Sharing an ANT channel with multiple datafields.

Former Member over 8 years ago

I have a specialized cycling logger and sensor array that is capable of producing a custom ANT (not ANT+) data stream with more than one channel in.

I have a working connect IQ based datafield project that when side loaded onto a VivoActive HR use's the ANT data stream to populate a single value of the data field.

I have read the API and it isn't clear how many ANT connection the hardware supports or if the ANT connection can be shared.
I would like to know if it is possible to reuse the ANT channel (maybe as a listen only) in a second data field to extract another piece of data?

If you can use only one ANT channel once in a data field is it possible to write sensor values anywhere that the data field can get to (something like a global data structure)....

Thank you in advance for any help.

Regards

Jamie Lowrie

Former Member over 8 years ago

Versions 1.x CIQ support 1 ANT channel. Versions 2.x CIQ support 8 ANT channels. A datafield does not have access to Sensor module so you will have to use ver 2.x CIQ as it becomes available.

Former Member over 8 years ago

A good ANT connection can often be quickly established. Possibly you could jump from 1 sensor to another with a single ANT channel. Maybe stay on a device for 3 reads of the right data, then swap? Sure you lose some accuracy, but I suspect the averages would probably match.

Former Member over 8 years ago

I have just tried with V2.1 of the SDK and the problem persists.

Hi ,

Thank you for your response, I have just tried with the preview of V2.1 and i still get the same behavior that the first data field added receives the ANT data and the second never receives any (reversing the order of selection proves that both data fields could work if they received the message)

To be clear of what i think is my problem, I am trying to get 2 instances of data-field based projects to receive the same ant message not multiple ant streams.

It is very common that a single ANT data packet contains multiple data samples (sensors such as combined speed and cadence), and I assume it will be a common request that each would be displayed as a separate data-field.

Is this possible?

I can post the code for my pair of data fields if anyone would be interested.

Former Member over 8 years ago

Further testing results that 2 separate ANT channels to 2 seperate datafield possible

Further testing results that with V2.1 I can connect to 2 separate ANT channels and get 2 datafields to work side by side both receiving ANT data.

But I cannot configure the ANT to the same channel from both datafields as the first to configure gets the data and the second get none.

Any ideas/suggestions of how to get the received messages from a single ANT channel into 2 instances of datafields.

Regards

Jamie Lowrie.

Former Member over 8 years ago

I don't know enough about datafields. I assume they can't share the object store, but even if they could I don't think it best to make that many writes. Can you create a loopback ANT channel? Configure 1 DF to transmit a master signal? I expect not, but thats all I can come up with atm.

Former Member over 8 years ago

Just to check. What are you testing on? It is a device with the 2.x beta firmware right?

Former Member over 8 years ago

Umm Not sure about the firmware on the device....

Umm ,in short i am not sure .

I am using a VIVO active HR but I haven't updated the firmware to anything beta.

I used the beta V2.1 SDK to build the data-field and side loaded it to the device, and it ran

Cant find a link to any special firmware , do you know where it is? (although the biker dev blog does say the VIVOActive HR is supported)

Also I couldn't see any assessors for the object store from any app or widgets , can you tell me a keyword so I can search the API docs.

Former Member over 8 years ago

Yeah, that wont work. Try this http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=10486

jim_m_58 over 8 years ago

If you're not running the beta FW (2.65 is the current one for the va-hr), you are running a 1.2.x VM. With the beta, it will be the 2.1.0 VM.
Here's a link to the beta:

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?355184-v%EDvoactive-HR-beta-2-65-is-now-available!

jim_m_58 over 8 years ago

I don't know enough about datafields. I assume they can't share the object store...

Two separate .prgs can't share a OS. You "might" be able to do it with a single .prg that does things differently based on what field it's running in. But even with that, I don't think the OS is actually written until you exit the .prg, so you can't share this kind of data.