The Unofficial XCSoar Manual

Hardware/Organiser

From XCSoar

XCSoar is Pocket PC Software designed for Organisers. Although technically we can now compile for Windows desktop as well, our primary goal is to be on Pocket PC Organisers and dedicated glide computers. Therefore you will probably need one - or have one.

Triadis Engineering's Altair glide computer also runs XCSoar.

Standard systems include:

Pocket PC - also called Windows CE 3.0 (pre 3.0 is not supported)
Pocket PC 2002
Pocket PC 2003 - also called Windows Mobile 2003 (1st and 2nd Edition)
Windows Mobile 5

Out of the box, most systems earlier than Pocket PC 2003 2nd Edition are limited to portrait display. However, landscape support can be added to these systems by installing third party software such as NYDITOT Virtual Display.

Some processors that are supported (depending on your operating system):

SH3 = ?
MIPS (PPC and 2002 only)
ARM (including Strong ARM and Intel XScale)
Intel x86 (for Windows PC version)

Other requirements:

Screen resolution: 320x240 (QVGA) or 640x480 (VGA)
Colour depth: any - but recommend 256 colours (8 bit)
Orientation: Portrait and Landscape fully supported
Serial port or Bluetooth for [../gps/ GPS]
Storage space: 2MB for program up to 100MB for Data (optional, depends on location)
Memory: Anything from 16MB on an Aero to 128MB - recommend a minimum of 64MB

Since many PDAs do not have very good battery endurance, it is recommended to install a power supply to convert the 12V glider battery power to the (usually 5V) voltage required by your PDA. Alternately, some PDAs support third-party battery packs which can extend the endurance.

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