Software Installation
For the first installation, you will need a cable connection, but later you can update the software over WiFi. Basically, the easiest way to start is from [the installation web page](You can install https://iot.netgalleria.fi/arska-install/). For the web installation, you will need a Chrome or a Microsoft Edge browser.
Select your MCU from the list and press the Connect button. After that - select the serial Port - and press connect. Then select Install Arska and press Next. Then confirm the installation. You may need to push some buttons or connect pins on the MCU - it depends on the model. Sometimes it helps if you just disconnect and reconnect the cable.
If you get this “Installation Failed” message, it installation could still be ok. Press “back” and close the window. Reconnect and press “logs and console”. Then you can enter a number of your network from the list and enter the password. Or to configure the network, you can connect to the temporary wifi, named Arska-12121212121 (the numbers in the end vary), and go with your browser to address http://192.168.4.1 and enter your wifi id and password.
Then the system will restart and you should see the IP address and configuration URL on the console. You can check the address also from your network router.
After the first software installation, you can upgrade the software without a cable. You need to update two files: firmware.bin is the actual software and littlefs.bin is the filesystem. 1 First download the latest files to your computer. 1 Then goto firmware update from the admin page and upload the downloaded firmware.bin 1 The system will restart and next, you do the same update process with the filesystem file 1 The device is now upgraded and you can check version numbers and dates from the bottom of the admin page.
You can build and install the application from the source code. Arska is built with PlatformIO IDE which is built on the top Visual Studio Code (Windows, macOS, and Linux versions available).
When the development environment is installed you can clone (Source Control function the left menu bar) Arska Node repository git@github.com:Netgalleria/arska-node.git.
The actual source code you can find in the file src/main.cpp. The basic configuration is done by selecting the right build environment and editing build_flags options in platformio.ini file. The build process creates a fresh version of firmware.bin file. After changing wifi and other required custom parameters in data/config.json, build filesystem image littlefs.bin containing files in data folder of PlatformIO. To install and update a new version of Arska application both files should be uploaded to the microcontroller.
PlatformIO build menu
- After editing config.json, build file system:
Platform / Build Filesystem Image - Upload file system:
Platform / Upload Filesystem Image - Build and upload new system software (firmware.bin):
General / Upload and Monitor
If your ESP32 board has a USB connection, you can upload the built binary file directly via USB cable. Many ESP32 boards with integrated relay modules, do not have a USB port and you need a UART TTL module to connect the USB port of your computer and the board. When you have uploaded Arska to the board you can upgrade the software through the OTA web interface and cables are not needed for the upload process.