MSDroid for Megasquirt -Android dash, tuning, and log viewer [0.3a3 update - 22.2.13]

Trev, a question.

I wanted to load my existing project into MSDroid. I copied the project files and tune out of tunerstudio and saved them in a folder on my dropbox account. I loaded MSDroid, but I can`t seem to find a `load project` option anywhere ?

I want to do this as MSDroid hasn`t loaded all the project settings by default, ie TPS and Temperature in F not C

 

It doesn't support TunerStudio projects I'm afraid. I did speak with Phil some time back about collaboration ideas but it didn't happen.

At the moment it doesn't work with projects at all. It just loads the correct definition file for the ECU you're using, and various settings such as temperature units are based on preferences you set within ECU Settings / App Settings.

Projects are coming though. There's a massive amount of work being done in the background on this but it's taking time to get it out to public.

Did you find the calibrate TPS option in the latest release, and are you still having problems with temperature units? If you still have problems let me know and I'll raise / bump up internal trackers on them. It was Seb who did the work on the TPS calibration and the temperature units selection is basically the code I wrote, so let me know what issues you have and we'll get onto it.

 

Bummer

I`ll try the TPS calibration & temperature and report back.

 

Hmmm. Odd.

Temp now reading OK

Whenever I click Calibrate TPS, I get a message saying MsDroid stopped unexpectedly and have to click a `close` button

Also, when exporting the MSL file, can I have an option NOT to zip it ? I have unlimited data, so there is no need.

Will be checking more this week. Trackday next weekend where I plan to use it extensively to datalog.


/ Also tried on my sons Galaxy S3, does exactly the same /

[video=youtube;l12X3HNVTv0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l12X3HNVTv0[/video]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l12X3HNVTv0

 

OK, thanks Nige - I'm just going to open a tracker now regarding the TPS calibrate. Seb in Canada might pick it up and do it overnight as he did the TPS calibrate option.

Regarding MSL file export, that's being improved. In a development branch at the moment we have it so that it's integrated with Dropbox and it actually automatically plonks the logs in your Dropbox folder, which is quite awesome and as easy as it gets.

Oh BTW - if it gives you the option to report the crash when you try to use TPS calibrate, could you please do so (if not done already) as then we'll have the stacktrace sent to us for debugging.

 

Ah, scratch that Nige - I just replicated it myself, so have all the info needed. Thanks for pointing that out!

 

That`s cool. Just thought you`d want to know

The Dropbox idea sounds perfect. I saved the .MSL to my dropbox folder, went to import it and could see it as it was zipped, hence my request for uncompressed exports.

Ideally, I`d like to select the default export settings in MSDroid, then when I click the log and export, it uses my defaults. Ie, convert to .msl, save to dropbox folder xxx. Just show me a `complete` notification box. Otherwise you are likely to always select the same export options each time, may as well make them some `defaultable`.

 

Thanks Nige. I see what you mean. I'll make sure that's noted. I think the way it's going to go is that you just once choose to have MSL automatically deposited into Dropbox and then that's it.

In the meantime someone posted up another video on YouTube. This is showing the Galaxy S4 connected via USB. He sounds very happy!

[video=youtube;Ty_Xsh3Rjws]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty_Xsh3Rjws[/video]

 

Trackday yesterday.

Used this for all datalogging. Found that GoSMS `pop up` on incoming text stops MSDroid from logging. Arrgghhh..

Otherwise, it appears to have done exactly what I wanted. Will be putting the data on video tonight and feed back

On the export, allowing the selection of multiple datalogs then export them as one zip would be nice.

 

Found issues with the phone running down. The standard car chargers can`t supply enough current to keep up with the drain when connected to MSDroid. I`ve tried it with a 2A 12V > USB adapter and it seems to be capable of keeping up with the current use.

 

Thanks Nige. Is that when it's being used to display the dashboard as well, with the screen on? I have a separate development branch on the go where all of the graphics engine has been rewritten from scratch and as well as being faster and smoother, there will be a throttling option to reduce battery consumption which will help with that.

It's very curious about GoSMS. I'll look at installing that to see if I can replicate the issue. I'll raise a ticket for it.

Did you have any joy with putting data to video?

With the new graphics it's going to start looking quite different... (old screenshot from when I started dabbling with new designs)

 

The screen was off, I lock the phone, wrap it and put it in the glovebox when logging.

I`m really only using it as a logger, rather than a display.

The data exported fine and could be overlaid onto the video. Due to the TPS value being wrong, ie Zero is shown as 20, I had a slightly reduced resolution of the throttle display, but it`s nothing anyone else would notice.

This has saved me around 4kg. Invertor, laptop and powersupply replaced with Bluetooth Dongle and phone which I already had in the car !

Oh, another tip. I wasn`t happy with the weight of the dongle hanging off the Megasquirt port, so instead of connecting the Dongle directly to the ECU, I connected it to the end of the serial cable that used to connect to the laptop, that meant I could secure the dongle out of the way, where it wouldn`t be held in place by the 9-Pin connector

 

Thanks Nige, really good report. I'll look forward to seeing how you used the exported data if possible. It's odd that the current consumption caused by MSDroid was apparently high even with the screen turned off, so that's something we'll investigate. With the screen off, the graphics would be idle, so I'd have expected much lower consumption.

 

DropBox integration is now done, ready for next release!

This means it'll plonk your MSL logs straight into DropBox. Boom.

 

Liking that !

I`m not sure what most users are using MSDroid for, I suspect I`m in a minority

However, would it be possible to add a custom button to `START LOGGING` and another to `STOP LOGGING` ?

Also, an option of adding a large display that shows a green box with the text `LOGGING` when it`s logging and changing to a Red box saying `STOPPED` when not logging ?

All I have on my screen is a rev counter so I can see that MSD is talking to the MS and working.

I know clicking the menu button and start / stop logging isn`t hard, but its another button press. Same with the display, the current icon is fine when I`m sat at home in my driveway, but a quick glance when I`ve put my helmet on and just realised I`ve stopped and started the phone isn`t always enough to see if it is logging or not.

To be honest, if it never changed again it would do all I need, but if there is a chance to improve it, I`ll certainly offer suggestions

 

That gives me an idea regarding the button. The (not yet released) software now lets you place a range of different types of components onto the dashboard (gauges, indicators, histograms). So I could add another component type "button" which you could drag and drop onto the dashboard and make as big as you like. Then it could be chosen to be a logging start / stop button. I'll most definitely do that.

Any further ideas like this I would actually really appreciate. Please let me know what other suggestions you have. In particular, it's really useful to know what kind of features could be added, or how the user interface could be improved, to make it better for use in a track situation.

 

I just didn`t want the only comments to be from me and a pretty specific use of the program. lol

 

Nah, by all means fire away with suggestions as it's good to try to make it suitable for different use cases.

I've already had someone ask if it could log GPS altitude because he wants to chuck it inside an RC aircraft, so I doubt your ideas will be more oddball than that

 

Someone posted up another simple demo video of MSDroid.

I just can't wait to get the next version released as it's going to be so much more awesome.

[video=youtube;ZGSOF4S0sSI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGSOF4S0sSI[/video]

 

A user selectable option to play an .mp3 when the datalogging starts.

My phone is tucked away in the glovebox, when I start the car, before going on track, I always check the screen to make sure it made the connection to the ECU and continued logging, I`d rather check than find it hadn`t started AFTER a session... Having it play a "logging started successfully" .mp3 or similar would give me confidence knowing it had started logging correctly and I could leave it in the glovebox between sessions