USB memory not recognised & update not showing - SOLVED

[bladeslapper]

I just can't get the USB update to work and I can't figure out what I'm missing.
I tried it in the heli this afternoon in the baking heat and it wouldn't work so decided to bring it home and do it at my desk.
It's now plugged in with a decent cable to a good stable supply.
I have downloaded the latest update file to a 2Gb USB stick, not renamed the file and it is in the root directory with nothing else on the stick.
Stick connected to the update port (I've tried the GPS port as well)
USB settings all on auto with baud rate at 4800
I can connect to PA from Firefox (I've tried Chrome as well)
Click 'updates' tab and then 'check'
It says:
Checking for updates
/root/servers/check.sh: Error, Cannot access update details
Then goes back to the main screen - no software updates available
I have tried a different USB stick with the same result.
My current software version is 20180129 with valid license
I have also noticed that the USB stick is not recognised from the 'Track' page

any ideas?

andrew

[Admin]

Hi Andrew
If it is not recognised, the issue will be the format
I think the instructions state it needs to be VFAT formatted

Thx
Lee

[Admin]

Hi Andrew
Another thought, as you have the unit at home, have you tried connecting to your router using an RJ45 cable ?

Thx
Lee

[bladeslapper]

It's currently formatted as FAT, my win10 does not have an option for vfat, just exfat and fat32.
I have previously updated it using ethernet, I was just trying to get this to work for future updates since it is now semi-permanently in the aircraft.
I will do this again now if all else fails but it would be nice to get to the bottom of the problem

[Admin]

Hi Andrew

I think that is your problem, the disk must be formatted as VFAT - I wonder if it is related to the size, ie only 2GB ?

If you perform a full upgrade to 20180520, this contains an FTP Daemon - what it is does not matter, but what it does, in future it will enable you to update directly from your iPad/iPhone - in order to do that, it will require a full installation - not sure how comfortable you are with that ?

Thx
Lee

[Giver]

I found it easy to use a second mini SD card, format it and put the complete new update on it,
then at the aircraft just swap over the SD cards, Boot up and wait about five minutes,
replace the license key and set your parameters, doesn’t take long at all,
Mine is a permanent installation but still easy to swap the SD cards,
just my two cents worth,

[bladeslapper]

Yeah I'd be fine with FTP, I use that now to update all my websites so simple to do from my windows tablet (I use that in the aircraft anyway).
Windows will not give the option to format it as vfat so I guess I can't use that method anyway. The other sticks I have will all be ntfs I think but I have not checked.
I will do a complete install then on this occasion and then make use of FTP in the future.

thanks for your help

[Admin]

Great
And from a windows pc even easier
FTP to pilotaware using anonymous login
cd /pub
put PilotAware.pgp

Click update in pilotaware web page - job done

If you wish you can try this once upgraded to 20180520
Of course the pgp file will be the same release and should be reported as so

We will be documenting this fully in the coming weeks

Thx
Lee

[AlanG]

Hi

OK, I give in, where on earth did VFAT come from?  All I knew was your stick had to be formatted FAT32 and not plain old FAT.  Oh dear, I feel a dark room and a lie down coming on.   

Alan

[bladeslapper]

Just out of interest, I have just tried formatting as FAT32 and it still won't work.
Not done anything else yet. Flying with it all day tomorrow so will leave as is for now.

[Ian Melville]

Hi Lee, to use the TLA, VFAT will confuse a hell of a lot of people. The required format is not even mentioned in the instructions, and you won't find it in a format tool, so if it is so critical, why not? I have only ever used FAT32 for my USB pen drives, which includes VFAT (it allows file names longer than 8.3). This is the format the pen drives normally come supplied with, and I do not have any issues upgrading my PAW this way.

Andrew,
With the pen drive in your PC, make sure file explorer is set to show file extensions. Check the file name is PilotAware.pgp. This is case sensitive.
Can you see the USB pen drive listed as storage in the table at the bottom of the home page?
If you can see this, but PAW still cannot see the update, then it may be best too do a full unstall rathjer than an up date

Lee, Keith. The instructions for USB update are incorrect on the new website. http://www.pilotaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/180529-Software-upgrade-by-Flash-Memory-stick..pdf
The link to the Lode is incorrect and the file name is incorrectly capitalised. I think is was a lower case 'a' a while back.

[Keithvinning]

Thanks for pointing this out Ian I will fix this.

Keith

[bladeslapper]

I managed to update the unit before the flights yesterday. I downloaded the formatter and formatted the SD card, then copied the full installation over and let it boot up on my drive to the airport.

All seemed to work fine. I found some instructions in the documentation about needing to attach a monitor and keyboard to control the first boot of the Pi but found other instructions with no mention of this – and Giver suggested that this was not necessary – I just thought I’d mention this as it was a little confusing.

When I arrived at the airport I tried again with the USB stick and it still will not find the update file nor does it show in the ‘Track’ list page. It does show as an item on the Home page but with no info in the Status column. It’s 2Gb FAT32. I then tried another USB stick with the update file (also 2Gb FAT32) and this one shows as “General UDisk” in the status but also will not show the update nor in the Track page.
I then tried another stick, 128Gb Fat32 and it worked! Shows as Toshiba TransMemory, scans the update file and allows save from the Track list. I cannot fathom why but that’s technically the original problem solved.

Hopefully the above information is useful. I had some other thoughts that I might as well mention:
I also tried to connect with my FTP client and it connects and shows the directory tree. Will it eventually be possible to access the Track list using FTP?
When I first installed the new version, the Bearingless Contacts Settings section was not visible. A restart of the unit made it appear.
Helicopter is spelled incorrectly.
My default WiFi mode is G yet the instructions say it should be B - I realise this is not relevant, just thought I'd mention it.
Logically, I would choose WiFi channel set to auto but this was not default. Is there a reason?

[Admin]

Hopefully the above information is useful. I had some other thoughts that I might as well mention:
I also tried to connect with my FTP client and it connects and shows the directory tree. Will it eventually be possible to access the Track list using FTP?

Yes that is possible, do you think that is useful ?
my gut feeling is that it will generally be a 'power-user' who will use ftp directly.
Something like iTransfer on iOS is a little more user friendly
But anyway the tracks could be made visible through the ftp interface

When I first installed the new version, the Bearingless Contacts Settings section was not visible. A restart of the unit made it appear.
Helicopter is spelled incorrectly.

Ooops, nobody has ever spotted that - I have just fixed :-)

My default WiFi mode is G yet the instructions say it should be B - I realise this is not relevant, just thought I'd mention it.
Logically, I would choose WiFi channel set to auto but this was not default. Is there a reason?

I think auto is probably a way of scanning for unused channels - a listen before talk ?
The hardware does not directly support an auto option

thx
Lee

[bladeslapper]

Yes that is possible, do you think that is useful ?
my gut feeling is that it will generally be a 'power-user' who will use ftp directly.
Something like iTransfer on iOS is a little more user friendly
But anyway the tracks could be made visible through the ftp interface

Yes I agree, most people won't have an FTP client. I'm not sure that I would ever need to take the tracks off the PA unit but if I was going to then FTP would certainly be the easiest way. If it's easy to implement (and since you have already made the FTP part of things) then I would suggest you might as well. I'm an android and windows user so use ES File Explorer for LAN and FTP access; LAN between PCs; and FileZilla for windows FTP.
I've just tried ES to access the PA unit and it works perfectly. It found the unit on an auto-scan and brought up the directory for updates - I think this is my solution to the strange USB problem!!

I think auto is probably a way of scanning for unused channels - a listen before talk ?
The hardware does not directly support an auto option

Since yesterday morning, mine has been set to G, Auto and seems to be working fine!