Qpegps 0.9.3 Released, new version with tiled maps and gpsd 2.x Options

[ztep]

I have released the new version of qpeGPS. Here is the release notes:

This is a preview version to test the new features.
Correction of posible bugs and improvements will be added in other future revisions (versions 0.9.3.x).
Tested only on Zaurus clamshells (SL-C860 and SL-C3100) under Qtopia (sharp and cacko ROMs).

Whats new in 0.9.3:

1. New feature: Profiles. Now you can save your configuration file with different names/profiles, so you can switch between configuration faster (different map diretories, gps configs, etc.).
2. Added the option to view/edit the start/resume/stop scripts that are executed to start the gps device and gpsd daemon, to resume them after the zaurus is resumed or to stop them.
3. New feature: support for tiled maps. That is, a map composed of a matrix of tiles, each one is a map/image, creating a virtual map that covers a bigger area. This allows qpeGPS to show several image files concurrently. To add a tiled map you must insert a new line in maps.txt with this format:
  TILED filename scale size_X size_Y
where
- filename is a text file with the same format of maps.txt that contains the images/maps description for each tile/map (they don't need to be ordered).
- scale is the scale factor.
- size_X is the number of columns.
- size_Y is the number of rows, so the map is a rectangular array of size_X*size_Y tiles/images.
4. Updated to use gpsd version 2.xx (tested with version 2.34). You can download the ipk from Misc_utilities.
5. Improved the search of maps. Before this version it could take some time (several seconds) since the position changed until qpeGPS searches on that position and shows it (specially if you have a big amonut of maps). Now the search is almost instantaneous.
6. Improved drawing of maps with large tracks. I have changed how the maps are drawn so the drawing is fast, even with large tracks (several thousands of points).
7. Added other method based on qCop messages to detect when the zaurus resumes. It works with the latest Cacko ROMs (1.22 and 1.23), so you don't need to change /etc/apm.d/bluetooth anymore.
8. Minor changes on GPS status page:
- the background color of time in Data Staus is red for no fix, yellow for 2D fix (position) or green for 3D fix (position and altitude).
- the satelite power bars are green for satelites used to fix and red otherwise.

Know bugs in 0.9.3

1. Although tiled maps are shown fine on Info page, the remove / download / import / properties buttons don't work with tiled maps.
2. While capturing tracks (write), the captured track is not show in the current map.

I have also updated my Google maps to qpeGPS page:
- Support for tiled maps on qpeGPS
- Improved and more accurate limits calculation
- It should work fine on firefox

Comments about this new version and bugs, can be submitted here or on sourceforge forums and mailing lists

Enjoy this new version

[tovarish]

er where can we find this new version

[ztep]

er where can we find this new version

If you look in qpeGPS web page, there is a download section that points you to sourceforge download page of project qpeGPS

The direct link is: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=55933

qpeGPS ipk is under qpegps package and gpsd ipk (you need it) is under Misc_Utilities.
There is 2 qpeGPS ipks, one has only the program and needed files while the other contains the programa, needed files and some examples of maps.

[tovarish]

I am sorry to have asked it but yesterday it wasnt available there. thanks

[tovarish]

I installed the new version. It started of fine (only with an error no gps). Then i set about trying to make my bluetooth gps receiver work in /dev/rfcomm0.
I finally got that to work but now qpegps doesnt even start. It gets stuck at the startup script or so it says at the terminal. Also how can i make gpsd start with /dev/rfcomm0 rather than /dev/ttyS3.

tovarish

PS your google maps interface is excellent...

[ztep]

I installed the new version. It started of fine (only with an error no gps). Then i set about trying to make my bluetooth gps receiver work in /dev/rfcomm0.
I finally got that to work but now qpegps doesnt even start. It gets stuck at the startup script or so it says at the terminal. Also how can i make gpsd start with /dev/rfcomm0 rather than /dev/ttyS3.

The defautl start script is somthing like this:

CODE

cardctl status 0 | grep ready | wc -l`;
if [ $READY -gt 0 ];
then
echo "card ready";
else
 echo "executing cardctl resume";
 cardctl resume;
fi;
/opt/Qtopia/bin/gpsd -f /dev/ttyS3

It should work with a GPS on the CF slot (at least it work with my SysOn GPS CF CF plusIII). As far as I understand, the script test if the card is ready and resume it. The last line starts gpsd on /dev/ttyS3

I'm not an expert, but I suppose that in order to work with bluetooth gps receivers you should put the code to establish the bluetooth connection with the gps and then replace /dev/ttyS3 in the last line with the current serial device for your bluetooth (/opt/Qtopia/bin/gpsd -f /dev/rfcomm0)

I suggest to test your script on the console before putting on qpeGPS. There is a utility included in the gpsd ipk caled 'cgps' that is a text based client (read more about this program on gpsd.berlios.de). You can use it to test if you can receive data form the gps.

Please share your script if you are successfully

[tovarish]

actually i saw that the problem was in maps.txt. I am using tiles and somehow there was more info there that had to be deleted.

I managed to get a fix in qpegps but suddenly my zauaurs hanged (qtopia i mean). i had to do a battery reset. This happened just after a fix.

tovarish

[matthis]

This tool, combined with your google maps interface, is simply incredible.
On the latest version, I have trouble saving my "places", they disappear each time...

I have set the "track folder" to be the same as my "map folder", and created a "places.txt" file there, but it didn't help.. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks!

[okkebas]

I'm using the Sl3200 with Sharp Rom and I'm trying this new and very promissing version of qpegps (the use of tiled maps, and the googlemaps interface from ztep makes the map management a lot easier).

Qpegps is communicating with gpsd (v2.34), showing sometimes the NMEA mode, sometimes SIRF mode. A while (varying from within 2 minutes to up to 5 minutes) after a fix is found qpegps hangs.

It does not seem to matter if I'm at the map-tab, or at the gps tab (actually it also happens when I'm at the terminal while running Qpegps.

If I kill both qpegps and gpsd, the qpegps icon stays in the statusbar and I can startup qpegps from there again, going into the same procedure. If I do not kill gpsd I am not able to restart qpegps.

When qpegps hangs, gpsd is still running fine and giving me positions.

When I start qpegps from the terminal (by simply typing qpegps, don't know if that's right) I get the following message:

Display size = 480x640
card ready
start script called

QLibrary open failed:! /home/QtPalmtop/lib/libqsfepj.so, libkke.so.1: cannot load shared object file: No such file or directory

The first file is however located (or linked? I recall to have worked on this file during a previous attempt) in the mentioned directory. The second is not present in the Zaurus) at all.

I hope this post is not too long (tried to be as complete as possible), and that someone can point me in the right direction to solve this issue.

Thanks!

[ztep]

After 2 months very busy at work, I'm back to correct some of the bugs of version 0.9.3. I hope to release a new version in a few days.

This tool, combined with your google maps interface, is simply incredible.
On the latest version, I have trouble saving my "places", they disappear each time...

I have set the "track folder" to be the same as my "map folder", and created a "places.txt" file there, but it didn't help.. What am I doing wrong?

This is a silly bug on version 0.9.3 (I forgot to call the function to write places file). It will be corrected in next version.

Qpegps is communicating with gpsd (v2.34), showing sometimes the NMEA mode, sometimes SIRF mode. A while (varying from within 2 minutes to up to 5 minutes) after a fix is found qpegps hangs.

It does not seem to matter if I'm at the map-tab, or at the gps tab (actually it also happens when I'm at the terminal while running Qpegps.

If I kill both qpegps and gpsd, the qpegps icon stays in the statusbar and I can startup qpegps from there again, going into the same procedure. If I do not kill gpsd I am not able to restart qpegps.

When qpegps hangs, gpsd is still running fine and giving me positions.

I haven't experimented this problem but I'm trying another form to connect gpsd that doesn't involve the use of threads that could be the cause of your hangs.

I don't now if the changes between nmea and sirf mode are dued to qpegps or gpsd or even your gps hardware. Could you use cgps (the text based client included in the gpsd ipk) and tell me if you get the same mode changes?

Thanks for your feedback

[okkebas]

After 2 months very busy at work, I'm back to correct some of the bugs of version 0.9.3. I hope to release a new version in a few days.

The same reason I didn't report my problems earlier, I'm struggling with it for quite a while, but didn't find the time to really dig into it.

Qpegps is communicating with gpsd (v2.34), showing sometimes the NMEA mode, sometimes SIRF mode. A while (varying from within 2 minutes to up to 5 minutes) after a fix is found qpegps hangs.

snip,..

When qpegps hangs, gpsd is still running fine and giving me positions.

I haven't experimented this problem but I'm trying another form to connect gpsd that doesn't involve the use of threads that could be the cause of your hangs.

I don't now if the changes between nmea and sirf mode are dued to qpegps or gpsd or even your gps hardware. Could you use cgps (the text based client included in the gpsd ipk) and tell me if you get the same mode changes?

Thanks for your feedback

Some extra info:
I did run qpegps 0.9.3 on my former SL-C3000, with the same GPS (Billionton CF GPS), with the same result. When Qpegps freeze, some of the bearing/heading/velocity values show (sometimes!) "nan"
I tried to run cgps, but get an error message saying terminal vt100 not available or something like that.
Could you tell me how to run cgps?

When viewing gpsd in the terminal, I did not notice changes between NMEA mode and Sirf mode, but it was very cold outside, so maybe I didn't hang out long enough to be able to see it. Running qpegps it is also not a constant change between the 2 modes, I just noticed it changing now and then. In the old version, it only gave me questionmarks.

For what I've seen this version is quite an improvement on 0.9.2.3 so I really hope to be able to run it! I'm using it for geocaching mainly.

Thanks again

[ztep]

I tried to run cgps, but get an error message saying terminal vt100 not available or something like that.
Could you tell me how to run cgps?

you must define TERM and TERMINFO before running cgps. Something like that:

export TERMINFO=/usr/share/terminfo
export TERM=vt100

[okkebas]

That helped, thanks.

NMEA/Sirf issue; Qpegps was showing me NMEA tonight, whereas cgps showed Sirf.

Update on qpegps (giving you as much info as I can, I don't see any pattern in it): Was running it outside (I was inside ), froze.

Killall gpsd, Killall qpegps, touch statusbar icon, play around, froze.

Same as above, watching the GPS tab, for ... minutes, I froze, got inside with zaurus still at GPS tab, still fix, watched it for abt 10 minutes, switched to gps-map, switched to map map, changed zoom, switched back to gps map, zoomed back, finally: froze (but took very long this time).

Killall again, startup again....Froze (was in GPS-map-tab) instantly.

Beats me , but at least I know the position of my kitchen now...

[matthis]

How's the new version coming up? Just a message to let you know that we're looking forward to it!
Thanks!

[ztep]

How's the new version coming up? Just a message to let you know that we're looking forward to it!
Thanks!

I'm working on that just now. I hope to have some time during these Easter holidays.
The new version will include two new features while on map view: 2x zoom (because lines on google maps are too thin on my screen) and heading up orientation (that is the map is rotated to the heading position from gps).