Vishal Patel

RowMetrics

RowMetrics is a program for logging workout data from a Concept2 rowing machine's Performance Monitor. It collects time, distance, speed, stroke rate, power, and heart rate information during the workout and writes the results to a comma-separated values (CSV) file and also generates a scalable vector graphic (SVG) plot of the data. It also calculates weight-adjusted values for the appropriate parameters.

Contents

1. Requirements
2. Download
3. Installation
4. Usage
5. Limitations
6. Sample Output

Requirements

• A computer running Linux
• A Concept2 rowing machine with a Performance Monitor (version 3 or 4).
• PyUSB
• matplotlib

Download

Download the tarball: rowmetrics-0.1.0.tar.gz (21 KB)

Installation

1. Identifying your Concept2 Performance Monitor (PM)
   1. With your PM disconnected from your computer, type lsusb at the command line and note the output.
   2. Now plug your PM into a USB port and type lsusb again. Identify the line that changed. In my case, it looks like this:
      Bus 001 Device 006: ID 17a4:0001 Concept2 Performance Monitor 3
   3. Record your VendorID (17a4 in this example), and ProductID (0001 in this example) for future use.
2. Modifying udev rules to allow non-root USB access to the PM
   1. As root, save the following, all on one line, to /etc/udev/rules.d/99-concept2.rules, replacing VVVV and PPPP with the VendorID and ProductID respectively:
      ATTRS{idVendor}=="VVVV", ATTRS{idProduct}=="PPPP", MODE="0666"
   2. As root, reload the udev rules with:
      udevadm control --reload-rules
   3. Disconnect and reconnect the Concept2 PM from your computer.
3. Extract RowMetrics and make it executable
   1. Extract RowMetrics to a convenient location:
      tar xzf rowmetrics-0.1.0.tar.gz -C ~/bin/
   2. Make RowMetrics executable:
      chmod +x ~/bin/RowMetrics/row_metrics.py

Usage

To begin a logged workout, you'll need to run RowMetrics with the appropriate command line parameters:

• -i (required): the VendorID and ProductID of your PM in the form VVVV:PPPP
• -p (required): the workout program number you plan to row. These are enumerated according to the lists on your PM:
  1. Standard List #1
  2. Standard List #2
  3. Standard List #3
  4. Standard List #4
  5. Standard List #5
  6. Custom List #1
  7. Custom List #2
  8. Custom List #3
  9. Custom List #4
  10. Custom List #5
  11. Favorites List #1 (LogCard required)
  12. Favorites List #2 (LogCard required)
  13. Favorites List #3 (LogCard required)
  14. Favorites List #4 (LogCard required)
  15. Favorites List #5 (LogCard required)
• -w (required): your weight in pounds
• -f (optional): data sampling frequency in Hz (default: 1 Hz)

Example: A 165-lb person who wants to row a 10k while logging data every five seconds might run:
~/bin/RowMetrics/row_metrics.py -i 17a4:0001 -p 3 -w 165 -f 0.2

Limitations

RowMetrics is not perfect. Here are some of its limitations. There are probably others.

• It only logs the first interval for interval workouts.
• It is restricted to the workouts in the PM menu.
• It uses the PM's low-resolution timer which means that the maximum effective sampling frequency is 1 Hz.
• It does everything its busy developer currently desires, so your feature requests will likely be ignored. Fortunately, it's open-source.

Sample Output

For sample output (or for a good laugh), check out the results of my own logged workouts. Sometimes I don't wear the heart rate monitor, so do not be alarmed if my heart rate appears to be zero.

Timestamp	Results
20090404T234358Z	CSV	SVG
20090412T190834Z	CSV	SVG
20090415T021811Z	CSV	SVG
20090417T021440Z	CSV	SVG
20090429T024054Z	CSV	SVG
20090510T011105Z	CSV	SVG