While using Spleeft experimenting with problems is possible, as each smartphone, especially the Android ones, has different types of accelerometers of different quality. Here we let you some tips to solve or to help to improve the most common based on the huge feedback that our users give us by email and our social networks.
We are working on giving you specific updates to try to fix each one.
In general, the app is so demanding for the phone’s CPU, so try to use it with enough free memory (both on the RAM and the internal storage) and battery levels, especially in the Android version.
Problem 1. The accelerometer does not give me any type of measurement or feedback.
This type of problem is very common along Android users, even those with high-quality phones. Remember that the app just measure the velocity on the vertical axes, so movements like leg extension, for example, will not be measured.
Spleeft implements some filters to reduce the signal noise-induced errors. Those filters are adjusted dynamically by the app based on the data of the previous reps. of the series. Spleeft set as an acceptable range (that is not considered a measurement error) 35% below and above the mean range of motion of the series. For the velocity, Spleeft considers a measurement error a velocity loss of 40% below the mean of the series.
If you experiment with problems with no rep counting, try the following tips:
– Try to calibrate your phone’s sensor with the app at the real-time velocity screen (just for Android). Check if the deviation from 0 m/s2 when the phone is not moving is significant, and calibrate that error if needed.
– Another option is to disable automatic filters in settings and set the range of motion filter and the velocity filter to the minimum. In that case, maybe the app counts more reps than you have performed but just try. Then you have to adjust your filters depending on the movement you will do (i.e if you perform squats normally with 60 kg and 0.6 m/s set a velocity threshold of 0.4 m/s). The closer the filter value is to the actual value, the more accurate the measurement will be. However, the more likely it is that a real repeat will not be displayed.
We recommend setting manual filters of 20 cm below your expected ROM and 0.2 m/s below your expected velocity value.
Try it by performing body weight squats just with the phone in your hands.
Problem 2. The velocity feedback is not given instantaneously.
Some users, both on iOS and Android, do not receive the velocity feedback instantaneously after finishing the concentric phase of the movement. This is due to the noise that the accelerometer detects because of the explosive final of the movement (the bar oscillates due to the final thrust for a few seconds.). Spleeft looks for zero acceleration to calibrate the accelerometer signal and give the velocity feedback. However, maybe some athletes start the next rep. without reaching the zero velocity and listening to the velocity feedback, which can let to non-counted reps and lack of feedback. We will fix this issue by implementing more noise filters to smooth the signal, but it is recommended to wait until the velocity feedback to get accurate measurements. In the sports science literature, this strategy is called cluster set.
Are you experimenting with another type of measurement error or issue that you would like to share with us? Contact us here.
