iFly GPS Forum

Could/Would IFly make a download to the Stratux as easy as the IFly Connect, for us "Vintage Flyers". I noticed that the Stratux ADS=B has a HDMI port, could it be used to upgrade the card directly? whithout all that "Etcher Sketcher Scary stuff", Just Asking.

Ciao

Stratux is a 3rd party product, developed and maintained by an open-source group, based on a very small Linux computer called a Raspberry Pi.  Adventure Pilot builds their iFly product to be compatible, and sells a version of Stratux in their store, but is not involved in the coding for Stratux.

Updating the software on Stratux is not hard, but is not press-a-button-and-you're-done trivial.  The SD card holds the entire code fo the whole device, which includes a Linux operating system and all of the Stratux application code. 

"Flashing" (re-writing) the SD Card is akin to wiping the main hard drive on a Windows PC and reinstalling everything.  You're never going to be able to do it while the Straux/Raspberry Pi is running, because part of the process will always wipe out critical data that the Pi needs to operate.  That's why the card needs to be removed and flashed in another computer that's not using the data on the card for its core operation, like in a Windows or Mac PC, or in a different Linux PC.

The Stratux application software can be upgraded from within the Stratux application because it can shut itself down and hand over to the underlying Linux OS when it needs to, then the OS can re-launch the new Stratux application after the upgrade is complete.  But that still needs to happen on the Rasperry Pi; it's not something we can reasonably expect Adventure Pilot / iFly to be able to do for us.

How many sites you have to go to depends on what you already have. 

If you have the software that will install the Stratux image on your mini SD card, you only need to go to http://stratux.me/#download and click the Download button.  If I'm not mistaken they keep the latest stable version of Stratux at that link. 

Then you use the software to install the .img file on your mini SD card. 

If you don't have the installation software, you'll, of course, have to go find that.  But once you have it, you no longer need to ger it again.

Personally I'd keep both of these files on my computer so I wouldn't have to go on line to re-flash my cards.  I think that if the Stratux is working fine, and you don't add any new hardware, you don't need to update to the latest version of Stratux.  i.e.  There's no reason to upgrade your software to present IR vision, if you don't intend to get the IR equipment to plug into your Stratux.  (I don't know that, or if, they're going to support IR vision, or equipment, it was just an example) 

Another idea is to bookmark one of the (probably several) messages from folks far more knowledgeable than me that have explained this whole process, so you can instantly refer back.  I doubt, or wouldn't expect, that iFly is going to set up a special page to provide this information to us.