Suggestions/questions

Bob Kane

• May 15, 2022 19:17

Just got my PP on Friday and have had a brief chance to play with it. Some questions and suggestions...

1 - Should I have to calibrate the temperature every time I exit and reenter the app? It seems to lose what the temp calibration was from the last time I was in the app and needs to calibrate again? Recommendations for calibration best practices?

 

2 - This may not be an app recommendation but it would be great if when not connected to the app, the PP defaults to continuity check. If I need to check a circuit for continuity, simply pulling out PP, touching the leads together to activate and confirm continuity and then being able to check with the audible signal seems to make a lot of sense as a function you don't need your display device for.

3 - I'm not a fan of how the functions are grouped in the app (Multimeter, OScope, Logger) given that some of the functions in those groups are not available depending upon the switch setting. Keep the current interface but please allow for an alternate interface that groups things by switch setting. Alternatively remove altogether buttons that are unavailable in certain app modes because the switch setting doesn't allow it. 

That's it for now. Still waiting for the watch interface. Hopefully soon.

-Bob-

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  Lachlan M

  • May 16, 2022 02:06

  Hi Bob,

  Thanks for the post here.

  1 - The temperature calibration is sent to the device itself, and the app doesn't offset. If the calibration works but is then incorrect after restarting the app, either the Pro is rebooting and losing its calibration or the temperature calibration is drifting over time.

  2 - Thanks for the suggestion. The problem with this is it would drain the battery heavily, so we would need to have some way of turning this off if you want your battery charge to last more than a couple of days. We will see if we can implement this as a preference that you can switch on and off.

  3 - I have passed your suggestion here on to our team to see whether there is a better way to group functions.

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  Bob Kane

  • May 16, 2022 15:49

  Thanks for the follow-up.

  1 - Well it seems temperature calibration is now holding on PP - who knows if I was doing it correctly or not. However, if it turns out that somehow PP is rebooting and losing the calibration, it would be good to know that and/or the last time that PP was calibrated. Going into the temp module and having it show calibrate every time makes it seem like it needs calibrating even when it doesn't. If it has a calibration stored maybe make the "Calibrate" text in the app green and if it doesn't have a calibration stored make the "Calibrate" text in the app red.

   2 - How about a technical article on the power consumption of PP, when it's highest, when its lowest, how it switches itself on and off and things the user can do to manage power? I currently don't know what happens power-wise when I'm done using PP and exit the app. I can't believe it's ever truly completely off. And if that's the case I could envision a scenario where it wakes up when the leads are shorted together, app preference says put PP in continuity mode and then let it be "on" for a specified time, say 5 minutes. I've never done a continuity check where I didn't touch the two leads of the meter together first so timing the mode out makes sense.

  3 - Lastly, i wouldn't characterize my function grouping as a better way, simply a "different" way that is more consistent with the functions and switch settings of the device. I'm sure there are many who would say the current groupings are ideal. 

  best,

  -Bob-

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  Colin Ng

  • June 08, 2022 02:30
  • Edited

  I'm wondering if the button on the Pokit PRO could solve a few things:

  When not connected to a Bluetooth Host, a press turns on Bluetooth Discoverable (I think). Could it also turn on Continuity Mode (i.e. for 5 minutes) if it detects the probes are shorted, and confirm with the usual continuity beep? Maybe put the RGB LED into "breathing" mode to indicate continuity is on, and leave it on for 5 minutes since the last continuity was detected. 

  Also, when in Oscilloscope mode, could the button be used to trigger the Oscilloscope? It is difficult to keep both probe tips on the device of test, and then free a hand to tap the button on the screen. Using the button to trigger would be nice. 

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  Bob Kane

  • June 08, 2022 13:12

  Interesting thought. I don't know how much PP relies on the app to know what it should be doing vs knowing on its own depending upon the position of the switch. It can obviously log without being connected to the app. Perhaps PP can be awakened into the last mode it was in by the button regardless of whether the app is on or not. If so, then if the last mode PP was in before powering "off" was continuity then it can be awakened into that mode?

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  Colin Ng

  • June 08, 2022 16:45

  Some modes (Multimeter, Ammeter, Oscilloscope) require an external screen. Only a few things can work without an external display:

  - Torch
  - Continuity (switch in middle position)
  - Maybe a new "live voltage detection" i.e. show red and beep if AC is detected (switch in V position)

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