An android/IOS tablet MFD extractor that just works!
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I think (but kungfoo is the authority here) that pages that are not visible are in an idle state and not taking up bandwidth. First when you swipe and activate them do they require bandwidth. That is usually the case for at least Android apps
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I use two tablets - one for the ICP page and one for MFDs. Saves switching! I have them mounted on a mini switch panel that fits underneath my monitor.
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Though actually in this pic, it’s not showing kungfoo’s app for the ICP
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Much to my disappointment.
Jokes aside, I want to improve the ICP page in the next version. -
Hi Kungfoo,
Again, many thanks for this app.I have tried this on 3 different tablets and works on them all, in all orientations. The beauty of this app over others is it is just focused on a couple of things, ICP and MFD’s, and it does those very well in all orientations and screen sizes. This also keeps latency and complications, errors to a minimum. The more callbacks referenced, the lower the latency. What makes this the ‘killer’ app for MFD’s is the response on the MFD images and input. Please don’t compromise this for richer functionality.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, my 0.02$,
That’s really good to hear! It actually took me some time to a) figure out how to do it for both iOS and android b) with minimal latency for the (MFD) screen updates.
On the concerns about bandwidth and callback latency:
- Screens/Pages that are not visible do not take up any bandwidth.
- Callbacks are tiny messages sent to the server on an alternate ‘channel’, so those should not be affected by the number of screens displayed.
- More callbacks that tie into the sim on the other end, should not affect latency at all. Those should always be near-realtime.
- Near-realtime updates of cockpit switch states as the CMS program switch is something I still have to think about, but if I get it right, those will also not use any significant bandwidth.
I will try to find a good layout to also render the RWR and bezels and then later potentially add more buttons with switch state sync. The next version will also scale the MFDs to be as big as they can be without messing with their aspect ratio.
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It would be awesome to be able to choose where the RWR goes - personally I would want to see it at the same time as the MFDs - (specifically FCR and RWR together).
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I’d love to see this new app reproduce komurcu’s std ICP view… it’s the most comprehensive I’ve found so far, I’ll see if I can find a screenshot somewhere.
Cheers, Uwe
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……On the concerns about bandwidth and callback latency:…
Sounds like you have your finger on the pulse of whats important for the extraction. Looking forward to the updates.
By the way, someone has commented on youtube, that the APK works also with 5th gen Kindle Fire ! Amazing job Kungfoo.
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I’d love to see this new app reproduce komurcu’s std ICP view… it’s the most comprehensive I’ve found so far, I’ll see if I can find a screenshot somewhere.
Cheers, Uwe
That would be icp/ded, rwr and cms/ap/music panel?
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Hi everyone, due to a long stint abroad and other real life obligations (like moving to a new place) I have not had that much free time to dedicate to Falcon BMS Control, as I’ve wanted. But: Good news, Apple is kind of forcing my hand since the current app is not built for iOS 15, so I’ll release a new version tonight/tomorrow.
That version has pretty ‘abstract’ bezels, but for now I’ll focus on adding more core functionality rather than more eye candy. It also has a working RWR display and quite a bunch of improvements under the hood.You will find that version on the respective app stores and the github page soon. Oh, and there will be a Windows client as well, for people who own a Surface or another touchscreen laptop/tablet of sorts and want to run it there.
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Fish: Would you be opposed to me using your video on the github page? It is much better than any video I ever got.
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@kungfoo Only seeing this now Kungfoo. Absolutely no problem for you to use my video. Also Many thanks for the new update Looks absolutely great. Really like the new bezel look of the MFD’s. Touch points much easier to find, and the RWR along side the ICP is great use of available space. Good job.
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@fish44 Cool, I’ll link it on the home page then.
Up next: properly detect notch-phones and render in the safe area…
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Thank you Kungfoo for the app opportunity and Fish for the video demonstration.
The desk top MFD solution appeals to me. I’ve no experience with a tablet and have never shopped for one. I do use a Kindl so I suppose that’s somewhat similar. I’m contemplating getting a tablet to try your solution. Maybe I’ll use it to read BMS manuals when on the go. Other than that, I haven’t identified a need.
Which Android unit would you recommend for compatibility with your app and optimum performance? I examined these.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 Wi-Fi 32GB Android about $230
Fire HD 10 tablet, 10.1", 1080p Full HD, 32 GB about $150GC
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@greatcouloir I got a Lenovo M10, as a second tablet, Pretty decent spec, brand and very good price. Might throw this into the mix of options. Guess @kungfoo needs to tell you the version of android the app supports, as this will be more important than the brand of tablet.
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Playstore description tells us
Android 4.0 oder higherI had it tested on my very old 2012 Motorola xoom2 me running Android 4.4 up to a Teclast M40 running Android 11
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It should run on android 4.0 or higher. Any of the devices you listed should have way enough processing power to handle it. It will probably run on the Fire HD, but the Lenovo M10 looks like a really good contender and where I live, it is actually cheaper to acquire…
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A shout out for Kungfoo and Falcon BMS Control -
Thank you for creating and making the Falcon BMS Control application available to the community. Since my last post, I procured a 10” tablet and installed the latest version of your software. The setup was simple and trouble free as hoped. The application’s performance has been outstanding. I really like the flexibility it provides with less reliance on a mouse. I picked up a stand from Amazon that supports the tablet at the perfect location in ergonomic line of sight and just below the sim on my monitor. Another valued benefit for me is the lack of desktop clutter from cabling. What a neat, functional addition to my BMS simming setup!
I highly recommend this tool to anyone in the community looking for a no-nonsense, tactile MFD solution for DED, RWR, UFC, and MFDs. Per section 5.2 in the Technical Manual, remember to change, set g_bExportRTTTextures 0, in your config file from 0 to 1 to enable the extractions.
GC
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Thanks again for the heads-up, setup is a no-brainer and I had the tool up and running on my BMS PC & android tablet in literally less than 2 minutes.
I have a couple of questions:
o can this tool be used in a LAN environment with other bms instances running on the same network (that are running the server software part as well) or will my tablet connect to the first server instance it comes across on the network?
o are more panels on the horizon some time in the future? I’d love to be able to control the autopilot and maybe the (e)cm programs from this app as well, then I could finally make the switch from komurcu’s trusted (but buggy and no longer supported) mfd android server app.
Thanks @kungfoo for sharing your work with the community, it’s much appreciated!
All the best,
Uwe
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@hoover Using it in a LAN environment is a good question. Currently it will connect to the first server it finds, which will sure be fun for about 5 or 10 minutes of dogfight mode while you control and see your opponents radar.
I will think about a way to fix this, potentially enable the user to enter a server name or assign a unique id to each server and then let the user pick. Maybe it even needs some pairing code (like bluetooth, so people cannot ‘spy’ on your screens)
I want to add more buttons and toggles in the future, but shy away from the AP switches, since BMS does not export the current, actual state of the switches via shared mem and in my opinion, that just asking for the switches to de-sync between the clients/server and the actual cockpit.
CMS rotary will be added soon’ish, 3-4 weeks, since that state is exported to shared mem and thus, correct.