2021-10-10, 10:53 AM
True. Ok, I think I can think of a suggestion from a functional point of view.
The following is a screenshot from Freeboard and depicts the menu bar from which the routes can be drawn:
![[Image: 2021-10-09-16-42-22-Any-Desk.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/VsXtfKHd/2021-10-09-16-42-22-Any-Desk.png)
When a route is set-up it may look as follows:
![[Image: 2021-10-09-16-43-57-Any-Desk.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/yYPS9kKK/2021-10-09-16-43-57-Any-Desk.png)
When you select the route you can press "Activate"
![[Image: 2021-10-09-16-45-01-Freeboard-and-2-more...t-Edge.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/pXxFpKgk/2021-10-09-16-45-01-Freeboard-and-2-more-pages-Personal-Microsoft-Edge.png)
And the active route looks like this:
![[Image: 2021-10-09-16-46-12-Any-Desk.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/LsqqrD14/2021-10-09-16-46-12-Any-Desk.png)
When activating this route I am not sure what "technically happens" within SignalK, if any sentences might be updated.
You will see in the left-below corner some readings that are relevant to keeping a correct course that will enable you to manually follow that route.
I guess that somewhere in that same screen a button that says "engage AP" would be very nice.
At this moment the closest I can get to accessing the autopilot remote is: I am able to add the pypilot flask webapp to the right side splitscreen, if using signalk-app "KIP" and put 10.10.10.1:*port to pypilot":
![[Image: 2021-10-09-16-47-22-Any-Desk.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/VkZrGp5H/2021-10-09-16-47-22-Any-Desk.png)
Don't have KIP installed at the moment, but that will then be located at the right side of the screen in the white area. This will then just show the pypilot remote so no real "integrated" functionality.
This was in terms of how I see it working in a functional way for me personally.
Technically I can think of the following scenario's although I am in no way an expert:
- Users must be able to send the route created in freeboard to an OpenCPN instance. However even if this is possible the user must then again go to OpenCPN, activate the route and then according to the OpenCPN settings will send the proper autopilot (APB?) messages to Pypilot. My guess is that an OpenCPN plug-in must be built for this that will somehow "listen" to a route that is being received (as an automated export?) from Freeboard. The plug-in will then make sure that that route is automatically accepted and activated in OpenCPN. If OpenCPN is configured correctly to send the APB messages to Pypilot, you can then just use the Pypilot Flask web application to enable / disable autopilot. If a route is active, GPS mode will probably be automatically engaged and the route will be followed. For all this, OpenCPN must be activated in the background though.
- Users must be able to activate a route in Freeboard. All APB messages will be generated by either Freeboard, or a SignalK plug-in or data connection? However, I can imagine that it is difficult to replicate the logic (that is already present in OpenCPN) needed for this. However, I consider it a possible advantage because no running OpenCPN instance is needed so probably less CPU/RAM resources required. But, on the other hand I am not sure what the calculation of a future Signalk plug-in might need for the same requirement. I am not sure if Freeboard can calculate all the values needed to let an autopilot know when a course correction needs to be executed. And, if some kind of functionality like this is possible I can also imagine that users will definitely want to finetune the behavior.
- When it comes to route following behavior I know Sean that you have developed a really cool OpenCPN route plug-in. This enables the user to configure some settings. One of which I remember was when to engage the new course (if next waypoint is at X meters, then engage next waypoint). Some time ago we have discussed in another post that some users including me had trouble that the plug-in kept crashing. We didn't yet got to fixing that problem. But, anyway my point being is that the main idea of this plug-in is awesome. Just thinking out loud here, if Freeboard or SignalK have the capability of doing something similar might it be an idea to put this functionality there.
So far my ideas, hope they might be of any added value. Also really curious about your thoughts.
Kind regards,
Jamos
The following is a screenshot from Freeboard and depicts the menu bar from which the routes can be drawn:
When a route is set-up it may look as follows:
When you select the route you can press "Activate"
And the active route looks like this:
When activating this route I am not sure what "technically happens" within SignalK, if any sentences might be updated.
You will see in the left-below corner some readings that are relevant to keeping a correct course that will enable you to manually follow that route.
I guess that somewhere in that same screen a button that says "engage AP" would be very nice.
At this moment the closest I can get to accessing the autopilot remote is: I am able to add the pypilot flask webapp to the right side splitscreen, if using signalk-app "KIP" and put 10.10.10.1:*port to pypilot":
Don't have KIP installed at the moment, but that will then be located at the right side of the screen in the white area. This will then just show the pypilot remote so no real "integrated" functionality.
This was in terms of how I see it working in a functional way for me personally.
Technically I can think of the following scenario's although I am in no way an expert:
- Users must be able to send the route created in freeboard to an OpenCPN instance. However even if this is possible the user must then again go to OpenCPN, activate the route and then according to the OpenCPN settings will send the proper autopilot (APB?) messages to Pypilot. My guess is that an OpenCPN plug-in must be built for this that will somehow "listen" to a route that is being received (as an automated export?) from Freeboard. The plug-in will then make sure that that route is automatically accepted and activated in OpenCPN. If OpenCPN is configured correctly to send the APB messages to Pypilot, you can then just use the Pypilot Flask web application to enable / disable autopilot. If a route is active, GPS mode will probably be automatically engaged and the route will be followed. For all this, OpenCPN must be activated in the background though.
- Users must be able to activate a route in Freeboard. All APB messages will be generated by either Freeboard, or a SignalK plug-in or data connection? However, I can imagine that it is difficult to replicate the logic (that is already present in OpenCPN) needed for this. However, I consider it a possible advantage because no running OpenCPN instance is needed so probably less CPU/RAM resources required. But, on the other hand I am not sure what the calculation of a future Signalk plug-in might need for the same requirement. I am not sure if Freeboard can calculate all the values needed to let an autopilot know when a course correction needs to be executed. And, if some kind of functionality like this is possible I can also imagine that users will definitely want to finetune the behavior.
- When it comes to route following behavior I know Sean that you have developed a really cool OpenCPN route plug-in. This enables the user to configure some settings. One of which I remember was when to engage the new course (if next waypoint is at X meters, then engage next waypoint). Some time ago we have discussed in another post that some users including me had trouble that the plug-in kept crashing. We didn't yet got to fixing that problem. But, anyway my point being is that the main idea of this plug-in is awesome. Just thinking out loud here, if Freeboard or SignalK have the capability of doing something similar might it be an idea to put this functionality there.
So far my ideas, hope they might be of any added value. Also really curious about your thoughts.
Kind regards,
Jamos