Recommended Cockpit Platform

[bcn]

https://openplotter.readthedocs.io/e...erry-pi-images

[hpeer]

First 3 sentences from Installation Instructions:

1 Download your preferred OpenPlotter edition from the Raspberry Pi images section in Downloading chapter.
I have a PC laptop and an internet connection. I guess you intend me to use that? And you want me to save the downloaded file somewhere on my hard drive?

I have the above recommended Pi5 computer (post 2?) which is my “preferred operating system.”?

OR is there an existing operating system in the Pi?? Which has the ability to connect to the internet?

I have not turned the thing on yet and want to have some clue before I do.

2 Download and install the Raspberry Pi Imager program for your OS.

DOWNLOAD: Here I am assuming you mean that once I get the file onto my PC then I copy it to a card. Is that true?

INSTALL:
Where do I “install” the Imager Program?

3 Put the SD card you will use with your Raspberry Pi into the SD card reader and run Raspberry Pi Imager.

Now this step sounds like the “install” step mentioned in 2 above.

The computer comes with a very small SD card (I think SD) and a 32gb (?) card.
So you want me to take out the existing SD card and out this new ine with the image in there?

How then do I “run” the image?

All this makes me believe there is some basic operating system on the Pi which I need to work with.

If that is true then I need some direction as to where to get THAT OS information.

If not, well the I am truly lost.

I am NOT trying to be a wise guy here. These are legitimate questions.

And Read The Documents seems to be leaving a whole lot out.

[flpaoli]

Originally Posted by hpeer

If that is true then I need some direction as to where to get THAT OS information.

If not, well the I am truly lost.

I am NOT trying to be a wise guy here. These are legitimate questions.

And Read The Documents seems to be leaving a whole lot out.

@hpeer, my home Internet is down now, writing from my phone which is cumbersome, but as soon as the Xfinity folk fix it tomorrow (they promised....) I'll get some links complied and instructions answering your questions.


You'll need to download a program with which you'll be able to transfer a downloaded RPi Open Plotter operating system image to an SD card. After that you'll pop the card in the Pi and boot. More details tomorrow if the Xfinity folk actually come and fix my Internet.

[barcoMeCasa]

Originally Posted by hpeer

First 3 sentences from Installation Instructions:

1 Download your preferred OpenPlotter edition from the Raspberry Pi images section in Downloading chapter.
I have a PC laptop and an internet connection. I guess you intend me to use that? And you want me to save the downloaded file somewhere on my hard drive?

If you are on a Pi5 its pprobably best to go for Openplotter V4 which is still beta, not officially released yet but nearly all there & I've been running it for a while now, quite a lot of changes made to cope with a Pi5.
This post is kept up to date >
https://forum.openmarine.net/showthread.php?tid=5060
So go here on your laptop, click the link & save the (big) file somewhere like your downloads folder
https://forum.openmarine.net/showthread.php?tid=5060

I have the above recommended Pi5 computer (post 2?) which is my “preferred operating system.”?

OR is there an existing operating system in the Pi?? Which has the ability to connect to the internet?

I have not turned the thing on yet and want to have some clue before I do.

The SD card is your hard drive, the operating system lives on there. It might have come with something on there, you could put the card in the laptop & have a look.

2 Download and install the Raspberry Pi Imager program for your OS.

DOWNLOAD: Here I am assuming you mean that once I get the file onto my PC then I copy it to a card. Is that true?

INSTALL:
Where do I “install” the Imager Program?

Download the installer by clickong the download for windows link on here>
https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/
When downloaded double click the inager_latest.exe file & it will install the program on your laptop. You should now have a link in your start menu.


Click on this to open the program.
If you are happy to overwrite the card that came with the pi "shouldn't be a problem, you can always write something else later)
Do you have a cards slot in the laptop or a USB to sD card dongle? Assuming you have..



click choose OS & scroll down to the bottom & click "use custom", this will open a file selector, find the 2023-12-29-OpenPlotter-v4-Starting-beta-64bit-img.zip file you downloaded earlier & select that. Click choose storage, this should show the 32Gb SD card if it is in the laptop, click on it to confirm

click next to install the OS on the SD card, it will ask if you want to customise, click "no" then click "yes" on the next warning screen if it says something like "all data on mass storage device will be erased"
Now make some coffee, takes a while to burn the card...
Then put the card into the pi & turn it on - assuming you have a monitor, keyboard & mouse attached to the pi?

Now Openplotter should be running on your Pi, Openplotter is basically the latest Raspberry Pi OS with programs added like opencpn. YOu should have opencpn on there when you turn on.
I need to go do stuff but will try the turning on bit later.

And on here can be very useful but sometimes you get just plain wrong info, the openplotter forums are a better place to ask anything specific plus the developers get to hear of real world problems so get a chance to write better docs or change things >
https://forum.openmarine.net/index.php




3 Put the SD card you will use with your Raspberry Pi into the SD card reader and run Raspberry Pi Imager.

Now this step sounds like the “install” step mentioned in 2 above.

The computer comes with a very small SD card (I think SD) and a 32gb (?) card.
So you want me to take out the existing SD card and out this new ine with the image in there?

How then do I “run” the image?

All this makes me believe there is some basic operating system on the Pi which I need to work with.

If that is true then I need some direction as to where to get THAT OS information.

If not, well the I am truly lost.

I am NOT trying to be a wise guy here. These are legitimate questions.

And Read The Documents seems to be leaving a whole lot out.[/QUOTE]

[hpeer]

I have a couple of books on order.

One for Pi5
One for Python

I need to spend some time reading.

I have a 32GB SSD
NO SSD

[mgrouch]

Originally Posted by hpeer

I have a couple of books on order.

One for Pi5
One for Python

I need to spend some time reading.

I have a 32GB SSD
NO SSD

Here is some help on books:

https://youtu.be/pQHX-SjgQvQ?feature=shared

[hpeer]

Ah!!!

Now you have got my speed!!

Thanks much!

��

[barcoMeCasa]

Originally Posted by hpeer

I have a couple of books on order.



I have a 32GB SSD

Assuming you meant 32Gb SD card.. good idea to have a spare, then there's a copier program built in so you can have a complete backup working system (or leapfrog 2) as you go along in case anything goes terribly wrong.

[hpeer]

Still trying to sus out hardware requirements.

Below are some of the computer specs.

It came with a 32gb micro SD, I have a 64gb on order.

It says it has the NEVO SSD adapter (I think, maybe just compatible with??).

Because I cruise over a wide area (or have), from Labrador to Grenada, 64gb sounds a tad tight. If the SSD is available will the OS be resident there or still on the SD card?

Is there a way to run the OS on the SD card and have the charts on the SSD?

Is there any advantage to this?

From what I am reading the OS comes on the image (OpenPlotter or BBN).

So when I boot the Pi there must be some very basic OS in order to know where to look for the BBN or Plotter, or does it just automatically look to the SD for boot instructions?

[barcoMeCasa]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Still trying to sus out hardware requirements.

Below are some of the computer specs.

It came with a 32gb micro SD, I have a 64gb on order.

It says it has the NEVO SSD adapter (I think, maybe just compatible with??).

Because I cruise over a wide area (or have), from Labrador to Grenada, 64gb sounds a tad tight. If the SSD is available will the OS be resident there or still on the SD card?

Is there a way to run the OS on the SD card and have the charts on the SSD?

Is there any advantage to this?

From what I am reading the OS comes on the image (OpenPlotter or BBN).

So when I boot the Pi there must be some very basic OS in order to know where to look for the BBN or Plotter, or does it just automatically look to the SD for boot instructions?

"The SD card is your hard drive, the operating system lives on there."
"Now Openplotter should be running on your Pi, Openplotter is basically the latest Raspberry Pi OS with programs added like opencpn."

See post 79.

For openplotter follow that and turn on. You are running openplotter.

For charts you can just use a 64Gb usb pendrive. My Pi is also the boat music system with all the music & charts on a pendrive. cheaper than a SSD.

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by barcoMeCasa

If you are on a Pi5 its pprobably best to go for Openplotter V4 which is still beta, not officially released yet but nearly all there & I've been running it for a while now, quite a lot of changes made to cope with a Pi5.
This post is kept up to date >
https://forum.openmarine.net/showthread.php?tid=5060
So go here on your laptop, click the link & save the (big) file somewhere like your downloads folder
https://forum.openmarine.net/showthread.php?tid=5060




The SD card is your hard drive, the operating system lives on there. It might have come with something on there, you could put the card in the laptop & have a look.




Download the installer by clickong the download for windows link on here>
https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/
When downloaded double click the inager_latest.exe file & it will install the program on your laptop. You should now have a link in your start menu.


Click on this to open the program.
If you are happy to overwrite the card that came with the pi "shouldn't be a problem, you can always write something else later)
Do you have a cards slot in the laptop or a USB to sD card dongle? Assuming you have..



click choose OS & scroll down to the bottom & click "use custom", this will open a file selector, find the 2023-12-29-OpenPlotter-v4-Starting-beta-64bit-img.zip file you downloaded earlier & select that. Click choose storage, this should show the 32Gb SD card if it is in the laptop, click on it to confirm

click next to install the OS on the SD card, it will ask if you want to customise, click "no" then click "yes" on the next warning screen if it says something like "all data on mass storage device will be erased"
Now make some coffee, takes a while to burn the card...
Then put the card into the pi & turn it on - assuming you have a monitor, keyboard & mouse attached to the pi?

Now Openplotter should be running on your Pi, Openplotter is basically the latest Raspberry Pi OS with programs added like opencpn. YOu should have opencpn on there when you turn on.
I need to go do stuff but will try the turning on bit later.

And on here can be very useful but sometimes you get just plain wrong info, the openplotter forums are a better place to ask anything specific plus the developers get to hear of real world problems so get a chance to write better docs or change things >
https://forum.openmarine.net/index.php




3 Put the SD card you will use with your Raspberry Pi into the SD card reader and run Raspberry Pi Imager.

Now this step sounds like the “install” step mentioned in 2 above.

The computer comes with a very small SD card (I think SD) and a 32gb (?) card.
So you want me to take out the existing SD card and out this new ine with the image in there?

How then do I “run” the image?

All this makes me believe there is some basic operating system on the Pi which I need to work with.

If that is true then I need some direction as to where to get THAT OS information.

If not, well the I am truly lost.

I am NOT trying to be a wise guy here. These are legitimate questions.

And Read The Documents seems to be leaving a whole lot out.

[/QUOTE]

You are showing screen shots for images v1.8.4

I can only download v1.8.5

This looks nothing like your screens hots and gives me no "other" option.

I did run the program selection g
Device-Pi5
OS-Raspberry Pi OS (64- BIT)
Storage-SD Card

But that does nothing when put in the computer.
I get power lights and nothing else.

[hpeer]

Once formatted by the imager I get the SD showing up as 2 drives on the PC.

I put this in the computer and NADA.

EDIT: If I hold it just right I can see the display back light.
And of course the PWR light.

AND...to be ear the SD card that came with the unit had what appears to be the same file structure?

I feel like the guy in the video above.

[hpeer]

Well, that was special.
I did not realize you had to leave the damn thing on for some extended period on the initial boot.

I had left it several minutes a few t I mes and it never came on.

Then I accidentally left it on when I went out to do some yard work and when I came back in it was awake.

I shut it off and it came right back on.

NownI can move to Step 2.

[flpaoli]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Well, that was special.
I did not realize you had to leave the damn thing on for some extended period on the initial boot.

I had left it several minutes a few t I mes and it never came on.

Then I accidentally left it on when I went out to do some yard work and when I came back in it was awake.

I shut it off and it came right back on.

NownI can move to Step 2.

My internet is back, turns out it was cable modem which had gone bananas... new one in, now I'm back online the civilized (?) world.


Glad to see pointers were given and you've made it this point @hpeer. Yes, the first boot on a Pi image always takes quite a while, that should be told to people trying it the first time.

[flpaoli]

I've been thinking on @hpeer's concern of stability, and on this topic of updates breaking things, which I touched on post #68 and reached some conclusions.

The most stable configuration is one where a boat network is never connected to the internet. Why: your equipment, charplotter, Raspberry Pi, etc on that network won't need the constant flow of updates we get nowadays. Those are mostly security updates, which if you're not on the internet, you don't need them because nothing can attack your system. Like we didn't before the internet.

Once you've setup the boat network and tested everything, and it works for you, there is no reason to update anything, until you get new gear and want to plug it into your network.

So the safest or most stable would be to have two computing networks:
1. A boat one, completely isolated from the internet.
2. A one for your laptop and other entertainment devices, connected to the internet through 4G/5G/Starlink/whatever. That laptop, probably running windows, would need to be updated as usual.

I'd do my planning, checking of weather data, downloading of chart files, etc, on my laptop on network #2. Then I'd transfer the relevant route plan or chart files or whatever data to my chartplotter on network #1 through an SD card, USB stick.

Yes, network #1 would need to start it's life connected to the internet in order to download plugins (i.e. for radar), install basics, etc. But after that initial setup and thorough testing, once all working 100%, then unplug it from the internet and don't ever update anything installed. Just transfer data via SD card/USB.

Of course, every year or so you might decide to reconnect #1 and give it a general update, test everything thoroughly again, and then disconnect #1 form the internet again. But if all works you shouldn't need to.