Connecting to Cinch with Web Browers

Connecting to Cinch using WiFi dongle as described (https://www.dexterindustries.com/howto/use-cinch-operating-system/). However, very hard to move around screen when using tablet (cannot scroll, etc). Windows are also cut off. Is there a way to make the display fill the browser/screen so desktop and pop up windows are not cut off? How do you scroll using a touch screen?

Thanks for trying out Cinch. Tablet support is unfortunately minimal as there just isn’t enough real estate on the screen. Are you connecting via a browser (by doing to http://dex.local for example) ?

The screen resolution cannot be changed on the fly. It can be changed on your SD card though and you’ll get the new resolution after a Pi reboot. If you’re interested I can guide you through the process but it will remain that a tablet has too small a screen to be comfortable for development. Tablets are good to control an already programmed robot, for example if you develop a remote control interface but they’re not great when it comes to developing something.

Cleo

I am connecting with a browser as described here (
https://www.dexterindustries.com/howto/use-cinch-operating-system/). Guess
I am a little confused as to what the intended use of Cinch is if tablet
support is minimal when the process of using Cinch to specifically connect
using a phone/tablet is described. Am happy to program via a standard
monitor connection and then transfer over to tablet when running script,
but still cannot see how that would be beneficial when you may or may not
have full view of the screen area. If changing the resolution through the
SD card is the only option, I would be interested in exploring that avenue.

Derek Greene
Manager, Houdini’s Room Escape
derek@houdinisroomescape.com
www.houdinisroomescape.com
(513) 549-5419

Hi again Derek
I’m sorry for the confusion. Tablet support is provided to cover two situations:

  1. the tablet has enough screen resolution (my very old iPad is fine, for example)
  2. the tablet is used to interact with already programmed robots so they can be used outside, for example.
    Also it’s highly recommended to have a keyboard and a mouse connected to the laptop if you wish to do development work, as seen in the video on the link you provided.

Cinch can also be used with laptops instead of tablets, so you are not limited to a hardwired monitor connection. You can simply use a browser on a laptop and have a totally workable development environment. Unfortunately, the technology used here is currently unable to resize the screen on the fly.

If you do want to change the resolution, it can be done. This resolution will be the same each time you connect via VNC - through laptop or tablet. In other words if I set the resolution for my cell phone and attempt to connect via my laptop, I’ll be stuck with a cell phone resolution. Or I would need to choose another method to connect to the Pi from the laptop, like xrdp or SSH

To change the resolution you need to edit the following file:
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/vncserver@.service

Look for this line:
ExecStart=/usr/bin/vncserver -depth 24 -geometry 1280x800 :%i

you can change the numbers after geometry. By default noVNC is set to 1280 by 800 resolution.

Ctrl-X, Y, and enter to save the changes. Then reboot the Pi.

Hopefully you can find a good middle ground for your specific project, between screen resolution and usability. The most comfortable setup that I found for me is

  • laptop for development, connected via Cinch or Wifi and SSHing into the Pi
  • tablet/cell phone to test/debug/run the application

Finding a good development setup can be a challenge. Hopefully this will help you find what’s good for you. Feel free to ask more questions.

Cleo

I can’t see to find the file you mentioned on the SD card containing the
Cinch files. Would it be shown in a specific location or possibly under a
different name?

Derek Greene
Manager, Houdini’s Room Escape
derek@houdinisroomescape.com
www.houdinisroomescape.com
(513) 549-5419

Let’s do it in steps then and see where there’s an issue.

cd /etc
cd systemd
cd system
ls

The file should be listed here.
sudo nano vncserver@.service

Let me know how far you can get.
Cleo

On second thought, are you trying to edit the Cinch card while it’s in your normal computer? If so, you won’t be able to reach the /etc folder to start with. The Cinch SD card has two partitions and only one is visible by Windows, the other one is the Linux partition that is necessary for the Raspberry Pi. You can only reach it through the Raspberry Pi.

I have no idea of your technical expertise but if I had to do this on a tablet I would go through http://dex.local and select the terminal instead of VNC - assuming the tablet has an external keyboard. Then it would be easy to edit the file even before the change in resolution.

Cleo