[[!meta title="MicroPeakUSB"]]
# MicroPeak USB Interface #
The MicroPeak USB Interface board provides a way to capture
[MicroPeak](../MicroPeak/) flight logs over a USB connection to a
computer running Linux, Mac OS or Windows.
## MicroPeak Data ##
* Stored in on-chip 512B eeprom
* Records raw barometer readings every 192ms
* Enough storage for 48 seconds
No changes are needed to the [MicroPeak](../MicroPeak/) hardware, but new firmware that
includes the data download feature is necessary to use the MicroPeak
USB Interface.
## MicroPeak Interface ##
[MicroPeak](../MicroPeak/) transmits the entire flight log via the LED just after
reporting the last flight altitude at power up. The data burst is
transmitted in a simple serial format at 9600 baud.
The MicroPeak USB Interface board contains a phototransistor,
op-amp and serial-to-USB interface chip. It also includes a blue LED
which blinks in time with the [MicroPeak](../MicroPeak/) orange LED. This makes
aligning the two boards by hand quite easy.
Here's a picture of the device in operation, with
[MicroPeak](../MicroPeak) positioned to transmit data. The blue LED on
the interface board is visible through the smaller hole in the front
of the box.
## MicroPeak Application ##
The MicroPeak application written in Java runs on
Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It captures and saves the flight data, then
produces plots and statistics. More information is available on the main
[MicroPeak](../MicroPeak/) page.
## Developer View ##
Here's a close-up view of the hardware
* Hardware Features
* ROHM RPM-075PT Phototransistor
* Peak sensitivity matches MicroPeak LED color
* [ST Micro TSV521](http://www.st.com/internet/analog/product/251123.jsp) CMOS op-amp
* Low power
* [FTDI FT230](http://www.ftdichip.com/Products/ICs/FT230X.html) Serial to USB adapter
* Drivers available for Linux, Mac OS X and Windows.
* Tools Used
* [gEDA](http://www.gpleda.org/) for schematic capture and PCB layout
* Licenses
* The hardware is licensed under the [TAPR](http://www.tapr.org) [Open Hardware License](http://www.tapr.org/ohl.html)
## [Upcoming MicroPeak USB version](future) ##
## [History of the MicroPeak USB interface](history) ##