Bringing a decade old bicycle navigator back to life with open source software

https://raymii.org/s/blog/Bringing_a_Decade_Old_Bicycle_Navigator_Back_to_Life_with_Open_Source_Software_and_DOOM.html

by mtlynch • 12 months ago

179 36 12 months ago

thread_id• 12 months ago

Thanks!!!! This is a great article. There are many tool references to research. "Obsolescence is a choice. Reverse engineering is resistance."

ddtaylor2• 12 months ago

Not sure if I missed it, but are those updates going over HTTP without SSL as well?

MobiusHorizons• 12 months ago

The article says they used mitmproxy which installs a system certificate

ddtaylor2• 12 months ago

I think the payload after that though is that MITM proxy delivering an HTTP link to an EXE that anyone can payload with MITM, same attack surface.

jxntb73• 12 months ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Embedded_CE_6.0

Huh, intresting.

firebot3• 12 months ago

Osmand(fDroid) + brouter

Best offline navigation there is. You can even customize your navigation profiles.

morsch2• 12 months ago

Too bad that using brouter with osmand is so complicated.

firebot3• 12 months ago

Not really? You just select brouter in osmand. Make sure you select the correct profile for brouter. Server mode engages and it just works. Sure, you also need to download the tiles for brouter.

u8080• 12 months ago

Organic Maps is also very solid project

MayeulC2• 12 months ago

It is, but brouter's navigation is really much better. Just yesterday, I was in a relatively unfamiliar, small (european) city which I needed to cross. Organic Maps was sending me trough small streets I would have shared with cars. I fired up OSMAnd + Brouter to compare, and ended up picking the latter: it sent me trough bike/bus-only roads, then a park, to reach a dedicated bike lane along the river, far from any traffic. The trip was a pleasure, though maybe a few percent longer.

microtonal2• 12 months ago

The nice thing about real GPSr units and things like Garmin watches is that they (depending on the model) can last a week to even weeks. E.g., if you use a GPSmap 67s for 8 hours per day, it lasts 3 weeks. In the older units you can even put AA batteries.

Cycling with a phone with the screen on and at full brightness (which is what you need on a sunny day), a phone will last a few hours at most. The magic of good GPSr units is that they use a transflective display, the sun is your 'backlight'. (And of course using something more akin to a microcontroller than a smartphone SoC.)

Also, in contrast to smartphones, these things are really rugged. Like last year I was cycling through the alps and accidentally dropped my GPSmap at ~30km/h (without a case or protection, who puts them on a GPSr?). It only has some scratches.

firebot3• 12 months ago

I just keep my phone in my pocket and use voice navigation.

Also carry a power bank and chargers.

Airplane mode will also save lots of power.

MayeulC2• 12 months ago

It is really good, and Brouter-web is really useful too.

However, that combo is a battery hog. For some reason, OSMAnd drains a lot more battery when using it in guidance mode with Brouter, even though routing is much faster than with the built-in algorithm.

I heard that Locus maps has a much better brouter integration, though it is unfortunately closed-source: battery-efficient, automatic brouter detection, profile selection from within the app.

I also wish the brouter app would get a fresh coat of paint (a UI redesign), but that is secondary.

jakedata• 12 months ago

I have a waterproof Garmin Nuvi GPS that will directly accept OpenStreetMap data on micro-SD card. It is in bicycle mode and running on a DC-DC converter from my e-bike pack. I am quite satisfied with it despite being 20 years old. The external storage and well defined format have saved it from becoming e-waste.

microtonal2• 12 months ago

Garmin is really good when it comes to open maps. I can still put new OpenStreetMap maps on an old Garmin 62s like it's 2010. I recently replaced my Apple Watch by a Garmin Fenix 7 Pro and even though it's not really advertised, it just accepts good old map .img files. I put on the Dutch cycle network overlay without any issues, just like I did with my Garmin GPSr units.

fsckboy• 12 months ago

There is no other input than the touch screen, so I can shoot and nothing more, but hey, it runs DOOM!

hook Doom up to the internal nav, then you can ride your bike around and shoot. "I know you love riding your bike, and I know you love playing Doom, so I put your bike into Doom!"

internet2000• 12 months ago

$10 for an accessible Windows CE PDA is a pretty good deal. If I were OP, I'd fire up an appropriately old version of Visual Studio and vibecode some patches to the open source app he found.

roywashere• 12 months ago

Raymii is one of my heroes! :-) great and accessible hacking on this device

lutusp• 12 months ago

It's an example of modern tech capitalism: you buy a nifty consumer product, after which you don't own it, it owns you.

The few exceptions to this rule are run by conscientious developers who make sure their products don't rely on their maker for continued support. But by this generous act, such companies fall behind their predatory competitors.

It's late-stage capitalism at work. You buy some food, but you don't eat it, it eats you.

SoftTalker• 12 months ago

The joke's on them, I just try to avoid "nifty consumer products" now. After getting burned a number of times, I have developed a very strong "no gadgets" rule. And if it connects to the internet or needs regular "updates" to remain usable that is an additional major strike against it.

aeblyve2• 12 months ago

I don't miss the world of a million purpose-built gizmos like this. Smartphones are a very good thing, so long as android is still mostly free.

Fun exercise nonetheless

CommenterPerson• 12 months ago

Sorry disagree here. I use a Garmin for driving. Don't wish to contribute to the surveillance economy. I love what the OP has done and look forward to more such.

bayindirh2• 12 months ago

While smartphones are good all around devices, and Apple showed that a smartphone with a good camera, DAC, screen and sensor suite can exist, purpose built devices still beat them.

They have longer battery life, more predictable performance, and a wider range of operation parameters.

I’ll always prefer my specialized equipment for serious music listening, my ebook reader for longer reading and honestly pen and paper for serious note taking. They perform better and I get more performance with less effort.

aeblyve2• 12 months ago

I had a nice ebook reader at one point, but now I prefer Zotero on Linux and Android for reading.

raudette• 12 months ago

Mounting a modern phone to a bicycle will damage the cameras - they can’t handle the vibration - see https://support.apple.com/en-ca/102175

I have an iPhone that I believe was damaged in this way.

So you’d probably want a purpose built bike computer, an older phone that you don’t care about the camera, or perhaps there are fancy vibration dampening mounts that could work.

mbirth2• 12 months ago

Another way would be a CarPlay/AndroidAuto screen. These are available for cheap from e.g. AliExpress and can run off a power bank. This way, the phone does all the processing but can stay safely in a bag or pocket as all the display and control is done via the CarPlay/AA screen.

kjkjadksj2• 12 months ago

Chiming in as n=2 for users who destroyed their smartphone camera system by riding with it on a handlebar mount.

dwayne_dibley• 12 months ago

“Why are there no laws requiring device manufacturers to open source all software and hardware for consumer devices no longer sold?”

See stop killing games.

wildzzz• 12 months ago

Why is there so much added pixelation in photos where part of the bezel is shown? Is the author trying to hide fingerprints?

grishka• 12 months ago

Or reflections. It is very noticeable and very weird.

culebron21• 12 months ago

Also noticed this.

neumann• 12 months ago

Oh Snap - I have this one!

I bought unopened in box in a salebin for $20 after it went obselete. The maps are still great, but the battery only lasts 2-3 hours and I mostly wanted it for all day back-country/gravel exploration.

Bringing a decade old bicycle navigator back to life with open source software

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