[awallace]

OK folks - I'm starting a new thread because:
1) the old SSDC v4 one is too long, and we have all got older and wiser
2) the first thread for SSDC v5 stated that it was just for the C7042
The world has moved on. SSDC v5.1.0 is available now from a website near you...

Here are the details:

The first version of SSDC v5 that supports the PB-Pro. This version supports:

PB-Pro as the main powerbase (Early version: Pace cars currently not replaying).
Throttle maps defined per car.
Ability to start and run pace cars in free practice (C7042 only).
Support for Velleman K8055 for additional race lights.
Cars are forced to brake when entering the pit lane (C7042 only).
Recording of pace car data disabled by default to improve performance on older machines.
Bug fix: same lap race end option.
Bug fix: improved pace car replay logic when track calls occur.
Bug fix: improved layout and usability of drivers and cars windows.
Bug fix: crash when CPU usage information updates on certain machines.
Bug fix: Auto track call settings not disabled on the option screen when ATC disabled.

As always - enjoy

Oh, and please bear in mind that I consider this to be "work in progress". I have tested it quite a bit (especially at Gaydon), but I am sure that I have missed something. Let me know if you encounter problems (please provide details if possible). This was a major change, and so the focus for the next release will be bug fixes. And before anyone says, I can tell you now that the manual needs updating

!

 

[Ade]

hi
excellent news Andy on the recent upgrades.Long may they continue....

 

[TR7_Driver]

Great news, just in time for the bank holiday, throttle maps great, has this saved me buying a new tru-speed controller.

 

[awallace]

A quick word on throttle maps (which also work for PB-Pro). You get three values to adjust:

1) the throttle max - normally set to maximum, but you can reduce it if you want to
2) the throttle mid point - this is the throttle value for the mid-zone of the throttle. You can have it low (for fast cars on a twisty circuit or magless) or high for fast circuits or cars that generally need a lot of throttle
3) the throttle sensitivity - this is effectively the slope of the throttle curve through the midpoint. low means that you get a lot of throttle travel for a small change in car speed. high means that a little throttle movement goes a long way.

SSDC effectively fits a smooth curve using these parameters and then interpolates the necessary throttle values.

Hope all of that makes sense.

 

[sealevel]

Wow, sounds terrific, Andy.

Just to clarify, on your web site it has an upgrade cost from V4 to V5. That is for both the C7030 PB-Pro and the C7042 APB versions or only the former? I have a C7030 PB-Pro and a registered version 4 of SSDC so your recent developments have caught my eye. Once one has "upgraded" are any further improvements included in the registration cost?

Many thanks for all your work. You are truly driving the hobby forward at breakneck speed!
Cheers!

 

[awallace]

SSDC v5 now supports both PB-Pro and C7042. When you start it, you use the toolbar options to tell SSDC which powerbase you are connected to. As a PB-Pro user, you will be able to make use of most of the v5 capabilities (like race management, series points). Pace cars will come soon. There are some things that will (most likely) remain exclusive to the C7042 - variable braking is an example, as is fuel stutter. This is because of the differences between powerbase capabilities.

The upgrade cost of £20 is available to anyone who has previously bought SSDC v4.x or earlier.

 

[zarko]

Thank you Andrew. Can't wait to see the new version in action with PB-Pro.

 

[GregK]

Andrew ..... does this update include the code for InCar-Pro?

 

[Porsche Racer]

All good news Andy.

Thanks for continually supporting SSDC.

 

[Guam Slot Racer]

Thanks Andy for all your hard work in getting this upgraded for us! Just a quick question:

I noticed a start recording pace car button at the top of the new version. How does this work? I didn't see anything in the help file on this. I would assume that you would click this button before recording?

rob

 

[sticky]

Very clever work Mr Wallace

Thank-you for pushing forward and yet again showing the true potential of our hobby.Many thanks and a big thumbs up!

 

[awallace]

Greg - The InCar-Pro code is in there, but a bit burried. At the moment it is just a demonstrator, but I can show you how to enable it if you like. You will need the new firmware for the C7042 also. Bear in mind that InCar-Pro cars will run on the PB-Pro, but you will not be able to make use of the new features like switchable lights and variable brakes.

Rob - The record and stop buttons on the main tool bar enable and disable pace car recording. When enabled, driver data will be collected for later use with pace cars. The default on startup is that recording is off. This means that your pace car data isn't being modified unless you want it to be - also it saves on the CPU a bit, which makes it better for older machines.

 

[Bam]

Excuse my ignorance, but do all these things work in analogue mode on the new powerbase also?

 

[awallace]

QUOTE (Bam @ 26 May 2011, 08:16) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Excuse my ignorance, but do all these things work in analogue mode on the new powerbase also?

Yes they do. Slightly wierd feeling watching analog pace cars and feeling the effect of fuel load on your analog car while racing. But once you get over that, it is ace!

 

[Bam]

Thats brilliant! Looks like my mind is made up then

At the moment I'm not interested in dropping the lane change pieces into my routed track, nor converting all my cars when I do.

For the analogue pace car function, with SDDC does it record inputs to drive a real lap, or is it a set a speed and let it go?

 

[awallace]

QUOTE For the analogue pace car function, with SDDC does it record inputs to drive a real lap, or is it a set a speed and let it go?

Both. Start with the fixed speed pace cars, and then when you have that cracked, move onto the variable ones. The fixed speed ones aren't just fixed though - they work the throtle on each lap to try and reach/maintain a target lap time that you set. If you leave the target lap time as 0, then SSDC won't adjust the throttle on each lap.

 

[GregK]

My first reaction is WOW .........

My second is THANKS .............

Is the v1.04 firmware the one with InCar-Pro support or is there a later one??

 

[MrFlippant]

I'm with GregK, Wow and Thanks!

I do have a few questions as I play around. This is, of course, with a C7030 with PB-Pro SH (latest version).

1) Is it a bug or a feature that fuel load simulation is not active during free practice mode? It looks like fuel "burns" but there is no load simulation (updated throttle curves?) during free practice.

2) I enjoyed using a wireless keyboard and the F-keys to reset qualify, start/pause/resume/end a race in SSDC 4.x. I'd love to have those back.

3) I figured out how to put windows as tabs in the main window, which I prefer, but is it possible to have the leaderboard come up automatically when a race is started? I found out you can use CTRL-TAB to move between tabs, but I can't see if there's a way to reorder the tabs without removing the seldom-used ones. For example, I want to shift between Leaderboard and Race Management quite often during a series of races, but the others more rarely.

4) Just to be clear, is progressive braking not available for C7030? I couldn't tell any difference in braking power when I tried different settings, so I assume not.

5) Are you doing active throttle calibration with the C7030 as you did for C7042? I hope so, but haven't tested enough to tell.

6) Are progressive brakes only for the brake button? I noticed that if the brake button is disabled, progressive braking is grayed out, indicating that it's not available. This leads me to believe that it's linked to the brake button and not dynamic braking, and that dynamic would always be full brakes. I would prefer this to be the other way around, even if/when I switch to the APB to get the use of progressive braking. Ideally, the setting should be available to either or both dynamic and button brakes, as I know some people prefer to use one over the other, and vice versa.

7) Auto-track call wasn't working for me. I was only "racing" one car, so maybe it knew not to worry about it? I just expected a track call when I crashed and had to put my car back on, but it never came. Yes, this was during a race, not free practice.

Thanks a TON again for making this C7030 compatible, Andy! The DRAWW will likely be using this for all our tracks soon.

 

[Dave2302]

Hi Andy,

Great work as always, you are a credit and major player in our hobby

Been out of touch for a while due to 1:1 car project.

I have the old 6 car base with PB pro and SH.

Is there at the moment a way to get sector timing through a "special stage", so the sector times flash up on the screen with a total lap time as you pass the power base (start / finish line) at the end, or if not is this something you could add in the future, or do you indeed have plans to do this ???

Cheers Dave

 

[RikoRocket]

Slot-GP has this feature - see the website http://home.comcast.net/~rubenio/SlotGP%20Pro.htm but it is a while since we have seen Rubenio on the forum. I loved sector timing, but you need a really big circuit for it to be meaningful. If you have a 6 second lap then halving that doesn't give enough discrimination in my view. Try Slot-GP first (it is free) then ask Andy again if you think you really want it.