Following last month’s Kobo/GPS/XCSoararticle, here are a few lessons learned.These will be especially relevant for thoseembarking on a self-build unit.

By far the most common issue encounteredis what people refer to as ‘bricking a Kobo’.The phrase is unfairly harsh, as all thathas happened is the software or data onthe Micro SD card has become corrupted.The software/data is easily recovered, justlike any computer system; this is coveredfurther below. The corruption typicallyhappens during the initial load of theXCSoar software/data, either because thesoftware or data is copied to an incorrectdirectory, or the ‘write’ of the data to theKobo’s Micro SD card fails (the UK map fileis particularly large at 18MB). From theKobo/XCSoar forums worldwide it is evidentthat this happens occasionally. Fromaround 100~150 Kobo/XCSoar builds in thesouth-west UK, I know of around six caseswhere this has happened.

The second most prevalent issue seems tobe damaging the GPS chip. Physical damageto the contacts that the wires are solderedto is the common issue. I have heard of twocases out of around 100~150 builds wherethis has occurred.

There have been a few cases of physicaldamage to completed units. Unsurprisingly,treading on the unit doesn’t do it any good!Neither does squashing it in a tight/packedharness. The original Kobo cardboard boxmakes an excellent safe storage box with

its 1cm square honeycomb ‘buffer’ aroundthe edge.

It seems that debris (e.g. a stray bit ofgrass) on the screen can confuse the unit;the Kobo seems to think you have started(but not finished) a ‘screen stroke’ toinstruct it to do something. Blowing acrossthe screen quickly clears the problem. Forthis reason, I believe avoiding debris duringconstruction is also a good idea, so thatdebris cannot interfere with the screeninfrared sensors. For example, cutting ormelting a hole in the unit for the GPS wiresmay be preferable to drilling.

A minority of users have flattened theirbattery and subsequently been unable toget their Kobo to turn on. Conversely,many users with flat batteries have hadno such problem. It is speculated that thismay be a historical issue that has beenovercome by Kobo, subtly implemented bythe ‘Kobo update’ when you first connectyour Kobo to the internet whichautomatically brings the Kobo software upto date via Kobo.com. The speculation isthat if you miss this step (and insteadstart with the load of XCSoar), you riskretaining the ‘old’ Kobo software (your unitmay have been on the shelf for a year ormore) and hence avoid resolving anyissues that Kobo has otherwise overcome.

There seems to be some folklore thateReader screens struggle in cold conditions.As Colin Fargher mentioned in his Nookreview last month (the Nook uses the same

screen), there don’t seem to be anyreported problems from the flyingcommunity. After extensive forum-trawlingI haven’t discovered any problems fromthe Kobo book-reading community either.I have now flown 35 XC hours, half of themin uncomfortably cold conditions, and havehad no issues. The only reference I couldfind to achieving a sluggish screen was atest done in the harsh Canadian winter –only by exposing the screen to a fiercelycold wind did someone manage to makethe screen sluggish (eReader screens areoil based).

Recovering a Kobo Micro SD card. Thisprocess is necessary if, during the initialload of XCSoar (both software and data),something goes wrong which renders yourKobo inoperable. The same issue couldprobably be achieved by a one-off update ofa data file but I think this is less likely.

Kobo/XCSoar – lessons learned

Photo 1: The Kobo’s SD card exposedPhot

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Extract from Skywings Magazine August 2014 ©BHPA

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Inside the Kobo there is a 4GB Micro SDcard (Photo 1). Most Kobo/XCSoar relatedforums recommend backing up the cardbefore installing XCSoar in case anythinggoes wrong. However, the backup isn’t astraightforward Windows ‘copy & save’, asthe Micro SD card contains two partitions:one for Linux (the operating system) and asecond one that is Windows-based so thatfiles can easily be updated from commonly-used Windows based computers. Thismeans that a simple ‘copy’ from either aLinux or Windows based utility will notsuffice. For example, if you were to view thecontents of the Micro SD card usingWindows Explorer you won’t see the Linuxpartition. For this reason you need a utilitythat takes a ‘digital image’, a byte-by-bytecopy of the entire Micro SD card. Thisprocess has no interest in the type/natureof underlying files – it will simply copyevery byte of the whole 4GB even if, say,only 10% of the disk has actually been used.

To perform a recovery you will have firsthad to have taken a backup (as we alwaysdo, don’t we?). To do this you will need aMicro SD card reader/writer (available overthe internet for around £6), and a utilitythat will perform a digital copy (e.g. thefreeware ‘Win32DiskManager’ works well)

Once you have taken a backup, you alwayshave surety you can put things right andstart again if you experience a problems. Ifyou are already unfortunate enough tohave ‘bricked’ your Kobo and didn’t take adigital image, then contactGetKoboMini@hotmail.com and your card

can be restored (free) by return of post.Better still, it can be restored with animage from a micro SD card that alreadycontained a ‘completed’ XCSoarinstallation; hence after reinsertion of therecovered micro SD card XCSoar is ready touse on the Kobo.

Mounting your PA6H GPS. A variety ofmethods have been used to successfullymount the PA6H GPS on the edge of theKobo. Most people tend to start by sealingthe underside of the GPS - where theelectrical contacts are - with epoxy resinprior to epoxying it to the unit itself. Theshiny surface of the Kobo is best scoredbeforehand for good adhesion. The unit canthen be sealed/finished with any of: amoulded surround with Milliput (epoxyputty), Sugru (a more plastic putty),moulded covers (ranging from thelightweight moulding the PA6H is deliveredin to a sturdy plastic top from Tesco‘Almond cream’ shampoo - I kid you not!),

or a simple 64mm x 6mm plastic ‘shroud’around the edges which can then befixed/sealed with epoxy resin and paintedwith enamel (Photo 2). Covering theantennae on the top of the PA6H withplastic or enamel paint doesn’t present aproblem. Covering with the various puttiesmentioned above seems to work fine formost users, although from forum-trawling Icame across one side-by-side test where aputty-covered unit was repeatedly lockingon to 2~3 less satellites than an identicalunit without putty.

Map and airspace files. The software/data ina Dropbox location referenced by the self-build instructions athttp://bhgcinfo.wikidot.com, or unitssupplied by Miles Hockliffe or NevilleAlmond (getkobomini@hotmail.com), willhave a UK map file and 2014 UK airspacewith the relevant mandatory and advisoryairspace (e.g. e.g. drop zones) that we treatas a no-go for comp and XC purposes.Airspace files for other countries can befound at http://soaringweb.org, and mapfiles for other areas/countries can begenerated using the XCSoar ‘map generator’at www.xcsoar.org/download/ by simplydrawing the area you want the map for,pressing ‘download’ and adding the file thatis generated to your Kobo.

At the time of writing, made-up and ready-to-use units are still available for just £84plus £4.50 P&P. E-mailgetkobomini@hotmail.com for more detail orto buy one.

Report by Nev Almond

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Photo 2: Seal the PA6H GPS module with plastic shroud andepoxy resin painted with enamel painted and enamel

Extract from Skywings Magazine August 2014 ©BHPA