Quick Start Guide – VBOX IISX Data Logger
The GPS antenna supplied with the VBOX IISX is a 3.5 V active antenna. For the best possible signal quality, it is important to maintain a clean connection between the antenna and the VBOX. Before you fix the antenna to the VBOX, make sure that there are no dust particles in either connector. Replacement antennas are available by contacting your VBOX distributor.
The antenna is a magnetic mounting type for quick and simple mounting to the vehicle roof. For optimum GPS signal reception, make sure that the antenna is fitted to the highest point of the vehicle away from any obstructions that may block satellite reception. The GPS antenna works best with a metal ground plane underneath (eg. Vehicle roof).
Please also note that when using any GPS equipment, a clear sky view is important. Objects in the surrounding area such as tall buildings or trees can block the GPS signal causing a reduction in the number of satellites being tracked or introducing reflected signals that can decrease the accuracy of the system.
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GPS antennas require a ground plane to operate correctly. Usually, the metal roof of a vehicle performs this function. However, if a test requires an antenna to be placed off of the vehicle, you need to use a special ‘mushroom-style’ antenna. These antennas are capable of operating without an additional ground plane as they have an internal one. The Ground Plane Mushroom-style Antennas (RLVBACS065) are available from your VBOX distributor.
RLVBACS065 Ground Plane Antenna Mushroom-style.
The screen will display data when the VBOX IISX is operating. It also displays all the menus required to configure the VBOX IISX with the front panel controls.
On start-up, the display screen shows the unit’s firmware version and the current offset value.
During normal operation, the display screen displays speed (mph or km/h) and the number of satellites that the VBOX IISX has locked on to. There are also three status indicators at the top of the display.
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| GPS Status | Display notifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Left Position | Middle Position | Right Position | |
| No Satellite Lock | - | SAT (flashing) | RTK (flashing) |
| Full Lock | OK | - | - |
| Antenna A only SAT Lock | - | RTK (flashing) | RTK (flashing) |
If you have enabled a DGPS mode, it is indicated by the middle indicator light with one of the following messages.
| DGPS Mode | Display Notification |
|---|---|
| WAAS, SBAS or EGNOS Differential correction | WAAS |
| 40 cm Differential correction from Base station | 40 cm |
Logged File name:
When you have an SD card inserted, the file name of the logged file appears on the screen while the VBOX II logs data.
You can configure VBOX IISX units with the front panel buttons so that you can do the configuration without the need for a computer. You can also configure it via the VBOX Setup Software.
From the main screen, press the ’■’ button to enter the configuration screen.
Note: When you enter the configuration screen, the VBOX IISX will stop the logging to the SD card. When you are using it in continuous logging mode, you have to make sure that you push the ’■' button before you remove the SD card so you don't lose any of your data.
In the configuration screen, you can press the ‘◄’ and ‘►’ buttons to highlight the previous or next choice in any menu and press ’■’ to select the highlighted option. Most of the main menus contain sub-menus. For example, the Settings and Setup Antennas menus contain separate menus for each parameter.
You can read more about the functionality of the front panel buttons in each submenu here.
SD Cards and Logging
The VBOX IISX stores logged data onto SD cards with FAT or FAT32 formats..The supplied SD cards are already optimised to be used with the VBOX IISX and as such they do not need formatting before you use them. Should the SD card subsequently need formatting due to card errors, you can do this in Windows:
- Insert the SD card into an SD card reader.
- Right-click on the drive in the 'computer' section and select 'format'.
- To run a full format, make sure that 'quick format' is not ticked.
When the VBOX IISX is logging data to an SD card, the OLED display will show a small disk icon next to the name of the current file at the bottom of the display. It is important that you do not remove the SD card while the VBOX IISX is logging. If you do remove the card while the VBOX IISX is writing data to it, there is a risk that the data file may be corrupted and you could lose data.
There are two logging modes:
- Log only when moving: In this mode, the VBOX IISX will start to log data only when the unit detects that the vehicle reaches a speed higher than 0.5 km/h. This mode requires a satellite lock.
- Log continuously: Data is continuously logged to the SD card regardless of vehicle velocity or the number of satellites.
If the selected logging mode is ‘Log only when moving’, wait a short time after the vehicle has stopped for the logging to finish and the disk icon to disappear from the screen. Once the disk icon has gone, it is safe to remove the SD card.
If the selected logging mode is ‘Log continuously’, press the start/stop logging switch (if connected) to stop logging so that you can remove the card safely. If you do not have a start/stop logging switch available, press ’■’ on the front panel to enter the onboard configuration screen. This will close the file so that you can remove the card safely.
We recommend that you remove files from the disk regularly as it is easy to write continuously without fragments. The more file fragments there are on an SD card, the harder it is to stream data to the card.
To set the channels you want to log, select them in the VBOX Setup Software.
The maximum number of CAN channels available for logging varies according to whether or not the Kalman Filter is enabled:
- Maximum logged channels without the Kalman Filter enabled (both velocity and position set to zero) – All standard channels plus 20 CAN channels.
- Maximum logged channels with the Kalman Filter enabled (and either velocity or position set to non-zero values) – All standard channels plus 10 CAN channels.
You can read more about the different ports and modes for CAN here.