So, I’m not exactly following the steps in order in the Assembly guide, and I’ve never worked with an Arduino so this is definitely a noob question, but…
How much assembly is needed to upload the latest firmware? I’ve got the Arduino IDE loaded on my desktop, but the stepper motors are in the garage on the frame. I don’t really want to remove the motors or move my desktop outside. Is there any problem with installing the firmware without the motors connected? It seems pretty obvious that it wouldn’t make a difference, but I’d like to be sure since it’s in the instructions that way…
More granularity: Is it important to have the shield connected for the same? Should there be power to the shield?
I’m aware that the firmware gets updated regularly and that I’ll be updating in the future, but the laptop I’m using for Ground control is old an clunky and I don’t have a stand for it yet. Plus I had a bunch of issues getting Linux working on it. (FYI Mint 19 won’t work with Kivy, Kivy ppa doesn’t support bionic. Use 18. Prolly need not latest Ubuntu if you go that way too) Eventually I’ll get the IDE on the laptop and use that, but the desktop is ready now…
FWIW I realize I could have probably done the IDE install on the laptop in the time it’s taken here 