Recently I added another rally computer, the Brantz Laser 3, to my toolbox of navigation equipment. This rally computer has been around for a long time. The first time that I used this rally computer was in the early 2000s when I was the co-driver for Chris Sanborn in his Cosworth Ford in the Maine Forest Winter Rally. Chris’s previous co-driver, Hathaway, was not available for that rally.

Co-Driving For Chris Sanborn In The Maine Forest Winter Rally
Recently, when I was working with the Endurance Rally Association on the 2018 Trans America Challenge, the car that I shared with Mark Appleton was fitted with a Brantz Laser 3. It proved to be a useful, versatile rally computer. The one that we used had been fitted with a GPS driven sensor.

The Brantz Laser 3 In Chris Sanborn’s Cosworth
After the Trans America Challenge I had the opportunity to buy a Brantz Laser 3 at a very attractive price and now it’s mine. The Brantz Laser 3 that I bought is shown below.
Brantz Laser 3 Rally Computer
The Brantz Laser 3 is initially somewhat daunting as each button has at least two functions – the orange button function and the green button function.

The Brantz Laser 3 Has Three Displays
The Brantz Laser 3 has three displays. The top display is the time of day display. The time display is typically in Hours:Minutes:Seconds. To the right of the seconds display the two dashes will turn into 1/100 second when the time of day is frozen. This is shown below where the time display shows 12 hours 37 minutes 17.89 seconds.

The Top Time-Of-Day On Hold
The black and white switches at the front bottom is the four digit calibration number for the Brantz Laser 3. This better than the typical Brantz odometer products which use a three-digit calibration number. The extra digit allows for greater precision of the calibration number. The low calibration value shown in the image above was used by me for some bench testing of the unit.
The two displays on the left side of the Brantz Laser 3 can show a variety of information depending upon how the users choose to set up the unit. One feature that I like is the ability to increase the number of decimal places that the distance can be displayed. The image below shows the distance presented to three places of decimal i.e. 0.483 miles.

Lower Display Adjusted To Show Distance To Three Places Of Decimal
The small letters below each display show the type of information that can be shown in the display above. I could go on to show the all of the features of this unit, but in lieu of that I have included a copy of the instructions for the Brantz Laser 3. To see these instructions click on the pdf file presented below.
Brantz Laser 3 Instructions
One thing that I don’t like about the Brantz Laser 3, or at least the one that I have is the wire connection access at the back of the unit. I think that there might be a more custom way to connect the power and sensor wires, but as I bought my unit used from a seller in Israel at a very attractive price, I just got what I got. To access the wiring connections it is necessary remove plastic cover on the rear of the unit and leave it open. This shown below.

Access To The Wiring Connections
The wires are easily inserted into the back of the unit. The lower two connections are for the power supply, the middle three are for the wheel sensor, and the upper two are for fuel and a hard-wired remote.

This open connection at the back of the unit might cause some mounting issues, but as I have no current plans to use this unit, I will solve that problem when I have to.
If you have any comments or questions about this post or the Brantz Laser 3, then leave a comment below or you can send me a private email address at the following address: shanna12 at comcast dot net