Android + gps + OziExplorer
Submitted: Wednesday, Mar 28, 2012 at 10:21
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Member - John and Val
Hi All,
I'm looking at combining a 10" Android tablet with a USB GPS with the Android OziExplorer. Got all the bits, but it isn't coming together.
Checked on the Yahoo Ozi user's
forum and discovered that an Android tablet isn't capable of accepting a USB GPS. Checked with Des (Ozi's creator) who confirmed that to the best of his knowledge it simply can't be done.
I can usually blunder my way through Windows stuff, but Android is way outside my experience. I've got Ozi installed and it looks excellent, but I need to interface with a gps.
Questions -
There have been posts here reporting success with Android implementations, but has anyone managed to get Ozi to talk to a USB connected GPS? If so - how????
What type of setups have been found to work? Internal GPS? Bluetooth GPS?
Help please!
Cheers
John | J and V
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein
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Reply By: Mr Pointyhead - Wednesday, Mar 28, 2012 at 10:44
Wednesday, Mar 28, 2012 at 10:44
As far as I could find out the nature of the implementation of the USB drivers in the Android prevents usb devices like GPS's from working. These are USB devices the provide a stream of data rather than something that has a filesystem like a flash drive.
However, I have manged to get Ozi working on a 10" android tablet with a Bluetooth GPS. Only extra you need is the android app "Bluetooth GPS Provider" by mobile-j.de.
The combination works very
well. The Tablet I am using (Lenovo Thinkpad) also support a 64GB SD card which provids heaps of room for maps as
well.
For mounting in the vehicle I use a RAM mount.
AnswerID:
481595
Follow Up By: Member - John and Val - Wednesday, Mar 28, 2012 at 11:14
Wednesday, Mar 28, 2012 at 11:14
Thank you - The Android driver limitation was alluded to by Des too. If the usb drivers are the issue, then I wouldn't expect to resolve anything by using a bluetooth dongle on the usb port. I note that your Thinkpad comes with bluetooth capability.
Starting to think I may have bought a very nice ebook reader!
Cheers
John | J and V
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein
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Reply By: Member - Boobook - Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 07:09
Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 07:09
John.
The Android version 4 update is
here
But a word of WARNING before you start.
The instructions are all in chinese as far as I can see, and no English, and as
John R mentions, Ozi may not even have the ability to access an external GPS even if you get one going. You could brick your Tablet with that upgrade unless you really know what you are doing, and for no reason if Ozi can't find it anyway.
I would discuss this the 3.1 USB host issue with Des of ozi and see what he says. Otherwise your options are to possibly use a bluetooth mouse or possibly
Androzic instead of Oziexplorer. Though I have not checked if that has the same issue.
Good luck.
AnswerID:
481825
Follow Up By: Member - John and Val - Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 13:08
Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 13:08
Hi Boobook,
I've managed to find my way through the labyrinth to find that my tablet is running Android 4.0.1, so maybe it's all possible, just beyond my skill level.
One of the basic teachings of our 4WD club's head trainer is that when the going gets excessively challenging, ask yourself "Do I have to do this?" Great advice and relates
well to challenging technology too. I'm giving up on android with usb gps!
re Androzic - There's been talk that it is at best an Ozi clone, and at worst little more than a pirated version of Ozi. For $25 I'm more than happy to support Des and stay with the proven quality software.
I take to heart your warnings, and
John's too.
Thank you everyone for your assistance.
Cheers
John | J and V
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein
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FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: get outmore - Saturday, Mar 31, 2012 at 04:05
Saturday, Mar 31, 2012 at 04:05
I was an androzic fan but it just cant produce proper tracks.
1/2 the time it cant produce tracks it can read itself (wrong file format the error messege says
and when it does create a proper track it gets random points 000s of kms away creating track spikes
2 things it does better than ozi is it sits up in the tool bar when other screens are being used and better detail internet maps can be zoomed into when in internet range
FollowupID:
757231
Reply By: Member - John R (cQld) - Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 15:08
Friday, Mar 30, 2012 at 15:08
Hi
John
I'll start a separate reply to continue the conversation.
There is a faint glimmer of hope. I see from your link that the tablet comes with an OTG port. That is a type of USB port that does have the host capabilities that you need. But:
It doesn't have much power output (only 8mA is the base spec), so you would probably need a self-powered gps mouse, eg it's own battery. Would be good to know how much power your tablet could put out through the OTG port;
The OTG port doesn't have good driver support, so unless the makers have thought about connecting to a gps mouse, then it probably still won't work.
However, if you do have a battery powered gps mouse, then there's probably no harm in plugging it into the OTG port (you should have an OTG to USB adaptor) and seeing if anything happens.
I think with the O/S, all they're really saying is that they have put in their own modified version of Android, now version 4.0, on your tablet.
I suspect that even if you did manage to get the mouse gps to talk to your tablet, you would still need software that can select a gps mouse as the input. Neither Ozi nor Androzic provide this option, as far as I can tell.
Cheers,
John
AnswerID:
481868
Follow Up By: Member - John and Val - Monday, Apr 02, 2012 at 21:10
Monday, Apr 02, 2012 at 21:10
Hi
John,
Thank you for your ongoing interest, and my apologies for the tardy response. Other priorities interrupted and the Android project has gone to the back burner.
You seem to have had better luck (and more patience!) finding information than I have. Final straw today when it wasn't recognised by the Google Play store when I tried to download an app. Recognised previously, but today it's not on the list of supported tablets, and nowhere is there a "Cube"on that list. Coupled with intermittent ADSL2 dropouts, today has not been a good one for computers!
The existence of the OTG port may offer possibilities, but as you say, that's only the start - drivers? is Ozi able and willing to talk through that port anyway? I can't spare the time just now to go through a big learning experience which is likely to simply lead me to the next obstacle! What did we do with our time before we had computers to eat it?
Again, I'm grateful for your input. Thank you.
Regards
John | J and V
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein
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Follow Up By: Member - John R (cQld) - Tuesday, Apr 03, 2012 at 09:49
Tuesday, Apr 03, 2012 at 09:49
Hi
John
Can
well understand where you're coming from! The signs are not looking good if you can't get apps any more either.
However I did also see since that people have successfully connected USB mice and keyboards into the Cube through the OTG port, so it probably has enough power to run a gps mouse. When you're feeling in a reckless mood one day, why not just plug it in and see what happens with Ozi? The reply below also provides some optimism. Worst you can probably do is kill the OTG port, but you still have the other USB port to connect to computers, etc.
Regards
John
FollowupID:
757478
Reply By: AWJ - Monday, Apr 02, 2012 at 23:18
Monday, Apr 02, 2012 at 23:18
Maybe of interest for some readers of this page.
I try to use Androzic on a cheap(€ 80,) tablet with Android 2.2 for my navigation on board of my sailboat. The tablet don't have a GPS. So I use my handheld GPS(old Magellan with serial port!) and a serial to USB cable. Until now I only tried the NMEA-simulation from the GPS. It is working, after starting the Androzic program, a satelite-icon came up and the simulation has created a track.
BUT.. on board i have a AIS-receiver, with a multiplexor: the GPS NMEA goes to the AIS box and then together with the AIS NMEA to the serial port. In this configuration (with the same serial to USB cable) I dont get the satelite-icon after starting the program. The reason I think is: in the first configuration the COM-port has a baudrate of 4800 and in the second situation of 38400. On my laptop with another navigation program anything is working OK.
On my problem: No GPS & AIS Nmea, the programmer told me Androzic is using the Android GPS API. To
check my system, I installed an app: Serial Port API sample v1.1 and this app gives me the possibilty to see a device "/dev/ttyUSB5"; I have set the baudrate on 38400 and:.. Yes this app shows me the NMEA from my multiplexor: GPS+AIS. So the Android 2.2 and his USB API is not the problem. It should be nice if Androzic also gives the device that is used for GPS-NMEA communication, and a possibility to set the baudrate.
Maybe I will have a deeper look into the Android GPS API later on, to see if I can solve my problem.
AnswerID:
482210