CrashBoxx Test Tips

The following information is provided for customers to consider when evaluating CrashBoxx.

Bench Testing

1. The device must be aligned. You can do so by driving a vehicle with the device installed for approximately 3 km. The alignment can be checked by AT command or SMS as listed below. Responses of BEST or AVG are good, but if you get NOT RDY, then additional driving is needed. It is possible to force alignment for testing with the AT command AT#ALIGNOVR. This is a temporary command to force alignment to run a test, but alignment is lost if the device resets or loses power. (Note that the firmware must be 7.2a or higher.)
   • SMS: !rq
   • AT: atia

2. The device must be connected to EXTERNAL 12V power during the test. CTC has this built-in to prevent false reports, such as when someone unplugs a device that has been driven and aligned and then drops it in the cup holder or on the floor, which will send multiple unnecessary events. If the device is disconnected from external 12V power before the test, no crash data will be sent to the server.

3. After steps 1 and 2 are satisfied, performing a test that will send data to the server is quite easy: A simple drop of the device on the desktop will send data to the server. Fooling the system into sending a crash alert, however, is more difficult. When the data reaches the server, a number of filters and algorithms will examine it and determine if there is, or is not, a crash. The acceleration profile generated has to have both sufficient peak acceleration and long enough duration to fool the system into thinking there is a crash.
   • It is possible to simulate a crash by holding the LMU in one hand and striking that hand with your other hand.
   • It is also possible to build a test rig for this purpose that provides both high enough acceleration and long enough duration to create very light or light crash reports.

Testing During a Drive

1. Steps 1 and 2 from "Bench Testing" must be followed for a successful test while driving.

2. Using an extension cable plugged into the vehicle OBDII port and then into the LMU device to be tested, align the device by driving.

3. After the device is aligned, dropping it onto an interior surface of the vehicle will cause data to be sent to the server. In order to generate an actual crash alert, the impact to the vehicle interior surface must have both high enough acceleration and long enough duration to fool the system into determining the event to be a real crash. This is a bit tricky — but impacting the device into a seat cushion that allows for a more gradual slowdown of the device sometimes will be sufficient to elongate the impact enough for an alert to be generated. Alternatively, you can place the device in your left hand and then sharply impact the side of the device with your right hand. Make sure that you are driving in an area with no other traffic to avoid causing an actual crash alert to be sent out!

Vehicle Crash Testing

1. The device must be at Operational status on PULS for Instant Crash Notification:

2. The device must be aligned prior to the test. Ideally, you can do this by driving the actual crash test vehicle for approximately 2 miles or 3.2 km. You can verify the alignment using the AT command ATIA or the SMS command !rq. (BEST or AVG are acceptable – NOT RDY means that additional driving is needed to align the device.)
3. After alignment is achieved, the device must remain powered up with external 12V power or the internal battery. If the internal battery is allowed to drain, alignment will reset to NOT RDY.
4. The device must be rigidly mounted in the same orientation for the test as it was mounted for alignment.
5. The device must be connected to external 12V power during the impact, or the crash data will not be generated and sent.
6. The device will retain the alignment for additional tests as long as it is continuously powered.
7. If the device is moved to another vehicle with the same mounting orientation, no additional alignment is needed, as long as continuous power is maintained.
8. If the device is moved to another vehicle with a different mounting orientation, it will need to be realigned to the new position. It is best to reset the device prior to realigning so that you will know when the new alignment has completed. You can do so by sending the AT command ATRESET or the SMS command !r3,70,0. Then align as in step 2 above.
9. Greater than 5 mph (8 kph) DV (delta-v – change in velocity) is typically needed to generate a crash report.
10. For car-to-car testing, the target car should have the hand brake on or be in Park.