Before you get started you will need to download and install each of the following pieces of software on the machines that will be working on the ThinSat program.
Getting the Tools You Need
These instructions are to get your computer prepared to communicate with the hardware in the ThinSat Program.
- FTDI Drivers
- FlashTool (Used to program the WiFi Module)
- xLoader (Used to program the Radio Modules)
FTDI Drivers
The FTDI Virtual Com Port drivers to allow the USB interface chip (IP01) to talk to your computer. Most new operating systems have these installed by default, but we recommend installing the latest version to prevent issues later.
Select the appropriate driver package for your combination of operating system and hardware.
Unzip the driver installer, open it, and follow the installation prompts.
Windows 7 users may need to right click the installer and select “Run as Administrator” to allow the installer to run.
Once installation is complete, your computer should recognize the xChips when you connect by USB.
Windows 7 users may need to right click the installer and select “Run as Administrator” to allow the installer to run. If your computer says you don’t have correct privileges, you may need to speak to your IT department to have them install the drivers.
FlashTool
Last updated 02 April 2018
The FlashTool programs the CW01 xChip to gather data from all of the sensors and send it over Wi-Fi to the Data Dashboard. The process of using the FlashTool is called ‘flashing’.
Download the latest version of the FlashTool below. The latest version will always be hosted here, just unzip the file after downloading.
xLoader
Known Issue: Ground Station doesn’t send data to dashboard when using CR03
Last Updated 02 April 2018
Before you can use the radio modules, you will need to “flash” them with a program that tells them what frequency to use and how to communicate with the xChips.
XinaBox has made a special tool for flashing the radio modules that makes this an easy process.
1. Download the latest version of the xLoader.zip programming tool
2. Unzip the file. You will now have a folder called xLoader.