Standard Troubleshooting Steps

If your issue is not addressed below please email [email protected] with as much detail as you can provide.

For troubleshooting the coding tutorials go here

---

When you communicate issues to the ThinSat program, these are the generic steps we will have you perform.

1. Turn it off and turn it back on.

2. Check that your XinaBox Kits are assembled correctly

   1. The Engineering model has all sensors, a CW01, and does not have a CR03 (radio module)
   2. The Ground Station has a CW01 and a CR03
   3. The WeatherSat does NOT have a CW01, and you must have all sensors attached.

3. Reflash your CW01

   2. Ensure you are using the newest version of the FlashTool
   3. Test that data is getting to the dashboard.

4. Rerun xLoader on your CR03 xChips

   1. Ensure you are using the newest version of xLoader

Common Issues and Quick Fixes

• Not using Chrome Browser with the Space Data Dashboard. This can prevent the registration of MAC addresses.

More Issues

During Assembly:

Symptom	Possible Problem	Possible Fix	Steps to Remedy
I can't connect my xChips together. They're too tight!	The xChips are new	Push with more force	The new chips can be difficult to put together until they wear down.
-	The Slots are not aligned properly	Double check that the pieces line up properly	Rotate pieces until they are in a valid configuration and try again
There are extra pieces of plastic on my xChips!	The xChips are new	Snap these pieces off	During manufacturing there are extra pieces of plastic, these are waste.

During Flashing:

Symptom	Possible Problem	Possible Fix	Steps to Remedy
When I hit 'Flash' on the FlashTool, Nothing happens	Switches are in the wrong position	Put switches in B and DCE position
-	FTDI Driver is not installed	Download and install the FTDI drivers	Configuration Tools

WiFi Connection

Please review the Internet Requirements Guide first

Symptom	Possible Problem	Possible Fix	Steps to Remedy

Getting Data on the Dashboard:

Symptom	Possible Problem	Possible Fix	Steps to Remedy
Data isn't making it to the data dashboard, but I have an active Wifi connection and Radio connection	Data is getting 'stuck' in the MQTT server	Index* isn't smallsat	Reflash the CW01 and make sure that Index* is typed correctly

Radio module and xLoader

Symptom	Possible Problem	Possible Fix
My WeatherSat CR03 has a Green LED light	Your WeatherSat thinks it's a Ground Station	Ensure that the CW01 is NOT connected. The WeatherSat should have a Blue LED. It will flash if it is sending data.
My ground station CR03 has a Blue LED light	Your Ground Station thinks it's a WeatherSat	Ensure that the CW01 is connected. The ground station should have a Green LED
My CR03 has a Red LED light	Your CR03 is deciding if it should be a WeatherSat or Ground Station	Nothing, just wait
When I hit 'upload' on the xLoader tool nothing happens	Switches are not in 'A and DCE' configuration	Flip the switches to the appropriate location
-	Connection has become disrupted. This is indicated by no LED light.	Unplug and plug it back in. Try uploading again
-	You have a CW01 xChip connected	Remove the CW01 xChip so that you only have a CR03 and IP01 xChip

Error Code From Display

Your OD01 will display an error code when something is wrong. The following table lists the error codes, their meaning, and a suggested resolution

Error Codes: |Code| Description | Resolution |

|-------|------------------|------------| |E100| SW01 error| Reseat the SW01 and the connector. Try a different SW01| |F101| SL01 error| Reseat the SL01 and the connector. Try a different SL01| |E102| SI01 error| Reseat the SI01 and the connector. Try a different SI01| |E103| SN01 error| Reseat the SN01 and the connector. Try a different SN01| |E200| Blynk Connection Failed on ports 80 and 8442| No connection to the Blynk server. Reconfigure the CW01 and submit the "Configure Blynk" page with a blank "Auth Token" or work with IT to ensure the Blynk server and ports aren't blocked by the firewall. Using a cell phone hotspot is a good short term solution.| |E201| Blynk Auth Token error |E300| MQTT Connection failed on ports 80, 1883, or 8883| Work with IT to ensure the MQTT server and ports aren't blocked. Using a cell phone hotspot is a good short term solution.| |E301| MQTT Broker Publish Fail| Typically caused by temporary loss of interest connection by the CW01. Check your Wi-Fi router.| |E400| Captive Portal Index Invalid| The "smallsat" index is missing. Re-configure your CW01 and leave the default value in place.| |E401| Captive Portal Longitude Invalid| You are using degrees or East and West instead of the +/- decimal convention.| |E402||Captive Portal Latitude Invalid| You are using degrees or East and West instead of the +/- decimal convention. | |E403| Captive Portal| Altitude Invalid| |E404| User has not set a unit name which is required.| N/A prior to v1.316| |E405| User has not set a Organization which is required| N/A prior to v1.316|

---

View Debugging Information

It is possible to view limited debugging information using the Arduino IDE Serial Monitor. As the CW-01 runs its program, it tries to print to the serial monitor, just like in our code tutorial #4. We can use the same techniques to watch it work and see if it's doing what we expect.

Displaying Serial Messages From the CW-01

We will use the Arduino IDE to view messages from the CW-01. You will need to have completed the Arduino Setup section to install the Arduino IDE and the drivers for your board on the computer you are using to debug your CW-01.

Step 1 - Configure your hardware for serial output

1. Set the switches on the IP-01 to B and DCE to enable serial output.

Step 2 - Configure the Arduino IDE to listen to your CW-01

1. Launch your Arduino IDE.

2. Select ESP8266 from the Tools > Board menu

3. Select your COM port or tty/cu port from the Tools > Port menu

Step 3 - Launch the Serial Monitor

1. Click the Serial Monitor magnifying-glass icon in the top-right corner of the Arduino IDE.

This will launch the serial monitor with its default settings.

2. Change the baud rate from 9600 to 115200 using the drop-down menu at the bottom of the Serial Monitor window.

Step 4 - See the output and debug!

Now your serial monitor should be displaying text as the CW-01 goes through its program.

If you aren't seeing anything updating, the CW-01 may be stuck waiting for something to happen. Try rebooting your CW-01 by unplugging it from your computer's USB port and plugging it back in.

You will want to launch the serial monitor as soon as you can after you plug the CW-01 back in so you can catch the initial serial output from the chip.

Typical serial output from the CW-01 at boot looks something like this:

CW: Searching for version.json
CW: opened version file
{
  "XINABOX_SOFTWARE_REV": "1.300"
}
CW: Latest Version Running
CW: Trying to load Saved data
CW: Searching for device.json
CW: opened device file
{
  "XINABOX_DEVICENAME": "TwiggSat",
  "XINABOX_LATITUDE": "",
  "XINABOX_LONGITUDE": "",
  "XINABOX_ALTITUDE": "",
  "XINABOX_IN_OUT": "",
  "XINABOX_INDEX": "smallsat",
  "XINABOX_ORGANIZATION": "TSL"
}
CW: Searching for blynk.json
CW: opened blynk file
{
  "XINABOX_BLYNK_AUTH": "a25fe79fc696423bb8c174dbcabcdaac3e"
}

Interpreting Serial Messages from the CW-01

Your xChips display some usefull information that can help you track down any issues you may be having. Here are some usefull keys for understanding the serial output:

XINABOX_SOFTWARE_REV 1.207 XINABOX_SOFTWARE_REV 1.300

"XINABOX_INDEX": "smallsat"

If the XINABOX_INDEX says anything other than "smallsat" you need to reconfigure your CW01 by rebooting it and connecting to its Wi-Fi hotspot.

The smallsat index is critical for the Space Data Dashboard to identify data from the ThinSat Program.