FAQ

We currently support most Leica DISTO™ laser distance measurement devices with Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) and the ApexForge MAGIC, as they were easy to integrate and worked well out of the box. The Bosch PLR 30 C, Bosch PLR 50 C and Bosch GLM 50 C also work, but with some user experience limitations, such as delays, compared to the DISTOs.

Devices using Bluetooth® Classic are not supported.

If you have another laser device, you can test if the connection works here. If this is not the case, please contact us and we will see what we can do.

On some devices of the DISTO series, some features (e.g. automatic reactivation of the laser after measurement) are not available.
Although the D510 generally works, it is the only model we know of where these features do not work.

If you have working examples for other devices, or know somebody with the skills, we have an open source repository for that:
https://github.com/indivisualvj/web-bluetooth-laser-measure-examples

While running in Chrome or Edge, we-measure.io works well on personal computers with at least Windows 10, Linux (e.g. Mint 21.x) and macOS, as well as modern Android phones and tablets.

Safari and Firefox do not yet support the Web Bluetooth API.

For an overview of browsers with available Web Bluetooth API, just look at this table (green is good).

Apple restricts Bluetooth access on iOS devices for at least Google Chrome (and Safari). So you have to use e.g. Bluefy – Web BLE Browser.

On MacOS and Linux, it may be necessary to adjust some system and/or browser settings. (e.g. enable Experimental Web Platform features via chrome://flags in Chrome) 

For the laser connection we-measure.io relies on the experimental Web Bluetooth API and therefore we can't make any effort to support old operating systems or browsers.

Work your way through the following list:

• Go here, follow the instructions, and see if you get a bluetooth: available and summary: ready to go in the connect dialog.
• Laser is switched on and bluetooth is enabled (may be indicated by  Bluetooth symbol on the screen)
• Computer/Tablet/Mobile bluetooth is enabled
• Laser is not yet connected to any device
• Ensure that no other application is running that uses or connects to your laser device (e.g. Leica Disto Transfer)
• Try removing the pairing status in your OS's Bluetooth-Manager

The nominal line length is given from the carabiner all the way up to the lower surface of your wing (including the fabric loops where the lines are attached).

We estimate the length change for all loops when we create a new linemap for a wing based on the line data we can find.

As each user enters measurements with loop changes into we-measure.io, an analysis runs in the background. This shows us the deviations of our estimates from the actual measured changes. Based on this, the estimates are corrected. The more data we get, the more we can improve the simulation. This is provided that the changes made by everyone are documented, no values are changed manually after measurements, and the defined workflow is followed.

Although the simulation is constantly improving, it will always be an estimate.

Re-measuring the lines after changing loops is strongly recommended to see the real effect of trim changes. 

The sides of the wing in we-measure.io are named according to your flight direction.

The left riser in flight will be also the left riser during your measurement. Since you will normally be standing behind the canopy when measuring the wing, this is the logical direction.

In the Wing View, the left side of the screen corresponds to the left side of the wing in flight. (Imagine, you're watching the wing from the top).

Here is a non-exhaustive list of things to keep in mind:

• You must always use the correct and defined weight of exactly 5kg to load the lines in your measurement setup.
• Ensure that there are no other lines obstructing or pulling the line that you are measuring.
• Make sure that you are not moving left and right in the room when using a rail-based measurement system.
• The person who is performing the measurement has a big influence on the result. Use the same person for the entire measurement session. 
• Use the review after a measurement to verify the plausibility of your data.
• Make sure to use the correct reference points for the measurement. Line lengths within we-measure.io are always measured including the risers. For brake measurements, follow the instructions of the wing's manufacturer.
• Ensure that the rails you may be using for your measurement setup are frictionless. If they aren't, the load can vary massively.

We give some hints on which loops might be good to use for certain deviations in the measurement, but will not take any liability if it doesn't fly well after that. 

Trimming a paraglider requires deep knowledge of how the geometry of the wing changes.
If your measurements indicate that your glider is out of trim, we recommend that you take it to a professional check center (e.g. the manufacturer of your wing or a workshop recommended by the manufacturer) to get it properly trimmed.

We are continuously updating the database with additional paraglider models, but it is well possible, that yours in your size is not available yet. If you would like us to add it, please contact us through the contact form.

We designed the system so that almost every linemap we stumbled over so far, can be added and gives reliable and understandable results and simulation.
Therefore, creating line maps and adding length values is still a bit complicated so that we do not have an End-User-Solution for that yet.

To put the data in correctly requires a certain way of thinking.
We have no doubt that some of you can wrap their heads around this, but to open up the tools for maintaining linemaps and still keeping a high level of quality, we have to add a community driven review process first.
Ideas how to create such process are already there, but until now the overall effort to put in new paraglider models is not that bad, so that we are happy to add it for you.

You can either build it yourself, which is not so difficult to do.

Andre Bandarra for instance gives a very detailed description of how it is done.

You also can check this tutorial by Wolkenkratzer (German).

Or you can buy it from some suppliers online:

parafly24.de offers their rail-based riser fixture including a holder for the Leica Disto D1 for a reduced price. Frank was so kind to create this offer especially for us! 

More websites where you can purchase the equipment are e.g. Paraglider Line Measurement Tool by Mountain Ride Aviation, Rail Check from High Adventure, or the Travel Light Measuring Paragliding Tool from Christian Deacu.

A paraglider check normally involves the following

• measurement and trimming of lines
• measurement of air permeability, especially on the upper surface
• measurement of tear strength on lines
• visual check for damages and if necessary repair

This depends largely on the paraglider model, the line materials used, the weather and storage conditions it is exposed to and - last but not least - the recommendation from manufacturers.

As far as we know, when having a new paraglider or new lineset on a wing, after 20-40hrs, a measurement and re-trim is necessary. Then each 100 hrs or whenever you have the feeling, the wing is not flying well anymore, it should be measured and confirmed to be within tolerances. 

For details and specific information on your specific paraglider model, check in the user manual or directly with the manufacturer.

The Angle of Attack (AoA) describes the angle of the wing in reference to the airflow, and therewith changes constantly in flight with each pitch movement.

The Angle of Incidence (AoI), in contrast, describes the structural angle of the wing as part of the basic geometric setting. A detailed description can be found on wikipedia.

This is for the sake of science.
We believe in the power of statistics. When measuring your wing on a regular basis, the hours on your wing and lineset will provide information about how the wing changes over time and over usage. 
Of course, humidity, dust, sun etc. plays also a role on trim changes. But we assume that with enough data, it should be possible to see, which line concepts work better and which worse. 
The production date, first flight date and serial number also can give an indication about the influence of age, storage, production quality, etc.