Top Hat or XC Soar and new Samsung Galaxy Devices

[jasonmc...@hotmail.com]

Hello, Does anyone have experience running XC Soar or Tophat Soaring on the newer Samsung Devices?
The note 10 and S10 are reported to have brightness levels over 1000 nits. I’m guessing the previous 8 and 9 generations may also be pretty close for a lot less$
Cannot find much information out there on running tophat and XCSoar on newer hardware, which appears to have progressed quite a bit recently in display technology.
Also wondering if there are any issues running Tophat or XC on the newer android platforms? Since these open source programs are updated at a slow pace.
Thanks! Jason

[Wyll Surf Air]

I have run tophat as well as XCSoar on the following devices and they both work great: Samsung Galaxy S8+, Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, Samsung Galaxy 6, and Samsung Galaxy Note 4. They all work with no issues. The 8+ has the biggest and brightest screen, but the note 4 has the advantage that you can buy an extra large battery thus extending the battery life to around 16 hours. One thing to note on screen of higher aspect ratio then 16 by 9 they both create small black wedges on the top and bottom of the screen to get the aspect ratio to 16 by 9. Not a huge issue but I would rather the whole screen be used.

[Shaun Wheeler]

Jason,

Total noob here. Well, maybe not total noob. Been hacking hardware and software and programming since the '70s.

Take a look at Kobo. It is not color. But the daylight readability is hard to beat. Price ain't bad either. There are a few steps too hijacking them but there's ENORMOUS support in the community at large to implementing and for the money it's awfully hard to beat.

I am a huge android fan and there are certainly platforms that might deliver color performance but at 2 to 3 times the price.

[Ramy]

You can get a decent refurbished S8+ for around $250. I just did.
The screen brightness is even better than my old Dell Streak and the screen is slightly bigger even though the overall size of the phone is significantly smaller than the Dell Streak.
I can’t imagine a need for any brighter screen, nor a justification to compromise the additional functionality which color provides vs the Kobo. I understand that an option to overlay with skysight is coming, so one more reason to have a color screen. Not to mention the advantage of modern touch screens and gestures vs the Kobo which I believe is pressure sensitive touch screen.
I also ran it at home for 8 hours and it only used half the battery capacity. It was in flight mode and the screen was on all the time. I am not sure if it takes more battery when in flight. Hope to try it in the air soon.

Ramy

[6PK]

I have an S9+ which does seem to work well in sunlight (I think similar screen as the S8+). The problem I experienced was the connectivity to the CAI302 via the K6bt Bluetooth as they don't have the same protocol. I guess running the phone on it's own gps should work just fine but of course not as desirable as having it sync with a flight computer.

[benso...@gmail.com]

On Sunday, January 19, 2020 at 10:31:35 PM UTC-5, jasonmc...@hotmail.com wrote:
> Hello, Does anyone have experience running XC Soar or Tophat Soaring on the newer Samsung Devices?

I have seen a Samsung Galaxy S10+ using Top Hat. My view was in bright sunlight and I thought it was outstanding! Mind you, I have not flown it.

[Dan Marotta]

Years back when I was looking for a device, I went to Best Buy and asked
if I could take one of their devices out to the parking lot to see it
perform in the sun.  You might find a store that will let you do that,
escorted or otherwise.  Good luck!

--
Dan, 5J

[Bret Hess]

You can get a new Note 4 on eBay for $140. It has a bright screen that I've used for soaring for years. You run it on auto brightness to get it's brightest output.

[Charles Dutch]

I've been running XCSoar with TopHat on a Samsung Galaxy Tab A (2016 vintage) Model # SM-T280, and the brightness level with this older unit has been fine. Even in full daylight, I have not had an issue, although I put it under a home-made shade device to keep it cool. I can only imagine the performance on the newer units would be better, but you don't need to spend the $ to get very acceptable performance. I bought my unit for $100, when it was on sale as last year's model.

[clint....@gmail.com]

I have been running XCSoar and LK8000 on a Samsung S10e. Both work perfectly and are easy to see even in bright sunlight. On both, I tend to turn off the topo maps and only keep the airspace maps displayed. I have also been using an older LG G6 and tend to use it when flying. The screen is a similar size although perhaps not as bright. I just prefer not to drain the battery on my primary phone (the Samsung) in case I actually need to make a call.

The key thing with the Samsung Sxx as well as the LG Gxx phones is they have built-in barometers (rather than just using GPS altitude). This is actually the first thing I enquire about when shopping for new phones - much to the confusion of the salespeople who really have no idea why that is a deal-breaker if not present.

Clinton
LAK12

[Sky Surfer]

Like the other Samsung users, I’ve found that newer Samsung devices running Android work well for Top Hat Soaring, XCSoar (and more) in terms of display quality, functionality, and battery life. My usual setup is a Tab S2 8.0 tablet running Top Hat and a J7 Crown (Tracfone) smartphone running Avare ADSB Receiver Pro and XSoar (as a backup to Top Hat). The Tab S2 8” is generous for the soaring app’s displays but is nicely cockpit-compact. Both tablet and smartphone can be suction cup mounted to the canopy. So they're easily movable between different gliders, giving me the same familiar setup.

A few related notes:

- Before takeoff, turn up the screen brightness, deactivate any screen lock, start the software/app, clear out unneeded background apps, turn off the display (device is still on), and shade the device from sunlight if possible, especially while on the ground. I typically turn the screen back on after tow release.
- Wear non-polarized sunglasses if you want to see the display in landscape format (depending on your lenses' polarization, I guess).
- Long flights on sunny days really drain the device’s battery. I’ve used a lithium ion car booster/jump battery’s USB port to recharge the tablet and phone. Tested this on the ground and over several flights and feel reasonably safe using this lithium resource for device charging.
- When practical, turn off the screen to extend battery life. XCSoar / Top hat can give certain audible alerts (e.g., airspace proximity warnings) even while the screen is off.
- Cell phone mounts are plentiful. But a suction cup mount for the 8” tablet was harder to find. This one is working acceptably well:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012I6A6PW/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[moshe....@gmail.com]

People's eyes differ. What I've seen of the Dell Streak did not look usable in sunshine to me. I use Tophat on a Nook Simple Touch with its large monochrome e-ink reflective screen. That's despite the hassles of getting a GPS data source (and external power) attached to it, although now that I have it set up with a direct cable to the FLARM it has advantages over a standalone phone. I sometimes use a Samsung J3 or J7 for Gliderlink and IGCdroid and as a backup copy of Tophat, but wouldn't want to squint at it for long.

[Patrick (LS6-b EH)]

I use an old S5, having used previous versions.

Totally happy with it, haven't had noticeable challenges in the sunlight after a few years on this device. Grabbed it off of Kijiji for $60US.

Easy win, great product (XC Soar that is)!