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Iona64
9 Posts |
 Posted - 12 nov. 2008 : 16:33:01
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quote:
Originally posted by GraemeG
I contacted Locosys again as I had noticed that if you use the keylock function and then bump the thumb stick, the backlight comes on and doesn't go off. I was already on what I thought was the latest f/w V1.2 B0922 but he directed me to http://mtbest.net/setting-up-navi-GT31.htm where I could download V1.2 B1003.
When I received my unit last week, the first thing I did was to download that firmware and run it. I got a firmware update failed message and then downloaded the firmware from the Locosys site. This installed without any problem. Were you able to get the firmware V1.2 B1003 to load? |
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GraemeG
Australia
24 Posts |
Posted - 12 nov. 2008 : 22:43:51
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Hi Iona,
Yes I was able to load V1.2 B1003T. I have updated the fw a couple of times now and I have seen it fail too. I think gpspassion also commented that he had failures when updating his fw. I just tried again and the second or third time it worked. I guess you have worked it out but I have found that the virtual COM port it chooses to communicate on tends to jump around a bit. That may be because I plug other devices into my laptop that also use COM ports. But anyway, you have to make sure that you are using the correct port.
I haven't used it a lot since updating the fw but it fixed the backlight problem and I haven't seen any other issues so it looks like it is worth loading.
continued : I also received some information from Locosys about how it manages the data on the SD card when the battery runs down. I summarised a bit but my questions (GG>) and the answers (LOCOSYS>) are below.
GG> What happens to the data when the battery runs flat?
LOCOSYS> When battery low is detected, GT-31 will do all the housekeeping job and shutdown the unit safely. This includes closing files on SD cards.
GG> I have noticed (and it may just be my limited testing) that if the file size is set to "card size" then there is no file on the memory card after the battery has run flat. The track is lost.
LOCOSYS> Please reformat your SD card. Here is a good reference to test the compatibility of your SD card: http://mtbest.net/setting-up-navi-GT31.htm Also make sure to remove SD card after [REMOVE CARD] command is executed or device is off.
(Comment - I had previously run the format test on my card and it has always passed. My card is an old Lexar 256MB. I usually turn the unit off to remove the card but I have also used the [Remove Card] option and either way the file has been intact on the card. Only once did I pull the card without turning the unit off and lost all the data in the process.)
GG> If I have the file size set to one of the other values (I have tried 128KB and 1024KB) then the log is saved, including any partial file up to the point when it powers down. I have compared the NMEA time stamps with the times from the SBP file from the internal memory and it seems that nothing has been lost.
LOCOSYS> The only difference for different card size is "risk". The log file in SD card needs a "close file" operation to complete the log file. If by any chance, the unit fails to close file then the log file on SD is corrupted. That is the risk to choose "card size". We recommend to use proper file size like 2MB. For critical trip, please enable [DATA LOGGER]/SBP for backup. The typical setting for [DATA LOGGER] is 1 sec or 5 sec with min speed of 4KMH.
(Comment - The internal SBP log saved my bacon when I corrupted the card by pulling it with the power on. With 20480 entries it is good for over 28 hours of 5 second samples. In my case I don't set the minimum speed for logging as I may be walking around slowly while taking photographs. The log space "wasted" by extra entries is no big deal, particularly when logging to the card. One day I will have a play with one of the tools that can simplify a track and remove points with a poor DOP. Any suggestions anyone?)
GG> Is it possible to modify the firmware to periodically write or save the log when "card size" is selected as the file size? I would prefer to work with one file per day but I am worried that I could lose the data if I forget to turn it off and the battery runs down.
LOCOSYS> No, as we explained, the file close operation will only be done at the last minutes. Using "card size" is OK as long as your SD card is tested to work well with your unit. Sandisk card is recommended from our tests.
GG> What is the expected life of the battery?
LOCOSYS> The battery life is at least 1 year/1000 recharges. We also offer battery replacement.
(Comment - I'm not sure how you would discharge and recharge the battery 1000 times in less than a year given that it takes over a day to run flat! :-)
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Iona64
9 Posts |
Posted - 12 nov. 2008 : 23:38:38
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Thank GraemeG.
I will try again and hopefully it will work. |
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dws
20 Posts |
Posted - 13 nov. 2008 : 05:53:41
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GraemeG,
quote:
One day I will have a play with one of the tools that can simplify a track and remove points with a poor DOP. Any suggestions anyone?
Two options off the top of my head:
1) This is exactly one of the things my script does (see page four). It takes in a long list of NMEA files, applies some filters to the data (including removing high PDOP and HDOP values, as well as removing points with fewer than three satellite fixes), then gives you a GPX and Google Map HTML file as output.
2) Check out GPSBabel by yourself, and play with the discard filter. |
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GraemeG
Australia
24 Posts |
Posted - 13 nov. 2008 : 06:14:45
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Thanks dws. I must admit that when you posted originally an I saw references to style sheets and java script, I skimmed over your post pretty quickly! I have had another read and downloaded your zip file and it really doesn't sound too daunting :-) It might be a while before I have a closer look though.
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dws
20 Posts |
Posted - 13 nov. 2008 : 13:56:08
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| Hah! Fair enough. It really is easy to use. I wanted to share it with the (B)GT-31 community because it does make the workflow a lot easier. Ideally, it should take five minutes to set up, and ten seconds to use. If something in the setup instructions isn't clear let me know and I'll try to make things more clear. |
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Iona64
9 Posts |
Posted - 13 nov. 2008 : 16:59:50
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GraemeG
I must have posted my last comment before your post showed up.
I tried to update the firmware again (7times) and still had no luck and got an update failed message after the indicator hit 92%. I sent a screenshot of this to Locosys to see what the problem is.
I just read your new post.
I am still not sure about the optimum file size to set. I can see where a low value will preserve the SD data as the file close operation will take place once the size limit is reached. I will be using my GT-31 mainly for logging kayaking, biking, and hiking trips. I like to take the GPX files from my current Garmin 60CSX and download to GPS Visualizer so I can email the resulting Google Map to my friends. Do you have any idea how many data points are saved to the various file sizes you can choose on the GT-31? I am going to try dws script to see how it works with combining smaller size files into on GPX file with the complete trip.
Is it safe to assume that the best option is to save to NEMA on the SD Card and SBN on the internal memory? GpsPassion seems to be having problems converting the SBN. I have not tried it yet, but will do so today even though I am still having the firmware update problem.
Continued : I just downloaded your script and will try it today. One quick question and a BIG thanks for sharing your script with the people on the forum.
There are 3 files in the zipped package. The one in question is google_maps.style.style. Should this also go into the GPSBable folder?
GraemeG,
I just looked at the readme files in both the Locosys firmware update and the one from mtbest and they appear to be identical versions with different file names. I can only assume it is not allowing me to overwrite the same firmware.
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dws
20 Posts |
Posted - 13 nov. 2008 : 21:28:12
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Iona64,
quote:
There are 3 files in the zipped package. The one in question is google_maps.style.style. Should this also go into the GPSBable folder?
Yes, by default my script references the style file in C:\Program Files\GPSbabel\google_maps.style, but you could move it anywhere so long as you adjust the path in the BAT file. For what it's worth, it also looks for the GPSBabel executable in C:\Program Files\GPSbabel\gpsbabel.exe, so make sure to check on its location on your PC, as well. |
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GraemeG
Australia
24 Posts |
Posted - 13 nov. 2008 : 22:53:19
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Iona64,
The number of data points per file depends on what you have selected to log. I did try using SBN and had no problems converting it to other formats using the navilink tool and as it is a binary format I believe it will be the most efficient regarding points per KByte.
Eventually I chose to log directly in NMEA format as it removes the conversion step from my workflow. I can just plug the SD card into my laptop and copy the file straight across. I would prefer the file had a .nmea extension rather than .txt but I can live with that. When logging NMEA you have a choice of which sentences you record. I have enabled GGA, GSA and RMC as that gives me all I need for geotagging my images and also some detail about number of satellites used and quality of the fix (although I am not using this for anything yet).
For one example using this setting I have a 661KB file with 9926 lines. As there are usually the 3 NMEA lines per data point, that is roughly 3300 points. As I was logging each 5 seconds, that is about 275 minutes (4 hours 35 minutes). For what it is worth!
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Iona64
9 Posts |
Posted - 25 nov. 2008 : 14:31:49
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DWS,
I setup the GT - 31 to log to the SD card and internal memory. I am still learning to use the unit, so my first test was interesting. I went to download from internal memory using the NavlinkII. Surprisingly it could not locate anything in internal memory. I then removed the 2 GB SD card and put it in a reader. I got a message indicating the disc was not formatted. I know I formatted it in the GT - 31. I then tried a new SDHC reader and it recognized the disk immediately. There were 3 track segments on the card with the .txt extension. I also noticed 2 with the .sbp extension.
In any event, I did use the context menu and selected Process GPS files and the script you wrote executed perfectly. I clicked on the html file that was generated and the Google Map showed the track. I just wanted to thank you again for making the script available as it has made working with the GT -31 a lot easier. |
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timemachine
Australia
2 Posts |
Posted - 30 nov. 2008 : 14:26:03
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Guys, I just stumbled over your thread. I develop RealSpeed and didn't realise everyone was having so much trouble with the version installed on the disk. Its best to download the current version from my site at
http://www.intellimass.com/RealSpeed/Index.htm
To answer a few questions, yes I am a techie and RealSpeed could be a lot better. It originated as software for competition use and has been altered for single user use. I acknowledge it is a bit clunky (Ok a lot ...), but in my defense it was done in my spare time which I dont have much of. It was included on the disk because the vast majority of Locosys sales at that time were after the speed performance analysis features.
Realspeed will do some useful things in terms of performance measurement including show performance between waypoints and recording lap performances. It will also show best performances over set distances and times which is used extensively for speed sailing. It can take into account altitude changes so can monitor speed accurately even when going up and down mountains or jumping out of aircraft.
Some non-performance features include showing a trackfile split by day, combining files together or showing multiple files at once, and cleaning out track data. You can view speed and altitude graphs, take the native SBN and SBP files (will explain that in a minute) and save to CSV file and convert to GPX format. These things do not require a payment or registration code. Registration only provides performance analysis.
At request from a number of interested windsurfers including (in order of significance) Kean Rogers, Tom Chalko and myself, Locosys included the full binary SIRF data into an output file format (SBN) recorded directly to the SD card so we could extract as much precision as possible from the data. With the development of the GT31 including the SIRF III chip, we can now get speed performance accuracy based on doppler as low as 0.02 knots with more than 99.9% certainty. This is better than video timing and is revolutionising speed sailing, and I expect many other sports also in the near future. The GT31 is the only GPS capable of this accuracy that I am aware of, with possible exception of some custom Trimble GPS units that weight several KGs and cost many thousands of dollars.
The SBN format is a dump of the SIRF binary 41 message that includes a lot of performance data including speed and direction over ground. The SBP format is a cut down version of the SIRF bin 41 message that includes only the trackpoints, speed over ground (calculated using doppler not trackpoints), direction, altitude, time and date, satellite count and HDOP. The last two are to allow validation of a reasonable fix for verifying the quality of the signal. The SBN format is recorded to SD card because space is less of an issue. The much leaner SBP format is recorded to the flash memory on the GPS and can record around 28000 trackpoints. And yes it is a circular buffer so it is very difficut to lose a performance once the unit is set up correctly.
Much work has gone into the firmware of the GT11 and GT31, especially from Roger at Locosys and Tom Chalko here in Australia. In fact I believe the latest firmware has fixed the periodic freeze that has been mentioned here, something to do with the faster performance of the GT31 affecting some internal timing and needed revised settings. I recommend checking the Locosys site regularly for firmaware updates.
I hope this helps. I am not a regular contributor of this site and dont come here often (although that may change), so if you have a question regarding RealSpeed please send me an email at mwright (at) intellimass (dot) com. Cheers.
Mal
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Edited by - timemachine on 14 déc. 2008 12:21:00 |
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sdegan
33 Posts |
Posted - 02 déc. 2008 : 13:18:44
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Hi All,
It is about from the first post of this thread that I follow your experiences with the Genie BGT-31. At the beginning I thought that this data logger was ideal for my needs since there is the possibility to use a memory card and to see on the (even if small) display some data in 'real time'. However I am not sure that this data logger is (if I can say so) reliable because I have notice that sometime it stops logging and there is the need to use a small screwdriver to disconnect the battery to re-set it.
Thus I need your advice because I am in need to buy a reliable data logger with card capabilities. I have also seen the Visiontac VGPS-900 although it lacks of the display.
What do you suggest?
Thanks
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Applauz
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 02 déc. 2008 : 22:25:11
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I have a question, I am brand new to this idea of geotagging my photos and I am looking for a gps datalogger. The BGT31 looks attractive to me especially because of the battery life. It seems as if you really like your old 1000P as well though. It seems like it is very reliable. At this point do you have enough faith in the BGT31 to retire your 1000P? Im leaning towards the BGT31, but I want reliability above all other features.
Thanks in advance,
Michael the Newbie
quote:
Originally posted by oldgasman
Hi,
Can't say my BGT31 has ever locked up similar to what you describe, and I can't see anything in the manual, so I guess it may mean a battery disconnect to flatten the device and clear it.
Just out of interest, having used this device constantly for the last 4 weeks touring the west coast, I can say I am really pleased with it's performance on the ground, never missed a beat and download of the files via the SD card to my PDA was a breeze. On the flights from Heathrow to Seattle and return via San Diego + Minneapolis was another story, as it lost the signal on both occasions about halfway through the journey (sat by the window), but my faithful old Qstarz 1000P can through with honours and never missed a log, showing at least several sats all the time. I use elastic bands to hold it to the arm of the seat and place a small patch of black insulation tape over the led's so that it does not attract attention.
Cheers ..... John
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Stealth900
Netherlands
1 Posts |
Posted - 05 déc. 2008 : 08:57:40
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Hi,
The lock-up of the GT-31 might be caused by SD cards which the GT-31 doesn't really fancy.
I had a problem with a standard SanDisk 2Gb (class 2) SD card. When the device would start up, it often displayed the message "BAD FORMAT". When removing and directly reinserting the SD card, everything was fine again. It would start logging without a problem. Data was never corrupted in any way.
It seems that the GT-31 is a bit picky on the SD card part. I now use a SanDisk ultra II 2Gb SD card and it seems to work flawlessly. (Swapped cards between my camera and GPS, although camera could use the faster card).
Maybe this information is useful.
Cheers,
Erik
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ark19
16 Posts |
Posted - 05 déc. 2008 : 10:43:44
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| Another thing to note is that if you cut the data from the SD card and paste it into your hdd, you'll get "bad format". I went around it by copying the data to the PC, and formatting the SD card in GT-31 |
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[TOPIC] Genie GT-31 and BGT-31 Data Loggers
