Preparing a new phone
Associate the phone with a Google user account mbariengineer@gmail.com - see Tom O'Reilly for the password.
If you plan to use the IOIO board, download the IOIO Hardware Tester app from Google Play; this app is very useful for trouble-shooting, allows you to verify that the IOIO board is connected to your phone and functional.
If you plan to use the Drifter app's automatic reboot capability, you must first ""root" the phone.
If you plan to use a SPOT Connect modem with the app, you must "pair" the phone with the specific SPOT modem it will connect to. If you must replace the SPOT for any reason, then you must pair the phone with the new SPOT. See the "Pairing" section of the SPOT Connect user manual.
Eventually we'll put the Drifter app on a server such as Google Play to allow easy over-the-air installation. Until then you should bring the phone to developer O'Reilly, who has the required development tools to install the app on a phone. Before bringing the phone to O'Reilly, you can (1) Enable app installation from non-Google sources: System->Security->Unknown Sources and (2) Enable USB debugging: System->Developer Options->USB debugging
Configuration and power
The Android 'Drifter' app can be configured to log various sensors and use various telemetry channels. Many if not most deployment scenarios provide a limited amount of power to run the phone - e.g. external batteries. Unless you are lucky enough to have the phone plugged into an AC adapter, consider the following power-saving tips.
Consider powering off the following, depending on your deployment needs:
- WiFi - if you are not using WiFi for telemetry, disable
- Cell radio - if you are not using cell network for telemetry via email or SMS, put phone into 'airplane mode'
- GPS - turn off if you don't need to log GPS (SPOT Connect provides GPS)
- BlueTooth - turn off unless you are using SPOT Connect for telemetry, or acquiring data from Bluetooth-serial instruments
Consider disabling the following to avoid excess power use:
- Disable Google Play notification and diable auto-update - I would expect the phone wouldn't try in airplane mode, but just in case:
Open Google Play: Press menu, select Settings - Disable auto-sync - I would expect the phone wouldn't try if in "airplane" mode, but just in case:
System settings -> Accounts & sync ; slide switch at top of screen to "off" - Disable mobile data:
System settings -> Data usage; turn mobile data switch "off"
Also, you should set the screen timeout to the lowest defined value, since the phone will be unattended
most of the time (the phone screen may occasionally turn on, e.g. when charge flows though the USB port).
The Drifter app can use the MBARI "Wakey" board to manage power to attached instruments and modems. If you are using Wakey, then select Configuration->Power Management -> Use Wakey Controller.
