Author Topic: newbie help and the start of a step-by-step doc  (Read 395 times)

davecason

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newbie help and the start of a step-by-step doc
« on: April 02, 2017, 11:44:50 pm »
Hi,

Is there someplace on the website that has instructions for newbies?  I pulled out the kits again for the second time here and still no joy.  Let’s hit the website……

Got to the site and figured let try Support ….  (Ah! a link that says getting started)

OK so I get tossed to a page that says:   Update – Program – Learn – Download, I tried to click on each box but no joy so I went down and clicked on:   DOWNLOAD OUR PLATFORM …. That just scrolled me down the page to another box called GET EVERYTHING YOU NEED, so OK I clicked that box too ….

So now I m on a new page that says IoT starts here and there’s pictures of the parts ….. so I try the first one, it says mcStudio and mcScript …. It says mcStudio is the software for mcScript and then down lower in the box is the place you can download it ….. OK, do I need it?

I downloaded it anyway ….later I went back to each one and also downloaded the User Guide, I’m gonna  need that …. In the bottom box under Getting Started it says you need  a mcGateway & mcDongle (Hardware) and also some mcModules/mcDevices (Hardware) and lastly mcStudio & mcOTA (Free Tools)

So yea I will need all of this stuff so I went back to each box and downloaded the apps and the user guides and has a look at each of the getting started boxes under each one, they don’t tell you **** except throw you back to the top of that Getting Started page that had the  :   Update – Program – Learn – Download  page that has Step 1: Update again ?

RONCO    K-TEL    EZ STEP-BY-STEP    (Draft)

It’s not really saying much to me really but from what I can gather I need to update stuff:

-   Get yer parts – I have a McGateway – a mcOTA and I have three green 100 mcModules

-   Down load all the software from the website that’s there – I don’t see any instructions on what you actually need so grab it all

-   I think the first thing you have to do is update all the mcModules, so I opened the zip that I downloaded for my 110’s and extracted it to a folder

-   There’s a bin file in it and some release notes – that’s it - nothing on what to do in that

-   Anyway, back in the 110 page in the next box down under the release notes and bin file thing there is a box saying again that you need the mcStudio and the mcOTA application to update the software on the mcModules

-   I gave up on the mcModules page and went to the mcOTA page and I see the D/L link for the
-   app, then a prod spec box, then the user guide and lastly that getting started link that tosses you back up to the top that goes no place.  This step by step draft for us folks in the “Explain it to me like I’m 5” crowd is what I’m making here now.   (grin)

-   I extracted the user guide for the mcOTA and hit Step 1 on Page 2.  It says go get the mcOTA Updater but the link is screwed in the manual and what piece of software is called the mcOTA Updater ?

-   HINT: it’s the same thing as the mcOTA App  - they just use different names for Sport!

-   Step 2. Download the latest bin – you can’t again because the link in the manual is screwed but you did already - it’s in that file called for the 110’s with those release notes I guessing.

-   Step 3- So install the app called mcOTA.msi and you may have to run the separate file called CDM21216_Setup.exe to get the right drivers

-   Step 4 - Run the program and try to get it to work – I’ve tried 2 cables and 3 different PC with no joy so I’m guessing hat my mcDongle is pooched – I dunno …..

-   Here’s what I see on one PC with it plugged in:




PLUG IN 2.PNG  PIC HERE

 

BUT !  If I open the device manager I get …….

 

PLUG IN.PNG    PIC HERE




-   So it is in there as a Com 4 device and you can see it’s in as the USB Serial Converter it’s supposed to be but still no luck ….

-   So I’ve monkeyed around with their suggestions on hard selection the Port Number which I’m guessing means the Com Port on the PC so in this example – Com 4

-   I also checked off the box marked “Filter by Serial Number and read the number off the sticker on one of the mcModules and put that in as well and tried the Search Device button …..

-   (actually I’ve tried this on all 3 PC’s and with 2 mcModules and two USB cables and all I’m getting is: Connection to device failed: Please try again)


END of          EZ STEP- BY STEP        DRAFT



From what I gather since starting this in a nutshell you get your hardware bits and the first thing to do is update the mcModules

 –  install the mc OTA software on the PC - run    mcOTA.msi     to do that

–  start it up the     mcOTA Updater.exe      software from the desktop on the PC

–  put the bin file in the box called      mcMod110-v0.8-374.bin     in the VM Firmware box in the   
    mcOTA program as the latest and greatest firmware to send to one of your mcModules

–  to do this first -  set everything setup in that program …….

 – click the    Search Device    button and then right after     PUT a battery in one of your mcModules.
 
    ( If you move the sticker off the top of the mcModule you’ll see that the battery should have the
      Positive  (  +  )  side up in the holder on the mcModules  )
   
    (  btw – I have no freggen clue what the button on the mcOTA dongle is for  - anyone!?   )


Is this right folks ?!?!

Then something magical should happen and it should do stuff …..   (grin)

Anyway this is a start for an easier and hopefully much more clear way to get it going  …..

Feel free to edit, delete, or tear apart this post …..

Cheers’
Dave

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mc-T2

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Re: newbie help and the start of a step-by-step doc
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2017, 10:46:26 am »
Hi davecason,

I will try and help you out here. One thing to note, we just changed over to a new website on Friday (for those that have not checked it out, please do!) and so some of the links in the documentation is not correct due to the change. We are going to try and update those documents so that everything directs to the correct pages. *Update - the mcOTA documentation was updated today with the correct links for the new website*

The getting started page is there just as intended, to tell you how to get going with the devices. As described on the page, you need to update your equipment, then start programming.
Updating:
Start with installing mcOTA. Using the quick-start guide, you will see that you may need to download drivers to work with the program and the mcDongle (see the mcOTA application tab on the products page the describes this information and has a link to the drivers). Not only is there a quick-start guide, but we also put together a video to help (also available when you click the video link under support on the website):


mcOTA is used to update the modules as well as the host module on your gateway. The process is the same and you can find detailed information in the mcGateway user guide (this guide also tells you how to connect your gateway to the internet using WIFI or Ethernet). You'll also need to update the gateway application processor using a USB stick (Also described in the user guide).
Note - Be sure that you are using a USB cable that does data transfer, not just power or you will not be able to work with the mcDongle
Quote
(  btw – I have no freggen clue what the button on the mcOTA dongle is for  - anyone!?   )
The button has no use, there was an idea when we originally designed it however it turn out that we didn't require the button on the device after all was said and done

After you have completed updating all your gear, be sure to download the newest version of mcStudio so that you can move to the next step, programming the devices.
Throughout the forum, documentation, YouTube and Hackster, there are multiple examples of programming for you to test out and try. There are also examples within mcStudio as well.
We have also put a video out (a little out of date in terms of mcStudio version but still shows you how to work with the IDE - a newer version will be pushed out soon) that shows you how you can connect, debug/program the modules with your code so you can start creating your IoT solution:


Hopefully that helps! I will say that for anyone reading this and having the same issues, please be sure to read the documentation/user-guides and watch some of the videos. All the information is there to get going with the mcThings platform, you just need to spend the time to understand how the platform works. The platform is unlike anything else out there and as such, does require some investment in understanding the structure of the platform, how the gear communicates and how the updating process works to get going.


« Last Edit: April 03, 2017, 04:08:23 pm by mc-T2 »
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davecason

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Re: newbie help and the start of a step-by-step doc
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2017, 05:40:56 pm »
Hi! 

Hows it going - thanks for quick response .....

I was just gonna start a draft of a quick start how-to because I didn't see one in the Support Section of the website.
I figured what the heck  ..... I'll go check out the new stuff and actually yea a video would be really handy!

Dunno, the cables I bought are full wired data cables that talk to my Cell and GPS so I know its not a K-Mart cheapy ....

Dunno it's odd that I've had no joy with the kit but we'll keep trying, I also have a buddy that has his behaving so I'll
bribe him with a few beers and get it going .... : -)

I'll go watch the vid and continue to beat on the dongle and see what happens - worse case if it's pooched I'll buy
another one, but it looks like I am on the right track ....

- latest software
- get the dongle going on a PC
- use the dongle to flash the new firmware to the 3 mcMod's
- then update the mcGateway's firmware via a USB stick
- once they're happy fire up the mcStudio and go for it

Thanks again for the quick post !

Cheers'
Dave






mc-T2

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Re: newbie help and the start of a step-by-step doc
« Reply #3 on: April 04, 2017, 05:44:50 pm »
Hey Dave, glad that made sense! And i think your post is valuable for others so i wrote in a manner that i am hoping will help!

Just to add one more point to your short list:

Quote
- latest software
- get the dongle going on a PC
- use the dongle to flash the new firmware to the 3 mcMod's
- then update the mcGateway's firmware via a USB stick and update the module on the gateway with the newest mcOS firmware update using the dongle
- once they're happy fire up the mcStudio and go for it

You should be good to go!
Let us know how you make out
Thanks
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davecason

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Re: newbie help and the start of a step-by-step doc
« Reply #4 on: April 05, 2017, 07:04:45 pm »
Hi Guys,

So I now have 3 mc110's that are updated ..... I sent them all v0.8-374 same PC, same cables, everything ....
the only difference was I moved the bin file to the root of the c:\ drive!?  Hey, whatever right?   (grin) 

We'll try to flash the mcG ateway next with a USB stick .....  it lives!

Cheers'
Dave
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