Windows 8 Tablets for OpenCPN

[RhythmDoctor]

Originally Posted by mihari

...Have you tried to connect an anemometer to your tablet? How did it work out?

I am waiting for this one to come out. It looks like a good match for my tablet and OpenCPN. I'll display the wind data using the Dashboard plugin:

[stefan64]

Originally Posted by wdkester

RythemDoctor (or anyone else)

Do you think the following Miix2 configuration would work.

1. a microUSB to USB cable, the micro end goes to the Miix2
2. The USB end goes to a USB hub
3. Port 1 of the hub goes to a USB AIS
Port 2 of the hub goes to a USB GPS
Port 3 of the hub goes to a USB cable which is plugged in to a 12V USB charger

I guess the question is will the GPS, the AIS and the Miix2 all be able to get power from the charger? I suppose you could attach a second charger if more power was needed.

David,

my experience with letting USB connections plugged in while cruising is not the best: the connector in the tablet will start failing after some time, especially if it is just a micro USB. In addition you are bound to cables and cannot move your tablet around (which is especially nice at very calm cruising). So I did go for wireless using the vyacht router, which is cheap and works like a charm.

ciao,
Stefan

[mihari]

I was hoping to be able to use something more generic (and cheap) like this spare anemometer. I don't know if it is doable...

[tyqchur]

RhythmDoctor, how are you mounting your tablet to the pedestal guard?

[RhythmDoctor]

Originally Posted by tyqchur

RhythmDoctor, how are you mounting your tablet to the pedestal guard?

I use a RAM mount, made up of these components:

RAM Mount Universal Tablet Mount Small Tab-Tite Cradle RAM-HOL-TAB-SMU
RAM Mount Diamond Plate with 1.5 inch Ball RAM-238U
RAM Mount Dual Stainless Steel U-Bolt Base 1.5 inch Ball
RAM Mount Standard Length Dual 1.5 inch Socket Arm

Mine is oversized with 1.5" ball mounts, because it was originally designed to hold a much heavier netbook. You could reduce cost of this by using the same cradle with smaller 1" ball mounts instead. The 1" components are plenty strong for the tablet, but would be undersized for a laptop or netbook.

One nice thing about this setup is that it rotates 360°, so you can adjust to see it if you are sitting astride or in front of the wheel. I tighten it enough to hold the tablet securely, but loose enough to flip the tablet around with a flick of the wrist whenever I change location in the boat. I do this a lot, because I tack on a narrow river.

I also have two balls mounted down in the cabin for using the tablet down below without risk of it falling off anything when I heel.



This picture was taken before I installed a matte screen protector. You can see that the screen is very bright, but glare is a little distracting:

[wdkester]

Originally Posted by stefan64

David,

my experience with letting USB connections plugged in while cruising is not the best: the connector in the tablet will start failing after some time, especially if it is just a micro USB. In addition you are bound to cables and cannot move your tablet around (which is especially nice at very calm cruising). So I did go for wireless using the vyacht router, which is cheap and works like a charm.

ciao,
Stefan

OK, Lets say I've decided to try wifi. I want to use the Mixx2 in the cockpit with only a single cable for power, and a mount like Ricks. I want to use a USB Puck GPS, and a USB AIS. I would need a 12V router with 2 USB ports. And I would need to understand how to configure Opencpn. From a forum search I got -

Options/Add connection/"click" network/"click" UDP/ Dataport=1011

Is there a good write-up I can use?

If not, what else do I need?

Could I use a hub to connect 32 devices to the router?

[bcn]

The COM settings are well described in the BETA manual --> Opencpn.org
The recommend UDP port is 10110

[RhythmDoctor]

Originally Posted by mihari

I was hoping to be able to use something more generic (and cheap) like this spare anemometer. I don't know if it is doable...

Most of the household weather stations will struggle in a marine environment for a variety of reasons. The most obvious reason is that they generally need to be fixed and oriented in a constant direction to give an accurate wind direction, while your boat will be changing direction all the time.

[rgleason]

I purchased an Acer Iconia A1-830 8" tablet for my father with
Intel Atom dual core processor 1.6 ghz
16 gb memory and 1gb Ram
7.8" XGA 1024x768
2 cameras 5mp 2mp
GPS
Wifi b/g/n
Bluetooth 3.0
for $129

Runs Android and the GPS works fine once it finds itself.
App GPS Status helped speed up the search for position and also advised that the GPS did not have a magnetic direction sensor.

I appears the screen is just okay, but for $129 how can you go wrong rooting it for linux and opencpn?

Would the lack of magnetic direction be a problem?

Thanks

[RhythmDoctor]

Originally Posted by rgleason

I purchased an Acer Iconia A1-830 8" tablet for my father with
Intel Atom dual core processor 1.6 ghz
16 gb memory and 1gb Ram
7.8" XGA 1024x768
2 cameras 5mp 2mp
GPS
Wifi b/g/n
Bluetooth 3.0
for $129

Runs Android and the GPS works fine once it finds itself.
App GPS Status helped speed up the search for position and also advised that the GPS did not have a magnetic direction sensor.

I appears the screen is just okay, but for $129 how can you go wrong rooting it for linux and opencpn?

Would the lack of magnetic direction be a problem?

Thanks

I know of one Android chartplotter app that has a compass output on the screen. (Ronald Koenig's Marine Navigator) So the lack of magnetic direction would probably prevent that function from working. No big loss, IMO.

I'm not aware of any other issues that it may cause.

[Opie91]

RhythmDoctor,

I followed your advice and purchased one of the Miix2 tablets. It runs O great! One question though, do you run it with OpenGL on or off? I have tried both. Several issues on:
1. The tool bar will not go transparent.
2. Sometimes the colors invert when the tablet is zoomed down to small scales. (Running the latest beta 3.3.2424)

Thanks for any help

[RhythmDoctor]

Originally Posted by Opie91

RhythmDoctor,

I followed your advice and purchased one of the Miix2 tablets. It runs O great! One question though, do you run it with OpenGL on or off? I have tried both. Several issues on:
1. The tool bar will not go transparent.
2. Sometimes the colors invert when the tablet is zoomed down to small scales. (Running the latest beta 3.3.2424)

Thanks for any help

Congrats on the Miix2 purchase. I think it's a great platform for running O.

The toolbar transparency issue with OpenGL is well known, and apparently it's an unavoidable artifact of OpenGL. I'm not as familiar with issue #2.

I'm not a programmer, so I don't really know much about what OpenGL is -- just that it takes advantage of video hardware in a different (better?) way. The only significant benefit that I notice with OpenGL is that when using ENC vector charts in course-up mode, the depth soundings and other text are rotated so that they are always right-side up. I started using ENC charts a lot last season, and I like course-up mode, so activating OpenGL became important to me. For you, it should depend on whether you prefer ENC or RNC charts.

[RhythmDoctor]

I recently did some looking around at new tablets that came on the market for the past holiday season, thought I would provide some updates to my prior comments. What I am presenting here should only be considered accurate as of today, January 3, 2015. Things change fast in the computer world. Also, my comments are based mostly on reviews that I have read, so take the accuracy with a grain of salt.

Transformable 2-in-1 tablets that can operate as a tablet and also connect to a removable keyboard in a way that mimics a netbook or small laptop are extremely popular, and offer a lot of functionality. My Lenovo Miix2 8" model is not a 2-in-one. It is a pure tablet, but I have a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to provide netbook-like functionality when I need it. Its primary standout feature is extremely good screen brightness, which when used with a matte finish screen protector provides daylight viewability. And it's a sleekly styled, lightweight device that works very well on a small boat. But, truth be told, I wouldn't mind having something a little bigger if the right device were to appear.

The 10" Asus T100 is probably the best-selling transformable 2-in-1 model out there (due to its very attractive price point), but when looking at it at several stores I was always underwhelmed by its screen quality. It is noticeably less bright than my Miix2, and its colors are washed out. The yellow, in particular, looked dirty, and not at all vivid. But, it is a 10" display, so it's larger than my Miix2. It must not be a bad machine to have so many happy users. Asus has also came out with a T200 11" model, with roomier keyboard. Screen is reportedly a little brighter, but still not up there with the better offerings.

Some promising new models that could really challenge the T100 are the Acer Aspire Switch 10 (link is to obsolete model) and Switch 11. Reviews point out their extremely bright screens with no air gaps to cause multiple reflections. The latest refresh of their series includes Gorilla Glass 3 screens that reviews say are brighter than the initial Switch series. Both of these new models present an interesting selection, because they are available in low-cost/low-power (Atom) versions with 1280x800 resolution, or higher cost/higher-power (typically i5) versions with 1920x1080 resolution. And on a sailboat, higher power is not always a good thing, because battery life is affected. For purposes of running OpenCPN (as it stands now), the lower pixel density may actually be better, because at the high pixel density the depth soundings and some other non-adjustable symbols and text may be too small on the screen. If Dave makes these adjustable in the future then the higher pixel density would be preferred. Until then, the higher pixel density might actually be a negative. However, a recent review has reported that the Switch 10 with 1920x1080 screen is brighter than my Miix2 8". These models are definitely worth a look, because they are priced similarly to the Asus T100 and T200, and IMO they have superior displays vs. the Asus machines.

I am not mentioning anything about the Microsoft Surface Pro series because they are out of my price range. I generally prefer cheap computers for these applications.

The Dell Venue 11 Pro has gotten great reviews for build quality and design, and Dell always provides great support. But it is also a bit of a premium price.

Lenovo's Miix2 10" and 11" computers have very good Full HD pixel resolution, bright screens, and the 10" model can be found at very low prices recently. But the mechanism they use to prop up the tablet in the keyboard is a bit odd, and not suitable for use in your lap or on an irregular surface. You need a perfectly level, flat surface, and boats often are not level. These models have also gotten a very bad reputation for reliability.

Note that none of these models (aside from my Miix2 8" model) has an internal GPS, so if you want real-time GPS use while underway, you need a Blutooth puck or USB dongle.

FWIW, the Acer Switch 10, 64 GB with 1280x800 resolution dropped by $40 on Amazon today, so I have ordered it to try it out. I'll post an update later after I have used it. This computer has exactly the same pixel resolution as my Miix2 8" tablet, but the pixels are spread out over 10.1" diagonal instead of 8". So toolbar icons will be a little bigger, text will be a little bigger, etc. And I'll be able to snap the keyboard on and use it as a mini-laptop.

[travellerw]

I did something crazy and pulled the trigger on a Chinese Windows 8.1/Android 4.4 dual boot tablet. It has no review yet, but other tablets from that brand do get good reviews. Plus the specs seem very good (it has a built in GPS). My thinking is I could run OpenCPN and be able to switch to Android for Navionics as a backup/second source of info. Here is the link..
Onda V919 3G Air Windows8 + Android Dual Boot Tablet PC 64GB

I will post back once I receive it and play with it.

[chuckr]

first i am not a techie. in my working life one of first hires was a techie as i knew what i wanted but not how to get there.

we use opencpn as a backup navagation system. in over 7 years we have lost our chartplotter twice and used our pc to get us in. last march we got a dell tablet with bluetooth mouse and keyboard. we tried the gps puck we had from the pc and found it was not compatable. we ended up getting a hamlet solar powered bluetooth gps that works great.
we have turned it on a couple of times to test it as we enered ports and our only real complaint is if we want to zoom in or out it is really best to use the mouse as my fingers on the zoom button messes things up on occassion.