Balloon Live Sensor
User
Manual
Page 18
Firmware FS.04.17
Date: 2021-05-13
by gently pushing it upwards until a light click can be heard. The SD card can then be
removed by pulling it out downwards.
Inserting the SD card is done in the opposite order by pushing it up into the SD card socket
with the SD card label visible until a light click can be heard, indicating that the SD card is
now in the correct position.
Working with recorded track files
The Balloon Live Sensor records tracks as .IGC files. This format was initially developed by
the
International Gliding Commission
and provides the ability to sign the track file to ensure
its integrity. Software that reads the .IGC file can ensure that the track file has not been
modified after it was recorded using the signature at the end.
Some navigation software may be able to read .IGC files directly. If the used software is not
able to read it, the .IGC file can be converted to other formats using the
Balloon Logger Management tool (short BLM). The BLM software runs
on Windows and is able to verify the signature of the .IGC file and to
convert the track to Ozi Explorer track files or to .GPX format. Converted
formats no longer provide the ability to check the track integrity though.
The Balloon Logger Management tool can be downloaded from:
http://www.balloonloggers.org/index.php/info/balloon-logger-management-blm/
Upgrading the firmware
The firmware (software) for the Balloon Live Sensor is improved continuously to provide the
best possible function. Therefore, it is recommended to upgrade the firmware of the device
when a new version is made available to benefit from new or improved functions or to fix
possible errors.
The firmware will be provided in a file called
BLS_nnmm.upg
on the
download
page
of
the
Balloon
Live
project
at
https://balloonlive.org/downloads/
nn
and
mm
specify the major
and minor version of the firmware, e.g.
BLS_0410.upg
.
This file needs to be downloaded and copied into the
system
folder on
the SD card in the Balloon Live Sensor. After downloading the file, the
size on the computer should be compared to the details given on the download page to
ensure that the file has been transferred correctly. Any other firmware upgrade file with
extension
.upg
in the system folder needs to be removed before the new file is copied.
Copying the file to the SD card can either be done by attaching the device to a computer
with a micro USB cable where the SD card will show up as a mass storage device or by
removing the SD card from the device and inserting it into an SD card reader. Only one
firmware upgrade file with extension
.upg
is allowed on the SD card, otherwise an error will
occur during the upgrade process. If the SD card has been removed from the Balloon Live
Sensor to write the firmware file, it needs to be inserted back into the device for the upgrade.
