Photography Credit: J.G. Pasterjak
You all may know–because we never skip an opportunity to tell you–that we’re pretty much the only media outlet doing track tests of new cars with comprehensive data analysis. And if you’re a regular reader, you also probably know that we’re a small, family-owned company.
When we show up to the track to do a test, it’s not a huge crew, but rather typically one driver, one photographer who’s also the videographer and, if we’re lucky, one other person to act as a grip/utility infielder. In other words, efficiency is a key aspect of our testing regimen.
Likewise, when we go to the track to compete, typically whoever is driving the car also drives the tow vehicle–and will also serve as crew, catering, team PR and logistics all rolled into one for that entire weekend.
So when we hear about a device that can help us produce compelling editorial or useful data during a track excursion–and also do it in an extremely efficient way without having to rely on a complicated setup–we’re certainly intrigued.
That seemed to be the promise of VBox’s newest offering, the HD Lite. It packs most of the power and flexibility of VBox’s more complex offerings into a small, manageable form factor with a minimal setup time and a manageable work flow.
Mounting options include glass and roll bars plus everything possible via the unit’s 1/4-20 threaded port. The full operation parameters can be easily defined via the setup software. Photograph Courtesy Vbox
The HD Lite is a nearly one-box solution for data and video. The system is composed of the head unit–about the size and shape of a nice healthy lemon–plus a remote GPS antenna and a 12-volt lighter adapter power supply.
The head unit contains the computer heart of the system as well as the accelerometer and 1080P video camera. The supplied 10Hz GPS antenna has a magnetic base and a 3-meter cable, and the 12-volt input is also available via hardwire with an optional bare-ended cable you can configure yourself.
The $900 list price HD Lite kit also includes a suction mount, a protective clear lens cover, a compatible 32GB microSD card and a Wi-Fi dongle that connects to an iOS/Android app so you can preview the video.
Roll cage mounts are also available from VBox, but one of our favorite things about the HD Lite is that it features an industry-standard ¼-20 female threaded port. This opens an entire world of AV mounting solutions, providing near endless versatility.
Indeed, the VBox crew seems to have consulted heavily with imaging pros rather than just racers in developing all their products. Even the budget-minded HD Lite has some simple image control, like exposure and lighting compensation, available through the preview app, which is a huge plus when you’re shooting from inside a dark car on a sunny day.
The overall form factor is one of the many huge pluses for the system. The head unit is compact enough to fit into tight spots as well as stay out of your sightline when it’s stuck to the windshield via a suction cup mount. The efficient size also means minimal hardware needed to mount and minimal bounce when mounted on an extended arm. Overall, the compactness is a huge strength of the system, making it easy to integrate into your track workflow.
Accessing data and video is as simple as pulling the microSD card and opening the file in Circuit Tools. Video and data are automatically synced, even across multiple comparative files. Photograph Courtesy Vbox
Don’t let the diminutive form factor fool you. The HD Lite is a full-featured data-acquisition system as it sits, and it’s even further expandable via the two six-pin Hirose connectors on the back. Along with being the primary connection for power and ground, these connectors can also be used for CAN connections to bring data from the car’s onboard computer or additional sensors using CAN protocol.
But even without additional inputs, the out-of-the-box functionality of the HD Lite, when paired with VBox’s Circuit Tools software suite, makes a powerful data partner with a clean workflow. Circuit Tools is available for both Mac and PC, but the HD Lite setup software is PC-only at the moment–although VBox tells us that a Mac version is in the works.
The setup software streamlines the use of the HD Lite even further by customizing the automation functions and enabling a user-definable start and stop strategy. For example, we have our unit set to start recording when vehicle speed exceeds 30 mph and stop when the vehicle has been motionless for 15 seconds, which lets us trundle around the pits and grid without wasting a lot of card space on non-track activities. The setup software also lets you define overrides for the manual record button, which gives a lot of versatility for what you’re recording.
Post-session, bringing the data and video into Circuit Tools is as simple as removing the card from the HD Lite unit and popping it into your computer. Circuit Tools automatically syncs the data and the video file from each session, and its heavily customizable interface lets you set up the screen to give you exactly the info you want to quickly review after each session.
For us, when we’re in a competition scenario, this means our screen usually heavily features the speed trace and VBox’s delta trace. The delta trace is a quick reference to compare two or more laps and see instantly where you’re losing or gaining time. Being able to instantly cross-reference the delta trace with the speed trace is a great way to pick that low-hanging fruit from the data stream, particularly when you’re a one-person show in the pits on a tight schedule.
Yeah, we did. It’s a full-featured data-acquisition and video system with a tiny, efficient footprint at a reasonable price that leverages one of our favorite data analysis suites. There’s a lot to celebrate here.
Are there nits to pick? Sure, but they’re minor. The right-side-mounted status light is out of view of the driver if the unit is mounted to their right. We never had any issues with the unit not triggering starts and stops, but having that visual confirmation that it’s recording is still satisfying.
The manual trigger for starting and stopping recording doesn’t have a lot of feel or feedback when you have gloves on. It isn’t a feature you’ll use often–or maybe at all, since the auto-triggering is so convenient–but when you do, a little more positive feedback is always nice. And if we were building a wish list, maybe a 3.5mm audio jack would be a nice touch for a remote mic, although the built-in audio is pretty excellent for an all-in-one.
But those are exceptionally minor quibbles in the face of a device that’s extremely powerful and also easy to use. We’ve long said that the best data acquisition is the one you actually use, and the HD Lite breaks down a lot of usability and form factor barriers that can hinder a smooth workflow with more complex or physically larger systems.
In fact, we like the HD Lite so much it’s going to become our primary data tool for all our track tests of new cars. We were sold on the efficiency of use and tidy dimensions, and the ability to output high-quality video in conjunction with a full-featured data stream will let us bring more info to our readers and YouTube viewers without further complicating our workflow.
And ultimately, that efficiency is the key theme in what attracted us to the HD Lite. If the best data system is the one you use, the one that combines ease of use with huge payoff in data and image quality is going to be the one we grab when we’re heading to the track.
Vbox Motorsport
vboxmotorsport.com
I love my 2 camera VBox Lite setup. I just picked up a predictive oled display for it, and am looking forward to using it. Wish my actual unit had more CAN inputs (only 1) but the option exists to have more added. I didn't buy any of my junk new, so beggars can't be choosers.
This is a really cool evolution, though. The company is great, very helpful even for second-hand cheapos like myself.
Did log any CAN data with this setup?
And for those of us with vintage cars how would this work?
I think the indicator light being on the right side of the camera might have something to do with Vbox being a UK company, if I had to guess.
Have you tried it with an open car? Curious how the audio would sound in something without windows to block any of the wind...
The Vbox website shows this is out of production.
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