A Dual-Deploy Rocketry Flight Computer
+EasyMini Ownerâs Manual A Dual-Deploy Rocketry Flight Computer
-
Copyright © 2016 Bdale Garbee and Keith Packard
Copyright © 2016 Bdale Garbee and Keith Packard
This document is released under the terms of the
Creative Commons ShareAlike 3.0
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ collaborators, and we certainly appreciate this level of
contribution!
Have fun using these products, and we hope to meet all of you
out on the rocket flight line somewhere.
Bdale Garbee, KB0G
NAR #87103, TRA #12201
Keith Packard, KD7SQG
-NAR #88757, TRA #12200
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction and Overview
- 2. Getting Started
- 3. Using Altus Metrum Hardware
- 3.1. Wiring and Electrical Interference
- 3.2. Hooking Up Lithium Polymer Batteries
- 3.3. Hooking Up Pyro Charges
- 3.4. Hooking Up a Power Switch
- 3.5. Understanding Beeps
- 3.6. Turning On the Power
- 3.7. Using an External Active Switch Circuit
- 3.8. Using a Separate Pyro Battery
- 3.9. Using a Different Kind of Battery
- 4. EasyMini
- 5. Installation
- 6. Using Altus Metrum Products
- 7. AltosUI
- A. System Operation
- B. Handling Precautions
- C. Updating Device Firmware
- D. Flight Data Recording
- E. Altus Metrum Hardware Specifications
- F. Release Notes
List of Figures
- 4.1. EasyMini Board
- 7.1. AltosUI Main Window
- 7.2. Flight Data Graph
- 7.3. Flight Graph Configuration
- 7.4. Flight Statistics
- 7.5. Altimeter Configuration
- 7.6. Configure AltosUI Dialog
- 7.7. Fire Igniter Window
List of Tables
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction and Overview
- 2. Getting Started
- 3. Using Altus Metrum Hardware
- 3.1. Wiring and Electrical Interference
- 3.2. Hooking Up Lithium Polymer Batteries
- 3.3. Hooking Up Pyro Charges
- 3.4. Hooking Up a Power Switch
- 3.5. Understanding Beeps
- 3.6. Turning On the Power
- 3.7. Using an External Active Switch Circuit
- 3.8. Using a Separate Pyro Battery
- 3.9. Using a Different Kind of Battery
- 4. EasyMini
- 5. Installation
- 6. Using Altus Metrum Products
- 7. AltosUI
- A. System Operation
- B. Handling Precautions
- C. Updating Device Firmware
- D. Flight Data Recording
- E. Altus Metrum Hardware Specifications
- F. Release Notes
List of Figures
- 4.1. EasyMini Board
- 7.1. AltosUI Main Window
- 7.2. Flight Data Graph
- 7.3. Flight Graph Configuration
- 7.4. Flight Statistics
- 7.5. Altimeter Configuration
- 7.6. Configure AltosUI Dialog
- 7.7. Fire Igniter Window
List of Tables
Welcome to the Altus Metrum community! Our circuits and software reflect
our passion for both hobby rocketry and Free Software. We hope their
capabilities and performance will delight you in every way, but by
releasing all of our hardware and software designs under open licenses,
@@ -105,16 +105,16 @@ beeping
that accompanies each mode. In the description of the
beeping pattern, âditâ means a short beep while "dah"
means a long beep (three times as long). âBrapâ means
-a long dissonant tone.
Table 3.1. AltOS Modes
Mode Name
Abbreviation
Beeps
Description
Startup
S
battery voltage in decivolts
Calibrating sensors, detecting orientation.
Idle
I
dit dit
Ready to accept commands over USB
Pad
P
dit dah dah dit
Waiting for launch. Not listening for commands.
Boost
B
dah dit dit dit
Accelerating upwards.
Fast
F
dit dit dah dit
Decelerating, but moving faster than 200m/s.
Coast
C
dah dit dah dit
Decelerating, moving slower than 200m/s
Drogue
D
dah dit dit
Descending after apogee. Above main height.
Main
M
dah dah
Descending. Below main height.
Landed
L
dit dah dit dit
Stable altitude for at least ten seconds.
Sensor error
X
dah dit dit dah
Error detected during sensor calibration.
Hereâs a summary of all of the Pad and Idle mode
+a long dissonant tone.
Table 3.1. AltOS Modes
Mode Name
Abbreviation
Beeps
Description
Startup
S
battery voltage in decivolts
Calibrating sensors, detecting orientation.
Idle
I
dit dit
Ready to accept commands over USB
Pad
P
dit dah dah dit
Waiting for launch. Not listening for commands.
Boost
B
dah dit dit dit
Accelerating upwards.
Fast
F
dit dit dah dit
Decelerating, but moving faster than 200m/s.
Coast
C
dah dit dah dit
Decelerating, moving slower than 200m/s
Drogue
D
dah dit dit
Descending after apogee. Above main height.
Main
M
dah dah
Descending. Below main height.
Landed
L
dit dah dit dit
Stable altitude for at least ten seconds.
Sensor error
X
dah dit dit dah
Error detected during sensor calibration.
Hereâs a summary of all of the Pad and Idle mode
indications. In Idle mode, youâll hear one of these
just once after the two short dits indicating idle
mode. In Pad mode, after the dit dah dah dit
indicating Pad mode, youâll hear these once every five
-seconds.
Table 3.2. Pad/Idle Indications
Connect a battery and power switch and turn the switch
to "on". The flight computer will signal power on by
reporting the battery voltage and then perform an internal self
test and sensor calibration.
Once the self test and calibration are complete, there
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ is
designed to use either a
lithium polymer battery or any other battery producing
between 4 and 12 volts, such as a rectangular 9V
-battery.
EasyMini is built on a 0.8 inch by 1½ inch circuit board. Itâs
designed to fit in a 24mm coupler tube.
You usually donât need to configure EasyMini at all; itâs set
up to do dual-deployment with an event at apogee to separate
the airframe and deploy a drogue and another event at 250m
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ board. Using the picture
above, the top four have connections for the main pyro
circuit and an external battery and the bottom four have
connections for the apogee pyro circuit and the power
-switch. Counting from the left, the connections are as follows:
Table 4.1. EasyMini Screw Terminals
Terminal # Terminal Name Description Top 1
Main -
Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit
Top 2
Main
Main pyro channel common connection to battery
Top 3
Battery
Positive external battery terminal
Top 4
Battery -
Negative external battery terminal
Bottom 1
Apogee -
Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit
Bottom 2
Apogee
Apogee pyro channel common connection to battery
Bottom 3
Switch Output
Switch connection to flight computer
Bottom 4
Switch Input
Switch connection to positive battery terminal
There are two possible battery connections on
+switch. Counting from the left, the connections are as follows:
Table 4.1. EasyMini Screw Terminals
Terminal # Terminal Name Description Top 1
Main -
Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit
Top 2
Main
Main pyro channel common connection to battery
Top 3
Battery
Positive external battery terminal
Top 4
Battery -
Negative external battery terminal
Bottom 1
Apogee -
Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit
Bottom 2
Apogee
Apogee pyro channel common connection to battery
Bottom 3
Switch Output
Switch connection to flight computer
Bottom 4
Switch Input
Switch connection to positive battery terminal
There are two possible battery connections on
EasyMini. You can use either method; both feed
through the power switch terminals.
One battery connection is the standard Altus Metrum
white JST plug. This mates with single-cell Lithium
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ feel free to dive in and help! Or let us know what
youâd like to see that we arenât already working on,
and maybe weâll get excited about it tooâ¦
Watch our web site for
more news and information as our family of products
-evolves!
A Dual-Deploy Rocketry Flight Computer
-
Copyright © 2016 Bdale Garbee and Keith Packard
Copyright © 2016 Bdale Garbee and Keith Packard
This document is released under the terms of the Creative Commons ShareAlike 3.0 @@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ collaborators, and we certainly appreciate this level of contribution!
Have fun using these products, and we hope to meet all of you out on the rocket flight line somewhere.
Bdale Garbee, KB0G
NAR #87103, TRA #12201
Keith Packard, KD7SQG
-NAR #88757, TRA #12200
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction and Overview
- 2. Getting Started
- 3. Using Altus Metrum Hardware
- 3.1. Wiring and Electrical Interference
- 3.2. Hooking Up Lithium Polymer Batteries
- 3.3. Hooking Up Pyro Charges
- 3.4. Hooking Up a Power Switch
- 3.5. Understanding Beeps
- 3.6. Turning On the Power
- 3.7. Using an External Active Switch Circuit
- 3.8. Using a Separate Pyro Battery
- 3.9. Using a Different Kind of Battery
- 4. EasyMini
- 5. Installation
- 6. Using Altus Metrum Products
- 7. AltosUI
- A. System Operation
- B. Handling Precautions
- C. Updating Device Firmware
- D. Flight Data Recording
- E. Altus Metrum Hardware Specifications
- F. Release Notes
List of Figures
- 4.1. EasyMini Board
- 7.1. AltosUI Main Window
- 7.2. Flight Data Graph
- 7.3. Flight Graph Configuration
- 7.4. Flight Statistics
- 7.5. Altimeter Configuration
- 7.6. Configure AltosUI Dialog
- 7.7. Fire Igniter Window
List of Tables
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction and Overview
- 2. Getting Started
- 3. Using Altus Metrum Hardware
- 3.1. Wiring and Electrical Interference
- 3.2. Hooking Up Lithium Polymer Batteries
- 3.3. Hooking Up Pyro Charges
- 3.4. Hooking Up a Power Switch
- 3.5. Understanding Beeps
- 3.6. Turning On the Power
- 3.7. Using an External Active Switch Circuit
- 3.8. Using a Separate Pyro Battery
- 3.9. Using a Different Kind of Battery
- 4. EasyMini
- 5. Installation
- 6. Using Altus Metrum Products
- 7. AltosUI
- A. System Operation
- B. Handling Precautions
- C. Updating Device Firmware
- D. Flight Data Recording
- E. Altus Metrum Hardware Specifications
- F. Release Notes
List of Figures
- 4.1. EasyMini Board
- 7.1. AltosUI Main Window
- 7.2. Flight Data Graph
- 7.3. Flight Graph Configuration
- 7.4. Flight Statistics
- 7.5. Altimeter Configuration
- 7.6. Configure AltosUI Dialog
- 7.7. Fire Igniter Window
List of Tables
Welcome to the Altus Metrum community! Our circuits and software reflect our passion for both hobby rocketry and Free Software. We hope their capabilities and performance will delight you in every way, but by releasing all of our hardware and software designs under open licenses, @@ -105,16 +105,16 @@ beeping that accompanies each mode. In the description of the beeping pattern, âditâ means a short beep while "dah" means a long beep (three times as long). âBrapâ means -a long dissonant tone.
Table 3.1. AltOS Modes
Mode Name | Abbreviation | Beeps | Description |
Startup | S | battery voltage in decivolts | Calibrating sensors, detecting orientation. |
Idle | I | dit dit | Ready to accept commands over USB |
Pad | P | dit dah dah dit | Waiting for launch. Not listening for commands. |
Boost | B | dah dit dit dit | Accelerating upwards. |
Fast | F | dit dit dah dit | Decelerating, but moving faster than 200m/s. |
Coast | C | dah dit dah dit | Decelerating, moving slower than 200m/s |
Drogue | D | dah dit dit | Descending after apogee. Above main height. |
Main | M | dah dah | Descending. Below main height. |
Landed | L | dit dah dit dit | Stable altitude for at least ten seconds. |
Sensor error | X | dah dit dit dah | Error detected during sensor calibration. |
Hereâs a summary of all of the Pad and Idle mode +a long dissonant tone.
Table 3.1. AltOS Modes
Mode Name | Abbreviation | Beeps | Description |
Startup | S | battery voltage in decivolts | Calibrating sensors, detecting orientation. |
Idle | I | dit dit | Ready to accept commands over USB |
Pad | P | dit dah dah dit | Waiting for launch. Not listening for commands. |
Boost | B | dah dit dit dit | Accelerating upwards. |
Fast | F | dit dit dah dit | Decelerating, but moving faster than 200m/s. |
Coast | C | dah dit dah dit | Decelerating, moving slower than 200m/s |
Drogue | D | dah dit dit | Descending after apogee. Above main height. |
Main | M | dah dah | Descending. Below main height. |
Landed | L | dit dah dit dit | Stable altitude for at least ten seconds. |
Sensor error | X | dah dit dit dah | Error detected during sensor calibration. |
Hereâs a summary of all of the Pad and Idle mode indications. In Idle mode, youâll hear one of these just once after the two short dits indicating idle mode. In Pad mode, after the dit dah dah dit indicating Pad mode, youâll hear these once every five -seconds.
Table 3.2. Pad/Idle Indications
Connect a battery and power switch and turn the switch to "on". The flight computer will signal power on by reporting the battery voltage and then perform an internal self test and sensor calibration.
Once the self test and calibration are complete, there @@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ is designed to use either a lithium polymer battery or any other battery producing between 4 and 12 volts, such as a rectangular 9V -battery.
EasyMini is built on a 0.8 inch by 1½ inch circuit board. Itâs designed to fit in a 24mm coupler tube.
You usually donât need to configure EasyMini at all; itâs set up to do dual-deployment with an event at apogee to separate the airframe and deploy a drogue and another event at 250m @@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ board. Using the picture above, the top four have connections for the main pyro circuit and an external battery and the bottom four have connections for the apogee pyro circuit and the power -switch. Counting from the left, the connections are as follows:
Table 4.1. EasyMini Screw Terminals
| Terminal # | Terminal Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
Top 1 | Main - | Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit |
Top 2 | Main | Main pyro channel common connection to battery |
Top 3 | Battery | Positive external battery terminal |
Top 4 | Battery - | Negative external battery terminal |
Bottom 1 | Apogee - | Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit |
Bottom 2 | Apogee | Apogee pyro channel common connection to battery |
Bottom 3 | Switch Output | Switch connection to flight computer |
Bottom 4 | Switch Input | Switch connection to positive battery terminal |
There are two possible battery connections on +switch. Counting from the left, the connections are as follows:
Table 4.1. EasyMini Screw Terminals
| Terminal # | Terminal Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
Top 1 | Main - | Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit |
Top 2 | Main | Main pyro channel common connection to battery |
Top 3 | Battery | Positive external battery terminal |
Top 4 | Battery - | Negative external battery terminal |
Bottom 1 | Apogee - | Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit |
Bottom 2 | Apogee | Apogee pyro channel common connection to battery |
Bottom 3 | Switch Output | Switch connection to flight computer |
Bottom 4 | Switch Input | Switch connection to positive battery terminal |
There are two possible battery connections on EasyMini. You can use either method; both feed through the power switch terminals.
One battery connection is the standard Altus Metrum white JST plug. This mates with single-cell Lithium @@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ feel free to dive in and help! Or let us know what youâd like to see that we arenât already working on, and maybe weâll get excited about it tooâ¦
Watch our web site for more news and information as our family of products -evolves!
The AltosUI program provides a graphical user interface for interacting with the Altus Metrum product family. AltosUI can monitor telemetry data, configure devices and many other tasks. The primary interface window provides a selection of @@ -308,7 +308,7 @@ record file, either a .telem file recording telemetry data or a flash memory.
Note that telemetry files will generally produce poor graphs due to the lower sampling rate and missed telemetry packets. Use saved flight data in .eeprom files for graphing where possible.
Once a flight record is selected, a window with multiple tabs is -opened.
By default, the graph contains acceleration (blue), +opened.
By default, the graph contains acceleration (blue), velocity (green) and altitude (red).
The graph can be zoomed into a particular area by clicking and dragging down and to the right. Once zoomed, the graph can be reset by clicking and @@ -316,9 +316,9 @@ dragging up and to the left. Holding down control and clicking and dragging allows the graph to be panned. The right mouse button causes a pop-up menu to be displayed, giving you the option save or print the -plot.
This selects which graph elements to show, and, at the +plot.
This selects which graph elements to show, and, at the very bottom, lets you switch between metric and -imperial units
This tool takes the raw data files and makes them available for external analysis. When you select this button, you are prompted to select a flight data file, which can be either a .eeprom or .telem. The .eeprom @@ -337,7 +337,7 @@ tools can be configured to skip over.
The remaining lines of the file cont each field separated by a comma and at least one space. All of the sensor values are converted to standard units, with the barometric data reported in -both pressure, altitude and height above pad units.
Select this button and then select an altimeter.
The first few lines of the dialog provide information about the connected device, including the product name, software version and hardware serial number. Below that are the individual configuration entries.
At the bottom of the dialog, there are four buttons:
- @@ -421,7 +421,7 @@ have more than one flight computer in a single airframe, having all of them sound at the same frequency can be confusing. This parameter lets you adjust the base beeper frequency -value.
