Inverted Portrait Mode

[ian-187]

Hi All

I have just purchased an iPaq hx4700 with the view to running XCSoar on
it. I am new to XCSoar, the hx4700 and Windows Mobile. I have downloaded
the software and I have been playing with it and trying to work out how
everything works.

Space in my glider is limited and the iPAQ is quite big. I have an idea
that the easiest way of getting it to fit is to mount the iPaq upside
down, so the cable plugs in from the top, not from the bottom where it
gets in the way of my leg. Then I can mount it lower which means better
visibility - just a wire in my view, not a whole iPAQ.

I have found a free utility which has a "rotate 180 deg" function which
inverts the screen. It inverts all software - including XCSoar. The
hardware buttons however are now on top, not underneath. I see there is
a configuration file which can reprogram buttons in XCSoar. So if, by
the time I have established how best to use them,  I am not happy with
the order they are arranged in, I presume they can be reprogrammed.

Before I go and make a mount to fit the iPaq inverted in the glider:

Has anybody else tried this before?

Is there anything I have missed which might prevent it from working?

Thanks


Ian


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[Scott Penrose]

----- "ian" <ian-xcsoar@...> wrote:

> Hi All
>
> I have just purchased an iPaq hx4700 with the view to running XCSoar
> on
> it. I am new to XCSoar, the hx4700 and Windows Mobile. I have
> downloaded
> the software and I have been playing with it and trying to work out
> how
> everything works.
>
> Space in my glider is limited and the iPAQ is quite big. I have an
> idea
> that the easiest way of getting it to fit is to mount the iPaq upside
>
> down, so the cable plugs in from the top, not from the bottom where it
>
> gets in the way of my leg. Then I can mount it lower which means
> better
> visibility - just a wire in my view, not a whole iPAQ.
>
> I have found a free utility which has a "rotate 180 deg" function
> which
> inverts the screen. It inverts all software - including XCSoar. The
> hardware buttons however are now on top, not underneath. I see there
> is
> a configuration file which can reprogram buttons in XCSoar. So if, by
>
> the time I have established how best to use them,  I am not happy with
>
> the order they are arranged in, I presume they can be reprogrammed.
>
> Before I go and make a mount to fit the iPaq inverted in the glider:
>
> Has anybody else tried this before?
>
> Is there anything I have missed which might prevent it from working?

I have mine inverted landscape - similar reason, mostly to do with the fact I scratched the right side of my screen where the info boxes are, and so I swapped as I don't mind a few big scratches over the map.

In my case the buttons were not a problem, although they are all inverted - e.g. bottom is Nav, rather than top.

Reprogramming is pretty easy, you just write an XCI file (input file) in Notepad or preferred text editor with entries similar to this one:

mode=default
type=key
data=A
event=AbortTask toggle

What this basically says is... in default mode (you can have any number of modes, allowing you to even have a hierarchy of buttons) add a type of key (you can add events, such as glide computer events: turning vs cruise; hardware events: some NMEA etc, and keys), which key press (A is literally of a keyboard on my old PocketPC with keyboard) and something to do (event) - you can have any number of events.

The 'data' can be things like 'APP1' to 'APP4' which are the main 4 hardware button on most PDAs.

You can find the default input file here:

   http://www.xcsoar.org/trac/browser/Common/Data/Input/default.xci

Which has entries you are looking for like this:

mode=default
type=key
data=APP1
event=Mode Nav1
label=
location=1

I.e. in default mode, APP1 button is pressed, switch the mode to Nav1 (which is the first navigation menu). you will then see there is something like this:

mode=Nav1
type=key
data=APP1
event=Mode Nav2
label=Nav
location=1

This says that the same button, while in Nav1 mode moves to Nav2 mode.

The location is the location of the menu entry - which again you can also configure. The label is literally the label on the menu - again configurable.

So to swap the 4 buttons will require you to find all the APP1 to APP4 entries and swap them (not that many, but a few).

Good luck

Scott

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[Scott Penrose]

I have checked the content of the input documentation online and it seems to be fairly up to date:

http://www.xcsoar.org/trac/wiki/Advanced/Input

Enjoy

Scott

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[Alan Saunders-2]

Ian,

My RX5700 can display in any of the four possible orientations without
additional software - the buttons remain consistent with the screen. On the
RX5700 this is easily achieved via a function button but you may find it as
an option in the setup menu: Start - Settings - [System] - Screen
Orientation. Otherwise, there may be a software update that includes this
option. Landscape mode allows the display of twelve info-boxes including
three for the vario'; portrait mode gives a slightly larger map with eight
info-boxes (4 top, 4 bottom) but no vario'. Unlike other programs, I cannot
change the Xcsoar screen orientation when Xcsoar (PCC 5.2.2) is running.

I find it best to mount the PDA half way back on the RH canopy rail; close
enough to read the small print - especially in sunlight :-(. This position
does not obscure the basic instrument panel. Make sure that the power/data
lead does not inhibit ejection of the canopy. The standard lookout scan
includes the PDA. When thermalling to the left an occasional glance at the
PDA is sufficient. With everything except 'Task Start' and 'Task Abort' set
to 'automatic' I rarely need to press a button in flight. This is the safest
way to use Xcsoar.

IPAQs are quite small compared to a Clearnav
http://www.afeonline.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=2321 and much
cheaper! Many thanks to the team for producing an excellent product that has
proved to be better than the commercial rivals.

Alan Saunders

>
> Message: 7
> Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:51:10 +0200
> From: ian <ian-xcsoar@...>sl
> Subject: [Xcsoar-user] Inverted Portrait Mode
> To: xcsoar user <xcsoar-user@...>
> Message-ID: <4AF9C42E.2010103@...>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Hi All
>
> I have just purchased an iPaq hx4700 with the view to running XCSoar on
> it. I am new to XCSoar, the hx4700 and Windows Mobile. I have downloaded
> the software and I have been playing with it and trying to work out how
> everything works.
>
> Space in my glider is limited and the iPAQ is quite big. I have an idea
> that the easiest way of getting it to fit is to mount the iPaq upside
> down, so the cable plugs in from the top, not from the bottom where it
> gets in the way of my leg. Then I can mount it lower which means better
> visibility - just a wire in my view, not a whole iPAQ.
>
> I have found a free utility which has a "rotate 180 deg" function which
> inverts the screen. It inverts all software - including XCSoar. The
> hardware buttons however are now on top, not underneath. I see there is
> a configuration file which can reprogram buttons in XCSoar. So if, by
> the time I have established how best to use them,  I am not happy with
> the order they are arranged in, I presume they can be reprogrammed.
>
> Before I go and make a mount to fit the iPaq inverted in the glider:
>
> Has anybody else tried this before?
>
> Is there anything I have missed which might prevent it from working?
>
> Thanks
>
>
> Ian
>

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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