rsbmg

Can you elaborate on this? I'm looking into getting a Nexus 7 soon. Thanks

Mark Doiron

The 2013 is a great device, please don't misunderstand. I just found the GPS on the 2012 to be more reliable. I was one of the day one purchasers of the 2013 Nexus 7 (the day before release I just happened to drop my 2012 and break the screen for the second time!!! so I knew the cost and hassle of repair was not much different than just buying a new one outright). I suffered the GPS problems that plagued the 2013 versions early on. Even after Google released the Android OS fix, the GPS still seemed ... uncertain. So, I went out and bought yet another Nexus 7--a 2012 again. And it works wonderfully! I gave the 2013 to my son and he loves it, but he has commented that though he doesn't use GPS much, it does seem less reliable than his phone (Nexus 5).

Also, I prefer the headset connector on the same side as the power/USB connection when it's mounted in the Jeep. On the 2013, they are on opposite sides, which is a little awkward using my TabTite RAM mount.

Bottom line: Either device provides amazing capability in a Jeep. The 2012 Nexus 7 isn't quite as powerful as the 2013, but it's really not noticeable for Jeeping. And, they can still be found for quite a bit lesser money than the 2013s. Get whatever one you prefer, but I prefer the 2012.

Mark Doiron

I have noticed that sometimes the maps take a long time to download. Be patient. A time or two I've restarted the entire process when it's been hung up at some percentage for many, many minutes. I'm not certain, but I think once you start downloading the maps, you shouldn't select any more maps for download. I don't know if it's my imagination or a real bug, but I had a problem on the Big Bend trip with maps because I thought they were all downloaded, but they weren't. Once we got to Panther Junction and had Wi-Fi, I repeated the download and my maps worked fine after that.

GPS is GPS. It uses satellites for navigation. Android can use other means, such as Wi-Fi, to determine positions. But, Backcountry Navigator is using the GPS signal. If the GPS signal is unreliable (see my post above about the 2013 Nexus 7), then Backcountry Nav will be unreliable. It may be helpful to download an app that displays the status of the GPS--satellites seen, locked, Lat-Long, etc. Torque Pro also has a screen that displays this information.

Black2013JK

Thanks for the response. I will spend some more time with it and hopefully resolve the issues and concerns I had with it. I'm planning on going out to another area this weekend I haven't been to and will hopefully have things squared away by then. I may try and borrow a GPS as well though to make sure I am all squared away. I have been doing a lot of exploring lately alone and want to know where I'm at and what is ahead of me. This is more overlanding than wheeling or rock crawling as I've been on good county roads but the area I have been in is completely unknown to me.

Also, are you just using a USB to cigarette outlet charger or are you using the USB port in the center console?

Thanks again.

Arctic Blue

Mark, I just thought it'd be nice to log the jeeps info to see when and where the engin was working hardest, had most and least power, toque, where tempsnincrease and decrease etc. Maybe not as needed for the jeep application but thought it'd be nice and get the most out of the app as I could. Am I wrong? Unnecessary?

Or am I looking at this wrong...and torque app is merely an instant data display and nothing more useful on it?

Could I have my phone set up for logging & gps and tablet for display purposes at the same time?

Anyone chime in too!

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk

rsbmg

Thanks Mark.

ShawnInPaso

The current version of TP will capture the data and display it as you describe.

Arctic Blue

But HOW????? I can only get it to capture two variables and only for 30 seconds. Wtf?!?!?!?

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk

Mark Doiron

Not for me to say. Was just curious what you were up to. I should think that you should be able to display BCN topo maps, log your track in BCN, and log the data that Torque Pro is capturing. Not sure why it's not working for you. Just for grins, if I get a chance I may play with all of that and see what I can get to work.

Mark Doiron

Having an '07, I have no USB port in the center console. But, I have two cigarette lighter outlets in the lower part of the front, center dash. One is switched, the other is direct to the battery. I have an adapter (link is provided above) that provides two X 2.1 amp USB ports.

You need lots of power for the tablets or it will use battery power faster than it can accept charging power. On top of that, Apple kind of screwed things up in the USB power port business because in their devices they deviated from the USB standard. The USB standard says that a power USB port (as opposed to a data USB port) needs to have two pins shorted (IIRC, 5 and 6). If these pins aren't shorted, then the port is a data port and can only deliver a few hundred milliamps of power. That means very slow charging rate. Apple told all of the USB port manufacturers that they would take care of shoring these pins in their devices, so the port manufacturers didn't need to short them in the port itself. Now, that would seem to make it possible to connect up a high current device to a data port and demand high current. But, because Apple controls their ecosystem so tightly, they somehow prevent that.

So, what's the problem for us Android users? Well, everyone out there, just about, is making their products suitable for Apple devices. So, you buy a 2.1 amp USB charger, and you think you're drawing 2.1 amps, but the darned thing takes forever to charge. Because pins 5 and 6 aren't shorted in it, and your device thinks it's plugged into a data port, and puts itself into a low charge rate mode. In the case of your Nexus 7, that means it discharges faster than it charges while you're using it in your Jeep.

Solution: The charger I linked above. Plug into the NA (non-Apple) port and your device should stay charged. I do turn off unnecessary features (Wi-Fi, auto update, etc), and I never have to charge my Nexus 7. I put about 50-100 miles on my Jeep each week (I'm retired), carrying the Nexus 7 (for music mostly) and it stays at high 90s% charge without ever plugging it in at home.