Onyx - iPhone Connection Guide

[Nick Dolezal]

REQUIREMENTS:

1.  Audio cable (TRRS), 4-pin 3.5mm.  No in-line resistor needed.  Example: http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?mpart=CA-354S-M%2FM&vendor=839

2.  Safecast API key, obtainable at http://api.safecast.org.  You must create an account.

3.  iOS device with iOS 4.3+

4.  "Safecast" app from App Store

Assuming you have an iOS device, the only cost is the cable.

PROCEDURE:

1.  Connect Onyx and iPhone with cable; start app.

2.  Enable GPS location tracking by tapping the geolocation arrow in the top right corner.

3.  Verify input in the app using the input monitor.

4.  Configure Safecast settings to enable uploads.

NOTES:

1.  After configuration, you will automatically upload measurements to Safecast every 6 minutes by default, provided the Onyx is connected with a cable and the app is able to obtain your geolocation.

2.  Because measurements currently cannot be deleted, please take care to not upload measurements from test sources.  You can go back into settings to disable or enable uploads at any time.

3.  The app is currently not configured to run in the background, and must be actively running to work.

TROUBLESHOOTING:

1.  See below regarding the "Geiger Pulse" Onyx setting.

2.  Further, on the main numeric display of the app, you can tap on the top part of the screen to show a console with detailed log messages regarding connection attempts and which input device is selected.  If successful, the API upload will return HTTP 201 CREATED.

DETAIL:

3.  ----- Verify Input -----

A.  Tap the min/max arrow button in the lower-right hand corner of the map to resize it into a small window.

B.  The interface of the app has now changed.  It is now split between fixed buttons at the bottom, and four possible display screens at the top, of which the map is 4 of 4.  If you've used HP calculators and know what "Pipboy 3000" means, you can probably just stop reading right here.

(somewhat outdated illustration:)

These four screens are: [Main Numeric Display] - [CPS/CPM graph] - [Audio input monitor graph] - [Map]

C.  Tap the "<" button next to the white page dots under the map.  You are now looking at the audio input monitor.

D.  Verify you are correctly seeing counts from the Onyx appear.  The black line represents the input.  The red line which never moves is the threshold the input volume must exceed for it to be counted.  The black line will be colored blue when it has been counted as a pulse.

E.  The two problems I've heard about so far preventing this from working are a bad serial cable, and a "Geiger Pulse" setting on the Onyx of something other than 6, which is the default.  Confusingly, a bug in the Onyx release firmware prevents the Geiger Pulse from displaying properly.  (it will always show 0)  TL;DR: the Geiger Pulse setting on the Onyx will be fine unless changed from the default.

4.  ----- Configure Safecast Settings -----

A.  Now tap the "Settings" icon on the fixed button panel, which is a machine gear.  Scroll to the bottom of the list and select "Safecast".

B.  Enter your API key.  Change the upload interval as desired, but you shouldn't change the Safecast device.

[Edouard Lafargue]

Can we add this in the github Wiki? Would be very useful!

Thanks,

Ed