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Garmin with optical HR..... modification
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So.. I have been playing with the Mio Link and my Garmin 910 with the velcro strap. Having the velcro strap pretty tight held the Mio Link in place, only once did it fly out. So not that great.


[URL=http://s1144.photobucket.com/...AECCFAD8FF9.jpg.html][/url]

But.. after looking at the Scosche RHYTHM+, I saw that it had two loops for the band.

[URL=http://s1144.photobucket.com/...0B03A1459F9.jpg.html][/url]


[URL=http://s1144.photobucket.com/...25FF3E397DB.jpg.html][/url]


the RHYTHM+ much more secure.. a bit more bulky.. but secure.

So.. those who wanted a Garmin with a built in optical HR...check!
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Re: Garmin with optical HR..... modification [nechris] [ In reply to ]
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Nice!

I love that the Mio comes out of it's strap/case. Makes these kind of hacks possible.

ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
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Re: Garmin with optical HR..... modification [nechris] [ In reply to ]
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Very interesting! I'm surprised that someone hasn't noted this sooner given how many people complain about chest straps and request built-in optical HR in every Garmin release.

Have you done much running testing with the Scosche Rhythm in that configuration? How does it deal with the extra arm movement being placed at the wrist compared to, say, being located on the upper arm? I've not used an optical HR sensor, do they need to be held on at a very specific tightness to get good data?
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Re: Garmin with optical HR..... modification [aw3] [ In reply to ]
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Not sure if this is a dumb question or not. Are you using this for running AND swimming? I originally thought only running, but then saw the pool in the background of the photos.
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Re: Garmin with optical HR..... modification [Andy007] [ In reply to ]
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Even if you use it swimming, garmin swimming mode ignores HR info. You would have to choose swimming mode with no HR, or put it in "other sport mode" and ignore stroke rate and turns and all that jazz...
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Re: Garmin with optical HR..... modification [nechris] [ In reply to ]
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Clever work!
How do it read? My scosche is most comy on the upper arm, but this has me tempted to buy the velcro strap to try that out!

Post some workouts with the different configs.
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Re: Garmin with optical HR..... modification [nechris] [ In reply to ]
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My arm was the one on the DCR week in review with the Mio under my 910xt.

I have been working in my few spare minutes to find a designer to do a 3d print/silicone mold to hold a sensor under the watch band, but haven't found anyone yet that can do the design at a decent price. I want to make this available for everyone in a secure way but at a reasonable cost.

I like the Scosche idea even better, but I don't have a fabric band for my 920 that I am using now.


It is very nice getting it to one location only on the wrist and I do find the Mio so much more comfortable than a chest HR.


jim
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Re: Garmin with optical HR..... modification [iamuwere] [ In reply to ]
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Seems like a couple of O-rings could hold the link securely to the Garmin band.

ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
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Re: Garmin with optical HR..... modification [nechris] [ In reply to ]
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   While I haven't done a lot of alternative testing, I've found that I have to tighten my Mio down pretty good for it work. I'm OK doing that for a workout but I do notice that it is snug and wouldn't want that on my wrist all the time.

BC Don
Pain is temporary, not giving it your all lasts all Winter.
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Re: Garmin with optical HR..... modification [aw3] [ In reply to ]
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aw3 wrote:
Very interesting! I'm surprised that someone hasn't noted this sooner given how many people complain about chest straps and request built-in optical HR in every Garmin release.

Have you done much running testing with the Scosche Rhythm in that configuration? How does it deal with the extra arm movement being placed at the wrist compared to, say, being located on the upper arm? I've not used an optical HR sensor, do they need to be held on at a very specific tightness to get good data?

I always run with my Scoshe on my wrist. No dropouts. Works great. Works equally well on both sides of the wrist. I have even gotten it to work on my ankle, although it occasionally drops out when on the ankle, not bad though.

Simplify, Train, Live
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Re: Garmin with optical HR..... modification [nechris] [ In reply to ]
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nechris, this is quite smart to be honest, a small life hack like this saves a lot of time and stops one from being fed up. I had this watch sometime ago and the weight was a big no-no for me. it's so bulky that one feels like there is giant computer on his wrist, feels like 80's. It's not 80's though when it comes to it, but the weight does make one feel like that.

electronic manufacturing services
Last edited by: caliskan: May 14, 15 11:49
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Re: Garmin with optical HR..... modification [nechris] [ In reply to ]
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I definitely want to try the Velcro solution.

That said I have experimented with the Scosche on my thigh under bike shorts and on my ankle under a tall running sock.

The ankle position works great. I ran 8.5 that way today with no troubles. The thigh location consistently reported low HR.

Cheers, Alan
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Re: Garmin with optical HR..... modification [Andy007] [ In reply to ]
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Andy007 wrote:
Not sure if this is a dumb question or not. Are you using this for running AND swimming? I originally thought only running, but then saw the pool in the background of the photos.

I've tried my MIO Link in the pool and it doesn't get a reading. Not sure if that's the water interfering with the optical reading, the BTLE transmission not working underwater, or both. When I have a rest interval at the wall it starts reading again.

Maybe someone who has an optical HRM with an integrated display (MIO Alpha, TomTom Cadrio, etc.) could comment.

ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
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Re: Garmin with optical HR..... modification [iamuwere] [ In reply to ]
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iamuwere wrote:
My arm was the one on the DCR week in review with the Mio under my 910xt.

I have been working in my few spare minutes to find a designer to do a 3d print/silicone mold to hold a sensor under the watch band, but haven't found anyone yet that can do the design at a decent price. I want to make this available for everyone in a secure way but at a reasonable cost.

I like the Scosche idea even better, but I don't have a fabric band for my 920 that I am using now.


It is very nice getting it to one location only on the wrist and I do find the Mio so much more comfortable than a chest HR.


jim

I'm liking that idea. I've got the link and a 310XT.
I want to get it to work for swimming, but haven't tried it yet.
I don't care about swim metrics; laps, strokes, intervals etc - I know all of that from my workout.
I want to see decent distance (and position in OWS) with HR; I've got no real HR data in my all years of swimming. Other than trying to count my own at the end of a set.
Will keep watching these ideas.
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Re: Garmin with optical HR..... modification [nechris] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for this idea! Since I just got a Vivoactive I've had a chance to work on some hacks. The Mio Link is now attached to the Garmin band by poly "rubber bands" ($1.59 at the drugstore for 250). These just keep the Mio from falling off (I'll probably put two bands on each side, just for redundancy...no issues yet though).
Heart rate picks up fine, and I'm really liking this setup vs. having the Mio on the opposite wrist.

Mio attached to the Garmin


Placement on underside of wrist


Poly bands






ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
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Re: Garmin with optical HR..... modification [nechris] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for the inspiration! Finally got around to buying a velcro strap for my 610 to do this. Got my scosche rhythm plus earlier this year, and this looks it's going to work great.

Cheers!
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