🚀 go-pugleaf

Please help an ignorant mechanical engineer out!  
I'm interested in building/purchasing a portable data logger.  

You've probably seen Indy car pit crews plugging a serial cable into the car 
during a pit stop.  What they're doing is downloading instrumentation
data to a PC.  I don't own an Indy car, but I do race karts around the
country... Daytona, Pocono, Talladega etc.   I would like to instrument a kart.
Basically, there are three measurements of concern, engine RPM, axle RPM, 
and exhaust gas temperature.  All three are currently instrumented with a 
commercially-produced LCD gauge (no data storage).

What I want to do is record all three measurements for one hour and 
then regurgitate them to a PC.  A sampling rate of once-per-second is
sufficient.  The package must be battery operated and as small as
possible.  A driver actuated button is needed as a way of organizing data 
into "frames", it would typically be pressed by the driver once each lap.

Right now, this is just an idea and I'm looking for suggestions on how to
carry it off.  In the best of worlds, an interested electronics-type person
would see this as an interesting project and offer their services in exchange
for my financing the parts.  There might be a market for these things, who
knows?  Any takers? No?  Then the next best is for some friendly advice 
on (1) past articles/books on doing this topic, (2) recommendations
on how to approach this from a 'cook book' mind-set, and (3) any other 
advice you might deem helpful (beginners books, etc).

I've only a rudimentry electronics knowledge... one undergrad circuits
course, so please be patient.  I'm trying to learn. 

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