I've been trying with limited success to upgrade my PAW to the latest software version.
Looking through my SD card collection I only have a spare 16Gb micro SDHC card, but others seem to have got it to work so thought I would try the same.
Formatted the card with 'full overwrite' using SD formatter 5.0.1 on my MAC. Checked the format, FAT32, so copied the files to the card and took it to the airfield to load in the plane. Managed to miss the SD card slot in my PAW classic so had to remove the PAW from the plane to dismantle it and retrieve the SD card.
Powered it up, waited about 20 minutes, nothing happening, no Wifi hotspot.
Put the old card back in, works perfectly.
Brought the PAW home so I could plug it into the TV and see what's happening.
With the old software version, I get the software load details all scroll up on the TV until it gets to the login prompt and then the Wifi hotspot is active. All good.
New software card, absolutely nothing happens, blank screen.
Reformat the card directly using MAC utilities as at least one help article says this will work
https://support.mygeeni.com/hc/en-us/articles/360006585013-How-to-Format-SD-card-to-FAT32-in-Mac-OS- (following instructions format it as FAT, but when I check the drive details it says FAT32). Same thing, absolutely nothing on the HDMI.
Reformat the card using SD Formatter v5 again as advice that this might work a second time (full overwrite each time). Card says its FAT32. Download software from lode.pilotaware again, expand the ZIP, copy it all to the SD card, unmount it, put it in the PAW, same thing. Blank TV screen and only a single red light on the PAW, no activity lights at all.
Install SD card back in Mac and check its contents, and then I notice that the os and overlays folders are both empty, but in the ZIP file they have files in them. Strange,
Manually copy the contents of the os folder back over to the SD card, check the SD card has the files in it, it does. Unmount the SD card, remount it, check the os folder and its empty.
Tried several times, deleting and recreating the folders, and each time same thing happens, the os and overlays folders are OK on the SD card, but all the subfolders disappear when I remove the SD card from the card reader (dismounting it properly to ensure all data written to the card).
Found another 16Gb micro SD card, copied the files and directories to it, this time when I unmount and remount the card the os folder retains the Raspbian sub-folder and the overlays folder retains all its subfiles, but the Raspbian sub-folder of os empties itself each time. Since this has the root.tar.gz in it, again sounds fatal.
So either these are both corrupt SD cards (unlikely?), or SD card and sub folders just don't play well on a Mac. I suspect these folders being empty is pretty much going to kill it booting up.
Any ideas?
Going out and buying another 8Gb card is an option, but I'm thinking I might just jack it in and buy a Rosetta upgrade given all the other problems I have had with reduced range on my PAW classic. Despite changing the antennae, the bridge board, putting a new power supply in, changing to a new antenna extension lead and trying with and without an antenna extension lead, I still only can see PAW traffic up to a few miles away.
Would rather not as when it was working the classic was absolutely perfect, but maybe this latest issue is the final message to splash the cash.
Classic upgrade kits appear to be out of stock though.
Thanks in advance
Geoffrey