[Zubersoft]

Looks like I was incorrect and my first test was a fluke. I ran the same automated test and the tablet went to sleep in the middle my app changing pages and loading songs. So Onyx has to fix this on their end. 

Geoff - I tried simulating a tap on the screen every so often and the device still went to sleep. I believe Onyx is going processing in the OS itself in response to a finger generating a signal, so this is not something an application can override.

So I will need Onyx to fix things in their firmware because I apparently have no way to get around their screen timeout.

Mike

[Geoff Bacon]

Don't know if this will give you any ideas

https://davidwalsh.name/wake-lock-shim

It appears to run a .mp4 continuously - not ideal but who knows!

Geoff

[teutocat]

The very helpful support from ereader.store showed me a very good way to mitigate the problem.
The "Any Screen Timeout Plus" app can manage timeout settings that the Boox Tab X cannot handle.
If the developers of the "Any Screen Timeout Plus" app found a way to suspend sleep, then it should work in MobileSheets, right?
Now I'm finally able to practice a song for a long time without the tab switching off. With the Tab X,
this is particularly uncomfortable because the button to turn it on is very difficult to operate

[Zubersoft]

I have no idea what approach the Any Screen Timeout Plus app is using if it's able to keep the screen on. I'm using the WindowManager flag to keep the screen on: https://developer.android.com/reference/..._SCREEN_ON

This is what is recommended by Google as described here in the "Keep the screen on" section: https://developer.android.com/training/s...g/wakelock

If you go into the MobileSheets settings and switch the "Keep CPU On" setting to "While Viewing Scores", that uses a wakelock, which keeps the CPU running as described on that same page. I don't think this gets past the problem, but if it does, that certainly wastes a lot more battery power. I have not tried using a broadcast receiver, as that's really meant for services, but it's another thing I could test. Really, BOOX should just fix their firmware to allow the screen to stay on if the app requests it. 

Mike

UPDATE:

The CPU wakelock does not work to keep the screen on.

[teutocat]

It seems that the "Any Screen Timeout Plus" app is ultimately just an alternative user interface for the hibernation timeout setting in the tablet's system settings. The tablet itself only allows 3, 5 or 10 minutes there, nothing else. If I select one of them and then start the "Any Screen Timeout Plus" app, this value is displayed as the default value in the app. But if I select e.g. 30 minutes or another value apart from 3, 5 or 10 in the app, "never" ("niemals") is displayed in the system settings, which could not even be selected there.
That leads me to the assumption that an app that wants a longer hibernation timeout doesn't have to use any special tricks at all, but simply does exactly what the system's Settings dialog does, only with more options.
The only small limitation is that a value other than 3, 5, 10 minutes is always reset to 5 minutes after restarting the tablet. A corresponding app would have to reset a special setting itself.

[debiddoki]

Hi, I've used Mobile Sheets for several years for live classical performance and it's really fantastic thanks. Never fails. Have been using it with two 10" tablets linked together with bluetooth for 2-page view, plus a bluetooth pedal for page turning.

I've just been looking at changing to the Boox Tab X and came across this discussion about screensaver timeout. Did a bit more research and came up with this from Boox... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvmTPzVa6P4&t=314s

Looks like one of the options in some models is for a "transparent" screensaver. I saw a comment on another forum suggesting that the transparent screensaver is actually a screen shot of the current page that gets displayed as the new screensaver. No idea if that's an option in the Tab X - maybe someone who owns one knows? Is is possible to work this kind of idea directly into Mobilesheets maybe? Probably too much work just for one platform. The biggest concern would be that if it's then in screensaver mode...playing long section of music...then time comes to turn the page, that it instantly comes back to life and turns the page.

This is a big showstopper for the Tab X for me. I'll stick with my two 10" units until they sort it out. Love Mobilesheets though!

[Zubersoft]

I think BOOX added more options with their latest firmware and you can now set a very long timeout for the screen. So I'm not sure that this is really a concern still. There is still an issue at the moment that MobileSheets can't force the screen to stay on itself, but if users adjust the screen timeout, then it's a non-issue. Hopefully BOOX will add the features to their SDK so that MobileSheets can control it again at some point.

Mike

[Lowender]

On my Onyx Tab X Version 3.3.2 I have checked Auto Sleep ->Never and is does exactly this.
Other Options are: 3, 5, 10, 30 minutes, 1 hour.

Eugen

[Lowender]

Can confirm. I chose Auto Sleep->Never and is does exactly this. No additional trick or app.

Eugen

[Jonathan]

Are there any compatibility issues with MSP for E-Ink and the Onyx Tab X? I have the regular version of MSP on my Tab X and it seems to work fine. However, I have a window popping up every time that I launch MSP reminding  that an e-ink version is available.

I've since paid for and downloaded the MSP E-Ink version, but have been unsuccessful at installation as the process aborts itself before completion. I guess I could delete my regular MSP first then re-install the e-ink version, but I'm concerned about losing my annotated music, especially bookmarks that took a long time to input.

If MSP for E-Ink is not a huge advantage or is compromised with its use on the Onyx Tab X maybe just stick with the regular MSP for the Tab X? I really don't want to lose all the time spent bookmarking and annotating my pdf files. Comments? Thanks!

[Zubersoft]

If you contact me at mike@zubersoft.com, I can help you with your orders. What you will need to do is go to Settings->Backup and Restore->Backup Library, generate a .msb file in a safe location like the Downloads folder, then uninstall MobileSheets (and make sure to uncheck the option to save data, you absolutely must not save the data), then you can run the FastSpring e-ink installer. When prompted, enter the license key and then restore your library under Settings->Backup and Restore->Restore Library from Backup. That will restore absolutely everything, including all your annotations. 

I would strongly recommend the e-ink version over the standard Google Play version. There are a lot of issues you will encounter if you use the Google Play version, and you will also miss out on all the BOOX specific optimizations.

Mike

[Jonathan]

If you contact me at mike@zubersoft.com, I can help you with your orders. What you will need to do is go to Settings->Backup and Restore->Backup Library, generate a .msb file in a safe location like the Downloads folder, then uninstall MobileSheets (and make sure to uncheck the option to save data, you absolutely must not save the data), then you can run the FastSpring e-ink installer. When prompted, enter the license key and then restore your library under Settings->Backup and Restore->Restore Library from Backup. That will restore absolutely everything, including all your annotations. 

I would strongly recommend the e-ink version over the standard Google Play version. There are a lot of issues you will encounter if you use the Google Play version, and you will also miss out on all the BOOX specific optimizations.

Mike

Thanks very much Mike, it all worked!

[Zubersoft]

Glad to hear that! I'm always happy to help.

Mike

[Normsthename]

Quick Question
If I bought an Boox Eink Tablet (Most probably the colour version)
With it being an Android device which version is best to install on it, the Android or Eink version???

Thanks

Andy

[Zubersoft]

The e-ink version will still work better on it, even if it supports color, as the refresh rate of the screen is still going to be fairly slow, and ghosting is still possible with animations and such.

Mike