What is sDepS?
A pedometer for the Nintendo DS. It measures how many steps you take. Steps are registered as either walking (slower) or running (faster). sDepS will also register how much time you spend running & walking as well as the Steps Per Minute(SPM) for each. When you do not move around, sDepS will not register time. This means sDepS will accurately measure time spent walking or running even if you have a break during a session.
These features allows you to go for a walk or run and let sDepS keep track of time spent as well as average speed in SPM for each type of activity. You could also use sDepS throughout a whole day to register you level of daily activity.
I don’t want to hold my DS while walking?
You don’t have to. If you close the lid, sDepS will still count your steps. Wear the DS close to your body for best results.
What do I need to use sDepS?
As sDepS is a homebrew application, you need a way to get sDepS on to your Nintendo DS after you have downloaded it. A device allowing this is called a linker. Theres is a guide available here and an article on the subject on wikipedia here.
As the Nintendo DS does not have a built in accelerometer, you will need to buy one. You can buy a separate one or a linker with a built in accelerometer,
Read the section on hardware compatibility on this page to see what hardware sDepS has been tested on.
What hardware has sDepS been tested on?
sDeps has been tested on the following hardware. If you have tried sDepS on other hardware please leave a comment on this page.
Linkers:
- R4DS
- R6 Gold (23G version) (Linker with accelerometer)
- NEO2
- Supercard CF
Accelerometers:
- DS Motion Pak
- R6 Gold (23G version) (Linker with accelerometer)
How correct is sDepS?
sDepS has been checked by walking 100 steps and reading the results from sDepS. The difference is between 0-2 steps. Test of running 4000+ steps while wearing a commercial pedometer and sDepS has also been performed. The difference between sDepS and the pedometer was within 30 steps on every run. Readings on sDepS and a commercial pedometer after a 90 minute walk are within 45 steps of each other. It is unknown what the most correct reading is.
The step count is way off?
For best results, the DS must be held close to your body. If you are able to attach it to a belt, that would be a good idea. Deep and/or loose pockets do not give good results, but tight pockets might be OK. Try holding the DS in your hands, looking at the screen while walking to confirm that sDepS registers your steps. sDepS will emit a tone when a step i registered, that is a good way to test where to place the DS. If you use headphones, you could take sDepS for a walk and experiment with different ways of carrying the DS. Please leave comments on this page describing your results.
How should the DS be oriented when using sDepS?
It does not matter what side is facing up on the DS when using sDepS.
When I start walking, my first step is not counted?
The first step in a series of steps (Each step is within 2 seconds of another) is not counted. The first step is seen as the action that marks the beginning of a walk or run. This is to avoid the registration of things like sudden movements while otherwise idle as a steps.
Is the source code available?
No, not at this time. It way well be in the future.
