Z1 Dashboard Software

[Russell Hodgson]

The Z1 Dashboard software is now fully compatible with the latest version of Kart Racing Pro.  Display your kart's dashboard on a separate window or monitor.  You can also display the track map with your location, timing and scoring details, fuel figures and more!


You can download the latest demo here: http://www.z1simwheel.com/dashboard/demo.cfm?source=krp

We just released version 3.8.0, and here are all the improvements that were made in this release:
* Improved performance for better CPU usage.

* Added support for SimBin sims. Note that as the current SimBin API is quite limited there are several features of the Z1 Dashboard software that are note available, most notably the track map display.

* Updated support for the latest version of Kart Racing Pro (10b beta). The auto-track map creation now works with this sim. Also added is throttle, brake, lat and long G forces so the telemetry dashboard now shows more information.

* Updated support for the latest version of Project CARS, adding much more infortmation as it is now available from their API. The auto-track map creation now works for this sim.

* Fixed a bug that could cause the app to crash when disconnecting from Assetto Corsa.

* Improved the auto-track map creation process to include sector positions.

* Added the auto-track map creation to rFactor 1 & 2.

* Added the auto-track map creation to ARCA Sim Racing

* Added the auto-track map creation to Game Stock Car

[sam19]

this looks like an awesome bit of kit,

i only have one question, whats the difference between the demo and when you buy it ? does it unlock new features or is the demo time limited,

also on your site you have the option to buy the software with a LCD display, can you use any 4.3" display of does it have to be yours? and if so why does it have to be yours?

im very interested in this for my simulator,

regards
sam

EDIT :

i have just downloaded the software and it just keeps flashing waiting for sim is this because its a demo version?

sam

[Russell Hodgson]

i have just downloaded the software and it just keeps flashing waiting for sim is this because its a demo version?

sam

It may be flashing because you did not put the plugin in the KRP plugin directory.    In the documents/z1simwheel/plugins/kart racing pro beta 7 directory is the file Z1SWKRP7.dlo.  Copy this file to your KRP plugin directory which is C:\Program Files (x86)\Kart Racing Pro\plugins by default.

[Russell Hodgson]

this looks like an awesome bit of kit,

i only have one question, whats the difference between the demo and when you buy it ? does it unlock new features or is the demo time limited,

also on your site you have the option to buy the software with a LCD display, can you use any 4.3" display of does it have to be yours? and if so why does it have to be yours?

im very interested in this for my simulator,

regards
sam

The only difference between the demo and the full version is that the demo will quit after 15 minutes.  All functionality is the same.

You can use it on any screen that Windows considers a monitor.  So if you have an extra monitor that will work.  or if you have one of those USB monitors, like a Mimo one, that will work as well.

[sam19]

thank you i have got it working

so if i bought a LCD panel i would be able to put the dash onto it?

the reason i ask is im currently making a sim and im going to turn an old Mychron4 into a dash that will read real time, and this looking like the perfect bit of software

is there any LCD screens you would recomend apart from your own ?

regards
sam

[Russell Hodgson]

Our LCD screen is the only one that Windows doesn't see as a monitor which the software will work with.  If you have an existing screen that Windows can see as a monitor then it would work with that.  For example the Mimo monitors.

Our screen is designed to stand on its own or be integrated into dashboard, as it has 4 screw holes on the back for attaching it to something.

I don't know if a MyChron 4 would work, but have a feeling that it would not because its resolution isn't good enough and Windows probably won't see it as a monitor.  However to be sure you would have to test it out and see.

[Russell Hodgson]

Version 3.9.0 is now available!

Among the many updates are several new track mapping options.  You can now flip the track maps horizontally or vertically to better orient them.  You can also specify the width and color and style of the track map and sector overlays.

Existing users can get the update through the updater that was installed with the Z1 Dashboard.

The demo is available here: http://www.z1simwheel.com/dashboard/demo.cfm?source=krp

Here are the full release notes:

* Added third sector color for improved differentiation between sectors on track maps.

* Added two dashes for the Porsche Ruf RT 12. One is 8,000 RPM and one is 10,000 RPM.  You can choose the colors of the dial backgrounds by setting the background color in the settings dialog.

* Added the Super Late Model dashboard.

* Fixed a bug in iRacing where your driver name would appear twice in the standings screen.

* You can now use POV (hat switches) as well as joystick buttons to select icons within the Z1 software.

* You can now specify the width and color of the track when it is drawn during the auto-creation process.

* You can now specify the width of the sector overlay when it is drawn onto the track map.

* You can now specify how the sector overlays are drawn.  The options are solid (as was previous used), dotted and dashed.

* The track map auto-creation now works with iRacing.  You will need to record a full lap of telemetry within iRacing and then open that lap in the Z1 Dashboard telemetry analysis screen.  Then press the compass button to generate the track map.  This results in a track map that can be more accurate than the ones that ship with the Z1 Dashboard software.

* The software will now learn how long each pitstop takes at every track and with every car that you race.  This information will be used to calculate the pitstop deltas in the track map screen to give you a more accurate position of where you will exit the pits after your stop.

* You can now flip the track maps left/right and up/down.  This allows you to better position auto created track maps, that sometimes might have been backwards or upside down when created.  Just click the left-right arrow button or the up-down arrow button located in the top left and top right corners of the track map dashboard.

* If you do not want the Z1 Dashboard software to check for the availability of Assetto Corsa TP or Codemaster's sims, then settings their IP address to '0' in the settings.ini file will cause the software to skip checking them.  This can improve startup performance of the Z1 Dashboard software in some cases.

* Codemasters F1 series is now supported.  Note that the data provided by these sims is limited so you will not have all the features available to you that you have with other sims.

Enjoy!

[Russell Hodgson]

Version 3.9.0 has added many new options to the track map. You can now choose the color of the track as well as its width when it is created. The sector overlay now has three different styles (solid, dashed and dotted) as well as its own thickness control. If you want the standard thinner black track map then you are all set. But what if you want a much wider track drawn in green with the sector overlaid in dots? Simple! Just select the appropriate size, color and design in the Track Map tab.

The demo is available here: http://www.z1simwheel.com/dashboard/demo.cfm?source=krp

[Russell Hodgson]

Version 3.9.2 is now available!

This includes three new dashboards: the BMW Z4, The Dallara DW 12 and our unique Adjustment Dashboard. There are also several other improvements as well. You can download the demo here: http://www.z1simwheel.com/dashboard/demo.cfm?source=krp

If you already have the software just run the updater to get the latest version.

Here are the full release notes:

* Added Adjustment Dashboard. This shows the various in-car adjustments that are possible. Currently only iRacing supports the telemetry necessary to run this dashboard.

* Added the BMW Z4 dashboard.

* Updated several previous dashboards to include new telemetry for in-car adjustments.

* The size of the dots used to draw the car positions can now be edited. There are two sizes, one for your car and one for everyone elses. The default is 7 for your car and 5 for everyone else, making your car slightly bigger and easier to spot. You can only edit these in the settings.ini file at this time.

* Moved the sim check process to a separate thread, so the settings icon is more responsive during the Waiting for Sim phase.

* Added the Dallara DW12 dashboard.

[Russell Hodgson]

We are running a Z1 Dashboard video contest.  If you send us a video featuring the Z1 Dashboard software to info@zbluesoftware.com we'll enter you into a contest to win your choice of a free copy of the software or $49.  Use your video to tell what you think is cool about the software, what you like best, how you use it, or anything else you can think of!

[Russell Hodgson]

We are extremely happy to announce the release of version 4 of the Z1 Dashboard software!  First a huge thank you to all the beta testers!

There are some very big updates in this version with the main one being screen switching.  You can now have up to 10 dashboards associated with each car and switch between them with a click of a button.  We've also added several new dashboards, improved the display, improved the settings dialog, and much more.

If you are an existing user you can download version 4 from this page by entering your order number: http://www.z1simwheel.com/dashboard/MyDashboard.cfm  (You will receive an email soon that includes your order number in case you have forgotten it.)

If you do not already have the software and would like to try it out please download the demo here: http://www.z1simwheel.com/dashboard/demo.cfm?source=krp

In addition we have modified the pricing structure to provide more options for purchasing the software.  Previously the price was a flat $49 for the software and all future updates.  Going forward the price has been reduced to $24.99.  This includes the software and one month of updates.  You then have the option of subscribing for updates at $1.99 per month, or purchasing a single update for $14, or simply staying with the version you purchased.  (This change does not effect users who purchased the software previously.  They will continue to receive all updates for free.)

The full list of updates is as follows:
* You can now have up to 10 dashboard screens associated with a single instance.  You can switch between these screens by pressing a button on your wheel or joystick, or by touching the Z1 LCD Screen.  The default screen rotation is: main dashboard -> Track Map -> Timing & Scoring -> Telemetry Dash -> Adjustment Dash -> Pit Info Dash.  You can choose from any of the dashboards, and put them in any order using the Settings Dialog.  Each instance can have up to 10 dashboard associated with each car, each with their own switching order.  (That would be a theoretical maximum of 60 dashboards per car!)

* There is now a "Limiter Dash" option in the Car 1 tab. This lets you choose which of the dashboards that can be displayed for the specific car will be displayed when you engage the pit limiter.  This allows you to select any dashboard when you enter the pits.

* A new Track Map dashboard has been created, called Track Map 2.  This displays the track map along with speed, rev, shift lights, gear, lap number and position.

* The Pit Dash and Fuel Dash are now stand alone dashboards.  They can be inserted into your car's dashboard rotation just as any other dashboard would be.

* A new Telemetry Dashboard has been created, called Telemetry Dash 2.  This displays in real time, traces for steering position, suspension travel on all wheels, gear, throttle position, brake position, RPMs and speed.

* The Settings Dialog has been updated to allow for the new multiple screens. In addition all buttons and text fields now have tool tips to let you know what each function does.

* A new Save Location settings has been added.  This allows you to specify whether or not the Z1 should save the location of the screen when you exit.

* If you run with Auto-Resize on, then the Z1 will now remember the exact dimensions of the window you were using.  Previously it always resized based on the current scale settings.

* There is a new Auto-Scaling option.  This is on by default.  When you resize the window the app will pick the best scaling to suit the size of the window.  If you have Auto-Resize on it will fill the window.  If it is off, then the screen may not take up the full window.  As before Auto-Resize takes up more CPU power, and is off by default.

* All the ini files have been replaced by XML files.  This new XML file structure allows for the multiple dashboards per instance.

* Each instance now has its own specific XML setup file for settings and car definitions.  This fixes an issue where the ini file could become corrupted if they were written to simultaneously by multiple instances.

* Changes to the dashboards associated with a car now take effect immediately once the settings dialog has been closed.  Previously you had to restart the Z1 to see any changes.

* Joystick button selection is now done in the Settings Dialog. The new Display tab allows you to specify whether or not the joystick buttons are enabled, and to select each button without having to restart the Z1.  Just click the buttons associated with the desired function and click the appropriate button on your wheel or joystick.  Each instance can now have its own joystick button assignments.  This allows you to control multiple instances with your joystick.

* Screen sizing has been improved. Now when hiding or showing the title bar, the screen will keep the correct size based on its previous size.

* There is now a setting to determine the time between checking for joystick button clicks.  The default is 150 milliseconds.  The smaller the number the more responsive the app will be to button clicks.  Using a larger number will allow you to hold a button down and cycle through the dashboards at a reasonable speed.

* The 'flip' option now only flips the display if you are using the Z1 LCD Screen.

* If you have an instance setup so the dashboard displays even when you are not in the car you can still cycle through the dashboards for the car using the joystick buttons, or by clicking on the left side of the screen. Clicking on the right side of the screen, when not in the car, will display the settings dialog.

* There is a new plugin for the 64 bit version of rFactor 2.

You can download the demo here: http://www.z1simwheel.com/dashboard/demo.cfm?source=krp

[Russell Hodgson]

Here is an updated plugin for Kart Racing Pro beta 11.  You'll need to unzip this file and place the dlo in your KRP plugins folder.  The default location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Kart Racing Pro\plugins.

[Russell Hodgson]

Version 4.1.0 is now available!

This one brings many new features and dashboards! If you already own the Z1 Dashboard then you can get the latest version by going to the 'My Dashboard' page here: http://www.z1simwheel.com/dashboard/MyDashboard.cfm.

If you haven't yet tried it out you can download the demo here: http://www.z1simwheel.com/dashboard/demo.cfm?source=krp

Here are the release notes for this version:

* There are now 4 new F1 2014 style dashboards available.

* The standings screen is now available as a dashboard.

* Added car names to the standings garage dashboard. If you are using iRacing then you can flip between the car name and iRating by clicking on the 'Car' or 'iR' header.

* Added car colors as outlines on the track map. This makes it easier to see your competition and the type of car you are approaching in multi-class races.

* You can now incorporate the pit lane into the track maps. (Not currently this is only for iRacing - the other sims will follow in future updates). To do so, you would create a track map as you normally would in iRacing (drive the lap with telemetry being recorded, then go to the telemetry analysis screen and select your lap, then click the compass icon.) Now to add the pit lane you need to drive another lap where you cross the line to both start and end the lap in the pit lane. Then go to the telemetry analysis screen and select that lap, then click the compass icon. The pit lane should then be added to your track map.

* The track map creation has been tweaked to improve the track maps and how and when they are created. This fixes certain issues that occasionally occurred when creating track maps in Assetto Corsa, Project CARS, and rFactor 1 & 2.

* There is now an X icon on the lower right corner of the track map dashboards. If you press this button the track map will be deleted, allowing you to recreate it from scratch.

* The pit stop deltas now ignore any pit stop less than 10 seconds in order to prevent inaccurately fast deltas from being reported.

* In iRacing the software will now use the track display name provided by the sim as the default track name. You can override this in the TrackMap.xml file located in the documents/z1dashboard/iracing/tracks folder.

* There is now a 'Check Loc' setting in the Display tab of the settings dialog. By default this is set to Yes, and the Z1 will check to make sure it is will not be displayed off-screen when it starts up. However if you want it to skip this check, then set this option to No.

* The software will now get the maximum revs for the car from the sim. This will mean the Generic Dashboard will always display the correct revs in the rev bar for the car you are driving. The exceptions are Codemaster and SimBim sims. Those two sims do not report the maximum revs for the car.

* There is now a checkbox in the Car 1 tab of the settings dialog box called "Set For All Cars". If you check this box then the current cars settings and screens will be applied to all cars for the current instance and sim. This allows you an easy way to create the same setup for all cars you use. Note that this will overwrite all previous settings for all cars.

* Fixed a bug where shift light values were not reset between loading different cars.

* Fixed a bug in the Project Cars data that could prevent the laps from being registered.

* Fixed a bug associated with Project Cars that caused the Z1 Dashboard to crash once you finished a course where the start and finish line were not in the same location (such as a section of highway, etc).

* Fixed a bug that prevented the third instance from opening when using Assetto Corsa.

* Fixed a bug where maximized windows would not stay maximized when you got in the car if you had the hide title bar option set to racing.

[Russell Hodgson]

Here are some screen shots of the latest dashboards.

[Russell Hodgson]

And the new standings dashboard: