Features you would like to see added to the software.

[Halfcrazy]

I am starting this thread to ask people to give us feedback.  We want you to tell us what you would like to see the Local Application software do that it does not do now. We will start a new thread in a while with a poll asking you to vote on these in order of priority we want to give the end user a lot of input on this. So beet on the software and tell us good bad or indifferent what you think and what you want changed or added.

Ryan

[weisea]

I have enjoyed using the Local app so I thought I would put some ideas on the table.

Under "Daily Values" :   Maximums for Power, V input, Battery current along with time stamps.

In the "Charts" include an indication of the Aux state.

Not sure if this is possible but it would be useful to have a listing of the settings for the Classic including the wind track profile which is active.

Keep up the good work

Andy

[windpro]

Although cosmetic I would rather see an alternative layout with just a digital read out and skip the analog gauges.  We are in the 21st century.  This would shrink the size of the GUI and allow for not only PC use but potentially use with the many smaller handheld devices or areas within a PC desktop (Ipad, Iphone, Android, touch screen devices, Win8, etc, etc on the horizon).  A good start!

[Halfcrazy]

There is a text only version in the works for the web based version so that all the smart phone users can use it as well.

[laszlo]

This is a really nice user  interface and I like the Classic look and feel. Very cool indeed!

Need an option for linear value charting  instead of logarithmic -- so if you change the time interval, it is not changing the actual values.  Right now let's say if you are charting Watts, it will display different peak Watts values if you are in he 1/2 hr interval than if you you go to the Day interval. I would like to see the actual values, even if you have to clip and show fewer samples.

Couple of  little fixme's:

-Cumulative amp/hr shows some huge value - it doesn't make sense at all.  The amp/hr value is actually more useful than watt/hr for battery based systems since you can roughty calculate 80% efficiency in/out into a battery if you know amp/hr values.

-Cumulative Kwh decimal point is off by one pos to the right (so it displays 10,000 instead of 1,000)

I am starting this thread to ask people to give us feedback.  We want you to tell us what you would like to see the Local Application software do that it does not do now. We will start a new thread in a while with a poll asking you to vote on these in order of priority we want to give the end user a lot of input on this. So beet on the software and tell us good bad or indifferent what you think and what you want changed or added.

Ryan

[dapdan]

i too hold the view that a couple of different "skins" would be interesting. I find that the power panel locks up from time to time so maybe a refresh button would be useful rather than have to close and reopen the program. I am also of the view that a widget option be available so that it could be a small window on one deskstop and be able to see the main point without having to have the larger GUI open. So in summary:

1. A "skins" options to get different GUI.

2. A refresh button for when it locks up(or stop it from locking up)

3. A desktop widget for small window to monitor while multitasking.

Additionally I have done an export into CSV format and I have tried to change the time stamp in to a recognisable time reading without success. Could anyone address this. Also is there anyway to reduce the amount of sample every two sec is alot of data points.

Cheers...
Damani

[Halfcrazy]

Dapdan
You will want to download the latest Classic firmware and install it. Until that revision the MNGP was not telling the Classic what time it was. I think if you grab the latest firmware as well as make sure the Clock is set correct in the MNGP the time stamp should be correct.

[dapdan]

1/2,

I do have the update firmware (24/09/2011). I will check to see if the time is correct, I did remember setting it though. I have to add that I was able to update both of my classic but the MNGP on the classic 200 refuses to update and it is still the last one from June.

Cheers...
Damani

[Halfcrazy]

Ok that is odd? I had one the other day that did not want to catch so I plugged it into a different Classic and it caught the first time. Some Computers seem to be a lot slower than others on sending out the data and the Classics boot loader misses it on occasion. I have an old Laptop here I use for Echolink on my Repeater and it is slower than slow and I have to try repeatedly when using it.

Maybe we need to lengthen the boot loader a little? Although I heard a rumor Monday we may have network firmware uploading available in a few weeks This should make things easier.

[dapdan]

Ok,

I checked the classic 150 and it had the right time. This was the same controller that was giving me the time stamp with the exponent of 12 or something of the like.

In terms of the firmware, I was uploading via an old acer netbook that was running window xp sp3. I was able to upload 23/092011 on both classics 200 and 150 but it didnt take on the classic 200 which is still at 06/06/2011 where the classic 150 updated to 24/09/2011.

Cheers...
Damani

[laszlo]

Network based firmware management, please! Although I guess probably it will take one more usb firmware upgrade to get there
By the way, instead of a repeater like Ryan is using, I am using a small HP netbook computer with wireless and ethernet. It works really well, small and weighs only 1 pound or so, and it has no internal hard disk so it uses only about 13 watts with the display lights off. I use VNC to remote into it from my Mac in the house.  I see some possibilities for a new product line.

Ok that is odd? I had one the other day that did not want to catch so I plugged it into a different Classic and it caught the first time. Some Computers seem to be a lot slower than others on sending out the data and the Classics boot loader misses it on occasion. I have an old Laptop here I use for Echolink on my Repeater and it is slower than slow and I have to try repeatedly when using it.

Maybe we need to lengthen the boot loader a little? Although I heard a rumor Monday we may have network firmware uploading available in a few weeks This should make things easier.

[Tinman]

How about a configuration summary screen. You could scroll through it to see how everything is already setup without navigation through various menus.

How about not forgetting the longitude and latitude every time you reboot the controller? While this isn't done often, if it is a mobile application like ours, every time you stop you're going through the Wizard all over again. It sure would be great to have that as a direct menu item. If you are in one location all the time, no big deal but that single thing alone would be enough to make someone mobile think twice.

[Halfcrazy]

The Classic does not forget the Long and Lat the wizard does not ask the Classic for it again when you run it. Anything you enter into the Classic and save to the Classic will always be there no matter how many power cycles the Classic is exposed to.

As far as re entering the Long and Lat every time you stop somewhere new this is really a non issue as the Classic currently does not use that data for anything. It will be put to use for features like turning lights or loads on so many hours after sun up or sun down etc.

Ryan

[Tinman]

Just requests. In the Data screen:

Daily-
Classic uptime. Helpful to see how long it has been since last shutdown or restart.
Current charging method: Bulk, Absorb Float (I know, Float has a running clock but what the heck)
Date/Time as reported by Classic. That way you easily know if the RTC is working)
Current Longitude/Latitude -Just nice info to see since there is so much available space.

Lifetime-
Total Classic uptime
Total amps -maybe it works, not on mine.



That does it for the four lines available

Then ability to scale input, energy and battery amps. Big help for smaller systems and we do buy the Classic.

Date/Time on the Status screen too. Makes it easier to correlate production vs time at a glance without clicking.

BIG one - resolution scaling. For tablets running in portait mode the resize doesn't allow for maximize to fit widthwise. The height is no problem but the width puts the window scaling controls off the display.  I kjnow that is a tall order given the nature of the app but it would help.

JFYI: We run this while mobile so the solar panels are in production while moving. The tablets are located to the right of the driver's right hand and slightly up. There is GPS mapping there but when stopped it becomes the info center of sorts. It runs weather channels reception, the 360 degree camera views and displays the local app. This might not apply to many but the resolution will come in handy as more people buy tablets.


Just wishes.

[Halfcrazy]

Tin Man
Thanks for all the ideas they are all great ideas and will get passed on to Andrew. The gauges do kind of scale now based on the Classic. For the battery amps if you turn the current limit down the Amps gauge will reflect that. the others do not range yet. The plan for the KWH meter is to have it start at say 1kwh and when the Classic goes past it will switch to 2kwh and so on. Maybe the input voltage can do something similar it could look at VOC and park say 10 volts above that?

Ryan