Regarding Tablets

[AntrimMan]

photos posted by both wymbly1971 and pinelanerider:
Gen 1 S10 with 8 inch tablets, appreciated, and the device mentioned by Tabasco also coincidentally an 8 inch model. All reasonably capable and affordable.
An 8 inch display seems to be an appropriate complement for the Gen 1 gauge pod and a reasonable increase over the current 5 inch Duraforce Pro.
Between available 8 inch models, when needs and wants are written down on paper, it's difficult to see how the $700 price difference, low end to high end, is justified for motorbike use.
On the one hand BRIGHTNESS, on the other hand $700 BUCKS. Remember what I said about thrifty? Draw your own conclusion
The common missing feature on a $200 rugged tablet is wireless charging. The simplicity of slap-it-in-place-and-go combined with protection against elements intrusion will be missed.
Once upon a time I became stranded by electronic ignition module failure on a motorbike passing through the very heavy traffic jam at an art festival. I didn't own a cell phone. After exploring the options I asked a passerby to call a number to summon transportation for me and the bike. Yeah sure but dude you should get a cheap burner just for situations like this. My reply in question form was where exactly is the adventure in that? Here I am today complaining about missing wireless charging on a very reliable adventure bike. Times have changed.
A $200 tablet is in my future. It'll do nicely. I'll post pics when installed.
All the best.

 

[Wymbly1971]

AntrimMan....definitely interested in what you come up with, mounting, etc. I'd be silly to think that what I have will last forever. Magnetic cable or wireless charging would be really great, but the fact is this tablet will run 5, 6, 7 hours? ...unplugged.

PineLanRider. I also use DND2 at times...love it actually. Were you able to figure out how to get the bikes parameters (temps, RPM, etc) to work? I have been thinking a Bluetooth dongle (ODBLink, for example) hooked to the diagnostic port, but after some research it seems the Gen 1 bikes won't broadcast that info? There's a Yamaha-OBDII cable issue? Or there isn't an OBDII that'll translate the Gen 1 code?

 

[TenereGUY]

Pinelander,
Just rode through the Roosevelt park in October. Good info thanks.

 

[PineLaneRider]

AntrimMan....definitely interested in what you come up with, mounting, etc. I'd be silly to think that what I have will last forever. Magnetic cable or wireless charging would be really great, but the fact is this tablet will run 5, 6, 7 hours? ...unplugged.

PineLanRider. I also use DND2 at times...love it actually. Were you able to figure out how to get the bikes parameters (temps, RPM, etc) to work? I have been thinking a Bluetooth dongle (ODBLink, for example) hooked to the diagnostic port, but after some research it seems the Gen 1 bikes won't broadcast that info? There's a Yamaha-OBDII cable issue? Or there isn't an OBDII that'll translate the Gen 1 code?

No luck with OBD for our Gen 1 S10s.

 

[AntrimMan]

AntrimMan....definitely interested in what you come up with, mounting, etc. I'd be silly to think that what I have will last forever. Magnetic cable or wireless charging would be really great, but the fact is this tablet will run 5, 6, 7 hours? ...unplugged.

PineLanRider. I also use DND2 at times...love it actually. Were you able to figure out how to get the bikes parameters (temps, RPM, etc) to work? I have been thinking a Bluetooth dongle (ODBLink, for example) hooked to the diagnostic port, but after some research it seems the Gen 1 bikes won't broadcast that info? There's a Yamaha-OBDII cable issue? Or there isn't an OBDII that'll translate the Gen 1 code?

finally have a prototype, still some finishing needed but good enough to do some testing with.

Super Tenere Tablet GPS
Primary Goals: to provide enlarged GPS display for enhanced visibility while maintaing all of the other standard Android smart phone offerings.
I went in many directions ultimately remembering to follow the kiss principle. This meant negating some wants and ignoring some others.
Less parts equals higher reliability, don't solve nonexistent problems.

Tablet: Ulefone Armor 8 inch Android 12




Mount: home grown





Pros:
tablet is IP68/IP69K & MIL-STD-810H
power button and programmable button located on upper left bezel when USB type C charging port is adjacent to Tenere power outlet
8 inch tablet fits between Madstad brackets
tablet bezel has 4 plastic retention pockets moulded into the hard rubber compound
larger display vs DuraForce Pro
implementation blocks as little as possible of the cluster and the forward view
mount allows display tilting about X axis
mount mates with 7/8 inch cylindrical cross bar

Cons:
tablet is 4G but not 5G capable
tablet is not wireless charging capable
tablet is not waterproof while charging
mount does not swivel about Z axis
mount does not swivel about Y axis
mount is device specific, not universal
mount is non locking

Testing results from one sunny 70°F afternoon ride on springtime NorthEast paved back roads and up to the interstate speed limit:
Reflections with a glossy display, yes there are reflections.
The visual distraction is substantial if the glossy display is tilted to allow the sky to reflect. It becomes a battle of brightness, the sun will always win. Think about driving past a stand of trees back lit by the sun, shadow-bright, shadow-bright, shadow-bright. Makes it hard for old slow eyes to choose the correct aperture.
However, if the display is properly tilted to reflect only the riders thorax then the brain can better filter out the more constant reflection. Or so it seems to me.
Fat riders benefit by filling more of the display, I can't speak for skinny people. Let's eat.

Display stability is excellent with the Madstad brackets and home grown (gen 1) stabilizers. No mount slippage, set it once and forget about it.

GPS on the larger display is excellent for old eyes. I admit I do use granny readers inside the helmet otherwise everything near is not clearly focused.
Battery usage after a 3 hour 45 minutes continuous ride estimates to approximately 12 hours available from a full charge. That's GPS on, at 90% brightness, 4G on, location on, bluetooth on, Cardo connect on and about an hour of streamed music. 58% start minus 28% end = 30% used. 100/30 = 3.33. 3.75 hours x 3.33 = 12.5. YMMV. The display is plenty bright for me on a sunny day. In all fairness to competitive tablets I have no experience to compare with.

Thoughts:
An 8 inch tablet is the appropriate size for my use in this application.
This tablet is more than twice as heavy as the DuraForce Pro it replaces.
Consider tablet weight when choosing or designing a suitable mount.
I thought I was going overboard with the cross bar clamps. Probably not.
Any tablet mount needs to minimize the rotational moment, closer to the cross bar with less degrees of freedom is better than needing constant adjustment.
The Ulefone tablet is a hard to beat value as an entry tablet for my use. The 4G thing bothers me as being planned obsolesence but that's the price of progress.
The retention pockets are a big plus. If the tablet could be charged through the uSmart connector it would be nearly perfect.






Costs:
Ulefone Armor 8 inch ruggedized tablet $US 179.
GPS software for Android yearly $US 9.99
Solid Works for makers yearly $US 48.
A handful of SS screws $US 6.
Some radiused endmills $US 48.
Answering 'hey man, where did you get that mount?' PRICELESS.