The MyChron6, coming in early 2025. Here is what we know so far (as of 12/12/24). Below is a list of improvements in comparison to the previous MyChon5. Price and more details coming soon.
Wider Display
Second CAN, user configurable
USB-C connector for mass storage, battery charger and PC communication
Wi-Fi or USB connection to the PC
6 axis IMU also for measuring steering wheel position
20 hours of non-stop working (internal rechargeable Lithium)
Compatible with heart rate monitors
25 Hz GPS
1 Digital output, programmable high/low activation
Very interesting, but kind of underwhelming . Not sure wider is even desirable, and the blending of concerns is definitely a major negative on my scorecard (I want the best datalogger for my kart, not my body - I’ll get separate specialized equipment if I care enough about that, thank you). If they blew it with the pricing, I predict this is going to be a decent sized failure in terms of sales.
There’s no way it’s a failure in sales. MyChron is one of the gold standards of data telemetry in karting. Everyone needs a gauge. Does it really innovate and move the needle at all? Maybe not drastically. But incremental improvement is all they really need to do to maintain their position.
The 5 still does everything you need and more, so even if the 6 was a simple re-skin, it would still be a very good gauge and would sell plenty.
The heart-rate integration is gimmicky though for sure.
The real improvement would be making Racestudio intuitive. I get that its powerful as it is, but its so daunting that most people I know dont use it unless its with a team. It would be great if some basic functionality was intuitive, and with buttons that aren’t microscopic
If it’s $800 and there’s any way at all anyone can buy a Mychron 5 and even Alfano (which actually seems to have a small uptick in interest lately anyway), at that point I think they would probably do so in many cases.
Rumor is MyChron states it will be the same price as the outgoing 5. So around $550.
And for the record, I think the 3s and 4s are still just as useful today. If I had a budget and there was a 3 available somewhere, I would consider that a good buy over a new 5/6.
The IMU is a big deal. The 5 has always been useless for looking at turn-in points, but you’ll get much better data with the IMU now. It would also be useful to look at lateral and longitudinal Gs vs steering angle
It’s a solid step forward, but probably not enough for most existing 5 owners to upgrade.
I’m not a fan of the internal battery, but glad they added CAN config, and the steering angle is creative. The rest I see as nice to-have features over the 5.
Hopefully it’s actually available soon, remembering that the Mychron 5 was coming soon for about a year.
You’d expect they would be released at the same time if Aim had them, but if they respond to the Alfano tire pressure system and release a wireless TPMS for the 6, that could be a reason to upgrade.
They could also develop a wifi enabled tire pressure/temp gauge, something like what Prisma has. I’m surprised they don’t already have one. It seems like a complementary product anyone who already has a Mychron might buy.
If they were really getting after it Aim could develop a mobile app, host session data in the cloud and offer ai assisted coaching as a subscription.
Many will upgrade regardless of if it’s a step forward. But the Alfano wireless tire sensors are clever and a step forward from the Mycron wired system. It would make sense for Mycron to respond but I suspect that the addition of the second configurable CAN may be their response. In theory any CAN sensor could be integrated, opening up a whole world of possibilities, including existing race car TTPMS. If there is demand, kart specific sensors systems could be developed and easily integrated via the CAN bus.
I want that wireless internal tire pressure/temp sensor that Alfano has, but don’t want to switch to a new analysis software and lose the ability to compare data to my brother. If Mychron would have had that capability I would have upgraded immediately. I’d have settled for just wireless external tire temp sensors but their wired setup is janky.
So has anyone seen one of these mounted on a steering wheel yet? Wider is nice in theory but if we are mounting behind the wheel as per FIA specs and most mounting kits, are the buttons going to be accessible?
You are at $205 already and haven’t accounted for manufacturing space, warehouse space, staffing, R&D expenses or legacy brand support (warranty, etc). And nobody does this for free - the company has to turn a profit, otherwise they are a short lived non-profit… like many racing businesses. Lol
