Pushing compass course to Android tablet?

[dgadee]

Crew doesn't like the traditional compass - prefers to see a digital course and looks down at the autopilot instrument head. I can't see a course repeater in i50 hardware, so wondered how I might push the course via wireless or bluetooth to an adroid tablet mounted at the wheel. Any suggestions?

My setup is as simple as I can get it - depth is the only instrument in cockpit (except autopilot) with low power PC running OpenCPN at chart table. OpenCPN displays course but on a second by second basis which isn't ideal.

 

[alteredoutlook]

Why bother interfacing your instruments to an android tablet or phone? Why dont you just use a compass app on the phone and let it use its inbuilt compass? (nb. make sure your phone/tablet actually have the compass sensors - not all of them do).

sorry not sure whether you want HDG or COG at the helm. The above applies for HDG, but the majority of phones/tablets have gps and so will usually have COG. There are many apps that will display COG.

 

[dgadee]

Why didn't I think of that! Brill. Thanks.

 

[lpdsn]

If you also bring up the NMEA page in OpenCPN it'll show the sentences arriving. Often it is too quick so you have to pause to scan what is there. A few pauses and you'll get a good idea of what sentences exist.

My autopilot compass (EV-1) pushes out heading ten times a second (over N2K) which is converted to HDG for OpenCPN. (By the way HDT & HDM are older sentences for heading). Your autopilot probably has similar in order to work well, but whether it is via NMEA0183 is another question.

Does your existing PC connect via WiFi? You should be able to get the tablet to connect to the same and display heading via OpenCPN on it..

 

[dgadee]

If you also bring up the NMEA page in OpenCPN it'll show the sentences arriving. Often it is too quick so you have to pause to scan what is there. A few pauses and you'll get a good idea of what sentences exist.

My autopilot compass (EV-1) pushes out heading ten times a second (over N2K) which is converted to HDG for OpenCPN. (By the way HDT & HDM are older sentences for heading). Your autopilot probably has similar in order to work well, but whether it is via NMEA0183 is another question.

Does your existing PC connect via WiFi? You should be able to get the tablet to connect to the same and display heading via OpenCPN on it..

Yes, mine is an EV-1 but not connected to anything else. PC has bluetooth and wi-fi, but tablet has gps and compass anyway, so alteredoutlook's approach is the way I'll go. The system on the boat when I bought it was Nexus based with everything going to a server. That all went kaput when the visual display went, so I'm now keen on much less centralisation.