moto.aero

The most significant obstacle that I've run into yet in my quest to create a homebuilt Garmin 696 is the relatively dim screen in the Asus Eee.  The display of the Eee 900 series is between 130 and 250 nits, and we need to get as close to 1000 nits as possible in order for the display to be considered sunlight readable.  I have been researching ways to hack the BIOS, or even to find an external display that could be connected to the Eee, and it just occurred to me that there may be a solution sitting right under my nose.  Or actually, slightly to the left of my toes, in my computer bag. (No, not the money I could be saving with Geico...)

The Amazon Kindle 2 debuted recently and is probably the best known eBook reader.  About a year ago I purchased an iLiad iRex, much less well known than the Kindle, but it received excellent reviews and is better suited to my needs, (it's also sold as the eFlyBook when bundled with aviation-specific software).  One of the greatest features of this ebook reader is its display: 

16 shades of gray

124×152 mm (W×H)

768×1024 pixels

160 ppi density

electromagnetic ink

wacom compatible digitizing screen

The electromagnetic ink is a key feature, since it consumes no power when idle, only when the screen is refreshed with new content.  This allows the very lightweight iRex to last up to 20 hours of regular page-turning reading on a single charge.  The digitizing screen means that you can write on content and the iRex will save your notes with that page, and that links are clickable.  It's also very high contrast, better than any laptop screen ever made, according to people who are supposed to know these things.  The one big drawback is the lack of color, but I'm willing to live with black & white if we can solve the rest of the problems, and I suspect there will be color eBook readers available to us within a few years.

The iRex has built in Wi-Fi (802.11g), can be set up as a printer in Windows (and probably Linux as well, though I do not speak Penguinese), and also has an ethernet connection, so it seems like there would be a way to send an update to the iRex every minute or every five minutes or what have you.  Another benefit of this approach would be the ability to use the iRex as a kneeboard, rather than trying to find panel space for it.  The iRex weighs only 435 grams (less than a pound) and is very thin, much thinner than a paper approach plate book but about the same length and width.  Really a great size for a kneeboard.

Do we still need the Eee, or could we use just the iRex?

The iRex costs approximately $800 USD, so we would be paying twice as much for the display as for the processor, but it does not seem likely that we will find a 1000 nit display on a netbook size computer, for reasons of weight and battery life.  Perhaps it is possible for us to hack the iRex in such a way that we can make it the sole hardware component.  It's late and although I'm excited to work on this, I have the opening Formula 1 race of the season paused on TiVo and I am psyched to watch it, so I'm going to break this article off here.

As before, PLEASE feel free to comment and to jump in to this project with comments, suggestions, research and development.  

michael 

iRex technical specs page:  http://www.irextechnologies.com/products/specs 

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written by Chrsitian Louboutin on February 26, 2010

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c**kpit Slates Reviewed Fujitsu P1610 vs. Samsung Q1EX
written by michael on July 17, 2009

Just came across a review of these two slates and their suitability for use in the c**kpit. Excellent write-up by Brian Hausknecht at brianflys.net: http://brianflys.net/2009/04/1...e-map-pro/

In the end it's sort of a toss-up. The Fujitsu works well now, while the Samsung is newer and shows more promise.

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Another vote for the Kindle DX
written by Paul Bricker on July 17, 2009

I just read this comment on the GNS-480 users list -- reposted with permission of the author:

"I just flew to LRU on Monday using a Kindle DX and pdf files from AirBrief. While I had the approaches in both my 480 and Chelton system having the approach plate gave me a bit of situation awareness that I find lacking with the databases only. Maybe I’m just old-school about some things.

I recommend the DX over the Kindle 2 (larger screen and I believe more memory). Also, I had to pry it from my wifes hands when I left Monday am. She’s completely hooked on using the Kindle for the purpose Amazon intended.

Paul Bricker
N63PB"

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Kindle is probably a better choice than iRex for many reasons
written by michael on July 17, 2009

Great post on the Kindle, Robert. I have not used one, at the time I was deciding on a e-book reader the specs for the Iliad iRex blew the Kindle away. But since then, Iliad has stopped supporting the iRex and it's been a terrific pain to try to make everything work as it could. A great platform for dedicated hackers, but without commercial support the much needed ease-of-use improvements are never going to arrive.

Kindle, on the other hand, seems to have strong support from Amazon, seems to be much easier to use, and will likely continue to improve.

On that note, if anyone is interested, I'm selling my iRex. It's in perfect condition, and I still have the box. Please contact me if you're interested. My next try is going to be Motion Computing LS800, which will cost about the same as what I'll get for the Iliad, I hope. (Why not the Kindle, you ask? Too easy! I need a challenge! And I'm interested in building a multi-purpose vehicle computer that I can move from bike to plane to car.)

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Larger Kindle Display Perfect for Charts
written by Robert Trice on July 17, 2009

The Kindle DX, with a screen virtually the exact same size as an approach plate, appears to be an ideal solution to the "inexpensive" electronic charts issue. It's screen is very easy to read, even in the brightest sunlight. TERPs volumes and A/FDs can now be downloaded to the DX from www.airbrief.com and DX kneeboards are starting to appear (www.forpilotsonly.com). A lot of glass-c**kpit pilots are adopting the DX as a backup to their panel charts.

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Is the Eee PC sunlight readable?
written by michael on April 14, 2009

I\'ve received conflicting reports from people on the sunlight readability of the Asus Eee PCs. Some, perhaps purely from an academic perspective, insist that you need at least 1000 nits to be sunlight readable, while other posts say that they have no problem using the display in the c**kpit on a sunny day. I would love to hear from more Eee owners as to whether they consider their display truly sunlight readable. Not just sort of visible, this has to be something you can count on in the c**kpit ANY time you need it, not just when the sun happens to be in the right orientation to the flight path. Thanks.

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