PDA Documentation
Installation
To install the application on your PDA, you need to copy the .cab file onto your PDA using ActiveSync.
Once it is on your PDA, go to the PDA File Explorer, then click the cab file with your stylus.
The application will then install and you will see a notification confirming that it has correctly installed.
The first time you will start the application, your PDA will ask for a confirmation that you actually want to launch this unsigned application. You just need to click yes, at this stage.
Starting the application
Open the start menu (top left of the Welcome screen).
Click Programs
The programs list open and somewhere around the top, you will find BikeDashboard shortcut.
Ok, this icon does not look amazing, but we will work on that later. What matters for the time being is that the application is installed on your PDA and you are just one click away from seeing it running for the first time...
So go for it, click the icon!
And that is what you should now see:
Changing current screen
To change the current view, you have to click the relevant button on FatFingaz switch screens control at the bottom of the screen:
Main Dashboard Screen
Map Screen
Graph Screen
Training Screen
Settings Screen
FatFingaz Menus
If you tap with your finger:
- anywhere on the screen (but on the FatFingaz switch screen control) on the main dashboard screen, the map screen or graph screen...
- on the top of the screen on graphs screen...
- outside of combo boxes, labels and checkboxes on the settings screen...
... the FatFingaz main menu will come up.
Main Menu
Press back if you just want to go back to the application.
Opens the Map Menu
Displays Open route menu
Lets you give a non default name to the currently recorded route.
You can open a training targets file (created with the Desktop application)
Open the GPS menu.
Map Menu
Open map will display the list of calibrated maps (using Desktop software).
Create blank still shows your trace with an empty background.
Open route menu
You can choose to open either one of your previously recorded routes or an external traces files (these are two different subfolders in \My Documents\ folder).
GPS menu
Using this menu, you can choose to connect/disconnect your GPS receiver (it won't connect automatically if Auto connect on startup checkbox is not checked on your settings screen)
You can also choose to replay a GPX file to see what BikeDashboard looks like in action if you don't have any GPS signal/receiver).
Dash
Ok, that is the Dash screen! It all started with this...
What can we find on the screen?
First we can read some details about the speed.
On the left, in big digits, you can see your current speed.
It will show in green if it is above the current average, in red if it is the current max speed and in white otherwise (i.e. if you are below the average... booooooo).
On the top right, your average speed is displayed, and on the bottom, right your max speed so far.
Just below the speed, altitude details are displayed.
On top of this indicator, you can read your current altitude (ellipsoid altitude, I am afraid, not geoid).
Just below this current altitude, you can find on the left cumulated meters climbed so far and on the right the number of meters you have descended.
On the right of your altitude, a quadrant is here not to let you lose track of time..
The clock is based on GPS time adjusted using the time zone of your PDA.br /> The travel time is the difference between now and the first GPS signal that we have received for this session. It means that it includes both moving and static time.
Then at the bottom of this dash screen, you have a cumulated distance indicator, which is a GPS based odometer (understand that it won't update when you are in a tunnel).
It shows two decimals if you are under 10 km, 1 if you are under 100 km, and after that it will only update every kilometer.
This counter as the others is reset for each session.
If you are using a heart rate monitor, you can see the number of pulse per minutes displayed and updated as frequently as new data is received (Zephyr monitors are sending data once every second).
The last indicator is a compass that tells you in what direction you are going. I am not sure it is so much useful when you are on your bike and I might remove it or replace it with a heart rate counter in next versions.
Then, on the side bar, you have small indicators:
A GPS signal indicator. The more you have, obviously, the better the signal and therefore the more accurate the dash details.
A thumb up means you are above the average.br /> AA thumb down... guess what?
This button lets you reset your counters.br /> When using it, you will be asked if you also want to start a new route (recorded GPX trace file).
Map
The map shows you:
- Your current route,
- your planned route (if you have opened any),
- a background map (as for the actual route, you need to have opened one to see one),
- the comparable position where you were on a previous workout session (in race mode).
You can zoom (+ button) an unzoom (- button). The scale vary between 1 meter per pixel up to 2.048 kilometers per pixel
.
Here is what it looks like when you are using a raster map..
Please note that to create your own calibrated map, you have to use the desktop software or to create a calibration file manually.
You can also simply have a look at your current trace to see if you are far from having finished a loop, for instance, or to find your car because you are lost.
Or you can use this software to strong>follow a trace as defined in a GPX file
To do this, you need to open the Main menu, then select Open Route
In the open file dialog you see, select the GPX file you want to open.
You might see nothing because the map is centered and too zoomed. If so, just unzoom (by clicking the minus sign ), and you will see the loaded route on your screen.
Then, as soon as you'll pick up a GPS signal, the map will be centered on your current position and updated all the time.
With the right zoom level, you can see where you are compared to the planned route anand if you are heading in the right direction.
Also when you open a planned route, you can say if you want to race against this route (this route needs to have been recorded with my BikeDashboard for this feature to work). For instance, if you follow the same route regularly, you can compare your performance to a previous session in real time.
If you choose to answer Yes to this question, every time a GPS position is picked up and added to the current route, your device will try to find a the first common point between your current route and the planned one. As soon as it is found, it will consider it a start for the race a and update your position on the map in the previous session using a cross. If the cross is green, it means that for this session you are doing better that what you did last time, but if it is red...
Here, I am good: the cross is behind me and green
And here I am not as good... Cross in front of me and red!
Graphs
On Graphs tab you can see the history of speeds and altitude e either for the current session, or for the planned route (convenient if you want to know what is in front of you). Those graphs are automatically refreshing and their scale is adapting.
Training
Using the desktop application, you can define targets for your workout session.
Training tab on the PDA application lets you monitor in real time the achievement of the targets.
To open a new training targets file, click on main menu, then open training.
As soon as you start receiving GPS position, this screen will update, showing achieved target in green and not yet achieved one in red.
2 more targets to reach, and this will be it!
Settings
The settings can be changed at any time an are automatically saved.
Settings tab
Here are the different settings you can change:
Rec. sample every n secs (default 15):
Define the rate to record your position (in your GPX trace file).Auto connect on startup (default yes):
If this checkbox is unticked, you need to go in the main menu and select GPS/Connect before receiving any data.Auto center on position (default yes):
The map will be automatically centered on your position every time a new one is received, if this checkbox is ticked.Draw actual route (default yes):
Your current route is automatically drawn on the map when this option is selectedColors: Lets you adjust the colors of the route on the map to make them more or less visible.
System of measurement: Select metric if you want km/m/kmh measures or imperial if you want mi/ft/mph.
Heart rate monitor: Specify device type and COM port you are using
On this tab, you can also find the version number to find out if your version is up to date.