anyone play with AIM solo II/ solo II dm
 

I'm interested in a better timing, data solution but I'm a little reluctant to pull the trigger without more information. I know people like the gen one, i'm sure the new one is better but no one likes to spend hard earned money on something that ends up being the wrong solution. I remember buying the intercomp lap timer from back in say 2003 ish. it sucked, it was never reliable for me at the time it seemed not cheap. I can pull the trigger on the basic one, but the DM seems pretty sweet, but at 700 bucks I would love some info from someone who uses it. any thoughts? anyone use one yet?

Have you looked into Harry's Laptimer? It's pretty damn accurate when paired with an external 10 Hz or 20 Hz GPS. I was recently looking into maybe getting an AIM Solo 2 but decided to just stick with a smartphone based laptimer since it's significantly cheaper, upgradable, and has way more features.

Following with interest.

I'm looking for a datalogger for the SE to replace the Racepack IQ3 setup I used in the racecar. I was looking at the SoloDL, this new one is more expensive, though I like the wireless downloading.

I lol'd the harrys homepage with a laptime/datalogger on the windscreen - sloppy! Anyway, I'm not buying a phone to use an app if I can help it.

The new solos are not out yet, should be in customer hands next month sometime. Also, they're the same price as the gen 1 solos which is fantastic marketing on AIMs part. I do plan on purchasing one.

The mounting of the AIM can be just as messy, with a good phone mount that mounts solidly like the AIM there's no physical difference.

Quite a few of my track day Bros use the AIM and honestly I don't see any major functional difference in the data from Harry's with a 10hz gps unit. Both can be exported for analysis, both collect tons of data. Really the only difference I see is the user interface is a bit cleaner with AIM display. Most folks have an old phone they can use or don't mind using their main phone so that gives the Harry's a 75% cost advantage which is pretty hard to ignore.

Over $100 extra here.

'Just as messy' - what is this referring to?

Doesn't look like there is a connection to my ECU for datalogging. With no OBD output it is academic for me, but if it was an option I would be looking for answers to OBD bandwidth/data rates/data availability questions.

Harry's Laptimer has that :)

I was replying to your comment about a phone flopping around on the windshield.

Yes Harry's has obd2 capabilities, and can talk to a go pro to overlay the data on it or use the phones camera but I don't like the windshield mount options. I use a MS3 so I too can't get the ECM data in the logger easily, but there is a module out there that will allow you to get basic engine data into obd2 format, but I honestly haven't seen the need. I have speed and G data as it is now which plenty to see where I'm leaving time on the table.

I don't have OBD output, which is what I think you are referring to ... please correct me if I have that wrong.

Haha! That was a comment about the fact that as well as a phone, there is another non-hlt on the windscreen (bottom rh corner IIRC) - sorta suggested that you needed a backup/additional laptimer/something, and that was sloppy marketing. Marketing should have caught that and either done another run without it, or PSed it out or something.

I see that need, for me. I don't want a kludge fix when I know I can get something that will work, and do what I want.

You're beeing cryptic, what exact functionality does the AIM have that Harry's doesn't? The only functionality I'm aware of is the ability to add sensors to the motor and directly wire them to the AIM...... If that isn't a kludge I don't know what is.

We've been using the Solo DL on our car for the past 3 years and it's really nice. We're lucky though that we can get all engine and chassis data from the car directly through CAN. Looking to upgrade mainly for the wireless downloading during pitstops. If you don't need that, get a Solo DL for slightly cheaper.

The Solo connects directly to my ECU. Harrys does not (as stated above, my ECU does not have OBD output and neither does it have CAN). End of story. Just accept that for some people, Harrys is not as attractive as you find it - choice, it's a great thing!!

Now that we have heard about Harry's, let's get back to the subject of the thread - AIM Solo/SoloDL second generation.

The OP and I would love to hear from any early adopters out there ...

Thanks Oscar, but it looks like Gen1 unavailable here, though may be some stock around if I really dug. I think I am prepared to pay extra for the wireless anyway, and I guess a few more bells and whistles with it, so right now am leaning towards the Gen2. That may change, depending on any negative feedback here, or if I stumble across a really good deal on a Gen1.

I don't think the Gen2 is even going to start shipping for another 2-4 weeks.

http://www.trackhq.com/forums/f303/n...22/index3.html

Dude......you never once mentioned that the AIM communicated with your ECM nor did you say what ECM you were using. Of course if the AIM communicates with what you have and Harry's doesn't then it makes sense to go with the AIM. My only beef is you were throwing around your personal opinion as if it were facts. I was simply trying to communicate all the facts of both systems so someone other than you can search this thread in the future and make an informed decision as to which system is best for them.

Updating, SoloDL2 still not available here.

However, the new and also-yet-to-be-released AiM MXm has caught my attention, still more expensive, but more of a logging dash like my old IQ3. Small, but a lot cheaper than the other logging dashes, I think I would like to do a comparison of the features of both when they are all available, before jumping one way or the other.

MXm is $1,299.

Exactly. A premium of nearly $400, or nearly 50% over the Solo2DL. Having said that, I would probably need a decent shift light with the SoloDL, that narrows the gap a little. Yes I know that it comes with shift light capability, but I would, for Reasons, likely mount it to the side and not in drivers line of sight.

My first event is not until early May, and it will be basically a shakedown. The more I look at it, the more I want to do more homework on the pros and cons of each. For which, thanks for that link, that is the most informative that I have yet found.

Solo2DL now available here, no sign, nor ETA, of the MXm. That probably rules the MXm out, buuut ...

Solo will not accept analogue inputs from anything other than the ECU, according to the local distributor. This raises two issues for me, whether the serial bandwidth will be sufficient, and whether I have sufficient inputs left on my ECU, for my requirements. Fortunately I have a scheduled visit to my tuner this afternoon, and hopefully that will resolve both questions.

If you are using CAN, then my problem will likely not be your problem, but worth asking anyway.

Update: Plenty of inputs available, ok bandwidth. I see a Solo2DL in my future, just got to pay a couple of bills first ...

today I went to the local ( 1 hour away) race shop and picked up a solo 2 dl and the race cam plus a new setrab oil cooler series 6 25 row, hope it fits. absolutely stupid money for a lap timer and camera. funny, I never purchased a go pro because I thought they were too expensive. ha. well this obviously has a few extra features and the way I see it getting some track data is necessary to improve and if I can shave a second or 2 it will be money well spent. We all buy track tires wheels, coilovers, turbos, ecu so why not data? for others balking at the price, i get it, there are many other options to play with. harrys lap timer with the gps beacon is pretty amazing for the money. for me it always seemed to flake out and miss laps due to bad connection or battery, or sat acquisition . I think with more effort, beacon placement I could get it to perform but I'm not doing as many track days as I once did so I really wanted to get some decent data to work with. I'll post my thoughts after my track day on Monday.

Somewhat off-topic, but for those who don't mind a little extra work to save the coin, I am able to create the following with my Android phone, a 10Hz bluetooth receiver, an old gopro, and a USB-OTG cable. I have my phone mounted next to the radio so it's out of the way.

For data-logging, it's perfect. I have my phone plugged into the megasquirt over USB, logging with MSDroid. It spits out MSL files I can read in tunerstudio. Racechrono is logging the GPS/laptime information from the bluetooth receiver. I can combine them with the video using RaceRender on my PC. A little extra work, but for the handful of track days I do it's fine. The only functional restriction I can see is that I'm limited to showing either lap information or ECU information (not both) on the phone screen during a session, but that's fine since I'm not competing.

that looks fantastic! nice work and thanks for posting!

my track day didn't go very well. despite the new tires the car is still significantly slower compared to times prior the the corner balance and alignment. the car does not want to turn in, it pushes and so I'm forced to toss it in and then with moderate throttle at track out it over steers enough to be noticeable and I'm fighting it hard . the car is also down on power and I noticed big smoke from the tail pipe when I exit the track.at the end of the second session, on the pit in road, I free revved (clutch in blip) and got a bunch of smoke but it goes away quickly (any ideas). 2 plips and it is gone... clearly I have some work to do but I drove home under my own power and had fun with my friends so over all I can't complain.. great weather and I was able to chase down or stay with some truly glorious cars. oh well, fact is the times were not very good so the loss a video showing a slow car driving slow with fast cars driving slow is not much of a loss. either way, bet I hurt some feelings hehe. a good friend, head instructor with a spec miata said he watched my car (while following me) and said my car looked extremely unsettled. I changed everything.... driving style, shocks, tire pressure, with very limited success. I'll start with raising the rear, it was suggested here I'm .5 inch low. after I evaluate the settings, perhaps adjust the alignment, perhaps I need to up the spring rate but I don't think will solve my issue. well if it were easy, everyone would do it!

despite being assured by the shop the aim would plug and play with the stock ecu, the aim solo 2 dm would not pull rpm from the stock ecu so would not log times( the new one has a stock default to require 2 conditions 500rpm and gps movement) so in theory I could remove the required rpm feed but I did not have the laptop to make the required changes. frustrating but im going to call aim and see if we can figure it out. the software is a bit of a pain as well and from taking to several users at the track the first gen works effortlessly. I appreciate my setup might be a bit different and this is a new product but unfortunately the users might need to help flush some bugs. if you are in the market for easy, plug and play consider the aim solo 1. the 2 owners I know are very pleased with its performance both the DL and the simple solo 1.

I pulled the trigger on a Solo2DL, arrived this week.

One thing I missed was that it ONLY connects to a PC by WiFi, I had read it as being also used WiFi to connect. And the manual made it look like a complicated process (to me anyway). Feeling somewhat out of my depth I fired up the Solo, and my PC (Surface3), looked at the WiFi connections, there was the Solo, clicked, and bingo, connected. Had a bit of a play, seems pretty straight forward to config, but no connection to my ECU yet. The uploading/downloading by WiFi isn't rocketship fast, but probably fast enough for practical purposes when configuring, I'll wait and see what downloading a data file from a session is like before finalising judgement, that is when time will really matter.

I feel for you with the 'customers as bug finders', but to be fair finding that you don't have an RPM signal should have been identified on set-up, and you could then change the paramenters and/or check for a fix to the missing RPM data somewhat at leisure. I presume you have taken this up with the vendor? And hopefully got a decent resolution ... ?

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
Haha! Speaking of bug finders ... just discovered that the OS for the #2 is different, so all ECU maps have to be ported ... and Autronic hasn't been done yet. Better check before putting your money out there, not much point in buying expensive useless electronics. OK, it will work as a lap timer (I think), but if that was all I wanted I would not have bought this.

so here is my my last video, several others on my channel. I'm actually running solo I dl because I found some issues with solo2 that need to be worked out. I think they might be focused on getting the Iphone app released. I really miss the ease of use looking at the g force map and other stuff on harrys but the data package offered by the aim is awesome and will prove helpful once I learn how to use it. just the video alone has helped me identify problems so I think the investment will be worthwhile, the auto record function is fantastic but I need to tweak the settings.

if you wonder why no one else is on track it's because most people left at noon due to the oppressive heat. I was wiping the sweat off my hands so the wheel wouldn't get knocked out of my hands. so not super clean laps but it is what it is.

Thanks for the info on the Aim Solo 2. I've been looking for a logger that doesn't use GPS only like my VBOX Sport. The roads I drive around on have enough trees to make the VBOX data noisy, particularly for long G forces. It appears the Solo 2 has accelerometers, and GPS, and your G readings looked really smooth, so I'm assuming the new AIM is not using GPS for G force calculations like the VBOX does.

One thing I haven't been able to figure out from the manual is whether you can view live readings while driving. I'd love to have live lateral G's shown while driving, but the manual just isn't specific enough about what you can do with the display. Are there options to view data other than lap times in real time?

Thanks,
Rusty

Actually I was not able to get the solo 2 dl to work properly with the Miata ecu (rpm signal at a minimum for auto start & record), nor could I get it to work with the my old tec2 electromotive stand alone( serial rs232). it should work with either/ both but some of the channel map re-releases have been delayed due to some problems when they migrated lap-timer setup from race studio 2 (solo 1) to race studio 3( solo II). the video I posted was recorded with a solo 1 dl and the smarty cam which has g force, accelerometers built into the camera. Solo1 dl will pull the basics temps, TPS, rmp, map, from a miata ECU.
AIm just released a new dash (mxm), the new solo II/DL and are said to be working on the I phone app so they have a lot on their plate. if you are running a newer ECU, i'm hopeful you will have better luck, but I wont recommend the solo 2 dl until I've verified it will at least get rpm from the stock miata ecu. the ECU compatibility list on-line I believe is for the solo 1dl, because when you enter the setup in race studio 3 many previous offerings in RS 2 are not available as of today in rs3. they have frequent updates so hopefully more phone calls will get us toward the front of the line. The solo 1/1 dl is a very fine product and to answer your question, you can view the accelerometers from the smarty cam in numbers form on the solo1 dl but it would not be easy to eye glance peak numbers imo without a graphical display or a peak recall function. perhaps call them about this. I don't really look at it while driving, hence my focus on the need for a hands off auto start/record.

Thanks for the excellent reply. It sounds like the Solo2 is still a works in progress. I'm running a MS3 Pro PNP, so I don't know if that would communicate or not, but I wasn't really planning to get the DL version, or connect it to the MS3. RaceRender will import the MS3 logs directly, so the only problem is synchronizing them.

I did send an email to the AIM folks before I ran across your posts, but I haven't heard back from them yet. My last hope for the VBOX Sport is an external antenna that will be here tomorrow, but I'll be surprised if that helps much with the area I'm in.

Thanks,
Rusty

one point of note is that the new solo 2 and solo 2 DL use both GPS satellite standards and is said to have much better accuracy and connection speed. if you are running a obscured course, the new solo might be of value. depending on your needs, it might make sense to log the engine stuff separately via the MS and use the solo 2 for lap times ( they claim to have superior GPS). if you have a signal to match, say 3 quick blips before you launch, it should be pretty easy to overlay the data in race studio 2. I cant say for sure but I would not dismiss AiM based on my situation, you just need to verify if the solo 2 can pick up a rpm signal from the MS. call them and ask about gps performance gains around dense trees with the solo 2. I think they will claim it overs the best coverage due to using more satellites. if the solo does not work, perhaps you must use a dash with a roof mounted antenna

Thanks for the reply. I did also hear from AIM yesterday, and they told me something I didn't really expect. The Solo 2 (basic) has only GPS, so it calculates G forces rather than measuring them directly. It will not display the G's in real time.

The Solo 2 DL uses GPS and internal acc/gyro to make the measurements, and it will display real time G's. In addition, they said the DL is expected to collect data from the MS, though the software is not yet available for the connection. It is expect soon though. This sounds like the best option, though more expensive of course.

I have an external antenna on the way for the VBOX Sport, since that's the only other option to try without buying new gear. I'll be pleasantly surprised if it makes a difference though. I'll stick it to the middle of the trunk lid since that's about the only option for a steel surface.

Thanks,
Rusty

I've been running a dated MXL Pro with a SmartyCAM HD GP for a few years now and couldn't be happier with it. AIM's service and support have been amazing.

The MXL pulls data from my Hydra over CAN and I love not having to glance at gauges, instead relying on alarms lights.

I've got steering angle sensor and brake pressure sensor left to install.

Updating, I am told that the new OS for the Solo2/Solo2DL/MXM and all the other new dashes needs a firmware update to read (all? or only Autronic?) ECUs via serial (at least, that is what I need so can't speak for CAN connections). Further told this will be available end September (possibly earlier). My dealer offered me a refund, but I am going to keep it and set it up for the non-ECU functions in the meantime as I have events in early September.

I tried the external antenna for the VBOX Sport today, and it was a complete waste of money. Obstructions are of course a limitation of GPS only units, though certainly GPS chipsets and filtering can make a difference. There's every reason to hope that the Solo 2 GPS is better than the VBOX Sport, but I'll stick with the DL model for the internal sensors if I end up getting an AIM unit.

For now, I discovered that the Shadow Dash MS app has the phone acc sensors included in the log. They seem to do a passable job, so I'll just mount the phone straight and level, and use those for now. I'll keep an eye on the Solo 2 DL to see when they get ECU interface working.

Thanks again for the info.
Rusty

As I will be using my DL in mere Solo2 mode (no ecu connection) pending a firmware upgrade (see above above), I opened it up last night to look at the setup so I can at least get some data at my next event/s.

I changed the 'logging starts' conditions to simply speed and set all other functions to lap timer displays (eg no shift light, lights signal lap time delta instead). I found it pretty user friendly, at that level, but I have hardly scratched the surface yet. One thing I will be interested in, is how long the internal battery lasts. With no connection to a power source I will be totally dependent on the internal battery, and will bring the 240v power supply to the track as backup.

There are two different hardware architectures in AIM's line-up. The newer pieces of hardware use Race Studio 3 for configuration. The older systems use Race Studio 2.

Original Solo & Solo DL = RaceStudio 2. Same with the older loggers.

New Solo 2 and Solo 2 DL = RaceStudio 3. Same with the newer loggers (MXS, MXG, MXL2, MXm, MXS 1.2, MXG 1.2).

The Original Solo and Solo DL are configured with Race Studio 2. These loggers support all of the ECUs listed on AIM's website. The Solo 2 and Solo 2 DL are on the new hardware version, and are configured with Race Studio 3. All of the ECU formats/protocols supported by the old hardware must be re-written for the new hardware.

It's my understanding that AIM is about done with CAN based ECU protocols.
Next up is K-Line / ODB-II applications.
Then comes serial / RS-232.

That means that for now, the only MegaSquirt ECUs that are supported with the new Solo DL2, are MegaSquirts with CAN output. That means the v1 MSPNP is not compatible with the Solo DL 2. If the v2 or MS3 PNP support CAN, then they should be compatible.

If you'd like to know if your ECU is currently supported by RaceStudio 3, install Race Studio 3 and click on the ECU tab. It will list all of the ECUs that are supported.

If you install Race Studio 2, and click on the ECU tab, you will see many more ECUs listed here than in Race Studio 3. It is my understanding that eventually, the Race Studio 3 list will include every ECU listed in Race Studio 2.

To make things even more confusing, AIM released the MXS 1.2 and MXG 1.2, with an even newer hardware set. The MXS, MXS 1.2, MXG, and MXG 1.2 use Race Studio 3 for configuration, but the ECU protocol list is different. There are ECUs that are currently compatible with the MXS and MXG, that have yet to be ported to MXS 1.2 and MXG 1.2.

Bottom line is that ECU protocol compatibility is currently inconsistent across a few different types of AIM hardware. If you are planning on picking up an AIM logger you should verify your ECU is supported before buying the logger. I almost sold my Solo DL and picked up a Solo DL2, but would have been hosed, as I have a v1 MSPNP. To verify your ECU is supported on the logger you want to buy, install it's appropriate version of Race Studio (probably Race Studio 3), and configure the logger all the way through, including selecting your ECU, and the way you connect to it (several ECUs have a variety of different protocols).

AIM has done a very poor job in communicating these changes. I know a few racers who have purchased the latest AIM product and found that their ECUs are not (yet) supported. Very frustrating.

Three Screen shots show:
Race Studio 2 Support for Solo DL, MegaSquirt with 3 varieties: MS1 (serial/RS-232), MS2 (CAN), MS3 (CAN)
Race Studio 3 Support MXS, MSG, MegaSquirt with 3 varieties: MS1 (serial/RS-232), MS2 (CAN), MS3 (CAN)
Race Studio 3 Support Solo DL 2, MXS 1.2, MXG 1.2, Megaquirt with only 1 variety: CAN simpl bcast

Thanks Wildo, cat for you! You have confirmed the information I was given, with added detail! You're damn right about frustrated users, in this case make that 'angry and frustrated'! It goes beyond that, based on their website, currently (at least) they could be in the gun for making 'false and misleading' claims about the product, something our consumer protection legislation takes pretty seriously.

Based on my interaction with the dealer here, that means the whole OS upgrade for the Solo2DL (and kin) will be finished by the end of September. My dealer told me he has asked Italy for the Autronic/serial protocol to be prioritised, as they have a number of users here, and if that happens it will accelerate the timeline for that specific application.

My understanding is that the availability will be continuously updated (Edit: bearing in mind that it is the holiday season there), so if you like me are sweating on one particular update, do this at regular intervals. Your RS3 will be updating itself each time you do this.

That is what I was told too.

Agree.

It may be no coincidence, but there is a nearly $60AUD discount on the S2DL here, and having paid full price for a device with crippled functionality, that makes me just a little bit cranky. That seems to be a cue for another phone call to the dealer ...

I've talked to Aim North America several time, to various people and each has slightly different perspectives. If you choose to believe that everything will be ported or fixed by September fine, but consider that despite the best of intentions some times the legacy integration never materializes. For example they indicated that a big release was very likely to occur prior to the summer vacation starting AUG 6th for two week but that release did not happen. I don't know how they do things over in Italy but my sense is that it gets done when it gets done and NA really has no idea or influence. very frustrating for NA sales and support I imagine. vendors are keenly aware and will take it back due to the fact Aim has made no effort to document the dependency between what ECUs are claimed to work in solo 1 vs solo 2. furthermore I got protocol information from a ecu maker and their protocol does not match, doe not seem to match what aim has on file. with 1500 ish ECUS to manage it is likely that we may find that some compatibility issues exist beyond what we are talking in terms of race studio 2- vs 3 and the associated hardware. racers are pretty understanding about stuff not working out of the gate but Aims apparent unwillingness to document the compatibility issues with what may or may not work on the solo 1 vs solo 2 is very likely going to severally hurt their reputation in the long run. They have a solid product, but at this price point the wave of super pissed people is only going to grow as they ship more units.

Good news update! My Solo2DL is now updated with the Autronic protocols. I think that any new protocol applies across all the new gen devices (eg MXM).

If you have been waiting on this, it would be worth checking (open RS3, and wait for it to check for updates - mine was very slow to get to the point where it can download). I can't say that all ECU protocols are available, my dealer inferred there was a priority list so you need to beat on your dealer if yours is not available.

Like psreynol, I was slightly sceptical about the delivery date, but kudos to Aim for making it. That recovers most of the bad taste in it not being available when the device was released.

I see SADFab have a visor mounted Ram mount ball on their website http://sadfab.com/prod%20miata%203d%20other.html. I have lodged an order, given I was looking closely at that location for attaching the generic bolt-on one that is available from Ram. It is printed, but hopefully strong enough to hold a Solo suspended vertically below.

For Reasons, I have not been to the track for far too long. In turn that has meant the Solo has been left in the box. However, with an upcoming back-to-back Supersprint and Club track days, the Solo was dug out and the connection to the ECU set up.

Except, not.

Nothing we can do will get the Solo to talk to the Autronic via the 3.5mm three wire stereo jack-to-DB9 serial connector. We are using just two wires as per Aim documentation (data out and ground), the other is data into the ECU from the Solo which is not required.

Aim talks about bridging other pins in the DB9 connector, except they are dead pins, unconnected to anything in the ecu or the Solo. The dealer reckons these need to be bridged as that tells the ecu to transmit data, but as they are not in any way, directly or indirectly connected to anything, this seems to be a furphy. But what would I know, I am no tech geek ...

So, has anyone used a SoloDL or SoloDL2 in serial mode for data capture from an ecu? If so, have you any insights into serial wiring issues, or any trick in RS3 that we may be overlooking?

We will have another go in a couple of weeks when I am back in town, so anything that I can learn from others' experiences would be most helpful.

Thanks in anticipation!

Have you tried connecting the “in” wire anyway just to see? I would have thought there’d need to be some kind of handshake between the devices.
My ECU to Solo DL serial connection requires RX, TX & Ground. Transmits data via serial perfectly fine and fast too.

That thought has occurred (though the documentation explicitly states not to connect the 'ecu-in' from the Solo). What ECU? Was any bridging of DB9/25 pins required?

Thanks for the quick response!

Adaptronic select and now Modular. No DB9 connector, it has a dedicated serial out molex connection.
Maybe contact the ecu manufacturer about the bridging of pins. They should have advice for how to wire dashes etc to their ecu if pins need to be bridged etc.
I assume the DB9 connection is the only connection on the ecu? I have both USB and serial out but serial out disconnects if a laptop etc is connected to the USB port. That catches me out every now and then.

I lol'd the harrys homepage with a laptime/datalogger on the windscreen - sloppy! Anyway, I'm not buying a phone to use an app if I can help i
[/QUOTE]

Spammer

SoloDL2 - still not working
 

I think I was one of the first to get a SoloDL2 here, and my initial problems were documented above. First problem was that, contrary to what the promo said, the '1000s' of compatible ECUs were not compatible, the new OS used required all the ECU protocols to be ported across, a process that took some months. I reckon there was the makings of a misleading advertising case there, but that is history now, and my ECU protocol is in.

The second problem to emerge was that the unit just didn't want to talk to the ECU via serial (no CAN or OBD available). Nothing the distributor suggested worked. With Covid and other issues, the problem was put on the backburner, until this last week. The Autronic guru came up, and along with some other jobs, spent a full day working on this problem, with nil result. He consulted other dash gurus, including ones that had installed working AiM dashes, but nothing worked. We know the serial works at the Autronic end, because that is how it is tuned. The SoloDL2 has the latest firmware.

We are now looking at the Solo, as maybe the problem lies inside it, not outside. Before going back to the distributor, I'd be interested if anyone on here knows of any current generation (since mid-2018) AiM Solo2DL or MxM etc users who have (or had) any serial (or other) connection problems? Psreynol, how'd you go?

I am pretty much over this, but I have a decent investment in it and I would like to get it up and running.

As far as using it as just a lap timer is a Solo II worth it? I currently use trackaddict and while I like it I'd like to get something a little more advanced in terms of a laptimer and I really like the predictive function on the Aim II.

Is it fairly easy to pull info for data overlays in race render with the SoloII?

I consider it easy, yes, but I work with aims almost every day. Their software isn't the most user friendly, but it's not impossible for the every day user to navigate. The first thing you want to do is make sure any tracks you plan on racing at are loaded. It comes standard with a number of European tracks most of us don't need.

Update on post above:

Unit is with distributor. Appears to be an internal problem, conflict or disconnect between FW and SW.

This is a major relief to the highly competent people who have been working on it, and following instructions, wondering 'WTF have I done wrong, it still isn't working?'.. Not a great reflection on the distributor who kept insisting that we only had to follow instructions and all would be well.

ETA: This issue relates to the serial connection. It is not yet clear to me if this is a generic serial issue, or if it relates to the Autronic only. I will attempt to clarify this next time I talk to the distributor, but in the meantime, if you want to use a new gen AiM device on serial, tread carefully.

I will also post this on the FB user group.

...... and the latest is that the Vatican says it might work with SM4 v1.11, never mind that all the documentation says V1.09, and clearly the local; distributor hadn't been let into that secret because I'm sure he would have passed it on given the many and somewhat strained communications that he has fielded on this one. I'll talk to my tuner after Easter, and see if he sees any issues in upgrading the ecu (I'd be amazed if he did, but you never know ...) .

Maybe there is a faint light at the end of this tunnel!

Yes, it turns out that was an April Fool post.

Still waiting on a fix. Reading between the lines, I suspect the mothership is saying that the new gen OS dashes are working with Autronic, so no problemo, it will work in the Solo! But OS implementation is different in SDL2 ...

A couple of weeks ago the distributor was going to ship a new SoloDL2 to Autronic, and get them to test Ver1.09, 1.11 and 1.12 on the SDL2, see if any of them work. It seems the new dashes will work with V1.11 and/or 1.12. We already know V1.09 doesn't work on my unit, maybe my unit has some issue though and it will work on another (later production) unit. Unlikely V1.11 or V1.12 will work if V1.09 doesn't, as the Autronic serial implantation is the same on all three versions.

However, today the distributor says that he has no stock, and hopes to have some in a couple of weeks. So end of month will be crunch time - units are here or have shipped, or it is money-back time. Or, if they are here or on the way, they work with one of those three versions, or again it is money-back time. I'm out of patience, it is almost three years and either they work or they don't - I am not going to sit still waiting for them to fix it.

Soon be three years

So, it has been confirmed there is a problem in the Solo2DL that is stopping it communicating with the Autronic SM4 ecu. Am I the only person in the world to experience this problem?

I understand there are a lot of these ECUs over there used in marine engines, as well as automotive obviously, so I am keen to find out if anyone else has, or knows someone who might have, a problem getting a Solo2DL talking to an ECU on serial.

The mother ship will hopefully be working on it, but it would help if other affected users could be identified. I'll also post on the FB user group.

I updated a thread on this problem elsewhere, it has been brought to my attention that I didn't update here.

The unit is back in my hands, allegedly fixed. It involved me going direct to Italy, which got right up the nose of the local distributor - he of 'just follow the instructions' fame!

The fix involved a modification to one of the boards, I/O or main board. This is a modification to the current (mid-year) boards, as my original boards have all been replaced with the latest boards and I have a new serial number. But when the unit was shipped to Autronic, it still wasn't working, and then either the dealer here, or the factory, came up with the board mod. I have not tested it, as my car is in bits getting a new heater core in, but as soon as it is running, the Solo will be plugged in and we'll see if the BS has really stopped.

AiM are a really crappy company, three years of telling us we are idiots who can't follow the instructions because there is nothing wrong with OUR products. Finally they admit there is a problem, but not a word of apology.

I see that the FB page is littered with people having PDM problems (and some Solo2DL too), I feel sorry for them. I would not buy from AiM again, and I would recommend anyone else look very hard at alternatives before putting any money AiM's way - caveat emptor for sure! The ethos seems to be 'we have your money, the rest is up to you'.

Resurrecting this old thread, confirming that it was fixed and is operating properly (as far as I can tell as a user) and updating on the fix.

I am now contemplating upgrading my ECU, probably a Haltech Elite 1500. maybe even a dash too ...

In that event, the Autronic, WB and maybe the Solo will go onto the block, so I rang the distributor about what implications the fix for my problem will have for a purchaser. He advised that 'absolutely none, it will work as advertised on any ECU*'. Hmm I seem to have heard that before, somewhere ... https://www.mx5cartalk.com/forum/ima...n_rolleyes.gif

I will take him at his word, and draw the conclusion the solution to my problem was a firmware kludge fix to the handshaking (or other) protocols, subsumed by subsequent 'official' FW updates which talk about such modifications. My earlier understanding of hardware fixes may therefore not have been correct, though that is what the distributor described.

Suffice it to say the bad taste remains in my mouth as a result of the difficulty in getting the problem promptly recognised, diagnosed and fixed - AiM will never see another of my dollars notwithstanding that the product is now working as advertised.

I share your frustration having experienced a similar issue. that said there were multiple issues that complicated things beyond simply not being able to pull data from my tec2 but worse the solo 2dl would not replicate the performance of the solo1dl in terms of simply starting a recording session on track. perhaps user error, perhaps a hardware issue but certainly there was a rush to assume the dl2 worked with all or most of the ecu profiles from the solo 1 dl. for a time I called many times and got different information which is also somewhat understandable but also frustrating. the product is amazing when it works, which it will for people who use it in a verified and tested scenario. I'm perhaps not as soured as you on the experience, knowing the stock Miata ECU data is super slow anyway and that the tec2 was discontinued 25 years ago. on top of all that, they advertised the iPhone app for a quick review of data. for track day guys, its an appealing function because we might not always have time to deep dive with a laptop. well, that never happened. I understand the iPhone app isn't really a core function for professional racing, teaching or training but it certainly highlights that they've made the mistake of releasing claims of functionality before it is tested or anywhere near being ready for prime time. years later, an iphone interface still, at least to my knowledge, does not exist. so what. it does what it does well for those using it in a tested environment. so for those thinking about buying their timer simply make absolutely sure what you're trying to do will work in your situation with your setup. lots of assumptions get thrown around about compatibility. for anyone with an older ecu, assume nothing or just except sometimes you gotta give it a shot, and if it works great, if not you can sell pretty easily. its a great tool, with many configurations for data collection but for the casual users the Garmen catalyst is pretty neat. it doesn't have nearly the same capabilities for data collection but itis very intuitive and will provide ideas on how to be faster. it is limited in some ways but an excellent tool for those who want an easy plug-and-play solution.

Yes, this point I have made here above (I think), and certainly on my home MX5 forum.

It is extremely important for those of us running something a little out of the ordinary. I have pretty well always taken the view 'don't be the pioneer, it too often ends badly' and in this case I was an unwitting pioneer given the AiM assurance that it would work. So, lesson is that even if you are confident you are buying right, do some checking, get some 'money back guarantees', etc.