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https://github.com/espruino/BangleApps/i­ssues/1383

Yes, it is that issue.

What app are you using to use the GPS on a Bangle JS2.

gpsrec
set to record a point every 3 seconds (because with Bangle JS1 that was the presumed interval that the old banglerun app used to make it comparable).

What are your expectations ?

Expecting that: Accuracy is on par with Bangle JS1, my smartphone or in the range of the 2.5m precision as I remember reading in the technical specs for the new chip. (This seems possible from the satellites, urban and weather conditions as BangleJS1 and my mobile can do it in the same track.)

What are your observations ?

Testing is mainly done outside away from buildings.
Accuracy is off more than 2.5 meters, sometimes a lot, the picture of @BillM above is comparable in parts.
Comparison with maps from the Bangle JS1 and my smartphone show that more precision is possible with the satellites.

Conclusion: We either have a GNSS chip that is significantly less accurate than others, or there are missing settings that could be tuned.

@HughB my problem is that GPS accuracy is lacking for me. So the question how could I help to debug the situation. I've thought this script could make my problem report more detailed, but I had no quick idea how to run it, when being on the road.

Ah, okay a customized app means an app that wants to ask me something when I install it. I'll check over the weekend.

@Gordon thanks for sharing your experiences and hints. I agree that there are people that report having a good experience with Bluetooth on GNU/Linux. However that was not my experience. I did try the command line, two different GNU/Linux distributions, building a new kernel driver and so on, looking at various howtos. So there are some factors which are making a difference. Maybe it is the version of Linux (the kernel - I had a rather old ones). However it stopped being fun investigating.

What I don't do is using the proprietary build of Chromium, and this would be strange if they had some proprietary stuff in there making Bluetooth better and not being in the source code.

Haven't customised an app as far as I remember (or how would I have done that?) Thanks for the hint, I'll lookout for it.

With my Bangle.js 2 I have the strange effect that the app webapp works fine, but shows one more app for updating than it does update. So when updating all, there is still one app on display. When pressing the button for updating, it says that it does not have something to update.

(It is not a problem, mainly cosmetics, still though you may want to know.)

@Niko I share your pain, my attempts of getting a bluetooth dongle to work never made it to "works reliably". I stepped back from it and I use an old lineageOS tablet now.

I've freshly bought three different usb bluetooth dongles in May 2021. One has a Broadcom BCM20702A0, but https://github.com/winterheart/broadcom-bt-firmware/ shows that Broadcom stopped security support a few years ago.

The other was a "Qualcomm CSR8510" as recommended, but still had problems. This one I need to retest, because Chromium was acting strangely.

Then there is a edimax BT-8500, which came with code for a kernel module and then was most promissing.

So I believe there are multiple reasons for the problems:

1. bluetooth complexity
   
2. consumers being very price sensitive and just buy cheapest, so vendors produce cheaply.
   
3. Chromium (which is the codebase for Chrome) not really putting a focus on this.
   
4. Not enough funding/development power for GNU/Linux Bluetooth support
   

about what to use their old Bangle.js 1 for, and I'll start a forum post (and maybe a page on the website) about this.

Did you get around starting the topic? (I had a brief look but did not find it.)

How can the script be used for an outdoor trip?

To follow up, with AGPS and GPS I'm getting a fix, so that problem is solved for good.
(Using AGPS for "GPS only".)

However precision is still bad. A lot more than the sprecified 2.5m. In at least four attempts.
(I've heard that the number of satellites used affects precision, which sounds plausible, so those problems maybe connected. Guess I'll have to use @HilmarSt 's script to get more debugging info.)

On precision, in my few attempts with running the GPS with banglejs2 I've noticed the same problem as with banglejs1: the precision of the running app is wrong. (https://github.com/espruino/BangleApps/issues/761)

I've tuned the measuring intervall to be the same (3 seconds) in the GPS recorder and I've compared the caclculation of the gps rec with the calculation of an external app after download the coordinates. From my view there is a defect in the Run app calculation which is not the snowflake effect nor the a missing next point prediction filter (like kalman). If it was one of the two things, it would have shown in the external summing up of the distance as well.

Here the Banglejs2 I have, also has GPS problems:

a) Getting a fix is hard. Running for about 3.5 hours, I've got the fix only after 2.5 hours or so.

 Another day with the same watch (that had the fix once from the first run) I could not get a fix outdoors within an hour. (All clear sky.)  And also not during a walk. (At least I think it wasn't a fix, because GPS Recorder did not record anything in the second track.)

b) The accurracy of the track is lower than expected. I've used GPS Recorder with 3 seconds intervall and I have sometimes been ten meters or more off. The GPS on the Banglejs1 was much more reliable (yes, I know a different chipset).

Meanwhile I had time to disassemble the watch. There were no signs of wear or missalignment. Pressing the actual button directly did not work for BTN2 (whereas it works for BTN1 and BTN3).

The dis- and reassembly worked well with the instructions of the video.

Before disassembly after picking up the watch, I'd gotten one BTN2 click where the watch responded. I could not replicate this. Conclusion: There is a hardware problem.

@Gordon thanks for the wonderful support! As I am in for the Banglejs 2 crowdfunding, my intention is to donate the broken Banglejs 1. I'll reply to your email about how to do this.

Can you feel a physical 'click' when you press the button in?

@Gordon
Yes, though I mean to hear an additional soft rattle, that isn't there with the other two buttons.

I've bought the watch from https://www.berrybase.de/neu/espruino-bangle.js-smartwatch?c=2478 so I guess they'll be the first contact to handle a replacement/fix. For the fun of it, I'll probably peek inside during a quiet hour.

Thanks for your support!

BTN2.read() is always false.

E.reboot() reboots, but did not change the behaviour.

As I have removed all apps and reinstalled only a few (that should match the original ones), I only have the morphing clock installed.

So what is the conclusion: That the second button is broken on the hardware side?
(It is a bit strange that it falls together with me using the watch the first time in several weeks.)

Any suggestions?

To expand my question: is there a way to diagnose if BTN2 is physically working and getting the signal to the software, maybe via the development web console?

@Tx thanks for your suggestion! I've tried turning already without success and I'll try again.

Here is a Bangle.js 1 watch where the button BTN2 does not do anything.
It has firmware 2v09. A few things were tried already, see below.

As BTN2 does not work, so is there a way to flash the firmware without using BTN2?

Is there a different way to reset or hard reset?

Anything else I should try to get BTN2 working again?

Symptoms

• Pressing on BTN2 does not wake up the clock.
  
• Does not go into the menu, when pressed short or long, or repeatetly.
  
• Does not initiate reset or reset into flashing when pressing to gether with BTN1.
  
  

History

BTN2 was working so far. Flashed to 2v09 and BTN2 was also working.

Watch wasn't used much for a few weeks and wasn't switched off, so it is assumed that the battery ran completely low. It did charge fine and came up. Since then BTN2 is not working, and I think the watch could also not be resetted.

Can connect. Updated all apps. Also tried to reinstall to default apps, this got me a few errors and got stuck. Then erased all apps and installed bootloader, morphing clock, menu and so on. Holding BTN3 reloads, but not reset and no working BTN2.