Welcome to the ThinSat Program! If you're new to the program, chances are you're staring at a box full of electronics and wondering, "How do I get this all working?"

Have no fear, we'll get you up and running in no time.

This modular guide will walk you through the basic steps to get you up and running. By the end, you will be on the Science Data Dashboard (SDD) watching your sensor data updating live!

This guide is modular, so you will be accessing other stand-alone guides on the wiki throughout. This makes the program easily updateable and simpler to reference later.

1. Set up your computer and check your wifi

You will need a Windows based computer (or a Windows virtual machine) for the WeatherSat and FlatSat launch.

Jump to Section 1: Computer Setup

2. Assemble your WeatherSat and FlatSat

Putting together your xChips is simple, but there are a few guidelines to follow.

The WeatherSat plugs into your computer and uploads data via a WIFI chip to the SDD. The FlatSat is a flat satellite with several sensors, it portable, and is uses a ground station to upload data. Let's focus on WeatherSats for now.

Jump to Section 2: WeatherSat Assembly

3. Flash the xChips in your ThinSat Kit using FlashTool

The FlashTool programs your XinaBox kit to connect to the internet and send data to the Science Data Dashboard (SDD).

Jump to Section 3: Flashing Your xChips

4. Log on to the Science Data Dashboard and see your data

The Science Data Dashboard is where you can see your collected data in realtime.

Jump to Section 4: Science Data Dashboard

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Please check the ThinSat Internet Requirements Guide and work with your IT department to ensure you will be able to connect to the Science Data Dashboard. This is where most schools have issues.

The software needed to program the xChips for use with the ThinSat Data Dashboard are only available on Windows, so you will need a Windows computer or Windows virtual machine. We recommend teachers have at least one machine that has all the software and drivers.

Follow the Configuration Tools Guide to get your computer prepared.

If you do the Programming Labs, any operating system can use those programs.

Back to Table of Contents

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This section will load the new firmware onto all the xChips Wi-Fi and processor units. You will need the computer we setup in the previous section and an assortment of xChips. Let's open the kit!

Inside the box you should see bundles of chips, each in their own bag.

For each WeatherSat you intend to setup you will need:

1. 1 IP01 xChip- USB module
2. 1 CW01 xChip- WiFi module and processor
3. 1 OD01 xChip- OLED display module
4. 1 SW01 xChip- Humidity, Pressure, and Temperature Sensor
5. 1 SL01 xChip- Light and UV sensor
6. 5 Connector pieces

The XinaBox system is very easy to assemble. Simply click a connector onto one of the xChips and then click another chip onto it.

When you are connecting and disconnecting the chips, it may require more force than you expect. To prevent damage, hold the chips along the sides as shown below. Do not pull from components.

The only rule is that the xChips all have to be facing "up." See the pictures below for alignment reference.

Configuration	Comment
	Correct alignment. Slots are aligned and both chips are face up.
	Incorrect: Connector slots are misaligned
	Incorrect: xChip is upside down. Be careful, because the slots are aligned and will connect!

As long as you follow the rules above, xChips can be clicked together any way the edge connecters line up. Look at the different ways you can assemble the IP01 USB Module and the CW01 Wi-Fi Module:

For Flashing the processor and wifi, your assembly should look something like this.

The first time we power the xChips, you won't see anything on the screen because they don't have any software loaded.

Back to Table of Contents

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Now that your model is built, we will load software onto the IP01 and CW01 xChips using the FlashTool Tutorial.

The CW01 xChip is the Wifi module and the IP01 xChip is the processor module. It runs the software and sends collected data over WiFi to the Science Data Dashboard.

Back to Table of Contents

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Once the FlashTool was loaded and properly configured/connected on your WeatherSat, plug in your sensors. After the WeatherSat has been plugged back in and connected to Wifi, it began collecting data from the sensors and sending it to the Data Dashboard.

Jump over to the Space Data Dashboard Startup Guide to learn the basics and view your data!

Back to Table of Contents

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Congratulations, you went from a box of bits and pieces to having a working WeatherSat streaming data to the Space Data Dashboard! You and your students will be able to design and run experiments in the classroom.

Now that you've been through this Quick Start Guide, you have worked through all of the potential stumbling blocks. Let's review what we've learned:

1. Downloaded and installed the drivers needed for your computer to program the xChips
2. Flashed the CW01 and PI01 xChips with the latest XinaBox firmware
3. Connected to your CW01 and configured it to use your Wi-Fi internet connection
4. Added your CW01 to the Space Data Dashboard (SDD)
5. Plotted your data suites on the Space Data Dashboard (SDD) and downloaded your data

That's a lot of stuff! These skills will let you tackle nearly any issue you may encounter while running Phase 1 of the ThinSat Program.

Thank you for participating in the ThinSat Program and good luck in your experiments!

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