Calibration Issue

[Bert Ashbrook]

I've been using TopoDroid for two years with DistoX2s and Samsung Note 8 tablet, including many calibrations of many different DistoX2s.  Recently I changed to a Samsung Tab Active3 tablet, running Android 13 and TopoDroid 6.2.32-33.  Now I have problems calibrating my DistoX2s with the Tab Active3 tablet.

After installing TopoDroid, with the Tab Active3 paired to a first DistoX2 via Bluetooth, and with TopoDroid using the first DistoX2, I can create a first calibration, download the 56 calibration shots from the first DistoX2 into the first calibration, group the data, compute the calibration, and write the calibration back to the first DistoX2.  This works normally.

However, when I then pair the Tab Active3 to a second DistoX2 via Bluetooth, set TopoDroid to use the second DistoX2, and create a second calibration, I cannot download the 56 calibration shots from the second DistoX2.  Instead, I get a "Read 0 data (0 packets)" error.

If I uninstall and reinstall TopoDroid on the Tab Active 3, I can then calibrate the second DistoX2, but I cannot calibrate a third DistoX2 unless I uninstall TopoDroid and reinstall it once again.  

Each new installation of TopoDroid allows me to calibrate exactly one DistoX2, after which TopoDroid will not download the calibration data again unless I uninstall and reinstall TopoDroid.

Survey with each DistoX2 is completely normal, and they survey data downloads via Bluetooth into TopoDroid normally from any of my DistoX2s.  The Bluetooth connections are working just fine.  The problem seems confined to trying to download calibration data from a second DistoX2 after installation of TopoDroid, only.

Can anyone offer thoughts or suggestions?  Thanks, Bert Ashbrook

[Balambér Hakapesz]

Can you calibrate the first DistoX2 twice?

Balázs Holl

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TopoDroid" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to topodroid+...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/topodroid/f3d16377-546f-46e0-ab15-f0dd8384f189n%40googlegroups.com.

[Alastair Gott]

Hi Bert,

Without thinking about uninstalling and reinstalling the app. Can you actually switch between each disto in the app and download normal shots (not calibration).

If you can, then it suggests there’s nothing wrong with the Bluetooth or the way the app is connecting to the disto.

If not, then there may be something wrong with the hardware in the disto, when was it made and which board do you have in it, beat heab’s board? (If so these have always been reliable)

If everything is ok with taking shots then I would question how you are calibrating the distos, are you using topodroid to toggle the disto into calibration mode or are you using the buttons on the disto to enter calibration mode.

 If using the disto buttons for calibration mode, then this will cause issues - probably like the ones you’re describing.

 Ensure you are using topodroid to toggle into calibration mode, sometimes on devices I have used the Bluetooth drops out, and gives the message you describe. The steps I take if this happens

1. Reset Bluetooth

2. Shut down the topodroid app and restart

3. Turn off the disto and back on again

4. Reset Bluetooth

If number one doesn’t work, proceed with 2-4. In my (limited) experience this gets the software/connection back on track.

Regards,

Alastair Gott.

Sent from my iPhone

On 9 Feb 2024, at 04:28, Balambér Hakapesz <holl.b...@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/topodroid/CAPq666Oaj%3DHVZZz3Tv3-8XOsS__5oSziv393vKd8K55Buzhocw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Marco Corvi]

i can think of only silly causes for this strange behavior, 

and i cannot imagine that Bert did any.

the app can download survey shots from any distox. 

this means that it can switch among devices and properly setup the bluetooth 

connection and exchange packets.

therefore it should do the same for the calibration packets.

what could go wrong ?

(1) the distox is "silent" when the calibration shots are taken.

(2) the distox is not in CAL mode

(3) topodroid is set to work with another distox (it can happen if you have many)

(4) the data packets have the wrong code (!!!) and are discarded by topodroid

(5) something wrong with the app device database and jit on samsung note 8

(1) and (2) are really silly, and i would rule them out, considering Bert's description

of what happens

if the distox shots are not calibration shots, when topodroid downloads them in a

calibration, it discards them. Similarly calibration shots downloaded in a survey are

discarded. The content of the packets of survey and calibration shots are very different,

and the distox transfer all the shots that have not been downloaded. There is no way

to ask for one type of shots or the other.  

(4) is also unconceivable: the packets are correct after the app reinstall. therefore

the distox firmware is not broken.

(3) is the most likely, in my opinion.

when you try to download the callib data from the distox, does the BT icon on the 

distox display blink ?

it should blink for a moment (denoting a successful connection) even if there are 

no data to transfer.

(5) the issue could be related to the app device DB and jit.

Uninstalling and reinstalling the app has the only effect to reset the app settings to the

default values, and delete the files in the private app area (unless you check the box to

keep them). 

Please try clearing the app cache instead of uninstall-reinstall:

- open the Setting app,

- go to the "Apps" section,

- select TopoDroid, 

next (A) force-stop the app,

and (B) clear the cache 

Reagrding Alastair's remark about switching the distox in CAL mode with the app

or with the distox buttons, it should make no difference.

I have never had a report about this before.

The distox mode (normal or CAL) has no effect on the data transfer, as far as i know.

I usually toggle the distox mode in both ways.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/topodroid/83471FC6-62B5-40D3-9FE4-29E0DE540216%40gmail.com.

[Garry Petrie]

Sometimes after long duration surveys, things go wobbly, e.g. odd/even station naming.

At that point, force stopping and clearing seems to fix the problem. Guessing OS/device dependent issues.

Garry Petrie

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/topodroid/CAJiQYo0jxZNOUk16xPFB7eaDkcnsojb42OY_THpZZXctpj39Pw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Bert Ashbrook]

Thanks everyone for all the helpful suggestions!  Here are the results (TLDR is, a combination of Alastair Gott's, Marco Corvi's, and Garry Petrie's suggestions solved the problem):

Balázs Holl:  I could not calibrate the first DistoX2 twice.  Upon reinstalling TopoDroid, I could upload the 56 calibration shots exactly once, and I could download the calibration to exactly one time to one DistoX2.

Alastair Gott:  I could change TopoDroid to switch between using different DistoX2s (not in calibration mode) and upload survey data from each of the DistoX2s.
Further evidence that the Bluetooth connection was working properly is that I can use the "Reset Bluetooth" menu to, for example, reset the Bluetooth, or turn on and off the laser on all three DistoX2s.  I could also use the "Reset Bluetooth" menu in calibration mode to reset the Bluetooth or to turn on and off the laser, too.  None of this made a difference.
Although I do not think there was a hardware problem with the DistoX2s (each worked and calibrated just fine with my former Samsung Note 8 tablet), they DistoX2s were built by Eric Steinberg (Virginia, USA) in 2019 or 2020, serial nos. 4443, 4710, and 4711.
Using TopoDroid to enter calibration mode (instead of doing it with the DistoX2 by pressing the CLEAR and SMART (underlined right triangle) buttons for two seconds) did not seem to have any effect.

Marco Corvi: The silly causes ("silent" DistoX2, DistoX2 not in CAL mode, TopoDroid set to use another DistoX2) were not applicable.
I'm not sure what reason 4 (the data packets having the wrong code) might mean, so I wasn't able to check if this was the cause or not.
The calibration shots were indeed calibration shots, as noted by "CAL 056" on the DistoX2 screen.
When I tried to download the 56 calibration shots into the new calibration in TopoDroid, the Bluetooth icon on the DistoX2 screen DID blink, just before the "Read 0 data (0 packets)" error message appeared in TopoDroid.
To address the "app device database and jit," I did "force stop" TopoDroid and clear the tablet cache (power down, enter Android recovery mode using the Volume-Up and Power keys together, scrolling to "wipe cache," Volume-Up and Power to accept "wipe cache").  However, this procedure alone did not work.

Alastair Gott, Marco Corvi, and Garri Petrie:
I used a combination of your suggestions, and it worked!  Here is the combination of actions that got me back on track; I'm not sure if any one of them did the trick or it was the combination:
(a) reset Bluetooth in TopoDroid;
(b) forced stop of TopoDroid from Android Settings-Apps-TopoDroid;
(c) cleared the tablet cache (power down, enter Android recovery mode using the Volume-Up and Power keys together, scrolling to "wipe cache," Volume-Up and Power to accept "wipe cache");
(d) turn off the DistoX2;
(e) restart TopoDroid;
(f) turn on the DistoX2;
(g) reset Bluetooth again in TopoDroid.
And voila!  Now I can calibrate multiple DistoX2s, one after another, just like normal!

THANK YOU ALL!  --Bert Ashbrook

[Marco Corvi]

thank you bert for the update.

have a few questions.

can point (a) be skipped ?

was it necessary to clear the whole tablet cache - point (b) - instead of only the topodroid cache? 

does the shorter sequence of actions (a, d, f, g) work?

from what you say cause (4) can be ruled out.

(3) is also ruled out: the distox blinks

therefore there remain only (5): the distox sends the data to android, but the os does not rely them to the app (jit screwed up), after a while topodroid sees no data is arriving and decides that there was nothing to get, so it says "0 packets"

by the way, i haven't heard of the issue of station naming for a while.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/topodroid/7442265d-a368-48b4-87e9-05a6075e129cn%40googlegroups.com.

[Balambér Hakapesz]

Thank you for the detailed description. I'm sure it will help the program to improve!

Balázs Holl

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/topodroid/7442265d-a368-48b4-87e9-05a6075e129cn%40googlegroups.com.

[Alastair Gott]

Hi Garry,

I have looked up your issue, and found your thread from 26/7/22 https://groups.google.com/g/topodroid/c/QrSjPOxWd2c

At the bottom of the topodroid email thread 20/9/22 balamber points to a UKC thread https://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?threads/topodroid-doing-awkward-station-numbering.29750/post-363400

where apocalypso suggests using the renumbering feature, in your instance where you send off your skinny friend and once they come back you download the data, I’m sure you could use the renumbering feature and not loose any sketches as you would do it as soon as you see the issue. 

Unlike 2 years ago, I have now used this feature a couple of times and it does work quite well. Best to press that button as soon as you see the issue.

Regards,

Al.

Sent from my iPhone

On 10 Feb 2024, at 20:04, Garry Petrie <dynam...@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/topodroid/CANbKGSMhr1%2BEcerEPxqOtOV9y_LM%2B_2JveqoY%2BVT0oYJ3HrPVw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Bert Ashbrook]

Marco, in response to your questions, I have not been able to recreate the problem, so I do not know if point (a) might have been skipped, or if clearing only the TopoDroid cache (instead of the entire tablet cache) in point (b) might have been effective.  I can only report that steps (a) through (g), performed in that order, worked to resolve my issue.

Thank you again for your help with this calibration problem and for developing TopoDroid.  I use your software in only a basic way (for example, I don't use different line types or symbols), but to me, it is as big an advance in the speed and accuracy of cave survey as switching from Suuntos to Distos was.  --Bert Ashbrook