Holy! Stage 1 of innovation

[shizzzon 461]

Those who have been following us have been waiting for something we have been talking about for a month or so.... 

 

I never really liked "hyping" but this will be all about hyping, hehe.

 

Because our agenda is so large right now, that when things have effectively been tested to succeed, we are going to release the information either here or a new thread if this gets too crowded.. 

 

We are working on SO MANY THINGS right now that it will blow you away.

 

We will not physically state, word for word, what has just happened today.. but we'll let some rumors go for a while until the official information is released.

 

Many of you should\may know some of this stuff so it will be fun to see what happens with this.. 

 

 

Today, 4-8-2013-

 

SPL-Lab, with extensive testing, has finally succeeded in gaining consistent results in mathematical calculations and real-world controlled environment tests to state that something has been "cracked".

 

Today, 4-8-2013-

 

LCD Meter-  This device is our portable, or hand-held SPL meter that doesn't require a computer to operate.  Just pull it out, plug it up and go!

 

For the first time in Car Audio history has a company, who manufacturers, designs and sells sound measuring devices for this hobby for both personal and competition use SUCCEEDED in doing something with the LCD Meter that has NEVER been done before.. ever, ever ever.. 

 

All existing LCD Meter owners and future owners of LCD Meter will be able to obtain this new feature.  I will at least tell you it's a new firmware update, but unlike others, this one will cost a small fee of $10.    

We have never charged for firmware updates in the past so why now?

Because, in the past, all firmware updates were necessary to add measuring features that were expected to be there and confirm accuracy throughout the years of development.

 

This new firmware update is not mandatory, it's optional hence the small fee.  Lots of work went into the design and will give our customers that will, let's say, not have to purchase other products to help you manage your setup.

 

 

 

Still in Progress-

 

As of last week, we have finished testing a new version of our judging software with success.. 

We are about to start working on a MASSIVE database system for all leagues to Sync n Share there information within their own formats DIGITALLY.

 

Paper trails, at league's discretion, can be a thing of the past.  

 

The launch of the judging software in full working order is still being planned for this year(minus a few possible bugs here n there).

 

 

 

We have MORE MORE MORE MORE and MORE stages of innovation still on our agenda that we will not touch yet... 

 

The above information will be publicly released soon, within 1-2 weeks hopefully, officially.  

 

So in the meantime.. For those of you that think you know, you may be right,  If you do not know.. be prepared for something crazy.

[Sencheezy 689]

[Julian 641]

Ok?

[S.DeYoung 967]

and then?

[onebadmonte 235]

Can I upgrade my LCD Bass Meter?

[shizzzon 461]

TADA!

 

The information is now official... 

 

First stage of updates will be posted within the next few minutes...   It will be listed here as to what exactly has happened recently.

 

The information will be made available as well to download... 

[shizzzon 461]

Part 1 of 2-

 

4-8-2013-

"SPL-Lab, with extensive testing, has finally succeeded in gaining consistent results in mathematical calculations and real-world controlled environment tests to state that something has been 'cracked'."

 

SPL-Lab has been known over the years to be very competitive with the "standard" in car audio measurement hardware.  A company has to or else why bother?

 

The biggest downside many of our customers commented on is while our hardware when measuring Burps were dead on, measuring for 30 second averages concluded totally different results than the "standard."  

These results could be as much as 2db off and did not give off consistent results when averaging in comparison because our algorithm is different.

 

We felt different would set us apart but we seen that customers didn't want different, they want identical everything right down to the dot.

 

So, we had to do it... 

 

We took our competitor and analyzed it with Matlab.  We now have a piece of software that knows what averaging is but we have to find out how it gets it's results.. what algorithm, formula, etc.. 

 

After weeks and weeks of simulations.. everything that was suggested to us was WRONG.

 

Sorry guys!  So, we started from scratch and slowly worked our way up...

During simulations, we found the cycle quantity per second that was required but there was something else still missing.. 

 

Then we found it!  The other half of the algorithm!  While we will not discuss here what the algorithm is, once Matlab confirmed our findings appeared to be true, we then setup an environmentally controlled system comparing both ours and our competition together.

 

We are driving a quick changing frequency sweep with increased amplitude.

The softwares are started manually so there is a slight delay in score changes between the 2 which also notes the different in Peak Hz recorded between the two as well because of the starting and ending time change.

 

However, the results shown here has been confirmed to be CONSISTENT, not a one hit wonder test.. 

 

WE CAN CONFIRM THAT WE CAN CONSISTENTLY SUSTAIN ACCURATE RESULTS ON BOTH BURPS AND AVERAGING.

 

 

 

Next, Part 2 of 2-

"For the first time in Car Audio history has a company, who manufacturers, designs and sells sound measuring devices for this hobby for both personal and competition use SUCCEEDED in doing something with the LCD Meter that has NEVER been done before.. ever, ever ever.. "

 

 

So what have we done?

 

Quite simply, , we now offer a new firmware update to the LCD Meter which will add a new feature to your portable SPL meter... 

 

Not only will it still be able to measure SPL portably.. we have added several more functions-

 

Function #1- Since the complete finding of the algorithm specs, the new firmware guarantees LCD Meter is now 100% fully identical in accuracy with BURPS PORTABLY.

 

See, in the past up until now, the LCD Meter has a slightly slow refresh rate which also dictated it's cycle rate.  Not anymore... 

While the refresh rate is STILL limited by the processor, the measuring cycle rate is now IDENTICAL portably to all other SPL meters results!

 

However, averaging mode has been disabled in this firmware due to non-accurate results..

 

Function #2- While the averaging mode has been removed from the LCD Meter, when plugged up to a computer, our new software will allow the LCD Meter to be FULLY IDENTICAL with all other SPL meters for averaging results!

 

Function #3- THE BIG ONE-

 

With this new firmware update, your LCD SPL Meter can NOW MEASURE THD DISTORTION starting at 2% THD!

 

The range of measure is currently at 40-200Hz and SPL measurements have been widened to 10-128Hz!

 

So, now you no longer have to purchase extra accessories that are only used for one purpose.  Now we can take that feature and add it onto our portable SPL Meter and allow users to ACOUSTICALLY measure clipping\Distortion with their portable SPL meter!

 

This will save LOTS of time in fine tuning power and pressure output.

 

And as a gift, the Firmware is being offered for free right now.

 

New Windows software version compatible with ALL versions of Windows from XP to 8 with full accuracy in ALL measurements- 

http://www.spl-lab.ru/download/SPL-LAB_MC23.zip

 

LCD Meter Firmware 2013- 

http://www.spl-lab.ru/download/lcd_firmware_2_0.zip

Edited April 12, 2013 by shizzzon

[Impious 1,476]

So, break through #1 was to literally directly copy your leading competitor?  Is that really a break-through?  And is the Term-lab algorithms protected IP that you are infringing upon?

 

How useful is acoustically measuring THD in an automobile when everything in the vehicle is going to be resonating, skewing the results to the point of uselessness for an accurate THD measurement of the system itself ?  Also not sure why this is such a break through, plenty of consumer-level (and many free) measurement software programs will measure THD.  How is this any different?

[shizzzon 461]

Well, we could go about it many ways... 

 

We have calibrations for MANY other companies.  We calibrate to the biggest competitor because that's the standard.  

In terms of "Stealing" or copying the algorithm.. it's the same as duplicating calibrations from one device to another.

 

There are 2 other devices we know of that are very consistent with our competitor but the requirement to use them falls flat on it's face which makes them undesirable.

 

Unlike other genres of car audio, duplicating results in this business is mandatory in a sense.  

Few years ago, we have had many discussions on what if your competitor was wrong and some new company's calibrations were right but had different results?

 

Nobody would want it because it didn't replicate the standard of measure.

 

We've had complaints and complaints about this for about 2 yrs so we finally decided to attack it.

 

The format names, class divisions, league titles, etc are protected which is respectfully noted.

 

We wouldn't want to see some new league form with classes and divisions simply stolen from another league acting as their own.

 

The measuring tactics are quite simple-

frequency, amplitude, time.

 

You then can mix them up and do all sorts of things and create your own classes.

 

Unlike our competitor, our new software still being written allows judges\competitors to create their own classes by manipulating these 3 main things which means they can create their own formulas and their own classes.  Something no other software allows in competition.

 

It's possible that during these creations, a user can create MANY formulas which duplicate many other big and smaller leagues classes but the formula itself is not protected.  Because of the ability to alter formulas freely by the user, it may sound as if it's just set in stone, bam there it is, we just copied this and that, the end..

No, we have added the ability to use another measurement people wanted so badly and able to manipulate it to create their own classes as well.

 

This hasn't been talked about deeply yet because the software isn't public yet but parts of it's features exist in the current software now.

Ability to change cycles per second, measuring durations, etc.. 

 

 

THD-  Because there is hardware out there that people pay a good amount of money for to do the same thing when it's unnecessary... And why not add the feature onto something that was already purchased?  A free upgrade is always nice.

 

About resonation.. 

While i'm not the engineer, I can't debate you on that point.

 

It does work the same way as a clipping system as it can only measure accurately via sine waves but of course that will still exhibit resonation at higher SPL levels as mentioned.

 

I personally thought 2% minimum was a little high but must be limitation in hardware ability.

 

Only way to know for sure is to test myself.

[///M5 2,833]

What is your definition of THD?

[Quentin Jarrell 671]

I agree that THD is a good add to the meter and could be very good for marketing. But could also back fire with more educated users (like another company that makes "detectors") if comparisons aren't provided against other known reliable units.

And three questions I have are 1). What harmonics are measured to give the lumped THD 2.). Are they "weighted", Some harmonics are not percieved due to the way we hear, some are wanted in some instances like even 4th order harmonics which gives us a higher percieved SPL output, and then there are the higher harmonics like rub and buzz, and noises such as coils rubbing. 3). How can the meter determine the differences between actual distortion and things like phase error which in a car environment is highly possible where a tweeter might be a few inches off from a mid causing the meter to show a false high THD reading.

[shizzzon 461]

sorry guys.. been through hell this weekend.. 

 

From the engineer-

 

No weighting is used.

 

The range of measure accurately is 30-200Hz, maximum overall range is 25-600hz but outside of the first range, may give inaccurate results.

 

When measuring, it measures 3 harmonics of the peak signal.

The minimum percentage of THD registered is 2%

 

We are not advertising it as a THD detector.. but it.. 

 

It's still a pure portable SPL meter with the ability now to do this.

 

The word Innovation in this thread will be more evolved later on this year when some things are exposed to the public soon that our competitors do not have.

This is why I said Stage 1.. there are several stages.

 

The main 2 points listed in this thread are indeed not solely innovative from us compared to the entire market by a longshot but we are the first competitor who has come this far and still going.  

 

In this genre of the competition market, narrowing down the view of what we are accomplishing, it's innovative that we are catching up and offering an alternative to something else.

As a whole in the company itself, it's not innovative.

 

But, i do promise you all that later updates this year will provide real innovation of things not currently done yet.

[1two3 16]

sent you a PM shizzzon. please get back to me. thanks