Companion Computer

Owned by Nathan Howe
Last updated: Mar 27, 2023 by Bryan Cubbins
4 min read

Companion Computer

How can I update my companion computer to the newest version of the OS?

  • To update your companion computer, power up your drone and navigate to the Wispr Air OS by typing 172.16.1.1 in your address bar.

  • Once there, select the ≡ → Wi-Fi, and put in your Wi-Fi credentials to connect the Wispr OS to your WIFI SSID. You will receive a “Connected to your Wi-Fi [SSID Name]” confirmation.

  • Select the ≡, Update, and then in the dialogue box select Update again. This process could take up to a few minutes for the update to complete. DO NOT UNPLUG WHILE UPDATING, AS THIS WILL CAUSE CORRUPTION OF THE IMAGE ON THE CARD IN THE COMPANION COMPUTER.

  • Once updated you will get a “Successfully Updated” message. Reboot your drone, and your companion computer is updated. This can be verified by going to 172.16.1.1 and checking that the version number at the top has updated to a never version number than seen before.

What if I cannot connect to the Prism but I am able to connect to the OS and Flight Controller?

  • Ensure you have Drone Mode set to Antenna Scraping and the CPE Static LAN Address/DHCP Fallback IP set to 192.168.3.9. This verifies you have the correct information configured under System Management → Settings inside of the OS. Performing these steps will allow you to connect to the Prism GUI in another tab while being connected to the Wispr OS.

    • If either of these values are changed, reboot the drone in order for this to take save and take effect. Once rebooted, connect back to the Wispr OS (172.16.1.1) and now you should be able to access the Prism GUI (192.168.3.1). If the Prism GUI can not be accessed, return to the System Management → Settings in Wispr OS and verify that the changes made in the DHCP Fallback IP saved to 192.168.3.9. If not, repeat the above steps once more.

Drone Mode and CPE Static LAN Address/DHCP Fallback IP Configuration

You will now be able to log into the Prism’s GUI at the address 192.168.3.1.

  • The home GUI of the Prism will look like this. Once you reach this page you are now connected to the Prism and ready to run a survey.

Prism GUI Home Screen

To find the information listed here alongside more information about the Prism, follow this link to our quick start guide:
https://wisprsystems.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CS/pages/20643857

I have the Prism connected to my companion computer. The Flash Drive connected to the companion computer is not saving data after a survey is complete. What is the issue?

  • The Prism and Flash Drive must be connected to the companion computer USB Port before powering on the drone, in order to collect data correctly.

  • Verify that the Flight controller (FC) is connected.

    • You can do this by entering into the Wispr OS at the address 172.16.1.1. If the FC is connected, you will see an icon reading “FC” with 2 arrows, blinking green (one pointing up, one down). This means you are connected to the flight controller using telemetry.

    • Check your Flash Drive format, as it needs to be formatted into the FAT32 format. If your Flash Drive is larger than 32GB you will need to use a program (if you are using a windows computer) to format it to FAT32. Windows only allows up to 32GB and smaller to format to FAT32. Wispr suggest using this Program and following the steps to format your Flash Drive to FAT32, if you are using a SanDisk Flash Drive (We send all of our companion computers with SanDisk Flash Drives)

      • If you are using another brand other than SanDisk, there are other programs available online that will allow you to format them. We suggest using the SanDisk Flash Drive sent by Wispr to ensure data captures correctly.

  • Check that you are able to access the Prism GUI Homepage at the address 192.168.3.1. If you cannot connect to this you will not gather data.

  • See below to check possible issues

    • Go to the Wispr OS (172.16.1.1) under System Management → Settings. Check the fallback DHCP is set to 192.168.3.9. If not change to that IP and reboot the drone for that to take effect.

    • Check the USB C cable for any damage. If plugged in correctly, the STAT button should be blinking green to let you know you are getting power.

    • Check that your Prism IP default is 192.168.3.1. You can check this by plugging the Prism USB cable directly into your computer and accessing that IP address in the address bar.

      • If you are unable to connect directly through your computer using that IP address, either the IP is set to a different IP address than the default or your USB-C cable is not working properly.