Using Boreas Manager

Boreas Manager is a software tool provided by Advanced Navigation for logging, testing, display and configuration of Boreas. It is designed to be simple and easy to use. It should run on most Windows, MacOS and Linux computers.

Note: Java 11 is required to run Boreas Manager. Adoptium JRE 11 is the recommended Java installer to be used on all platforms. Install the latest version of Java 11 from Adoptium, selecting the correct operating system and architecture for your computer.

Boreas Manager contains almost identical functionality to the web UI. This section will only include the areas that are different or absent from the web UI. Refer to the documentation for Using the Web User Interface as required.

Screenshot of Boreas Manager

Boreas Manager Software Changelog

Version Date Changes
7.3 11 Apr 2024 Added support for Boreas A variants
Added vessel motion packet, updated and expanded Heave window to Vessel Motion, including surge and sway
Added Train profile as Filter Option vehicle type
Improved Trimble license options decoding
Added support for NavIC configuration on Trimble receivers
Improved usage and syntax information in the command line help
Added support for more GPIO functions during log conversion
Added command line argument to connect to the device on launch
Added argument to open the Manager window maximised
Updated device information window to show "BOOTLOADER" when applicable to software version
7.2 10 Nov 2023 Clear map history on reconnection
Fix incorrect timezone text displayed in terminal.csv
Updated leap-seconds list URL
Add automatically log configuration at the start of a new log
Added support for NavIC satellite system
Fixed indicators behaviour on disconnect
Updated support for Mac silicon with latest macOS
Added support for extra NMEA 0183 messages
Removed GNSS status indicator
Fixed issue with opening windows containing charts
Update support for Trimble BD9xx RTX frequencies as of 30 Sep 2022
Show COCOM status of Trimble BD9xx receivers in the licence field
In satellites window, only populate azimuth and elevation fields in the table view when the values have been determined
Added elevation to the gimbal state packet
Add support for Boreas subtypes
Add ability to set Packet Timer period
7.0 13 February 2023

Updated from JDK8 to JDK11. JRE11/JDK11 required to run this release
Refresh Port Mode information on reconnection
Refresh Packet Rates information on reconnection
Fixed Ethernet Settings Static IP setting

Improved reliability of firmware update
Changed Low Voltage label to Internal Data Logging Error to support newer firmware
When the NTRIP sourcetable says authentication type is any of '', 'B', 'N', then use Basic Authentication. This is to workaround NTRIP servers that incorrectly populate the authentication field
Overwrite/clear existing packet rates on import of configuration
Added support for ARM (aarch64) processors with 64-bit OS
Added support for Apple M1 processors and improved MacOS support
Various UI improvements

6.2 10 October 2022

Fixed Heading indicator reporting as invalid after a successful Coarse Heading Alignment

6.1 18 February 2022

Initial release of Boreas Manager

Boreas Manager Software Changelog

System Requirements

Boreas Manager is only available for systems with x64 and ARM architectures.

Boreas Manager includes a 3D mapping display which requires an internet connection. If your machine does not meet the graphics requirements the mapping view will only show space without a globe.

Note, when Boreas is running at very high output rates e.g. 1000 Hz, Boreas Manager can consume significant system resources handling such large quantity of data.

Installation and Starting

The latest version of Boreas Manager can be downloaded from the Boreas product page of the Advanced Navigation website. Installation notes are as follows:

  • Java 11 is required to run Boreas Manager.
    Adoptium JRE 11 is the recommended Java installer to be used on all platforms. Install the latest version of Java 11 from Adoptium, selecting the correct operating system and architecture for your computer.

  • No installation process required for the Boreas Manager application on a Windows system — it can be run from any directory by simply double clicking on it. To open the program on some systems it may be necessary to right click and select open with → Java Runtime Environment.

  • On MacOS systems it may be necessary to run the application from a terminal window:
     java –jar -XstartOnFirstThread BoreasManager.jar

  • On Linux systems it may be necessary to run the application from a terminal window:
    java –jar BoreasManager.jar

The Boreas Evaluation Kit includes an FTDI USB to RS232 / RS422 adaptor cable. The drivers are normally installed automatically, but if not they are available for download from www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm.

Troubleshooting

If the application will not start, the most common reason is that you have 32-bit Java installed on a 64-bit operating system. Uninstall Java and reinstall the 64-bit version.

If the globe does not appear in the 3D map area, this indicates that either your graphics card is not powerful enough, your graphics card driver is out of date, or you have no internet connection.

  • Ensure the RS232 / RS422 switch is in the correct mode. The Boreas factory default mode is RS422.
  • Ensure you select the correct COM port. This can be easily identified by unplugging and re-plugging in the USB connector.
  • Ensure you have the correct baud rate selected in Boreas Manager. The factory default value for the baud rate is 115200 bps for the Primary, GPIO and Auxiliary ports.

Contact technical support support@advancednavigation.com if you have any questions or require further assistance.

Windows

There is a well known problem with USB serial devices under Windows known as “crazy mouse”. The problem occurs when the system mistakenly installs the USB serial device as a mouse. If you experience this problem, often a restart will resolve it. Otherwise there is a tool that can fix this issue available at
http://www.stentec.com/anonftp/pub/wingps/pnpblockersetup.exe.

If the serial port does not show up when you plug in the FTDI USB to RS232/RS422 adaptor cable, you may need to install the drivers from www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm.

When operating Boreas on Windows at a high data rate, data can be lost due to the latency of the FTDI driver. To resolve this problem the latency of the driver should be reduced to 1 ms:

  1. Start the Windows Device Manager (1) and find the Ports section (2).
  2. Identify the specific COM port being used (3) by dis-connecting and re-connecting the USB to RS232 / RS422 adaptor cable.
  3. Right click on the identified COM port and select Properties. Select the Port Settings tab (4) and select Advanced (5).
  4. Change the Latency Timer value (6) to 1 msec then press OK (7), and OK again for the previous window. 

Setting the Windows Port Latency Value - 1

Setting the Windows Port Latency Value - 2

Setting the Windows Port Latency Value - 3

Linux

If serial ports do not show up, the typical reason is a lack of permissions. The user should add themselves to the dialout group with the command:

sudo adduser username dialout

Compiz causes issues with the 3D mapping. If you are experiencing problems it is recommended to turn off Compiz.

Modemmanager can also sometimes cause problems on Linux installations. If you are not using a modem, it is recommended to remove modemmanager with the command:

sudo apt-get remove modemmanager