Rare Combinations · Kombucha Alcohol Detector

Updating Your Kombucha Alcohol Detector

This kit lets you install new software ("firmware") on your Kombucha Alcohol Detector yourself. The whole process takes about five minutes. You only need to do this when Rare Combinations sends you a new version and asks you to update.

What you'll need

Tip: the micro USB cable must be a data cable. A few cheap charging cables only carry power and will not work for updating.

One important warning: while the update is running, do not unplug the unit and do not close the window until it says DONE. Interrupting an update partway through can leave the unit unable to start.

Step 1: Open the unit and connect the cable

The update plugs into the circuit board inside the unit, so you'll open the back first. It only takes a minute.

  1. 1Turn the detector off and place it face-down on a table.
  2. 2Using a Phillips screwdriver, remove the 5 screws on the back of the unit. Keep them somewhere safe.
  3. 3Gently pry the back shell off. Work around the edge a little at a time; it should lift away without force.
  4. 4Find the small Arduino Nano circuit board inside. Plug your micro USB Type-B cable into the port on the Arduino Nano itself.
  5. 5Plug the other end into your computer.
Important: connect to the micro USB port on the Arduino Nano board , not the unit's USB Type-C power port. The Type-C port only supplies power and cannot update the firmware.

Leave the back off for now. You'll reassemble it once the update is finished.

Step 2 (Windows): Run the updater

  1. 1With the detector connected (Step 1), open the Windows folder in this kit.
  2. 2Double-click Update AutoCal.bat.
  3. 3A black window opens. It finds your detector and updates it automatically. Wait for the green DONE! message.
  4. 4Press Enter to close the window. You're finished.

If Windows shows a blue "Windows protected your PC" box, click More info then Run anyway. This appears only because the file was downloaded; it is safe.

Step 2 (Mac): Run the updater

With the detector connected (Step 1): Macs block downloaded programs by default, so follow these steps exactly.

  1. 1Open the Terminal app. (Press Cmd+Space, type Terminal, press Enter.)
  2. 2In the Terminal window, type the word bash followed by a single space. Do not press Enter yet.
  3. 3Open the Mac folder in this kit and drag the file Update AutoCal.command into the Terminal window. Its location will appear after the word bash.
  4. 4Now press Enter. It finds your detector and updates it. Wait for the DONE! message.

Using a Mac with Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3 or M4)? The updater needs a small Apple component called Rosetta. If it is not already on your Mac, the updater will say so and offer to install it for you. Say yes, wait about a minute, and it carries on by itself. You only ever do this once.

Prefer to do it yourself first? Open Terminal and run softwareupdate --install-rosetta. Not sure which Mac you have? Apple menu, then About This Mac. If the chip line starts with Apple, this applies to you. If it says Intel, it does not.

Why the bash step? It lets the updater run without Mac's security pop-ups. The updater handles the rest for you.

After the update

  1. 1Once you see DONE!, unplug the micro USB cable from the Arduino Nano board.
  2. 2Place the back shell on and screw the 5 screws back in.
  3. 3Power the unit on as usual.

The detector will guide you through calibration again. This is completely normal: an update clears the old calibration on purpose, so the unit starts fresh with the new software. Just follow the on-screen prompts as you did when the unit was new.

If something goes wrong

What you seeWhat to do
"No Kombucha Alcohol Detector was found."Check the micro USB cable is fully plugged in at both ends, and that it's connected to the Arduino Nano board (not the Type-C power port). Try a different USB port, and a different cable if you have one (it must be a data cable). Then run the updater again.
The update fails partway, or shows an error code.Unplug the unit, wait 5 seconds, plug it back in, and run the updater again. Make sure no other program is using the unit.
Mac says the file "cannot be opened" or "is from an unidentified developer."You likely double-clicked the file. Use the bash + drag method in the Mac steps above instead.
The window closed instantly.On Windows, open the Windows folder, right-click Update AutoCal.bat, and choose Run as administrator.