MP3Car.com - QCar http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/ en Sat, 25 May 2013 07:57:29 GMT vBulletin 1 http://www.mp3car.com/images/misc/rss.png MP3Car.com - QCar http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/ Graphic interface qcar/139519-graphic-interface.html Sun, 14 Feb 2010 12:55:51 GMT Hi,
I'm studing computer engineering. I like your app very much, but don't like the graphic interface... Is there a way to modify it?

Thanks,
Greg ]]> QCar greghy90 http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=139519 Update qcar/139383-update.html Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:58:19 GMT After quite some time, here is the update on the current state of QCar. Here is the list of available modules with functionality highlights. The... After quite some time, here is the update on the current state of QCar. Here is the list of available modules with functionality highlights.

The application
- Custom actions for plug-ins can now be registered for any key combination (with a few exceptions) so it is now easy to connect more controllers using USB overdrive and map the external controls to functions of plug-ins. An example is the dedicated "voice memo record" button in my Jeep, that triggers recording at any time, so I do not have to go thru the menu structure.

- Some improvements in the GUI, it is now easier to implement complex "dialogs", text scrolling is much smoother. Internally there is now support for gradient-filled buttons and other objects, but this is not yet exposed in setup and usable by the users.

Navigation
Is based on OpenStreet Maps, that can either be stored locally or loaded on-demand from the internet. The quality is not as consistent as is for Navteq and TeleAtlas maps, but for most of the Europe and the US it is quite good. The maps contain a lot of extra information that is not available in regular road maps (i.e. landmarks, powerlines, off-road trails, tracks etc.). The maps are converted to our own format, the size of data for whole Europe is about 22GB (Lisbon, Portugal to St. Petersburg in Russia)

We can and do use overlays for detailed topo maps. At the moment, these are bitmap-based, but the open plug-in architecture allows for vector data as well.

Unlike TeleAtlas or Navteq-based navigations, QCar navigation does display vertical situation correctly - i.e. aquaducts are aquaducsts and if there is a bridge over a motorway, it is drawn above the motorway. Try to look at this in common navigation devices. The map engine also supports drawing of 3D terrain, unfortunately we do not have a reliable source of terrain elevation data in usable resolution, so this is not visible to the user right now.

The view setup is very flexible and allows some nice features: so you can define the level of detail, color schemes etc. The map zoom can automatically be adjusted depending on the vehicle speed (in minutes of driving - ie. you always see n minutes ahead of your current position at the current speed).

We do support POIs in Garmin, GPX, KML and OV2 (TomTom) formats. There is also support for periodically updated POIs - typically locations of other vehicles, but it can also be used to distribute traffic situation or weather data.

Compass and Inclinometer
This module connects to Ocean Server's compass and gyro. It provides the information about heading, tilt and roll of the car. Tilt and roll are working fine, the compass is working, but rather difficult to calibrate in some cars.

Tracking beacon
Is more configurable now, it is primarily designed to work with GPSGate.com as tracking server. It can either update the position in real-time or it can cache the track locally and upload it once an internet connection has become available. There is now also a "private" mode that can be enabled in setup. In this mode, the user can turn the data collection and transmission off completely.

Airport module
Allows to join WiFi networks both protected and unprotected. Allows creation of an ad-hoc network. In the future, it will also be possible to join hidden networks by entering their SSID, it does not work at the moment.

Music player
There are a few minor improvements in the user interface and it is now possible to adjust the ratio between volume of music playback and the volume of standard system output (and speech feedback). We are working on a solution that would allow easier synchronization between home and car computer, including playlists and such.

Trip computer + EDC connector + System monitor
These two allow connection to our new interface board that collects and stores engine data and the total distance counter. The trip computer calculates the distance, maximum and average speed, average and total fuel consumption, the EDC connector together with System monitor can display the estimated range and fuel level.

A new version of the interface is in testing - basic functions are the same, but the unit can now work correctly in dual-fuel cars (gasoline/LPG is quite popular here).

SIP client
We have decided to replace the old telephony module (which used Bluetooth to control regular mobile phone, but had problems with talk-trhu/handsfree calling) with a module that uses SIP to make calls. We can also imagine implementing Jabber or a similar protocol in the future, but it is not a top priority.

Other modules have only been changed slightly since the last public release. Support for HQCT tuner has been dropped since it is now becoming more and more reasonable to use 3G internet for internet radio reception.

At the moment, we are working on improvements in navigation (i.e. automatic navigation to gas station on low fuel etc.) and a communication module that would allow transmissions of simple messages (short text, position updates) over radio links (i.e. shortwave, PMR, GMRS/FRS) using either low-frequency tones or DTMF-based communication protocol. One of our friends is looking into a module that would allow remote control of radio transceivers from the software.

As you can see, the emphasis is now more on cooperative functions and offroad and expedition use, but we believe the system is still quite good for regular on-road driving and in-car entertainment. ]]> QCar Jirka Jirout http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=139383 Is this project still alive? qcar/138904-is-this-project-still-alive.html Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:35:17 GMT Hi, is this project still alive? How much is the application? Greg Hi,
is this project still alive?

How much is the application?

Greg ]]> QCar greghy90 http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=138904 Navigation update qcar/130602-navigation-update.html Wed, 18 Mar 2009 09:39:38 GMT So after our problems with TeleAtlas, we have decided to go back to Navit. Although the programming is very dirty indeed, we did succeed and now we... So after our problems with TeleAtlas, we have decided to go back to Navit. Although the programming is very dirty indeed, we did succeed and now we have a full navigation solution. Some highlights are:

- Since we used Navit code, the navigation plugin will be open-source. We will however not release a single byte of code or documentation more than required by the license. No tutorials, no documentation, sorry... We do not however exclude the possibility of providing the support in return for some contribution to QCar :-)

- We have a simple stand-alone map-viewer route-planning application using the same code the plug-in uses. We will probably distribute this separately to provide a preview of the navigation functionality, but we are not yet fully decided.

- The plug-in is pretty open and abstract and as a result, it can use different maps. The default for Europe is Marco Polo Große Reiseplaner 2007 (which is bundled with many cheap GPS receivers etc), but the plug-in will also work with other map types - such as Garmin (only the old IMG), OpenStreet Maps and bitmap-based maps.

- Map layers can also be generated dynamically using our API - we will use this for POIs (in various formats) as well as "buddy tracking" or "convoy ride" functions. It can also be used to display other things (i.e. weather, speed traps) based on external sources of information.

- Maps can be switched or stacked, so is possible to display say Google Maps (online or cached) aerial imagery as a background for a vector-based Map such as MP or OSM.

- Routing is very fast even on large mapsets. Right now we have a map with major roads of Europe with detailed (street-level) maps of France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Austria. Routes are typically calculated within less than 5 seconds, very long routes (i.e. Stockholm-Marseille) sometimes take up to 10 seconds. Re-routing when off-route is more or less instant.

- The routes are pretty OK, comparable to Google Maps or TomTom. I could find slightly better routes in areas I am familiar with, but for unknown areas, the routes are good enough.

Now the weak points:
- Some turn instructions are still a bit confusing. We still have to implement the correct instructions for roundabouts for example. Right now, the instruction may be something like "Turn left on the roundabout", but without counting exits. Also some ramps and higway exits can generate confusing instructions - this only happens in "major roads" maps, not in areas covered on the street level.

- The maps are not as detailed as the newest TeleAtlas or Navteq maps. We are still talking to these two companies though and we might be able to use their data in the future (technically the application can handle this data).

- We do not have the typical "birdeye view" yet, just regular north-up and heading-up. We had a test version, but it was pretty cpu-intensive and not smooth enough. We are now checking the possibility of using CoreAnimation to do part of the necessary manipulation. We would also like to implement a full 3D terrain display, but the elevation information is not available in the common road maps, so we will have to find another solution.

I will try to place some screenshots later this week. ]]> QCar Jirka Jirout http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=130602 New plugin: GPSGate qcar/117385-new-plugin-gpsgate.html Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:03:55 GMT We have created a new plugin again. This one acts as a position source for BuddyTracker or VehicleTracker services of GPSGate.com server. The... We have created a new plugin again. This one acts as a position source for BuddyTracker or VehicleTracker services of GPSGate.com server. The position data can be submitted either in real time while the car is moving, or uploaded in batches when a fast/cheap internet connection is available.

The next step is to enable the "downlink" of information from the GPSGate and processing it on the client. The most obvious usage will of course be display of other cars (and people with GPSGate software on portable devices) on the map, but there might be more.
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]]> QCar Jirka Jirout http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=117385 <![CDATA[Customizing the look & feel]]> qcar/115976-customizing-the-look-and-feel.html Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:35:30 GMT OK, here goes some info about the possible customization. There are two levels of customization of the UI look: 1. Changing the layout, colors and... OK, here goes some info about the possible customization. There are two levels of customization of the UI look:

1. Changing the layout, colors and bitmaps of the current interface skin - this is very easy and does only require a text editor and in case of images, some sort of drawing application.

2. Complete change of the GUI. All the built-in classes that represent the user interface objects can be replaced by classes from a custom bundle. These bundles are regular Cocoa bundles and creation of them requires Xcode, knowledge of Objective C programming and our SDK, which is available on request.

For the moment, we will stick with the color, layout and bitmap customization. All the relevant files can be found inside the application bundle, typically in /Applications/QCar.app/Contents/Resources. Some bitmaps, specific to particular modules can be found in the folders of these modules, for example /Applications/QCar.app/Contents/Bundles/QCarCameraViewer.qCarModule/Contents/Resources/.

The bitmaps are stored in the Resources folder(s) as simple TIFF or PNG files. There are two kinds of bitmaps - those that have their own colors and those that are colored by the application automatically according to the color settings in preferences. The first type of the icon is a normal TIFF. The other type has the full rectangle filled with black color and the actual icon stored in the alpha channel as negative (see attachment). The images that QCar should color have "+" as the first character of the file name. You can completely replace the icons with your own by replacing the files, it is as easy as that.

The screen background can be easily overwritten by placing a file named QCarScreenBackground_AAA_BBB.png into the application bundle (TIFF should work too). AAA is the screen width and BBB is the screen height. You can also provide a separate background that should be used for night color scheme - that would be called QCarScreenNightBackground_AAA_BBB.png

The layout and color are stored in several files with filenames in the format ScreenSetup_AAAxBBB.plist or ScreenSetup_AAAxBBB_TS.plist. Files with _TS suffix are for touchscreen and generally contain the same setup, except the additional button bar at the (mostly) bottom edge of the screen. The files are standard Apple Property List files in either plaintext or ASCII XML format. You can edit them using Apple's Property List Editor or with any decent text editor (TextEdit.app is fine).

The contents of the file is self-explanatory (or at least we hope) ;-) but just to be sure, few tips:

- Any color values are expressed as strings in "R G B" format, where the color values are from 0 to 1. Therefore "0 .5 0" is a medium green color and ".18 .18 .18" is the 18% grey.

- The name of color-related key/value pairs are kind of self-explanatory, but there are too many of them and we are working on a cheat-sheet with screenshots where the areas of particular colors are marked and linked to the setup values. In the future, we will have an application for creation and editing of these files, but for now, you will have to experiment a little.

- The sizes and bounds descriptions are using the standard Cocoa coordinate system, where [0,0] is the bottom left corner of the screen and x is the first coordinate. A 32x64 pixels rectangle starting at point [4,16] is then written down as "{{4,16},{32,64}}"

- You can define any number of slots for modules and for icons in Icons and Slots. For an icon slot, you only need to specify the rectangle of the bounds, for module slot you need to give the border as well. The border is in {a, b, c, d} format, where a is the width of the frame on the bottom side, b is the right side, c is top side and d is left side of the slot.

- A workarea has Border and Frame (= bounds) and optionally can have a "Popup" key/value pair (see the 640x480 setup in the standard application bundle). If popup has value "YES", then the workarea will not be displayed until a module has been activated. If the value is "NO" or the key/value pair is not present, the workarea will always be displayed.

- SupportsMouse key/value pair determines, whether and how mouse (and therefore a touch screen) is handled. If the value is "No", then the mouse is ignored. If the value is "Yes", the mouse can be used. This key/value pair can also be used to display the buttons for the most common actions. To do so, you need to specify the edge of the screen to which the button bar should go (T,R,B or L) and the size of the buttons. "R32" for example creates a button bar 32pt wide and located at the right hand edge of the screen.

Attached is also an example of custom 800x600 setup with a little bit more civilised layout than the default one in the application.
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]]> QCar Jirka Jirout http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=115976 Some news qcar/115227-some-news.html Sun, 27 Jan 2008 20:58:19 GMT We have released a new build this week. Some of the bigger changes are: - Camera viewer module - can take a video feed from any QT-supported... We have released a new build this week. Some of the bigger changes are:

- Camera viewer module - can take a video feed from any QT-supported device and show it on the screen (in either workarea or full screen mode). It can also record the video to the disk - as a QT movie or as a sequence of images with defined fps/interval. Any available system data can be superimposed on the image. With a suitable IR camera, the module can also be used for night vision.

- HQCT control module supports HQCT eA (including power management and amplifier controls).

- Weather module is now using the final version of the icons/images

- Navigation now supports POIs with proximity alarm definable

- Phidgets connector has been improved, new module was added to process data from sensors to equalize oscillating values (i.e. fue level sensor)

- IMAP4 support for messaging

- Monitor module now supports level indicators for all values, it also supports proper logging. New "ComputerInfo" module provides monitor with system status data (temperatures, CPU load, RAM usage)

- NMEA module can now log data into .kml or .gpx files
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]]> QCar Jirka Jirout http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=115227 XM radio support qcar/110636-xm-radio-support.html Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:27:40 GMT I will be sitting in Philly the whole November, so I thought this would be a good time to work on the support for US satellite radios. Is there a... I will be sitting in Philly the whole November, so I thought this would be a good time to work on the support for US satellite radios. Is there a chance to get the receivers for a month or so without buying the boxes and the subscriptions? ]]> QCar Jirka Jirout http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=110636 Navigation features qcar/110635-navigation-features.html Fri, 26 Oct 2007 11:21:38 GMT So it has been rather quiet in the last weeks. We have been very busy and now have the first version of real no-BS navigation plug-in. It is using... So it has been rather quiet in the last weeks. We have been very busy and now have the first version of real no-BS navigation plug-in. It is using TeleAtlas data, but in principle can use maps from other sources as well.

Now we are looking for some features, that are not available on other navigation systems and I would like to know your ideas. Here are mine:

We will definitely have a very good support of POIs, including contact information and integration with other parts of QCar (i.e. we will be able to go to a website or dial a number associated with the POI).

Same will be true for Address book and possibly iCal as well - we want to be able to use person's address as destination or plan a route along day's events (provided the location is specified in some usable format).

If we find the data reliable enough, we will have some sort of warning for when the car approaches or exceeds the speed limit at its current position.

Installations with fuel monitoring will be able to warn about low fuel and guide the driver to the nearest gas station.

We also have the option of working with a remote map server, that can be used in a situation where the car is located in an area for which the map is not installed on the hard drive. Kind of like the Goolge Maps solution, but this will be real map data, so the map can rotate, zoom in/out without complete reload etc.
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]]> QCar Jirka Jirout http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=110635 Adding a feature to Video Player Module qcar/108898-adding-a-feature-to-video-player-module.html Mon, 17 Sep 2007 18:17:13 GMT Would it be feasible to add the ability for the movie player module to play Video_TS files? Would it be feasible to add the ability for the movie player module to play Video_TS files? ]]> QCar travisroy74 http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=108898 User interface examples qcar/108380-user-interface-examples.html Wed, 05 Sep 2007 11:13:44 GMT In this thread, we will post some examples of the interface, that we developed for QCar. Unlike many front-ends, QCar is not primarily designed for a... In this thread, we will post some examples of the interface, that we developed for QCar. Unlike many front-ends, QCar is not primarily designed for a touch screen (although it does support it), but for a rotary controllers of which 3Dconnexion's SpaceNavigator is our favourite.

Here is a short movie, demonstrating use of the controller:
[media]http://www.qcar.nl/movies/SpaceNavigatorUsage.avi[/media]

And here a somewhat longer movie, showing the overal interface look and the most common activities (music and movie playback, text entry etc.)
[media]http://www.qcar.nl/movies/QCar-interface.avi[/media] ]]> QCar Jirka Jirout http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=108380 Introduction qcar/108291-introduction.html Mon, 03 Sep 2007 18:53:24 GMT QCar is a Mac OS X front-end, based on the older TatraApp, whose development started back in 2002. It is written using Objective C language and Cocoa... QCar is a Mac OS X front-end, based on the older TatraApp, whose development started back in 2002. It is written using Objective C language and Cocoa framework and is very open. The main application provides environment for modules, that can then implement the functionality for the user. The modules are standard Cocoa bundles and can communicate with the application or with each other (using notification). The application also creates an abstract layer between modules handling connections to particular hardware devices and modules that process or display the values from these devices.

The whole application can be controlled using basic 4 actions that can be mapped to various controls. We prefer 3Dconnexion Space Navigator, but we can also use any mouse with a scroll wheel, steering wheel buttons or a touch screen (although we do not like touch screens at all).

At the moment, there are following modules available:

QCar - service module, that handles some layout-related functions, sound control (volume, fade, balance), sleep, ejection of removable media etc.

Music player - can play all formats supported by QuickTime, including DRM-protected files from Apple store. It uses iTunes library and can also play tracks from an attached mass storage device.

Movie player - similar to Music player, also QuickTime based and supporting all QT formats.

Navigation - there are actually two navigation modules. One reads pre-planned routes from a kml file and displays the position using Google Maps, the other one is a full navigation module, based on TeleAtlas or Navteq maps (depending on region).

Tracking beacon - this module sends the position info to a tracking server ,which can then visualize the car movements (using GoogleMaps or similar services).

Car monitor - configurable module, that can display information about temperatures, battery (voltage, current) etc.

Phidgets connector - module that handles connection to Phidgets boards. We use these boards to monitor car's basic sensors and also to control the software using steering wheel buttons (in our Saab and Range Rover). It can also be used to connect Sony joysticks to the computer.

SpaceNavigator - our own driver for the SpaceNavigator. We can use all the axes and buttons without relying on 3rd party software. Sensitivity, dead zone, repeat speed - this can all be customized in the settings of this module.

NMEA connector handles connections to NMEA-compatible GPS receivers - USB, serial, Bluetooth... Can also display some basic information such as current position, speed, satellite status etc. It is the primary source of the information about the car's position, used by some other modules.

OBD connector - this module can read basic OBDII info that can later be displayed using the car monitor module. However we do not like OBDII that much and prefer our own EDC01 board connected directly to car's sensors and fuel injection controls.

Stop watch - regular stop watch with two lap times and instant reset (reset & run)

POP3 &*IMAP4 - these modules connect to remote mail servers and retrieve mail.

Messaging - a module that displays the messages received from various sources (e-mail, SMS). It can browse the messages, mark them as read, delete them or read them aloud using built-in speech synthesis.

Voice memo recorder - a simple audio recorder

Power manager - module that handles wake-up and sleep controls. It can work with P1900 PSU + Phidgets board or (preferred setup) with a P2140 PSU which it controls directly over USB.

Although QCar as such is a closed-source commercial product, the module API is fully documented and exposed and modules can easily be written using Xcode and QCar SDK.

Modules that we are working on:
Phone control connector for Bluetooth phones, will also be able to simulate handsfree so the calls can be made using computer's audio devices (and eventually recorded if desired).

Video recorder - just waiting for Leopard and improved QuickTime APIs

VoIP/SIP module - module itself is no big deal, but the availability of mobile internet connection, usable for VoIP is still not that good, so it is a rather low priority.

Navigation II The improved navigation module should also allow transmissions of position between two or more QCars.

Mail module - at the top of the current functionality, this module should allow us to send e-mails. Either common mails, typed on a keyboard, or mails with recorded voice memo's as attachments.


Demo of QCar (fully functional, but quits after 10 minutes) can be downloaded from http://www.qcar.nl/ ]]> QCar Jirka Jirout http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=108291 TatraApp is dead, here comes QCar qcar/91927-tatraapp-is-dead-here-comes-qcar.html Sat, 09 Dec 2006 13:58:25 GMT So here it comes. Based on 4 years of experience with TatraApp, we have decided to re-write our front-end application from scratch and created the... So here it comes. Based on 4 years of experience with TatraApp, we have decided to re-write our front-end application from scratch and created the QCar.

The concept is stil the same - a host application, providing API and environment for plug-ins or modules, that implement particular functionality. Here is the list of new stuff in the main application:

- completely screen size-independent. It is possible to define different layouts of the user interface, with different sizes of the slots. Depending on the size, the main area for activated slot can either be displayed permanently or can only be brought up on request. We tested the application with different screens, 640x480, 800x480, 800x600, even 480x640 (portrait mode). The display calibration can also compensate distortion (i.e. when feeding 800x600 signal into an 800x480 wide screen).

- skinnable. All the classes representing user interface elements are stored in a separate bundle. By changing the bundle, it is easy to completely change the whole look of the application. Multiple skins can be installed at the same time and switched by the user.

- the interface is primarily designed for rotating controllers such as PowerMate or NuLOOQ, but the application also has full support for touch screen.

- much improved internet connectivity. No annoying system error messages, automatic switching between different network connections.

And we will have some new functions in modules as well:
- Bluetooth phone control has been significantly improved. We will most probably have handsfree-calling function as well

- AM/FM Radio, including RDS and TMC - thanks to our Belgian neighbours for great HQCT unit!

- XM and Sirius radio support will be added during Q2 2007

- Navigation - including simplified scroller- and touchscreen-friendly user interface, turn-by-turn instructions and voice output

- The speech synthesis will work for English, French, German, Dutch, Italian and Spanish (although I admit we have few issues with determining the language in setups which are supposed to support more languages at a time.

- OBD II monitoring, including data logging, at first for ELM-chip based devices only

- Support generic NMEA-based GPS receivers (including Bluetooth)

- MP3 Player no longer uses iTunes application, however it does use the iTunes library, including iPod support. Unlike the old player, which only supported playlists, the new version supports iPod-like browsing, direct track selection, loop mode etc.

- Improved online services modules (weather, traffic info, webcams)

- voice memor recorder

- as soon as Leopard has been released, we will also support video capture using iSight or any other DV camera attached to the computer.

And now the not-so-good news ;-) It won't be open source and in most cases it won't be free. We will be releasing an SDK, including detailed documentation and there will also be some demo within a month. Detailed licensing conditions will be released in the beginning of January.

If someone with good knowledge of Cocoa is willing to give us hand, just pm or mail me, we can see whether we can work something out.
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]]> QCar Jirka Jirout http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=91927