Kobo (again!)

[Allen]

Sorry - still need advice on the Kobo and XCSoar!

I have successfully connected the KOBO using the internal RS232 TTL connections, and it works just fine using Condor and XCSoar.
However, we need to use it in our gliding simulator, which is in a totally blacked-out room, and so, of course, the KOBO screen isn't visible!
It obviously can been seen in the normal book-reading mode, by adjusting the back-light, but the back-light setting is not retained when using XCSoar.

Does anyone have a solution to setting the back-light on when using XCSoar?

I have asked in the XCSoar forum, but have not had any replies - just lots of 'reads'!

Many thanks,

Allen

[eRock]

Hi Allen

Horses for courses, XCSoar is open source and you could go thru all intricacies changes compile etc to customise it to your desire, but I believe the majority users adopt Kobo hardware for its e-ink display readability under the sun. Hence community of paraglider, hangglider and glider pilots use it but to suffer slow screen refresh and lack of colour etc..

For dark room/indoor simpit, perhaps any tablets or Stefly OpenVario, if pocket is bit deeper, could be much better in comparison to Kobo/e-ink device.

All the best.

[Allen]

Hi eRock,

Yes, I appreciate the aspects of the Kobo for XCSoar - having built lots and lots with the BlueFly GPS and vario for our gliding club . The screen refresh is quite fast enough for the XCSoar application, and obviously, superb for use in bright sunlight. I was just wondering if anyone had found a way to activate the back light so I didn't have to re-invent the wheel. I have located a point on the PCB which shows an increase in voltage with a change in the screen back light when in 'normal' (Nickle) use, so the next step is to apply a variable voltage to that point when it is in XCSoar mode, and see what happens!

I'll check to ensure that it isn't a PWM signal first.....

Best wishes,

Allen