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"Car Chip" Creates An Electronic Log
A new add-on computer chip keeps an electronic log of driving performance so you can check up on employees or kids. "It's the next best thing to having parents in the back seat of the car," says Ed Edelman, president, of Ambient LLC.
The size of two 9-volt batteries, the device plugs into the on-board diagnostic
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"Car Chip" Creates An Electronic Log FARM HOME Cars 27-4-11 A new add-on computer chip keeps an electronic log of driving performance so you can check up on employees or kids. "It's the next best thing to having parents in the back seat of the car," says Ed Edelman, president, of Ambient LLC.
The size of two 9-volt batteries, the device plugs into the on-board diagnostics (OBDII) connector found in all cars 1996 and newer.
Once attached, it gathers data such as time and date of trip, distance traveled, speed (logged every five seconds), idle time, hard accelerations and decelerations, and up to four engine diagnostic trouble codes and status of engine parameters at the time the code occurred.
The CarChip ($139.00) tracks 75 hours of trip details, while the CarChip E/X ($169) records 300 hours of trip details. To access the data, the CarChip is disconnected from the ODBII harness and connected to a computer with a Windows 95 or newer operating system. Analysis software on a CD and a serial port connector are all included with the devices. Thresholds for speed, acceleration and deceleration can all be preset for logging whenever they are exceeded.
"It creates graphs as well as a log of all events that occur," says Edelman. "It's perfect for intermittent faults where you take it to a mechanic, but he can't repeat the problem. CarChip lets you see when and under what conditions the problem occurs."
Other systems similar to his product are available on the market. However, Edelman says they tend to be bulky, require a mechanic to install and cost considerably more.
CarChip is tamper proof, too, recording both vehicle identification numbers as well as disconnects. One propane delivery fleet manager used the device to check driving habits of an employee. The CarChip revealed speeds of up to 84 miles per hour.
"One buyer told us that he was buying a CarChip after a friend crashed and died due to speeding," says Edelman. "He felt if his friend had had the chip in his car, it might have restrained him and saved his life."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ambient, LLC, 1642 E. Silverwood Dr., Phoenix, Arizona 85048 (ph 480 283-1644; fax 480 283-1645; website: www.carchip.com).
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