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Sven Meier edited this page Sep 8, 2022 · 28 revisions

Hardware

Overview

Connection Waterrower to android smartphone/tablet

Coxswain can either connect

  • via USB-OTG adapter (USB-A-female to USB-micro/USB-C resp.), requires On-The-Go (OTG) support on your device
  • or Bluetooth, requires the Waterrower S4 Bluetooth Comm Module (Waterrower Bluetooth Comm Module)

USB-OTG

Coxswain can be connect via USB-OTG which is the wired solution. This is done with 2 cables:

  • USB 2.0 A Male To Mini B Male
  • USB-A-female to USB-micro/USB-C resp

Connection from Waterrower to smartphone/tablet

Waterrower ==> USB Mini B Male to USB 2.0 A Male ==> USB-A-female to USB-micro/USB-C resp ==> smartphone/tablet

Start procedure:

  1. Connect the Waterrower with the smartphone/tablet
  2. Open Coxswain
  3. Switch Waterrower on
  4. You are ready to row

Troubleshooting:

Coxswain can't find Waterrower:

  • Check your cables. From experience, cheap OTG-USB cable are the most common problem.
  • Ensure that your smartphone/tablet supports On-The-Go (OTG)
  • Check on the Waterrower display for the "PC" symbol.
  • It is also possible to check if the Waterrower is detected within Coxswain.
  1. Go to the 3 dots in the upper right corner
  2. Go to "Settings"
  3. Scroll down to "Hardware" section
  4. Select "Devices"
  5. The following should be visible: CDC RS233: WR-S4.2

Bluetooth Comm

Start procedure:

  1. Start Coxswain
  2. hit bluetooth button in top right
  3. select device from list - you should hear a sound and get a notification saying that Coxswain is connected
  4. choose a training program by tapping on it
  5. switch on the S4 device and hit 'ok' button.
  6. start rowing

Additional note: The waterrower comm module is known to have issues with firmware version below 4.2. In order to upgrade to the firmware 4.2 please see the following instruction: Waterrower Bluetooth Comm Module firmware upgrate to 4.2

Heart rate monitors

Coxswain offers different ways to connect to a heart rate monitor.

  • Ant+ Waterrower heart monitor (Ant+ Waterrower heart monitor)
  • Android sensor
  • Bluetooth LE/Ant+ devices (chest heart rate sensor/ optical heart rate monitor)

Ant+ Waterrower heart monitor

TBD

Android sensor

TBD

Bluetooth LE/Ant+ devices

First, ensure that the bluetooth device is known and paired with your smartphone or tablet. In order to get Coxswain to work with the Bluetooth device, the option "Bluetooth LE/Ant+" must be set within the settings.

  1. Go to the 3 dots in the upper right corner
  2. Go to "Settings"
  3. Scroll to the section "Hardware"
  4. Click on "Sensors" which will open a select window
  5. Choose "Bluetooth"
  6. Ensure Bluetooth and Position is enabled within Android (Position is needed as bluetooth won't work without it see here for more details Bluetooth spec for Android )

Now connect your Waterrower, open Coxswain and switch the Waterrower on. A window should appear which will allow you to select your bluetooth heart rate monitor. On the bottom of this window you will have two additional options

  • only bluetooth heart device ==> this option only shows bluetooth devices which are heart rate monitors
  • remember selection ==> if set you current heart rate monitor is used all the time if detected. No need to choose it again.

additional note: the window to look for Bluetooth HR montior can't be open manually. It is only appearing when the Waterrower is connect and Coxswain opens.

heart rate monitors known to work with Coxswain

  • Polar H9/H10
  • Polar H7
  • Polar OH1
  • Magene Mover H64
  • Garmin HRM-Dual
  • feedback needed if more are working

Smartphone/tablet holder for Waterrower

Some recommendation for smartphone/tablet holder

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