Plan to have Timex Run Trainer Format any time soon? (Read 2415 times)

I would love to add support for Timex but Timex continues to refuse to work with anyone other than Training Peaks.  Below is the email I received from their support personnel:

 

 

The only way get it to work is by uploading to Training Peaks, then downloading the workout and uploading to RA.  I am frustrated at Timex's myopia.  Regardless, if anyone thinks this is an interesting challenge, I would love to work with you to reverse engineer the protocol.  Drop me a note if you're interested.

I guess I don't understand the problem.  They published the pwx file format: http://www.peaksware.com/PWX/1/0/pwx.xsd

Maybe I was unclear in my request.  There are already options for uploading files in fitlog,  csv, xml, etc.  I'm requesting adding pwx to this list, not creating the drivers to do it directly like you can with some of the Garmins.  The device agent lets you save the file as a pwx.  I can then go to RA and select to upload that file instead of uploading it to training peaks. 

I guess I don't understand the problem.  They published the pwx file format: http://www.peaksware.com/PWX/1/0/pwx.xsd

 

Maybe I was unclear in my request.  There are already options for uploading files in fitlog,  csv, xml, etc.  I'm requesting adding pwx to this list, not creating the drivers to do it directly like you can with some of the Garmins.  The device agent lets you save the file as a pwx.  I can then go to RA and select to upload that file instead of uploading it to training peaks. 

I wanted something better, like the Garmin solution, so you don't have to install Training Peaks' software.

It would be much better to not have to install the Training Peaks software and have something that can download the data from the watch and upload it automatically to RA.  With the Device Agent, you have to first download the data, then manually upload it to RA.

Thus far, I managed to connect directly to the Timex GPS and initiate communications.  I haven't deciphered the communication protocol yet because Device Agent is issuing multiple commands to the GPS every time it downloads the data.  Given that reverse engineering is rather time intensive, it will be a back burner project.

In the mean time, I thought I would add support for pwx files generated by Device Agent.  Since it is an xml file, with a corresponding xsd, I thought it would be as simple as creating an importer based on the xsd file and use it to deserialize the data.  This is what I did with all other xml data files.  In the pwx file case, when I tried to deserialize the data, the importer is saying that the pwx file does not conform to the xsd specification.  I started at the problem for hours but couldn't find anything that's obviously wrong.

If anyone's familiar with xml and xsd, could you take a look to see if I overlooked something?  Thanks!

eric

I gave up integrating the Timex GPS for now.  I did manage to add an importer for the pwx format.  After you imported your data, please make sure everything is displaying correctly.

Eric,

There is one major glitch with the .pwx importer that you set up.

Saturday, I ran 6.1 miles. 3 miles into my run, I pressed "STOP" on the watch while I waited for a friend to join me for the second half of the run. When we started running together, I pressed "START." At the end of the run, my total time was 51:41 on the watch. I imported this file into Training Peaks and it reported the total time as 51:41 for the run. However, when I imported the file into Running Ahead, it reported the total time as 1:30:32.

The problem is that the device records two sets of "duration" data. The first set is total duration, which is the data that you are importing into RA. However, "duration" on the Run Trainer = time the stopwatch is actually running + time the stopwatch is not running! What you need to import is moving duration, which on the Run Trainer = time the stopwatch is actually running.

RA also does this with "distance" data. "Distance" on the Run Trainer = total distance covered, even when the stopwatch is stopped! What you need to import into RA is the distance recorded while the stopwatch is running.

I don't know why the Run Trainer continues to measure your time and distance even when you've pressed "STOP," but it does, and there must be two different data fields in the XML file -- otherwise we wouldn't see this discrepancy between Training Peaks and Running Ahead when importing the exact same file.

By the way, you guys do an amazing job, and your product is FAR superior to Training Peaks. I've been using RA since 2007 and I've been so frustrated with Training Peaks in the two months since I got my Run Trainer. I'm hoping I can just keep using RA with my Run Trainer and never have to use Training Peaks again. Ugh!

Thanks!

Alex

I agree, RA is way better than training peaks.  I'd love to have the easy of upload from my timex that I had with my garmin.