From 14198869924dcdc4f2f07cfdd4ed4badaf74f0ab Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Bdale Garbee Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:55:32 -0600 Subject: [PATCH] add usage info --- Uses/index.mdwn | 88 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ index.mdwn | 2 ++ 2 files changed, 90 insertions(+) create mode 100644 Uses/index.mdwn diff --git a/Uses/index.mdwn b/Uses/index.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 0000000..374059a --- /dev/null +++ b/Uses/index.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,88 @@ +# Using Altus Metrum Products + +## Being Legal ## + +First off, in the US, you need an [amateur radio license](../Radio) or +other authorization to legally operate the radio transmitters that are part +of our products. + +## In the Rocket ## + +In the rocket itself, you just need a [TeleMetrum](../TeleMetrum) board and +a LiPo rechargeable battery. An 860mAh battery weighs less than a 9V +alkaline battery, and will run a [TeleMetrum](../TeleMetrum) for hours. + +By default, we ship TeleMetrum with a simple wire antenna. If your +electronics bay or the airframe it resides within is made of carbon fiber, +which is opaque to RF signals, you may choose to have an SMA connector +installed so that you can run a coaxial cable to an antenna mounted +elsewhere in the rocket. + +## On the Ground ## + +To receive the data stream from the rocket, you need an antenna and short +feedline connected to one of our [TeleDongle](../TeleDongle) units. The +TeleDongle in turn plugs directly into the USB port on a notebook +computer. Because TeleDongle looks like a simple serial port, your computer +does not require special device drivers... just plug it in. + +Right now, all of our application software is written for Linux. However, +because we understand that many people run Windows or MacOS, we are working +on a new ground station program written in Java that should work on all +operating systems. + +After the flight, you can use the RF link to extract the more detailed data +logged in the rocket, or you can use a mini USB cable to plug into the +TeleMetrum board directly. Pulling out the data without having to open up +the rocket is pretty cool! A USB cable is also how you charge the LiPo +battery, so you'll want one of those anyway... the same cable used by lots +of digital cameras and other modern electronic stuff will work fine. + +If your rocket lands out of sight, you may enjoy having a hand-held GPS +receiver, so that you can put in a waypoint for the last reported rocket +position before touch-down. This makes looking for your rocket a lot like +Geo-Cacheing... just go to the waypoint and look around starting from there. + +You may also enjoy having a ham radio "HT" that covers the 70cm band... you +can use that with your antenna to direction-find the rocket on the ground +the same way you can use a Walston or Beeline tracker. This can be handy +if the rocket is hiding in sage brush or a tree, or if the last GPS position +doesn't get you close enough because the rocket dropped into a canyon, or +the wind is blowing it across a dry lake bed, or something like that... + +So, to recap, on the ground the hardware you'll need includes: + +* an antenna and feedline +* a TeleDongle +* a notebook computer +* optionally, a handheld GPS receiver +* optionally, an HT or receiver covering 435 Mhz + +## Data Analysis ## + +Our software makes it easy to log the data from each flight, both the +telemetry received over the RF link during the flight itself, and the more +complete data log recorded in the DataFlash memory on the TeleMetrum +board. Once this data is on your computer, our postflight tools make it +easy to view a standard set of plots showing the altitude, acceleration, and +velocity of the rocket during flight. You can also export a data file useable +with Google Maps and Google Earth for visualizing the flight path in two or +three dimensions. + +Our ultimate goal is to emit a set of files for each flight that can be +published as a web page per flight, or just viewed on your local disk with +a web browser. + +## Future Plans ## + +In the future, we intend to offer "companion boards" for the rocket that will +plug in to TeleMetrum to collect additional data, provide more pyro channels, +and so forth. A reference design for a companion board will be documented +soon, and will be compatible with open source Arduino programming tools. + +We are also working on the design of a hand-held ground terminal that will +allow monitoring the rocket's status, collecting data during flight, and +logging data after flight without the need for a notebook computer on the +flight line. Particularly since it is so difficult to read most notebook +screens in direct sunlight, we think this will be a great thing to have. + diff --git a/index.mdwn b/index.mdwn index 65bbbab..42f9e4e 100644 --- a/index.mdwn +++ b/index.mdwn @@ -63,6 +63,8 @@ the set of hardware projects here. was Bdale's original project here, a dual-deploy rocketry altimeter. One prototype was built, but never flown. This project is now indefinitely on hold. +# [Using Altus Metrum Products](Using) # + # Participants # * [Bdale Garbee](http://gag.com/~bdale) -- 2.47.2