Harry's GPS Suite Forum

I received a Kickstarter notification about the new Kiwi 4. Seems to target the stand alone usage without a phone. It has an SD-card slot and on-board accelerometer.
Any insights if this new hardware and features might be useful in combination with HLT?

Hi bulls23,

Long time no see.

The Kiwi4 promises faster communication (twice as much as the Kiwi3). If true, this will be beneficial for LapTimer operation. Standalone operations (logging, audio) are more for car / engine health monitoring and will not add advantages when used with LapTimer. I do not see integrating the accelerometer will add advantages either.

As compatibility with LapTimer is listed and PLX proofed to be a reliable Kickstarter performer, it might be an option to get a Kiwi slightly cheaper than the current Kiwi3. But realistically, it will get available for the 2019 season only.

If you have a 3 already, I do not see it makes too much sense.

- Harry

Can HLT use the accelerometer in the Kiwi 4 instead of your phones? I have a Kiwi 3 and am interested in the 4 so I can keep my phone in the center console instead of mounting it.

Not planned. The Kiwi 4 will work like the 3 - probably a bit faster. Please note the limiting factor for storing the phone in the center console is GPS, not acceleration. Without an external GPS, the phone needs to be mounted in the windscreen to get acceptable GPS accuracy.

Besides the point I cannot start integrating all kinds of specialities of non standard sensors, I assume BT LE bandwidth will be a real issue when retrieving acceleration from a Kiwi 4. BT LE bandwidth is the limiting factor for Kiwi OBD update rates. Adding IMU data is required at very high rates and will absorb bandwidth.

Harry

I use an external GPS device (Dual XGPS 160). Fair point about bandwidth I hadn't considered that. Have you spoken to the PLX folks about the potential bandwidth issue? If apps won't implement the accelerometer for the aforementioned reasons it seems like a wasted feature.

Using OBD adapters to request data at high speeds is a special track requirement. The Kiwi4 features offline recording and other scenarios not relevant for LapTimer use. So while IMU is not relevant here, it is for other situations.

Harry

Gotcha. Guess I'll be sticking with my Kiwi 3 it doesn't seem like a worthwhile upgrade in that case. Thanks for the replies!

As far as I unterstand there is no benefit for Kiwi4 against Kiwi3 to use it with HLT.

Will the Kiwi4 work in the same way as the Kiwi3 or are there any drawbacks?

I am searching for a compatible OBD device and do not own some right now. In the moment there ist the opportunity to get a Kiwi4 for the same price as the Kiwi3 and although the additional features have no benefit for HLT, they are nice to have for the same price.
So is there anything against using this opportunity and to buy the Kiwi4? Will the Kiwi4 work and perform in exactly the same way as the Kiwi3 with HLT?

PLX wanted to send a test device, but I haven't received it yet. They say it is fully downward compatible to the 3, so it should work just like the Kiwi 3. Due to the missing test option, I cannot confirm the higher speed claimed. In case you can get both for the same price, I'd recommend the 4.

- Harry

H Harry,

thanks a lot. Then I take the opportunity and get the Kiwi4.

I will provide some feedback how it performs in combination with HLT and the MX-5.

Cheers,
Sven