Is there any way to playback a test I forgot to record?
Many DYNO-MAX users do not even realize they have a “Black Box” Recorder, let alone what it does. But you should know about it, because it may really help you out sometime.
This option is named “Black Box” because it is similar to an aircraft’s “Flight Recorder.” It maintains a continuous backup recording file (containing the last 10-minutes of engine run data @ 10 Hz). So, if an important event occurs during a test period while you are not recording, you can just recover the “Black Box’s” data to see what happened!
The recorder is smart enough to pause (and not waste any of its 10-minute “tape”) if it has not detected any Engine RPM within the last 30 seconds. Therefore, even though the log is only 10 minutes in length, you may still be able to recover data from an engine failure that occurred hours earlier!
By default, when DYNO-MAX is first installed, the “Black Box” option is turned on. However, if you have shut it off, simply go to Tools – Preferences – Database – Engage “Black Box” Recorder and re-checkmark that option. You are able to tell when it is engaged because, during testing, the words Ready (Black Box) appear in the Console’s Status window.
Here are the steps to recover the data. You may want to try recovering your own system’s log now, just to better understand the procedure.
- Open a New Run and fill out any pertinent Run Information fields so they match the engine for which you are recovering data. If this was the last engine you were running, then the New Run is probably already filled out correctly.
- Select Tools – Options – Recover “Black Box” Recording and enter a file name that you wish to save the recovered run under. You can use the same Run file naming procedure that you do for all your normal recordings.
- Replay (or graph) the Run to review your area of interest (within the 10-minute log).
- You can use the Graph’s Clipping Scissors to segment out just the time period of interest in the recording.
