TFT vs Analog speedo offroading

Will be interesting to see how the TFT holds up in off-road conditions vs the Analog speedo, I know it is like a small computer, wonder what it is like inside, and if it will hold up to all the shaking.

You must be joking. Oh, you mean the potholes we encounter on the way to the coffee shop.

tanneman said:

You must be joking. Oh, you mean the potholes we encounter on the way to the coffee shop.

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Yep exactly, and counting myself out of the off-road also.........although I do not have TFT and cannot have it anyway, no retrofit possible.........

Depends, TFT is not new to harsh conditions. Used in race cars, off road machines, excavating equipment, farm machinery etc. The quality of components used inside and the construction criteria and the quality inspection may have an influence on the robustness of the TFT that BMW uses. Wonder if it is their own or manufactured by 3rd party specific for this application. Engineer is the man to ask. He will know more about processor life and pcb/smt issues when subjected to temp changes, environmental conditions and vibration. Or look at it this way, smartphones are subject to some harsh conditions and it does ok.

tanneman said:

Depends, TFT is not new to harsh conditions. Used in race cars, off road machines, excavating equipment, farm machinery etc. The quality of components used inside and the construction criteria and the quality inspection may have an influence on the robustness of the TFT that BMW uses. Wonder if it is their own or manufactured by 3rd party specific for this application. Engineer is the man to ask. He will know more about processor life and pcb/smt issues when subjected to temp changes, environmental conditions and vibration. Or look at it this way, smartphones are subject to some harsh conditions and it does ok.

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Must agree but then it does depend of the quality of the smartphone, I use the CAT S41 its the only type of phone I do not wreck......

I am seriously considering using a smartphone with navigation app in preference to my Nav V for satnav duties, so I hope vibration is not a phone killer! I doubt it, and the phone will be be held in a X type mount with rubber prongs, so that should help.

fred_jb said:

I am seriously considering using a smartphone with navigation app in preference to my Nav V for satnav duties, so I hope vibration is not a phone killer! I doubt it, and the phone will be be held in a X type mount with rubber prongs, so that should help.

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Just get a cheapo second hand smartphone for that Fred, and just use it for that, I always keep my old ones for the car, and use them just for that reason.

Smogbob said:

Just get a cheapo second hand smartphone for that Fred, and just use it for that, I always keep my old ones for the car, and use them just for that reason.

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Exactly what I have done - picked up a nice waterproof (up to a point) Moto G 3rd Gen with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB storage for £29. Apparently has an intermittent fault in the earpiece audio on phone calls, but works OK on speakerphone. Shouldn't be an issue for my purposes. The bonus is that my main phone is a Moto X Play so the two work pretty much identically, only difference is the X has a slightly bigger screen. Wouldn't risk it on my main phone, but might even have a play with rooting this one which would let me remove any Android stock apps which I don't need.

I'm already using MyRoute for planning my routes because BaseCamp drives me crazy, and although it will export in Garmin format, it's a bit of a faff transferring the routes into BaseCamp. I've found that I have to do that to check them and Garminify them for the Nav V, as transferring them directly to the Nav doesn't always work correctly as it is very fussy about the file formats. I've also now bought the Android Navigation app from MyRoute which closely integrates with their route planning program. I have a problem with the BlueTooth communication channel from that app not overriding the intercom on our Sena headsets for navigation instructions, but am talking to the MyRoute support people about a potential resolution for that. If that happens then I will give it a try on the forthcoming tour of Andalusia.

tanneman said:

Depends, TFT is not new to harsh conditions. Used in race cars, off road machines, excavating equipment, farm machinery etc. The quality of components used inside and the construction criteria and the quality inspection may have an influence on the robustness of the TFT that BMW uses. Wonder if it is their own or manufactured by 3rd party specific for this application. Engineer is the man to ask. He will know more about processor life and pcb/smt issues when subjected to temp changes, environmental conditions and vibration. Or look at it this way, smartphones are subject to some harsh conditions and it does ok.

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The individual components should be fine, it’s more to do with the mechanical design and assembly quality - I would assume that BMW or their supplier has done the necessary HALT testing or the automotive equivalent in order to ensure that it is robust enough for the job - it’s all this testing and design that makes these things more expensive than your normal commercial stuff.

No mechanical parts in it so you would hope it would be better.

Engineer said:

The individual components should be fine, it’s more to do with the mechanical design and assembly quality - I would assume that BMW or their supplier has done the necessary HALT testing or the automotive equivalent in order to ensure that it is robust enough for the job - it’s all this testing and design that makes these things more expensive than your normal commercial stuff.

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But is it Tosser proof