Assistance with Set-Up

[mascott060506]

Hi - I have just installed Bipolar as I have recently purchased a Polar V800 and have set-up my Flow Sync Account. I was previously using a Garmin product and have all my previous data on Garmin Connect. I would like to be able to upload by v800 sessions and data to my garmin connect and strava accounts.

I use a Mac so downloaded Bipolar for OS X and have also run the hook command. I am now stuck at actually converting the files. I have run the Bipolar programme and it asks me for an output location - I chose the folder where I have downloaded the Polar TCX file which I would like to convert. When I ask it to convert - the output window - it says it can not find any files to convert. I am obviously doing this incorrectly. Please can you explain to me what I need to do - to convert the file and then upload it to my chosen platform. Many thanks, Michelle

[pcolby]

Hi @mascott060506 😄

I chose the folder where I have downloaded the Polar TCX file which I would like to convert.

Just to clarify, are you saying that you downloaded the TCX file from the flow.polar.com website? If so, then Bipolar can do nothing with that TCX file - indeed, Bipolar converts to TCX, not from TCX.

The idea, with Bipolar, is for you to sync your training sessions using the Polar FlowSync application (on Mac or Windows), then Bipolar will generate HRM, GPX, and/or TCX files from the raw session data that FlowSync transferred, not from TCX files downloaded from the Flow website.

If I've misunderstood what you're trying to do (its pretty easy to confuse all of these Polar terms), then just describe what you are doing in a little more detail, and I'll see what I can do to help 😄

Cheers.

[ProfAquino]

Hi, I'm having the same problem of Michelle. You could need as much help me set everything as quickly as possible is that I will start my collection of data to the master? I efetuei download the Bipolar 0.4.0 but can not find the files of tests and training sessions on my PC. The Polar FlowSync is a web service, it keeps some training file on my PC? Using the service to export the Flow it saves the files in (txt and tcx) on the PC are these files Bipolar uses? Since appreciate the help. Thank U. Leandro de Aquino

[mascott060506]

Thanks for your response. I am obviously doing this wrong. In the flow sync site it gives you the option for exporting the gpx file or training data in tcx format. I did the latter and thought the bipolar system would just convert the tcx to a more simple version which could be used on garmin connect. Garmin connect does not register the tcx file from polar. So as I have this wrong. Please can you explain to me how I get my data from the polar flow site into a tcx file which can be used on garmin connect using the bipolar programme and hook. Hope this makes sense. Thanks Michelle

[pcolby]

@mascott060506,

In the flow sync site it gives you the option for exporting the gpx file or training data in tcx format. I did the latter and thought the bipolar system would just convert the tcx to a more simple version which could be used on garmin connect.

I see. Yeah, that's not something Bipolar can help with (indeed, Bipolar was exporting to TCX long before the Flow website provided that export option).

Garmin connect does not register the tcx file from polar.

You should raise that as an issue on Polar and/or Garmin's support forums. Though its probably already a known issue (Polar seems to be very slow at fixing things like that at the moment).

Please can you explain to me how I get my data from the polar flow site into a tcx file which can be used on garmin connect using the bipolar programme and hook.

The first thing to understand, is that Bipolar does not get data from the Flow website. It only gets it from the Polar FlowSync desktop application. The "hook" hooks into the FlowSync program's network communications, to collect the raw exercise data.

How are you syncing to the Flow website? via the FlowSync desktop application? or the Flow iPhone/Android app?

[pcolby]

@ProfAquino,

The Polar FlowSync is a web service, it keeps some training file on my PC?

Polar FlowSync is a desktop application (not a web service), provided by Polar, that syncs training data from Polar devices via USB, to the Polar Flow website.

The Bipolar Hook hooks into the Polar FlowSync desktop application to capture the data as its going from Polar FlowSync to the Polar Flow website.

Using the service to export the Flow it saves the files in (txt and tcx) on the PC are these files Bipolar uses?

Nope. These are not the files Bipolar uses. Bipolar uses special raw exercise files that the Bipolar Hook captures from the Polar FlowSync desktop application.

I hope that clears it up a little. It sounds like I might need to put together a diagram to explain it better.

Cheers.

[ProfAquino]

Thanks again but I could not success yet in file transfer for Bipolar, I'm redoing all the ways to determine where my mistake happens in the software installation:

1° Installing the Polar Flow Sync (in the directory: C: \ Program Files (x86) \ Polar \ PolarFlowSync);

2° Installation of Bipolar (in the directory: C: \ Program Files (x86) \ Bipolar);

3° Rename the Qt5Network.dll file (in the directory: C: \ Program Files (x86) \ Polar \ PolarFlowSync) to Qt5Network.dll.old;

4° Copy the Qt5Network.dll file (directory: C: \ Program Files (x86) \ Bipolar \ hook) to (directory: C: \ Program Files (x86) \ Polar \ PolarFlowSync);

5 ° Create new folder called Export in (directory: C: \ Program Files (x86) \ Polar \ PolarFlowSync).

The Gt5Network.dll file it will be deleted (directory: C: \ Program Files (x86) \ Bipolar \ hook)?

This step here is correct?

Thank you for immense help.

Leandro

[pcolby]

@ProfAquino,

Steps 1 and 2 are good.

Steps 3 and 4 are unnecessary in that the Bipolar installer does that for you, but it won't hurt for you to have done it.

Step 5 is also unnecessary, and in fact the wrong directory. The export folder will be automatically created under the Window's %APPDATA% directory - typically C:\Users\<your login>\AppData\Local\Polar\PolarFlowSync\export. Note that the %APPDATA% directory is usually hidden by Windows.

The next steps would be:

1. Restart Polar FlowSync.
2. Record some activities on your Polar device.
3. Use FlowSync to sync your activities to flow.polar.com (this is the step that creates the export directory, if its not already present).
4. Run the Bipolar application, and follow the GUI prompts.
5. Open/upload the generated GPX, HRM, and/or TCX files to your favorite website
   or application.

If that doesn't work for you, then: At the end of step 4, you will see a "Show details" button. Click that button, then copy-and-paste the resulting textbox contents into another comment here.

Cheers.

[ProfAquino]

Thank you for your help because I could finally realize the conversion of files using the Bipolar.

Only one problem yet, I made a recording of the heart rate to use the Bipolar (Bipolar generated 4 new files (tcx, gpx, hrm and rr.hrm)). But the rr.hrm file is empty and it is precisely this file I need for my master's research on RR interval.

Then I made another recording in Polar V800 using the Test RR and the file generated Bipolar found no (15:27:15 "Bipolar" "0.4.0.562" "Beta"
15:27:15 "C: \ Program Files (x86) \ Polar \ Polar FlowSync" hook version 2
15:27:15 "C: \ Program Files (x86) \ Bipolar \ hook" hook version 2
15:27:15 "C: \ Users \ Aquino Leandro \ AppData \ Local \ Polar \ PolarFlowSync \ export \ v2-users-9039506-training-sessions-51192154"
15:27:15 Processing started.
15:27:15 Processing finished.
15:27:15 Skipped 1 training sessions processed previsouly.
15:27:15 Wrote 0 of 0 0 of 0 files for new training sessions.)

Will is still missing something? I desperately need that in a training session I have the data from the heart rate and RR interval, is this possible?

Again thanks for the help.

Leandro

[pcolby]

I made a recording of the heart rate to use the Bipolar (Bipolar generated 4 new files (tcx, gpx, hrm and rr.hrm)). But the rr.hrm file is empty

Unfortunately, Polar broke the R-R recording around firmware v1.2 - see issue #42.

[ProfAquino]

Hi pcolby, thank you for the help, I was waiting for the Polar answer my questions would be so far. I am very angry because overpaid in Polar V800 with the promise of measures of RR intervals but this is not what they are offering.

If you can help me a little longer I would be extremely grateful for the contribution.

1 Is there any way to downgrade the Polar V800? It would be too risky?

2 ° With the exported file (txt) RR test session can somehow extract the heart rate because the formula for calculates Heart Rate it: HR (bpm) = 60000 / RR (ms)?

3rd Is there a Bipolar design for extraction of test data RR and orthostatic test?

Again thank you for your cooperation.

Leandro

[pcolby]

1 Is there any way to downgrade the Polar V800? It would be too risky?

Not that I'm aware of.

2 ° With the exported file (txt) RR test session can somehow extract the heart rate because the formula for calculates Heart Rate it: HR (bpm) = 60000 / RR (ms)?

It would be possible to generate averaged out R-R data by dividing 60,000ms into evenly spaced intervals of matching the BPM heart rate, but of course, that would be completely pointless, as the value of R-R data is the variability, and by definition, this averaged-out data would have zero variability... at least between all the beats within a given minute 😦

3rd Is there a Bipolar design for extraction of test data RR and orthostatic test?

I have been toying with the idea. Already the hook records the "tests" data, but currently the GUI app has no way to pass / process that data. If you're interested in that, see issue #39.

Cheers.