3 Operating a TeleLaunch system is pretty easy, and we hope fairly
4 intuitive for anyone who has ever launched rockets before. Basic
5 instructions are printed on a decal inside the lid of each TeleLCO
6 unit, which early customers (before this manual was even written)
7 reported were sufficient to successfully use the system.
10 The siren used on TeleFire boxes is intended to be heard at a distance
11 outdoors. We strongly recommend that you do NOT test the system on
12 your kitchen counter when your significant other has a cup of hot
13 coffee in hand nearby!
15 The remainder of this section assumes the system has already been
16 properly configured with callsign, AES key, and bank numbers for each
19 === Charging Batteries
21 TeleLCO has an internal Lithium Polymer battery that is
22 charged over USB. A weather-tight micro USB connector is
23 installed with a blue cap under the handle. This position
24 was chosen so that TeleLCO can be charged while the lid is
25 closed and standing handle-up. Attach a micro USB cable
26 to a computer or other source of USB power. There are two
27 charge indicators on the panel that will illuminate during
28 charging, red for charge in progress and green for charge
31 TeleFire has an internal sealed lead acid 12V battery, and
32 is provided with an external AC charger. Connect this charger
33 to the PowerPole connector on the back face of the box to
34 charge the battery. Other sources of charging current for
35 a nominal 12V sealed battery may be used. The charge
36 connector can also be used to attach an external battery if
41 Each unit in the TeleLaunch system needs a suitable antenna
42 attached. A typical configuration would involve the provided
43 omni-directional antenna or optional directional antenna aimed
44 at the field mounted on a pole attached to TeleLCO at the
45 launch control station, and the provided rubber whip antennas
48 If deploying the system in rough terrain, on a field with
49 dense vegetation, or at great distances (some away cells), you
50 may need a better antenna or at least to mount the antenna
51 higher off the ground. All units in the TeleLaunch system
52 have tri-color RF signal strength indicators. A system should
53 show green on all units during normal operation. An occasional
54 dip to amber is ok, but frequent amber or any red indicates a
55 need to improve the antenna situation.
57 Antenna made for use near 435 Mhz in the ham radio "70cm band"
58 should work, and there are many online sources of information
59 on making inexpensive, highly effective antennas at home.
61 The TeleLCO unit should be placed on a table at the Launch
62 Control position. It can be helpful for the LCO (the human(s)
63 too, not just the electronics!) to be provided with some
64 shade, but the use of reflective LCDs for the digit
65 displays and ultri-bright LEDs make TeleLCO operation
66 reasonable even in direct sunlight.
68 Each TeleFire box should be placed in proximity to the launch
69 rails it will service. Whip clips made from AC power cords
70 (not provided) should be attached to TeleFire and routed to
71 each launch rail. The pyro output on each channel is
72 connected to the "line" and "neutral" pins on the outlet,
73 while the ground pin is attached to chassis ground.
77 Turn on all TeleFire pad boxes in the system. At power-on,
78 all LEDs will turn on briefly so you can verify they're all
79 working. The radio signal strength indicators will show red
80 until TeleLCO is turned on.
82 Turn on TeleLCO. All LCD segments and LEDs will turn on
83 briefly so you can verify they're all working. An exception
84 are the two battery charger LEDs, which only illuminate when
85 the battery is charging. The LCD displays will then briefly
86 display the internal battery voltage, which should be at least
87 3.9V for normal operation. TeleLCO then scans to locate all
88 TeleFire boxes that are in range and configured for the same
89 frequency, callsign, and AES key. During this process, the
90 Bank LCD diplays will appear to be counting up from 1 to 99.
91 When the search is complete, the Pad display will show the
92 number of TeleFire devices found. TeleLCO beeps when ready.
96 Switch the TeleFire to 'Safe' and confirm it is silent.
98 Put a rocket on a launch rail / rod, and connect whip clips
99 from a pad output on a TeleFire unit to the motor igniter.
100 Verify igniter continuity using the LED associated with that
101 output. Green is good.
103 Switch the TeleFire unit from 'Safe' to 'Arm', at which point
104 it will start "chirping" to indicate that it is "armed and
105 dangerous". Move to the TeleLCO at a safe distance away.
107 Ensure the TeleLCO blue Drag Race switch is on Normal and
108 the blue Drag Race LED is extinguished.
110 Select the desired TeleFire unit by pushing the TeleLCO
111 selector knob until the "Bank" LED is lit, then rotating the
113 desired box is selected. Then push the knob until the Pad
114 LED is lit and rotate the knob until the desired pad is
115 selected. Verify the Remote Armed LED is lit, and that the
116 selected pad's Igniter Continuity LED is lit.
118 Perform range safety checks.
120 Move the TeleLCO SAFE/ARM switch to ARM. This will cause
121 the selected TeleFire unit's strobe to start flashing and
122 siren to become more insistent.
126 Depress the LAUNCH button and hold until the rocket launches.
128 Move the TeleLCO SAFE/ARM switch back to SAFE.
130 === Launch A Multi-Rocket "Drag Race"
132 To enable drag race mode, move the TeleLCO blue switch to
133 Drag Race. The blue Drag Race LED should illuminate.
135 Select pads to include in the drag race by using the same
136 process as for a single rocket to select each Bank and Pad,
137 then press Add/Remove to toggle the currently selected pad
138 in the race. The continuity LEDs blink ON/off for selected,
139 and on/OFF for deselected (long ON means in the race).
141 A drag race can be configured to include pads on multiple
142 TeleFire boxes, but the blinking continuity indicators to
143 show which pads are included can only indicate the currently
146 Verify remotes are ready and armed by using the Remote Armed
147 and Igniter Continuity LEDs.
149 Perform range safety checks.
151 Move the TeleLCO SAFE/ARM switch to ARM. This will cause
152 the selected TeleFire units strobes to start flashing and
153 sirens to become more insistent.
157 Depress the LAUNCH button and hold until rockets launch.
159 Move the TeleLCO SAFE/ARM switch back to SAFE.
161 Move Drag Race switch back to Normal.
163 Note that if there is a mis-fire in a drag race and you want
164 to fix igniters and try again, the current drag configuration
165 is preserved as long as you stay in Drag Race mode. So you
166 can SAFE the system, fix igniters, and try again before leaving
167 Drag Race mode if desired.