2 == Handling Precautions
4 All Altus Metrum products are sophisticated electronic devices.
5 When handled gently and properly installed in an air-frame, they
6 will deliver impressive results. However, as with all electronic
7 devices, there are some precautions you must take.
9 The Lithium Polymer rechargeable batteries have an
10 extraordinary power density. This is great because we can fly with
11 much less battery mass than if we used alkaline batteries or previous
12 generation rechargeable batteries... but if they are punctured
13 or their leads are allowed to short, they can and will release their
15 Thus we recommend that you take some care when handling our batteries
16 and consider giving them some extra protection in your air-frame. We
17 often wrap them in suitable scraps of closed-cell packing foam before
18 strapping them down, for example.
20 The barometric sensors used on all of our flight computers are
21 sensitive to sunlight. In normal mounting situations, the baro sensor
22 and all of the other surface mount components
23 are “down” towards whatever the underlying mounting surface is, so
24 this is not normally a problem. Please consider this when designing an
25 installation in an air-frame with a see-through plastic payload bay. It
26 is particularly important to
27 consider this with TeleMini v1.0, both because the baro sensor is on the
28 “top” of the board, and because many model rockets with payload bays
29 use clear plastic for the payload bay! Replacing these with an opaque
30 cardboard tube, painting them, or wrapping them with a layer of masking
31 tape are all reasonable approaches to keep the sensor out of direct
34 The barometric sensor sampling port must be able to “breathe”,
35 both by not being covered by foam or tape or other materials that might
36 directly block the hole on the top of the sensor, and also by having a
37 suitable static vent to outside air.
39 As with all other rocketry electronics, Altus Metrum altimeters must
40 be protected from exposure to corrosive motor exhaust and ejection