Upgrade Your PiStorms Software - Tutorial

We here at mindsensors.com are constantly adding new features to the PiStorms software. Since the release of this nifty device we have added a Scratch interface, support for lots of sensors, optimized the sensor reads, etc. You can upgrade your PiStorms software to the latest version with a few quick, easy steps.

If you are using PiStorms software version 4.003 or later, an Exclamation icon appears on top right when new release of software is available for download.

For the exclamation icon to appear, power on PiStorms and leave it on for some time while connected to internet.

Simply click on this icon to upgrade.

A upgrade dialog box will appear, select 'Yes' to continue installation.

(Choosing 'Later' will defer the exclamation icon for about 8 hours).

If you are using software older than 4.03, you will need to follow these steps:

What you will need

You will need 8 GB SD card for your Pi. (more than 8 GB is ok too).

Start your Raspberry Pi and login to your Pi as user 'pi'.

Run raspi-config and 'expand the file system'

Configure your Pi to connect to Internet (using wired ethernet or wifi)

Upgrading

Open a browser on your computer and visit following url:

/largefiles/updater/

find the latest release of software from this page and make a note of the filename.

Login to your Pi and issue command:

cd /home/pi
wget /largefiles/updater/<fileName>

This will download the latest release on your Pi.

unzip the release file, and install as follows:

tar -zxvf fileName
cd /home/pi/PiStorms/setup
chmod +x setup.sh
./setup.sh

It will take a few minutes to install/upgrade the software.

Restart your Pi upon completion.

FAQ

Why are some of my programs not showing up in the PiStorms Browser (menu)?

The upgrade procedure backs up your old software in folder '/home/pi/PiStorms.01' (or '/home/pi/PiStorms.02' ...).

If you need your older programs, you will have to copy them over manually from backup folder.

Troubleshooting image for PiStorms.

In case needed, to troubleshoot PiStorms, we recommend installing a clean troubleshooting image on a SD card.

Follow these steps to create your SD card.