Recommended Cockpit Platform

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by flpaoli

@hpeer, have you checked these out?
https://sailproof.shop/product/sp08s...rugged-tablet/

Looks interesting.

[mgrouch]

you can install VNC viewer on your tablet and have remote desktop access to your Pi with BBN.
It’s not best from energy efficiency because you have two computers using power: tablet and pi.

I suggest starting with prototype at home first to get familiar with the features.

Crashes with OpenCPN are mostly due to some less tested plugins and less used features. Most common things are quite stable. It’s also usually not a big deal even if it crashes. You just restart it in one click/touch.

[hpeer]

The dime drops slowly. I now see a BBN hardware page that is helpful.

I like the idea of a mockup I can mess with over the summer.

Do you have a suggested Off The Shelf product?

I am not excessively worried about power consumption, at this point.

Crashing
Killing the app and restarting gave me a mostly black screen.

I THINK it crashed switching between raster and vector charts.

The first time a simple reboot did not work 3X. I finally shut down all open apps and then restarted the phone. But I killed all open apps first.


A simple reboot worked the second time. But then I also killed all open apps.

Perhaps a conflict with AquaMaps?.

[mgrouch]

Originally Posted by hpeer

The dime drops slowly. I now see a BBN hardware page that is helpful.

I like the idea of a mockup I can mess with over the summer.

Do you have a suggested Off The Shelf product?

I am not excessively worried about power consumption, at this point.

Crashing
Killing the app and restarting gave me a mostly black screen.

I THINK it crashed switching between raster and vector charts.

The first time a simple reboot did not work 3X. I finally shut down all open apps and then restarted the phone. But I killed all open apps first.


A simple reboot worked the second time. But then I also killed all open apps.

Perhaps a conflict with AquaMaps?.

That’s on phone. Might be out of memory situation.

I didn’t experience unrecoverable black screens on pi.

I did suggest off the shelf product in this very thread. You might scroll up and see link to industrial pi5.
Hardware section of BBN OS doc has plenty of links too.

[hpeer]

Thanks for your help.

I have looked at that. It appears interesting.

I just did not map that to a prototype.

[Opie91]

BBN is decent with a bunch of features but has limited support. Pretty sure it is basically just mgrouch.

OpenPlotter has a much more robust support base and a development that actively post on it's own forum. https://forum.openmarine.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=1

We have a Garmin 943xvs in the cockpit and a Raspberry Pi5 running OpenPlotter V4 down below. Not sure if I would buy the 943 again.

[flpaoli]

Originally Posted by mgrouch

you can install VNC viewer on your tablet and have remote desktop access to your Pi with BBN.
It’s not best from energy efficiency because you have two computers using power: tablet and pi.

Because of OpenCPN's "Share with peer" functionality, and PyPilot's internet browser functionality, I think for @hpeer's desired use case he could:

1. Have a Raspberry Pi computer at the nav station:
- Install BBN or similar there
- It has OpenCPN for planning in OpenCPN. After planning share the planned route with the OpenCPN at the cockpit
- It has PyPilot, and would be the controller of the autopiplot

2. Have a rugged Tablet at the cockpit simply connecting to his router's Wifi:
- Run OpenCPN on the tablet as cockpit chartplotter
- Run a web browser on the tablet to access PyPilot's web interface
- Enable OpenCPN's dashboard plugins to have transducer info on the tablet

[hpeer]

As I have a steel boat magnetic interference is significant. Therefore I have my PyPilot mounted on the center strut of my dodger. This seems to be the best location. I run it in GPS mode and access it through a browser window one of my phones.

Controlling the setting is a chore. Many settings do not work in the browser. Some more work through the OCPN plugin. But I can not get various gain configurations to save even there. OCPN does allow me to adjust the compass offset.

And I find making the gain adjustments very difficult. The icons are so terribly small. I recently came up with a gain configuration that worked my last 2 trips. Close to 24 hours total. I will need to see how it works in more difficult circumstances. A matter of understanding gain settings better, I hope. Learning curve.

FWIW
PyPilot is driving a CPT motor/gear box with a CPT wheel adaptor. I find this has plenty of power so far. 40,000 pound full keel. My steering wheel effort is quite high because of the smallish quadrant block and 30” diameter wheel. Nothing I can do about that. It does not make anything easier.


…………….

I have YDNR router that translates 0183/2000/seatalk. So that gives me all my instruments and AIS on OCPN now.l via the YDNR Wifi. But a phone screen is pretty tiny for all that info.

I use a separate phone hooked to PyPilot to manage that.

The only thing I do not have is Radar.

As a bonus I hoping to get something where the PyPilot interface fully functions. And having OCPN freeze pretty hard coming into a new anchorage was not welcome. This looking for a more robust/stable platform than a phone.

[mgrouch]

Originally Posted by Opie91

BBN is decent with a bunch of features but has limited support. Pretty sure it is basically just mgrouch.

OpenPlotter has a much more robust support base and a development that actively post on it's own forum. https://forum.openmarine.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=1

We have a Garmin 943xvs in the cockpit and a Raspberry Pi5 running OpenPlotter V4 down below. Not sure if I would buy the 943 again.

Both BBN and Openplotter are ‘one developer’ projects as you could see by majority of their GitHub commits.

BBN is more active in commits.

Both have forums on which questions are answered by a main developer or others who are willing to help. BBN forum (GitHub discussions) https://github.com/bareboat-necessit...en/discussions
BBN also has a bug tracking system actively maintained on GitHub.

Apart from free community support of BBN,
looks like https://skipperscott.com
is willing to provide paid consulting support regarding BBN installations. I can’t say anything about what level of support as it’s done by a person independent from BBN developers.

At the moment BBN OS supports pi4/cm4/pi400 as well as pi5.
Openplotter for pi5 hasn’t been released yet.

In addition to its main OS project, BBN projects release firmware for various boating-related esp32 components.

[hpeer]

For whatever reason I have had difficulties with the Dave Register support forum for Android. So that does not exist for me. I did not want to get into that because I see no good in perusing it.

I also have difficulty with Sean as I can not penetrate his level of knowledge.

From my meger experience and listening to others the main difficulty is the degree of technical familiarity required. My observation is that “developer speak” is best understood as a specializes dialect within English. For the same reason I have difficulty communicating on certain matter with my Psychoanalyst Wife.

OTOH; Ray Marine simply dismisses with “No longer supported.” and I hear Garmin is worse.

No one is perfect, but you guys are trying. Thank you.

[hpeer]

If I understand the matter correctly VNC, if it performs well will solve a couple of problems.

I will not need the plotter software on my cockpit tablet/phone.

I will net to buy charts for only 1 device, the below deck computer and not each cockpit device.

[rgleason]

@hpeer You are getting excellent support from Users and Advanced Users.
That is what is normally done. You don't seem to like RM or Android.

Please learn how this opensource software works. User Community and Developer Community It may not be for you. The Developer Community is an important asset, without which OpenCPN would no longer develop, those independent programmers do not generally provide support unless they need to know something about how the program is working. Occasionally they will just help users, but often they are very busy. When a developer asks you something, pay attention and help please. However you seem to have accomplished quite a lot, most of it with user support.

[hpeer]

Rgleason,

I seem to have rubbed you the wrong way somehow. That was far from my intent. I apologize for any perceived criticism.

And you may well be correct that this opensource is not for me. Of course that means it is also not for a lot of other people as well. Perhaps some kind of paid support would help bridge the gap? But that is not for this conversation. I believe we have discussed this elsewhere already.

As to RM I have had early failures, brand new non-functional units shipped. And they would not stand by their product.

It is not I don’t “like” Android, I have had 2 OCPN crashes last week. They were not easily recovered while single handing into a new anchorage.

I can not log onto the Dave Register (BDB?) OCPN support forum. It appears to be some kind of security issue. Can not reset password. No clue what to do about it. Someone sent me a PM here about the issue, I tried to respond, but then the PM disappeared. I have no way to even ask for help.

Without an Android OCPN group to turn to I am seeking other alternatives.

[flpaoli]

@hpeer, for my curiosity, in the OpenCPN you run on the S10 phone, the one which crashed twice, what do/did you have active?
- charts, of course (what kind?)
- what else?

As far as support goes, my opinion as an experienced IT guy, the best support is the one you don't need. :-) What I mean by that is the best products or products + environment are those that never cause you issues. And also those that are supported for more than the typical 3 to 5 years.

My experience with OpenCPN on an old Android tablet (Android v7), using chartplotter but no plugins, is that it never crashed and zooms/pans faster than a B&G Zeus 3 :-o . That's why I'm asking what do you use on OpenCPN.

I believe that with a more recent tablet it is unlikely you'd have any issue. Your old S10 phone might be the thing (environment) that can't keep up.

[hpeer]

It is a Samsung Galaxy 10+ Note.
256GB with 130GB available.

I believe I had AquaMap running at the same time.

I also believe it crashed when shifting from Raster to Vector as Inwas zooming in for details.

OK, I am typing on an iPhone. I have my Android right here. I closed everything, zoomed in. I can switch from raster to vector but not back. I am moored so not moving. But it did NOT crash.

I opened AquaMap and that did nothing bad.

Edit: Sometimes it comes back zooming in and out.
Edit 2: Now it seems to be working fine, switching back and forth.
IDK!!


FWIW
First crash was coming into Pigeon Island anchorage in Guadeloupe. I restarted the phone 3x before it came back.

Second time was the next day when clearing the Southern reefs off Antigua. Came back on 1st restart.

Both times I was looking at both charts as info is different.

PS: I was just reminded that when I shut OCPN I get a notification it is still running and an option to shut it down.