Chip

iTrader: (3)

Mate of mine is after some rollers, only something very basic, old sun 2wd setup or similar.

Cost?

Instalation difficulty?

Anything else we'll need to know?

Garage19

I know that having had a look at the insides of a DD RR i would feel pained to pay 25K for one. There is about £2k worth of materials if you are lucky!

If it wasn't for the software i would have made myself a set by now!

dojj

iTrader: (3)

if you were to buy a second hand set of rollers, would they need to be recalibrated before use then?

or would it be simply just to put base line figures on rather than actual pub/forum bravado?

and reading the stuff they've written in this months pf, there seems to be a fiarly wide margin of error/descrepancy between different rollers

Garage19

That depends on the type of rollers.

If they are inertia dynos the probably not. But if they are braked load cell type such as DD ones then you should check the calibration / buy a new calibrated load cell.

This should be fine as long as they still make the load cell you need. Failing that just rip one off your nearest crane!

Paul Eggleton

You can buy loads of different loadcells from RS or Farnell you just have to make sure you get the right range etc...

GARETH T

you can even have load cells made for you if they are something a bit out of the ordinary

Christian and Beccy

iTrader: (14)

Did you have your eyes closed??

£2k worth of materials?

Christian and Beccy

iTrader: (14)

Incidentally, I know of a Sun 2wd Dyno thats for sale. Will get some details.

Garage19

Most expensive part is going to be the eddy currant brake. This is an off the shelf part and i dare say if you were really keen you could build/wind your own.

Then you have the cost of the load cell which isn't huge.

All you need then is the drum speed sensor which is a few quid and a chassis made up for the roller. The bearings they use are also pretty cheap and standard off the shelf parts.

AlexF

Be mindful that most premises are very concerned about noise pollution and won't let you have a dyno full stop!

Alex

Christian and Beccy

iTrader: (14)

So, take out of the equation that Dyno Dynamics must build a unit that is commercially viable, as in that they must carry relevant insurance etc to sell such a device. How much would it actually cost to produce a steel casing, Aluminium rollers and all the associated electronics? Then theres the PC and cabinet too. I bet it couldn't be done for any amount of money to make it worthwhile.

AlexF

As for DD - they are one of the rudest companies I have ever had the displeasure to deal with!!!

Garage19

All the things you state there do not cost much (although i'm suprised they use aluminium rollers?).

The only thing i couldn't do and that would cost me a fair chunk is the software development.

Mind you that is a fixed cost so if you were selling 100 rolling roads it would probably work out fairly cheap too.

Garage19

Was it their UK distributer? A short guy that comes across as rather smug/big headed?

neilm

Alex

If you have a unit thats on an industrial estate then there are no noise restrictions, thats the point of industrial estates so companies who need to make noise can.


But I do agree... you couldnt have one in a shed at the bottom of your garden.



Chip you have a PM.....

You also need a fookin great hole in the workshop floor for Sun rollers, whereas the DD ones just bolt down.

AlexF

Only delt with them on the phone and email... but the other part of your statement rings true!!

AlexF

NeilM,

Not all - by a long way!

Alex

foreigneRS

as in anything doug, the price of a set of DD has little to do with the cost of them. it's about what people will pay for them.

when you see that you can get 20 people for a day paying £40 for a power run or whatever, then it doesn't take long to pay back the £25k if you can do one of those per week.

-beefy-

iTrader: (6)

chip , my ex missus has got a couple of rolls on her belly your welcome to have ,

could possibly modify ?

pm for details

beef .

GARETH T

alex, mike g is the uk dealer for DD rolling roads, and when i was looking into getting one, he was so helpful its untrue! very nice chap

im with garage19, i could build one a piece of piss! the software would be my struggle aswell!

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Doug, when you start talking about winding your own etc, thats only cheap if your time has no value

C&B, if you could get a figure, that would be a great value for reference although its probably too soon for us to actually want them yet as he hasnt sorted the unit yet in terms of if the noise is allowed there.

NeilM, many thanks

rapidcossie

20 people a day on yours rollers....

even the busist ones wont see ten day unless they are special events.

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Think we did 22 runs the last time I did a rolling road day.

pa_sjo

Gareth/Garage19- the software wouldn't be that hard actually, it's only measuring speed and the load cell! Adding a bunch of other inputs wouldn't be too hard either. Performance Trends pretty much sell something off the shelf for this already.

Christian and Beccy

iTrader: (14)

Also, the theory of running RR days to recover costs is a great one, but check out my sticky RR thread to see how lame RR days are these days in terms of people wanting to attend. You'd be lucky to get one a month, let alone one a week.

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Totally agree, although bear in mind you are trying it on a ford site, versus the 22 people who turned up no bother for a vauxhall site, and all want to know when the next one is, mind you, the vauxhall lads manage to drum up a decent TOTB team too, its just a different scene altogether, they actually want to DO things.

Garage19

Here is some software for a inertia dyno.

http://www.dynamometer-info.co.uk/do...o-software.htm

http://www.dyno46.com/racingdyno.html

I can draw the drum up in Solidworks, enter the material specs and it will calculate its moment of inertia for me piece of wee.

I'm pretty sure the actual calcs at the heart of a load cell RR are simple. It only basic physics at the end of the day. Its the GUI bit that i have no clue with.

Garage19

You are right!

http://www.performancetrends.com/dtm-dyno.htm

£300 for the interface and pro software. Bargain.

Right i'm off to design my motorcycle dyno!

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Software stuff is my background, used to make a living programming power stations and oil and water distribution etc, and has also been a hobby of mine since primary school so that side of it Im very competent at, however that said, it can take a LOT of hours, so the best option for me would be if I could find some open source software that I can just "tailor" for my mate/me to use.

Christian and Beccy

iTrader: (14)

I know what you mean, I managed to pull 25 cars from a local non-chavvy forum and about the same from the SXOC/SOC recently.

What is it about the Ford scene?

matt p

dreamers mainly lol!!

foreigneRS

there you go then - stick to good marketing and it is possibleto pay for a DD rolling road in a relatively short time

GUZZLER

iTrader: (3)

its not that great Nick, normally a dyno day would be about £30-35 per car, about £700 for 20 cars, take the vat off, that puts it to about £600, wages for the day, normally for 3 people, that would put it down near £400, then rent & rates, then the cost of the dyno & all the equipment that go's with it, after all the company dosn't make a fourtune out of dyno days!

Mark Shead

The 4wd one is £65k+looked in to it but still dont think I could make any money with it then you have to add the cell for it prob £10K.

Mark

Garage19

Thats just daft money!!

SteveB

iTrader: (3)

How long ago was this as it doesn't sound like Mike Gurney at all...... May have been someone from Oz as he was off work for a long time with meningitis (spl)

Gordon1

you are not wrong i have had a 4wd dyno now for 4 years and it cost me a bit more than that and only just starting to pay for itself

m_nettleship

Lol, the margin is very wide.

GaryEvo

our 4wd system cost us loads but with the amount we have learnt since owning it plus not having to use the road for mapping was the best money i ever spent...........

well second to buying the evo!!!!!

MJ_RST

Interesting, why choose a dyno over live mapping??

surely live mapping would be better all round.