[APP] BrickController2

[schraubedrin]

Buwizz seems to have the same problems. I tried the Buwizz2 app version 1.0.3 (i couldn't find an apk vor v1.0.4) and it too didn't find the hub or anything else.
The official Control+ App doesn't get further than the Start-Up Screen.

I could test the hub with the Galaxy S7 of a colleague and it works. So the problem lies definetly in my phone.

Is there any way to debug apps on android via some form of command line or something? The four IR receivers brickcontroller always seems to find are most curious. Maybe this helps to locate the problem in the code?
Maybe my Hardware just isn't up for the task, the S4 Mini only supports Bluetooth 4.0 but i couldn't find any data on the Control+ Requirements. Powered Up needs 4.0 and higher.

[Edit:]
I just found out that the official app needs bluetooth 4.1 or higher

It would be incredible frustrating if this was the problem as the difference between bluetooth 4.0 and 4.1 is only a software update. It's just that no company provides the necessary update to their old hardware

 

@imurvai, do you by chance know the cheapest phone that can run Brickcontroller2?
It seems i have to buy a new phone just to play with my lego.

Edited December 11, 2019 by schraubedrin

[imurvai]

1 hour ago, schraubedrin said:

Buwizz seems to have the same problems. I tried the Buwizz2 app version 1.0.3 (i couldn't find an apk vor v1.0.4) and it too didn't find the hub or anything else.
The official Control+ App doesn't get further than the Start-Up Screen.

I could test the hub with the Galaxy S7 of a colleague and it works. So the problem lies definetly in my phone.

Is there any way to debug apps on android via some form of command line or something? The four IR receivers brickcontroller always seems to find are most curious. Maybe this helps to locate the problem in the code?
Maybe my Hardware just isn't up for the task, the S4 Mini only supports Bluetooth 4.0 but i couldn't find any data on the Control+ Requirements. Powered Up needs 4.0 and higher.

[Edit:]
I just found out that the official app needs bluetooth 4.1 or higher

It would be incredible frustrating if this was the problem as the difference between bluetooth 4.0 and 4.1 is only a software update. It's just that no company provides the necessary update to their old hardware

 

@imurvai, do you by chance know the cheapest phone that can run Brickcontroller2?
It seems i have to buy a new phone just to play with my lego.

Thanks for the update, I didn't know that C+ requires BT 4.1.
- Unfortunately no debugging is possible since I'm releasing release version of the app.
- The IR devices are shown only on phones having the infrared emitter, they don't need to be actually discovered that is why all the 4 IR devices are added automatically.
- I don't know what is the cheapest mobile that can run BC2, the only requirement is Android 4.4 or above and BT4.1 (apparently). You could try some cheap chinese phone or a second hand one that meets the requirements. 

[schraubedrin]

A friend just gave me the idea to use a BT dongle on the phone. I'll try that when i'm back home.

58 minutes ago, imurvai said:

I'm releasing release version of the app

By the way, is the version 2.3 on apkure the most current apk?

[Technic Train Man]

On 12/8/2019 at 5:17 PM, imurvai said:

I don't know that particular controller but on iOS the controller has to be an MFI compatible one. On iOS 13 and above the XBox One and Sony PS4 controllers are also supported.
 I found a list of MFI controllers here that should work with BC2: https://mashtips.com/gaming-controller-iphone-ipad/
Personally I'm using a Mad Catz C.T.R.L. controller for iOS.

Hi István,

I bought the Nimbus Steelseries like mentioned in your link but still having some difficulties.

It connects great to my iphone6 and I can see the buttons function in the Controller tester, but still BC2 can not find it. BC2 can find my Buwizz but not the Nimbus Steelseries.

I'm starting to feel old and stupid. What am I doing wrong? Or is this MFI certified controller still not good??

BC2 does show all the buttons function so I really don't understand.

Pleas advise. Thank you!

[BrickDabbler]

Current S*msung A4 series is "cheap" and high quality, people who buy anything else must be mad. Runs basically anything and it`s well upgradeable for next four years. 

(No Advert intended) 

[schraubedrin]

3 hours ago, BrickDabbler said:

Current S*msung A4 series is "cheap" and high quality, people who buy anything else must be mad. Runs basically anything and it`s well upgradeable for next four years. 

I'm going to search for used phones tomorrow. (I couldn't find anything about a Galaxy A4 series)
As this will be used exclusively for Lego i'm not willing to spend more than 50€. (Especially as my daily used phone cost only 100€)

[AVCampos]

I have for LEGO purposes an Alcatel Pop C7 (updated to unofficial Android 4.4.2) and an LG G2 (running LineageOS 16 - Android 9), and both are able to run BC2. I haven't tested actually connecting to a brick using the latest app version, though, but I don't expect any trouble.

[imurvai]

13 hours ago, Ronald123 said:

Hi István,

I bought the Nimbus Steelseries like mentioned in your link but still having some difficulties.

It connects great to my iphone6 and I can see the buttons function in the Controller tester, but still BC2 can not find it. BC2 can find my Buwizz but not the Nimbus Steelseries.

I'm starting to feel old and stupid. What am I doing wrong? Or is this MFI certified controller still not good??

BC2 does show all the buttons function so I really don't understand.

Pleas advise. Thank you!

Hi, no need to discover the controllers in the devices screen. If it is functioning in the controller tester then you are good to go and it's ready to be assigned to outputs.

[schraubedrin]

10 hours ago, AVCampos said:

an LG G2 (running LineageOS 16 - Android 9), and both are able to run BC2. I haven't tested actually connecting to a brick using the latest app version, though, but I don't expect any trouble. 

Thanks for the input. That's very intresting as the G2 only has Bluetooth 4.0 as well.
Have you been able to connect to a C+ hub in another version of BC2 ?

 

@imurvai, are you sure the S4 Mini is a lost cause, even though nRF Connect was able to connect to the hub?

Edited December 12, 2019 by schraubedrin

[Technic Train Man]

2 hours ago, imurvai said:

Hi, no need to discover the controllers in the devices screen. If it is functioning in the controller tester then you are good to go and it's ready to be assigned to outputs.

 

I guess that confirms I’m old and stupid haha

I thought I tried everything but I guess I need to start with the BuWizz and asign buttons to it.

Do you have an instruction / tutorial about that maybe??

Many thanks!

I want to start promoting your app and BuWizz!

[imurvai]

27 minutes ago, Ronald123 said:

Do you have an instruction / tutorial about that maybe??

Hi, @kbalage created a great video tutorial on it (it's an earlier version though, but the main functionality remained the same): 

 

[Technic Train Man]

7 hours ago, imurvai said:

Hi, @kbalage created a great video tutorial on it (it's an earlier version though, but the main functionality remained the same): 

 

 

I HAVE DONE IT! Hallelujah, praise science!

I almost bought a PS4 controller but I was just one step away. Even after following all the steps precisely I managed not to make it work. I almost gave up but then I finally pressed the button at the right screen. I had been there before but thought it was a dead end so did not press any button.

 

Anyway, now it's working and I just was racing my 42037 C around outside  With lights front and back, nice!

 

Tomorrow's casual Friday so time to drive around my car at the office!

They can't fire me cause I am the only one processing hundreds of amazon orders (pallets/trucks full).

Like said before, a 5292 motor + buwizz + BC2 +controller is sweet!

 

[AVCampos]

13 hours ago, schraubedrin said:

Thanks for the input. That's very intresting as the G2 only has Bluetooth 4.0 as well.
Have you been able to connect to a C+ hub in another version of BC2 ?

I have just tested BC2 on the G2 with a PUp (a.k.a. "Train") hub with a train motor attached, and it worked well. The official PUp app also works without problems, including updating the hub's firmware.

I'm quite happy with this phone's purchase, as for its age it's very zippy and surprisingly there's a modern Android version for it, plus it has IR for the "old" Power Functions. Its big downside is definitely the non-expandable storage.

[imurvai]

23 hours ago, schraubedrin said:

Thanks for the input. That's very intresting as the G2 only has Bluetooth 4.0 as well.
Have you been able to connect to a C+ hub in another version of BC2 ?

@imurvai, are you sure the S4 Mini is a lost cause, even though nRF Connect was able to connect to the hub?

Hmm, in that case BC2 should also work. Could you send me the raw advertisement data for the C+ hub from the nRF Connect app?

12 hours ago, Ronald123 said:

I HAVE DONE IT! Hallelujah, praise science!

Cool, happy playing! :)

[schraubedrin]

1 hour ago, imurvai said:

Could you send me the raw advertisement data for the C+ hub from the nRF Connect app?

We found the culprit: i can't. According to nRF this is not supported on my device.
This list of "Device Support For Beacon Transmission" kind of confirms it (only for GT-i9195, mine is a GT-i9195i)

Unfortunately i couldn't find any information whether newer versions of lineage are able to fix this. Although it may be, as @AVCampos's LG G2 (i guess LG-D802) shouldn't support it either, according to the list.
I'll try to install lineage OS 16 and see if that changes anything. Skimming through the xda forums, i've got a little bit of hope 

[AVCampos]

8 minutes ago, schraubedrin said:

@AVCampos's LG G2 (i guess LG-D802)

Yes, D802 here.

[schraubedrin]

On 12/13/2019 at 11:13 AM, schraubedrin said:

I'll try to install lineage OS 16 and see if that changes anything

Welp, that didn't help. Even with extensive firmware updates, Brickcontroller2 doesn't work on my GT-i9195i  with Lineage OS 16.

Now i don't know what to do of this excercise. AVCampos' and my experiences didn't show any data deciding whether a smartphone does or doesn't work with Brickcontroller2.

I guess i'll search for a cheap used LG G2 on ebay now...

[AVCampos]

I can confirm that both the Alcatel Pop C7 and the LG G2 work with BC2, SBrick and Control+. I didn't have any PF receiver on hand, and don't have BuWizz at all.

https://youtu.be/C914fWfBIG8

[imurvai]

BrickController2 2.4 has been released for both Android and iOS.

Changes:

- Stepper motor type for Control+ devices.
- Accelerator button (and axis) type - mainly good for controlling trains
- Minor UI improvements and fixes - eg. dark mode fix for iOS

Happy playing! :)

[markaus]

Just got my hands on the 42100 and discovered my note3 isnt combatible with the offical app so luckily this one saved the day! All is working ok however im having issues with servo control. When im in the servo config page the angle set and calibration work just fine but when i tried to use it with a ps4 controller the motors will just turn on and then become unresponsive. If i move the joysticks extremely slowly im able to get the motor to move over its servo range but anything more than that and ill get the runaway issue. Is there any fix for this or i'm doing something wrong perhaps? Also noticing the motors drive past the correct point then correct themselves, is this something inherrent with the motors themselves or a BC2 thing? not sure how the operation is with the offical app.

[imurvai]

3 hours ago, markaus said:

Just got my hands on the 42100 and discovered my note3 isnt combatible with the offical app so luckily this one saved the day! All is working ok however im having issues with servo control. When im in the servo config page the angle set and calibration work just fine but when i tried to use it with a ps4 controller the motors will just turn on and then become unresponsive. If i move the joysticks extremely slowly im able to get the motor to move over its servo range but anything more than that and ill get the runaway issue. Is there any fix for this or i'm doing something wrong perhaps? Also noticing the motors drive past the correct point then correct themselves, is this something inherrent with the motors themselves or a BC2 thing? not sure how the operation is with the offical app.

Hi, not sure I understand your issue correctly. So in servo mode the motor turns and gets stuck at a certain position?
The other thing you experienced is the overshot effect. It happens when the servo needs to turn a big angle and in these cases the servo speed is set to a higher value to get the position faster. In these cases the motor turns a bit more and corrects itself. It happens in the official app as well.

[markaus]

16 minutes ago, imurvai said:

Hi, not sure I understand your issue correctly. So in servo mode the motor turns and gets stuck at a certain position?
The other thing you experienced is the overshot effect. It happens when the servo needs to turn a big angle and in these cases the servo speed is set to a higher value to get the position faster. In these cases the motor turns a bit more and corrects itself. It happens in the official app as well.

I setup a motor on servo mode bound to a joystick on the ps4 controller. If i flick the joystick to one extreme rather than it moving to the servo range value it will move in the correct direction but just never turn off. Any input on the controller doesnt change the motor from running unless i exit the screen. Hopefully that makes it clearer

[apachaihapachai]

On 12/17/2019 at 6:49 PM, imurvai said:

BrickController2 2.4 has been released for both Android and iOS.

Changes:

- Stepper motor type for Control+ devices.
- Accelerator button (and axis) type - mainly good for controlling trains
- Minor UI improvements and fixes - eg. dark mode fix for iOS

Happy playing! :)

Got this update. It broke servo functionality of PU motors. L motor fails to return to center no matter what. I guess it is the same issue markaus experiencing.

upd: downgrade to version 2.3 fixed servo issues.

Edited December 19, 2019 by apachaihapachai

[imurvai]

1 hour ago, apachaihapachai said:

Got this update. It broke servo functionality of PU motors. L motor fails to return to center no matter what. I guess it is the same issue markaus experiencing.
upd: downgrade to version 2.3 fixed servo issues.

Hmm, weird. Could anyone of you try this 2.5alpha version ? I'm trying to improve the responsiveness of the app in this update and hopefully resolves the servo functionality too.

[rm8]

At RacingBrick channel I saw that android verison work well with PU L motor as servo.

Playing with 42109 I can't make steering work right - no return to center. Is it it the problem of iOS version?