2025-04-04 - First Look at the Racebox Mini S

It’s hard to find a compact data acquisition system capable of documenting speed, tri-axial accelerations, as well as absolute pitch, roll, and yaw. I use a ScenePro when I need such data, but it’s not within everyone’s budget. Racebox’s Mini S, on the other hand, is available for the low low price of $269 and can reportedly accomplish the task. However, further examination is in order, as this is not a scientific-grade tool with documented accuracy.

I took delivery of a Mini S this week and performed some initial testing to get a feel for the device. It's palm-sized, charges via USB-C, captures data at 25 Hz, and pairs to Racebox’s app to initiate recording.

The app worked well, detailed GPS status and accuracy, allowed accelerometer zeroing, and offered a good heads-up display including speed, a g-circle, and battery status.

The data is simultaneously synced to Racebox’s cloud and exports are handled via their online portal, which offers .csv, .vbo, .gpx, and .kml formats. For motorcycles and bicycles, there is a Bike Mode export where cornering g’s are replaced with lean angle. As I do a lot of motorcycle work, my hope is that lean angle is calculated using a Kalman filter (ideally incorporating GPS, accelerometer, and gyro data).

However, initial testing with my Toyota pickup (where I allegedly rolled 25 degrees during a 0.5 g turn), suggests the device is calculating lean angle based on lateral acceleration alone. The verbiage in the export dialogue suggests the same. Though, it’s possible the system is getting confused when I’m using Bike Mode on a four-wheeler as the gyro isn’t observing roll rates within the expected range.

I will continue to explore the device, reach out to the company, and perform some comparison testing in the local canyons with my trusty Yamaha XSR900 and ScenePro. Stay tuned for the full report.

Thanks for reading, keep exploring!

Lou Peck
​Lightpoint | Axiom

P.S. Sliding into the weekend like...