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F1 2025 Data Collector - User Guide

Overview

The F1 2025 Data Collector is a comprehensive telemetry collection system that captures real-time F1 game data and sends it to Splunk platforms for analysis and visualization. The system consists of a web-based control interface and background data collectors that capture UDP telemetry from F1 2025.

Getting Started

1. Initial Configuration

  1. Set Collection Parameters
  2. Rigs: Choose the number of F1 rigs to monitor (1-4)

  3. Event Name: Enter a custom event name for dashboard identification

  4. Launch the Application

  5. Run the main application to access the web interface

  6. The interface will display the F1 2025 Data Drivers dashboard

  7. Configure Data Destinations Use the Configuration panel in the sidebar to set up your data endpoints:

Observability Cloud Settings:

  • Select your Splunk Observability Cloud realm (eu0, eu1, eu2, us0, us1, us2, au0, jp0, sg0)
  • Enter your Access Token (this will be masked for security)
  • Check "Enable Observability Cloud" to activate metric collection

Splunk Enterprise Settings:

  • Enter your HEC URL and port (e.g., https://your-splunk.com:8088)
  • Enter your HEC Token (this will be masked for security)

  • Check "Enable Splunk Cloud" to activate event collection

  • Set Collection Parameters

  • Playback Mode: Select "False" for live F1 games, "True" for demo/testing

  • Save Configuration

  • Click "Save Configuration" to apply your settings
  • The system will create the necessary database tables and initialize the collectors

2. Managing Data Collection

Master Control

Use the Master Control toggle to start/stop all data collectors simultaneously:

  • ON: Starts collectors for all configured rigs
  • OFF: Stops all running collectors

Individual Rig Status

Each rig displays comprehensive status information:

  • Rig Identifier: Shows the rig hostname (e.g., RIG_1)
  • UDP Port: Displays the listening port number with connection status
  • Collection Status: Shows RUNNING (green) or STOPPED (red)
  • Race Complete Flag: Indicates when a race has finished
  • Real-time Metrics: When running, displays current speed, lap number, and track information

3. Player Management

Setting Player Names

Each rig has a player name field that can be updated:

  1. Enter Player Name: Type the driver's name in the text field
  2. Update: Click the "Update" button to save the change

Important Race Completion Rule

🚨 CRITICAL: Player names can only be updated when the UI displays RACE COMPLETE for that rig.

  • The system tracks race completion status automatically
  • When a race finishes (FinalClassificationData packet received), the rig shows RACE COMPLETE
  • Only then can you update the player name for the next driver
  • This prevents data corruption during active races

4. Monitoring System Health

Connection Status Indicators

The sidebar displays system health information:

  • Redis Badge:
  • Green ✓ = Redis database connected

  • Red ✗ = Redis connection failed

  • Collectors Status:

  • Shows "X/Y collectors running" (X active out of Y total)
  • Green = All collectors running
  • Orange = Some or no collectors running

Real-time Data Verification

When collectors are running and receiving data:

  • Speed: Current vehicle speed in mph
  • Current Lap: Live lap counter
  • Track: Current track name (e.g., "Silverstone", "Monaco")

5. Best Practices

Event Management

  • Set meaningful Event Names for easy identification in Splunk dashboards
  • Use consistent naming conventions across multiple events

Performance Optimization

  • Monitor system resources when running multiple collectors
  • Consider network bandwidth when sending to multiple Splunk endpoints

Race Operations

  • Always wait for "RACE COMPLETE" status before changing drivers
  • Use the Master Control for coordinated start/stop of all collectors
  • Monitor real-time metrics to verify data collection during races

Support and Maintenance

Log Files

The system generates log files (collector.log) containing:

  • Collector startup and shutdown events
  • Data transmission statistics
  • Error messages and debugging information