[V0.8]Featherweight Interface Program for Mac (official)

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Where does the FIP and drivers for for Apple / Mac stand? This looked like it was nearly done in May 2012. Can I now buy a Raven 3 and use it with an Apple? I would be happy for now using Raven 3 default settings and reading flight data on an Apple. Any progress on making this official with Featherworks? Thanks.

Chris
 
It is not quite functional, I may release a program as a third party with no affiliation to FeatherWeight Altimeters what so ever at least until Adrian finishes moving.
 
I wish you luck. If you get it functional, I can throw out my PC. The only thing I use it for is downloading altimeter data.
 
There's always VMWare fusion! that's what I plan on using with the AltAcc 2A I have on the way as well as any other altimeters I may be acquiring... makes for a decent interim solution...
 
There's always VMWare fusion! that's what I plan on using with the AltAcc 2A I have on the way as well as any other altimeters I may be acquiring... makes for a decent interim solution...

The problem is that with windows emulators, most of them dont have USB support past keyboards and mice- the hardest thing to do is Emulate COM ports like the Raven utilizes, because they are structured differently. Sure, Its possible. but VERY hard and time consuming. and Its worse yet because it needs to be completely software driven- you can buy or make the Mac standard USB hub into a COM port without much in the way of software. BUT they are fairly expensive, and not 100% necessary. So why Use em?
 
"Expensive"? "VERY hard and time consuming"?

https://www.frys.com/product/5814543

I have one of these that works great with any serial device I've ever connected it to (and let me tell you, it's a bunch... everything from RFID readers, old Palms, industrial automation equipment, Cisco switches, and more) $19.99 isn't expensive in my book if it gets the job done. I've had this same one for nearly 5 years and it's been all over the world with me. Install was a snap, and with VMWare fusion, when you connect a USB device it immediately asks if you want to connect it to the host or the guest. This setting can even be saved so on future connections it always defaults to one or the other.
 
mdoering said:
"Expensive"? "VERY hard and time consuming"?

https://www.frys.com/product/5814543

I have one of these that works great with any serial device I've ever connected it to (and let me tell you, it's a bunch... everything from RFID readers, old Palms, industrial automation equipment, Cisco switches, and more) $19.99 isn't expensive in my book if it gets the job done. I've had this same one for nearly 5 years and it's been all over the world with me. Install was a snap, and with VMWare fusion, when you connect a USB device it immediately asks if you want to connect it to the host or the guest. This setting can even be saved so on future connections it always defaults to one or the other.

$20+$119 for windows 7 (legitimately) doesn't qualify as cheap. Besides, if the $20 isn't necessary I classify that as expensive. It's possible to do without, do why spend the money?
 
"Expensive"? "VERY hard and time consuming"?

https://www.frys.com/product/5814543

I have one of these that works great with any serial device I've ever connected it to (and let me tell you, it's a bunch... everything from RFID readers, old Palms, industrial automation equipment, Cisco switches, and more) $19.99 isn't expensive in my book if it gets the job done. I've had this same one for nearly 5 years and it's been all over the world with me. Install was a snap, and with VMWare fusion, when you connect a USB device it immediately asks if you want to connect it to the host or the guest. This setting can even be saved so on future connections it always defaults to one or the other.

I'm not sure why this USB-RS232 hardware is coming up in this thread, when the Raven uses USB. There are Mac versions of the drivers for the FTDI USB interface chip used on the Raven, just like there are for Windows.
 
There are Mac versions of the drivers for the FTDI USB interface chip used on the Raven, just like there are for Windows.
True, but with a closed protocol and a hard-to-emulate Windows program, it's tough to do anything on other platforms, as we've seen.

At one point there was talk of documenting the interface protocol; I know this would be extra work but it's likely that a cross-platform solution would be developed if this was done. I've already mostly reverse-engineered the text-formatted FIP file so I can analyze it with tools other than FIP.
 
I've already mostly reverse-engineered the text-formatted FIP file so I can analyze it with tools other than FIP.

In case you didn't know this, you can right-click in the parameter window to copy or save all of the selected data to paste into Excel or other editor. Each data series has its own time axis.
 
There's always VMWare fusion! that's what I plan on using with the AltAcc 2A I have on the way as well as any other altimeters I may be acquiring... makes for a decent interim solution...

I am not sure it would work with VM Fusion. It did not work with Paralell.
 
Well thanks for all of the discussion. It helps a lot. I am still in the camp that I would love to buy a Raven 3 but use Apple at home and am not that computer savvy. I would only use a pc and windows at home to work with the altimeter. When I see people get this to work, I will run out and buy a Raven 3.
 
$20+$119 for windows 7 (legitimately) doesn't qualify as cheap.

Heh, who buys stand-alone copies of software nowadays? Microsoft overcharges outrageously for everything anyway, $200 for a five year old copy of Windows XP, no way. You can find copies of Windows 7 online fairly easily, and I know there are more than a few students on TRF, they can get a student copy from there campus center or technology department for usually under thirty dollars.
 
My point is I want to get the FIP working on Mac for free, to bring full equality between the OS's. I know it is possible to get it working, I just need to work on the how a little bit more.
 
The FIP works fine with VMWare Fusion. I almost got rid of my Raven out of frustration with not being able to use any of the data. I needed VMWare for running some work related software with Windows 7. Regardless would be much easier if I could just use the FIP on the Mac side.
 
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Hey, I meant to stop by your place at MDRA today. oops. and Im still working on it but its getting.... interesting. Anyways I have 4 ravens now all for testing, one has been broken for a long time now tho, but ill at least update this version to work a lil better.
 
Is this still being worked on? Id love to see the mac version of FIP...

Also ive been experiencing this since loading it onto a PC laptop as of late, as well as a mac running paralells.

yes ive restarted since install. everything else seems normal. idk whats up.

genimage-1.jpg
 
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The Raven is a great product. I would have one if it were Apple compatible.
 
That is awesome if it does. It will be my next phone for sure then.
 
Agreed. It is much easier to bring my iPhone or iPad to the field than a laptop.
 
No promises, but I'm more inclined to support a bluetooth mobile app than invest in developing & supporting a Mac-based FIP, especially if that can meet the needs of users from both camps.

That would be very cool.
 
No promises, but I'm more inclined to support a bluetooth mobile app than invest in developing & supporting a Mac-based FIP, especially if that can meet the needs of users from both camps.

I wouldn't mind jumping on this train if it ever left the station.
 
No promises, but I'm more inclined to support a bluetooth mobile app...
If you supported IPhone, even over BT, you would still be looking at another development to support Android.

IMHO (and as I've said before) you'd be better off opening up the protocol and letting the community develop interface programs for platforms you didn't want to support.
 
No promises, but I'm more inclined to support a bluetooth mobile app than invest in developing & supporting a Mac-based FIP, especially if that can meet the needs of users from both camps.

Would you consider releasing the interface specs for the Raven (if not open source the FIP software itself) and let the community invest in developing, supporting and extending the software? I'm working on SW to derive EX motor performance data from the Raven. It would be great if I did not have to hassle with running FIP under windows, exporting the data as CSV, moving the CSV over to the Mac and running my SW. Just a thought.
 
I'm planning on using a Raven for my secondary on my L3, but I'm a pure mac guy.

Has anyone successfully used the PC Featherweight program with VMWare Fusion? USB connectivity can sometimes be tricky with VMWare but I don't see why it wouldn't work.
 
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