ‘Support’

VIDEO VBOX MANUAL
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Contents
Introduction........................................................................................................................................... 4
Trackmaps and Lap-timing...................................................................................................................... 7
Notes on using USB ................................................................................................................................ 7
SD cards .......................................................................................................................................................................... 8
USB memory sticks ......................................................................................................................................................... 8
Software Installation....................................................................................................................................................... 8
Video VBOX Registration ................................................................................................................................................ 8
Getting Started with your Video VBOX.................................................................................................... 9
Logging Modes....................................................................................................................................... 9
Log only when moving (default) .....................................................................................................................................................9
Manual logging ...............................................................................................................................................................................9
LED functions –PRO 4 CAM............................................................................................................................................................9
LED functions –Lite ......................................................................................................................................................................10
Tank circuit .......................................................................................................................................... 10
File formats.......................................................................................................................................... 10
Video format ....................................................................................................................................... 10
CAN Channels ...................................................................................................................................... 10
Using the OLED display - requirements ................................................................................................. 11
Upgrading firmware ............................................................................................................................. 11
Upgrading multiple units .............................................................................................................................................. 11
Troubleshooting Guide......................................................................................................................... 12
CAN Output................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Connector Assignments –Video VBOX Pro .................................................................................................................. 15
Connector Assignments –Video VBOX Lite .................................................................................................................. 17
Contact Details..................................................................................................................................... 19

VIDEO VBOX MANUAL
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Quickstart Guide
As shipped, the Video VBOX can be used straight out of the box:
1. Mount the GPS antenna in the centre of the roof of the vehicle. Keep
away from roof bars
2. Connect the antenna to the Video VBOX
3. Connect the power connector, it takes about 35s to start
4. Attach the camera to the windscreen using the forward facing camera mount,
keep the camera level using the markings on the camera
5. Connect the camera to CAM1

VIDEO VBOX MANUAL
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6. The best way of alinging the camera is to use the optional Racelogic
Preview monitor, which is plugged into AVOUT
Alternatively you can use a Laptop connected via USB to get a live view
(...more page 27)
7. Take the car outside and wait for the Green GPS LED to illuminate
8. Insert the SD card and you are now ready to drive, Video VBOX will start
to record Video automatically over 2.5kmh.
9. The Blue LED will illuminate when recording, and when you come
to a stop, it will flash as the file is closed.
IMPORTANT - NEVER remove the SD card when this light is on or
flashing –you will lose video. If you have come to a stop, but the
Blue LED is on, press the REC button to stop the video before
removing the card.
Trackmaps and Lap-timing
To have lap-timing information or a circuit map shown on the video, the default internal ‘Scene’ needs to be modified.
To do this, you can use the Video VBOX Setup software, see separate manual for more details.
Notes on using USB
Always use the Supplied USB Cable
When connecting the Video VBOX to your computer, make sure you are using the USB cable supplied.
Some ‘standard’ USB leads do not have a full length USB connector and will disable communication between your PC
and the Video VBOX LITE.
Mobile Phone Software
Ensure that you shut down any mobile phone software running on your computer before connecting. We are aware of
conflicts which can arise when using this kind of software.

SD cards
When purchasing SD cards, always buy a quality brand such as SanDisk, Kingston or Lexar.
Format : FAT32
USB memory sticks
If data is to be logged to a USB memory device, the optional RLCAB073 cable is required.
Software Installation
To install the software insert the CD into the CD drive of your computer.
NB: The software requires Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 or higher to run. The installation CD contains
the required .NET installation package.
NB: In order to play back the AVI Video files, the XVid Codec pack must also be installed. The installation CD contains
the required installation package.
Video VBOX Registration
So that Racelogic can continue to provide you with notification of the latest software releases, firmware upgrades and
to offer technical support, please register your Video VBOX.
Please register your unit here: www.videovbox.co.uk/register
Alternatively, simply fill out the registration form supplied with the unit, and return to Racelogic.

VIDEO VBOX MANUAL
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Getting Started with your Video VBOX
Logging Modes
The Blue LED will come on when the unit is recording video, this LED will flash when the unit is closing the file. DO
NOT REMOVE the SD card if the Record LED is on or is flashing.
The Video VBOX has two modes:
Log only when moving (default)
The unit automatically starts logging data when the vehicle speed goes above 2.5km/h, and stops when it goes below
this value. This speed is configurable, see ‘Scene propeties’. Pressing the REC button will stop the recording and close
the file.
Manual logging
By pressing the REC button on the front of the unit, the user may override the Automatic logging function. The unit
will then record until the card is full, the power is removed, or until the user presses the REC button once more.
Note : to prevent potential loss of video, the unit will revert back to automatic logging if the car then starts to move
again, or if the SD card is changed.
LED functions –PRO 4 CAM
LED
COLOUR
INDICATES
PWR
Red
Power on
CAMERAS 1,2,3 & 4
Green
A camera is connected
DATA C
Red
Correctly connected to a device and
receiving CAN signals. Note, must be
configured to receive in VVB setup
software.
DATA S
Green
Recognised serial information is
being received. E.g. From a
connected DriftBox
USB
Red
USB logging media is connected
GPS
Red / Green
i) Red indicates no satellite lock held
ii) Green indicates SAT lock achieved
MEMORY
Red
i) Amount of memory used in the
attached logging media
(incrementing sequence)
ii) Status of scene upload or
firmware upgrade (incrementing
sequence)
iii) Searching for media
(in/out sequence)
REC
Blue
Data being recorded to media.

VIDEO VBOX MANUAL
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LED functions –Lite
LED
COLOUR
INDICATES
PWR
Green
Power on
STATUS
Green
Ready to log –media inserted
GPS
Green
i) Flashing indicates searching for
satellites after GPS cold start
ii) Solid indicates SAT lock achieved
RECORD
Green
Data being recorded to logging
media
Tank circuit
Every Video VBOX contains a small internal battery to prevent loss of video should the power
supply be interrupted for any reason. This battery is continually recharged during normal
operation.
When the power is interrupted, the unit will start to beep, and the symbol on the right will
appear on the video.
If after 5 seconds the power is still not present, the unit will close the Video file and shut the box down safely.
File formats
The Video VBOX will log either to an SD card or a USB drive (requiring cable RLCAB073).
Two files are logged, an ‘.avi’ Video File (compatible with the Xvid codec which is installed with the software package),
and a synchronised ‘.vbo’ data-logging file which contains all of the GPS (and CAN, if applicable) data in ASCII format,
recorded 10 times a second. The files are stored under the ‘media’ folder.
The maximum size of files for SD cards in FAT32 format is 2Gbytes. If you record for more than 50 minutes, a new ‘.avi’
file is created. Therefore a single ‘.vbo’ file can be associated with multiple ‘.avi’ files.
Video format
Standard definition uses 720x576 pixels at 25 frames per second for PAL and 720x480 pixels at 30 frames per second
for NTSC. All video is interlaced, this is the DVD standard as it was originally designed for a scanning line TV set. When
replayed on a Computer screen instead of a TV, you may see ‘motion artefacts’ which are the result of the interlaced
format. When you upload your content to YouTube, or display on a normal television, the interlacing is removed.
Windows Media Player does not render the video as well as other media players, so for better quality, Racelogic
recommend the free, but excellent, VLC player (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/) which has a de-interlacing filter (Video
- De-Interlace - Blend).
For a detailed explanation of interlacing also see here: www.100fps.com
CAN Channels
All units can log parameters from the CAN bus, basic units can log a single channel, ‘VCI’ enabled units can log up to 32
channels.

VIDEO VBOX MANUAL
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Using the OLED display - requirements
The OLED display which can be used to display Speed, Max Speed,
Lap-time, Predictive Lap-time, and both Lateral and Longitudinal
Acceleration.
The cable must be plugged into the top connector (when viewed
with the buttons on the left hand side).
The OLED will use the Start/Finish line which is embedded in the
currently loaded Scene file.
Upgrading firmware
Occasionally Racelogic will release new versions of firmware (internal code) for the Video VBOX product, often to
introduce new features. New firmware is loaded into the Video VBOX using an SD card.
Download the latest ‘.vidup’ file from our website : www.videovbox.co.uk (Found under ‘Support’)
Copy this file onto an SD card (not into the ‘media’ folder), and insert into a powered unit. The LEDs will light up in
turn as the update progresses. After a period of up to two minutes, the unit will beep twice and resume operation.
The unit should then be power cycled. The upgrade file will have been deleted, and the scene will change back to the
default, so make sure you retain a copy of the scene previously loaded into the unit.
Upgrading multiple units
To prevent the Video VBOX from deleting the firmware file, create an empty file called ‘no-delete-vidup.txt’ file on
the SD card in the same directory as the upgrade file, the upgrade file will then remain on the card following a
successful upgrade.

VIDEO VBOX MANUAL
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Troubleshooting Guide
Trouble Locking onto Satellites
Place the antenna where it has an unobstructed view of the sky. (See ‘GPS Antenna Placement’ below)
Check the antenna connection is very clean; small amounts of dirt in the socket can cause a significant
reduction in signal strength
Try another antenna
Perform a GPS Coldstart by pressing and holding the REC button for 5 seconds. Then leave the unit powered
up in an open static position for at least 15 minutes
GPS Antenna Placement
For optimum GPS signal reception, make sure that the antenna is fitted to the highest point of the vehicle away from
any obstructions that may block satellite reception. The GPS antenna works best with a metal ground plane
underneath, silver foil, or a metal plate beneath the antenna can improve reception significantly if you don’t have a
large metal roof.
We do a larger antenna with a very good internal ground plane which can operate perfectly without the need for
mounting on a metal surface (part number RLVBACS065) which also gives superior position accuracy.
No Communication with PC
Check power
In the case of the Video VBOX Lite, only use the USB cable (CAB066-2) supplied with the unit, as other cables
such as those supplied with card readers may not have a long enough plug to fit into the recessed socket on
the front of the box
Try disconnecting then reconnecting the USB cable with the Video VBOX powered
Check that no other programs are using the same COM port
Shut down any Mobile Phone software running on your PC
Disconnect the power to the Video VBOX then reconnect it
COM Port Unavailable
Disconnect the Video VBOX, restart the computer then reconnect the Video VBOX
Another software package installed on your computer may have reserved the COM port
Video Data is Corrupt
The storage media may have been removed from the unit before the file is closed. It is possible to recover
corrupted video files using either DivFix (http://divfix.maxeline.com) or VirtualDubMod
(http://virtualdubmod.sourceforge.net)
If unsure how to recover corrupted video files contact [email protected]k
You can fix most problems with lost files by right clicking on the card in Windows explorer and selecting
‘Propeties’ – ‘Tools’ – ‘Error checking’ tick both boxes, and click ‘Check now’
Always wait for the blue logging light to stop flashing before removing the SD card or USB device. You can force the
box to close the file using the REC button.
Cannot Open Video File
The XVid Codec may need to be re-installed (http://www.xvid.org)
Video VBOX LITE Beeps continuously
The SD card may be full
The scene may be corrupt, try re-uploading the scene
Try to re-flash the firmware

VIDEO VBOX MANUAL
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Only Audio is present during playback.
The XVid Codec may need to be re-installed (http://www.xvid.org)
No speed shown on video
Check GPS reception
Video Overlay is missing some or all Elements
Scene should not be larger than 12 Mb due to space limitation in the unit
Scene does not upload to the Video VBox
Try a re-installation of the firmware on the Video VBox and try to upload the scene again
Video VBOX not responding - GPS Coldstart
The GPS engine has locked up.
Perform a GPS Engine Coldstart –hold REC button for 5 seconds

VIDEO VBOX MANUAL
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CAN Output
The Video VBOX Pro has a CAN output which is present on the 5-way connector output.
Data format: Motorola
Baud rate: 500Kb/s
ID*
Update Rate
Data Bytes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
0x301
100ms
(1) Sats in
view
(2) Time since midnight UTC
(3) Position –Latitude MMMM.MMMMM
0x302
100ms
(4) Position –Longitude MMMM.MMMMM
(5) Velocity. (Knots)
(6) Heading (Degrees)
0x303
100ms
(7) Altitude. WGS 84. (Metres)
(8) Vertical velocity. (M/S)
Unused
(9) Status
(10) Status
0x304
100ms
Unused
(11) Longitudinal Accel. (G)
(12) Lateral Accel. (G)
0x305
100ms
(13) Distance travelled since VBOX reset (Metres)
Unused
Unused
1) If Satellites in view < 3 then only Identifier 0x301 transmitted and bytes 2 to 8 are set to 0x00.
2) Time since midnight. This is a count of 10ms intervals since midnight UTC. (5383690 = 53836.90 seconds since
midnight or 14 hours, 57 minutes and 16.90 seconds).
3) Position, Latitude * 100,000 (311924579 = 51 Degrees, 59.24579 Minutes North). This is a true 32bit signed
integer, North being positive.
4) Position, Longitude * 100,000 (11882246 = 0 Degrees, 58.82246 Minutes West). This is a true 32bit signed
integer, West being positive.
5) Velocity, 0.01 knots per bit.
6) Heading, 0.01oper bit.
7) Altitude, 0.01 meters per bit, signed.
8) Vertical Velocity, 0.01 m/s per bit, signed.
9) Status, unused.
10) Status, unused.
11) Longitudinal Acceleration, 0.01G per bit, signed.
12) Lateral Acceleration, 0.01G per bit, signed.
13) Distance travelled in meters since VBOX reset.

VIDEO VBOX MANUAL
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Connector Assignments –Video VBOX Pro
Connector 1 –Power (Dedicated 9V to 15V DC Power Connector)
Pin
I/O
Function
1
I
Power +
2
I
Ground
Chassis
I
Ground
Connector 2 –Camera 1
Pin
I/O
Function
1
O
Audio Ground
2
I
Video Input
3
O
Camera Power
4
O
Camera Ground
5
I
Audio Input (Left)
Connector 3 –Camera 2
Pin
I/O
Function
1
O
Audio Ground
2
I
Video Input
3
O
Camera Power
4
O
Camera Ground
5
I
Audio Input (Right)
Connector 4 –Camera 3
Pin
I/O
Function
1
-
-
2
I
Video Input
3
O
Camera Power
4
O
Camera Ground
5
-
-
Connector 5 –Camera 4
Pin
I/O
Function
1
-
-
2
I
Video Input
3
O
Camera Power
4
O
Camera Ground
5
-
-

VIDEO VBOX MANUAL
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Connector 6 –CAN
Pin
I/O
Function
1
-
-
2
-
-
3
I/O
CAN High
4
I/O
CAN Low
5
O
Power
Connector 7 –SER
Pin
I/O
Function
1
O
Tx-RS232
2
I
Rx-RS232
3
I/O
CAN High
4
I/O
CAN Low
5
O
Power
Connector 8 –USB
Pin
I/O
Function
1
I
USB - ID
2
I/O
DP
3
O
Ground
4
I/O
USB 5V
5
I/O
DM
Connector 9 –AUX Out
Pin
I/O
Function
1
O
Ground
2
O
Video Output
3
I
Digital Input
4
O
Digital Output
5
O
Audio Output
6
O
Power
Connector 10 –MIC
Pin
I/O
Function
1
O
Ground
2
-
-
3
I
Audio –right channel
4
I
Audio –left channel
5
O
Power
Connector 11 –GPS (GPS Antenna)
Pin
I/O
Function
1
I
Signal
Chassis
I
Ground

VIDEO VBOX MANUAL
Page | 17 20 October 2010
Connector 6 –USB
Pin
I/O
Function
1
I
USB - ID
2
I/O
DP
3
O
Ground
4
I/O
USB 5V
5
I/O
DM
Connector 7 –GPS (GPS Antenna)
Pin
I/O
Function
1
I
Signal
Chassis
I
Ground
Connector Assignments –Video VBOX Lite
Connector 1 –PWR
Pin
I/O
Function
1
I
Power + (9 to 15V)
2
I
Ground (0V)
Connector 2 –CAM1
Pin
I/O
Function
5
I/O
Ground
7
I
Video input
3
O
Camera Power (8 –18V)
Connector 3 –CAM2
Pin
I/O
Function
5
I/O
Ground
7
I
Video input
3
O
Camera Power (8 –18V)
Connector 4 –CAN
Pin
I/O
Function
1
O
RS232 TxD
(For future expansion)
2
I/O
CAN High
3
I/O
CAN Low
5
I/O
Ground
6
I
RS 232 RxD
(For future expansion)
8
O
Power

VIDEO VBOX MANUAL
Page | 18 20 October 2010
Connector 5 –AUX
Pin
I/O
Function
1
I
RS232 TxD
3
O
RS232 RxD
5
I/O
Ground
6
O
Video Out
8
I
Power +12V
Connector 7 –GPS (GPS Antenna)
Pin
I/O
Function
1
I
Signal
Chassis
I
Ground
Connector 6 –USB
Pin
I/O
Function
1
I
USB –5V

VIDEO VBOX MANUAL
Page | 19 20 October 2010
Contact Details
Racelogic
Unit 10
Swan Business Centre
Osier Way
Buckingham
Bucks
MK18 1TB
United Kingdom
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.racelogic.co.uk