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-== Installation
-
- EasyMotor needs to be rigidly attached in the airframe, and the
- long axis of the circuit board needs to be aligned with the axis
- of flight. By default, the round beeper on the board should be
- "up" towards the nose cone, and the screw terminal strips should
- be "down" towards the fins and motor nozzle end of the rocket.
-
- === Power Switch and Battery
-
- In addition to the circuit board itself, EasyMotor needs
- a power switch and battery to operate. Unlike most other
- Altus Metrum products, EasyMotor does not work with
- single-cell LiPo batteries. That's because commonly
- available inexpensive pressure sensors need 5V, which is
- more than a single-cell LiPo provides. Any battery that
- provides from 6.5 to about 15 volts should work. Good
- choices are the common 9V alkaline battery, or the very
- small and light A23 12V alkaline batteries.
-
- Because he often mounts EasyMotor to the motor's forward
- bulkhead instead of to the airframe itself, Bdale often
- uses a length of "shooter wire" from an e-match or used
- motor igniter as a power switch, routing the wire out of
- the typical fin can vent hole and using "twist and tape"
- to power up the board. Whatever works!
-
- === Pressure Sensor
-
- The primary motivation for designing EasyMotor was to have
- a reliable way of recording motor chamber pressure during
- flight. To that end, EasyMotor supports attachment of a
- low-cost analog pressure sensor. The board provides 5V
- to power the sensor, and an input for measuring and
- logging the output voltage from the sensor.
-
- The kind of sensor EasyMotor is designed to work with
- takes 5V in and has a linear analog output that ranges
- from 0.5V at 0 to 4.5V at the maximum pressure supported
- by the sensor. Very inexpensive sensors that have a
- "1/8 NPT" threaded input, a "Buick-style" 3-pin connector,
- and typically ship with a short cable and mating
- connector, are readily available on eBay and AliExpress.
-
- To log in-flight chamber pressure, a typical approach
- might be to drill a 1/8" sampling hole all the way
- through the center of the motor's forward closure, then
- drill and tap partially through the closure with a "1/8
- NPT" pipe tap. Fill the touch hole with grease, screw in
- the pressure sensor, and attach the sensor leads to
- EasyMotor.