Concept2 Forum

To better understand the needs of software developers, if you could share with me your thoughts on the below topics it would be appreciated. It may be preferable to send email directly to me rather than posting here.

1) Have you started or completed a software project for a Concept2 Rower or SkiErg?
2) What is the status of your project?
3) What platform (Mac, Win, Linux, iOS, etc.)?
4) Is the project just for your personal use, or do you intend (or are you) distributing to others?
5) Do you have a web page for the project?

Scott,

I just sent you an email earlier today. I will by modifying a terrain engine I wrote to be a racing tool w/ multiplayer capabilities.

However, I'd rather not make the same application that is already out there. I come from a running background, and other than my PB's, or other runners, sometimes I would time myself against cues from nature...the sun setting, getting a run in before it started raining, etc. I think it would be neat to have a training tool with environmental factors pushing you vs. other rowers, a clock, or your last row. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

I have a couple -

ErgTracker is an android application that adds synchronizes with the online logbook to provide graphs and workout summary information on your android device:

http://powertwenty.com/ergtracker/index.html

ErgMate is a Windows application that uses the API to make coxswain calls, power-tens, vocal feedback on calculated items (ie: stroke ratio, estimated split needed to meet your goal from the current point on), and coordinate a music playlist with events in the row. I've had to pull it temporarily until I resolve some problems with Windows 7 compatibility in the installable version.
Video:

http://powertwenty.com/ergmate/index.html

ErgTour was a fun hack to use the concept ii erg to drive google earth down the Head of the Charles (and other) courses. I haven't touched it in awhile and am not sure if it works with current verions.

http://powertwenty.com/blog/index.php/r ... n-your-erg


And a project I started but probably won't get to completion to provide a first-person rowing experience on the erg:

Just started a c#/.net project on Windows with the purpose of saving a Fit file that can then be imported into Firstbeat ATHLETE that includes R-R data which it gets from an Ant+ stick in the computer that connects to an Ant+ heart rate strap.

Current progress is currently reading the HRV data from the strap (using the Ant+ sdk from thisisant.com), next step will be to write out to a Fit file (storing SPM in cadence and faking the data), and then the last part is interfacing with the PM3 to get the data from the rower.

Its for personal use but guessing others may find it interesting (would be great if the functionality was added to rowpro) so may release the source code to make it more likely they add those features (sent an email to the rowpro people and got no response )

Also working on a C# app, making good progress. I posted a whole bunch of stuff about it at http://www.c2forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=13688

enki wrote:Just started a c#/.net project on Windows with the purpose of saving a Fit file that can then be imported into Firstbeat ATHLETE that includes R-R data which it gets from an Ant+ stick in the computer that connects to an Ant+ heart rate strap.

Current progress is currently reading the HRV data from the strap (using the Ant+ sdk from thisisant.com), next step will be to write out to a Fit file (storing SPM in cadence and faking the data), and then the last part is interfacing with the PM3 to get the data from the rower.

Its for personal use but guessing others may find it interesting (would be great if the functionality was added to rowpro) so may release the source code to make it more likely they add those features (sent an email to the rowpro people and got no response )

I am really interested in your project enki. Did you already get it to work?
Currently i am doing research to hrv during exercise and would love to be able to use your code!

Hi Scott,
Ten years after I first had a crack at an ActiveX wrapper for CSafe I'm having a go at using the PyRow code on the Raspberry Pi as I reckon it and the PM3 could be a great combination. I'm hitting a few teething problems but as the guy behind the Pi (Eben Upton) has a PM3/4 we might see something. You can see details of my issues at this thread:

http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewt ... 27#p468627

Cheers

Chris

P.S. Thanks to the PyRow developers for their work on a Python wrapper.

Hi All,

A while back I noticed that Chrome Apps had access to USB and BluetoothAPIs. I have developed USB and RF device drivers in the past, typically in C or assembler, and thought to myself "USB in Javascript? I don't think so!"

That, of course, led to fooling around with it, which inevitably resulted in a product. I hereby present, for your amusement, the "PainSled Erg Dashboard", now available in Beta flavor at your local Chrome App Store. It's a one-page app which displays pretty much every number that comes out of the PM and logs it locally using IndexedDB. There is an option to export your data to CSV so you can open it in Excel or whatever and perform whatever arcane rowing data science incantations upon it that strike your fancy.

It has been (sort-of) tested on a PM3 and PM5 with OS X 10.10, Windows 7, and Windows Vista. I am actively recruiting victims, er, um, "testers" to give it a try on other systems. If you're here reading this, it seems likely that you own an erg. This leads to the obvious conclusion that you are already deeply into the whole self-harming thing and would thus be the perfect target upon whom to inflict new, mostly untested software.

Welcome aboard!

Rick T.

I'm about to order a model D with PM5. I'll be glad to try it when it arrives. I'd like to take the data and then hook to a python script controlling google streetview so hopefully your code will give me a huge head start on interfacing to the PM5 from Python. Already have most of the python to streetview code up and working.

I've been toying with ways to hook up the live erg feed externally. At the moment, I'm thinking I will push semi-cooked CSAFE command responses into pubnub.com and then folks can go nuts with the data without having to do the erg interface part. I will start a separate thread in case others would like to discuss.

Rick T.

Hi exerscreen.

I just tried out your tool on Windows7+PM5 (which I know is one that you have already tested) and it worked a treat. I managed to log a slow 500m.

A spotted what looks like a tiny inconsequential bug. When I clicked Sled to view details about the Concept2, it said I was using a PM4 rather than a PM5.
Additionally, the odometer on the same screen, which I assume is supposed to show lifetime metres didn't seem to update after I had done my row,

As a side note, I had thought it was ludicrously overstating my lifetime meters (either that or Concept2 sold me a 2nd hand erg as new) but I then found out my dad has been doing a ton of rowing behind my back.

I am also very interested in a live feed of the data that you mentioned in your last post, as my long term goal which I have been failing at spectacularly is a live graph of my current row vs my PB.

Dear Developers,
I always thought it would be fun to have some sort of interactive rowing program that would show a horde of Zombies chasing me. If i failed to keep my rowing stroke up then i would get eaten. I always thought it would be fun to introduce some type of survival horror motivation to my daily rowing workouts. Would an idea like that be do able?

Thanks for trying out the PainSled app, Phil. I started a topic over in the General section so we don't take this one off topic, I'll post a reply there.

Rick T.

russp wrote:I'm about to order a model D with PM5. I'll be glad to try it when it arrives. I'd like to take the data and then hook to a python script controlling google streetview so hopefully your code will give me a huge head start on interfacing to the PM5 from Python. Already have most of the python to streetview code up and working.

Dear russp,
It would be fun rowing virtually through streets. Is that the project you are working on? I would very much like tot try it.. would it work on Raspbery Pi?

Thanks!

PM5, iOS, Swift.

I develop apps for iOS (using Swift), so I'm interested to think about the kind of app that can use the PM5's bluetooth link.

The first stage seems to be to develop a reliable bluetooth protocol, based on Concept2's specification document here: http://www.concept2.com/files/pdf/us/mo ... nition.pdf