Power OpenDrift
Turn the car on, open the WiFi page on the Waveshare display, and tap WIFI ON if required.
OpenDrift v1.0.9 blackbox guide
Record the run.
See what the car felt.
Blackbox records steering, throttle, chassis motion, and controller output while you drive. OpenDrift keeps the newest run data in fast PSRAM so logging no longer pauses the controller to write internal flash.
01 · Before the run
Enable logging while the car is parked.
Open the configurator
Join the OpenDrift network using password opendrift, then browse to http://192.168.4.1.
Enable Onboard Logging
Find Blackbox Log, enable onboard logging, and save. OpenDrift records at 20 samples per second whenever a valid steering signal is present.
Keep the car safe while configuring.Park the car before connecting over Wi-Fi. Keep clear of the drivetrain and steering while the receiver and vehicle are powered.
02 · Capture useful data
Drive normally, then repeat the problem.
A useful log contains normal driving before and after the behaviour you want to investigate. For an A/B test, change only one setting and repeat the same line.
Drive a few clean entries, transitions, and sustained drifts before provoking the problem.
Try to capture the hunting, spinout, hesitation, or slope response more than once.
Use separate runs for a setting, surface, tire, alignment, or suspension change.
Write down the approximate order of events and whether throttle input was connected.
No storage writes while driving.Samples stay in PSRAM while you drive. The controller does not stop to write a CSV into internal flash.
03 · Save the run
Save while parked, then download later.
Park the car
Finish the run and leave OpenDrift powered. Do not power-cycle the board yet.
Reconnect to OpenDrift Wi-Fi
Turn Wi-Fi on from the display if it timed out, join OpenDrift, and return to http://192.168.4.1.
Download CSV
Under Blackbox Log, select Download CSV. The board converts its compact records to CSV during the download, so allow the browser to finish.
Confirm, then clear
Open or save the downloaded file first. Use Clear RAM Log when you want the next test to begin with an empty buffer.
PSRAM is volatile.Turning the board off or resetting it erases the current blackbox recording. Download or finish a parked save to internal memory/SD before removing power. Unsaved RAM data cannot survive a reset.
Save Logs to SD or internal memory
On the display's dedicated Blackbox page, enable logging and use the dump/save action after parking. The web configurator and latest EdgeTX Save Logs action use the same save path. If an SD card is ready, both the blackbox and any captured timing diagnostics are saved with matching numbered filenames, without overwriting previous runs. Without SD, internal memory saves the blackbox only. Wait until progress finishes and reports success before resetting or removing power.
For timing investigations, arm Diagnostics from EdgeTX before the run. It captures up to 45 seconds at controller rate; it is separate from the ordinary 20 Hz blackbox. Saving freezes the diagnostic capture until export completes.
Storage saves are parked-only.Internal flash writes can interrupt control. Keep the car stationary and the throttle neutral, and do not drive or change settings while saving. SD saving is a deliberate dump, not continuous streaming.
Read the SD card without removing it
Enter USB MODE from System (hold 1.5 seconds) or EdgeTX while parked, then connect a data-capable USB cable. The firmware updater appears as one drive; an installed SD card appears as a separate read-only log drive. Copy numbered CSV files to your computer. Wait for file transfers to finish, then use the maintenance Restart control to disconnect the device volumes and return to normal mode. Do not interrupt an active computer copy.
A tested 32 GB FAT32 card works; capacity is detected automatically. Device “ready” does not mean the computer has finished mounting the filesystem. Opening the SD drive can still hesitate on Windows and Linux; allow it time. USB firmware updating also works without an SD card. Older firmware needs the full 1.0.9 factory installation once to enable the new partition layout.
04 · Circular storage
The newest data always wins.
OpenDrift reserves about 4 MB of PSRAM for blackbox records—roughly 18 minutes at 20 Hz. Once full, the logger overwrites the oldest samples and continues recording the newest part of the run.
Approximately 22,000 samples, or about 18 minutes of driving data.
Recording continues; the oldest samples are replaced first.
The recording is cleared because PSRAM does not retain data without power.
Blackbox no longer performs continuous filesystem writes while the car is driving.
05 · v1.0.9 diagnostics
See exactly where correction was limited.
gyro_requested_usThe signed correction calculated before Max Correction is applied.
gyro_limited_usThe correction remaining after the fixed Max Correction ceiling.
gyro_applied_usThe correction actually available after gyro and driver steering are combined.
correction_saturatedSet to 1 when either Max Correction or the final normalized steering range clipped the request.
gyro_lpf_mode identifies matched filter tests: 0 is 24 Hz, 1 is 120 Hz, and 2 is hardware LPF Off.
06 · Troubleshooting
If the log is missing or will not download.
| What you see | Check this |
|---|---|
| No samples recorded | Confirm Onboard Logging is enabled and the receiver has a valid steering signal. |
| Wi-Fi network disappeared | Open the display's WiFi page and tap WIFI ON. It turns off after 40 seconds when nobody connects. |
| Browser cannot open the configurator | Stay connected to OpenDrift despite the no-internet warning and use http://192.168.4.1, not HTTPS. |
| Beginning of a long run is missing | The circular buffer filled and replaced the oldest samples. Download between shorter test sessions. |
| Log vanished after shutdown | PSRAM clears when power is removed. Unsaved RAM data cannot be recovered. A completed internal/SD save survives shutdown. |
Log saved
Pair the data with what the driver felt.
Share the CSV with the surface, tune, chassis changes, and a short description of the run. The numbers are most useful when they have context.