65 lines
2.6 KiB
ReStructuredText
65 lines
2.6 KiB
ReStructuredText
Introduction to the WiPy
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========================
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To get the most out of your WiPy, there are a few basic things to
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understand about how it works.
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Caring for your WiPy and expansion board
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----------------------------------------
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Because the WiPy/expansion board does not have a housing it needs a bit of care:
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- Be gentle when plugging/unplugging the USB cable. Whilst the USB connector
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is well soldered and is relatively strong, if it breaks off it can be very
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difficult to fix.
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- Static electricity can shock the components on the WiPy and destroy them.
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If you experience a lot of static electricity in your area (eg dry and cold
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climates), take extra care not to shock the WiPy. If your WiPy came
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in a ESD bag, then this bag is the best way to store and carry the
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WiPy as it will protect it agains static discharges.
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As long as you take care of the hardware, you should be okay. It's almost
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impossible to break the software on the WiPy, so feel free to play around
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with writing code as much as you like. If the filesystem gets corrupt, see
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below on how to reset it. In the worst case you might need to do a safe boot,
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which is explained in detail :ref:`here <wipy_boot_modes>`.
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Plugging into the expansion board and powering on
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-------------------------------------------------
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The expansion board can power the WiPy via USB. The WiPy comes with a sticker
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on top of the RF shield that labels all pins, and this should match the label
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numbers on the expansion board headers. When plugging it in, the WiPy antenna
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will end up on top of the SD card connector of the expansion board. A video
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showing how to do this can be found `here <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47D9MZ9zFQw>`_.
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Expansion board hardware guide
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------------------------------
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The document explaining the hardware details of the expansion board can be found
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`here <https://github.com/wipy/wipy/blob/master/docs/User_manual_exp_board.pdf>`_.
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Powering by an external power source
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------------------------------------
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The WiPy can be powered by a battery or other external power source.
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**Be sure to connect the positive lead of the power supply to VIN, and
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ground to GND. There is no polarity protection on the WiPy so you
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must be careful when connecting anything to VIN.**
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- When powering via ``VIN``:
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**The input voltage must be between 3.6V and 5.5V.**
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- When powering via ``3V3``:
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**The input voltage must be exactly 3V3, ripple free and from a supply capable
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of sourcing at least 300mA of current**
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Performing firmware upgrades
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----------------------------
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For detailed instructions see :ref:`OTA How-To <wipy_firmware_upgrade>`.
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