# apps for soliton



## 1ev (Aug 31, 2012)

I have a soliton jr and linksys router.I cant get ev dash,ev speedo,or ecar to work on evo 4g. Are there any other apps that might work or tricks to setting up ev speedo?


----------



## lowcrawler (Jun 27, 2011)

Ditto - they 'kind of' work... but the lag and innacuracies are crazy. (like multiple seconds... if it even reacts at all)

I can't even get my android phone to bring up the Soliton webpage. Windows laptop connected exactly the same way, will. Very strange.


----------



## GuySmily (May 11, 2012)

Just curious.. What OS and browser are you using? While Chrome is buggy at times (and requires ICS), some websites work a lot better with Chrome than they did with the stock Gingerbread browser. You might want to try Opera Mobile as well (or Opera Mini, but I think Mobile is the one with more capability).

I just listed all my CarPC stuff for sale because I want to switch to a Nexus 7 (and I turned the CarPC guts into a home theater PC instead). But I'm wondering if I should keep the carputer stuff in case I need it for EV related software.


----------



## lowcrawler (Jun 27, 2011)

Android v4
Opera, dolphin, built-in, firefox, etc... I've played with them all.


----------



## GuySmily (May 11, 2012)

Yikes, that's bad news for me - I didn't feel like building another carputer. Hopefully the fine folks at Evnetics will get a chance to work on mobile browser compatibility.


----------



## 1ev (Aug 31, 2012)

I got soliton interface to work with android by configuring the router to use static IP 169.254.0.254 with a subnrt mask of 255.255.0.0 and a gateway of 169.254.0.1 Soliton webpage works now but I still don't know how to get logger or any soliton apps to work with android phone.


----------



## Ams_AK (Jan 24, 2011)

there are android apps that let you set a specified static ip for a specific WiFi network. 
this way I could get the phone and controller in the same iP range and turn off the routers DHCP. 
EV Speedo then worked with minimal lag And was able to call up the soliton configuration screen...
now everything has a new software version (1.5.1, androId 4.1 and I think EV Speedo updated too) and have not been able to reproduce .. can't even get the pack voltage to show up anymore... all the other dials work but are delayed. 
Ecar does not have this delay, so there are code issues at work as well.


----------



## Caps18 (Jun 8, 2008)

Watch the evtv.me show for August 24th. He covers this in the 2nd half of the show.

Find it on that website or on YouTube.


----------



## Qer (May 7, 2008)

GuySmily said:


> Hopefully the fine folks at Evnetics will get a chance to work on mobile browser compatibility.


Well, we're not really actively supporting mobile phones since it's not really the intent of the web interface and there's a limit how much man hours the EVnetics software department (ie I) can spend on browser compatibility testing.

That said, we're (again I) not actively trying to make things harder than necessary and the web server (and the pages) are so dumbed down that they should work on pretty much any browser released the last 15 years ago, or so (they're so dumb you can't even do Yo Mama-jokes about it). I also know there's several people connecting to their Solitons using smartphones, tabs and whatsnot so apparently it works. I've tried too a while ago and had no problems and even if it was my HTC Desire I tried I don't expect my new Samsung phone will have a problem as well. It shouldn't have, if so there would be countless of web pages on the Internet that wouldn't work with it.

Todays smartphones (Android, iPhone, even old Symbian based smartphones etc) have more in common with your PC than your old "phone" mobile phone. The first generations of cell phones with a browser had usually very crappy browsers (or even just front ends for big computer farms that "dumbed down" the Internet for them, Opera Mini works that way for example) and those needed special support (an IT-crutch!  ) to be able to surf. Horrible crap, never worked good really. Todays phone browsers are REAL browsers that comply with w3 and whatsnot, so unless you do some really dumb things (like use Adobe Flash) there's no reason why a web page won't work in all browsers, EVEN Internet Explorer!

So I'd guess this is not a software issue but rather a network related problem, and my guess is that there's a firewall, or a router between LAN/WAN, messing things up for you. The non-working logger is a strong indication on this since the logger uses UDP-broadcasts which must, by definition, be blocked by a router (otherwise Internet would've collapsed into a black IT-hole years ago) and also usually gets heavily firewalled by most default setupts since NOONE is stupid enough to use UDP-broadcasts... ...except, of course, when you want something that works out of the box with a minimum of mess when you, say, develop software for complicated power electronics and the only way to debug it is by asking other people nicely to run a specially prepared piece of PC software and send you the resulting logs... 

So why doesn't this work for you then?

There's typically two scenarios I can see here, the Soliton connected to the WAN-side of a wireless router (since you run smart phones my guess is that you use WiFi, yes?) and the Soliton connected to the LAN-side of a wireless router, and here's the few things I can pull out a hat just like that:

*Soliton connected to LAN (or "inside"):* Go into the router settings and make sure that DHCP either is completely disabled (to use the zero configuration networking feature) or that it's set to share the network range of 169.254.x.x. The router should have it's own IP set to 169.254.x.x something but NOT 169.254.0.1 since that will collide with the Soliton. The available addresses for DHCP-requests should be set to something safe, like for example 169.254.0.100 and upwards. Netmask should be 255.255.0.0, leave gateway and name server (DNS) blank.

*Soliton connected to WAN (or "outside"):* This is a bit cludgy if you ask me, but I know some people use it. Scary. In that case you have to go into the router settings and make sure that DHCP is set to anything BUT 169.254.x.x (since you can't have the same IP-range on two sides of the same router (and for all you computer freaks out there, I know I lie a bit here but we're talking consumer electronics here so hush!  )). You can use for example 192.168.x.x (netmask 255.255.0.0) or 10.x.x.x (netmask 255.0.0.0) and, this is essential, you have to set default gateway to 169.254.0.1! This pretty much turns the Soliton to "The Internet" (or at least the ISP) from a network perspective, which is why I find it a bit cludgy.

With the LAN-solution you can use for example a cell phone with WiFi and let it be connected to the internet at the same time but NOT if you've connected the Soliton to WAN! If you have a cell phone that is connected to Internet through your phone operator and set up a WiFi with a defined gateway (as you must have with the WAN-solution) you essentially tell the phone there's two ways to reach the Internet. I'd expect most phones in that situation to prefer the WiFi, but, well, there's nothing that says it MUST prefer WiFi so it can choose the cell phone network instead and try to reach the Soliton that way which, of course, won't work.

I would choose the LAN-connection with active DHCP on 169.254.x.x, but that's me. Biggest advantages here is that logging will work (this is why logging doesn't work for 1ev; the router filters the UDP-broadcasts since he went the WAN-route) and the DHCP server will provide almost instant access to the Soliton without that initial 1 minute connection delay that zero configuration network causes.

So what if these two cases don't cover your problems? Well, I'm not a mind reader. One liners doesn't give me enough information to be able to solve your problems. Please provide more information, for example how you've connected things and how you've set up the router. If you're unsure what I ask for, kindly take photos of the connectors on the router and screen dumps of the settings.

I need to know a lot more than just what kind of router you've bought, in fact that's not really much of a clue at all. Well, with the exception that since Linksys tend to be pretty good it's probably not crappy router software that causes the problems. Always something.


----------



## MalcolmB (Jun 10, 2008)

Hi Q
Just wanted to say thanks for that really clear and detailed explanation ... on a Saturday morning as well! I've filed this away for future use.


----------



## Ams_AK (Jan 24, 2011)

Great stuff Qer!
I've had both the LAN and WAN versions working and not working, with and without DHCP..kinda had myself tied in knots. Will reconfigure the router for LAN + DHCP. 
This might also help with some of the delay issues, BUT as the Ecar app has been fast when EV speedo was not, it might very well be the code.. Also interesting that EV speedo does not read pack voltage anymore, but Ecar does.

The logger program is a .exe , so will not run on Android right?
I would love to install a 3G enabled touchpad in every boat..have it work as a dash, but also be able to have people send me a logfile and their settings file right from the vehicle.. stuff for Our end of the support chain to be sure.

Could also be cool where the tablet is just instrumentation via wifi , but the user has phone for maps and music & can act as tether, making the 'soliton' network a wifi internet hotspot.

A nexus 7 (no rear camera, decent GPS, only $200) would do nicely I think


----------



## Qer (May 7, 2008)

Ams_AK said:


> The logger program is a .exe , so will not run on Android right?


Correct.

The logger-program is a very simple C-program that comes in two flavours: Windows and Linux, in both cases it runs in a text console with no bells or whistles. It was written so Jeffrey could send me logs of the test runs and was never really intended for public release.

Later, when I realised how popular and useful the logging feature was it was included in the releases, but it was more thought as a practical programming example of "This is how you read the log data from the controller" (hence why the logger.c is shipped as well) rather than meant for being used. Boy, I've been wrong twice about the logging ability of the controller. 

I was thinking of doing some kind of graphical logger for the Soliton, but, well, then people started to write their own apps etc sooooo... Welll... Don't hold your breath...


----------



## piotrsko (Dec 9, 2007)

SO, what you are saying is: Next, AFTER regen, is a Qer quality status program for all platforms and hardware?


----------



## Qer (May 7, 2008)

piotrsko said:


> SO, what you are saying is: Next, AFTER regen, is a Qer quality status program for all platforms and hardware?


Why do you hate me? 

Fixing up all the code in the world sounds like sisyphean work to me. Shooting me would be more humane...


----------



## piotrsko (Dec 9, 2007)

hate you, no. trying very hard to get new very cool soliton software, yes.


----------



## evlowrider (Jul 23, 2009)

Ams_AK said:


> Great stuff Qer!
> I've had both the LAN and WAN versions working and not working, with and without DHCP..kinda had myself tied in knots. Will reconfigure the router for LAN + DHCP.
> This might also help with some of the delay issues, BUT as the Ecar app has been fast when EV speedo was not, it might very well be the code.. Also interesting that EV speedo does not read pack voltage anymore, but Ecar does.


Hi,

I'm the EV Speedo developer, first apologies for all the frustration my app is causing with regards to slow updates. I find it hard to test since my conversion is still not complete so I get minimal data from my Soliton1. I've also been side tracked on other stuff so have not put much time into the project to get it resolved.

I would like to get this sorted out once an for all. There is now a new version available 2.0.1 so I recommend anyone who has the old version do and upgrade and try it out. 

Feel free to PM me if you want to contact me by mail directly.


PS. If you also have a zilla and or Lithmate BMS and a bluetooth serial adapter and would like to be a beta tester contact me!

Pete.


----------



## Salty9 (Jul 13, 2009)

Qer said:


> Why do you hate me?
> 
> Fixing up all the code in the world sounds like sisyphean work to me. Shooting me would be more humane...


Gotta keep pushing that rock. Ain't no place for humanity in bid'ness.


----------

