Learn How To:

Update Software

Updating your Pi to the latest software release will give access to the newest parts and latest bug fixes. To update your Pi with the latest X-MWcontroller software version, do the following:

Go to the X-MWcontroller Software Releases Website.
Click on the "Latest Update" button and a download of a .tar.gz file should start.
Save the file to the root folder of a USB Flash Drive.
Eject the flash drive from the computer.
Turn on the Pi and allow the app to boot.
Tap "Manage Files" from the bottom button panel.
Tap "Update" from the top button panel.
Insert the flash drive that has the update file on it (It can take several seconds to load new update files).
Pick an update option that is shown on the Pi.
Confirm update and allow Pi to restart.

Find IP Address

The IPv4 address of the Pi is important to know for many reasons. It is needed to make an SSH connection and also to send TCP commands to the Pi. To find the IPv4 address of the Pi, do the following:

From the home screen, tap the "?" button in the top right corner.
Near the bottom of the list you will see two different IP addresses. For the SSH and TCP connections, you should use the first one listed (closest to the top).
If you do not see any IP address listed, then the Pi is not connected to a network. Connect the Pi to a network with an ethernet cable and try again. For reference an IP address will look like "169.254.50.246".

Fix Corrupted OS

It is possible to corrupt your OS. For example, powering off the device while the Pi is modifying the number of LE and GPIO pins. Signs of a corrupted OS include not booting, the X-MWcontroller app not starting, and frozen screens.

If you believe your OS is corrupted, you can flash your SD card with an image provided by X-Microwave. To flash your SD card, do the following:

Download a flashing tool such as balenaEtcher.
Download the X-Microwave image. Note: This is a 7GB file.
Start balenaEtcher.
Click "Flash from file".
Navigate to and select the .img file that you downloaded from X-Microwave.
Click "Select target".
Power off the Pi and remove the SD card from the back. Be careful when removing the Pi from the back. If you need to remove the display ribbon, you can do so by lifting the clamp part on the sides of the connector then lightly pulling the ribbon cable.
Once you have the SD card of the Pi, insert it into your computer. You may need a microSD to SD adapter for this.
Select the SD card when it shows on balenaEtcher. Then click "Select".
Click "Flash". Accept any prompts and enter your computers password.
When done flashing, the SD card will be automatically ejected. Remove the SD card and reinsert it.
The computer should now recognize two drives named "boot", and "recovery". The config.txt file in the "boot" drive needs to be replaced.
Download the correct config.txt file. If the file does not download but instead displays the file text, right click and select "save as". Keep the file name as "config" with the .txt extension.
Drag the newly downloaded config.txt file into the "boot" drive. When prompted choose "replace" or "replace file in destination".
Eject both "boot" and the "recovery" drive by right clicking on them and choosing "eject".
Remove the SD card and insert it back into the Pi. Start the Pi and it will be as it was when ordered from X-Microwave.
You will need to update the X-MWcontroller software. See the steps under Update Software.

Change LE and GPIO Pin Configuration

By default, the Pi will support 19 GPIO pins and 2 LE pins. There is another configuration that enables the Pi to have 15 GPIO pins and 6 LE pins. To change between these configurations, do the following:

From the home screen, tap "I/O Config" on the bottom button panel.
Tap the "SPI/3 Wire" button in the top left.
Tap the "Additional LE Pins" button on the bottom right.
Note: Some versions of the X-MWcontroller software require an internet connection for the first time you do this. If you do not have a way to connect your Pi to the internet, then update your software first.
Tap "Yes" and wait. Do not turn off the device. After some time, the Pi will restart and and be in the other configuration. To change again, repeat this process.
Note: If something interrupts this process it can corrupt the OS. If this happens you should flash the SD card.

SSH Into the Pi

If you want to use the terminal of the Pi, you can do so while the X-MWcontroller software is running. An SSH connection will allow you to send terminal commands from another computer.

To create an SHH connection from a windows machine, do the following:

Connect the Pi and computer together with an ethernet cable or have them on the same network.
Take note of the IP address the Pi is using. If you need to, take a look at how to find the IP address.
You will need an SSH client application. We recommend downloading Putty.
Open Putty.
Ensure the "Port" is 22.
Ensure the "Connection type" is SSH.
Enter the IP address you noted earlier into the "Host Name" field.
Click the "Open" button in the bottom right of the Putty window.
Accept any prompts you may get.
You will see "login as: ". Type "pi" (no quotes) and hit enter.
You will now see "password: ". Type "raspberry" (no quotes) and hit enter. Note: The terminal will hide the password. This is OK.
Now you are connected via SSH. Any proceeding commands are run by the Pi and their output displayed to you.

If you are using Linux or macOS, do the following:

Take note of the IP address the Pi is using. If you need to, take a look at how to find the IP address.
Open a terminal.
Type "ssh IP-Address", replacing IP-Address with the address you noted earlier.
Accept any prompts you may get.
You will see "login as: ". Type "pi" (no quotes) and hit enter.
You will now see "password: ". Type "raspberry" (no quotes) and hit enter. Note: The terminal will hide the password. This is OK.
Now you are connected via SSH. Any proceeding commands are run by the Pi and their output displayed to you.

Start the Desktop Environment on the Pi

The Pi is running a Raspbian OS that has a built-in desktop GUI. You may want to access this desktop Environment for various reasons. If you wish to open the desktop Environment you will need to do the following:

Start an SSH session with the Pi by following these steps.
In the terminal with the SSH connection, type "top" and press enter.
You will see a list of processes. Take note of the "PID" that belongs to the process with "COMMAND" value equal to "python2".
Type "k" (do not press enter yet or use a space), then "###". Replace ### with the PID you noted.
Now press enter, then press enter again.
The X-MWcontroller software should now be stopped and a terminal should be shown on the Pi.
End the SSH session.
Connect a keyboard and mouse to the Pi.
Type "startx" and press enter to start the desktop GUI. Note: You cannot use the startx command in an SSH session.

Use Load/Save Feature

After setting up parts with many complex modifications to their settings, you may find it convenient to save and later recall the state of the setup. The X-MWcontroller supports this feature.

To save a setup (all loaded parts and their settings), do the following:

From the home screen, tap the "Save" button on the bottom panel.
Use the left box if wanting to save to the SD card and the right to save to a USB drive. The right box will not show unless a USB drive is connected.
Tap the white box near the top and enter the name you wish to name the file.
After naming, tap the "X" in the bottom right to close the keyboard.
Tap "Save To File" near the bottom.
You will be redirected to the home screen and the file should be save to the specified location (SD card or USB drive).

To load a file that was previously saved, do the following:

From the home screen, tap the "Load" button from the bottom panel.
If the file to be loaded is on a USB drive, connect the USB drive now.
Tap the file you wish to load (It should highlight grey).
Tap "Load From File" near the bottom.
You will be redirected to the home screen and all parts will be loaded with their last saved settings.

To delete a save file from the internal SD card or a USB drive, do the following:

From the home screen, tap the "Manage Files" button on the bottom panel.
Tap the "Save File Management" tab from the top.
Tap on the save file you wish to delete. It will highlight grey and options will appear near the bottom.
Tap "Delete" near the bottom and the file will be deleted.
To go home, tap the house/home icon located at the top right of the screen.

Get Started with PLL/VCO Parts

The X-MWcontroller can be used to control PLL/VCO parts which can have many complicated settings. Here are guides to use as a reference for some of these PLL/VCO parts. Note: There is not a guide available for every PLL/VCO part.

PLL/VCO guides are available for:

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