Looking at ways to measure run speeds and jump heights, I came across the Xensr case for iphone 4/4S. Don't know if its still manufactured or whether
they made one for the iphone 5. Either way it looks like a great idea. Is there any better options out there?
There's a thread on kiteforum... don't think the guys used it yet though.shaggs2riches - 15-12-2013 at 09:09 PM
I haven't upgraded from iPhone 4S-iPhone 5 so I'm thinking of sweet talking my wife into letting me get one this winter. I'm really curious just how
high I am actually jumping, verses what I am perceiving. Kamikuza - 16-12-2013 at 04:49 AM
Yeah, ditto. I have a Garmin GPS that should do it, but once again it's a matter of getting around to it :bisou:indigo_wolf - 16-12-2013 at 06:37 AM
Yeah, ditto. I have a Garmin GPS that should do it, but once again it's a matter of getting around to it :bisou:
Problem with the Garmin and most other GPS is that vertical error can be fairly high due to the way it is calculated.
From the Garmin site:
How accurate is the GPS elevation reading?
GPS heights are based on an ellipsoid (a mathematical representation of the earth's shape), while USGS map elevations are based on a vertical datum
tied to the geoid (or what is commonly called mean sea level). Basically, they are two different systems, although they have a relationship that has
been modeled.
The main source of error has to do with the arrangement of the satellite configurations during fix determinations. The earth blocks out satellites
needed to get a good quality vertical measurement. Once the vertical datum is taken into account, the accuracy permitted by geometry considerations
remains less than that of horizontal positions. It is not uncommon for satellite heights to be off from map elevations by +/- 400 ft. Use these values
with caution when navigating.
+/-400 ft would give you some very interesting results if you are using it to measure boosts while kiting. :o
Regarding Xensr, it seems like a bit of planned obsolescence to tie the design into the case rather that shuttling the readings to the phone via
Bluetooth.
Not sure if Xensr development stalled because they failed to meet their Kickstarter goal of $100,000 or whether they got funding elsewhere. They had $5,203 worth of pledges before time ran out.
More expensive, but not tied to iPhone version, I believe the Recon goggles measures jump height.
Likewise, not sure if they found other funding. I did like the fact that it was an external device linked to you phone via Bluetooth, and multiple
devices could feed there date to a single iPhone/tablet/android device.
Depending on how much accuracy you need, there are software only solutions that use the iPhones builtin accelerometers.
Plyo Coach ($0.99) useless for kites in single jump mode, so the limiting factor would be how much of a history it keeps and how large a window
you can enable.
Jump Meter ($0.99) - This app lets you measure the height of your jumps, record and plot the data to see how your jump heights change over time.
Great for basketball fans and as a tool to measure your training progress.
One of the projects that was actually sucessfully funded on Kickstart was Trace by Active Replay. They had a fairly reasonable goal of $150,000 and
received $161,260 in pledges on September 14. Orders will be fulfilled from January to March 2014.
OK.... here comes the part that stings a bit. As an early adopter, Trace cost $99 (early adopter) to $149. Since they are now funded, standard
pricing is now in effect at $169. However, I expect they will be filling orders for their backers first.
We're shipping XensrCases's for iPhone right now - we can deliver before Christmas if you get your orders in by Wednesday. ;-)
As for the obsolete comment - yes. Apple threw us for a loop with the phone change when we launched, but we have something new to show everyone at CES
in a few short weeks.
GPS is terrible for any sort of accurate jump measurements. There's just too much noise in the system - Indigo_wolf is correct in what he posted.
I can talk about competitor's products because we've tested them all against our system, and while I'd rather not talk poorly about them, I can
factually state that we are more accurate in jumps, drops, airtime, speed and raw movement measurement. Aside from better hardware, our firmware does
more than just spit out raw data - we give you processed data with the measurements you want.
Unlike many of the devices out, or coming out, we're the only one thats been tested with kites from the beginning. You can also use your Pebble with
your XensrCase to track your jumps/stats. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIY_lPRRPXo
At any rate - if you have questions, ask away! If you're in Vegas for CES, stop by our booth. Or if you happen to be in Cape Town for the Red Bull
King Of The Air, come say hi as all the competitors will be using our product.
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