How to read AiM Solo 2 data

What do I need?

• The Solo 2 or Solo 2 DL and a Windows PC with Race Studio 3, AiM’s free software for 64-bit Windows. On a Mac or phone, see AiM Solo 2 software and apps.
• Or the session’s .xrk file and a browser: Purple Sector opens it on a Mac or PC. See open AiM .xrk files.

The screenshots below are Purple Sector with a MyChron 5 session from a car at Queensland Raceway open, also an AiM .xrk file. The reading steps are the same for a Solo 2.

1. How do I get the session onto the computer?

1. Set the Solo 2’s Wi-Fi to AUTO or ON. In AUTO it switches on when the vehicle stops and off when recording starts.
2. In Race Studio 3, click the Wi-Fi icon and select the logger. AiM’s Solo 2 DL guide says the DL connects to a computer only over Wi-Fi.
3. Open the Download tab, select the sessions and press Download. The page lists each file’s laps, best lap, date and size.
4. Press the Analysis icon and double-click the session. Race Studio 3 adds every downloaded session to its Analysis database.

2. Which laps can I compare?

The Laps report lists the laps by lap time and graphs GPS speed against distance. Leave out the out lap, the in lap and any lap with traffic, a spin or a yellow flag; AiM’s split report already leaves in and out laps out by default.

3. Where is the time going?

Load your best lap as the reference and one typical lap from the same session. Under the main graph, the Time Compare graph shows the time difference between the reference lap and the others; it can show as Differential or as Gap. Where it climbs, the typical lap is losing time; where it falls, it’s gaining. Read it against distance: Race Studio 3 can plot graphs against distance or time.

4. What does the speed trace show at those corners?

At the corners where the time gap climbs, read GPS speed for three things:

• Where the speed starts to fall: where you braked or lifted. GPS and the motion sensors can’t tell which.
• The lowest point: the minimum corner speed.
• The climb out: how early the speed rises again.

A lower minimum or a later climb on the typical lap shows where the time went. In distance mode the splits show on the graph, and double-clicking one zooms to it. AiM’s current spec for the Solo 2 is GPS position and speed 25 times a second, plus a 100 Hz 6-axis inertial platform.

5. What does the split report add?

The split report divides each lap into segments and times each one, lap after lap. The colourised report shades good values green and bad ones red. The split report also gives a best theoretical and a best rolling lap:

• Best theoretical: your best split times from any laps, added up.
• Best rolling: the fastest lap you really drove over consecutive splits, not necessarily from start/finish line to start/finish line.

A big gap between your best lap and the best theoretical means the pace is there in pieces. The split that’s furthest from its best on typical laps is the one to work on. See optimal lap time.

6. What about the Solo 2 DL’s engine data?

The Solo 2 DL adds the car’s ECU data over CAN, RS232 or K-Line. Look at those channels after the speed trace. A GPS lap timer on its own records position, speed and time, not the brake pedal or throttle.

Can I read it without Race Studio 3?

Yes. Open the .xrk or .xrz in Purple Sector in a browser on a Mac or PC: it shows the gap to your best at every turn, the speed traces, a close-up of each corner, the Corner times tab and the optimal lap. The AI Coach debrief names the corner that cost the most and one thing to try there.

Questions

More: AiM Solo 2 software and apps · Open AiM .xrk files · How to read MyChron data · Race Studio 3 on a Mac · XRK to CSV · Optimal lap time