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Do you know of a good app that does home alignment measurements & calculations?
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arlen michael holder
Nov 16, 2018, 3:08:19 PM11/16/18
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Do you know of any good iOS or Android freeware apps that perform home
alignment measurements & calculations?
Since I do all my own mechanical work, that means I do my own suspension
alignment on a typical yearly maintenance schedule (e.g., caster, camber, &
toe, which are essentially just X, Y, & Zed angles for wheels).
The measurements of X, Y, and Zee to required accuracy & repeatability
aren't difficult using mobile devices which have the required accuracy &
repeatability for angles, and the subsequent adjustment of the bolts is
trivial for basic home alignment checks.
If you have some basic tools, like toe plates and camber jigs,
repeatability is ensured.
*What's difficult is the MATH involved.*
It makes your head explode.
Not because trig is difficult mind you, as trig is trivial.
Only someone who has done their own alignment would understand why I say
the math makes your head explode - which is where a cellphone app could
play a key role in simplifying things.
You see, what you measure at home for an alignment is NEVER what the spec
actually is. Why? I can't tell you why. I can just tell you that it is.
For example, my ancient bimmer has toe spec'd in degrees, but, at home, you
typically measure toe in inches, not in degrees ... simply because it's
trivial to measure toe in inches at home to the desired accuracy (all you
need is a home-made U-shaped toe rod where you mark the tire centerline at
a certain height and then lock the toe rod into place for a subsequent
distance measurement).
Luckily, instead of in degrees, most American cars (thankfully) spec toe in
inches (which, for once, makes sense), but of course, it's often inches to
centerline, where you then have to figure out what they define as the
centerline (which can be different on every vehicle).
For camber, at least you get a spec in degrees, but you can measure camber
in inches using just a plumb bob and a ruler, so again, you have to convert
(using basic trig) from inches to degrees.
Meanwhile, you compute caster from other measurements.
The point is that (a) each vehicle is different in how it differs from (a)
the specs it gives you, and (b) the specs you can easily measure at home.
All the work is NOT in the measurements (measuring camber and toe to the
required precision and repeatability is trivial for example) nor is there
any work in the adjustments (twisting a bolt is easy, and even easier to
replicate the normal position of the vehicle with niceties like toe plates
and camber jigs).
All the work is in the math.
That's where an app that measures angles and which can take as input
inches, can be a wonderful app that, to my knowledge, doesn't exist yet.
Hence, the question...
Do you know of any good iOS or Android freeware apps that perform home
alignment measurements & calculations?
--
Note: Basic home alignment is restricted, by definition, to those things
that you can typically ADJUST (without adding, for example, camber plates).
alignment measurements & calculations?
Since I do all my own mechanical work, that means I do my own suspension
alignment on a typical yearly maintenance schedule (e.g., caster, camber, &
toe, which are essentially just X, Y, & Zed angles for wheels).
The measurements of X, Y, and Zee to required accuracy & repeatability
aren't difficult using mobile devices which have the required accuracy &
repeatability for angles, and the subsequent adjustment of the bolts is
trivial for basic home alignment checks.
If you have some basic tools, like toe plates and camber jigs,
repeatability is ensured.
*What's difficult is the MATH involved.*
It makes your head explode.
Not because trig is difficult mind you, as trig is trivial.
Only someone who has done their own alignment would understand why I say
the math makes your head explode - which is where a cellphone app could
play a key role in simplifying things.
You see, what you measure at home for an alignment is NEVER what the spec
actually is. Why? I can't tell you why. I can just tell you that it is.
For example, my ancient bimmer has toe spec'd in degrees, but, at home, you
typically measure toe in inches, not in degrees ... simply because it's
trivial to measure toe in inches at home to the desired accuracy (all you
need is a home-made U-shaped toe rod where you mark the tire centerline at
a certain height and then lock the toe rod into place for a subsequent
distance measurement).
Luckily, instead of in degrees, most American cars (thankfully) spec toe in
inches (which, for once, makes sense), but of course, it's often inches to
centerline, where you then have to figure out what they define as the
centerline (which can be different on every vehicle).
For camber, at least you get a spec in degrees, but you can measure camber
in inches using just a plumb bob and a ruler, so again, you have to convert
(using basic trig) from inches to degrees.
Meanwhile, you compute caster from other measurements.
The point is that (a) each vehicle is different in how it differs from (a)
the specs it gives you, and (b) the specs you can easily measure at home.
All the work is NOT in the measurements (measuring camber and toe to the
required precision and repeatability is trivial for example) nor is there
any work in the adjustments (twisting a bolt is easy, and even easier to
replicate the normal position of the vehicle with niceties like toe plates
and camber jigs).
All the work is in the math.
That's where an app that measures angles and which can take as input
inches, can be a wonderful app that, to my knowledge, doesn't exist yet.
Hence, the question...
Do you know of any good iOS or Android freeware apps that perform home
alignment measurements & calculations?
--
Note: Basic home alignment is restricted, by definition, to those things
that you can typically ADJUST (without adding, for example, camber plates).
Your Name
Nov 16, 2018, 3:35:17 PM11/16/18
to
On 2018-11-16 20:08:19 +0000, arlen michael holder said:
>
> Do you know of any good iOS or Android freeware apps that perform home
> alignment measurements & calculations?
The shit-headed troll has changed his name yet again!! X-(
>
> Do you know of any good iOS or Android freeware apps that perform home
> alignment measurements & calculations?
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