OLS Bluetooth android/iphone variant

October 06, 2011, 08:19:23 pm

This is a continuation of a discussion in the client software beta testers thread here:
viewtopic.php?f=57&t=2913&p=28666#p28666

The idea was 'wouldn't it be cool to have a mobile iphone/android interface to make the OLS standalone from a computer, to some extent?.' This involves some hardware modification and/or addition, thus I think the pursuit of such a change belongs outside the software section, at least for now.

My main question for now is to pppd, who has played with a bluetooth mobile link on the OLS before. What was your hardware setup like? Can you post details so I can try to make it on my end to start developing some client software for my iPhone? I can take a stab at what you did, but I'd love to just copy you if you've actually got working hardware.

EDIT: Nevermind! The forum thread was already split off, continue discussion here:

viewtopic.php?f=57&t=2913&p=28674#p28674

LOCK!

Re: OLS Bluetooth android/iphone variant

Reply #1 – October 27, 2011, 10:52:43 pm

To put my two cents worth in:
As far as I can see, one would have to re-write the client for any mobile device, especially to make use of the touch screen interface. I could see myself using a tablet (or maybe even a phone) to use the OLS, if that were available, but probably mostly due to the convenience of having another, dedicated screen...
As for bluetooth on the PC: bluetooth is a pain, and really not handled at all well on most PCs... Hardly worth writing anything more than serial comms for.
As for the OLS side: I'd think that those serial-bluetooth modules which sparkfun and the like have made popular would be a good place to start for the most part, especially as all the modules for the mean time would be added on as an afterthought, perhaps a quick board design using one of those modules could be made and sold as a kit?
As for the future: perhaps a further revision could include an optional bluetooth module, or certainly some space for it.

I personally think its a great idea, but its always going to be a bodge until the whole board changes...