We were never really big on toting a laptop around inside the project car whenever we wanted to make a flight recording (datalog) of the engine's operation. While planting a computer squarely in the floor or seat might seem OK, the chances of the laptop sustaining damage from vibration or being banged around when you're hard on the gas is actually fairly high.
XFI's Touch-Screen Dash/Data Logger (PN 301417) is a slimline, dual-function electronic dashboard and datalogger that will help us as we try to improve on our coupe. It will give us real-time details on underhood activity during our 9-second trips down the dragstrip.
We really dig the fact that the unit can record more than 1 hour of continuous datalogging time, and it doesn't require an immediate download of information after each run.
Many thanks go to our friend Patrick "The Wiring Wizard" Hall for handling the electrical part of our datalogger installation. Our coupe's FAST XFI engine management system is one of its most critical components. The Wiring Wizard made sure all of the electrical connections and wires throughout are properly soldered and routed to power and ground to prevent any operational failure or loss of data due to vibration or other forces.
The XFI Touch-Screen Dash/Data Logger includes wiring that allows it to capture data from 12 extra analog inputs in addition to information coming from the processor itself. We're not using any of the auxiliaries, so The Wiring Wizard caps the end of each wire with heat shrink to prevent accidental shorting or connectivity problems.
We had The Wiring Wizard relocate this inline fuse from the middle of the datalogger's main harness to a location closer to our 12-volt source behind the dashboard, for easier access to the fuse if it ever has to be changed. Always add heat shrink before crushing down on or soldering the wiring connectors, and make sure you use enough to fully protect a connection.
This Y-shaped Controller Area Network cable is the lifelink of the XFI Touch-Screen Dash/Data Logger, as it's the line that transmits data in the processor into the touch-screen panel. The cable connects to the datalogger's main harness and can also be daisy-chain-linked to additional FAST accessories in a network fashion. Each end of the CAN circuit must be closed with plug-in terminators that are included with the system.
The blue wiring connector is removed from the XFI processor...