New world, new obstacles...

[richtea]

The man selling them says this about the mounting, if that's of help, Brian:
- The M4 mounting holes on the back are 32mm apart

Haven't the faintest what distance apart RAM mount bolts are, but that sounds like a good solution.

But how to attach the the bars? Do you have extra space due to the helibars?

[Phmode]

Yeah, we had that conversation before I revealed that you and I were joined at the EuroKHip.

The Sat nag mounting plate is a square steel plate on a RAM ball so I drill it to match the holes in the barbutton thingummy.

This...

https://www.motorcycleparts-hornig.com/BMW-K-1300-S/Navigation-and-Communication/GPS-Mounting.html

...goes in the inner end of the handlebar. Take off the bar end and rod it through to knock out the plastic bung in the inner end insert this and viola, a string instrument.

I have a handlebar diameter insert in the end of the right bar and my new QuadLock bar mount goes on that. Simples!

I'll send you piccies to your e-mail...

[andym2]

I've printed the front part of the case to get an idea of where/how it would fit on a K13S handlebars.

I've used ABS, which is always awkward to print, as I've found PLA goes brittle in sunlight. Has anyone tried this new PTEG stuff?

[Matt]

Aah I've yet to and probably won't try ABS as the gases scare me off.
I'm a PLA man for the most part. I tried PETG briefly a few years ago when it first appeared, with some success but eventually gave up as I didn't need its properties.

I was tempted by the PLA hybrids, which I think add... Oh who knows, but in the end my recent batch which is intended for the above mentioned telescope is all PLA from... I think prusa. My printer is the i3 mk2 original Joseph Prusa one.

The only PLA thing I've left outside was a weird bird feeder I made some years back. Basically an Easter egg turned into wire frame type affair, with a hole in side and plate for... 5 seeds. That lasted OK actually, apart from squirrels eating parts and finally the tree surgeons smashing it to pieces.

[andym2]

I've been a little distracted with other things, but have finally dug out the bag of C3's and 3d-printed a case. Has anyone else build / bought one yet?

[richtea]

Bought, built, tested, wrote the test apps, and published them so you can test yours, Andy! 

Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teazel.barbuttons_tester

Apple:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/barbuttons-tester/id6446374343




Lovely colours, eh? I've probably watched too much on-board Ducati MotoGP footage.

I've decided how to mount it - simply a cable tie + some neoprene padding. Not sure it will stay like that, but it seems the simplest method at the moment, and gets it the closest to the right handlebar:







Not actually tried the MRA beta app yet - only got the link this afternoon...

[andym2]

That's cool Richard!

Does the cable tie get in the way of the C3 board though?

What are you planning for power supply? It's a 3.3v board, so I guess it will be happy with 5v from USB, not sure about 12v+ from the battery connector though.

[richtea]

What's a C3 board? 

I'm planning on being extremely lazy and plugging it into a small power bank, which (from testing the app) lasts about 2-3 days.
But if it all works and I like it, I may need to get a bit more serious.

[andym2]

C3 is the 'Arduino' board, though it's not actually an Arduino at all. I think it would sit better in the case upside down. Sorry to disappoint any KTM fans, but the final case won't be orange.

[richtea]

Ah! I was racking my brains about which bit of the handlebars was called C3. Miles away. 

Nice colour! Go with it.

You'll need 5V, yes - 12V will pop. He has a couple of suggestions here: https://jaxeadv.com/barbuttons/barbuttons-faq/

His design (with the extra PCB) has the C3 facing up towards the buttons, but since you're doing your own button wiring I think it makes no difference.

The few things I thought about improving, but will never quite get round to:

- power supply cable. There's a USB socket on the C3 for power but his design is to solder the power connectors on. Not clear why - possibly just the space needed to house an incoming USB connector was a bit too much, but a 90 degree cable might fit in there.

- power cable routing. Two thoughts:
1) Exit hole is in the bottom of the case, but depending on your bike, exiting via the side might be better. For the K it turns out that the bottom is probably best anyway, but that was luck.
2) Better still, have the power cable exit between the two halves of the case (with a grommit to seal it against rain), and then you can break the case without have to piddle around with half of the case attached to the cable.

- the buttons. His are nice but the locking nut is quite weak, so you definitely need to glue them. His suggestion was a glue gun. I went full psyco and Araldited them. Your buttons may be better.

- getting a 12-5V transformer in there would be so sweet, but not enough room methinks.

[andym2]

Transformers don't work with DC... Wemos do a nice little DC power shield that means you can connect up to 24v, so it could go directly to the battery connector.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32790327733.html

[richtea]

Transformers don't work with DC... Wemos do a nice little DC power shield that means you can connect up to 24v, so it could go directly to the battery connector.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32790327733.html

Ah, correct - transformer is the wrong word. 'Convertor'!

[Phmode]

I've fitted a 12 - 5v USB charger thingy powered from the Sat Nag socket. Works perfectly and means it isn't on when the bike is off.

I'm also about to squeeze an on/off switch into the case so I can turn the really irritating flashing white led off when it is in navigation mode. I don't need to know it is working cos I can tell that if the nav phone is on the bike and cos it won't be most of the time, I don't need a light telling me it isn't connected. BlueTac works for now but it is, well, tacky!

[richtea]

Fitted! Well I say fitted - bodged with a cable-tie and a bit of neoprene to sit it on.
It rocks very slightly on a solid press - just enough to annoy? Not sure. Two mounting points / cable ties would fix that.

In terms of actual size and fit a few things to note:
- the 4 closest buttons are reachable with the hand still on the bar
- the 4-way pad on the right isn't. A joystick would take less space but hey, it's early days for Joost, the designer.
- the box would benefit from being maybe 2/3rds the height but that would need some serious rework to fit in all in. Lower profile buttons would also help decrease the reach.

I've also tested both Android and Apple betas of MRA Navigation Next, and Kurviger, and both work well with the buttons.

Oh, and its sunny!








Did I mention the sun?

[Matt]

That looks a beaut'!

And hurrah for sun, I had a lovely walk earlier and feel more human again.

Now, as it's always easier to modify someone else's work, your comment on fit made me wonder, would a more 'wraparound' design work, where the buttons surround the existing button unit more?

Maybe this is where those companies start that make completely custom bar button sets. If we go with the soldering-a-plenty kit and swerve the nice tidy PCB, it's up to the skill/imagination of the 3D CAD person to customise this to fit any particular bike.

Given I have size 7 hands I may look into this when I've finished: my app, the telescope, a nice sit down.

Oh. Or is it not an issue that you have to take hand from bar? I'm assuming it's less than ideal but perhaps it ain't.