Anyone have experience with uploading Polar HR files via IR?
I have a Polar S610, new USB IR interface and Windows XP. Downloaded the latest software from polar.fi. I uninstalled and reinstalled the IR USB drivers, per the troubleshooting site. Device manager says device is working properly. I set the watch to connect, hit the connect button on the software…the orange light on the IR blinks like it is reading, the software screen sometimes looks like it is reading, watch sometimes says 100%, sometimes says failed and the software always says ‘no answer from wrist unit’ after a minute or so. I read the troubleshooting on the Polar.fi site and think I’ve tried everything.
This might just be something wacko on my end, but… I can’t transfer data via IR from my S710 properly over USB 2.0. If I plug into one of my USB 1.1 ports, everything’s fine. You might try something similar.
I used to have a 710 and I always had to hold the watch and the reader to make sure the units were properly aligned. If you are leaving the watch and reader to lie there, try holding them while the reading is done.
For some reason I always have to try twice. I click “connect” (on the computer, not the watch), nothing happens, I click cancel, click connect again, and the light comes on. I don’t get that.
I also hold the IF thingy and the watch close together. And, when I put the watch in connect mode, I let it get to 100% before trying the connect with the computer. I don’t know why, but this seems to work for me.
Do you have other communications ports applications loaded on your desktop? Palm OS applications run “in front of” the Polar software IR protocols for some reason and the Polar equipment will not communicate if the Palm OS icon in the lower right hand corner of your Windows menu is visible.
I’ve used the IR interface with no problems and like it very much.
Do you have the IR device going through a USB hub or anything? I tried running my IR receiver through a hub and I couldn’t get it to work at all. I eventually plugged it back into the computer directly and it worked like a champ.
Thanks guys- I am not sure if I have a USB 1.1, but might try that. I do have palm software running…that could be the problem too… good ideas here. I will try them and hope they work.
Tom’s suggestion sounds very likely. But here are a few things I’ve come across with the IR.
If I restart my computer, I have to unplug and then replug the IR device. I can do this while the software is open, but it does have to get “rest” on my side and then there are no problems.
When my battery was low, all the functions worked except the upload. Polar said there may have not been enough power to upload.
I think I remember reading somewhere about compatibility with USB 2.0 being sketchy.
Not to Hijack but I just got an axn 500 and cannot for the life of me figure out what in the hell is going on. I loaded the software on my laptop but when I go into device manager I have no polar usb ir device listed. The laptop has an ir port because the thing came with a remote control for running the dvd player in it. What am I missing?
I know there is a Polar IR USB driver on polar.fi…wonder if you specifically need that driver in there to work, even though you have a built in IR port? There are also some settings in the software that you can set which IR port you want to use (USB, Serial…) Maybe you need to tell the software to use your existing port somehow.
Is the built in IR port enabled? Does it work with other devices/software? You may have to enable it in BIOS (at startup, before Windows starts). Do you see an IR port Device Manager?
I spoke with the guys at polar, they seem to think that the remote that came with the computer may not be ir so it looks like I have to buy a usb ir adapter. If anyone can recommend a good cheap one that they know works with their polar watch I would appreciate it. The polar people recommended a company that has them but it was $40 a little research on the net and I found them as cheap as $15 but I have no idea if the ones I saw would work or not. I’m a little ignorent as to what I need to be looking for and it seems like they all have a little bit different specs.
The port and remote most likely are IR (infrared) devices, but the port may not be IRDA compliant. Check the documentation for your machine. Does some form of IR port show up in the Device Manager?
If it isn’t IRDA than you are pretty much stuck getting the Polar IR interface (either serial or USB) for $30-$40.
That sounds almost exactly like the problem I encounter when the battery starts to get low. It will start to download and then just cack on me. Once I replace the battery, it works fine.
Who knows how long the watch had been sitting before you bought, that could be it.
M~
You can check out the bios setup (press F1 or something at startup) and see if it mentions the IR port, it may not be enabled.
I have a newer Dell laptop and the IR port on it works fine with my Polar S710i. If it’s a relatively new laptop, I have to believe that the port is IrDA compatable, and should work with you Polar.
hp pavillion dv1000. I bought it a couple of months ago. I hit f10 at boot up but don’t see anything about an ir port in the bios. Checked boot order and nothing there either. However I am not a computer person so it would probably have to bite me in the ass for me to find it. The really sad part of all this is I’m the go to guy at work when people have computer problems, but mostly it is crap like my email doesn’t work or why can’t I open this file. This is a little beyond me so I’ll just spend $30 for an adapter.