P8 Bluetooth Antenna Information?

[bobpaul]

The README mentions that it's extremely likely that the P8 watches will require antenna replacement. Can you provide any information on this? I've been searching off and on for the past couple of days and haven't found anything beyond instructions on opening it up.

Does anyone know where there's more information on this? I think it would be really good to get a link to a tutorial or something into the README

[enaon]

I am afraid that I haven't any good pictures with it, I will take sme next time I happen to open one up. A 6cm long piece of wire solid or twisted is a good length. It can be run the way the original antenna was, then along the battery then almost to the button. Here is one, but I was demonstrating something else and the antenna was moved up, so it is hard to see well.

Some wheels like the z10 do not need an antenna change, and it also depends on the watch, new ones are better I think, maybe you will not need it.

[bobpaul]

I just received a Ton5 variant watch and have flashed it successfully. I'm able to connect to my mTen3 from almost as far away as my phone.

But just cause I'm a curious type, I'm looking at a youtube teardown video and comparing to your photo. (In the video he added some other wires so he can flash and charge the watch with the back removed.)

Have I highlighted the bluetooth antenna wire in yellow?

[enaon]

Yes, it is the one in yellow. Yours seem a bit long, maybe trim 1-2 mm as a test too if you like. (ah sorry, this is the image from atc1441, got it. :) )

It does work very well indoors, I may have given the wrong impression with the warning on the antenna. It's not like the P8 has a bad BT coverage, it is very good, this is why I recommend it over the DK08, that works too. It is just that I use it for haptic feedback, I want it to be perfect, not just good.

You will find that indoors test are different from oudoors conditions. Maybe general noise, signal lost due to open space, motor noise, all that takes a toll. You may try the following if you like, 6cm long cable, placed like in one of two shapes.

Better run tests with the back cover on and the watch on the wrist, to emulate real conditions.

[enaon]

in any case, the watch will work better that we are used to with the android BT experience, espruino/NRF never drops the connection, and if so, it takes 0.5 sec to reconnect, just point the watch to the wheel and that is it.

So yes, the antenna is important if one relies on real time haptic feedback like I do, but if one just needs a dash, it is fine as it stands.

[bobpaul]

Oh, that's good info!

And I guess (a bit off topic for this issue) that's why the watch does EUC emulation rather than just acting as a remote display for EUC World or Wheellogger. As I think about it a bit more, this is definitely the way to go. If someone has a low-spec android phone, there's always risk that the logger app might get killed due to out of memory when you receive a phone call, SMS, etc during a ride. With the watch as the bridge, it keeps working even if the phone gaps out.