Overview
Some consumers have come to us wondering what if they should buy a
Trinity or a DashDAQ. While it should be clear that DashDAQ does not
offer tuning like the Trinity, many customers have asked if they should
keep their handheld tuner and buy a DashDAQ or discard their handheld
tuner to purchase a Trinity. This review was done on 7/2/2009 using a
Trinity purchased from retail.
We are constantly evaluating other products on the market to see what we can improve, and we feel that sharing our results will help customers make informed decisions. After an in-depth review, our opinion is that Trinity offers the same tuning capabilities as a less expensive handheld programmer, but doesn't have the data acquisition, display, and customization capabilities that DashDAQ offers. We recommend that you keep your handheld tuner and use DashDAQ as your in-dash display. You can keep your existing tuner and you will save money in the long run because DashDAQ can be used with any 1996-present OBD2 vehicle, including whatever you own next.
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DashDAQ offers the following Advantages that are absent from Trinity System Enhanced Parameters Expansion Customization and Advanced Features |
If you want more technical information, below is an in-depth look at both products.
Display
Although it's hard to tell from pictures and advertisements, the DashDAQ
display is larger, has a higher resolution, and more color depth than
the Trinity. The DashDAQ uses a 4.3", 16 million color 480x272
touch-screen TFT. The Trinity's display looks big because of the case
design, but it's actually 20% smaller at 3.45" with 98% less
color depth at 262 thousand colors
and 41% lower resolution at 320x240 resolution.
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The number of pixels determines how much readable information you can display on a screen. Look at the total number of Pixels on DashDAQ compared to the Trinity, and the resulting price per pixel. You would have to buy 2 Trinities to display the same amount of readable information on screen that a DashDAQ can.
| Product | Screen Size | Resolution | Total Pixels | Color Depth | Auto Adjusting Backlight | Brightness | Touch-Screen | Cost Per Thousand Pixels |
| DashDAQ XL | 4.3" | 480x272 | 130,560 | 16,777,216 | yes | 280 cd/m2 | yes | $5.32 |
| Trinity | 3.45" | 320x240 | 76,800 | 262,000 | no | 200 cd/m2 | yes | $10.35 |
Parameters and Networks
A great display is important, but only if you have access to the
important parameters you want to see. This is an area where DashDAQ
advances. The DashDAQ and Trinity both offer enhanced support
beyond generic OBD2, but the Trinity only offers enhanced parameters for
limited Chrysler, GM, and Ford vehicles.
DashDAQ supports all of those vehicles, plus adds enhanced parameters for Subaru, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, and more. Drew Technologies spent thousands of hours of work developing a database stored in DashDAQ with these parameters. They also include non-OBD2 modules, sensors, and even replacement EFI systems for the racers. To see the entire list, click here
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Feature |
Trinity |
DashDAQ |
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OBD2 Check Engine Light read/clear |
YES* |
YES |
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OBD2 generic PIDS |
YES* |
YES |
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Ford Enhanced |
Engine Only** |
All modules |
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GM Enhanced |
Engine Only** |
Engine + Trans |
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Chrysler Enhanced |
YES |
YES |
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Subaru Enhanced |
NO |
YES |
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Mitsubishi Enhanced |
NO |
YES |
|
Toyota Enhanced |
NO |
YES |
|
Hyundai/Kia Enhanced |
NO |
YES |
|
Included Analog Inputs |
2 |
2 |
|
Support for non-linear analog inputs |
NO |
YES |
|
Option to add more analog inputs |
NO |
Yes, 16+ more |
|
Optional serial GPS 1Hz |
NO |
YES |
|
Optional USB GPS 1Hz - 9Hz |
NO |
YES |
|
Support for Advanced GPS systems (up to 100Hz) |
NO |
YES |
|
Innovate Serial Data Support (MTS) |
NO |
YES |
|
Zeitronix Serial Data Support for ZT2 |
NO |
YES |
|
Support for Diablosport power puck |
YES |
NO |
|
Support for AEM EFI System |
NO |
YES |
|
Support for Autronics EFI System |
NO |
YES |
|
Support for DTAFast EFI System |
NO |
YES |
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Support for EFI Technologies EFI System |
NO |
YES |
|
Support for Emerald3D EFI systems |
NO |
YES |
|
Support for Fast EFI Systems |
NO |
YES |
|
Support for Haltech EFI Systems |
NO |
YES |
|
Support for hydra EFI systems |
NO |
YES |
|
Support for Link EFI Systems |
NO |
YES |
|
Support for Support for MOTEC EFI Systems |
NO |
YES |
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Support for Phidgets USB 8 and 16 channel analog input boards |
NO |
YES |
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Support for Phidgets 3-axis Accelerometer |
NO |
YES |
|
Support for K-Type Thermcouple(s) |
1, Not Yet |
YES 2+ |
* did not work on all OBD2-compliant vehicles we tested
** as of Trinity PID list 5-29-09
Customization
If you
expect to fully customize your dashboard, you may be interested to
learn about the differences in customizability between the Trinity and
DashDAQ. The DashDAQ has 6 built-in themes to
choose from that all feature different colors and styles. If you don't
like any of those themes, you can also design your own using DashDAQ's
theme editing tool. This will literally allow you to put any pictures,
gauges, graphs, slider bars, or text that you want on your DashDAQ. Look
below for a sample customized screen or click here to
visit the page featuring DashDAQ's customization capabilities.
(DASHDAQ Skin Editor designer view)
The Trinity does allow you to layout pre-defined gauges on the screen, but you have extremely limited control over the look and feel of the gauges. Plus you have no way to configure audible warnings since Trinity has no audio hardware
Under
The Hood
Price shouldn't be the only factor in a
purchase decision. Before you buy, you want to know
what's under the hood. Buying electronics isn't that simple because many
manufacturers won't tell you.
When we took apart our Trinity, we found mechanical
interference with between the pedestal and LCD data cable,
mechanical interference between the LCD display and components on the PCB
causing them to bend, and an intermittent cable connection between the OBD2
cable and PC board connector. The interior of the case wasn't sprayed with conductive paint, which we
feel is important to prevent EMI issues in the vehicle cabin. The LCD
display also did not have a glazing cushion separating the touch-panel
from the exterior case.
Areas of Concern with images (click to expand image)
| Trinity's display interferes with a component on the PCB (diode), bending it. Our Trinity had a broken soldier joint on one side and a lifted pad on the other. |
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| Trinity pedestal has mechanical interference with the LCD ribbon cable. Over time this may wear against the cable causing the LCD to malfunction. |
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| Trinity does not have conductive paint inside the case. We didn't perform a full EMI test on Trinity, but we observed that nearly all GPS systems and other in-dash monitors (including DashDAQ) have conductive paint to prevent risk of EMI interfering with vehicle operation. Look at DashDAQ's conductive paint HERE |
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| Trinity does not have a gasket/cushion to separate the touch panel from the case. It is recommended practice to use a glazing cushion to separate the touch panel from the case to prevent interference and incorrect touch readings. Look at DashDAQ's LCD cushion HERE |
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| Trinity's cable doesn't make a solid connection, causing the data streams to disconnect intermittently during our tests. |
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| Trinity's OBD2 cable does not fit right angle connections, requiring the customer to purchase a male-female right angle adapter cable to use in common installations. |
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By comparing these two products, you
can see that DashDAQ's mechanical design is far more clean and
mature including expansion features not
present on the Trinity. All of this technology allow DashDAQ to
collect data faster, access more protocols and networks, offer a more
feature rich user interface, and do more with that data.
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DashDAQ Top |
DashDAQ Bottom |
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Trinity Top |
Trinity Bottom |
Technical Specs
| DashDAQ | Trinity | |
| Display | 4.3" 480x272 TFT LCD | 3.45" 320x240 TFT LCD |
| Color Depth | 16,777,216 | 262,000 |
| Auto Adjusting Backlight | Yes | No |
| touch-screen | Yes | YES |
| Processor | 240MHZ - Primary Processor 40MHZ - Secondary Processor |
240MHZ - Processor |
| Flash Memory | 32MB NOR | 128MB NAND |
| RAM Memory | 64MB | 64MB |
| Expandable Memory | Up to 32GB (MMC/SD Slot) | MMC/SD up to 2GB promised, not enabled yet |
| Operating System | Linux | proprietary |
| USB Ports | 3 (2 Host, 1 Device) | 1 (Device only) |
| RS232 Ports | 2 | none |
| Analog Inputs | 2 | 2 |
| OBD2 Circuitry | ARM7 based high performance OBD2 design | 32-bit Micro |
| Audio | 16-bit stereo out + 2W speaker | none |
| Field Updatable Firmware | Yes | yes |
| Expansion + 3rd Party Options | GPS Sensor 1-20Hz, GPS Navigation, Accelerometer, Wideband O2, EGT, Additional Analog inputs (up to 32), Aftermarket EFI Systems, 0-5V sensors, RS232 devices, USB Host Devices | Analog inputs + Diablosport add-ons only |
Pictures
Trinity
DashDAQ
Front View
Top View
Back View
Left View
Right View
This concludes our findings. If you believe anything on this page is in error, please contact sales@drewtech.com.
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