Top Hat Question (XCSoar?)

On Monday, July 16, 2018 at 11:48:16 AM UTC-7, Brian wrote:
Maybe a bit off Topic. I have been using Tophat for a few years now. I started running it on a Nook Simple Touch. I loved the black and white sunlight readable display, but after a couple years the Nook seem to be getting slow. So I tried a Nexus 7. I liked the color display (hint turning the Terrain display off helps a lot) but it is not near as sunlight readable as the Nook was, but was good enough 95% of the time or better. Only when the sun was behind me would I occasionally get a glare on it that made it unreadable until I turned or shaded it with something. After a year or two I upgraded to a Nexus 2 - 2013 which had a slightly better display and was faster.

The other thing I really like about the Nexus is it is a totally self contained unit, It has it's own GPS so you can literally just carry it to the airplane and go fly. I had K6 Bluetooth adapter attached to my FLarm so with a bit of configuration it was receiving Flarm Data as well. I do sometimes connect external power to it, but the Nexus usually will last a 5 hour flight just fine.

Last year I put a S80 in my glider and added the Bluetooth module, It works pretty well but the bluetooth module is not quite as robust as the K6 module. The S80 bluetooths occasionally(almost Rarely) requirs a restart of the tablet or S80 to get it to link up, but once linked I never have any trouble during the flight.

A couple weeks ago flying the Region 8 contest about 9am I discovered my Nexus 7 touch screen had died, it would not respond to any touch commands. at 10:30 after the pilots meeting I went to the local Walmart and purchased a Samsung Tab 7 8gb for under $90. (they only had a display model available, normally $120). By the 1pm launch I had updated the software on the Tablet, installed Tophat, the Waypoint, airspace, and terrain files and had configured it to communicate with my S80 and had a working flight computer for the day. In summery I went from no flight computer other than the (S80 that I use for a backup) to my normal working flight computer in under about 2 hours and under a $100 investment. Try that when your dedicated flight computer dies, it may cost you more than that in just shipping and won't be a same day fix.

I am actually very pleased with the Samsung, The display is as good or even slightly better than the Nexus and it is faster. I wish it had a bit more memory than 8GB but does have a place for a MicroSD card if I need more space. I ran it with power connected, so not sure how the battery life is with it standalone, but It seems like it would be as good as the Nexus.

I think Tophat works very well, I only wish it did a bit better job a providing tactical Flarm traffic information. I don't use it for traffic avoidance but it would be nice if it kept track of Flarm traffic a bit better. Something like LK8000 or some other displays (Avionic) that show where traffic was or might be even though the signal is gone. With the right display it could even show Statistical climb information about the other gliders thermal and even mark a likely location to intercept the same thermal even after other glider has left the thermal. That way I don't have to be looking at the display as much or take near as long to trying and calculate information that computers are very good at doing.

To the original question, with nothing other than the minimum required changes Tophat, on the Nexus and Samsung, automatically switches between Thermalling and Cruise mode with and retains the zoom level for each screen, usually zoomed in for thermalling and zoomed out for cruise for me. I have never had issues with this no not sure why others seem to be having issues.

Brian

I recently bought a Galaxy Tab 7 tablet and tried Bluetooth connection with the k6bt2 but was not able to connect.
I contacted the k6 folks and I was advised that the k6bt2 is needing "profile SPP" which my Tab does not support and it will not work. So... what am I missing here? Wrong Tab??

At 21:15 28 October 2018, 6PK wrote:
On Monday, July 16, 2018 at 11:48:16 AM UTC-7, Brian wrote:
Maybe a bit off Topic. I have been using Tophat for a few years now. I
st=
arted running it on a Nook Simple Touch. I loved the black and white
sunlig=
ht readable display, but after a couple years the Nook seem to be getting
s=
low. So I tried a Nexus 7. I liked the color display (hint turning the
Terr=
ain display off helps a lot) but it is not near as sunlight readable as
the=
Nook was, but was good enough 95% of the time or better. Only when the
sun=
was behind me would I occasionally get a glare on it that made it
unreadab=
le until I turned or shaded it with something. After a year or two I
upgrad=
ed to a Nexus 2 - 2013 which had a slightly better display and was
faster.
=20
The other thing I really like about the Nexus is it is a totally self
con=
tained unit, It has it's own GPS so you can literally just carry it to
the
=
airplane and go fly. I had K6 Bluetooth adapter attached to my FLarm so
wit=
h a bit of configuration it was receiving Flarm Data as well. I do
sometime=
s connect external power to it, but the Nexus usually will last a 5 hour
fl=
ight just fine.
=20
Last year I put a S80 in my glider and added the Bluetooth module, It
wor=
ks pretty well but the bluetooth module is not quite as robust as the K6
mo=
dule. The S80 bluetooths occasionally(almost Rarely) requirs a restart of
t=
he tablet or S80 to get it to link up, but once linked I never have any
tro=
uble during the flight.
=20
A couple weeks ago flying the Region 8 contest about 9am I discovered
my
=
Nexus 7 touch screen had died, it would not respond to any touch
commands.
=
at 10:30 after the pilots meeting I went to the local Walmart and
purchased=
a Samsung Tab 7 8gb for under $90. (they only had a display model
availabl=
e, normally $120). By the 1pm launch I had updated the software on the
Tabl=
et, installed Tophat, the Waypoint, airspace, and terrain files and had
con=
figured it to communicate with my S80 and had a working flight computer
for=
the day. In summery I went from no flight computer other than the (S80
tha=
t I use for a backup) to my normal working flight computer in under about
2=
hours and under a $100 investment. Try that when your dedicated flight
com=
puter dies, it may cost you more than that in just shipping and won't
be
=
a same day fix.
=20
I am actually very pleased with the Samsung, The display is as good or
ev=
en slightly better than the Nexus and it is faster. I wish it had a bit
mor=
e memory than 8GB but does have a place for a MicroSD card if I need more
s=
pace. I ran it with power connected, so not sure how the battery life is
wi=
th it standalone, but It seems like it would be as good as the Nexus.
=20
I think Tophat works very well, I only wish it did a bit better job a
pro=
viding tactical Flarm traffic information. I don't use it for traffic
avoid=
ance but it would be nice if it kept track of Flarm traffic a bit
better.
=
Something like LK8000 or some other displays (Avionic) that show where
traf=
fic was or might be even though the signal is gone. With the right
display
=
it could even show Statistical climb information about the other gliders
th=
ermal and even mark a likely location to intercept the same thermal even
af=
ter other glider has left the thermal. That way I don't have to be
looking
=
at the display as much or take near as long to trying and calculate
informa=
tion that computers are very good at doing.
=20
To the original question, with nothing other than the minimum required
ch=
anges Tophat, on the Nexus and Samsung, automatically switches between
Ther=
malling and Cruise mode with and retains the zoom level for each screen,
us=
ually zoomed in for thermalling and zoomed out for cruise for me. I have
ne=
ver had issues with this no not sure why others seem to be having issues.
=20
Brian

I recently bought a Galaxy Tab 7 tablet and tried Bluetooth connection
with=
the k6bt2 but was not able to connect.
I contacted the k6 folks and I was advised that the k6bt2 is needing
"profi=
le SPP" which my Tab does not support and it will not work. So... what am
I=
missing here? Wrong Tab??

When I was unable to connect my Galaxy A5 phone via bluetooth, I installed
"BToolkit" and used it to make my phone visible (the Settings option said
it already was; it wasn't) after which I was able to connect. Your problem
could well be different - then again it might not. Good luck.

On Thursday, July 5, 2018 at 4:25:27 PM UTC-4, wrote:
I like Top Hat a lot. But as with an attractive woman who seems to fulfill all your wishes, things aren't quite perfect. And like most men, I just want to make one tiny change. It's driving me crazy.

I need two screens:

Circling screen: automatically displayed when I started to circle. Zoomed into a one-thermal view (e.g., 0.6 miles). Displays certain infoboxes (right now, nearly the same ones as the Cruise screen but can be customized).

Cruise screen: automatically displayed when I roll out and fly straight. Zoomed out to whatever level I had set before I circled, from typically from 5 to 30 miles, so I can see waypoints, landing fields, terrain, etc. Displays certain infoboxes (nearly the same ones as the Circling screen but can be customized).

AND...in addition to the automatic switching, whenever I'm circling (looking at the thermal view) and want to take a quick peek at the cruise screen, I can press the "Switch Screens" button on the screen (that I've enabled), and instantly zoom out to see what landing fields I can reach from my miserably low altitude. Then I can instantly switch back to the circling view with another press of the Screen button.

What I can do now:
1. manually switch between the two screens whenever I circle or cruise, with the appropriate zoom levels applying; this works fine but since the autosensing feature knows when I'm circling or flying straight, it would be easier to let the software switch screens;
OR
2. automatically zooms in to 0.6 miles whenever I stop to circle. This works great but requires me to press the "zoom out" button multiple times to see the "cruise" view when I'm circling, then another set of multiple presses to zoom back in to the thermal view;
OR
3. let the software autoswitch between climb and cruise screens but retains the same zoom level for both (I'm not even sure I have this because until recently I had the same infoboxes for circling as for cruising so I may have been looking at the same screen the entire time with different zoom levels; i.e., same as alternative 2, above).

I've tried multiple combinations of autozoom, distinct zoom, single screen/multiple screens, same set of infoboxes vs. multiple sets of infoboxes, setting one or both of the multiple screens as "auto", and probably some I can't recall. Some I've tried in flight, but many others I've tried using the "replay" function. Autozooming works fine there but not some of the other options.

Is anyone doing this now? All the parts are there. I just can't get them set up the way I want.

I believe Top Hat differs from XCSoar in the way users can switch screens (especially with gestures), so my difficulty may be there.

Chip Bearden

I have been running TH on a Kobo; it recently started changing screens
unasked , ; not just between cruise and climb; a waypoint list appeared!
Now it refuses to connect to the PC at all; tried two USB cables and two PC s.

John F

Just to close the loop: For the Midlothian Std. Nats, I configured a cruise page and a climb page, each of which maintains whatever zoom level(s) I set. I just toggled between the two manually whenever I stopped to thermal and again just before I rolled out to cruise again, or whenever I needed to check the big picture (zoomed out) view in a thermal.

I like TopHat a lot. I wish there were a way of autoinvoking the circling page while preserving the ability to quickly switch back and forth to the cruise page but I never could find it.

Chip Bearden