1 <html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"><title>The Altus Metrum System</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.78.1"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="book"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp6137024"></a>The Altus Metrum System</h1></div><div><h2 class="subtitle">An Owner's Manual for Altus Metrum Rocketry Electronics</h2></div><div><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Bdale</span> <span class="surname">Garbee</span></h3></div></div><div><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Keith</span> <span class="surname">Packard</span></h3></div></div><div><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Bob</span> <span class="surname">Finch</span></h3></div></div><div><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Anthony</span> <span class="surname">Towns</span></h3></div></div><div><p class="copyright">Copyright © 2014 Bdale Garbee and Keith Packard</p></div><div><div class="legalnotice"><a name="idp32480400"></a><p>
2 This document is released under the terms of the
3 <a class="ulink" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/" target="_top">
4 Creative Commons ShareAlike 3.0
7 </p></div></div><div><div class="revhistory"><table style="border-style:solid; width:100%;" summary="Revision History"><tr><th align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><b>Revision History</b></th></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.4</td><td align="left">15 June 2014</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
8 Major release adding TeleGPS support.
9 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.3.2</td><td align="left">24 January 2014</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
10 Bug fixes for TeleMega and AltosUI.
11 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.3.1</td><td align="left">21 January 2014</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
12 Bug fixes for TeleMega and TeleMetrum v2.0 along with a few
13 small UI improvements.
14 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.3</td><td align="left">12 November 2013</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
15 Updated for software version 1.3. Version 1.3 adds support
16 for TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2.0, TeleMini v2.0 and EasyMini
17 and fixes bugs in AltosUI and the AltOS firmware.
18 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.2.1</td><td align="left">21 May 2013</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
19 Updated for software version 1.2. Version 1.2 adds support
20 for TeleBT and AltosDroid. It also adds a few minor features
21 and fixes bugs in AltosUI and the AltOS firmware.
22 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.2</td><td align="left">18 April 2013</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
23 Updated for software version 1.2. Version 1.2 adds support
24 for MicroPeak and the MicroPeak USB interface.
25 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.1.1</td><td align="left">16 September 2012</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
26 Updated for software version 1.1.1 Version 1.1.1 fixes a few
27 bugs found in version 1.1.
28 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.1</td><td align="left">13 September 2012</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
29 Updated for software version 1.1. Version 1.1 has new
30 features but is otherwise compatible with version 1.0.
31 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.0</td><td align="left">24 August 2011</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
32 Updated for software version 1.0. Note that 1.0 represents a
33 telemetry format change, meaning both ends of a link
34 (TeleMetrum/TeleMini and TeleDongle) must be updated or
35 communications will fail.
36 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 0.9</td><td align="left">18 January 2011</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
37 Updated for software version 0.9. Note that 0.9 represents a
38 telemetry format change, meaning both ends of a link (TeleMetrum and
39 TeleDongle) must be updated or communications will fail.
40 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 0.8</td><td align="left">24 November 2010</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">Updated for software version 0.8 </td></tr></table></div></div></div><hr></div><div class="dedication"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp32650960"></a>Acknowledgments</h1></div></div></div><p>
41 Thanks to Bob Finch, W9YA, NAR 12965, TRA 12350 for writing “The
42 Mere-Mortals Quick Start/Usage Guide to the Altus Metrum Starter
43 Kit” which formed the basis of the original Getting Started chapter
44 in this manual. Bob was one of our first customers for a production
45 TeleMetrum, and his continued enthusiasm and contributions
46 are immensely gratifying and highly appreciated!
48 And thanks to Anthony (AJ) Towns for major contributions including
49 the AltosUI graphing and site map code and associated documentation.
50 Free software means that our customers and friends can become our
51 collaborators, and we certainly appreciate this level of
54 Have fun using these products, and we hope to meet all of you
55 out on the rocket flight line somewhere.
56 </p><div class="literallayout"><p><br>
57 Bdale Garbee, KB0G<br>
58 NAR #87103, TRA #12201<br>
60 Keith Packard, KD7SQG<br>
61 NAR #88757, TRA #12200<br>
63 </p></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp32655168">1. Introduction and Overview</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp32662928">2. Getting Started</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp32491744">3. Handling Precautions</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp32497232">4. Altus Metrum Hardware</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp32497904">1. General Usage Instructions</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp32499872">1.1. Hooking Up Lithium Polymer Batteries</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp32502832">1.2. Hooking Up Pyro Charges</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp32504912">1.3. Hooking Up a Power Switch</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp32508128">1.4. Using a Separate Pyro Battery</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp32510640">1.5. Using a Different Kind of Battery</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp32512368">2. Specifications</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38112928">3. TeleMetrum</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38117824">3.1. TeleMetrum Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38137040">3.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMetrum</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38140288">3.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMetrum</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38142416">4. TeleMini v1.0</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38147312">4.1. TeleMini v1.0 Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38166656">4.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMini v1.0</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38170032">4.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMini v1.0</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38172240">5. TeleMini v2.0</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38176256">5.1. TeleMini v2.0 Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38198640">5.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMini v2.0</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38201840">5.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMini v2.0</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38203936">6. EasyMini</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38207792">6.1. EasyMini Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38238912">6.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with EasyMini</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38242096">6.3. Using an Active Switch with EasyMini</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38244192">7. TeleMega</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38248160">7.1. TeleMega Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38285664">7.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMega</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38287264">7.3. Using Only One Battery With TeleMega</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38289184">7.4. Using an Active Switch with TeleMega</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38291232">8. Flight Data Recording</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38320064">9. Installation</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp38326800">5. System Operation</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38327440">1. Firmware Modes </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38395728">2. GPS </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38398512">3. Controlling An Altimeter Over The Radio Link</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38410432">4. Ground Testing </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38413184">5. Radio Link </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38417184">6. APRS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38439152">7. Configurable Parameters</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38441072">7.1. Radio Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38443120">7.2. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38444656">7.3. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38445952">7.4. APRS Interval</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38447424">7.5. Apogee Delay</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38450016">7.6. Apogee Lockout</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38451744">7.7. Main Deployment Altitude</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38453440">7.8. Maximum Flight Log</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38455584">7.9. Ignite Mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38457696">7.10. Pad Orientation</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38459904">7.11. Configurable Pyro Channels</a></span></dt></dl></dd></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp38482480">6. AltosUI</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38486096">1. Monitor Flight</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38498816">1.1. Launch Pad</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38515104">1.2. Ascent</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38520560">1.3. Descent</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38527424">1.4. Landed</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38533856">1.5. Table</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38537440">1.6. Site Map</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38543760">1.7. Ignitor</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38547536">2. Save Flight Data</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38551488">3. Replay Flight</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38553520">4. Graph Data</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38555904">4.1. Flight Graph</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38560352">4.2. Configure Graph</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38564016">4.3. Flight Statistics</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38567536">4.4. Map</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38571392">5. Export Data</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38572960">5.1. Comma Separated Value Format</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38575312">5.2. Keyhole Markup Language (for Google Earth)</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38576800">6. Configure Altimeter</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38589104">6.1. Main Deploy Altitude</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38590672">6.2. Apogee Delay</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38592288">6.3. Apogee Lockoug</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38594016">6.4. Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38595520">6.5. RF Calibration</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38597168">6.6. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38598464">6.7. APRS Interval</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38600032">6.8. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38601344">6.9. Maximum Flight Log Size</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38602784">6.10. Ignitor Firing Mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38609696">6.11. Pad Orientation</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38614912">6.12. Beeper Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38616368">6.13. Configure Pyro Channels</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38622736">7. Configure AltosUI</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38626240">7.1. Voice Settings</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38631264">7.2. Log Directory</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38633264">7.3. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38635504">7.4. Imperial Units</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38637008">7.5. Font Size</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38638288">7.6. Serial Debug</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38639792">7.7. Manage Frequencies</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38641424">8. Configure Groundstation</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38652544">8.1. Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38654112">8.2. Radio Calibration</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38655744">9. Flash Image</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38657376">10. Fire Igniter</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38663008">11. Scan Channels</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38666864">12. Load Maps</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38680752">13. Monitor Idle</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp38682848">7. AltosDroid</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38685232">1. Installing AltosDroid</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38687168">2. Connecting to TeleBT</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38689168">3. Configuring AltosDroid</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38690624">4. AltosDroid Flight Monitoring</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38691936">4.1. Pad</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38705488">5. Downloading Flight Logs</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp38707152">8. Using Altus Metrum Products</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38707792">1. Being Legal</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38709696">2. In the Rocket</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38712160">3. On the Ground</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38725552">4. Data Analysis</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38728096">5. Future Plans</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp38732480">9. Altimeter Installation Recommendations</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38733936">1. Mounting the Altimeter</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38738768">2. Dealing with the Antenna</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38744336">3. Preserving GPS Reception</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38749120">4. Radio Frequency Interference</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38756688">5. The Barometric Sensor</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38759488">6. Ground Testing</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp38762656">10. Updating Device Firmware</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38766672">1.
64 Updating TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2 or EasyMini Firmware
65 </a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38775728">1.1. Recovering From Self-Flashing Failure</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38784704">2. Pair Programming</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38786144">3. Updating TeleMetrum v1.x Firmware</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38799344">4. Updating TeleMini Firmware</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38812896">5. Updating TeleDongle Firmware</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp38829520">11. Hardware Specifications</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38830160">1.
66 TeleMega Specifications
67 </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38841632">2.
68 TeleMetrum v2 Specifications
69 </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38852192">3. TeleMetrum v1 Specifications</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38862752">4.
70 TeleMini v2.0 Specifications
71 </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38871584">5.
72 TeleMini v1.0 Specifications
73 </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38880384">6.
74 EasyMini Specifications
75 </a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp38888496">12. FAQ</a></span></dt><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#idp38897344">A. Notes for Older Software</a></span></dt><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#idp38919744">B. Drill Templates</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38920912">1. TeleMega template</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38937600">2. TeleMetrum template</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38941984">3. TeleMini v2/EasyMini template</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38946384">4. TeleMini v1 template</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#idp38950896">C. Calibration</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38952448">1. Radio Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38956992">2. TeleMetrum and TeleMega Accelerometers</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#idp38962096">D. Release Notes</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="list-of-tables"><p><b>List of Tables</b></p><dl><dt>4.1. <a href="#idp32513424">Altus Metrum Electronics</a></dt><dt>4.2. <a href="#idp35629456">Altus Metrum Boards</a></dt><dt>4.3. <a href="#idp38119136">TeleMetrum Screw Terminals</a></dt><dt>4.4. <a href="#idp38148752">TeleMini v1.0 Connections</a></dt><dt>4.5. <a href="#idp38177664">TeleMini v2.0 Connections</a></dt><dt>4.6. <a href="#idp32434928">EasyMini Connections</a></dt><dt>4.7. <a href="#idp38249328">TeleMega Screw Terminals</a></dt><dt>4.8. <a href="#idp38292640">Data Storage on Altus Metrum altimeters</a></dt><dt>5.1. <a href="#idp38332800">AltOS Modes</a></dt><dt>5.2. <a href="#idp38369888">Pad/Idle Indications</a></dt><dt>5.3. <a href="#idp38420192">Altus Metrum APRS Comments</a></dt></dl></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp32655168"></a>Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview</h1></div></div></div><p>
76 Welcome to the Altus Metrum community! Our circuits and software reflect
77 our passion for both hobby rocketry and Free Software. We hope their
78 capabilities and performance will delight you in every way, but by
79 releasing all of our hardware and software designs under open licenses,
80 we also hope to empower you to take as active a role in our collective
83 The first device created for our community was TeleMetrum, a dual
84 deploy altimeter with fully integrated GPS and radio telemetry
85 as standard features, and a “companion interface” that will
86 support optional capabilities in the future. The latest version
87 of TeleMetrum, v2.0, has all of the same features but with
88 improved sensors and radio to offer increased performance.
90 Our second device was TeleMini, a dual deploy altimeter with
91 radio telemetry and radio direction finding. The first version
92 of this device was only 13mm by 38mm (½ inch by 1½ inches) and
93 could fit easily in an 18mm air-frame. The latest version, v2.0,
94 includes a beeper, USB data download and extended on-board
95 flight logging, along with an improved barometric sensor.
97 TeleMega is our most sophisticated device, including six pyro
98 channels (four of which are fully programmable), integrated GPS,
99 integrated gyroscopes for staging/air-start inhibit and high
100 performance telemetry.
102 EasyMini is a dual-deploy altimeter with logging and built-in
105 TeleDongle was our first ground station, providing a USB to RF
106 interfaces for communicating with the altimeters. Combined with
107 your choice of antenna and notebook computer, TeleDongle and our
108 associated user interface software form a complete ground
109 station capable of logging and displaying in-flight telemetry,
110 aiding rocket recovery, then processing and archiving flight
111 data for analysis and review.
113 For a slightly more portable ground station experience that also
114 provides direct rocket recovery support, TeleBT offers flight
115 monitoring and data logging using a Bluetooth™ connection between
116 the receiver and an Android device that has the AltosDroid
117 application installed from the Google Play store.
119 More products will be added to the Altus Metrum family over time, and
120 we currently envision that this will be a single, comprehensive manual
121 for the entire product family.
122 </p></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp32662928"></a>Chapter 2. Getting Started</h1></div></div></div><p>
123 The first thing to do after you check the inventory of parts in your
124 “starter kit” is to charge the battery.
126 For TeleMetrum and TeleMega, the battery can be charged by plugging it into the
127 corresponding socket of the device and then using the USB
128 cable to plug the flight computer into your computer's USB socket. The
129 on-board circuitry will charge the battery whenever it is plugged
130 in, because the on-off switch does NOT control the
133 On TeleMetrum v1 boards, when the GPS chip is initially
134 searching for satellites, TeleMetrum will consume more current
135 than it pulls from the USB port, so the battery must be
136 attached in order to get satellite lock. Once GPS is locked,
137 the current consumption goes back down enough to enable charging
138 while running. So it's a good idea to fully charge the battery
139 as your first item of business so there is no issue getting and
140 maintaining satellite lock. The yellow charge indicator led
141 will go out when the battery is nearly full and the charger goes
142 to trickle charge. It can take several hours to fully recharge a
143 deeply discharged battery.
145 TeleMetrum v2.0 and TeleMega use a higher power battery charger,
146 allowing them to charge the battery while running the board at
147 maximum power. When the battery is charging, or when the board
148 is consuming a lot of power, the red LED will be lit. When the
149 battery is fully charged, the green LED will be lit. When the
150 battery is damaged or missing, both LEDs will be lit, which
153 The Lithium Polymer TeleMini and EasyMini battery can be charged by
154 disconnecting it from the board and plugging it into a
155 standalone battery charger such as the LipoCharger product
156 included in TeleMini Starter Kits, and connecting that via a USB
157 cable to a laptop or other USB power source.
159 You can also choose to use another battery with TeleMini v2.0
160 and EasyMini, anything supplying between 4 and 12 volts should
161 work fine (like a standard 9V battery), but if you are planning
162 to fire pyro charges, ground testing is required to verify that
163 the battery supplies enough current to fire your chosen e-matches.
165 The other active device in the starter kit is the TeleDongle USB to
166 RF interface. If you plug it in to your Mac or Linux computer it should
167 “just work”, showing up as a serial port device. Windows systems need
168 driver information that is part of the AltOS download to know that the
169 existing USB modem driver will work. We therefore recommend installing
170 our software before plugging in TeleDongle if you are using a Windows
171 computer. If you are using an older version of Linux and are having
172 problems, try moving to a fresher kernel (2.6.33 or newer).
174 Next you should obtain and install the AltOS software. The AltOS
175 distribution includes the AltosUI ground station program, current
177 images for all of the hardware, and a number of standalone
178 utilities that are rarely needed. Pre-built binary packages are
179 available for Linux, Microsoft Windows, and recent MacOSX
180 versions. Full source code and build instructions are also
181 available. The latest version may always be downloaded from
182 <a class="ulink" href="http://altusmetrum.org/AltOS" target="_top">http://altusmetrum.org/AltOS</a>.
184 If you're using a TeleBT instead of the TeleDongle, you'll want to
185 install the AltosDroid application from the Google Play store on an
186 Android device. You don't need a data plan to use AltosDroid, but
187 without network access, the Map view will be less useful as it
188 won't contain any map data. You can also use TeleBT connected
189 over USB with your laptop computer; it acts exactly like a
190 TeleDongle. Anywhere this manual talks about TeleDongle, you can
191 also read that as 'and TeleBT when connected via USB'.
192 </p></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp32491744"></a>Chapter 3. Handling Precautions</h1></div></div></div><p>
193 All Altus Metrum products are sophisticated electronic devices.
194 When handled gently and properly installed in an air-frame, they
195 will deliver impressive results. However, as with all electronic
196 devices, there are some precautions you must take.
198 The Lithium Polymer rechargeable batteries have an
199 extraordinary power density. This is great because we can fly with
200 much less battery mass than if we used alkaline batteries or previous
201 generation rechargeable batteries... but if they are punctured
202 or their leads are allowed to short, they can and will release their
204 Thus we recommend that you take some care when handling our batteries
205 and consider giving them some extra protection in your air-frame. We
206 often wrap them in suitable scraps of closed-cell packing foam before
207 strapping them down, for example.
209 The barometric sensors used on all of our flight computers are
210 sensitive to sunlight. In normal mounting situations, the baro sensor
211 and all of the other surface mount components
212 are “down” towards whatever the underlying mounting surface is, so
213 this is not normally a problem. Please consider this when designing an
214 installation in an air-frame with a see-through plastic payload bay. It
215 is particularly important to
216 consider this with TeleMini v1.0, both because the baro sensor is on the
217 “top” of the board, and because many model rockets with payload bays
218 use clear plastic for the payload bay! Replacing these with an opaque
219 cardboard tube, painting them, or wrapping them with a layer of masking
220 tape are all reasonable approaches to keep the sensor out of direct
223 The barometric sensor sampling port must be able to “breathe”,
224 both by not being covered by foam or tape or other materials that might
225 directly block the hole on the top of the sensor, and also by having a
226 suitable static vent to outside air.
228 As with all other rocketry electronics, Altus Metrum altimeters must
229 be protected from exposure to corrosive motor exhaust and ejection
231 </p></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp32497232"></a>Chapter 4. Altus Metrum Hardware</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp32497904">1. General Usage Instructions</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp32499872">1.1. Hooking Up Lithium Polymer Batteries</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp32502832">1.2. Hooking Up Pyro Charges</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp32504912">1.3. Hooking Up a Power Switch</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp32508128">1.4. Using a Separate Pyro Battery</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp32510640">1.5. Using a Different Kind of Battery</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp32512368">2. Specifications</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38112928">3. TeleMetrum</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38117824">3.1. TeleMetrum Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38137040">3.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMetrum</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38140288">3.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMetrum</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38142416">4. TeleMini v1.0</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38147312">4.1. TeleMini v1.0 Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38166656">4.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMini v1.0</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38170032">4.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMini v1.0</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38172240">5. TeleMini v2.0</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38176256">5.1. TeleMini v2.0 Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38198640">5.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMini v2.0</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38201840">5.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMini v2.0</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38203936">6. EasyMini</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38207792">6.1. EasyMini Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38238912">6.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with EasyMini</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38242096">6.3. Using an Active Switch with EasyMini</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38244192">7. TeleMega</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38248160">7.1. TeleMega Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38285664">7.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMega</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38287264">7.3. Using Only One Battery With TeleMega</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38289184">7.4. Using an Active Switch with TeleMega</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38291232">8. Flight Data Recording</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38320064">9. Installation</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp32497904"></a>1. General Usage Instructions</h2></div></div></div><p>
232 Here are general instructions for hooking up an Altus Metrum
233 flight computer. Instructions specific to each model will be
234 found in the section devoted to that model below.
236 To prevent electrical interference from affecting the
237 operation of the flight computer, it's important to always
238 twist pairs of wires connected to the board. Twist the switch
239 leads, the pyro leads and the battery leads. This reduces
240 interference through a mechanism called common mode rejection.
241 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp32499872"></a>1.1. Hooking Up Lithium Polymer Batteries</h3></div></div></div><p>
242 All Altus Metrum flight computers have a two pin JST PH
243 series connector to connect up a single-cell Lithium Polymer
244 cell (3.7V nominal). You can purchase matching batteries
245 from the Altus Metrum store, or other vendors, or you can
246 make your own. Pin 1 of the connector is positive, pin 2 is
247 negative. Spark Fun sells a cable with the connector
248 attached, which they call a <a class="ulink" href="https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9914" target="_top">JST Jumper 2
251 Many RC vendors also sell lithium polymer batteries with
252 this same connector. All that we have found use the opposite
253 polarity, and if you use them that way, you will damage or
254 destroy the flight computer.
255 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp32502832"></a>1.2. Hooking Up Pyro Charges</h3></div></div></div><p>
256 Altus Metrum flight computers always have two screws for
257 each pyro charge. This means you shouldn't need to put two
258 wires into a screw terminal or connect leads from pyro
259 charges together externally.
261 On the flight computer, one lead from each charge is hooked
262 to the positive battery terminal through the power switch.
263 The other lead is connected through the pyro circuit, which
264 is connected to the negative battery terminal when the pyro
266 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp32504912"></a>1.3. Hooking Up a Power Switch</h3></div></div></div><p>
267 Altus Metrum flight computers need an external power switch
268 to turn them on. This disconnects both the computer and the
269 pyro charges from the battery, preventing the charges from
270 firing when in the Off position. The switch is in-line with
271 the positive battery terminal.
272 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idp32506288"></a>1.3.1. Using an External Active Switch Circuit</h4></div></div></div><p>
273 You can use an active switch circuit, such as the
274 Featherweight Magnetic Switch, with any Altus Metrum
275 flight computer. These require three connections, one to
276 the battery, one to the positive power input on the flight
277 computer and one to ground. Find instructions on how to
278 hook these up for each flight computer below. The follow
279 the instructions that come with your active switch to
281 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp32508128"></a>1.4. Using a Separate Pyro Battery</h3></div></div></div><p>
282 As mentioned above in the section on hooking up pyro
283 charges, one lead for each of the pyro charges is connected
284 through the power switch directly to the positive battery
285 terminal. The other lead is connected to the pyro circuit,
286 which connects it to the negative battery terminal when the
287 pyro circuit is fired. The pyro circuit on all of the flight
288 computers is designed to handle up to 16V.
290 To use a separate pyro battery, connect the negative pyro
291 battery terminal to the flight computer ground terminal,
292 the positive battery terminal to the igniter and the other
293 igniter lead to the negative pyro terminal on the flight
294 computer. When the pyro channel fires, it will complete the
295 circuit between the negative pyro terminal and the ground
296 terminal, firing the igniter. Specific instructions on how
297 to hook this up will be found in each section below.
298 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp32510640"></a>1.5. Using a Different Kind of Battery</h3></div></div></div><p>
299 EasyMini and TeleMini v2 are designed to use either a
300 lithium polymer battery or any other battery producing
301 between 4 and 12 volts, such as a rectangular 9V
302 battery. TeleMega and TeleMetrum are not designed for this,
303 and must only be powered by a lithium polymer battery. Find
304 instructions on how to use other batteries in the EasyMini
305 and TeleMini sections below.
306 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp32512368"></a>2. Specifications</h2></div></div></div><p>
307 Here's the full set of Altus Metrum products, both in
308 production and retired.
309 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp32513424"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 4.1. Altus Metrum Electronics</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Altus Metrum Electronics" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Device"><col align="center" class="Barometer"><col align="center" class="Z-axis accelerometer"><col align="center" class="GPS"><col align="center" class="3D sensors"><col align="center" class="Storage"><col align="center" class="RF"><col align="center" class="Battery"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Device</th><th align="center">Barometer</th><th align="center">Z-axis accelerometer</th><th align="center">GPS</th><th align="center">3D sensors</th><th align="center">Storage</th><th align="center">RF Output</th><th align="center">Battery</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">TeleMetrum v1.0</td><td align="center"><p>MP3H6115 10km (33k')</p></td><td align="center"><p>MMA2202 50g</p></td><td align="center">SkyTraq</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">1MB</td><td align="center">10mW</td><td align="center">3.7V</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMetrum v1.1</td><td align="center"><p>MP3H6115 10km (33k')</p></td><td align="center"><p>MMA2202 50g</p></td><td align="center">SkyTraq</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">2MB</td><td align="center">10mW</td><td align="center">3.7V</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMetrum v1.2</td><td align="center"><p>MP3H6115 10km (33k')</p></td><td align="center"><p>ADXL78 70g</p></td><td align="center">SkyTraq</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">2MB</td><td align="center">10mW</td><td align="center">3.7V</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMetrum v2.0</td><td align="center"><p>MS5607 30km (100k')</p></td><td align="center"><p>MMA6555 102g</p></td><td align="center">uBlox Max-7Q</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">8MB</td><td align="center">40mW</td><td align="center">3.7V</td></tr><tr><td align="center"><p>TeleMini v1.0</p></td><td align="center"><p>MP3H6115 10km (33k')</p></td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">5kB</td><td align="center">10mW</td><td align="center">3.7V</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMini v2.0</td><td align="center"><p>MS5607 30km (100k')</p></td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">1MB</td><td align="center">10mW</td><td align="center">3.7-12V</td></tr><tr><td align="center">EasyMini v1.0</td><td align="center"><p>MS5607 30km (100k')</p></td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">1MB</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">3.7-12V</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMega v1.0</td><td align="center"><p>MS5607 30km (100k')</p></td><td align="center"><p>MMA6555 102g</p></td><td align="center">uBlox Max-7Q</td><td align="center"><p>MPU6000 HMC5883</p></td><td align="center">8MB</td><td align="center">40mW</td><td align="center">3.7V</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break"><div class="table"><a name="idp35629456"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 4.2. Altus Metrum Boards</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Altus Metrum Boards" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Device"><col align="center" class="Connectors"><col align="center" class="Screw Terminals"><col align="center" class="Width"><col align="center" class="Length"><col align="center" class="Tube Size"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Device</th><th align="center">Connectors</th><th align="center">Screw Terminals</th><th align="center">Width</th><th align="center">Length</th><th align="center">Tube Size</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">TeleMetrum</td><td align="center"><p>
315 </p></td><td align="center"><p>Apogee pyro Main pyro Switch</p></td><td align="center">1 inch (2.54cm)</td><td align="center">2 ¾ inch (6.99cm)</td><td align="center">29mm coupler</td></tr><tr><td align="center"><p>TeleMini v1.0</p></td><td align="center"><p>
319 </p></td><td align="center"><p>
322 </p></td><td align="center">½ inch (1.27cm)</td><td align="center">1½ inch (3.81cm)</td><td align="center">18mm coupler</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMini v2.0</td><td align="center"><p>
327 </p></td><td align="center"><p>
332 </p></td><td align="center">0.8 inch (2.03cm)</td><td align="center">1½ inch (3.81cm)</td><td align="center">24mm coupler</td></tr><tr><td align="center">EasyMini</td><td align="center"><p>
336 </p></td><td align="center"><p>
341 </p></td><td align="center">0.8 inch (2.03cm)</td><td align="center">1½ inch (3.81cm)</td><td align="center">24mm coupler</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMega</td><td align="center"><p>
347 </p></td><td align="center"><p>
353 </p></td><td align="center">1¼ inch (3.18cm)</td><td align="center">3¼ inch (8.26cm)</td><td align="center">38mm coupler</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break"></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38112928"></a>3. TeleMetrum</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="telemetrum-v1.1-thside.jpg" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
354 TeleMetrum is a 1 inch by 2¾ inch circuit board. It was designed to
355 fit inside coupler for 29mm air-frame tubing, but using it in a tube that
356 small in diameter may require some creativity in mounting and wiring
357 to succeed! The presence of an accelerometer means TeleMetrum should
358 be aligned along the flight axis of the airframe, and by default the ¼
359 wave UHF wire antenna should be on the nose-cone end of the board. The
360 antenna wire is about 7 inches long, and wiring for a power switch and
361 the e-matches for apogee and main ejection charges depart from the
362 fin can end of the board, meaning an ideal “simple” avionics
363 bay for TeleMetrum should have at least 10 inches of interior length.
364 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38117824"></a>3.1. TeleMetrum Screw Terminals</h3></div></div></div><p>
365 TeleMetrum has six screw terminals on the end of the board
366 opposite the telemetry antenna. Two are for the power
367 switch, and two each for the apogee and main igniter
368 circuits. Using the picture above and starting from the top,
369 the terminals are as follows:
370 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp38119136"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 4.3. TeleMetrum Screw Terminals</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="TeleMetrum Screw Terminals" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Pin #"><col align="center" class="Pin Name"><col align="left" class="Description"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Terminal #</th><th align="center">Terminal Name</th><th align="center">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">1</td><td align="center">Switch Output</td><td align="left">Switch connection to flight computer</td></tr><tr><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">Switch Input</td><td align="left">Switch connection to positive battery terminal</td></tr><tr><td align="center">3</td><td align="center">Main +</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">4</td><td align="center">Main -</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">5</td><td align="center">Apogee +</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">6</td><td align="center">Apogee -</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break"></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38137040"></a>3.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMetrum</h3></div></div></div><p>
371 As described above, using an external pyro battery involves
372 connecting the negative battery terminal to the flight
373 computer ground, connecting the positive battery terminal to
374 one of the igniter leads and connecting the other igniter
375 lead to the per-channel pyro circuit connection.
377 To connect the negative battery terminal to the TeleMetrum
378 ground, insert a small piece of wire, 24 to 28 gauge
379 stranded, into the GND hole just above the screw terminal
380 strip and solder it in place.
382 Connecting the positive battery terminal to the pyro
383 charges must be done separate from TeleMetrum, by soldering
384 them together or using some other connector.
386 The other lead from each pyro charge is then inserted into
387 the appropriate per-pyro channel screw terminal (terminal 4 for the
388 Main charge, terminal 6 for the Apogee charge).
389 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38140288"></a>3.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMetrum</h3></div></div></div><p>
390 As explained above, an external active switch requires three
391 connections, one to the positive battery terminal, one to
392 the flight computer positive input and one to ground.
394 The positive battery terminal is available on screw terminal
395 2, the positive flight computer input is on terminal 1. To
396 hook a lead to ground, solder a piece of wire, 24 to 28
397 gauge stranded, to the GND hole just above terminal 1.
398 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38142416"></a>4. TeleMini v1.0</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="telemini-v1-top.jpg" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
399 TeleMini v1.0 is ½ inches by 1½ inches. It was
400 designed to fit inside an 18mm air-frame tube, but using it in
401 a tube that small in diameter may require some creativity in
402 mounting and wiring to succeed! Since there is no
403 accelerometer, TeleMini can be mounted in any convenient
404 orientation. The default ¼ wave UHF wire antenna attached to
405 the center of one end of the board is about 7 inches long. Two
406 wires for the power switch are connected to holes in the
407 middle of the board. Screw terminals for the e-matches for
408 apogee and main ejection charges depart from the other end of
409 the board, meaning an ideal “simple” avionics bay for TeleMini
410 should have at least 9 inches of interior length.
411 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38147312"></a>4.1. TeleMini v1.0 Screw Terminals</h3></div></div></div><p>
412 TeleMini v1.0 has four screw terminals on the end of the
413 board opposite the telemetry antenna. Two are for the apogee
414 and two are for main igniter circuits. There are also wires
415 soldered to the board for the power switch. Using the
416 picture above and starting from the top for the terminals
417 and from the left for the power switch wires, the
418 connections are as follows:
419 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp38148752"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 4.4. TeleMini v1.0 Connections</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="TeleMini v1.0 Connections" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Pin #"><col align="center" class="Pin Name"><col align="left" class="Description"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Terminal #</th><th align="center">Terminal Name</th><th align="center">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">1</td><td align="center">Apogee -</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">Apogee +</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">3</td><td align="center">Main -</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">4</td><td align="center">Main +</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Left</td><td align="center">Switch Output</td><td align="left">Switch connection to flight computer</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Right</td><td align="center">Switch Input</td><td align="left">Switch connection to positive battery terminal</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break"></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38166656"></a>4.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMini v1.0</h3></div></div></div><p>
420 As described above, using an external pyro battery involves
421 connecting the negative battery terminal to the flight
422 computer ground, connecting the positive battery terminal to
423 one of the igniter leads and connecting the other igniter
424 lead to the per-channel pyro circuit connection. Because
425 there is no solid ground connection to use on TeleMini, this
428 The only available ground connection on TeleMini v1.0 are
429 the two mounting holes next to the telemetry
430 antenna. Somehow connect a small piece of wire to one of
431 those holes and hook it to the negative pyro battery terminal.
433 Connecting the positive battery terminal to the pyro
434 charges must be done separate from TeleMini v1.0, by soldering
435 them together or using some other connector.
437 The other lead from each pyro charge is then inserted into
438 the appropriate per-pyro channel screw terminal (terminal 3 for the
439 Main charge, terminal 1 for the Apogee charge).
440 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38170032"></a>4.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMini v1.0</h3></div></div></div><p>
441 As explained above, an external active switch requires three
442 connections, one to the positive battery terminal, one to
443 the flight computer positive input and one to ground. Again,
444 because TeleMini doesn't have any good ground connection,
445 this is not recommended.
447 The positive battery terminal is available on the Right
448 power switch wire, the positive flight computer input is on
449 the left power switch wire. Hook a lead to either of the
450 mounting holes for a ground connection.
451 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38172240"></a>5. TeleMini v2.0</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="telemini-v2-top.jpg" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
452 TeleMini v2.0 is 0.8 inches by 1½ inches. It adds more
453 on-board data logging memory, a built-in USB connector and
454 screw terminals for the battery and power switch. The larger
455 board fits in a 24mm coupler. There's also a battery connector
456 for a LiPo battery if you want to use one of those.
457 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38176256"></a>5.1. TeleMini v2.0 Screw Terminals</h3></div></div></div><p>
458 TeleMini v2.0 has two sets of four screw terminals on the end of the
459 board opposite the telemetry antenna. Using the picture
460 above, the top four have connections for the main pyro
461 circuit and an external battery and the bottom four have
462 connections for the apogee pyro circuit and the power
463 switch. Counting from the left, the connections are as follows:
464 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp38177664"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 4.5. TeleMini v2.0 Connections</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="TeleMini v2.0 Connections" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Pin #"><col align="center" class="Pin Name"><col align="left" class="Description"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Terminal #</th><th align="center">Terminal Name</th><th align="center">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">Top 1</td><td align="center">Main -</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 2</td><td align="center">Main +</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 3</td><td align="center">Battery +</td><td align="left">Positive external battery terminal</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 4</td><td align="center">Battery -</td><td align="left">Negative external battery terminal</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 1</td><td align="center">Apogee -</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 2</td><td align="center">Apogee +</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel common connection to
465 battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 3</td><td align="center">Switch Output</td><td align="left">Switch connection to flight computer</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 4</td><td align="center">Switch Input</td><td align="left">Switch connection to positive battery terminal</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break"></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38198640"></a>5.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMini v2.0</h3></div></div></div><p>
466 As described above, using an external pyro battery involves
467 connecting the negative battery terminal to the flight
468 computer ground, connecting the positive battery terminal to
469 one of the igniter leads and connecting the other igniter
470 lead to the per-channel pyro circuit connection.
472 To connect the negative pyro battery terminal to TeleMini
473 ground, connect it to the negative external battery
474 connection, top terminal 4.
476 Connecting the positive battery terminal to the pyro
477 charges must be done separate from TeleMini v2.0, by soldering
478 them together or using some other connector.
480 The other lead from each pyro charge is then inserted into
481 the appropriate per-pyro channel screw terminal (top
482 terminal 1 for the Main charge, bottom terminal 1 for the
484 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38201840"></a>5.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMini v2.0</h3></div></div></div><p>
485 As explained above, an external active switch requires three
486 connections, one to the positive battery terminal, one to
487 the flight computer positive input and one to ground. Use
488 the negative external battery connection, top terminal 4 for
491 The positive battery terminal is available on bottom
492 terminal 4, the positive flight computer input is on the
494 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38203936"></a>6. EasyMini</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="easymini-top.jpg" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
495 EasyMini is built on a 0.8 inch by 1½ inch circuit board. It's
496 designed to fit in a 24mm coupler tube. The connectors and
497 screw terminals match TeleMini v2.0, so you can easily swap between
498 EasyMini and TeleMini.
499 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38207792"></a>6.1. EasyMini Screw Terminals</h3></div></div></div><p>
500 EasyMini has two sets of four screw terminals on the end of the
501 board opposite the telemetry antenna. Using the picture
502 above, the top four have connections for the main pyro
503 circuit and an external battery and the bottom four have
504 connections for the apogee pyro circuit and the power
505 switch. Counting from the left, the connections are as follows:
506 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp32434928"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 4.6. EasyMini Connections</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="EasyMini Connections" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Pin #"><col align="center" class="Pin Name"><col align="left" class="Description"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Terminal #</th><th align="center">Terminal Name</th><th align="center">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">Top 1</td><td align="center">Main -</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 2</td><td align="center">Main +</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 3</td><td align="center">Battery +</td><td align="left">Positive external battery terminal</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 4</td><td align="center">Battery -</td><td align="left">Negative external battery terminal</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 1</td><td align="center">Apogee -</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 2</td><td align="center">Apogee +</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel common connection to
507 battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 3</td><td align="center">Switch Output</td><td align="left">Switch connection to flight computer</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 4</td><td align="center">Switch Input</td><td align="left">Switch connection to positive battery terminal</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break"></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38238912"></a>6.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with EasyMini</h3></div></div></div><p>
508 As described above, using an external pyro battery involves
509 connecting the negative battery terminal to the flight
510 computer ground, connecting the positive battery terminal to
511 one of the igniter leads and connecting the other igniter
512 lead to the per-channel pyro circuit connection.
514 To connect the negative pyro battery terminal to TeleMini
515 ground, connect it to the negative external battery
516 connection, top terminal 4.
518 Connecting the positive battery terminal to the pyro
519 charges must be done separate from EasyMini, by soldering
520 them together or using some other connector.
522 The other lead from each pyro charge is then inserted into
523 the appropriate per-pyro channel screw terminal (top
524 terminal 1 for the Main charge, bottom terminal 1 for the
526 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38242096"></a>6.3. Using an Active Switch with EasyMini</h3></div></div></div><p>
527 As explained above, an external active switch requires three
528 connections, one to the positive battery terminal, one to
529 the flight computer positive input and one to ground. Use
530 the negative external battery connection, top terminal 4 for
533 The positive battery terminal is available on bottom
534 terminal 4, the positive flight computer input is on the
536 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38244192"></a>7. TeleMega</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="telemega-v1.0-top.jpg" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
537 TeleMega is a 1¼ inch by 3¼ inch circuit board. It was
538 designed to easily fit in a 38mm coupler. Like TeleMetrum,
539 TeleMega has an accelerometer and so it must be mounted so that
540 the board is aligned with the flight axis. It can be mounted
541 either antenna up or down.
542 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38248160"></a>7.1. TeleMega Screw Terminals</h3></div></div></div><p>
543 TeleMega has two sets of nine screw terminals on the end of
544 the board opposite the telemetry antenna. They are as follows:
545 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp38249328"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 4.7. TeleMega Screw Terminals</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="TeleMega Screw Terminals" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Pin #"><col align="center" class="Pin Name"><col align="left" class="Description"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Terminal #</th><th align="center">Terminal Name</th><th align="center">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">Top 1</td><td align="center">Switch Input</td><td align="left">Switch connection to positive battery terminal</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 2</td><td align="center">Switch Output</td><td align="left">Switch connection to flight computer</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 3</td><td align="center">GND</td><td align="left">Ground connection for use with external active switch</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 4</td><td align="center">Main -</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 5</td><td align="center">Main +</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 6</td><td align="center">Apogee -</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 7</td><td align="center">Apogee +</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 8</td><td align="center">D -</td><td align="left">D pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 9</td><td align="center">D +</td><td align="left">D pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 1</td><td align="center">GND</td><td align="left">Ground connection for negative pyro battery terminal</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 2</td><td align="center">Pyro</td><td align="left">Positive pyro battery terminal</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 3</td><td align="center">Lipo</td><td align="left">
546 Power switch output. Use to connect main battery to
548 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 4</td><td align="center">A -</td><td align="left">A pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 5</td><td align="center">A +</td><td align="left">A pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 6</td><td align="center">B -</td><td align="left">B pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 7</td><td align="center">B +</td><td align="left">B pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 8</td><td align="center">C -</td><td align="left">C pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 9</td><td align="center">C +</td><td align="left">C pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break"></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38285664"></a>7.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMega</h3></div></div></div><p>
549 TeleMega provides explicit support for an external pyro
550 battery. All that is required is to remove the jumper
551 between the lipo terminal (Bottom 3) and the pyro terminal
552 (Bottom 2). Then hook the negative pyro battery terminal to ground
553 (Bottom 1) and the positive pyro battery to the pyro battery
554 input (Bottom 2). You can then use the existing pyro screw
555 terminals to hook up all of the pyro charges.
556 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38287264"></a>7.3. Using Only One Battery With TeleMega</h3></div></div></div><p>
557 Because TeleMega has built-in support for a separate pyro
558 battery, if you want to fly with just one battery running
559 both the computer and firing the charges, you need to
560 connect the flight computer battery to the pyro
561 circuit. TeleMega has two screw terminals for this—hook a
562 wire from the Lipo terminal (Bottom 3) to the Pyro terminal
564 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38289184"></a>7.4. Using an Active Switch with TeleMega</h3></div></div></div><p>
565 As explained above, an external active switch requires three
566 connections, one to the positive battery terminal, one to
567 the flight computer positive input and one to ground.
569 The positive battery terminal is available on Top terminal
570 1, the positive flight computer input is on Top terminal
571 2. Ground is on Top terminal 3.
572 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38291232"></a>8. Flight Data Recording</h2></div></div></div><p>
573 Each flight computer logs data at 100 samples per second
574 during ascent and 10 samples per second during descent, except
575 for TeleMini v1.0, which records ascent at 10 samples per
576 second and descent at 1 sample per second. Data are logged to
577 an on-board flash memory part, which can be partitioned into
578 several equal-sized blocks, one for each flight.
579 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp38292640"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 4.8. Data Storage on Altus Metrum altimeters</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Data Storage on Altus Metrum altimeters" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Device"><col align="center" class="Bytes per sample"><col align="center" class="Total storage"><col align="center" class="Minutes of full-rate"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Device</th><th align="center">Bytes per Sample</th><th align="center">Total Storage</th><th align="center">Minutes at Full Rate</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">TeleMetrum v1.0</td><td align="center">8</td><td align="center">1MB</td><td align="center">20</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMetrum v1.1 v1.2</td><td align="center">8</td><td align="center">2MB</td><td align="center">40</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMetrum v2.0</td><td align="center">16</td><td align="center">8MB</td><td align="center">80</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMini v1.0</td><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">5kB</td><td align="center">4</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMini v2.0</td><td align="center">16</td><td align="center">1MB</td><td align="center">10</td></tr><tr><td align="center">EasyMini</td><td align="center">16</td><td align="center">1MB</td><td align="center">10</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMega</td><td align="center">32</td><td align="center">8MB</td><td align="center">40</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break"><p>
580 The on-board flash is partitioned into separate flight logs,
581 each of a fixed maximum size. Increase the maximum size of
582 each log and you reduce the number of flights that can be
583 stored. Decrease the size and you can store more flights.
585 Configuration data is also stored in the flash memory on
586 TeleMetrum v1.x, TeleMini and EasyMini. This consumes 64kB
587 of flash space. This configuration space is not available
588 for storing flight log data. TeleMetrum v2.0 and TeleMega
589 store configuration data in a bit of eeprom available within
590 the processor chip, leaving that space available in flash for
593 To compute the amount of space needed for a single flight, you
594 can multiply the expected ascent time (in seconds) by 100
595 times bytes-per-sample, multiply the expected descent time (in
596 seconds) by 10 times the bytes per sample and add the two
597 together. That will slightly under-estimate the storage (in
598 bytes) needed for the flight. For instance, a TeleMetrum v2.0 flight spending
599 20 seconds in ascent and 150 seconds in descent will take
600 about (20 * 1600) + (150 * 160) = 56000 bytes of storage. You
601 could store dozens of these flights in the on-board flash.
603 The default size allows for several flights on each flight
604 computer, except for TeleMini v1.0, which only holds data for a
605 single flight. You can adjust the size.
607 Altus Metrum flight computers will not overwrite existing
608 flight data, so be sure to download flight data and erase it
609 from the flight computer before it fills up. The flight
610 computer will still successfully control the flight even if it
611 cannot log data, so the only thing you will lose is the data.
612 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38320064"></a>9. Installation</h2></div></div></div><p>
613 A typical installation involves attaching
614 only a suitable battery, a single pole switch for
615 power on/off, and two pairs of wires connecting e-matches for the
616 apogee and main ejection charges. All Altus Metrum products are
617 designed for use with single-cell batteries with 3.7 volts
618 nominal. TeleMini v2.0 and EasyMini may also be used with other
619 batteries as long as they supply between 4 and 12 volts.
621 The battery connectors are a standard 2-pin JST connector and
622 match batteries sold by Spark Fun. These batteries are
623 single-cell Lithium Polymer batteries that nominally provide 3.7
624 volts. Other vendors sell similar batteries for RC aircraft
625 using mating connectors, however the polarity for those is
626 generally reversed from the batteries used by Altus Metrum
627 products. In particular, the Tenergy batteries supplied for use
628 in Featherweight flight computers are not compatible with Altus
629 Metrum flight computers or battery chargers. <span class="emphasis"><em>Check
630 polarity and voltage before connecting any battery not purchased
631 from Altus Metrum or Spark Fun.</em></span>
633 By default, we use the unregulated output of the battery directly
634 to fire ejection charges. This works marvelously with standard
635 low-current e-matches like the J-Tek from MJG Technologies, and with
636 Quest Q2G2 igniters. However, if you want or need to use a separate
637 pyro battery, check out the “External Pyro Battery” section in this
638 manual for instructions on how to wire that up. The altimeters are
639 designed to work with an external pyro battery of no more than 15 volts.
641 Ejection charges are wired directly to the screw terminal block
642 at the aft end of the altimeter. You'll need a very small straight
643 blade screwdriver for these screws, such as you might find in a
644 jeweler's screwdriver set.
646 Except for TeleMini v1.0, the flight computers also use the
647 screw terminal block for the power switch leads. On TeleMini v1.0,
648 the power switch leads are soldered directly to the board and
649 can be connected directly to a switch.
651 For most air-frames, the integrated antennas are more than
652 adequate. However, if you are installing in a carbon-fiber or
653 metal electronics bay which is opaque to RF signals, you may need to
654 use off-board external antennas instead. In this case, you can
655 replace the stock UHF antenna wire with an edge-launched SMA connector,
656 and, on TeleMetrum v1, you can unplug the integrated GPS
657 antenna and select an appropriate off-board GPS antenna with
658 cable terminating in a U.FL connector.
659 </p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp38326800"></a>Chapter 5. System Operation</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38327440">1. Firmware Modes </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38395728">2. GPS </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38398512">3. Controlling An Altimeter Over The Radio Link</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38410432">4. Ground Testing </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38413184">5. Radio Link </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38417184">6. APRS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38439152">7. Configurable Parameters</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38441072">7.1. Radio Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38443120">7.2. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38444656">7.3. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38445952">7.4. APRS Interval</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38447424">7.5. Apogee Delay</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38450016">7.6. Apogee Lockout</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38451744">7.7. Main Deployment Altitude</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38453440">7.8. Maximum Flight Log</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38455584">7.9. Ignite Mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38457696">7.10. Pad Orientation</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38459904">7.11. Configurable Pyro Channels</a></span></dt></dl></dd></dl></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38327440"></a>1. Firmware Modes </h2></div></div></div><p>
660 The AltOS firmware build for the altimeters has two
661 fundamental modes, “idle” and “flight”. Which of these modes
662 the firmware operates in is determined at start up time. For
663 TeleMetrum and TeleMega, which have accelerometers, the mode is
664 controlled by the orientation of the
665 rocket (well, actually the board, of course...) at the time
666 power is switched on. If the rocket is “nose up”, then
667 the flight computer assumes it's on a rail or rod being prepared for
668 launch, so the firmware chooses flight mode. However, if the
669 rocket is more or less horizontal, the firmware instead enters
670 idle mode. Since TeleMini v2.0 and EasyMini don't have an
671 accelerometer we can use to determine orientation, “idle” mode
672 is selected if the board is connected via USB to a computer,
673 otherwise the board enters “flight” mode. TeleMini v1.0
674 selects “idle” mode if it receives a command packet within the
675 first five seconds of operation.
677 At power on, the altimeter will beep out the battery voltage
678 to the nearest tenth of a volt. Each digit is represented by
679 a sequence of short “dit” beeps, with a pause between
680 digits. A zero digit is represented with one long “dah”
681 beep. Then there will be a short pause while the altimeter
682 completes initialization and self test, and decides which mode
685 Here's a short summary of all of the modes and the beeping (or
686 flashing, in the case of TeleMini v1) that accompanies each
687 mode. In the description of the beeping pattern, “dit” means a
688 short beep while "dah" means a long beep (three times as
689 long). “Brap” means a long dissonant tone.
690 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp38332800"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 5.1. AltOS Modes</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="AltOS Modes" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Mode Name"><col align="center" class="Letter"><col align="center" class="Beeps"><col align="center" class="Description"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Mode Name</th><th align="center">Abbreviation</th><th align="center">Beeps</th><th align="center">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">Startup</td><td align="center">S</td><td align="center">battery voltage in decivolts</td><td align="center">
692 Calibrating sensors, detecting orientation.
694 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Idle</td><td align="center">I</td><td align="center">dit dit</td><td align="center">
696 Ready to accept commands over USB or radio link.
698 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Pad</td><td align="center">P</td><td align="center">dit dah dah dit</td><td align="center">
700 Waiting for launch. Not listening for commands.
702 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Boost</td><td align="center">B</td><td align="center">dah dit dit dit</td><td align="center">
704 Accelerating upwards.
706 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Fast</td><td align="center">F</td><td align="center">dit dit dah dit</td><td align="center">
708 Decelerating, but moving faster than 200m/s.
710 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Coast</td><td align="center">C</td><td align="center">dah dit dah dit</td><td align="center">
712 Decelerating, moving slower than 200m/s
714 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Drogue</td><td align="center">D</td><td align="center">dah dit dit</td><td align="center">
716 Descending after apogee. Above main height.
718 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Main</td><td align="center">M</td><td align="center">dah dah</td><td align="center">
720 Descending. Below main height.
722 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Landed</td><td align="center">L</td><td align="center">dit dah dit dit</td><td align="center">
724 Stable altitude for at least ten seconds.
726 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Sensor error</td><td align="center">X</td><td align="center">dah dit dit dah</td><td align="center">
728 Error detected during sensor calibration.
730 </td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><p><br class="table-break">
732 In flight or “pad” mode, the altimeter engages the flight
733 state machine, goes into transmit-only mode to send telemetry,
734 and waits for launch to be detected. Flight mode is indicated
735 by an “di-dah-dah-dit” (“P” for pad) on the beeper or lights,
736 followed by beeps or flashes indicating the state of the
737 pyrotechnic igniter continuity. One beep/flash indicates
738 apogee continuity, two beeps/flashes indicate main continuity,
739 three beeps/flashes indicate both apogee and main continuity,
740 and one longer “brap” sound which is made by rapidly
741 alternating between two tones indicates no continuity. For a
742 dual deploy flight, make sure you're getting three beeps or
743 flashes before launching! For apogee-only or motor eject
744 flights, do what makes sense.
746 If idle mode is entered, you will hear an audible “di-dit” or
747 see two short flashes (“I” for idle), and the flight state
748 machine is disengaged, thus no ejection charges will fire.
749 The altimeters also listen for the radio link when in idle
750 mode for requests sent via TeleDongle. Commands can be issued
751 in idle mode over either USB or the radio link
752 equivalently. TeleMini v1.0 only has the radio link. Idle
753 mode is useful for configuring the altimeter, for extracting
754 data from the on-board storage chip after flight, and for
755 ground testing pyro charges.
757 In “Idle” and “Pad” modes, once the mode indication
758 beeps/flashes and continuity indication has been sent, if
759 there is no space available to log the flight in on-board
760 memory, the flight computer will emit a warbling tone (much
761 slower than the “no continuity tone”)
763 Here's a summary of all of the “pad” and “idle” mode indications.
764 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp38369888"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 5.2. Pad/Idle Indications</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Pad/Idle Indications" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Name"><col align="center" class="Beeps"><col align="center" class="Description"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Name</th><th align="center">Beeps</th><th align="center">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">Neither</td><td align="center">brap</td><td align="center">
766 No continuity detected on either apogee or main
769 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Apogee</td><td align="center">dit</td><td align="center">
771 Continuity detected only on apogee igniter.
773 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Main</td><td align="center">dit dit</td><td align="center">
775 Continuity detected only on main igniter.
777 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Both</td><td align="center">dit dit dit</td><td align="center">
779 Continuity detected on both igniters.
781 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Storage Full</td><td align="center">warble</td><td align="center">
783 On-board data logging storage is full. This will
784 not prevent the flight computer from safely
785 controlling the flight or transmitting telemetry
786 signals, but no record of the flight will be
787 stored in on-board flash.
789 </td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><p><br class="table-break">
791 Once landed, the flight computer will signal that by emitting
792 the “Landed” sound described above, after which it will beep
793 out the apogee height (in meters). Each digit is represented
794 by a sequence of short “dit” beeps, with a pause between
795 digits. A zero digit is represented with one long “dah”
796 beep. The flight computer will continue to report landed mode
797 and beep out the maximum height until turned off.
799 One “neat trick” of particular value when TeleMetrum or TeleMega are used with
800 very large air-frames, is that you can power the board up while the
801 rocket is horizontal, such that it comes up in idle mode. Then you can
802 raise the air-frame to launch position, and issue a 'reset' command
803 via TeleDongle over the radio link to cause the altimeter to reboot and
804 come up in flight mode. This is much safer than standing on the top
805 step of a rickety step-ladder or hanging off the side of a launch
806 tower with a screw-driver trying to turn on your avionics before
809 TeleMini v1.0 is configured solely via the radio link. Of course, that
810 means you need to know the TeleMini radio configuration values
811 or you won't be able to communicate with it. For situations
812 when you don't have the radio configuration values, TeleMini v1.0
813 offers an 'emergency recovery' mode. In this mode, TeleMini is
814 configured as follows:
815 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
816 Sets the radio frequency to 434.550MHz
817 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
818 Sets the radio calibration back to the factory value.
819 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
820 Sets the callsign to N0CALL
821 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
822 Does not go to 'pad' mode after five seconds.
823 </p></li></ul></div><p>
825 To get into 'emergency recovery' mode, first find the row of
826 four small holes opposite the switch wiring. Using a short
827 piece of small gauge wire, connect the outer two holes
828 together, then power TeleMini up. Once the red LED is lit,
829 disconnect the wire and the board should signal that it's in
830 'idle' mode after the initial five second startup period.
831 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38395728"></a>2. GPS </h2></div></div></div><p>
832 TeleMetrum and TeleMega include a complete GPS receiver. A
833 complete explanation of how GPS works is beyond the scope of
834 this manual, but the bottom line is that the GPS receiver
835 needs to lock onto at least four satellites to obtain a solid
836 3 dimensional position fix and know what time it is.
838 The flight computers provide backup power to the GPS chip any time a
839 battery is connected. This allows the receiver to “warm start” on
840 the launch rail much faster than if every power-on were a GPS
841 “cold start”. In typical operations, powering up
842 on the flight line in idle mode while performing final air-frame
843 preparation will be sufficient to allow the GPS receiver to cold
844 start and acquire lock. Then the board can be powered down during
845 RSO review and installation on a launch rod or rail. When the board
846 is turned back on, the GPS system should lock very quickly, typically
847 long before igniter installation and return to the flight line are
849 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38398512"></a>3. Controlling An Altimeter Over The Radio Link</h2></div></div></div><p>
850 One of the unique features of the Altus Metrum system is the
851 ability to create a two way command link between TeleDongle
852 and an altimeter using the digital radio transceivers
853 built into each device. This allows you to interact with the
854 altimeter from afar, as if it were directly connected to the
857 Any operation which can be performed with a flight computer can
858 either be done with the device directly connected to the
859 computer via the USB cable, or through the radio
860 link. TeleMini v1.0 doesn't provide a USB connector and so it is
861 always communicated with over radio. Select the appropriate
862 TeleDongle device when the list of devices is presented and
863 AltosUI will interact with an altimeter over the radio link.
865 One oddity in the current interface is how AltosUI selects the
866 frequency for radio communications. Instead of providing
867 an interface to specifically configure the frequency, it uses
868 whatever frequency was most recently selected for the target
869 TeleDongle device in Monitor Flight mode. If you haven't ever
870 used that mode with the TeleDongle in question, select the
871 Monitor Flight button from the top level UI, and pick the
872 appropriate TeleDongle device. Once the flight monitoring
873 window is open, select the desired frequency and then close it
874 down again. All radio communications will now use that frequency.
875 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
876 Save Flight Data—Recover flight data from the rocket without
878 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
879 Configure altimeter apogee delays, main deploy heights
880 and additional pyro event conditions
881 to respond to changing launch conditions. You can also
882 'reboot' the altimeter. Use this to remotely enable the
883 flight computer by turning TeleMetrum or TeleMega on in “idle” mode,
884 then once the air-frame is oriented for launch, you can
885 reboot the altimeter and have it restart in pad mode
886 without having to climb the scary ladder.
887 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
888 Fire Igniters—Test your deployment charges without snaking
889 wires out through holes in the air-frame. Simply assemble the
890 rocket as if for flight with the apogee and main charges
891 loaded, then remotely command the altimeter to fire the
893 </p></li></ul></div><p>
894 Operation over the radio link for configuring an altimeter, ground
895 testing igniters, and so forth uses the same RF frequencies as flight
896 telemetry. To configure the desired TeleDongle frequency, select
897 the monitor flight tab, then use the frequency selector and
898 close the window before performing other desired radio operations.
900 The flight computers only enable radio commanding in 'idle' mode.
901 TeleMetrum and TeleMega use the accelerometer to detect which orientation they
902 start up in, so make sure you have the flight computer lying horizontally when you turn
903 it on. Otherwise, it will start in 'pad' mode ready for
904 flight, and will not be listening for command packets from TeleDongle.
906 TeleMini listens for a command packet for five seconds after
907 first being turned on, if it doesn't hear anything, it enters
908 'pad' mode, ready for flight and will no longer listen for
909 command packets. The easiest way to connect to TeleMini is to
910 initiate the command and select the TeleDongle device. At this
911 point, the TeleDongle will be attempting to communicate with
912 the TeleMini. Now turn TeleMini on, and it should immediately
913 start communicating with the TeleDongle and the desired
914 operation can be performed.
916 You can monitor the operation of the radio link by watching the
917 lights on the devices. The red LED will flash each time a packet
918 is transmitted, while the green LED will light up on TeleDongle when
919 it is waiting to receive a packet from the altimeter.
920 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38410432"></a>4. Ground Testing </h2></div></div></div><p>
921 An important aspect of preparing a rocket using electronic deployment
922 for flight is ground testing the recovery system. Thanks
923 to the bi-directional radio link central to the Altus Metrum system,
924 this can be accomplished in a TeleMega, TeleMetrum or TeleMini equipped rocket
925 with less work than you may be accustomed to with other systems. It
928 Just prep the rocket for flight, then power up the altimeter
929 in “idle” mode (placing air-frame horizontal for TeleMetrum or TeleMega, or
930 selecting the Configure Altimeter tab for TeleMini). This will cause
931 the firmware to go into “idle” mode, in which the normal flight
932 state machine is disabled and charges will not fire without
933 manual command. You can now command the altimeter to fire the apogee
934 or main charges from a safe distance using your computer and
935 TeleDongle and the Fire Igniter tab to complete ejection testing.
936 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38413184"></a>5. Radio Link </h2></div></div></div><p>
937 Our flight computers all incorporate an RF transceiver, but
938 it's not a full duplex system... each end can only be transmitting or
939 receiving at any given moment. So we had to decide how to manage the
942 By design, the altimeter firmware listens for the radio link when
943 it's in “idle mode”, which
944 allows us to use the radio link to configure the rocket, do things like
945 ejection tests, and extract data after a flight without having to
946 crack open the air-frame. However, when the board is in “flight
947 mode”, the altimeter only
948 transmits and doesn't listen at all. That's because we want to put
949 ultimate priority on event detection and getting telemetry out of
951 the radio in case the rocket crashes and we aren't able to extract
954 We don't generally use a 'normal packet radio' mode like APRS
955 because they're just too inefficient. The GFSK modulation we
956 use is FSK with the base-band pulses passed through a Gaussian
957 filter before they go into the modulator to limit the
958 transmitted bandwidth. When combined with forward error
959 correction and interleaving, this allows us to have a very
960 robust 19.2 kilobit data link with only 10-40 milliwatts of
961 transmit power, a whip antenna in the rocket, and a hand-held
962 Yagi on the ground. We've had flights to above 21k feet AGL
963 with great reception, and calculations suggest we should be
964 good to well over 40k feet AGL with a 5-element yagi on the
965 ground with our 10mW units and over 100k feet AGL with the
966 40mW devices. We hope to fly boards to higher altitudes over
967 time, and would of course appreciate customer feedback on
968 performance in higher altitude flights!
969 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38417184"></a>6. APRS</h2></div></div></div><p>
970 TeleMetrum v2.0 and TeleMega can send APRS if desired, and the
971 interval between APRS packets can be configured. As each APRS
972 packet takes a full second to transmit, we recommend an
973 interval of at least 5 seconds to avoid consuming too much
974 battery power or radio channel bandwidth. You can configure
975 the APRS interval using AltosUI; that process is described in
976 the Configure Altimeter section of the AltosUI chapter.
978 AltOS uses the APRS compressed position report data format,
979 which provides for higher position precision and shorter
980 packets than the original APRS format. It also includes
981 altitude data, which is invaluable when tracking rockets. We
982 haven't found a receiver which doesn't handle compressed
983 positions, but it's just possible that you have one, so if you
984 have an older device that can receive the raw packets but
985 isn't displaying position information, it's possible that this
988 The APRS packet format includes a comment field that can have
989 arbitrary text in it. AltOS uses this to send status
990 information about the flight computer. It sends four fields as
991 shown in the following table.
992 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp38420192"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 5.3. Altus Metrum APRS Comments</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Altus Metrum APRS Comments" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Field"><col align="center" class="Example"><col align="center" class="Description"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Field</th><th align="center">Example</th><th align="center">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">1</td><td align="center">L</td><td align="center">GPS Status U for unlocked, L for locked</td></tr><tr><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">6</td><td align="center">Number of Satellites in View</td></tr><tr><td align="center">3</td><td align="center">B4.0</td><td align="center">Altimeter Battery Voltage</td></tr><tr><td align="center">4</td><td align="center">A3.7</td><td align="center">Apogee Igniter Voltage</td></tr><tr><td align="center">5</td><td align="center">M3.7</td><td align="center">Main Igniter Voltage</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break"><p>
993 Here's an example of an APRS comment showing GPS lock with 6
994 satellites in view, a primary battery at 4.0V, and
995 apogee and main igniters both at 3.7V.
996 </p><pre class="screen">
1000 Make sure your primary battery is above 3.8V, any connected
1001 igniters are above 3.5V and GPS is locked with at least 5 or 6
1002 satellites in view before flying. If GPS is switching between
1003 L and U regularly, then it doesn't have a good lock and you
1004 should wait until it becomes stable.
1006 If the GPS receiver loses lock, the APRS data transmitted will
1007 contain the last position for which GPS lock was
1008 available. You can tell that this has happened by noticing
1009 that the GPS status character switches from 'L' to 'U'. Before
1010 GPS has locked, APRS will transmit zero for latitude,
1011 longitude and altitude.
1012 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38439152"></a>7. Configurable Parameters</h2></div></div></div><p>
1013 Configuring an Altus Metrum altimeter for flight is very
1014 simple. Even on our baro-only TeleMini and EasyMini boards,
1015 the use of a Kalman filter means there is no need to set a
1016 “mach delay”. The few configurable parameters can all be set
1017 using AltosUI over USB or or radio link via TeleDongle. Read
1018 the Configure Altimeter section in the AltosUI chapter below
1019 for more information.
1020 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38441072"></a>7.1. Radio Frequency</h3></div></div></div><p>
1021 Altus Metrum boards support radio frequencies in the 70cm
1022 band. By default, the configuration interface provides a
1023 list of 10 “standard” frequencies in 100kHz channels starting at
1024 434.550MHz. However, the firmware supports use of
1025 any 50kHz multiple within the 70cm band. At any given
1026 launch, we highly recommend coordinating when and by whom each
1027 frequency will be used to avoid interference. And of course, both
1028 altimeter and TeleDongle must be configured to the same
1029 frequency to successfully communicate with each other.
1030 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38443120"></a>7.2. Callsign</h3></div></div></div><p>
1031 This sets the callsign used for telemetry, APRS and the
1032 packet link. For telemetry and APRS, this is used to
1033 identify the device. For the packet link, the callsign must
1034 match that configured in AltosUI or the link will not
1035 work. This is to prevent accidental configuration of another
1036 Altus Metrum flight computer operating on the same frequency nearby.
1037 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38444656"></a>7.3. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable</h3></div></div></div><p>
1038 You can completely disable the radio while in flight, if
1039 necessary. This doesn't disable the packet link in idle
1041 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38445952"></a>7.4. APRS Interval</h3></div></div></div><p>
1042 This selects how often APRS packets are transmitted. Set
1043 this to zero to disable APRS without also disabling the
1044 regular telemetry and RDF transmissions. As APRS takes a
1045 full second to transmit a single position report, we
1046 recommend sending packets no more than once every 5 seconds.
1047 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38447424"></a>7.5. Apogee Delay</h3></div></div></div><p>
1048 Apogee delay is the number of seconds after the altimeter detects flight
1049 apogee that the drogue charge should be fired. In most cases, this
1050 should be left at the default of 0. However, if you are flying
1051 redundant electronics such as for an L3 certification, you may wish
1052 to set one of your altimeters to a positive delay so that both
1053 primary and backup pyrotechnic charges do not fire simultaneously.
1055 The Altus Metrum apogee detection algorithm fires exactly at
1056 apogee. If you are also flying an altimeter like the
1057 PerfectFlite MAWD, which only supports selecting 0 or 1
1058 seconds of apogee delay, you may wish to set the MAWD to 0
1059 seconds delay and set the TeleMetrum to fire your backup 2
1060 or 3 seconds later to avoid any chance of both charges
1061 firing simultaneously. We've flown several air-frames this
1062 way quite happily, including Keith's successful L3 cert.
1063 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38450016"></a>7.6. Apogee Lockout</h3></div></div></div><p>
1064 Apogee lockout is the number of seconds after boost where
1065 the flight computer will not fire the apogee charge, even if
1066 the rocket appears to be at apogee. This is often called
1067 'Mach Delay', as it is intended to prevent a flight computer
1068 from unintentionally firing apogee charges due to the pressure
1069 spike that occurrs across a mach transition. Altus Metrum
1070 flight computers include a Kalman filter which is not fooled
1071 by this sharp pressure increase, and so this setting should
1072 be left at the default value of zero to disable it.
1073 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38451744"></a>7.7. Main Deployment Altitude</h3></div></div></div><p>
1074 By default, the altimeter will fire the main deployment charge at an
1075 elevation of 250 meters (about 820 feet) above ground. We think this
1076 is a good elevation for most air-frames, but feel free to change this
1077 to suit. In particular, if you are flying two altimeters, you may
1079 deployment elevation for the backup altimeter to be something lower
1080 than the primary so that both pyrotechnic charges don't fire
1082 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38453440"></a>7.8. Maximum Flight Log</h3></div></div></div><p>
1083 Changing this value will set the maximum amount of flight
1084 log storage that an individual flight will use. The
1085 available storage is divided into as many flights of the
1086 specified size as can fit in the available space. You can
1087 download and erase individual flight logs. If you fill up
1088 the available storage, future flights will not get logged
1089 until you erase some of the stored ones.
1091 Even though our flight computers (except TeleMini v1.0) can store
1092 multiple flights, we strongly recommend downloading and saving
1093 flight data after each flight.
1094 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38455584"></a>7.9. Ignite Mode</h3></div></div></div><p>
1095 Instead of firing one charge at apogee and another charge at
1096 a fixed height above the ground, you can configure the
1097 altimeter to fire both at apogee or both during
1098 descent. This was added to support an airframe Bdale designed that
1099 had two altimeters, one in the fin can and one in the nose.
1101 Providing the ability to use both igniters for apogee or
1102 main allows some level of redundancy without needing two
1103 flight computers. In Redundant Apogee or Redundant Main
1104 mode, the two charges will be fired two seconds apart.
1105 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38457696"></a>7.10. Pad Orientation</h3></div></div></div><p>
1106 TeleMetrum and TeleMega measure acceleration along the axis
1107 of the board. Which way the board is oriented affects the
1108 sign of the acceleration value. Instead of trying to guess
1109 which way the board is mounted in the air frame, the
1110 altimeter must be explicitly configured for either Antenna
1111 Up or Antenna Down. The default, Antenna Up, expects the end
1112 of the board connected to the 70cm antenna to be nearest the
1113 nose of the rocket, with the end containing the screw
1114 terminals nearest the tail.
1115 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38459904"></a>7.11. Configurable Pyro Channels</h3></div></div></div><p>
1116 In addition to the usual Apogee and Main pyro channels,
1117 TeleMega has four additional channels that can be configured
1118 to activate when various flight conditions are
1119 satisfied. You can select as many conditions as necessary;
1120 all of them must be met in order to activate the
1121 channel. The conditions available are:
1122 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
1123 Acceleration away from the ground. Select a value, and
1124 then choose whether acceleration should be above or
1125 below that value. Acceleration is positive upwards, so
1126 accelerating towards the ground would produce negative
1127 numbers. Acceleration during descent is noisy and
1128 inaccurate, so be careful when using it during these
1129 phases of the flight.
1130 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1131 Vertical speed. Select a value, and then choose whether
1132 vertical speed should be above or below that
1133 value. Speed is positive upwards, so moving towards the
1134 ground would produce negative numbers. Speed during
1135 descent is a bit noisy and so be careful when using it
1136 during these phases of the flight.
1137 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1138 Height. Select a value, and then choose whether the
1139 height above the launch pad should be above or below
1141 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1142 Orientation. TeleMega contains a 3-axis gyroscope and
1143 accelerometer which is used to measure the current
1144 angle. Note that this angle is not the change in angle
1145 from the launch pad, but rather absolute relative to
1146 gravity; the 3-axis accelerometer is used to compute the
1147 angle of the rocket on the launch pad and initialize the
1148 system. Because this value is computed by integrating
1149 rate gyros, it gets progressively less accurate as the
1150 flight goes on. It should have an accumulated error of
1151 less than 0.2°/second (after 10 seconds of flight, the
1152 error should be less than 2°).
1154 The usual use of the orientation configuration is to
1155 ensure that the rocket is traveling mostly upwards when
1156 deciding whether to ignite air starts or additional
1157 stages. For that, choose a reasonable maximum angle
1158 (like 20°) and set the motor igniter to require an angle
1159 of less than that value.
1160 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1161 Flight Time. Time since boost was detected. Select a
1162 value and choose whether to activate the pyro channel
1163 before or after that amount of time.
1164 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1165 Ascending. A simple test saying whether the rocket is
1166 going up or not. This is exactly equivalent to testing
1167 whether the speed is > 0.
1168 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1169 Descending. A simple test saying whether the rocket is
1170 going down or not. This is exactly equivalent to testing
1171 whether the speed is < 0.
1172 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1173 After Motor. The flight software counts each time the
1174 rocket starts accelerating (presumably due to a motor or
1175 motors igniting). Use this value to count ignitions for
1176 multi-staged or multi-airstart launches.
1177 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1178 Delay. This value doesn't perform any checks, instead it
1179 inserts a delay between the time when the other
1180 parameters become true and when the pyro channel is
1182 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1183 Flight State. The flight software tracks the flight
1184 through a sequence of states:
1185 </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>
1186 Boost. The motor has lit and the rocket is
1187 accelerating upwards.
1188 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1189 Fast. The motor has burned out and the rocket is
1190 decelerating, but it is going faster than 200m/s.
1191 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1192 Coast. The rocket is still moving upwards and
1193 decelerating, but the speed is less than 200m/s.
1194 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1195 Drogue. The rocket has reached apogee and is heading
1196 back down, but is above the configured Main
1198 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1199 Main. The rocket is still descending, and is below
1201 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1202 Landed. The rocket is no longer moving.
1203 </p></li></ol></div><p>
1205 You can select a state to limit when the pyro channel
1206 may activate; note that the check is based on when the
1207 rocket transitions <span class="emphasis"><em>into</em></span> the state, and so checking for
1208 “greater than Boost” means that the rocket is currently
1209 in boost or some later state.
1211 When a motor burns out, the rocket enters either Fast or
1212 Coast state (depending on how fast it is moving). If the
1213 computer detects upwards acceleration again, it will
1214 move back to Boost state.
1215 </p></li></ul></div></div></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp38482480"></a>Chapter 6. AltosUI</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38486096">1. Monitor Flight</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38498816">1.1. Launch Pad</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38515104">1.2. Ascent</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38520560">1.3. Descent</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38527424">1.4. Landed</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38533856">1.5. Table</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38537440">1.6. Site Map</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38543760">1.7. Ignitor</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38547536">2. Save Flight Data</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38551488">3. Replay Flight</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38553520">4. Graph Data</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38555904">4.1. Flight Graph</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38560352">4.2. Configure Graph</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38564016">4.3. Flight Statistics</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38567536">4.4. Map</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38571392">5. Export Data</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38572960">5.1. Comma Separated Value Format</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38575312">5.2. Keyhole Markup Language (for Google Earth)</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38576800">6. Configure Altimeter</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38589104">6.1. Main Deploy Altitude</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38590672">6.2. Apogee Delay</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38592288">6.3. Apogee Lockoug</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38594016">6.4. Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38595520">6.5. RF Calibration</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38597168">6.6. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38598464">6.7. APRS Interval</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38600032">6.8. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38601344">6.9. Maximum Flight Log Size</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38602784">6.10. Ignitor Firing Mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38609696">6.11. Pad Orientation</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38614912">6.12. Beeper Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38616368">6.13. Configure Pyro Channels</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38622736">7. Configure AltosUI</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38626240">7.1. Voice Settings</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38631264">7.2. Log Directory</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38633264">7.3. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38635504">7.4. Imperial Units</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38637008">7.5. Font Size</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38638288">7.6. Serial Debug</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38639792">7.7. Manage Frequencies</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38641424">8. Configure Groundstation</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38652544">8.1. Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38654112">8.2. Radio Calibration</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38655744">9. Flash Image</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38657376">10. Fire Igniter</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38663008">11. Scan Channels</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38666864">12. Load Maps</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38680752">13. Monitor Idle</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="414"><tr><td><img src="altosui.png" width="414"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1216 The AltosUI program provides a graphical user interface for
1217 interacting with the Altus Metrum product family. AltosUI can
1218 monitor telemetry data, configure devices and many other
1219 tasks. The primary interface window provides a selection of
1220 buttons, one for each major activity in the system. This chapter
1221 is split into sections, each of which documents one of the tasks
1222 provided from the top-level toolbar.
1223 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38486096"></a>1. Monitor Flight</h2></div><div><h3 class="subtitle">Receive, Record and Display Telemetry Data</h3></div></div></div><p>
1224 Selecting this item brings up a dialog box listing all of the
1225 connected TeleDongle devices. When you choose one of these,
1226 AltosUI will create a window to display telemetry data as
1227 received by the selected TeleDongle device.
1228 </p><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="279"><tr><td><img src="device-selection.png" width="279"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1229 All telemetry data received are automatically recorded in
1230 suitable log files. The name of the files includes the current
1231 date and rocket serial and flight numbers.
1233 The radio frequency being monitored by the TeleDongle device is
1234 displayed at the top of the window. You can configure the
1235 frequency by clicking on the frequency box and selecting the desired
1236 frequency. AltosUI remembers the last frequency selected for each
1237 TeleDongle and selects that automatically the next time you use
1240 Below the TeleDongle frequency selector, the window contains a few
1241 significant pieces of information about the altimeter providing
1242 the telemetry data stream:
1243 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>The configured call-sign</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>The device serial number</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>The flight number. Each altimeter remembers how many
1245 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1246 The rocket flight state. Each flight passes through several
1247 states including Pad, Boost, Fast, Coast, Drogue, Main and
1249 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1250 The Received Signal Strength Indicator value. This lets
1251 you know how strong a signal TeleDongle is receiving. The
1252 radio inside TeleDongle operates down to about -99dBm;
1253 weaker signals may not be receivable. The packet link uses
1254 error detection and correction techniques which prevent
1255 incorrect data from being reported.
1256 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1257 The age of the displayed data, in seconds since the last
1258 successfully received telemetry packet. In normal operation
1259 this will stay in the low single digits. If the number starts
1260 counting up, then you are no longer receiving data over the radio
1261 link from the flight computer.
1262 </p></li></ul></div><p>
1263 Finally, the largest portion of the window contains a set of
1264 tabs, each of which contain some information about the rocket.
1265 They're arranged in 'flight order' so that as the flight
1266 progresses, the selected tab automatically switches to display
1267 data relevant to the current state of the flight. You can select
1268 other tabs at any time. The final 'table' tab displays all of
1269 the raw telemetry values in one place in a spreadsheet-like format.
1270 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38498816"></a>1.1. Launch Pad</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="launch-pad.png" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1271 The 'Launch Pad' tab shows information used to decide when the
1272 rocket is ready for flight. The first elements include red/green
1273 indicators, if any of these is red, you'll want to evaluate
1274 whether the rocket is ready to launch:
1275 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Battery Voltage</span></dt><dd><p>
1276 This indicates whether the Li-Po battery powering the
1277 flight computer has sufficient charge to last for
1278 the duration of the flight. A value of more than
1279 3.8V is required for a 'GO' status.
1280 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Apogee Igniter Voltage</span></dt><dd><p>
1281 This indicates whether the apogee
1282 igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a low
1283 resistance, then the voltage measured here will be close
1284 to the Li-Po battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is
1285 required for a 'GO' status.
1286 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Main Igniter Voltage</span></dt><dd><p>
1287 This indicates whether the main
1288 igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a low
1289 resistance, then the voltage measured here will be close
1290 to the Li-Po battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is
1291 required for a 'GO' status.
1292 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">On-board Data Logging</span></dt><dd><p>
1293 This indicates whether there is
1294 space remaining on-board to store flight data for the
1295 upcoming flight. If you've downloaded data, but failed
1296 to erase flights, there may not be any space
1297 left. Most of our flight computers can store multiple
1298 flights, depending on the configured maximum flight log
1299 size. TeleMini v1.0 stores only a single flight, so it
1301 downloaded and erased after each flight to capture
1302 data. This only affects on-board flight logging; the
1303 altimeter will still transmit telemetry and fire
1304 ejection charges at the proper times even if the flight
1305 data storage is full.
1306 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">GPS Locked</span></dt><dd><p>
1307 For a TeleMetrum or TeleMega device, this indicates whether the GPS receiver is
1308 currently able to compute position information. GPS requires
1309 at least 4 satellites to compute an accurate position.
1310 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">GPS Ready</span></dt><dd><p>
1311 For a TeleMetrum or TeleMega device, this indicates whether GPS has reported at least
1312 10 consecutive positions without losing lock. This ensures
1313 that the GPS receiver has reliable reception from the
1315 </p></dd></dl></div><p>
1317 The Launchpad tab also shows the computed launch pad position
1318 and altitude, averaging many reported positions to improve the
1319 accuracy of the fix.
1320 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38515104"></a>1.2. Ascent</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="ascent.png" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1321 This tab is shown during Boost, Fast and Coast
1322 phases. The information displayed here helps monitor the
1323 rocket as it heads towards apogee.
1325 The height, speed, acceleration and tilt are shown along
1326 with the maximum values for each of them. This allows you to
1327 quickly answer the most commonly asked questions you'll hear
1330 The current latitude and longitude reported by the GPS are
1331 also shown. Note that under high acceleration, these values
1332 may not get updated as the GPS receiver loses position
1333 fix. Once the rocket starts coasting, the receiver should
1334 start reporting position again.
1336 Finally, the current igniter voltages are reported as in the
1337 Launch Pad tab. This can help diagnose deployment failures
1338 caused by wiring which comes loose under high acceleration.
1339 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38520560"></a>1.3. Descent</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="descent.png" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1340 Once the rocket has reached apogee and (we hope) activated the
1341 apogee charge, attention switches to tracking the rocket on
1342 the way back to the ground, and for dual-deploy flights,
1343 waiting for the main charge to fire.
1345 To monitor whether the apogee charge operated correctly, the
1346 current descent rate is reported along with the current
1347 height. Good descent rates vary based on the choice of recovery
1348 components, but generally range from 15-30m/s on drogue and should
1349 be below 10m/s when under the main parachute in a dual-deploy flight.
1351 With GPS-equipped flight computers, you can locate the rocket in the
1352 sky using the elevation and bearing information to figure
1353 out where to look. Elevation is in degrees above the
1354 horizon. Bearing is reported in degrees relative to true
1355 north. Range can help figure out how big the rocket will
1356 appear. Ground Distance shows how far it is to a point
1357 directly under the rocket and can help figure out where the
1358 rocket is likely to land. Note that all of these values are
1359 relative to the pad location. If the elevation is near 90°,
1360 the rocket is over the pad, not over you.
1362 Finally, the igniter voltages are reported in this tab as
1363 well, both to monitor the main charge as well as to see what
1364 the status of the apogee charge is. Note that some commercial
1365 e-matches are designed to retain continuity even after being
1366 fired, and will continue to show as green or return from red to
1368 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38527424"></a>1.4. Landed</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="landed.png" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1369 Once the rocket is on the ground, attention switches to
1370 recovery. While the radio signal is often lost once the
1371 rocket is on the ground, the last reported GPS position is
1372 generally within a short distance of the actual landing location.
1374 The last reported GPS position is reported both by
1375 latitude and longitude as well as a bearing and distance from
1376 the launch pad. The distance should give you a good idea of
1377 whether to walk or hitch a ride. Take the reported
1378 latitude and longitude and enter them into your hand-held GPS
1379 unit and have that compute a track to the landing location.
1381 Our flight computers will continue to transmit RDF
1382 tones after landing, allowing you to locate the rocket by
1383 following the radio signal if necessary. You may need to get
1384 away from the clutter of the flight line, or even get up on
1385 a hill (or your neighbor's RV roof) to receive the RDF signal.
1387 The maximum height, speed and acceleration reported
1388 during the flight are displayed for your admiring observers.
1389 The accuracy of these immediate values depends on the quality
1390 of your radio link and how many packets were received.
1391 Recovering the on-board data after flight may yield
1392 more precise results.
1394 To get more detailed information about the flight, you can
1395 click on the 'Graph Flight' button which will bring up a
1396 graph window for the current flight.
1397 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38533856"></a>1.5. Table</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="table.png" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1398 The table view shows all of the data available from the
1399 flight computer. Probably the most useful data on
1400 this tab is the detailed GPS information, which includes
1401 horizontal dilution of precision information, and
1402 information about the signal being received from the satellites.
1403 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38537440"></a>1.6. Site Map</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="site-map.png" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1404 When the TeleMetrum has a GPS fix, the Site Map tab will map
1405 the rocket's position to make it easier for you to locate the
1406 rocket, both while it is in the air, and when it has landed. The
1407 rocket's state is indicated by color: white for pad, red for
1408 boost, pink for fast, yellow for coast, light blue for drogue,
1409 dark blue for main, and black for landed.
1411 The map's default scale is approximately 3m (10ft) per pixel. The map
1412 can be dragged using the left mouse button. The map will attempt
1413 to keep the rocket roughly centered while data is being received.
1415 You can adjust the style of map and the zoom level with
1416 buttons on the right side of the map window. You can draw a
1417 line on the map by moving the mouse over the map with a
1418 button other than the left one pressed, or by pressing the
1419 left button while also holding down the shift key. The
1420 length of the line in real-world units will be shown at the
1423 Images are fetched automatically via the Google Maps Static API,
1424 and cached on disk for reuse. If map images cannot be downloaded,
1425 the rocket's path will be traced on a dark gray background
1428 You can pre-load images for your favorite launch sites
1429 before you leave home; check out the 'Preload Maps' section below.
1430 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38543760"></a>1.7. Ignitor</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="ignitor.png" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1431 TeleMega includes four additional programmable pyro
1432 channels. The Ignitor tab shows whether each of them has
1433 continuity. If an ignitor has a low resistance, then the
1434 voltage measured here will be close to the pyro battery
1435 voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is required for a 'GO'
1437 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38547536"></a>2. Save Flight Data</h2></div></div></div><p>
1438 The altimeter records flight data to its internal flash memory.
1439 TeleMetrum data is recorded at a much higher rate than the telemetry
1440 system can handle, and is not subject to radio drop-outs. As
1441 such, it provides a more complete and precise record of the
1442 flight. The 'Save Flight Data' button allows you to read the
1443 flash memory and write it to disk.
1445 Clicking on the 'Save Flight Data' button brings up a list of
1446 connected flight computers and TeleDongle devices. If you select a
1447 flight computer, the flight data will be downloaded from that
1448 device directly. If you select a TeleDongle device, flight data
1449 will be downloaded from a flight computer over radio link via the
1450 specified TeleDongle. See the chapter on Controlling An Altimeter
1451 Over The Radio Link for more information.
1453 After the device has been selected, a dialog showing the
1454 flight data saved in the device will be shown allowing you to
1455 select which flights to download and which to delete. With
1456 version 0.9 or newer firmware, you must erase flights in order
1457 for the space they consume to be reused by another
1458 flight. This prevents accidentally losing flight data
1459 if you neglect to download data before flying again. Note that
1460 if there is no more space available in the device, then no
1461 data will be recorded during the next flight.
1463 The file name for each flight log is computed automatically
1464 from the recorded flight date, altimeter serial number and
1465 flight number information.
1466 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38551488"></a>3. Replay Flight</h2></div></div></div><p>
1467 Select this button and you are prompted to select a flight
1468 record file, either a .telem file recording telemetry data or a
1469 .eeprom file containing flight data saved from the altimeter
1472 Once a flight record is selected, the flight monitor interface
1473 is displayed and the flight is re-enacted in real time. Check
1474 the Monitor Flight chapter above to learn how this window operates.
1475 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38553520"></a>4. Graph Data</h2></div></div></div><p>
1476 Select this button and you are prompted to select a flight
1477 record file, either a .telem file recording telemetry data or a
1478 .eeprom file containing flight data saved from
1481 Note that telemetry files will generally produce poor graphs
1482 due to the lower sampling rate and missed telemetry packets.
1483 Use saved flight data in .eeprom files for graphing where possible.
1485 Once a flight record is selected, a window with multiple tabs is
1487 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38555904"></a>4.1. Flight Graph</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="540"><tr><td><img src="graph.png" width="540"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1488 By default, the graph contains acceleration (blue),
1489 velocity (green) and altitude (red).
1491 The graph can be zoomed into a particular area by clicking and
1492 dragging down and to the right. Once zoomed, the graph can be
1493 reset by clicking and dragging up and to the left. Holding down
1494 control and clicking and dragging allows the graph to be panned.
1495 The right mouse button causes a pop-up menu to be displayed, giving
1496 you the option save or print the plot.
1497 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38560352"></a>4.2. Configure Graph</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="540"><tr><td><img src="graph-configure.png" width="540"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1498 This selects which graph elements to show, and, at the
1499 very bottom, lets you switch between metric and
1501 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38564016"></a>4.3. Flight Statistics</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="540"><tr><td><img src="graph-stats.png" width="540"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1502 Shows overall data computed from the flight.
1503 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38567536"></a>4.4. Map</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="540"><tr><td><img src="graph-map.png" width="540"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1504 Shows a satellite image of the flight area overlaid
1505 with the path of the flight. The red concentric
1506 circles mark the launch pad, the black concentric
1507 circles mark the landing location.
1508 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38571392"></a>5. Export Data</h2></div></div></div><p>
1509 This tool takes the raw data files and makes them available for
1510 external analysis. When you select this button, you are prompted to
1511 select a flight data file, which can be either a .eeprom or .telem.
1512 The .eeprom files contain higher resolution and more continuous data,
1513 while .telem files contain receiver signal strength information.
1514 Next, a second dialog appears which is used to select
1515 where to write the resulting file. It has a selector to choose
1516 between CSV and KML file formats.
1517 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38572960"></a>5.1. Comma Separated Value Format</h3></div></div></div><p>
1518 This is a text file containing the data in a form suitable for
1519 import into a spreadsheet or other external data analysis
1520 tool. The first few lines of the file contain the version and
1521 configuration information from the altimeter, then
1522 there is a single header line which labels all of the
1523 fields. All of these lines start with a '#' character which
1524 many tools can be configured to skip over.
1526 The remaining lines of the file contain the data, with each
1527 field separated by a comma and at least one space. All of
1528 the sensor values are converted to standard units, with the
1529 barometric data reported in both pressure, altitude and
1530 height above pad units.
1531 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38575312"></a>5.2. Keyhole Markup Language (for Google Earth)</h3></div></div></div><p>
1532 This is the format used by Google Earth to provide an overlay
1533 within that application. With this, you can use Google Earth to
1534 see the whole flight path in 3D.
1535 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38576800"></a>6. Configure Altimeter</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="324"><tr><td><img src="configure-altimeter.png" width="324"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1536 Select this button and then select either an altimeter or
1537 TeleDongle Device from the list provided. Selecting a TeleDongle
1538 device will use the radio link to configure a remote altimeter.
1540 The first few lines of the dialog provide information about the
1541 connected device, including the product name,
1542 software version and hardware serial number. Below that are the
1543 individual configuration entries.
1545 At the bottom of the dialog, there are four buttons:
1546 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Save</span></dt><dd><p>
1547 This writes any changes to the
1548 configuration parameter block in flash memory. If you don't
1549 press this button, any changes you make will be lost.
1550 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Reset</span></dt><dd><p>
1551 This resets the dialog to the most recently saved values,
1552 erasing any changes you have made.
1553 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Reboot</span></dt><dd><p>
1554 This reboots the device. Use this to
1555 switch from idle to pad mode by rebooting once the rocket is
1556 oriented for flight, or to confirm changes you think you saved
1558 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Close</span></dt><dd><p>
1559 This closes the dialog. Any unsaved changes will be
1561 </p></dd></dl></div><p>
1562 The rest of the dialog contains the parameters to be configured.
1563 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38589104"></a>6.1. Main Deploy Altitude</h3></div></div></div><p>
1564 This sets the altitude (above the recorded pad altitude) at
1565 which the 'main' igniter will fire. The drop-down menu shows
1566 some common values, but you can edit the text directly and
1567 choose whatever you like. If the apogee charge fires below
1568 this altitude, then the main charge will fire two seconds
1569 after the apogee charge fires.
1570 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38590672"></a>6.2. Apogee Delay</h3></div></div></div><p>
1571 When flying redundant electronics, it's often important to
1572 ensure that multiple apogee charges don't fire at precisely
1573 the same time, as that can over pressurize the apogee deployment
1574 bay and cause a structural failure of the air-frame. The Apogee
1575 Delay parameter tells the flight computer to fire the apogee
1576 charge a certain number of seconds after apogee has been
1578 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38592288"></a>6.3. Apogee Lockoug</h3></div></div></div><p>
1579 Apogee lockout is the number of seconds after boost where
1580 the flight computer will not fire the apogee charge, even if
1581 the rocket appears to be at apogee. This is often called
1582 'Mach Delay', as it is intended to prevent a flight computer
1583 from unintentionally firing apogee charges due to the pressure
1584 spike that occurrs across a mach transition. Altus Metrum
1585 flight computers include a Kalman filter which is not fooled
1586 by this sharp pressure increase, and so this setting should
1587 be left at the default value of zero to disable it.
1588 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38594016"></a>6.4. Frequency</h3></div></div></div><p>
1589 This configures which of the frequencies to use for both
1590 telemetry and packet command mode. Note that if you set this
1591 value via packet command mode, the TeleDongle frequency will
1592 also be automatically reconfigured to match so that
1593 communication will continue afterwards.
1594 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38595520"></a>6.5. RF Calibration</h3></div></div></div><p>
1595 The radios in every Altus Metrum device are calibrated at the
1596 factory to ensure that they transmit and receive on the
1597 specified frequency. If you need to you can adjust the calibration
1598 by changing this value. Do not do this without understanding what
1599 the value means, read the appendix on calibration and/or the source
1600 code for more information. To change a TeleDongle's calibration,
1601 you must reprogram the unit completely.
1602 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38597168"></a>6.6. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable</h3></div></div></div><p>
1603 Enables the radio for transmission during flight. When
1604 disabled, the radio will not transmit anything during flight
1606 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38598464"></a>6.7. APRS Interval</h3></div></div></div><p>
1607 How often to transmit GPS information via APRS (in
1608 seconds). When set to zero, APRS transmission is
1609 disabled. This option is available on TeleMetrum v2 and
1610 TeleMega boards. TeleMetrum v1 boards cannot transmit APRS
1611 packets. Note that a single APRS packet takes nearly a full
1612 second to transmit, so enabling this option will prevent
1613 sending any other telemetry during that time.
1614 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38600032"></a>6.8. Callsign</h3></div></div></div><p>
1615 This sets the call sign included in each telemetry packet. Set this
1616 as needed to conform to your local radio regulations.
1617 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38601344"></a>6.9. Maximum Flight Log Size</h3></div></div></div><p>
1618 This sets the space (in kilobytes) allocated for each flight
1619 log. The available space will be divided into chunks of this
1620 size. A smaller value will allow more flights to be stored,
1621 a larger value will record data from longer flights.
1622 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38602784"></a>6.10. Ignitor Firing Mode</h3></div></div></div><p>
1623 This configuration parameter allows the two standard ignitor
1624 channels (Apogee and Main) to be used in different
1626 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Dual Deploy</span></dt><dd><p>
1627 This is the usual mode of operation; the
1628 'apogee' channel is fired at apogee and the 'main'
1629 channel at the height above ground specified by the
1630 'Main Deploy Altitude' during descent.
1631 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Redundant Apogee</span></dt><dd><p>
1632 This fires both channels at
1633 apogee, the 'apogee' channel first followed after a two second
1634 delay by the 'main' channel.
1635 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Redundant Main</span></dt><dd><p>
1636 This fires both channels at the
1637 height above ground specified by the Main Deploy
1638 Altitude setting during descent. The 'apogee'
1639 channel is fired first, followed after a two second
1640 delay by the 'main' channel.
1641 </p></dd></dl></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38609696"></a>6.11. Pad Orientation</h3></div></div></div><p>
1642 Because they include accelerometers, TeleMetrum and
1643 TeleMega are sensitive to the orientation of the board. By
1644 default, they expect the antenna end to point forward. This
1645 parameter allows that default to be changed, permitting the
1646 board to be mounted with the antenna pointing aft instead.
1647 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Antenna Up</span></dt><dd><p>
1648 In this mode, the antenna end of the
1649 flight computer must point forward, in line with the
1650 expected flight path.
1651 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Antenna Down</span></dt><dd><p>
1652 In this mode, the antenna end of the
1653 flight computer must point aft, in line with the
1654 expected flight path.
1655 </p></dd></dl></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38614912"></a>6.12. Beeper Frequency</h3></div></div></div><p>
1656 The beeper on all Altus Metrum flight computers works best
1657 at 4000Hz, however if you have more than one flight computer
1658 in a single airframe, having all of them sound at the same
1659 frequency can be confusing. This parameter lets you adjust
1660 the base beeper frequency value.
1661 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38616368"></a>6.13. Configure Pyro Channels</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="540"><tr><td><img src="configure-pyro.png" width="540"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1662 This opens a separate window to configure the additional
1663 pyro channels available on TeleMega. One column is
1664 presented for each channel. Each row represents a single
1665 parameter, if enabled the parameter must meet the specified
1666 test for the pyro channel to be fired. See the Pyro Channels
1667 section in the System Operation chapter above for a
1668 description of these parameters.
1670 Select conditions and set the related value; the pyro
1671 channel will be activated when <span class="emphasis"><em>all</em></span> of the
1672 conditions are met. Each pyro channel has a separate set of
1673 configuration values, so you can use different values for
1674 the same condition with different channels.
1676 At the bottom of the window, the 'Pyro Firing Time'
1677 configuration sets the length of time (in seconds) which
1678 each of these pyro channels will fire for.
1680 Once you have selected the appropriate configuration for all
1681 of the necessary pyro channels, you can save the pyro
1682 configuration along with the rest of the flight computer
1683 configuration by pressing the 'Save' button in the main
1684 Configure Flight Computer window.
1685 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38622736"></a>7. Configure AltosUI</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="216"><tr><td><img src="configure-altosui.png" width="216"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1686 This button presents a dialog so that you can configure the AltosUI global settings.
1687 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38626240"></a>7.1. Voice Settings</h3></div></div></div><p>
1688 AltosUI provides voice announcements during flight so that you
1689 can keep your eyes on the sky and still get information about
1690 the current flight status. However, sometimes you don't want
1692 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Enable</span></dt><dd><p>Turns all voice announcements on and off</p></dd><dt><span class="term">Test Voice</span></dt><dd><p>
1693 Plays a short message allowing you to verify
1694 that the audio system is working and the volume settings
1696 </p></dd></dl></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38631264"></a>7.2. Log Directory</h3></div></div></div><p>
1697 AltosUI logs all telemetry data and saves all TeleMetrum flash
1698 data to this directory. This directory is also used as the
1699 staring point when selecting data files for display or export.
1701 Click on the directory name to bring up a directory choosing
1702 dialog, select a new directory and click 'Select Directory' to
1703 change where AltosUI reads and writes data files.
1704 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38633264"></a>7.3. Callsign</h3></div></div></div><p>
1705 This value is transmitted in each command packet sent from
1706 TeleDongle and received from an altimeter. It is not used in
1707 telemetry mode, as the callsign configured in the altimeter board
1708 is included in all telemetry packets. Configure this
1709 with the AltosUI operators call sign as needed to comply with
1710 your local radio regulations.
1712 Note that to successfully command a flight computer over the radio
1713 (to configure the altimeter, monitor idle, or fire pyro charges),
1714 the callsign configured here must exactly match the callsign
1715 configured in the flight computer. This matching is case
1717 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38635504"></a>7.4. Imperial Units</h3></div></div></div><p>
1718 This switches between metric units (meters) and imperial
1719 units (feet and miles). This affects the display of values
1720 use during flight monitoring, configuration, data graphing
1721 and all of the voice announcements. It does not change the
1722 units used when exporting to CSV files, those are always
1723 produced in metric units.
1724 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38637008"></a>7.5. Font Size</h3></div></div></div><p>
1725 Selects the set of fonts used in the flight monitor
1726 window. Choose between the small, medium and large sets.
1727 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38638288"></a>7.6. Serial Debug</h3></div></div></div><p>
1728 This causes all communication with a connected device to be
1729 dumped to the console from which AltosUI was started. If
1730 you've started it from an icon or menu entry, the output
1731 will simply be discarded. This mode can be useful to debug
1732 various serial communication issues.
1733 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38639792"></a>7.7. Manage Frequencies</h3></div></div></div><p>
1734 This brings up a dialog where you can configure the set of
1735 frequencies shown in the various frequency menus. You can
1736 add as many as you like, or even reconfigure the default
1737 set. Changing this list does not affect the frequency
1738 settings of any devices, it only changes the set of
1739 frequencies shown in the menus.
1740 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38641424"></a>8. Configure Groundstation</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="279"><tr><td><img src="configure-groundstation.png" width="279"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1741 Select this button and then select a TeleDongle Device from the list provided.
1743 The first few lines of the dialog provide information about the
1744 connected device, including the product name,
1745 software version and hardware serial number. Below that are the
1746 individual configuration entries.
1748 Note that the TeleDongle itself doesn't save any configuration
1749 data, the settings here are recorded on the local machine in
1750 the Java preferences database. Moving the TeleDongle to
1751 another machine, or using a different user account on the same
1752 machine will cause settings made here to have no effect.
1754 At the bottom of the dialog, there are three buttons:
1755 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Save</span></dt><dd><p>
1756 This writes any changes to the
1757 local Java preferences file. If you don't
1758 press this button, any changes you make will be lost.
1759 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Reset</span></dt><dd><p>
1760 This resets the dialog to the most recently saved values,
1761 erasing any changes you have made.
1762 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Close</span></dt><dd><p>
1763 This closes the dialog. Any unsaved changes will be
1765 </p></dd></dl></div><p>
1766 The rest of the dialog contains the parameters to be configured.
1767 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38652544"></a>8.1. Frequency</h3></div></div></div><p>
1768 This configures the frequency to use for both telemetry and
1769 packet command mode. Set this before starting any operation
1770 involving packet command mode so that it will use the right
1771 frequency. Telemetry monitoring mode also provides a menu to
1772 change the frequency, and that menu also sets the same Java
1773 preference value used here.
1774 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38654112"></a>8.2. Radio Calibration</h3></div></div></div><p>
1775 The radios in every Altus Metrum device are calibrated at the
1776 factory to ensure that they transmit and receive on the
1777 specified frequency. To change a TeleDongle's calibration,
1778 you must reprogram the unit completely, so this entry simply
1779 shows the current value and doesn't allow any changes.
1780 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38655744"></a>9. Flash Image</h2></div></div></div><p>
1781 This reprograms Altus Metrum devices with new
1782 firmware. TeleMetrum v1.x, TeleDongle, TeleMini and TeleBT are
1783 all reprogrammed by using another similar unit as a
1784 programming dongle (pair programming). TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2
1785 and EasyMini are all programmed directly over their USB ports
1786 (self programming). Please read the directions for flashing
1787 devices in the Updating Device Firmware chapter below.
1788 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38657376"></a>10. Fire Igniter</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="108"><tr><td><img src="fire-igniter.png" width="108"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1789 This activates the igniter circuits in the flight computer to help
1790 test recovery systems deployment. Because this command can operate
1791 over the Packet Command Link, you can prepare the rocket as
1792 for flight and then test the recovery system without needing
1793 to snake wires inside the air-frame.
1795 Selecting the 'Fire Igniter' button brings up the usual device
1796 selection dialog. Pick the desired device. This brings up another
1797 window which shows the current continuity test status for all
1798 of the pyro channels.
1800 Next, select the desired igniter to fire. This will enable the
1803 Select the 'Arm' button. This enables the 'Fire' button. The
1804 word 'Arm' is replaced by a countdown timer indicating that
1805 you have 10 seconds to press the 'Fire' button or the system
1806 will deactivate, at which point you start over again at
1807 selecting the desired igniter.
1808 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38663008"></a>11. Scan Channels</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="288"><tr><td><img src="scan-channels.png" width="288"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1809 This listens for telemetry packets on all of the configured
1810 frequencies, displaying information about each device it
1811 receives a packet from. You can select which of the three
1812 telemetry formats should be tried; by default, it only listens
1813 for the standard telemetry packets used in v1.0 and later
1815 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38666864"></a>12. Load Maps</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="468"><tr><td><img src="load-maps.png" width="468"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1816 Before heading out to a new launch site, you can use this to
1817 load satellite images in case you don't have internet
1818 connectivity at the site. This loads a fairly large area
1819 around the launch site, which should cover any flight you're likely to make.
1821 There's a drop-down menu of launch sites we know about; if
1822 your favorites aren't there, please let us know the lat/lon
1823 and name of the site. The contents of this list are actually
1824 downloaded from our server at run-time, so as new sites are sent
1825 in, they'll get automatically added to this list.
1826 If the launch site isn't in the list, you can manually enter the lat/lon values
1828 There are four different kinds of maps you can view; you can
1829 select which to download by selecting as many as you like from
1830 the available types:
1831 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Hybrid</span></dt><dd><p>
1832 A combination of satellite imagery and road data. This
1833 is the default view.
1834 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Satellite</span></dt><dd><p>
1835 Just the satellite imagery without any annotation.
1836 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Roadmap</span></dt><dd><p>
1837 Roads, political boundaries and a few geographic features.
1838 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Terrain</span></dt><dd><p>
1839 Contour intervals and shading that show hills and
1841 </p></dd></dl></div><p>
1843 You can specify the range of zoom levels to download; smaller
1844 numbers show more area with less resolution. The default
1845 level, 0, shows about 3m/pixel. One zoom level change
1846 doubles or halves that number.
1848 The Tile Radius value sets how large an area around the center
1849 point to download. Each tile is 512x512 pixels, and the
1850 'radius' value specifies how many tiles away from the center
1851 will be downloaded. Specify a radius of 0 and you get only the
1852 center tile. A radius of 1 loads a 3x3 grid, centered on the
1855 Clicking the 'Load Map' button will fetch images from Google
1856 Maps; note that Google limits how many images you can fetch at
1857 once, so if you load more than one launch site, you may get
1858 some gray areas in the map which indicate that Google is tired
1859 of sending data to you. Try again later.
1860 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38680752"></a>13. Monitor Idle</h2></div></div></div><p>
1861 This brings up a dialog similar to the Monitor Flight UI,
1862 except it works with the altimeter in “idle” mode by sending
1863 query commands to discover the current state rather than
1864 listening for telemetry packets. Because this uses command
1865 mode, it needs to have the TeleDongle and flight computer
1866 callsigns match exactly. If you can receive telemetry, but
1867 cannot manage to run Monitor Idle, then it's very likely that
1868 your callsigns are different in some way.
1869 </p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp38682848"></a>Chapter 7. AltosDroid</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38685232">1. Installing AltosDroid</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38687168">2. Connecting to TeleBT</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38689168">3. Configuring AltosDroid</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38690624">4. AltosDroid Flight Monitoring</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38691936">4.1. Pad</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38705488">5. Downloading Flight Logs</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
1870 AltosDroid provides the same flight monitoring capabilities as
1871 AltosUI, but runs on Android devices and is designed to connect
1872 to a TeleBT receiver over Bluetooth™. AltosDroid monitors
1873 telemetry data, logging it to internal storage in the Android
1874 device, and presents that data in a UI the same way the 'Monitor
1875 Flight' window does in AltosUI.
1877 This manual will explain how to configure AltosDroid, connect
1878 to TeleBT, operate the flight monitoring interface and describe
1879 what the displayed data means.
1880 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38685232"></a>1. Installing AltosDroid</h2></div></div></div><p>
1881 AltosDroid is available from the Google Play store. To install
1882 it on your Android device, open the Google Play Store
1883 application and search for “altosdroid”. Make sure you don't
1884 have a space between “altos” and “droid” or you probably won't
1885 find what you want. That should bring you to the right page
1886 from which you can download and install the application.
1887 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38687168"></a>2. Connecting to TeleBT</h2></div></div></div><p>
1888 Press the Android 'Menu' button or soft-key to see the
1889 configuration options available. Select the 'Connect a device'
1890 option and then the 'Scan for devices' entry at the bottom to
1891 look for your TeleBT device. Select your device, and when it
1892 asks for the code, enter '1234'.
1894 Subsequent connections will not require you to enter that
1895 code, and your 'paired' device will appear in the list without
1897 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38689168"></a>3. Configuring AltosDroid</h2></div></div></div><p>
1898 The only configuration option available for AltosDroid is
1899 which frequency to listen on. Press the Android 'Menu' button
1900 or soft-key and pick the 'Select radio frequency' entry. That
1901 brings up a menu of pre-set radio frequencies; pick the one
1902 which matches your altimeter.
1903 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38690624"></a>4. AltosDroid Flight Monitoring</h2></div></div></div><p>
1904 AltosDroid is designed to mimic the AltosUI flight monitoring
1905 display, providing separate tabs for each stage of your rocket
1906 flight along with a tab containing a map of the local area
1907 with icons marking the current location of the altimeter and
1909 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38691936"></a>4.1. Pad</h3></div></div></div><p>
1910 The 'Launch Pad' tab shows information used to decide when the
1911 rocket is ready for flight. The first elements include red/green
1912 indicators, if any of these is red, you'll want to evaluate
1913 whether the rocket is ready to launch:
1914 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Battery Voltage</span></dt><dd><p>
1915 This indicates whether the Li-Po battery
1916 powering the TeleMetrum has sufficient charge to last for
1917 the duration of the flight. A value of more than
1918 3.8V is required for a 'GO' status.
1919 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Apogee Igniter Voltage</span></dt><dd><p>
1920 This indicates whether the apogee
1921 igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a low
1922 resistance, then the voltage measured here will be close
1923 to the Li-Po battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is
1924 required for a 'GO' status.
1925 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Main Igniter Voltage</span></dt><dd><p>
1926 This indicates whether the main
1927 igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a low
1928 resistance, then the voltage measured here will be close
1929 to the Li-Po battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is
1930 required for a 'GO' status.
1931 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">On-board Data Logging</span></dt><dd><p>
1932 This indicates whether there is
1933 space remaining on-board to store flight data for the
1934 upcoming flight. If you've downloaded data, but failed
1935 to erase flights, there may not be any space
1936 left. TeleMetrum can store multiple flights, depending
1937 on the configured maximum flight log size. TeleMini
1938 stores only a single flight, so it will need to be
1939 downloaded and erased after each flight to capture
1940 data. This only affects on-board flight logging; the
1941 altimeter will still transmit telemetry and fire
1942 ejection charges at the proper times.
1943 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">GPS Locked</span></dt><dd><p>
1944 For a TeleMetrum or TeleMega device, this indicates whether the GPS receiver is
1945 currently able to compute position information. GPS requires
1946 at least 4 satellites to compute an accurate position.
1947 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">GPS Ready</span></dt><dd><p>
1948 For a TeleMetrum or TeleMega device, this indicates whether GPS has reported at least
1949 10 consecutive positions without losing lock. This ensures
1950 that the GPS receiver has reliable reception from the
1952 </p></dd></dl></div><p>
1954 The Launchpad tab also shows the computed launch pad position
1955 and altitude, averaging many reported positions to improve the
1956 accuracy of the fix.
1957 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38705488"></a>5. Downloading Flight Logs</h2></div></div></div><p>
1958 AltosDroid always saves every bit of telemetry data it
1959 receives. To download that to a computer for use with AltosUI,
1960 simply remove the SD card from your Android device, or connect
1961 your device to your computer's USB port and browse the files
1962 on that device. You will find '.telem' files in the TeleMetrum
1963 directory that will work with AltosUI directly.
1964 </p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp38707152"></a>Chapter 8. Using Altus Metrum Products</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38707792">1. Being Legal</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38709696">2. In the Rocket</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38712160">3. On the Ground</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38725552">4. Data Analysis</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38728096">5. Future Plans</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38707792"></a>1. Being Legal</h2></div></div></div><p>
1965 First off, in the US, you need an <a class="ulink" href="http://www.altusmetrum.org/Radio/" target="_top">amateur radio license</a> or
1966 other authorization to legally operate the radio transmitters that are part
1968 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38709696"></a>2. In the Rocket</h2></div></div></div><p>
1969 In the rocket itself, you just need a flight computer and
1970 a single-cell, 3.7 volt nominal Li-Po rechargeable battery. An
1971 850mAh battery weighs less than a 9V alkaline battery, and will
1972 run a TeleMetrum or TeleMega for hours.
1973 A 110mAh battery weighs less than a triple A battery and is a good
1974 choice for use with TeleMini.
1976 By default, we ship flight computers with a simple wire antenna.
1977 If your electronics bay or the air-frame it resides within is made
1978 of carbon fiber, which is opaque to RF signals, you may prefer to
1979 install an SMA connector so that you can run a coaxial cable to an
1980 antenna mounted elsewhere in the rocket. However, note that the
1981 GPS antenna is fixed on all current products, so you really want
1982 to install the flight computer in a bay made of RF-transparent
1983 materials if at all possible.
1984 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38712160"></a>3. On the Ground</h2></div></div></div><p>
1985 To receive the data stream from the rocket, you need an antenna and short
1986 feed-line connected to one of our <a class="ulink" href="http://www.altusmetrum.org/TeleDongle/" target="_top">TeleDongle</a> units. If possible, use an SMA to BNC
1987 adapter instead of feedline between the antenna feedpoint and
1988 TeleDongle, as this will give you the best performance. The
1989 TeleDongle in turn plugs directly into the USB port on a notebook
1990 computer. Because TeleDongle looks like a simple serial port, your computer
1991 does not require special device drivers... just plug it in.
1993 The GUI tool, AltosUI, is written in Java and runs across
1994 Linux, Mac OS and Windows. There's also a suite of C tools
1995 for Linux which can perform most of the same tasks.
1997 Alternatively, a TeleBT attached with an SMA to BNC adapter at the
1998 feed point of a hand-held yagi used in conjunction with an Android
1999 device running AltosDroid makes an outstanding ground station.
2001 After the flight, you can use the radio link to extract the more detailed data
2002 logged in either TeleMetrum or TeleMini devices, or you can use a mini USB cable to plug into the
2003 TeleMetrum board directly. Pulling out the data without having to open up
2004 the rocket is pretty cool! A USB cable is also how you charge the Li-Po
2005 battery, so you'll want one of those anyway... the same cable used by lots
2006 of digital cameras and other modern electronic stuff will work fine.
2008 If your rocket lands out of sight, you may enjoy having a hand-held
2009 GPS receiver, so that you can put in a way-point for the last
2010 reported rocket position before touch-down. This makes looking for
2011 your rocket a lot like Geo-Caching... just go to the way-point and
2012 look around starting from there. AltosDroid on an Android device
2013 with GPS receiver works great for this, too!
2015 You may also enjoy having a ham radio “HT” that covers the 70cm band... you
2016 can use that with your antenna to direction-find the rocket on the ground
2017 the same way you can use a Walston or Beeline tracker. This can be handy
2018 if the rocket is hiding in sage brush or a tree, or if the last GPS position
2019 doesn't get you close enough because the rocket dropped into a canyon, or
2020 the wind is blowing it across a dry lake bed, or something like that... Keith
2021 currently uses a Yaesu VX-7R, Bdale has a Baofung UV-5R
2022 which isn't as nice, but was a whole lot cheaper.
2024 So, to recap, on the ground the hardware you'll need includes:
2025 </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>
2026 an antenna and feed-line or adapter
2027 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2029 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2031 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2032 optionally, a hand-held GPS receiver
2033 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2034 optionally, an HT or receiver covering 435 MHz
2035 </p></li></ol></div><p>
2037 The best hand-held commercial directional antennas we've found for radio
2038 direction finding rockets are from
2039 <a class="ulink" href="http://www.arrowantennas.com/" target="_top">
2042 The 440-3 and 440-5 are both good choices for finding a
2043 TeleMetrum- or TeleMini- equipped rocket when used with a suitable
2044 70cm HT. TeleDongle and an SMA to BNC adapter fit perfectly
2045 between the driven element and reflector of Arrow antennas.
2046 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38725552"></a>4. Data Analysis</h2></div></div></div><p>
2047 Our software makes it easy to log the data from each flight, both the
2048 telemetry received during the flight itself, and the more
2049 complete data log recorded in the flash memory on the altimeter
2050 board. Once this data is on your computer, our post-flight tools make it
2051 easy to quickly get to the numbers everyone wants, like apogee altitude,
2052 max acceleration, and max velocity. You can also generate and view a
2053 standard set of plots showing the altitude, acceleration, and
2054 velocity of the rocket during flight. And you can even export a TeleMetrum data file
2055 usable with Google Maps and Google Earth for visualizing the flight path
2056 in two or three dimensions!
2058 Our ultimate goal is to emit a set of files for each flight that can be
2059 published as a web page per flight, or just viewed on your local disk with
2061 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38728096"></a>5. Future Plans</h2></div></div></div><p>
2062 We've designed a simple GPS based radio tracker called TeleGPS.
2063 If all goes well, we hope to introduce this in the first
2066 We have designed and prototyped several “companion boards” that
2067 can attach to the companion connector on TeleMetrum and TeleMega
2068 flight computers to collect more data, provide more pyro channels,
2069 and so forth. We do not yet know if or when any of these boards
2070 will be produced in enough quantity to sell. If you have specific
2071 interests for data collection or control of events in your rockets
2072 beyond the capabilities of our existing productions, please let
2075 Because all of our work is open, both the hardware designs and the
2076 software, if you have some great idea for an addition to the current
2077 Altus Metrum family, feel free to dive in and help! Or let us know
2078 what you'd like to see that we aren't already working on, and maybe
2079 we'll get excited about it too...
2082 <a class="ulink" href="http://altusmetrum.org/" target="_top">web site</a> for more news
2083 and information as our family of products evolves!
2084 </p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp38732480"></a>Chapter 9. Altimeter Installation Recommendations</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38733936">1. Mounting the Altimeter</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38738768">2. Dealing with the Antenna</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38744336">3. Preserving GPS Reception</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38749120">4. Radio Frequency Interference</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38756688">5. The Barometric Sensor</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38759488">6. Ground Testing</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
2085 Building high-power rockets that fly safely is hard enough. Mix
2086 in some sophisticated electronics and a bunch of radio energy
2087 and some creativity and/or compromise may be required. This chapter
2088 contains some suggestions about how to install Altus Metrum
2089 products into a rocket air-frame, including how to safely and
2090 reliably mix a variety of electronics into the same air-frame.
2091 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38733936"></a>1. Mounting the Altimeter</h2></div></div></div><p>
2092 The first consideration is to ensure that the altimeter is
2093 securely fastened to the air-frame. For most of our products, we
2094 prefer nylon standoffs and nylon screws; they're good to at least 50G
2095 and cannot cause any electrical issues on the board. Metal screws
2096 and standoffs are fine, too, just be careful to avoid electrical
2097 shorts! For TeleMini v1.0, we usually cut small pieces of 1/16 inch
2099 under the screw holes, and then take 2x56 nylon screws and
2100 screw them through the TeleMini mounting holes, through the
2101 balsa and into the underlying material.
2102 </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>
2103 Make sure accelerometer-equipped products like TeleMetrum and
2104 TeleMega are aligned precisely along the axis of
2105 acceleration so that the accelerometer can accurately
2106 capture data during the flight.
2107 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2108 Watch for any metal touching components on the
2109 board. Shorting out connections on the bottom of the board
2110 can cause the altimeter to fail during flight.
2111 </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38738768"></a>2. Dealing with the Antenna</h2></div></div></div><p>
2112 The antenna supplied is just a piece of solid, insulated,
2113 wire. If it gets damaged or broken, it can be easily
2114 replaced. It should be kept straight and not cut; bending or
2115 cutting it will change the resonant frequency and/or
2116 impedance, making it a less efficient radiator and thus
2117 reducing the range of the telemetry signal.
2119 Keeping metal away from the antenna will provide better range
2120 and a more even radiation pattern. In most rockets, it's not
2121 entirely possible to isolate the antenna from metal
2122 components; there are often bolts, all-thread and wires from other
2123 electronics to contend with. Just be aware that the more stuff
2124 like this around the antenna, the lower the range.
2126 Make sure the antenna is not inside a tube made or covered
2127 with conducting material. Carbon fiber is the most common
2128 culprit here -- CF is a good conductor and will effectively
2129 shield the antenna, dramatically reducing signal strength and
2130 range. Metallic flake paint is another effective shielding
2131 material which should be avoided around any antennas.
2133 If the ebay is large enough, it can be convenient to simply
2134 mount the altimeter at one end and stretch the antenna out
2135 inside. Taping the antenna to the sled can keep it straight
2136 under acceleration. If there are metal rods, keep the
2137 antenna as far away as possible.
2139 For a shorter ebay, it's quite practical to have the antenna
2140 run through a bulkhead and into an adjacent bay. Drill a small
2141 hole in the bulkhead, pass the antenna wire through it and
2142 then seal it up with glue or clay. We've also used acrylic
2143 tubing to create a cavity for the antenna wire. This works a
2144 bit better in that the antenna is known to stay straight and
2145 not get folded by recovery components in the bay. Angle the
2146 tubing towards the side wall of the rocket and it ends up
2147 consuming very little space.
2149 If you need to place the UHF antenna at a distance from the
2150 altimeter, you can replace the antenna with an edge-mounted
2151 SMA connector, and then run 50Ω coax from the board to the
2152 antenna. Building a remote antenna is beyond the scope of this
2154 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38744336"></a>3. Preserving GPS Reception</h2></div></div></div><p>
2155 The GPS antenna and receiver used in TeleMetrum and TeleMega is
2156 highly sensitive and normally have no trouble tracking enough
2157 satellites to provide accurate position information for
2158 recovering the rocket. However, there are many ways the GPS signal
2159 can end up attenuated, negatively affecting GPS performance.
2160 </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>
2161 Conductive tubing or coatings. Carbon fiber and metal
2162 tubing, or metallic paint will all dramatically attenuate the
2163 GPS signal. We've never heard of anyone successfully
2164 receiving GPS from inside these materials.
2165 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2166 Metal components near the GPS patch antenna. These will
2167 de-tune the patch antenna, changing the resonant frequency
2168 away from the L1 carrier and reduce the effectiveness of the
2169 antenna. You can place as much stuff as you like beneath the
2170 antenna as that's covered with a ground plane. But, keep
2171 wires and metal out from above the patch antenna.
2172 </p></li></ol></div><p>
2173 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38749120"></a>4. Radio Frequency Interference</h2></div></div></div><p>
2174 Any altimeter will generate RFI; the digital circuits use
2175 high-frequency clocks that spray radio interference across a
2176 wide band. Altus Metrum altimeters generate intentional radio
2177 signals as well, increasing the amount of RF energy around the board.
2179 Rocketry altimeters also use precise sensors measuring air
2180 pressure and acceleration. Tiny changes in voltage can cause
2181 these sensor readings to vary by a huge amount. When the
2182 sensors start mis-reporting data, the altimeter can either
2183 fire the igniters at the wrong time, or not fire them at all.
2185 Voltages are induced when radio frequency energy is
2186 transmitted from one circuit to another. Here are things that
2187 influence the induced voltage and current:
2188 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2189 Keep wires from different circuits apart. Moving circuits
2190 further apart will reduce RFI.
2191 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2192 Avoid parallel wires from different circuits. The longer two
2193 wires run parallel to one another, the larger the amount of
2194 transferred energy. Cross wires at right angles to reduce
2196 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2197 Twist wires from the same circuits. Two wires the same
2198 distance from the transmitter will get the same amount of
2199 induced energy which will then cancel out. Any time you have
2200 a wire pair running together, twist the pair together to
2201 even out distances and reduce RFI. For altimeters, this
2202 includes battery leads, switch hookups and igniter
2204 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2205 Avoid resonant lengths. Know what frequencies are present
2206 in the environment and avoid having wire lengths near a
2207 natural resonant length. Altus Metrum products transmit on the
2208 70cm amateur band, so you should avoid lengths that are a
2209 simple ratio of that length; essentially any multiple of ¼
2210 of the wavelength (17.5cm).
2211 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38756688"></a>5. The Barometric Sensor</h2></div></div></div><p>
2212 Altusmetrum altimeters measure altitude with a barometric
2213 sensor, essentially measuring the amount of air above the
2214 rocket to figure out how high it is. A large number of
2215 measurements are taken as the altimeter initializes itself to
2216 figure out the pad altitude. Subsequent measurements are then
2217 used to compute the height above the pad.
2219 To accurately measure atmospheric pressure, the ebay
2220 containing the altimeter must be vented outside the
2221 air-frame. The vent must be placed in a region of linear
2222 airflow, have smooth edges, and away from areas of increasing or
2223 decreasing pressure.
2225 All barometric sensors are quite sensitive to chemical damage from
2226 the products of APCP or BP combustion, so make sure the ebay is
2227 carefully sealed from any compartment which contains ejection
2229 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38759488"></a>6. Ground Testing</h2></div></div></div><p>
2230 The most important aspect of any installation is careful
2231 ground testing. Bringing an air-frame up to the LCO table which
2232 hasn't been ground tested can lead to delays or ejection
2233 charges firing on the pad, or, even worse, a recovery system
2236 Do a 'full systems' test that includes wiring up all igniters
2237 without any BP and turning on all of the electronics in flight
2238 mode. This will catch any mistakes in wiring and any residual
2239 RFI issues that might accidentally fire igniters at the wrong
2240 time. Let the air-frame sit for several minutes, checking for
2241 adequate telemetry signal strength and GPS lock. If any igniters
2242 fire unexpectedly, find and resolve the issue before loading any
2245 Ground test the ejection charges. Prepare the rocket for
2246 flight, loading ejection charges and igniters. Completely
2247 assemble the air-frame and then use the 'Fire Igniters'
2248 interface through a TeleDongle to command each charge to
2249 fire. Make sure the charge is sufficient to robustly separate
2250 the air-frame and deploy the recovery system.
2251 </p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp38762656"></a>Chapter 10. Updating Device Firmware</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38766672">1.
2252 Updating TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2 or EasyMini Firmware
2253 </a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38775728">1.1. Recovering From Self-Flashing Failure</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38784704">2. Pair Programming</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38786144">3. Updating TeleMetrum v1.x Firmware</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38799344">4. Updating TeleMini Firmware</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38812896">5. Updating TeleDongle Firmware</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
2254 TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2 and EasyMini are all programmed directly
2255 over their USB connectors (self programming). TeleMetrum v1, TeleMini and
2256 TeleDongle are all programmed by using another device as a
2257 programmer (pair programming). It's important to recognize which
2258 kind of devices you have before trying to reprogram them.
2260 You may wish to begin by ensuring you have current firmware images.
2261 These are distributed as part of the AltOS software bundle that
2262 also includes the AltosUI ground station program. Newer ground
2263 station versions typically work fine with older firmware versions,
2264 so you don't need to update your devices just to try out new
2265 software features. You can always download the most recent
2266 version from <a class="ulink" href="http://www.altusmetrum.org/AltOS/" target="_top">http://www.altusmetrum.org/AltOS/</a>.
2268 If you need to update the firmware on a TeleDongle, we recommend
2269 updating the altimeter first, before updating TeleDongle. However,
2270 note that TeleDongle rarely need to be updated. Any firmware version
2271 1.0.1 or later will work, version 1.2.1 may have improved receiver
2272 performance slightly.
2274 Self-programmable devices (TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2 and EasyMini)
2275 are reprogrammed by connecting them to your computer over USB
2276 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38766672"></a>1.
2277 Updating TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2 or EasyMini Firmware
2278 </h2></div></div></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>
2279 Attach a battery and power switch to the target
2280 device. Power up the device.
2281 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2282 Using a Micro USB cable, connect the target device to your
2283 computer's USB socket.
2284 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2285 Run AltosUI, and select 'Flash Image' from the File menu.
2286 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2287 Select the target device in the Device Selection dialog.
2288 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2289 Select the image you want to flash to the device, which
2290 should have a name in the form
2291 <product>-v<product-version>-<software-version>.ihx, such
2292 as TeleMega-v1.0-1.3.0.ihx.
2293 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2294 Make sure the configuration parameters are reasonable
2295 looking. If the serial number and/or RF configuration
2296 values aren't right, you'll need to change them.
2297 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2298 Hit the 'OK' button and the software should proceed to flash
2299 the device with new firmware, showing a progress bar.
2300 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2301 Verify that the device is working by using the 'Configure
2302 Altimeter' item to check over the configuration.
2303 </p></li></ol></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38775728"></a>1.1. Recovering From Self-Flashing Failure</h3></div></div></div><p>
2304 If the firmware loading fails, it can leave the device
2305 unable to boot. Not to worry, you can force the device to
2306 start the boot loader instead, which will let you try to
2307 flash the device again.
2309 On each device, connecting two pins from one of the exposed
2310 connectors will force the boot loader to start, even if the
2311 regular operating system has been corrupted in some way.
2312 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">TeleMega</span></dt><dd><p>
2313 Connect pin 6 and pin 1 of the companion connector. Pin 1
2314 can be identified by the square pad around it, and then
2315 the pins could sequentially across the board. Be very
2316 careful to <span class="emphasis"><em>not</em></span> short pin 8 to
2317 anything as that is connected directly to the battery. Pin
2318 7 carries 3.3V and the board will crash if that is
2319 connected to pin 1, but shouldn't damage the board.
2320 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">TeleMetrum v2</span></dt><dd><p>
2321 Connect pin 6 and pin 1 of the companion connector. Pin 1
2322 can be identified by the square pad around it, and then
2323 the pins could sequentially across the board. Be very
2324 careful to <span class="emphasis"><em>not</em></span> short pin 8 to
2325 anything as that is connected directly to the battery. Pin
2326 7 carries 3.3V and the board will crash if that is
2327 connected to pin 1, but shouldn't damage the board.
2328 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">EasyMini</span></dt><dd><p>
2329 Connect pin 6 and pin 1 of the debug connector, which is
2330 the six holes next to the beeper. Pin 1 can be identified
2331 by the square pad around it, and then the pins could
2332 sequentially across the board, making Pin 6 the one on the
2333 other end of the row.
2334 </p></dd></dl></div></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38784704"></a>2. Pair Programming</h2></div></div></div><p>
2335 The big concept to understand is that you have to use a
2336 TeleMega, TeleMetrum or TeleDongle as a programmer to update a
2337 pair programmed device. Due to limited memory resources in the
2338 cc1111, we don't support programming directly over USB for these
2340 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38786144"></a>3. Updating TeleMetrum v1.x Firmware</h2></div></div></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>
2341 Find the 'programming cable' that you got as part of the starter
2342 kit, that has a red 8-pin MicroMaTch connector on one end and a
2343 red 4-pin MicroMaTch connector on the other end.
2344 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2345 Take the 2 screws out of the TeleDongle case to get access
2346 to the circuit board.
2347 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2348 Plug the 8-pin end of the programming cable to the
2349 matching connector on the TeleDongle, and the 4-pin end to the
2350 matching connector on the TeleMetrum.
2351 Note that each MicroMaTch connector has an alignment pin that
2352 goes through a hole in the PC board when you have the cable
2354 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2355 Attach a battery to the TeleMetrum board.
2356 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2357 Plug the TeleDongle into your computer's USB port, and power
2359 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2360 Run AltosUI, and select 'Flash Image' from the File menu.
2361 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2362 Pick the TeleDongle device from the list, identifying it as the
2364 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2365 Select the image you want put on the TeleMetrum, which should have a
2366 name in the form telemetrum-v1.2-1.0.0.ihx. It should be visible
2367 in the default directory, if not you may have to poke around
2368 your system to find it.
2369 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2370 Make sure the configuration parameters are reasonable
2371 looking. If the serial number and/or RF configuration
2372 values aren't right, you'll need to change them.
2373 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2374 Hit the 'OK' button and the software should proceed to flash
2375 the TeleMetrum with new firmware, showing a progress bar.
2376 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2377 Confirm that the TeleMetrum board seems to have updated OK, which you
2378 can do by plugging in to it over USB and using a terminal program
2379 to connect to the board and issue the 'v' command to check
2381 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2382 If something goes wrong, give it another try.
2383 </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38799344"></a>4. Updating TeleMini Firmware</h2></div></div></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>
2384 You'll need a special 'programming cable' to reprogram the
2385 TeleMini. You can make your own using an 8-pin MicroMaTch
2386 connector on one end and a set of four pins on the other.
2387 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2388 Take the 2 screws out of the TeleDongle case to get access
2389 to the circuit board.
2390 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2391 Plug the 8-pin end of the programming cable to the matching
2392 connector on the TeleDongle, and the 4-pins into the holes
2393 in the TeleMini circuit board. Note that the MicroMaTch
2394 connector has an alignment pin that goes through a hole in
2395 the PC board when you have the cable oriented correctly, and
2396 that pin 1 on the TeleMini board is marked with a square pad
2397 while the other pins have round pads.
2398 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2399 Attach a battery to the TeleMini board.
2400 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2401 Plug the TeleDongle into your computer's USB port, and power
2403 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2404 Run AltosUI, and select 'Flash Image' from the File menu.
2405 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2406 Pick the TeleDongle device from the list, identifying it as the
2408 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2409 Select the image you want put on the TeleMini, which should have a
2410 name in the form telemini-v1.0-1.0.0.ihx. It should be visible
2411 in the default directory, if not you may have to poke around
2412 your system to find it.
2413 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2414 Make sure the configuration parameters are reasonable
2415 looking. If the serial number and/or RF configuration
2416 values aren't right, you'll need to change them.
2417 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2418 Hit the 'OK' button and the software should proceed to flash
2419 the TeleMini with new firmware, showing a progress bar.
2420 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2421 Confirm that the TeleMini board seems to have updated OK, which you
2422 can do by configuring it over the radio link through the TeleDongle, or
2423 letting it come up in “flight” mode and listening for telemetry.
2424 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2425 If something goes wrong, give it another try.
2426 </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38812896"></a>5. Updating TeleDongle Firmware</h2></div></div></div><p>
2427 Updating TeleDongle's firmware is just like updating TeleMetrum or TeleMini
2428 firmware, but you use either a TeleMetrum or another TeleDongle as the programmer.
2429 </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>
2430 Find the 'programming cable' that you got as part of the starter
2431 kit, that has a red 8-pin MicroMaTch connector on one end and a
2432 red 4-pin MicroMaTch connector on the other end.
2433 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2434 Find the USB cable that you got as part of the starter kit, and
2435 plug the “mini” end in to the mating connector on TeleMetrum or TeleDongle.
2436 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2437 Take the 2 screws out of the TeleDongle case to get access
2438 to the circuit board.
2439 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2440 Plug the 8-pin end of the programming cable to the
2441 matching connector on the programmer, and the 4-pin end to the
2442 matching connector on the TeleDongle.
2443 Note that each MicroMaTch connector has an alignment pin that
2444 goes through a hole in the PC board when you have the cable
2446 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2447 Attach a battery to the TeleMetrum board if you're using one.
2448 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2449 Plug both the programmer and the TeleDongle into your computer's USB
2450 ports, and power up the programmer.
2451 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2452 Run AltosUI, and select 'Flash Image' from the File menu.
2453 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2454 Pick the programmer device from the list, identifying it as the
2456 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2457 Select the image you want put on the TeleDongle, which should have a
2458 name in the form teledongle-v0.2-1.0.0.ihx. It should be visible
2459 in the default directory, if not you may have to poke around
2460 your system to find it.
2461 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2462 Make sure the configuration parameters are reasonable
2463 looking. If the serial number and/or RF configuration
2464 values aren't right, you'll need to change them. The TeleDongle
2465 serial number is on the “bottom” of the circuit board, and can
2466 usually be read through the translucent blue plastic case without
2467 needing to remove the board from the case.
2468 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2469 Hit the 'OK' button and the software should proceed to flash
2470 the TeleDongle with new firmware, showing a progress bar.
2471 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2472 Confirm that the TeleDongle board seems to have updated OK, which you
2473 can do by plugging in to it over USB and using a terminal program
2474 to connect to the board and issue the 'v' command to check
2475 the version, etc. Once you're happy, remove the programming cable
2476 and put the cover back on the TeleDongle.
2477 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2478 If something goes wrong, give it another try.
2479 </p></li></ol></div><p>
2480 Be careful removing the programming cable from the locking 8-pin
2481 connector on TeleMetrum. You'll need a fingernail or perhaps a thin
2482 screwdriver or knife blade to gently pry the locking ears out
2483 slightly to extract the connector. We used a locking connector on
2484 TeleMetrum to help ensure that the cabling to companion boards
2485 used in a rocket don't ever come loose accidentally in flight.
2486 </p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp38829520"></a>Chapter 11. Hardware Specifications</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38830160">1.
2487 TeleMega Specifications
2488 </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38841632">2.
2489 TeleMetrum v2 Specifications
2490 </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38852192">3. TeleMetrum v1 Specifications</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38862752">4.
2491 TeleMini v2.0 Specifications
2492 </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38871584">5.
2493 TeleMini v1.0 Specifications
2494 </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38880384">6.
2495 EasyMini Specifications
2496 </a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38830160"></a>1.
2497 TeleMega Specifications
2498 </h2></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2499 Recording altimeter for model rocketry.
2500 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2501 Supports dual deployment and four auxiliary pyro channels
2502 (a total of 6 events).
2503 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2504 70cm 40mW ham-band transceiver for telemetry down-link.
2505 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2506 Barometric pressure sensor good to 100k feet MSL.
2507 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2508 1-axis high-g accelerometer for motor characterization, capable of
2510 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2511 9-axis IMU including integrated 3-axis accelerometer,
2512 3-axis gyroscope and 3-axis magnetometer.
2513 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2514 On-board, integrated uBlox Max 7 GPS receiver with 5Hz update rate capability.
2515 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2516 On-board 8 Megabyte non-volatile memory for flight data storage.
2517 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2518 USB interface for battery charging, configuration, and data recovery.
2519 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2520 Fully integrated support for Li-Po rechargeable batteries.
2521 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2522 Can use either main system Li-Po or optional separate pyro battery
2524 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2525 3.25 x 1.25 inch board designed to fit inside 38mm air-frame coupler tube.
2526 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38841632"></a>2.
2527 TeleMetrum v2 Specifications
2528 </h2></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2529 Recording altimeter for model rocketry.
2530 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2531 Supports dual deployment (can fire 2 ejection charges).
2532 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2533 70cm, 40mW ham-band transceiver for telemetry down-link.
2534 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2535 Barometric pressure sensor good to 100k feet MSL.
2536 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2537 1-axis high-g accelerometer for motor characterization, capable of
2539 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2540 On-board, integrated uBlox Max 7 GPS receiver with 5Hz update rate capability.
2541 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2542 On-board 8 Megabyte non-volatile memory for flight data storage.
2543 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2544 USB interface for battery charging, configuration, and data recovery.
2545 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2546 Fully integrated support for Li-Po rechargeable batteries.
2547 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2548 Uses Li-Po to fire e-matches, can be modified to support
2549 optional separate pyro battery if needed.
2550 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2551 2.75 x 1 inch board designed to fit inside 29mm air-frame coupler tube.
2552 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38852192"></a>3. TeleMetrum v1 Specifications</h2></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2553 Recording altimeter for model rocketry.
2554 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2555 Supports dual deployment (can fire 2 ejection charges).
2556 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2557 70cm, 10mW ham-band transceiver for telemetry down-link.
2558 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2559 Barometric pressure sensor good to 45k feet MSL.
2560 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2561 1-axis high-g accelerometer for motor characterization, capable of
2562 +/- 50g using default part.
2563 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2564 On-board, integrated GPS receiver with 5Hz update rate capability.
2565 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2566 On-board 1 megabyte non-volatile memory for flight data storage.
2567 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2568 USB interface for battery charging, configuration, and data recovery.
2569 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2570 Fully integrated support for Li-Po rechargeable batteries.
2571 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2572 Uses Li-Po to fire e-matches, can be modified to support
2573 optional separate pyro battery if needed.
2574 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2575 2.75 x 1 inch board designed to fit inside 29mm air-frame coupler tube.
2576 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38862752"></a>4.
2577 TeleMini v2.0 Specifications
2578 </h2></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2579 Recording altimeter for model rocketry.
2580 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2581 Supports dual deployment (can fire 2 ejection charges).
2582 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2583 70cm, 10mW ham-band transceiver for telemetry down-link.
2584 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2585 Barometric pressure sensor good to 100k feet MSL.
2586 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2587 On-board 1 megabyte non-volatile memory for flight data storage.
2588 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2589 USB interface for configuration, and data recovery.
2590 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2591 Support for Li-Po rechargeable batteries (using an
2592 external charger), or any 3.7-15V external battery.
2593 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2594 Uses Li-Po to fire e-matches, can be modified to support
2595 optional separate pyro battery if needed.
2596 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2597 1.5 x .8 inch board designed to fit inside 24mm air-frame coupler tube.
2598 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38871584"></a>5.
2599 TeleMini v1.0 Specifications
2600 </h2></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2601 Recording altimeter for model rocketry.
2602 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2603 Supports dual deployment (can fire 2 ejection charges).
2604 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2605 70cm, 10mW ham-band transceiver for telemetry down-link.
2606 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2607 Barometric pressure sensor good to 45k feet MSL.
2608 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2609 On-board 5 kilobyte non-volatile memory for flight data storage.
2610 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2611 RF interface for configuration, and data recovery.
2612 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2613 Support for Li-Po rechargeable batteries, using an external charger.
2614 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2615 Uses Li-Po to fire e-matches, can be modified to support
2616 optional separate pyro battery if needed.
2617 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2618 1.5 x .5 inch board designed to fit inside 18mm air-frame coupler tube.
2619 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38880384"></a>6.
2620 EasyMini Specifications
2621 </h2></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2622 Recording altimeter for model rocketry.
2623 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2624 Supports dual deployment (can fire 2 ejection charges).
2625 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2626 Barometric pressure sensor good to 100k feet MSL.
2627 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2628 On-board 1 megabyte non-volatile memory for flight data storage.
2629 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2630 USB interface for configuration, and data recovery.
2631 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2632 Support for Li-Po rechargeable batteries (using an
2633 external charger), or any 3.7-15V external battery.
2634 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2635 Uses Li-Po to fire e-matches, can be modified to support
2636 optional separate pyro battery if needed.
2637 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2638 1.5 x .8 inch board designed to fit inside 24mm air-frame coupler tube.
2639 </p></li></ul></div></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp38888496"></a>Chapter 12. FAQ</h1></div></div></div><p>
2640 <span class="emphasis"><em>TeleMetrum seems to shut off when disconnected from the
2641 computer.</em></span>
2642 Make sure the battery is adequately charged. Remember the
2643 unit will pull more power than the USB port can deliver before the
2644 GPS enters “locked” mode. The battery charges best when TeleMetrum
2647 <span class="emphasis"><em>It's impossible to stop the TeleDongle when it's in “p” mode, I have
2648 to unplug the USB cable? </em></span>
2649 Make sure you have tried to “escape out” of
2650 this mode. If this doesn't work the reboot procedure for the
2651 TeleDongle *is* to simply unplug it. 'cu' however will retain it's
2652 outgoing buffer IF your “escape out” ('~~') does not work.
2653 At this point using either 'ao-view' (or possibly
2654 'cutemon') instead of 'cu' will 'clear' the issue and allow renewed
2657 <span class="emphasis"><em>The amber LED (on the TeleMetrum) lights up when both
2658 battery and USB are connected. Does this mean it's charging?
2660 Yes, the yellow LED indicates the charging at the 'regular' rate.
2661 If the led is out but the unit is still plugged into a USB port,
2662 then the battery is being charged at a 'trickle' rate.
2664 <span class="emphasis"><em>There are no “dit-dah-dah-dit” sound or lights like the manual
2665 mentions?</em></span>
2666 That's the “pad” mode. Weak batteries might be the problem.
2667 It is also possible that the flight computer is horizontal and the
2669 is instead a “dit-dit” meaning 'idle'. For TeleMini, it's possible that
2670 it received a command packet which would have left it in “pad” mode.
2672 <span class="emphasis"><em>How do I save flight data?</em></span>
2673 Live telemetry is written to file(s) whenever AltosUI is connected
2674 to the TeleDongle. The file area defaults to ~/TeleMetrum
2675 but is easily changed using the menus in AltosUI. The files that
2676 are written end in '.telem'. The after-flight
2677 data-dumped files will end in .eeprom and represent continuous data
2678 unlike the .telem files that are subject to losses
2679 along the RF data path.
2680 See the above instructions on what and how to save the eeprom stored
2681 data after physically retrieving your altimeter. Make sure to save
2682 the on-board data after each flight; while the TeleMetrum can store
2683 multiple flights, you never know when you'll lose the altimeter...
2684 </p></div><div class="appendix"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp38897344"></a>Appendix A. Notes for Older Software</h1></div></div></div><p>
2685 <span class="emphasis"><em>
2686 Before AltosUI was written, using Altus Metrum devices required
2687 some finesse with the Linux command line. There was a limited
2688 GUI tool, ao-view, which provided functionality similar to the
2689 Monitor Flight window in AltosUI, but everything else was a
2690 fairly 80's experience. This appendix includes documentation for
2691 using that software.
2694 Both TeleMetrum and TeleDongle can be directly communicated
2695 with using USB ports. The first thing you should try after getting
2696 both units plugged into to your computer's USB port(s) is to run
2697 'ao-list' from a terminal-window to see what port-device-name each
2698 device has been assigned by the operating system.
2699 You will need this information to access the devices via their
2700 respective on-board firmware and data using other command line
2701 programs in the AltOS software suite.
2703 TeleMini can be communicated with through a TeleDongle device
2704 over the radio link. When first booted, TeleMini listens for a
2705 TeleDongle device and if it receives a packet, it goes into
2706 'idle' mode. Otherwise, it goes into 'pad' mode and waits to be
2707 launched. The easiest way to get it talking is to start the
2708 communication link on the TeleDongle and the power up the
2711 To access the device's firmware for configuration you need a terminal
2712 program such as you would use to talk to a modem. The software
2713 authors prefer using the program 'cu' which comes from the UUCP package
2714 on most Unix-like systems such as Linux. An example command line for
2715 cu might be 'cu -l /dev/ttyACM0', substituting the correct number
2716 indicated from running the
2717 ao-list program. Another reasonable terminal program for Linux is
2718 'cutecom'. The default 'escape'
2719 character used by CU (i.e. the character you use to
2720 issue commands to cu itself instead of sending the command as input
2721 to the connected device) is a '~'. You will need this for use in
2722 only two different ways during normal operations. First is to exit
2723 the program by sending a '~.' which is called a 'escape-disconnect'
2724 and allows you to close-out from 'cu'. The
2725 second use will be outlined later.
2727 All of the Altus Metrum devices share the concept of a two level
2728 command set in their firmware.
2729 The first layer has several single letter commands. Once
2730 you are using 'cu' (or 'cutecom') sending (typing) a '?'
2731 returns a full list of these
2732 commands. The second level are configuration sub-commands accessed
2733 using the 'c' command, for
2734 instance typing 'c?' will give you this second level of commands
2735 (all of which require the
2736 letter 'c' to access). Please note that most configuration options
2737 are stored only in Flash memory; TeleDongle doesn't provide any storage
2738 for these options and so they'll all be lost when you unplug it.
2740 Try setting these configuration ('c' or second level menu) values. A good
2741 place to start is by setting your call sign. By default, the boards
2742 use 'N0CALL' which is cute, but not exactly legal!
2743 Spend a few minutes getting comfortable with the units, their
2744 firmware, and 'cu' (or possibly 'cutecom').
2745 For instance, try to send
2746 (type) a 'c r 2' and verify the channel change by sending a 'c s'.
2747 Verify you can connect and disconnect from the units while in your
2748 terminal program by sending the escape-disconnect mentioned above.
2750 To set the radio frequency, use the 'c R' command to specify the
2751 radio transceiver configuration parameter. This parameter is computed
2752 using the desired frequency, 'F', the radio calibration parameter, 'C' (showed by the 'c s' command) and
2753 the standard calibration reference frequency, 'S', (normally 434.550MHz):
2754 </p><pre class="programlisting">
2757 Round the result to the nearest integer value.
2758 As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
2759 change to the parameter block in the on-board flash on
2760 your altimeter board if you want the change to stay in place across reboots.
2762 To set the apogee delay, use the 'c d' command.
2763 As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
2764 change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
2766 To set the main deployment altitude, use the 'c m' command.
2767 As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
2768 change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
2770 To calibrate the radio frequency, connect the UHF antenna port to a
2771 frequency counter, set the board to 434.550MHz, and use the 'C'
2772 command to generate a CW carrier. Wait for the transmitter temperature
2773 to stabilize and the frequency to settle down.
2774 Then, divide 434.550 MHz by the
2775 measured frequency and multiply by the current radio cal value show
2776 in the 'c s' command. For an unprogrammed board, the default value
2777 is 1186611 for cc1111 based products and 7119667 for cc1120
2778 based products. Take the resulting integer and program it using the 'c f'
2779 command. Testing with the 'C' command again should show a carrier
2780 within a few tens of Hertz of the intended frequency.
2781 As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
2782 change to the configuration memory.
2784 Note that the 'reboot' command, which is very useful on the altimeters,
2785 will likely just cause problems with the dongle. The *correct* way
2786 to reset the dongle is just to unplug and re-plug it.
2788 A fun thing to do at the launch site and something you can do while
2789 learning how to use these units is to play with the radio link access
2790 between an altimeter and the TeleDongle. Be aware that you *must* create
2791 some physical separation between the devices, otherwise the link will
2792 not function due to signal overload in the receivers in each device.
2794 Now might be a good time to take a break and read the rest of this
2795 manual, particularly about the two “modes” that the altimeters
2796 can be placed in. TeleMetrum uses the position of the device when booting
2797 up will determine whether the unit is in “pad” or “idle” mode. TeleMini
2798 enters “idle” mode when it receives a command packet within the first 5 seconds
2799 of being powered up, otherwise it enters “pad” mode.
2801 You can access an altimeter in idle mode from the TeleDongle's USB
2802 connection using the radio link
2803 by issuing a 'p' command to the TeleDongle. Practice connecting and
2804 disconnecting ('~~' while using 'cu') from the altimeter. If
2805 you cannot escape out of the “p” command, (by using a '~~' when in
2806 CU) then it is likely that your kernel has issues. Try a newer version.
2808 Using this radio link allows you to configure the altimeter, test
2809 fire e-matches and igniters from the flight line, check pyro-match
2810 continuity and so forth. You can leave the unit turned on while it
2811 is in 'idle mode' and then place the
2812 rocket vertically on the launch pad, walk away and then issue a
2813 reboot command. The altimeter will reboot and start sending data
2814 having changed to the “pad” mode. If the TeleDongle is not receiving
2815 this data, you can disconnect 'cu' from the TeleDongle using the
2816 procedures mentioned above and THEN connect to the TeleDongle from
2817 inside 'ao-view'. If this doesn't work, disconnect from the
2818 TeleDongle, unplug it, and try again after plugging it back in.
2820 In order to reduce the chance of accidental firing of pyrotechnic
2821 charges, the command to fire a charge is intentionally somewhat
2822 difficult to type, and the built-in help is slightly cryptic to
2823 prevent accidental echoing of characters from the help text back at
2824 the board from firing a charge. The command to fire the apogee
2825 drogue charge is 'i DoIt drogue' and the command to fire the main
2826 charge is 'i DoIt main'.
2828 On TeleMetrum, the GPS will eventually find enough satellites, lock in on them,
2829 and 'ao-view' will both auditorily announce and visually indicate
2831 Now you can launch knowing that you have a good data path and
2832 good satellite lock for flight data and recovery. Remember
2833 you MUST tell ao-view to connect to the TeleDongle explicitly in
2834 order for ao-view to be able to receive data.
2836 The altimeters provide RDF (radio direction finding) tones on
2837 the pad, during descent and after landing. These can be used to
2838 locate the rocket using a directional antenna; the signal
2839 strength providing an indication of the direction from receiver to rocket.
2841 TeleMetrum also provides GPS tracking data, which can further simplify
2842 locating the rocket once it has landed. (The last good GPS data
2843 received before touch-down will be on the data screen of 'ao-view'.)
2845 Once you have recovered the rocket you can download the eeprom
2846 contents using either 'ao-dumplog' (or possibly 'ao-eeprom'), over
2847 either a USB cable or over the radio link using TeleDongle.
2848 And by following the man page for 'ao-postflight' you can create
2849 various data output reports, graphs, and even KML data to see the
2850 flight trajectory in Google-earth. (Moving the viewing angle making
2851 sure to connect the yellow lines while in Google-earth is the proper
2854 As for ao-view.... some things are in the menu but don't do anything
2855 very useful. The developers have stopped working on ao-view to focus
2856 on a new, cross-platform ground station program. So ao-view may or
2857 may not be updated in the future. Mostly you just use
2858 the Log and Device menus. It has a wonderful display of the incoming
2859 flight data and I am sure you will enjoy what it has to say to you
2860 once you enable the voice output!
2861 </p></div><div class="appendix"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp38919744"></a>Appendix B. Drill Templates</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38920912">1. TeleMega template</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38937600">2. TeleMetrum template</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38941984">3. TeleMini v2/EasyMini template</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38946384">4. TeleMini v1 template</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
2862 These images, when printed, provide precise templates for the
2863 mounting holes in Altus Metrum flight computers
2864 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38920912"></a>1. TeleMega template</h2></div></div></div><p>
2865 TeleMega has overall dimensions of 1.250 x 3.250 inches, and
2866 the mounting holes are sized for use with 4-40 or M3 screws.
2867 </p><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><a name="TeleMegaTemplate"></a><object type="image/svg+xml" data="telemega.svg" align="middle"></object></div></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38937600"></a>2. TeleMetrum template</h2></div></div></div><p>
2868 TeleMetrum has overall dimensions of 1.000 x 2.750 inches, and the
2869 mounting holes are sized for use with 4-40 or M3 screws.
2870 </p><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><a name="TeleMetrumTemplate"></a><object type="image/svg+xml" data="telemetrum.svg" align="middle"></object></div></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38941984"></a>3. TeleMini v2/EasyMini template</h2></div></div></div><p>
2871 TeleMini v2 and EasyMini have overall dimensions of 0.800 x 1.500 inches, and the
2872 mounting holes are sized for use with 4-40 or M3 screws.
2873 </p><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><a name="MiniTemplate"></a><object type="image/svg+xml" data="easymini.svg" align="middle"></object></div></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38946384"></a>4. TeleMini v1 template</h2></div></div></div><p>
2874 TeleMini has overall dimensions of 0.500 x 1.500 inches, and the
2875 mounting holes are sized for use with 2-56 or M2 screws.
2876 </p><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><a name="TeleMiniTemplate"></a><object type="image/svg+xml" data="telemini.svg" align="middle"></object></div></div></div></div><div class="appendix"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp38950896"></a>Appendix C. Calibration</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38952448">1. Radio Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38956992">2. TeleMetrum and TeleMega Accelerometers</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
2877 There are only two calibrations required for TeleMetrum and
2878 TeleMega, and only one for TeleDongle, TeleMini and EasyMini.
2879 All boards are shipped from the factory pre-calibrated, but
2880 the procedures are documented here in case they are ever
2881 needed. Re-calibration is not supported by AltosUI, you must
2882 connect to the board with a serial terminal program and
2883 interact directly with the on-board command interpreter to
2885 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38952448"></a>1. Radio Frequency</h2></div></div></div><p>
2886 The radio frequency is synthesized from a clock based on the
2887 crystal on the board. The actual frequency of this oscillator
2888 must be measured to generate a calibration constant. While our
2890 bandwidth is wide enough to allow boards to communicate even when
2891 their oscillators are not on exactly the same frequency, performance
2892 is best when they are closely matched.
2893 Radio frequency calibration requires a calibrated frequency counter.
2894 Fortunately, once set, the variation in frequency due to aging and
2895 temperature changes is small enough that re-calibration by customers
2896 should generally not be required.
2898 To calibrate the radio frequency, connect the UHF antenna
2899 port to a frequency counter, set the board to 434.550MHz,
2900 and use the 'C' command in the on-board command interpreter
2901 to generate a CW carrier. For USB-enabled boards, this is
2902 best done over USB. For TeleMini v1, note that the only way
2903 to escape the 'C' command is via power cycle since the board
2904 will no longer be listening for commands once it starts
2905 generating a CW carrier.
2907 Wait for the transmitter temperature to stabilize and the frequency
2908 to settle down. Then, divide 434.550 MHz by the
2909 measured frequency and multiply by the current radio cal value show
2910 in the 'c s' command. For an unprogrammed board, the default value
2911 is 1186611. Take the resulting integer and program it using the 'c f'
2912 command. Testing with the 'C' command again should show a carrier
2913 within a few tens of Hertz of the intended frequency.
2914 As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
2915 change to the parameter block in the on-board storage chip.
2917 Note that any time you re-do the radio frequency calibration, the
2918 radio frequency is reset to the default 434.550 Mhz. If you want
2919 to use another frequency, you will have to set that again after
2920 calibration is completed.
2921 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38956992"></a>2. TeleMetrum and TeleMega Accelerometers</h2></div></div></div><p>
2922 While barometric sensors are factory-calibrated,
2923 accelerometers are not, and so each must be calibrated once
2924 installed in a flight computer. Explicitly calibrating the
2925 accelerometers also allows us to load any compatible device.
2926 We perform a two-point calibration using gravity.
2928 To calibrate the acceleration sensor, use the 'c a 0' command. You
2929 will be prompted to orient the board vertically with the UHF antenna
2930 up and press a key, then to orient the board vertically with the
2931 UHF antenna down and press a key. Note that the accuracy of this
2932 calibration depends primarily on how perfectly vertical and still
2933 the board is held during the cal process. As with all 'c'
2934 sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
2935 change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
2937 The +1g and -1g calibration points are included in each telemetry
2938 frame and are part of the header stored in onboard flash to be
2939 downloaded after flight. We always store and return raw ADC
2940 samples for each sensor... so nothing is permanently “lost” or
2941 “damaged” if the calibration is poor.
2943 In the unlikely event an accel cal goes badly, it is possible
2944 that TeleMetrum or TeleMega may always come up in 'pad mode'
2945 and as such not be listening to either the USB or radio link.
2946 If that happens, there is a special hook in the firmware to
2947 force the board back in to 'idle mode' so you can re-do the
2948 cal. To use this hook, you just need to ground the SPI clock
2949 pin at power-on. This pin is available as pin 2 on the 8-pin
2950 companion connector, and pin 1 is ground. So either
2951 carefully install a fine-gauge wire jumper between the two
2952 pins closest to the index hole end of the 8-pin connector, or
2953 plug in the programming cable to the 8-pin connector and use
2954 a small screwdriver or similar to short the two pins closest
2955 to the index post on the 4-pin end of the programming cable,
2956 and power up the board. It should come up in 'idle mode'
2957 (two beeps), allowing a re-cal.
2958 </p></div></div><div class="appendix"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp38962096"></a>Appendix D. Release Notes</h1></div></div></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38962736"></a>Version 1.4</h2></div></div></div><p>
2959 Version 1.4 is a major release. It includes support for our new
2960 TeleGPS product, new features and bug fixes in in the flight
2961 software for all our boards and the AltosUI ground station
2964 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2965 Add support for TeleGPS boards.
2966 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2967 Replace the 'dit dit dit' tones at startup with the current
2968 battery voltage, measured in tenths of a volt. This lets you
2969 check the battery voltage without needing telemetry, which
2970 is especially useful on EasyMini.
2971 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2972 Change state beeping to "Farnsworth spacing", which means
2973 they're quite a bit faster than before, and so they take
2975 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2976 Make the beeper tone configurable, making it possible to
2977 distinguish between two Altus Metrum products in the same ebay.
2978 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2979 Make the firing time for extra pyro channels configurable,
2980 allowing longer (or shorter) than the default 50ms. Only relevant
2981 for TeleMega at this time.
2982 </p></li></ul></div><p>
2985 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2986 Fix bug preventing the selection of the 'Flight State After'
2987 mode in pyro configuration.
2988 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2989 Fix bug where erasing flights would reset the flight number
2990 to 2 on TeleMega and TeleMetrum v2.
2991 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2992 Fix u-Blox GPS driver to mark course and speed data as being
2994 </p></li></ul></div><p>
2996 AltosUI New Features
2997 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2998 Add zooming and new content types (terrain and road maps) to
2999 map view. Change map storage format from PNG to Jpeg, which
3000 saves a huge amount of disk space. You will need to
3001 re-download all of your pre-loaded map images.
3002 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3003 Add a distance measuring device to the maps view. Select
3004 this by using any button other than the left one, or by
3005 pressing shift or control on the keyboard while using the
3007 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3008 Add new 'Ignitor' tab to the flight monitor display for
3009 TeleMega's extra ignitors.
3010 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3011 Increase the width of data lines in the graphs to make them
3013 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3014 Add additional ignitor firing marks and voltages to the
3015 graph so you can see when the ignitors fired, along with
3016 the ignitor voltages.
3017 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3018 Add GPS course, ground speed and climb rate as optional
3020 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3023 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3024 When flashing new firmware, re-try opening the device as
3025 sometimes it takes a while for the underlying operating
3026 system to recognize that the device has rebooted in
3027 preparation for the flashing operation.
3028 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3029 Hide Tilt Angle in ascent tab for devices that don't have a gyro.
3030 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3031 Filter out speed and acceleration spikes caused by ejection
3032 charge firing when computing the maximum values. This
3033 provides a more accurate reading of those maximums.
3034 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3035 Fix EasyMini voltage displays. Early EasyMini prototypes
3036 used a 3.0V regulator, and AltosUI still used that value as
3037 the basis of the computation. Production EasyMini boards
3038 have always shipped with a 3.3V regulator. Also, purple
3039 EasyMini boards sensed the battery voltage past the blocking
3040 diode, resulting in a drop of about 150mV from the true
3041 battery voltage. Compensate for that when displaying the
3043 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3044 Display error message when trying to configure maximum
3045 flight log size while the flight computer still has flight
3047 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3048 Handle TeleMetrum and TeleMini eeprom files generated with
3049 pre-1.0 firmware. Those ancient versions didn't report the
3050 log format, so just use the product name instead.
3051 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3054 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3055 New application designed for use with TeleGPS boards.
3056 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3057 Shares code with AltosUI, mostly just trimmed down to focus
3058 on TeleGPS-related functions.
3059 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3061 Documentation changes
3062 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3063 Re-create the drill template images; they should print
3064 correctly from Firefox at least. Ship these as individual
3065 PDF files so they're easy to print.
3066 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3067 Add a description of the 'Apogee Lockout' setting, which
3068 prevents the apogee charge from firing for a configurable
3069 amount of time after boost.
3070 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3071 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38964336"></a>Version 1.3.2</h2></div></div></div><p>
3072 Version 1.3.2 is a minor release. It includes small bug fixes for
3073 the TeleMega flight software and AltosUI ground station
3075 AltOS Firmware Changes
3076 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3077 On TeleMega, limit number of logged GPS status information
3078 to 12 satellites. That's all there is room for in the log
3080 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3081 Improve APRS behavior. Remembers last known GPS position and
3082 keeps sending that if we lose GPS lock. Marks
3083 locked/unlocked by sending L/U in the APRS comment field
3084 along with the number of sats in view and voltages.
3085 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3088 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3089 If the TeleMega flight firmware reports that it has logged
3090 information about more than 12 satellites, don't believe it
3091 as the log only holds 12 satellite records.
3092 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3093 Track the maximum height as computed from GPS altitude
3094 data and report that in the flight summary data.
3095 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3096 Use letters (A, B, C, D) for alternate pyro channel names
3097 instead of numbers (0, 1, 2, 3) in the Fire Igniter dialog.
3098 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3099 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38965936"></a>Version 1.3.1</h2></div></div></div><p>
3100 Version 1.3.1 is a minor release. It improves support for TeleMega,
3101 TeleMetrum v2.0, TeleMini v2.0 and EasyMini.
3103 AltOS Firmware Changes
3104 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3105 Improve sensor boot code. If sensors fail to self-test, the
3106 device will still boot up and check for pad/idle modes. If
3107 in idle mode, the device will warn the user with a distinct
3108 beep, if in Pad mode, the unit will operate as best it
3109 can. Also, the Z-axis accelerometer now uses the factory
3110 calibration values instead of re-calibrating on the pad each
3111 time. This avoids accidental boost detect when moving the
3112 device around while in Pad mode.
3113 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3114 Fix antenna-down mode accelerometer configuration. Antenna
3115 down mode wasn't working because the accelerometer
3116 calibration values were getting re-computed incorrectly in
3118 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3119 Improved APRS mode. Now uses compressed position format for
3120 smaller data size, improved precision and to include
3121 altitude data as well as latitude and longitude. Also added
3122 battery and pyro voltage reports in the APRS comment field
3123 so you can confirm that the unit is ready for launch.
3124 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3127 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3128 Display additional TeleMega sensor values in real
3129 units. Make all of these values available for
3130 plotting. Display TeleMega orientation value in the Ascent
3132 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3133 Support additional TeleMega pyro channels in the Fire
3134 Igniter dialog. This lets you do remote testing of all of
3135 the channels, rather than just Apogee and Main.
3136 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3137 Limit data rate when downloading satellite images from
3138 Google to make sure we stay within their limits so that all
3139 of the map tiles download successfully.
3140 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3141 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38967440"></a>Version 1.3</h2></div></div></div><p>
3142 Version 1.3 is a major release. It adds support for TeleMega,
3143 TeleMetrum v2.0, TeleMini v2.0 and EasyMini.
3145 AltOS Firmware Changes
3146 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3147 Add STM32L processor support. This includes enhancements to
3148 the scheduler to support products with many threads.
3149 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3150 Add NXP LPC11U14 processor support.
3151 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3152 Support additional pyro channels. These are configurable
3153 through the UI to handle air starts, staging, additional
3154 recovery events and external devices such as cameras.
3155 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3156 Add 3-axis gyro support for orientation tracking. This
3157 integrates the gyros to compute the angle from vertical during
3158 flight, allowing the additional pyro events to be controlled
3160 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3161 Many more device drivers, including u-Blox Max 7Q GPS,
3162 Freescale MMA6555 digital single-axis accelerometer,
3163 Invensense MPU6000 3-axis accelerometer + 3 axis gyro,
3164 Honeywell HMC5883 3-axis magnetic sensor and the TI CC1120 and
3165 CC115L digital FM transceivers
3166 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3169 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3170 Support TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2.0, TeleMini v2.0 and EasyMini telemetry and log formats.
3171 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3172 Use preferred units for main deployment height configuration,
3173 instead of always doing configuration in meters.
3174 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3176 MicroPeak UI changes
3177 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3178 Add 'Download' button to menu bar.
3179 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3180 Save the last log directory and offer that as the default for new downloads
3181 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3182 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38968944"></a>Version 1.2.1</h2></div></div></div><p>
3183 Version 1.2.1 is a minor release. It adds support for TeleBT and
3184 the AltosDroid application, provides several new features in
3185 AltosUI and fixes some bugs in the AltOS firmware.
3187 AltOS Firmware Changes
3188 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3189 Add support for TeleBT
3190 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3191 In TeleMini recovery mode (when booted with the outer two
3192 debug pins connected together), the radio parameters are also
3193 set back to defaults (434.550MHz, N0CALL, factory radio cal).
3194 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3195 Add support for reflashing the SkyTraq GPS chips. This
3196 requires special host-side code which currently only exists
3198 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3199 Correct Kalman filter model error covariance matrix. The
3200 values used previously assumed continuous measurements instead
3201 of discrete measurements.
3202 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3203 Fix some bugs in the USB driver for TeleMetrum and TeleDongle
3204 that affected Windows users.
3205 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3206 Adjusted the automatic gain control parameters that affect
3207 receive performance for TeleDongle. Field tests indicate that this
3208 may improve receive performance somewhat.
3209 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3212 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3213 Handle missing GPS lock in 'Descent' tab. Previously, if the
3214 GPS position of the pad was unknown, an exception would be
3215 raised, breaking the Descent tab contents.
3216 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3217 Improve the graph, adding tool-tips to show values near the
3218 cursor and making the displayed set of values configurable,
3219 adding all of the flight data as options while leaving the
3220 default settings alone so that the graph starts by showing
3221 height, speed and acceleration.
3222 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3223 Make the initial position of the AltosUI top level window
3224 configurable. Along with this change, the other windows will
3225 pop up at 'sensible' places now, instead of on top of one
3227 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3228 Add callsign to Monitor idle window and connecting
3229 dialogs. This makes it clear which callsign is being used so
3230 that the operator will be aware that it must match the flight
3231 computer value or no communication will work.
3232 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3233 When downloading flight data, display the block number so that
3234 the user has some sense of progress. Unfortunately, we don't
3235 know how many blocks will need to be downloaded, but at least
3236 it isn't just sitting there doing nothing for a long time.
3237 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3238 Add GPS data and a map to the graph window. This lets you see
3239 a complete summary of the flight without needing to 'replay'
3241 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3242 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38970448"></a>Version 1.2</h2></div></div></div><p>
3243 Version 1.2 is a major release. It adds support for MicroPeak and
3244 the MicroPeak USB adapter.
3246 AltOS Firmware Changes
3247 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3248 Add MicroPeak support. This includes support for the ATtiny85
3249 processor and adaptations to the core code to allow for
3250 devices too small to run the multi-tasking scheduler.
3251 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3253 MicroPeak UI changes
3254 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3255 Added this new application
3256 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3258 Distribution Changes
3259 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3260 Distribute Mac OS X packages in disk image ('.dmg') format to
3261 greatly simplify installation.
3262 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3263 Provide version numbers for the shared Java libraries to
3264 ensure that upgrades work properly, and to allow for multiple
3265 Altus Metrum software packages to be installed in the same
3266 directory at the same time.
3267 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3268 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38971952"></a>Version 1.1.1</h2></div></div></div><p>
3269 Version 1.1.1 is a bug-fix release. It fixes a couple of bugs in
3270 AltosUI and one firmware bug that affects TeleMetrum version 1.0
3271 boards. Thanks to Bob Brown for help diagnosing the Google Earth
3272 file export issue, and for suggesting the addition of the Ground
3273 Distance value in the Descent tab.
3275 AltOS Firmware Changes
3276 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3277 TeleMetrum v1.0 boards use the AT45DB081D flash memory part to
3278 store flight data, which is different from later TeleMetrum
3279 boards. The AltOS v1.1 driver for this chip couldn't erase
3280 memory, leaving it impossible to delete flight data or update
3281 configuration values. This bug doesn't affect newer TeleMetrum
3282 boards, and it doesn't affect the safety of rockets flying
3283 version 1.1 firmware.
3284 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3287 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3288 Creating a Google Earth file (KML) from on-board flight data
3289 (EEPROM) would generate an empty file. The code responsible
3290 for reading the EEPROM file wasn't ever setting the GPS valid
3291 bits, and so the KML export code thought there was no GPS data
3293 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3294 The “Landed” tab was displaying all values in metric units,
3295 even when AltosUI was configured to display imperial
3296 units. Somehow I just missed this tab when doing the units stuff.
3297 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3298 The “Descent” tab displays the range to the rocket, which is a
3299 combination of the over-the-ground distance to the rockets
3300 current latitude/longitude and the height of the rocket. As
3301 such, it's useful for knowing how far away the rocket is, but
3302 difficult to use when estimating where the rocket might
3303 eventually land. A new “Ground Distance” field has been added
3304 which displays the distance to a spot right underneath the
3306 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3307 Sensor data wasn't being displayed for TeleMini flight
3308 computers in Monitor Idle mode, including things like battery
3309 voltage. The code that picked which kinds of data to fetch
3310 from the flight computer was missing a check for TeleMini when
3311 deciding whether to fetch the analog sensor data.
3312 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3313 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38973456"></a>Version 1.1</h2></div></div></div><p>
3314 Version 1.1 is a minor release. It provides a few new features in AltosUI
3315 and the AltOS firmware and fixes bugs.
3317 AltOS Firmware Changes
3318 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3319 Add apogee-lockout value. Overrides the apogee detection logic to
3320 prevent incorrect apogee charge firing.
3321 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3322 Fix a bug where the data reported in telemetry packets was
3324 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3325 Force the radio frequency to 434.550MHz when the debug clock
3326 pin is connected to ground at boot time. This provides a way
3327 to talk to a TeleMini which is configured to some unknown frequency.
3328 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3329 Provide RSSI values for Monitor Idle mode. This makes it easy to check radio
3330 range without needing to go to flight mode.
3331 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3332 Fix a bug which caused the old received telemetry packets to
3333 be retransmitted over the USB link when the radio was turned
3335 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3338 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3339 Fix a bug that caused GPS ready to happen too quickly. The
3340 software was using every telemetry packet to signal new GPS
3341 data, which caused GPS ready to be signalled after 10 packets
3342 instead of 10 GPS updates.
3343 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3344 Fix Google Earth data export to work with recent versions. The
3345 google earth file loading code got a lot pickier, requiring
3346 some minor white space changes in the export code.
3347 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3348 Make the look-n-feel configurable, providing a choice from
3349 the available options.
3350 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3351 Add an 'Age' element to mark how long since a telemetry packet
3352 has been received. Useful to quickly gauge whether
3353 communications with the rocket are still active.
3354 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3355 Add 'Configure Ground Station' dialog to set the radio
3356 frequency used by a particular TeleDongle without having to go
3357 through the flight monitor UI.
3358 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3359 Add configuration for the new apogee-lockout value. A menu provides a list of
3360 reasonable values, or the value can be set by hand.
3361 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3362 Changed how flight data are downloaded. Now there's an initial
3363 dialog asking which flights to download, and after that
3364 finishes, a second dialog comes up asking which flights to delete.
3365 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3366 Re-compute time spent in each state for the flight graph; this
3367 figures out the actual boost and landing times instead of
3368 using the conservative values provide by the flight
3369 electronics. This improves the accuracy of the boost
3370 acceleration and main descent rate computations.
3371 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3372 Make AltosUI run on Mac OS Lion. The default Java heap space
3373 was dramatically reduced for this release causing much of the
3374 UI to fail randomly. This most often affected the satellite
3375 mapping download and displays.
3376 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3377 Change how data are displayed in the 'table' tab of the flight
3378 monitoring window. This eliminates entries duplicated from the
3379 header and adds both current altitude and pad altitude, which
3380 are useful in 'Monitor Idle' mode.
3381 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3382 Add Imperial units mode to present data in feet instead of
3384 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3385 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38974960"></a>Version 1.0.1</h2></div></div></div><p>
3386 Version 1.0.1 is a major release, adding support for the TeleMini
3387 device and lots of new AltosUI features
3389 AltOS Firmware Changes
3390 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3391 Add TeleMini v1.0 support. Firmware images for TeleMini are
3392 included in AltOS releases.
3393 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3394 Change telemetry to be encoded in multiple 32-byte packets. This
3395 enables support for TeleMini and other devices without requiring
3396 further updates to the TeleDongle firmware.
3397 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3398 Support operation of TeleMetrum with the antenna pointing
3399 aft. Previous firmware versions required the antenna to be
3400 pointing upwards, now there is a configuration option allowing
3401 the antenna to point aft, to aid installation in some airframes.
3402 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3403 Ability to disable telemetry. For airframes where an antenna
3404 just isn't possible, or where radio transmissions might cause
3405 trouble with other electronics, there's a configuration option
3406 to disable all telemetry. Note that the board will still
3407 enable the radio link in idle mode.
3408 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3409 Arbitrary frequency selection. The radios in Altus Metrum
3410 devices can be programmed to a wide range of frequencies, so
3411 instead of limiting devices to 10 pre-selected 'channels', the
3412 new firmware allows the user to choose any frequency in the
3413 70cm band. Note that the RF matching circuit on the boards is
3414 tuned for around 435MHz, so frequencies far from that may
3415 reduce the available range.
3416 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3417 Kalman-filter based flight-tracking. The model based sensor
3418 fusion approach of a Kalman filter means that AltOS now
3419 computes apogee much more accurately than before, generally
3420 within a fraction of a second. In addition, this approach
3421 allows the baro-only TeleMini device to correctly identify
3422 Mach transitions, avoiding the error-prone selection of a Mach
3424 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3427 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3428 Wait for altimeter when using packet mode. Instead of quicly
3429 timing out when trying to initialize a packet mode
3430 configuration connection, AltosUI now waits indefinitely for
3431 the remote device to appear, providing a cancel button should
3432 the user get bored. This is necessary as the TeleMini can only
3433 be placed in "Idle" mode if AltosUI is polling it.
3434 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3435 Add main/apogee voltage graphs to the data plot. This provides
3436 a visual indication if the igniters fail before being fired.
3437 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3438 Scan for altimeter devices by watching the defined telemetry
3439 frequencies. This avoids the problem of remembering what
3440 frequency a device was configured to use, which is especially
3441 important with TeleMini which does not include a USB connection.
3442 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3443 Monitor altimeter state in "Idle" mode. This provides much of
3444 the information presented in the "Pad" dialog from the Monitor
3445 Flight command, monitoring the igniters, battery and GPS
3446 status withing requiring the flight computer to be armed and
3448 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3449 Pre-load map images from home. For those launch sites which
3450 don't provide free Wi-Fi, this allows you to download the
3451 necessary satellite images given the location of the launch
3452 site. A list of known launch sites is maintained at
3453 altusmetrum.org which AltosUI downloads to populate a menu; if
3454 you've got a launch site not on that list, please send the
3455 name of it, latitude and longitude along with a link to the
3456 web site of the controlling club to the altusmetrum mailing list.
3457 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3458 Flight statistics are now displayed in the Graph data
3459 window. These include max height/speed/accel, average descent
3460 rates and a few other bits of information. The Graph Data
3461 window can now be reached from the 'Landed' tab in the Monitor
3462 Flight window so you can immediately see the results of a
3464 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3465 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38976464"></a>Version 0.9.2</h2></div></div></div><p>
3466 Version 0.9.2 is an AltosUI bug-fix release, with no firmware changes.
3467 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3468 Fix plotting problems due to missing file in the Mac OS install image.
3469 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3470 Always read whole eeprom blocks, mark empty records invalid, display parsing errors to user.
3471 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3472 Add software version to Configure AltosUI dialog
3473 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38977968"></a>Version 0.9</h2></div></div></div><p>
3474 Version 0.9 adds a few new firmware features and accompanying
3475 AltosUI changes, along with new hardware support.
3476 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3477 Support for TeleMetrum v1.1 hardware. Sources for the flash
3478 memory part used in v1.0 dried up, so v1.1 uses a different part
3479 which required a new driver and support for explicit flight log
3481 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3482 Multiple flight log support. This stores more than one flight
3483 log in the on-board flash memory. It also requires the user to
3484 explicitly erase flights so that you won't lose flight logs just
3485 because you fly the same board twice in one day.
3486 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3487 Telemetry support for devices with serial number >=
3488 256. Previous versions used a telemetry packet format that
3489 provided only 8 bits for the device serial number. This change
3490 requires that both ends of the telemetry link be running the 0.9
3491 firmware or they will not communicate.
3492 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38979472"></a>Version 0.8</h2></div></div></div><p>
3493 Version 0.8 offers a major upgrade in the AltosUI
3494 interface. Significant new features include:
3495 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3496 Post-flight graphing tool. This lets you explore the behaviour
3497 of your rocket after flight with a scroll-able and zoom-able
3498 chart showing the altitude, speed and acceleration of the
3499 airframe along with events recorded by the flight computer. You
3500 can export graphs to PNG files, or print them directly.
3501 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3502 Real-time moving map which overlays the in-progress flight on
3503 satellite imagery fetched from Google Maps. This lets you see in
3504 pictures where your rocket has landed, allowing you to plan
3505 recovery activities more accurately.
3506 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3507 Wireless recovery system testing. Prep your rocket for flight
3508 and test fire the deployment charges to make sure things work as
3509 expected. All without threading wires through holes in your
3511 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3512 Optimized flight status displays. Each flight state now has it's
3513 own custom 'tab' in the flight monitoring window so you can
3514 focus on the most important details. Pre-flight, the system
3515 shows a set of red/green status indicators for battery voltage,
3516 apogee/main igniter continutity and GPS reception. Wait until
3517 they're all green and your rocket is ready for flight. There are
3518 also tabs for ascent, descent and landing along with the
3519 original tabular view of the data.
3520 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3521 Monitor multiple flights simultaneously. If you have more than
3522 one TeleDongle, you can monitor a flight with each one on the
3524 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3525 Automatic flight monitoring at startup. Plug TeleDongle into the
3526 machine before starting AltosUI and it will automatically
3527 connect to it and prepare to monitor a flight.
3528 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3529 Exports Google Earth flight tracks. Using the Keyhole Markup
3530 Language (.kml) file format, this provides a 3D view of your
3531 rocket flight through the Google Earth program.
3532 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38980976"></a>Version 0.7.1</h2></div></div></div><p>
3533 Version 0.7.1 is the first release containing our new cross-platform Java-based user interface. AltosUI can:
3534 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3535 Receive and log telemetry from a connected TeleDongle
3536 device. All data received is saved to log files named with the
3537 current date and the connected rocket serial and flight
3538 numbers. There is no mode in which telemetry data will not be
3540 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3541 Download logged data from TeleMetrum devices, either through a
3542 direct USB connection or over the air through a TeleDongle
3544 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3545 Configure a TeleMetrum device, setting the radio channel,
3546 callsign, apogee delay and main deploy height. This can be done
3547 through either a USB connection or over a radio link via a
3549 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3550 Replay a flight in real-time. This takes a saved telemetry log
3551 or eeprom download and replays it through the user interface so
3552 you can relive your favorite rocket flights.
3553 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3554 Reprogram Altus Metrum devices. Using an Altus Metrum device
3555 connected via USB, another Altus Metrum device can be
3556 reprogrammed using the supplied programming cable between the
3558 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3559 Export Flight data to a comma-separated-values file. This takes
3560 either telemetry or on-board flight data and generates data
3561 suitable for use in external applications. All data is exported
3562 using standard units so that no device-specific knowledge is
3563 needed to handle the data.
3564 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3565 Speak to you during the flight. Instead of spending the flight
3566 hunched over your laptop looking at the screen, enjoy the view
3567 while the computer tells you what’s going on up there. During
3568 ascent, you hear the current flight state and altitude
3569 information. During descent, you get azimuth, elevation and
3570 range information to try and help you find your rocket in the
3571 air. Once on the ground, the direction and distance are
3573 </p></li></ul></div></div></div></div></body></html>
projects / web / altusmetrum / blob