If you have like me used the HTC Magic built-in magnetic compass for a while you might have noticed that it is not always properly aligned. Here is a procedure to re-calibrate the compass and accelerometers in the mobile so that it should give you pretty accurate readings once more:
The calibration of the compass and accelerometers should now be pretty good. If at any time you feel the compass is not showing you the right direction or seems “stuck” even if you are turning, then repeat this calibration and it will come alive again. Certain applications such as the metal detector application may also screw the calibration and you might need to repeat this after using such software. |
Om du som jag har använt dig av HTC Magics inbyggda kompass ett tag så har du kanske märkt att den inte alltid visar så rätt. Här nedan följer en procedur hur man kan få den kalibrerad enkelt och visa rätt igen:
Accelerometrarna i telefonen skall nu ha hittat sin jämvikt och kompassen bör stämma relativt väl. Du behöver göra om denna kalibrering ca 1 gång om dagen i normalfallet. |
Tags: 3-axis, accelerometer, accuracy, alignment, Android, calibrate, compass, compass stuck, direction, g1 android, galaxy, Google, google mobile, HTC Magic, mobile, north, restore, south
May be i’m blind, but it seems that this calibration can be done without tools or software ? Do you know if I can find a “calibration” settings file ?
The “calibration” is done by turning the device on, then holding it flat facing up and moving it in figure-8 circles for a while. Then hold it upright and repeat. That will help the accelerometers and magnetic compass to find the resting point and the north direction after which you can use the device with pretty good accuracy.
I am not aware of a file where the calibration data is stored in unfortunately.
[...] [...]
I really did not expect this to work. Don’t know how you figured it out but thanks a lot my friend!
I had similar problems so I started testing various applications. Some said “your compass need calibration” but there was nothing in the manual that explained how to do this.
So eventually I started figuring that you needed to let the accelerometers find a null point. The way to do this is to move something in a circle but since it is a 3 axis accelerometer you need to do it both counter-clockwise and clockwise and then repeat in another plane.
So I tested the figure-8 movement and it worked really well. Later I tested another compass application and lo and behold, in the instructions it said “to calibrate compass north, hold the device flat and move in figure-8 circles for about 30 seconds”.
So others have figured the same thing.
I suspect that strong magnets can also influence phones like the HTC Desire. I have a case that has a magnetic latch, and i notice if i hold the phone near while looking at the compass app it goes crazy. I think this may also screw up the calibration. But your method of recalibrating does seem to work well. Thanks.
Cetrainly, all compasses except those that use dead GPS calculations, are magnetic in origin and will of course sense other magnetic fields as well. The effects should be temporary however, removing the case and then re-calibrate it should make it work properly again.