1 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
2 <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><title>The Altus Metrum System</title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="am.css" /><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.78.1" /></head><body><div xml:lang="en" class="book" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="idm45058136831984"></a>The Altus Metrum System</h1></div><div><h2 class="subtitle">An Owner's Manual for Altus Metrum Rocketry Electronics</h2></div><div><h3 class="corpauthor">
3 <span class="inlinemediaobject"><img src="altusmetrum-oneline.svg" width="360" /></span>
4 </h3></div><div><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Bdale</span> <span class="surname">Garbee</span></h3><code class="email"><<a class="email" href="mailto:bdale@gag.com">bdale@gag.com</a>></code></div></div><div><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Keith</span> <span class="surname">Packard</span></h3><code class="email"><<a class="email" href="mailto:keithp@keithp.com">keithp@keithp.com</a>></code></div></div><div><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Bob</span> <span class="surname">Finch</span></h3></div></div><div><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Anthony</span> <span class="surname">Towns</span></h3></div></div><div><p class="copyright">Copyright © 2016 Bdale Garbee and Keith Packard</p></div><div><div class="legalnotice"><a id="idm45058136014592"></a><p>
5 This document is released under the terms of the
6 <a class="ulink" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/" target="_top">
7 Creative Commons ShareAlike 3.0
10 </p></div></div><div><a href="altusmetrum-revhistory.html">Revision History</a></div></div><hr /></div><div class="dedication"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_acknowledgments"></a>Acknowledgments</h1></div></div></div><p>Thanks to Bob Finch, W9YA, NAR 12965, TRA 12350 for writing “The
11 Mere-Mortals Quick Start/Usage Guide to the Altus Metrum Starter
12 Kit” which formed the basis of the original Getting Started chapter
13 in this manual. Bob was one of our first customers for a production
14 TeleMetrum, and his continued enthusiasm and contributions
15 are immensely gratifying and highly appreciated!</p><p>And thanks to Anthony (AJ) Towns for major contributions including
16 the AltosUI graphing and site map code and associated documentation.
17 Free software means that our customers and friends can become our
18 collaborators, and we certainly appreciate this level of
19 contribution!</p><p>Have fun using these products, and we hope to meet all of you
20 out on the rocket flight line somewhere.</p><div class="blockquote"><blockquote class="blockquote"><div class="literallayout"><p>Bdale Garbee, KB0G<br />
21 NAR #87103, TRA #12201</p></div></blockquote></div><div class="blockquote"><blockquote class="blockquote"><div class="literallayout"><p>Keith Packard, KD7SQG<br />
22 NAR #88757, TRA #12200</p></div></blockquote></div></div><div class="toc"><p><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#_introduction_and_overview">1. Introduction and Overview</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#_getting_started">2. Getting Started</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_batteries">2.1. Batteries</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_ground_station_hardware">2.2. Ground Station Hardware</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_linux_mac_windows_ground_station_software">2.3. Linux/Mac/Windows Ground Station Software</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_android_ground_station_software">2.4. Android Ground Station Software</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#_using_altus_metrum_hardware">3. Using Altus Metrum Hardware</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_wiring_and_electrical_interference">3.1. Wiring and Electrical Interference</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_hooking_up_lithium_polymer_batteries">3.2. Hooking Up Lithium Polymer Batteries</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_hooking_up_pyro_charges">3.3. Hooking Up Pyro Charges</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_hooking_up_a_power_switch">3.4. Hooking Up a Power Switch</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_understanding_beeps">3.5. Understanding Beeps</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_turning_on_the_power">3.6. Turning On the Power</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_using_an_external_active_switch_circuit">3.7. Using an External Active Switch Circuit</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_using_a_separate_pyro_battery">3.8. Using a Separate Pyro Battery</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_using_a_different_kind_of_battery">3.9. Using a Different Kind of Battery</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#_telemetrum">4. TeleMetrum</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_telemetrum_screw_terminals">4.1. TeleMetrum Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_using_a_separate_pyro_battery_with_telemetrum">4.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMetrum</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_using_an_active_switch_with_telemetrum">4.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMetrum</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#_telemini_v1_0">5. TeleMini v1.0</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_telemini_v1_0_screw_terminals">5.1. TeleMini v1.0 Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_using_a_separate_pyro_battery_with_telemini_v1_0">5.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMini v1.0</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_using_an_active_switch_with_telemini_v1_0">5.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMini v1.0</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#_easymini">6. EasyMini</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_easymini_screw_terminals">6.1. EasyMini Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_connecting_a_battery_to_easymini">6.2. Connecting A Battery To EasyMini</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_charging_lithium_batteries">6.3. Charging Lithium Batteries</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_using_a_separate_pyro_battery_with_easymini">6.4. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with EasyMini</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_using_an_active_switch_with_easymini">6.5. Using an Active Switch with EasyMini</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#_telemega">7. TeleMega</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_telemega_screw_terminals">7.1. TeleMega Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_using_a_separate_pyro_battery_with_telemega">7.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMega</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_using_only_one_battery_with_telemega">7.3. Using Only One Battery With TeleMega</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_using_an_active_switch_with_telemega">7.4. Using an Active Switch with TeleMega</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#_easymega">8. EasyMega</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_easymega_screw_terminals">8.1. EasyMega Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_using_a_separate_pyro_battery_with_easymega">8.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with EasyMega</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_using_only_one_battery_with_easymega">8.3. Using Only One Battery With EasyMega</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_using_an_active_switch_with_easymega">8.4. Using an Active Switch with EasyMega</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#_installation">9. Installation</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#_using_altus_metrum_products">10. Using Altus Metrum Products</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_being_legal">10.1. Being Legal</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_in_the_rocket">10.2. In the Rocket</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_on_the_ground">10.3. On the Ground</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_data_analysis">10.4. Data Analysis</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_future_plans">10.5. Future Plans</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#_altosui">11. AltosUI</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_monitor_flight">11.1. Monitor Flight</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_launch_pad">11.1.1. Launch Pad</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_ascent">11.1.2. Ascent</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_descent">11.1.3. Descent</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_landed">11.1.4. Landed</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_table">11.1.5. Table</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_site_map">11.1.6. Site Map</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_igniter">11.1.7. Igniter</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_save_flight_data">11.2. Save Flight Data</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_replay_flight">11.3. Replay Flight</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_graph_data">11.4. Graph Data</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_flight_graph">11.4.1. Flight Graph</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_configure_graph">11.4.2. Configure Graph</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_flight_statistics">11.4.3. Flight Statistics</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_map">11.4.4. Map</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_export_data">11.5. Export Data</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_comma_separated_value_format">11.5.1. Comma Separated Value Format</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_keyhole_markup_language_for_google_earth">11.5.2. Keyhole Markup Language (for Google Earth)</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_configure_altimeter">11.6. Configure Altimeter</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_main_deploy_altitude">11.6.1. Main Deploy Altitude</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_apogee_delay">11.6.2. Apogee Delay</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_apogee_lockout">11.6.3. Apogee Lockout</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_frequency">11.6.4. Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_rf_calibration">11.6.5. RF Calibration</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_telemetry_rdf_aprs_enable">11.6.6. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_telemetry_baud_rate">11.6.7. Telemetry baud rate</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_aprs_interval">11.6.8. APRS Interval</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_aprs_ssid">11.6.9. APRS SSID</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_aprs_format">11.6.10. APRS Format</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_callsign">11.6.11. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_maximum_flight_log_size">11.6.12. Maximum Flight Log Size</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_ignitor_firing_mode">11.6.13. Ignitor Firing Mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_pad_orientation">11.6.14. Pad Orientation</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_beeper_frequency">11.6.15. Beeper Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_logging_trigger_motion">11.6.16. Logging Trigger Motion</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_position_reporting_interval">11.6.17. Position Reporting Interval</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_configure_pyro_channels">11.6.18. Configure Pyro Channels</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_configure_altosui">11.7. Configure AltosUI</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_voice_settings">11.7.1. Voice Settings</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_log_directory">11.7.2. Log Directory</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_callsign_2">11.7.3. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_imperial_units">11.7.4. Imperial Units</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_serial_debug">11.7.5. Serial Debug</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_font_size">11.7.6. Font size</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_look_amp_feel">11.7.7. Look & feel</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_menu_position">11.7.8. Menu position</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_map_cache_size">11.7.9. Map Cache Size</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_manage_frequencies">11.7.10. Manage Frequencies</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_configure_groundstation">11.8. Configure Groundstation</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_frequency_2">11.8.1. Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_rf_calibration_2">11.8.2. RF Calibration</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_telemetry_rate">11.8.3. Telemetry Rate</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_flash_image">11.9. Flash Image</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_fire_igniter">11.10. Fire Igniter</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_scan_channels">11.11. Scan Channels</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_load_maps">11.12. Load Maps</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_monitor_idle">11.13. Monitor Idle</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#_altosdroid">12. AltosDroid</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_installing_altosdroid">12.1. Installing AltosDroid</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_charging_telebt_battery">12.2. Charging TeleBT Battery</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_connecting_to_telebt_over_bluetooth">12.3. Connecting to TeleBT over Bluetooth™</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_connecting_to_teledongle_or_telebt_over_usb">12.4. Connecting to TeleDongle or TeleBT over USB</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_configuring_altosdroid">12.5. Configuring AltosDroid</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosdroid_flight_monitoring">12.6. AltosDroid Flight Monitoring</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_pad">12.7. Pad</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_flight">12.8. Flight</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_recover">12.9. Recover</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_map_2">12.10. Map</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_downloading_flight_logs">12.11. Downloading Flight Logs</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#_system_operation">A. System Operation</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_firmware_modes">A.1. Firmware Modes</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_gps">A.2. GPS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_controlling_an_altimeter_over_the_radio_link">A.3. Controlling An Altimeter Over The Radio Link</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_ground_testing">A.4. Ground Testing</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_radio_link">A.5. Radio Link</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_aprs">A.6. APRS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_configurable_parameters">A.7. Configurable Parameters</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#_handling_precautions">B. Handling Precautions</a></span></dt><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#_updating_device_firmware">C. Updating Device Firmware</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_updating_telemega_telemetrum_v2_easymega_easymini_or_teledongle_v3_firmware">C.1. Updating TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2, EasyMega, EasyMini or TeleDongle v3 Firmware</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_recovering_from_self_flashing_failure">C.1.1. Recovering From Self-Flashing Failure</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_pair_programming">C.2. Pair Programming</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_updating_telemetrum_v1_x_firmware">C.2.1. Updating TeleMetrum v1.x Firmware</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_updating_telemini_firmware">C.2.2. Updating TeleMini Firmware</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_updating_teledongle_v0_2_firmware">C.2.3. Updating TeleDongle v0.2 Firmware</a></span></dt></dl></dd></dl></dd><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#_flight_data_recording">D. Flight Data Recording</a></span></dt><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#_altus_metrum_hardware_specifications">E. Altus Metrum Hardware Specifications</a></span></dt><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#_release_notes">F. Release Notes</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_1_6_2">F.1. Release Notes for Version 1.6.2</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altos">F.1.1. AltOS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_and_telegps_applications">F.1.2. AltosUI and TeleGPS Applications</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_documentation">F.1.3. Documentation</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_1_6_1">F.2. Release Notes for Version 1.6.1</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altos_2">F.2.1. AltOS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_and_telegps_applications_2">F.2.2. AltosUI and TeleGPS Applications</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosdroid_2">F.2.3. AltosDroid</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_1_6">F.3. Release Notes for Version 1.6</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altos_3">F.3.1. AltOS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_and_telegps_applications_3">F.3.2. AltosUI and TeleGPS Applications</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_1_5">F.4. Release Notes for Version 1.5</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altos_4">F.4.1. AltOS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_and_telegps_applications_4">F.4.2. AltosUI and TeleGPS Applications</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_1_4_2">F.5. Release Notes for Version 1.4.2</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_and_telegps_applications_5">F.5.1. AltosUI and TeleGPS Applications</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_1_4_1">F.6. Release Notes for Version 1.4.1</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_and_telegps_applications_6">F.6.1. AltosUI and TeleGPS Applications:</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_1_4">F.7. Release Notes for Version 1.4</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altos_5">F.7.1. AltOS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_application">F.7.2. AltosUI Application</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_telegps_application">F.7.3. TeleGPS Application</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_documentation_2">F.7.4. Documentation</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_1_3_2">F.8. Release Notes for Version 1.3.2</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altos_6">F.8.1. AltOS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_application_2">F.8.2. AltosUI Application</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_1_3_1">F.9. Release Notes for Version 1.3.1</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altos_7">F.9.1. AltOS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_application_3">F.9.2. AltosUI Application</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_1_3">F.10. Release Notes for Version 1.3</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altos_8">F.10.1. AltOS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_application_4">F.10.2. AltosUI Application</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_1_2_1">F.11. Release Notes for Version 1.2.1</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altos_9">F.11.1. AltOS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_application_5">F.11.2. AltosUI Application</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosdroid_3">F.11.3. AltosDroid</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_1_2">F.12. Release Notes for Version 1.2</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altos_10">F.12.1. AltOS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_and_micropeak_application">F.12.2. AltosUI and MicroPeak Application</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_1_1">F.13. Release Notes for Version 1.1</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altos_11">F.13.1. AltOS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_2">F.13.2. AltosUI</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_1_1_2">F.14. Release Notes for Version 1.1</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altos_12">F.14.1. AltOS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_3">F.14.2. AltosUI</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_1_0_1">F.15. Release Notes for Version 1.0.1</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altos_13">F.15.1. AltOS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_application_6">F.15.2. AltosUI Application</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_0_9_2">F.16. Release Notes for Version 0.9.2</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_4">F.16.1. AltosUI</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_0_9">F.17. Release Notes for Version 0.9</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altos_14">F.17.1. AltOS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_application_7">F.17.2. AltosUI Application</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_0_8">F.18. Release Notes for Version 0.8</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_application_8">F.18.1. AltosUI Application:</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_release_notes_for_version_0_7_1">F.19. Release Notes for Version 0.7.1</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#_altosui_application_9">F.19.1. AltosUI Application</a></span></dt></dl></dd></dl></dd></dl></div><div class="list-of-figures"><p><strong>List of Figures</strong></p><dl><dt>4.1. <a href="#idm45058137013184">TeleMetrum v2 Board</a></dt><dt>4.2. <a href="#idm45058131219712">TeleMetrum v1 Board</a></dt><dt>5.1. <a href="#idm45058131173360">TeleMini v1.0 Board</a></dt><dt>6.1. <a href="#idm45058131130096">EasyMini Board</a></dt><dt>7.1. <a href="#idm45058131075552">TeleMega Board</a></dt><dt>8.1. <a href="#idm45058130988752">EasyMega Board</a></dt><dt>11.1. <a href="#idm45058130868928">AltosUI Main Window</a></dt><dt>11.2. <a href="#idm45058130863296">Device Selection Dialog</a></dt><dt>11.3. <a href="#idm45058130849200">Monitor Flight Launch Pad View</a></dt><dt>11.4. <a href="#idm45058130830016">Monitor Flight Ascent View</a></dt><dt>11.5. <a href="#idm45058130823280">Monitor Flight Descent View</a></dt><dt>11.6. <a href="#idm45058130815168">Monitor Flight Landed View</a></dt><dt>11.7. <a href="#idm45058130806592">Monitor Flight Table View</a></dt><dt>11.8. <a href="#idm45058130801760">Monitor Flight Site Map View</a></dt><dt>11.9. <a href="#idm45058130793680">Monitor Flight Additional Igniter View</a></dt><dt>11.10. <a href="#idm45058130777360">Flight Data Graph</a></dt><dt>11.11. <a href="#idm45058130771968">Flight Graph Configuration</a></dt><dt>11.12. <a href="#idm45058130767456">Flight Statistics</a></dt><dt>11.13. <a href="#idm45058130763168">Flight Map</a></dt><dt>11.14. <a href="#idm45058130751680">Altimeter Configuration</a></dt><dt>11.15. <a href="#idm45058130694496">Additional Pyro Channel Configuration</a></dt><dt>11.16. <a href="#idm45058130656608">Configure AltosUI Dialog</a></dt><dt>11.17. <a href="#idm45058130628688">Configure Groundstation Dialog</a></dt><dt>11.18. <a href="#idm45058130608144">Fire Igniter Window</a></dt><dt>11.19. <a href="#idm45058130598992">Scan Channels Window</a></dt><dt>11.20. <a href="#idm45058130594176">Load Maps Window</a></dt><dt>11.21. <a href="#idm45058130577728">Monitor Idle Window</a></dt></dl></div><div class="list-of-tables"><p><strong>List of Tables</strong></p><dl><dt>3.1. <a href="#idm45058131365520">AltOS Modes</a></dt><dt>3.2. <a href="#idm45058131311360">Pad/Idle Indications</a></dt><dt>3.3. <a href="#idm45058131285120">Pad Radio Indications</a></dt><dt>4.1. <a href="#idm45058131209152">TeleMetrum Screw Terminals</a></dt><dt>5.1. <a href="#idm45058131166752">TeleMini v1.0 Screw Terminals</a></dt><dt>6.1. <a href="#idm45058131124080">EasyMini Screw Terminals</a></dt><dt>7.1. <a href="#idm45058131066192">TeleMega Screw Terminals</a></dt><dt>8.1. <a href="#idm45058130983408">EasyMega Screw Terminals</a></dt><dt>A.1. <a href="#idm45058130419360">Altus Metrum APRS Comments</a></dt><dt>D.1. <a href="#idm45058130283472">Data Storage on Altus Metrum altimeters</a></dt><dt>E.1. <a href="#idm45058130237152">Altus Metrum Flight Computer Electronics</a></dt><dt>E.2. <a href="#idm45058130154144">Altus Metrum Flight Computer Mechanical Components</a></dt></dl></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_introduction_and_overview"></a>Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview</h1></div></div></div><p>Welcome to the Altus Metrum community! Our circuits and software reflect
23 our passion for both hobby rocketry and Free Software. We hope their
24 capabilities and performance will delight you in every way, but by
25 releasing all of our hardware and software designs under open licenses,
26 we also hope to empower you to take as active a role in our collective
27 future as you wish!</p><p>The first device created for our community was TeleMetrum, a dual
28 deploy altimeter with fully integrated GPS and radio telemetry
29 as standard features, and a “companion interface” that will
30 support optional capabilities in the future. The latest version
31 of TeleMetrum, v2.0, has all of the same features but with
32 improved sensors and radio to offer increased performance.</p><p>Our second device was TeleMini, a dual deploy altimeter with
33 radio telemetry and radio direction finding. The first version
34 of this device was only 13mm by 38mm (½ inch by 1½ inches) and
35 could fit easily in an 18mm air-frame. The latest version, v2.0,
36 includes a beeper, USB data download and extended on-board
37 flight logging, along with an improved barometric sensor.</p><p>TeleMega is our most sophisticated device, including six pyro
38 channels (four of which are fully programmable), integrated GPS,
39 integrated gyroscopes for staging/air-start inhibit and high
40 performance telemetry.</p><p>EasyMini is a dual-deploy altimeter with logging and built-in
41 USB data download.</p><p>EasyMega is essentially a TeleMega board with the GPS receiver
42 and telemetry transmitter removed. It offers the same 6 pyro
43 channels and integrated gyroscopes for staging/air-start inhibit.</p><p>TeleDongle v0.2 was our first ground station, providing a USB to RF
44 interfaces for communicating with the altimeters. Combined with
45 your choice of antenna and notebook computer, TeleDongle and our
46 associated user interface software form a complete ground
47 station capable of logging and displaying in-flight telemetry,
48 aiding rocket recovery, then processing and archiving flight
49 data for analysis and review. The latest version, TeleDongle
50 v3, has all new electronics with a higher performance radio
51 for improved range.</p><p>For a slightly more portable ground station experience that also
52 provides direct rocket recovery support, TeleBT offers flight
53 monitoring and data logging using a Bluetooth™ connection between
54 the receiver and an Android device that has the AltosDroid
55 application installed from the Google Play store.</p><p>More products will be added to the Altus Metrum family over time, and
56 we currently envision that this will be a single, comprehensive manual
57 for the entire product family.</p></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_getting_started"></a>Chapter 2. Getting Started</h1></div></div></div><p>The first thing to do after you open the box is to hook up a
58 battery and charge it if necessary.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_batteries"></a>2.1. Batteries</h2></div></div></div><p>For TeleMetrum, TeleMega and EasyMega, the battery can be charged by plugging it into the
59 corresponding socket of the device and then using the USB
60 cable to plug the flight computer into your computer’s USB socket. The
61 on-board circuitry will charge the battery whenever it is plugged
62 in, because the on-off switch does NOT control the
66 EasyMini battery can be charged by disconnecting it
67 from the board and plugging it into a standalone
68 battery charger such as <a class="ulink" href="http://altusmetrum.org/LipoCharger" target="_top">LipoCharger</a>, and
69 connecting that via a USB cable to a laptop or other
70 USB power source.</p><p>You can also choose to use another battery with
71 EasyMini, anything supplying between 4 and 12 volts should
72 work fine (like a standard 9V battery), but if you are planning
73 to fire pyro charges, ground testing is required to verify that
74 the battery supplies enough current to fire your chosen e-matches.</p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0; margin-right: 10%;"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>On TeleMetrum v1 boards, when the GPS chip is initially
75 searching for satellites, TeleMetrum will consume more current
76 than it pulls from the USB port, so the battery must be
77 attached in order to get satellite lock. Once GPS is locked,
78 the current consumption goes back down enough to enable charging
79 while running. So it’s a good idea to fully charge the battery
80 as your first item of business so there is no issue getting and
81 maintaining satellite lock. The yellow charge indicator led
82 will go out when the battery is nearly full and the charger goes
83 to trickle charge. It can take several hours to fully recharge a
84 deeply discharged battery.</p><p>TeleMetrum v2.0, TeleMega and EasyMega use a higher power battery charger,
85 allowing them to charge the battery while running the board at
86 maximum power. When the battery is charging, or when the board
87 is consuming a lot of power, the red LED will be lit. When the
88 battery is fully charged, the green LED will be lit. When the
89 battery is damaged or missing, both LEDs will be lit, which
90 appears yellow.</p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_ground_station_hardware"></a>2.2. Ground Station Hardware</h2></div></div></div><p>There are two ground stations available, the TeleDongle USB to
91 RF interface and the TeleBT Bluetooth/USB to RF interface. If
92 you plug either of these in to your Mac or Linux computer it should
93 “just work”, showing up as a serial port device. Windows systems need
94 driver information that is part of the AltOS download to know that the
95 existing USB modem driver will work. We therefore recommend installing
96 our software before plugging in TeleDongle if you are using a Windows
97 computer. If you are using an older version of Linux and are having
98 problems, try moving to a fresher kernel (2.6.33 or
99 newer).</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_linux_mac_windows_ground_station_software"></a>2.3. Linux/Mac/Windows Ground Station Software</h2></div></div></div><p>Next you should obtain and install the AltOS software.
100 The AltOS distribution includes the AltosUI ground
101 station program, current firmware images for all of
102 the hardware, and a number of standalone utilities
103 that are rarely needed. Pre-built binary packages are
104 available for Linux, Microsoft Windows, Mac OSX. Full
105 source code and build instructions are also
106 available. The latest version may always be downloaded
107 from <a class="ulink" href="http://altusmetrum.org/AltOS" target="_top">http://altusmetrum.org/AltOS</a></p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_android_ground_station_software"></a>2.4. Android Ground Station Software</h2></div></div></div><p>TeleBT can also connect to an Android device over
108 BlueTooth or USB. The
109 <a class="ulink" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.altusmetrum.AltosDroid" target="_top">AltosDroid
110 Android application</a> is available from the
111 <a class="ulink" href="https://play.google.com" target="_top">Google Play system</a>.</p><p>You don’t need a data plan to use AltosDroid, but
112 without network access, you’ll want to download
113 offline map data before wandering away from the
114 network.</p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_using_altus_metrum_hardware"></a>Chapter 3. Using Altus Metrum Hardware</h1></div></div></div><p>Here are general instructions for hooking up an Altus Metrum
115 flight computer. Instructions specific to each model will be
116 found in the section devoted to that model below.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_wiring_and_electrical_interference"></a>3.1. Wiring and Electrical Interference</h2></div></div></div><p>To prevent electrical interference from affecting the
117 operation of the flight computer, it’s important to always
118 twist pairs of wires connected to the board. Twist the switch
119 leads, the pyro leads and the battery leads. This reduces
120 interference through a mechanism called common mode rejection.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_hooking_up_lithium_polymer_batteries"></a>3.2. Hooking Up Lithium Polymer Batteries</h2></div></div></div><p>All Altus Metrum flight computers have a two pin JST PH
121 series connector to connect up a single-cell Lithium Polymer
122 cell (3.7V nominal). You can purchase matching batteries
123 from the Altus Metrum store, or other vendors, or you can
124 make your own. Pin 1 of the connector is positive, pin 2 is
125 negative. Spark Fun sells a cable with the connector
126 attached, which they call a
127 <a class="ulink" href="https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9914" target="_top">JST Jumper 2 Wire Assembly</a></p><div class="warning" style="margin-left: 0; margin-right: 10%;"><h3 class="title">Warning</h3><p>Many RC vendors also sell lithium polymer batteries with
128 this same connector. All that we have found use the opposite
129 polarity, and if you use them that way, you will damage or
130 destroy the flight computer.</p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_hooking_up_pyro_charges"></a>3.3. Hooking Up Pyro Charges</h2></div></div></div><p>Altus Metrum flight computers always have two screws for
131 each pyro charge. This means you shouldn’t need to put two
132 wires into a screw terminal or connect leads from pyro
133 charges together externally.</p><p>On the flight computer, one lead from each charge is hooked
134 to the positive battery terminal through the power switch.
135 The other lead is connected through the pyro circuit, which
136 is connected to the negative battery terminal when the pyro
137 circuit is fired.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_hooking_up_a_power_switch"></a>3.4. Hooking Up a Power Switch</h2></div></div></div><p>Altus Metrum flight computers need an external power switch
138 to turn them on. This disconnects both the computer and the
139 pyro charges from the battery, preventing the charges from
140 firing when in the Off position. The switch is in-line with
141 the positive battery terminal.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_understanding_beeps"></a>3.5. Understanding Beeps</h2></div></div></div><p>Altus Metrum flight computers include a beeper to
142 provide information about the state of the system.
143 TeleMini doesn’t have room for a beeper, so instead it
144 uses an LED, which works the same, except for every
145 beep is replaced with the flash of the LED.</p><p>Here’s a short summary of all of the modes and the
147 (or flashing, in the case of TeleMini v1)
148 that accompanies each mode. In the description of the
149 beeping pattern, “dit” means a short beep while "dah"
150 means a long beep (three times as long). “Brap” means
151 a long dissonant tone.</p><div class="table"><a id="idm45058131365520"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 3.1. AltOS Modes</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="AltOS Modes" cellpadding="4px" style="border-collapse: collapse;border-top: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; border-left: 1px solid #78079a; border-right: 1px solid #78079a; "><colgroup><col class="col_1" /><col class="col_2" /><col class="col_3" /><col class="col_4" /></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Mode Name</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Abbreviation</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Beeps</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Description</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Startup</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>S</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>battery voltage in decivolts</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Calibrating sensors, detecting orientation.</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Idle</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>I</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>dit dit</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Ready to accept commands over USB
152 or radio link.</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Pad</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>P</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>dit dah dah dit</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Waiting for launch. Not listening for commands.</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Boost</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>B</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>dah dit dit dit</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Accelerating upwards.</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Fast</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>F</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>dit dit dah dit</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Decelerating, but moving faster than 200m/s.</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Coast</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>C</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>dah dit dah dit</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Decelerating, moving slower than 200m/s</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Drogue</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>D</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>dah dit dit</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Descending after apogee. Above main height.</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>M</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>dah dah</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Descending. Below main height.</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Landed</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>L</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>dit dah dit dit</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Stable altitude for at least ten seconds.</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Sensor error</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>X</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>dah dit dit dah</p></td><td style="" align="left" valign="top"><p>Error detected during sensor calibration.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>Here’s a summary of all of the Pad and Idle mode
153 indications. In Idle mode, you’ll hear one of these
154 just once after the two short dits indicating idle
155 mode. In Pad mode, after the dit dah dah dit
156 indicating Pad mode, you’ll hear these once every five
157 seconds.</p><div class="table"><a id="idm45058131311360"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 3.2. Pad/Idle Indications</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Pad/Idle Indications" cellpadding="4px" style="border-collapse: collapse;border-top: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; border-left: 1px solid #78079a; border-right: 1px solid #78079a; "><colgroup><col class="col_1" /><col class="col_2" /><col class="col_3" /></colgroup><thead><tr><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Name </th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Beeps </th><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Neither</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>brap</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>No continuity detected on either apogee or main igniters.</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>dit</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Continuity detected only on apogee igniter.</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>dit dit</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Continuity detected only on main igniter.</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Both</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>dit dit dit</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Continuity detected on both igniters.</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Storage Full</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>warble</p></td><td style="" align="left" valign="top"><p>On-board data logging storage is full. This will
158 not prevent the flight computer from safely
159 controlling the flight or transmitting telemetry
160 signals, but no record of the flight will be
161 stored in on-board flash.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>For devices with a radio transmitter, in addition to
162 the digital and APRS telemetry signals, you can also
163 receive audio tones with a standard amateur
164 70cm FM receiver. While on the pad, you will hear
165 igniter status once every five seconds.</p><div class="table"><a id="idm45058131285120"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 3.3. Pad Radio Indications</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Pad Radio Indications" cellpadding="4px" style="border-collapse: collapse;border-top: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; border-left: 1px solid #78079a; border-right: 1px solid #78079a; "><colgroup><col class="col_1" /><col class="col_2" /><col class="col_3" /></colgroup><thead><tr><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Name </th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Beeps </th><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Neither</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>½ second tone</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>No continuity detected on either apogee or main igniters.</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>dit</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Continuity detected only on apogee igniter.</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>dit dit</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Continuity detected only on main igniter.</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Both</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>dit dit dit</p></td><td style="" align="left" valign="top"><p>Continuity detected on both igniters.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>During ascent, the tones will be muted to allow the
166 telemetry data to consume the full radio bandwidth.</p><p>During descent and after landing, a ½ second tone will
167 be transmitted every five seconds. This can be used to
168 find the rocket using RDF techniques when the signal
169 is too weak to receive GPS information via telemetry
170 or APRS.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_turning_on_the_power"></a>3.6. Turning On the Power</h2></div></div></div><p>Connect a battery and power switch and turn the switch
171 to "on". The flight computer will signal power on by
172 reporting the battery voltage and then perform an internal self
173 test and sensor calibration.</p><p>Once the self test and calibration are complete, there
174 are two modes that an Altus Metrum flight computer can
175 operate in:</p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">
178 The flight computer is waiting to detect
179 launch and then fly the rocket. In this mode, the USB
181 disabled, and the radio goes into transmit-only mode.
182 The only way to get out of this
183 mode is to power the flight computer down.
184 </dd><dt><span class="term">
187 The flight computer is ready to communicate over USB
188 and in packet mode over the radio.
190 the flight computer, download data or display
192 </dd></dl></div><p>For flight computers with accelerometers (TeleMetrum,
193 EasyMega and TeleMega), the mode is selected by the
194 orientation of the board during the self test
195 interval. If the board is pointing upwards as if ready
196 to fly, it will enter Flight/Pad mode. Otherwise, it will
197 enter Idle mode.</p><p>For EasyMini, if the USB cable is connected to a
198 computer, it will enter Idle mode. Otherwise, it will
199 enter Flight/Pad mode.</p><p>For TeleMini v1.0, if a packet link is waiting to
200 connect when the device is powered on, it will enter
201 Idle mode, otherwise it will enter Flight/Pad mode.</p><p>You can see in <a class="xref" href="#_understanding_beeps" title="3.5. Understanding Beeps">Section 3.5, “Understanding Beeps”</a>
202 how to tell which mode the flight computer is in.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_using_an_external_active_switch_circuit"></a>3.7. Using an External Active Switch Circuit</h2></div></div></div><p>You can use an active switch circuit, such as the
203 Featherweight Magnetic Switch, with any Altus Metrum
204 flight computer. These require three connections, one to
205 the battery, one to the positive power input on the flight
206 computer and one to ground. Find instructions on how to
207 hook these up for each flight computer below. Then follow
208 the instructions that come with your active switch to
209 connect it up.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_using_a_separate_pyro_battery"></a>3.8. Using a Separate Pyro Battery</h2></div></div></div><p>As mentioned above in <a class="xref" href="#_hooking_up_pyro_charges" title="3.3. Hooking Up Pyro Charges">Section 3.3, “Hooking Up Pyro Charges”</a>, one
210 lead for each of the pyro charges is connected through
211 the power switch directly to the positive battery
212 terminal. The other lead is connected to the pyro
213 circuit, which connects it to the negative battery
214 terminal when the pyro circuit is fired. The pyro
215 circuit on all of the flight computers is designed to
216 handle up to 16V.</p><p>To use a separate pyro battery, connect the negative pyro
217 battery terminal to the flight computer ground terminal,
218 the positive battery terminal to the igniter and the other
219 igniter lead to the negative pyro terminal on the flight
220 computer. When the pyro channel fires, it will complete the
221 circuit between the negative pyro terminal and the ground
222 terminal, firing the igniter. Specific instructions on how
223 to hook this up for each flight computer will be found
224 in the section below for that flight computer.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_using_a_different_kind_of_battery"></a>3.9. Using a Different Kind of Battery</h2></div></div></div><p>EasyMini
226 designed to use either a
227 lithium polymer battery or any other battery producing
228 between 4 and 12 volts, such as a rectangular 9V
229 battery.</p><div class="warning" style="margin-left: 0; margin-right: 10%;"><h3 class="title">Warning</h3><p>TeleMega, EasyMega and TeleMetrum are only designed to
230 operate off a single-cell Lithium Polymer battery and
231 cannot be used with any other kind. Connecting a
232 different kind of battery to any of these will destroy
233 the board.</p></div></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_telemetrum"></a>Chapter 4. TeleMetrum</h1></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058137013184"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 4.1. TeleMetrum v2 Board</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="telemetrum-v2.0-th.jpg" width="495" alt="telemetrum-v2.0-th.jpg" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058131219712"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 4.2. TeleMetrum v1 Board</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="telemetrum-v1.1-thside.jpg" width="495" alt="telemetrum-v1.1-thside.jpg" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>TeleMetrum is a 1 inch by 2¾ inch circuit board. It was designed to
234 fit inside coupler for 29mm air-frame tubing, but using it in a tube that
235 small in diameter may require some creativity in mounting and wiring
236 to succeed! The presence of an accelerometer means TeleMetrum should
237 be aligned along the flight axis of the airframe, and by default the ¼
238 wave UHF wire antenna should be on the nose-cone end of the board. The
239 antenna wire is about 7 inches long, and wiring for a power switch and
240 the e-matches for apogee and main ejection charges depart from the
241 fin can end of the board, meaning an ideal “simple” avionics
242 bay for TeleMetrum should have at least 10 inches of interior length.</p><p>There are two generations of the TeleMetrum design. The
243 major changes in the v2 generation are:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
244 uBlox GPS chip certified for altitude records
245 </li><li class="listitem">
246 Higher power radio (40mW vs 10mW)
247 </li><li class="listitem">
249 </li></ul></div><p>Otherwise, they’re the same size, with mounting holes and
250 screw terminals in the same position.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_telemetrum_screw_terminals"></a>4.1. TeleMetrum Screw Terminals</h2></div></div></div><p>TeleMetrum has six screw terminals on the end of the board
251 opposite the telemetry antenna. Two are for the power
252 switch, and two each for the apogee and main igniter
253 circuits. Using the picture above and starting from the top,
254 the terminals are as follows:</p><div class="table"><a id="idm45058131209152"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 4.1. TeleMetrum Screw Terminals</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="TeleMetrum Screw Terminals" cellpadding="4px" style="border-collapse: collapse;border-top: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; border-left: 1px solid #78079a; border-right: 1px solid #78079a; "><colgroup><col class="col_1" /><col class="col_2" /><col class="col_3" /></colgroup><thead><tr><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Terminal #</th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Terminal Name</th><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>1</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch Output</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch connection to flight computer</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>2</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch Input</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch connection to positive battery terminal</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>3</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main +</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main pyro channel common connection to battery</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>4</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main -</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>5</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee +</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee pyro channel common connection to battery</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>6</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee -</p></td><td style="" align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_using_a_separate_pyro_battery_with_telemetrum"></a>4.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMetrum</h2></div></div></div><p>As described above, using an external pyro battery involves
255 connecting the negative battery terminal to the flight
256 computer ground, connecting the positive battery terminal to
257 one of the igniter leads and connecting the other igniter
258 lead to the per-channel pyro circuit connection.</p><p>To connect the negative battery terminal to the TeleMetrum
259 ground, insert a small piece of wire, 24 to 28 gauge
260 stranded, into the GND hole just above the screw terminal
261 strip and solder it in place.</p><p>Connecting the positive battery terminal to the pyro
262 charges must be done separate from TeleMetrum, by soldering
263 them together or using some other connector.</p><p>The other lead from each pyro charge is then inserted into
264 the appropriate per-pyro channel screw terminal (terminal 4 for the
265 Main charge, terminal 6 for the Apogee charge).</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_using_an_active_switch_with_telemetrum"></a>4.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMetrum</h2></div></div></div><p>As explained above, an external active switch requires three
266 connections, one to the positive battery terminal, one to
267 the flight computer positive input and one to ground.</p><p>The positive battery terminal is available on screw terminal
268 2, the positive flight computer input is on terminal 1. To
269 hook a lead to ground, solder a piece of wire, 24 to 28
270 gauge stranded, to the GND hole just above terminal 1.</p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_telemini_v1_0"></a>Chapter 5. TeleMini v1.0</h1></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058131173360"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 5.1. TeleMini v1.0 Board</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="telemini-v1-top.jpg" width="495" alt="telemini-v1-top.jpg" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>TeleMini v1.0 is ½ inches by 1½ inches. It was
271 designed to fit inside an 18mm air-frame tube, but using it in
272 a tube that small in diameter may require some creativity in
273 mounting and wiring to succeed! Since there is no
274 accelerometer, TeleMini can be mounted in any convenient
275 orientation. The default ¼ wave UHF wire antenna attached to
276 the center of one end of the board is about 7 inches long. Two
277 wires for the power switch are connected to holes in the
278 middle of the board. Screw terminals for the e-matches for
279 apogee and main ejection charges depart from the other end of
280 the board, meaning an ideal “simple” avionics bay for TeleMini
281 should have at least 9 inches of interior length.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_telemini_v1_0_screw_terminals"></a>5.1. TeleMini v1.0 Screw Terminals</h2></div></div></div><p>TeleMini v1.0 has four screw terminals on the end of the
282 board opposite the telemetry antenna. Two are for the apogee
283 and two are for main igniter circuits. There are also wires
284 soldered to the board for the power switch. Using the
285 picture above and starting from the top for the terminals
286 and from the left for the power switch wires, the
287 connections are as follows:</p><div class="table"><a id="idm45058131166752"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 5.1. TeleMini v1.0 Screw Terminals</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="TeleMini v1.0 Screw Terminals" cellpadding="4px" style="border-collapse: collapse;border-top: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; border-left: 1px solid #78079a; border-right: 1px solid #78079a; "><colgroup><col class="col_1" /><col class="col_2" /><col class="col_3" /></colgroup><thead><tr><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Terminal #</th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Terminal Name</th><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>1</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee -</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>2</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee pyro channel common connection to battery</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>3</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main -</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>4</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main pyro channel common connection to battery</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Left</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch Output</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch connection to flight computer</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Right</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch Input</p></td><td style="" align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch connection to positive battery terminal</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_using_a_separate_pyro_battery_with_telemini_v1_0"></a>5.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMini v1.0</h2></div></div></div><p>As described above, using an external pyro battery involves
288 connecting the negative battery terminal to the flight
289 computer ground, connecting the positive battery terminal to
290 one of the igniter leads and connecting the other igniter
291 lead to the per-channel pyro circuit connection. Because
292 there is no solid ground connection to use on TeleMini, this
293 is not recommended.</p><p>The only available ground connection on TeleMini v1.0 are
294 the two mounting holes next to the telemetry
295 antenna. Somehow connect a small piece of wire to one of
296 those holes and hook it to the negative pyro battery terminal.</p><p>Connecting the positive battery terminal to the pyro
297 charges must be done separate from TeleMini v1.0, by soldering
298 them together or using some other connector.</p><p>The other lead from each pyro charge is then inserted into
299 the appropriate per-pyro channel screw terminal (terminal 3 for the
300 Main charge, terminal 1 for the Apogee charge).</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_using_an_active_switch_with_telemini_v1_0"></a>5.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMini v1.0</h2></div></div></div><p>As explained above, an external active switch requires three
301 connections, one to the positive battery terminal, one to
302 the flight computer positive input and one to ground. Again,
303 because TeleMini doesn’t have any good ground connection,
304 this is not recommended.</p><p>The positive battery terminal is available on the Right
305 power switch wire, the positive flight computer input is on
306 the left power switch wire. Hook a lead to either of the
307 mounting holes for a ground connection.</p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_easymini"></a>Chapter 6. EasyMini</h1></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058131130096"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 6.1. EasyMini Board</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="easymini-top.jpg" width="495" alt="easymini-top.jpg" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>EasyMini is built on a 0.8 inch by 1½ inch circuit board. It’s
308 designed to fit in a 24mm coupler tube.</p><p>You usually don’t need to configure EasyMini at all; it’s set
309 up to do dual-deployment with an event at apogee to separate
310 the airframe and deploy a drogue and another event at 250m
311 (820ft) to deploy the main. Install EasyMini in your airframe,
312 hook up a battery, igniters and a power switch and you’re
313 ready to fly.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_easymini_screw_terminals"></a>6.1. EasyMini Screw Terminals</h2></div></div></div><p>EasyMini has two sets of four screw terminals near one end of the
314 board. Using the picture
315 above, the top four have connections for the main pyro
316 circuit and an external battery and the bottom four have
317 connections for the apogee pyro circuit and the power
318 switch. Counting from the left, the connections are as follows:</p><div class="table"><a id="idm45058131124080"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 6.1. EasyMini Screw Terminals</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="EasyMini Screw Terminals" cellpadding="4px" style="border-collapse: collapse;border-top: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; border-left: 1px solid #78079a; border-right: 1px solid #78079a; "><colgroup><col class="col_1" /><col class="col_2" /><col class="col_3" /></colgroup><thead><tr><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Terminal #</th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Terminal Name</th><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 1</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main -</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 2</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main pyro channel common connection to battery</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 3</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Battery</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Positive external battery terminal</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 4</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Battery -</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Negative external battery terminal</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 1</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee -</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 2</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee pyro channel common connection to battery</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 3</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch Output</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch connection to flight computer</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 4</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch Input</p></td><td style="" align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch connection to positive battery terminal</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_connecting_a_battery_to_easymini"></a>6.2. Connecting A Battery To EasyMini</h2></div></div></div><p>There are two possible battery connections on
319 EasyMini. You can use either method; both feed
320 through the power switch terminals.</p><p>One battery connection is the standard Altus Metrum
321 white JST plug. This mates with single-cell Lithium
322 Polymer batteries sold by Altus Metrum.</p><p>The other is a pair of screw terminals marked <span class="emphasis"><em>Battery
323 +</em></span> and <span class="emphasis"><em>Battery -</em></span>. Connect a battery from 4 to 12
324 volts to these terminals, being careful to match polarity.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_charging_lithium_batteries"></a>6.3. Charging Lithium Batteries</h2></div></div></div><p>Because EasyMini allows for batteries other than the
325 standard Altus Metrum Lithium Polymer cells, it cannot
326 incorporate a battery charger circuit. Therefore, when
327 using a Litium Polymer cell, you’ll need an external
328 charger. These are available from Altus Metrum, or
329 from Spark Fun.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_using_a_separate_pyro_battery_with_easymini"></a>6.4. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with EasyMini</h2></div></div></div><p>As described above, using an external pyro battery involves
330 connecting the negative battery terminal to the flight
331 computer ground, connecting the positive battery terminal to
332 one of the igniter leads and connecting the other igniter
333 lead to the per-channel pyro circuit connection.</p><p>To connect the negative pyro battery terminal to EasyMini
334 ground, connect it to the negative external battery
335 connection, top terminal 4.</p><p>Connecting the positive battery terminal to the pyro
336 charges must be done separate from EasyMini, by soldering
337 them together or using some other connector.</p><p>The other lead from each pyro charge is then inserted into
338 the appropriate per-pyro channel screw terminal (top
339 terminal 1 for the Main charge, bottom terminal 1 for the
340 Apogee charge).</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_using_an_active_switch_with_easymini"></a>6.5. Using an Active Switch with EasyMini</h2></div></div></div><p>As explained above, an external active switch requires three
341 connections, one to the positive battery terminal, one to
342 the flight computer positive input and one to ground. Use
343 the negative external battery connection, top terminal 4 for
344 ground.</p><p>The positive battery terminal is available on bottom
345 terminal 4, the positive flight computer input is on the
346 bottom terminal 3.</p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_telemega"></a>Chapter 7. TeleMega</h1></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058131075552"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 7.1. TeleMega Board</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="telemega-v1.0-top.jpg" width="495" alt="telemega-v1.0-top.jpg" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>TeleMega is a 1¼ inch by 3¼ inch circuit board. It was
347 designed to easily fit in a 38mm coupler. Like TeleMetrum,
348 TeleMega has an accelerometer and so it must be mounted so that
349 the board is aligned with the flight axis. It can be mounted
350 either antenna up or down.</p><p>TeleMega v2.0 has a few minor changes from v1.0:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
351 Companion connector matches EasyMega functions
352 </li><li class="listitem">
353 Serial port connector replaced with servo connector with
354 support for up to 4 PWM channels.
355 </li><li class="listitem">
356 Radio switched from cc1120 to cc1200.
357 </li></ul></div><p>None of these affect operation using the stock firmware, but
358 they do mean that the device needs different firmware to
359 operate correctly, so make sure you load the right firmware
360 when reflashing the device.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_telemega_screw_terminals"></a>7.1. TeleMega Screw Terminals</h2></div></div></div><p>TeleMega has two sets of nine screw terminals on the end of
361 the board opposite the telemetry antenna. They are as follows:</p><div class="table"><a id="idm45058131066192"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 7.1. TeleMega Screw Terminals</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="TeleMega Screw Terminals" cellpadding="4px" style="border-collapse: collapse;border-top: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; border-left: 1px solid #78079a; border-right: 1px solid #78079a; "><colgroup><col class="col_1" /><col class="col_2" /><col class="col_3" /></colgroup><thead><tr><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Terminal #</th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Terminal Name</th><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 1</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch Input</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch connection to positive battery terminal</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 2</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch Output</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch connection to flight computer</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 3</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>GND</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Ground connection for use with external active switch</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 4</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main -</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 5</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main pyro channel common connection to battery</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 6</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee -</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 7</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee pyro channel common connection to battery</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 8</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>D -</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>D pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 9</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>D</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>D pyro channel common connection to battery</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 1</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>GND</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Ground connection for negative pyro battery terminal</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 2</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Pyro</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Positive pyro battery terminal</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 3</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Lipo</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Power switch output. Use to connect main battery to pyro battery input</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 4</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>A -</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>A pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 5</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>A</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>A pyro channel common connection to battery</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 6</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>B -</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>B pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 7</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>B</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>B pyro channel common connection to battery</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 8</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>C -</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>C pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 9</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>C</p></td><td style="" align="left" valign="top"><p>C pyro channel common connection to battery</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_using_a_separate_pyro_battery_with_telemega"></a>7.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMega</h2></div></div></div><p>TeleMega provides explicit support for an external pyro
362 battery. All that is required is to remove the jumper
363 between the lipo terminal (Bottom 3) and the pyro terminal
364 (Bottom 2). Then hook the negative pyro battery terminal to ground
365 (Bottom 1) and the positive pyro battery to the pyro battery
366 input (Bottom 2). You can then use the existing pyro screw
367 terminals to hook up all of the pyro charges.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_using_only_one_battery_with_telemega"></a>7.3. Using Only One Battery With TeleMega</h2></div></div></div><p>Because TeleMega has built-in support for a separate pyro
368 battery, if you want to fly with just one battery running
369 both the computer and firing the charges, you need to
370 connect the flight computer battery to the pyro
371 circuit. TeleMega has two screw terminals for this—hook a
372 wire from the Lipo terminal (Bottom 3) to the Pyro terminal
373 (Bottom 2).</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_using_an_active_switch_with_telemega"></a>7.4. Using an Active Switch with TeleMega</h2></div></div></div><p>As explained above, an external active switch requires three
374 connections, one to the positive battery terminal, one to
375 the flight computer positive input and one to ground.</p><p>The positive battery terminal is available on Top terminal
376 1, the positive flight computer input is on Top terminal
377 2. Ground is on Top terminal 3.</p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_easymega"></a>Chapter 8. EasyMega</h1></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130988752"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 8.1. EasyMega Board</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="easymega-v1.0-top.jpg" width="405" alt="easymega-v1.0-top.jpg" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>EasyMega is a 1¼ inch by 2¼ inch circuit board. It was
378 designed to easily fit in a 38mm coupler. Like TeleMetrum,
379 EasyMega has an accelerometer and so it must be mounted so that
380 the board is aligned with the flight axis. It can be mounted
381 either antenna up or down.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_easymega_screw_terminals"></a>8.1. EasyMega Screw Terminals</h2></div></div></div><p>EasyMega has two sets of nine screw terminals on the end of
382 the board opposite the telemetry antenna. They are as follows:</p><div class="table"><a id="idm45058130983408"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table 8.1. EasyMega Screw Terminals</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="EasyMega Screw Terminals" cellpadding="4px" style="border-collapse: collapse;border-top: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; border-left: 1px solid #78079a; border-right: 1px solid #78079a; "><colgroup><col class="col_1" /><col class="col_2" /><col class="col_3" /></colgroup><thead><tr><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Terminal #</th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Terminal Name</th><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 1</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch Input</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch connection to positive battery terminal</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 2</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch Output</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Switch connection to flight computer</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 3</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>GND</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Ground connection for use with external active switch</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 4</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main -</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 5</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main pyro channel common connection to battery</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 6</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee -</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 7</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee pyro channel common connection to battery</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 8</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>D -</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>D pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Top 9</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>D</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>D pyro channel common connection to battery</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 1</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>GND</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Ground connection for negative pyro battery terminal</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 2</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Pyro</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Positive pyro battery terminal</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 3</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Lipo</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Power switch output. Use to connect main battery to pyro battery input</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 4</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>A -</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>A pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 5</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>A</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>A pyro channel common connection to battery</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 6</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>B -</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>B pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 7</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>B</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>B pyro channel common connection to battery</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 8</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>C -</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>C pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Bottom 9</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>C</p></td><td style="" align="left" valign="top"><p>C pyro channel common connection to battery</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_using_a_separate_pyro_battery_with_easymega"></a>8.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with EasyMega</h2></div></div></div><p>EasyMega provides explicit support for an external pyro
383 battery. All that is required is to remove the jumper
384 between the lipo terminal (Bottom 3) and the pyro terminal
385 (Bottom 2). Then hook the negative pyro battery terminal to ground
386 (Bottom 1) and the positive pyro battery to the pyro battery
387 input (Bottom 2). You can then use the existing pyro screw
388 terminals to hook up all of the pyro charges.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_using_only_one_battery_with_easymega"></a>8.3. Using Only One Battery With EasyMega</h2></div></div></div><p>Because EasyMega has built-in support for a separate pyro
389 battery, if you want to fly with just one battery running
390 both the computer and firing the charges, you need to
391 connect the flight computer battery to the pyro
392 circuit. EasyMega has two screw terminals for this—hook a
393 wire from the Lipo terminal (Bottom 3) to the Pyro terminal
394 (Bottom 2).</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_using_an_active_switch_with_easymega"></a>8.4. Using an Active Switch with EasyMega</h2></div></div></div><p>As explained above, an external active switch requires three
395 connections, one to the positive battery terminal, one to
396 the flight computer positive input and one to ground.</p><p>The positive battery terminal is available on Top terminal
397 1, the positive flight computer input is on Top terminal
398 2. Ground is on Top terminal 3.</p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_installation"></a>Chapter 9. Installation</h1></div></div></div><p>A typical installation involves attaching
399 only a suitable battery, a single pole switch for
400 power on/off, and two pairs of wires connecting e-matches for the
401 apogee and main ejection charges. All Altus Metrum products are
402 designed for use with single-cell batteries with 3.7 volts
405 EasyMini may also be used with other
406 batteries as long as they supply between 4 and 12 volts.</p><p>The battery connectors are a standard 2-pin JST connector; you
407 can purchase suitable batteries from the any vendor selling
408 Altus Metrum products. These batteries are
409 single-cell Lithium Polymer batteries that nominally provide 3.7
410 volts. Other vendors sell similar batteries for RC aircraft
411 using mating connectors, however the polarity for those is
412 generally reversed from the batteries used by Altus Metrum
413 products. In particular, the Tenergy batteries supplied for use
414 in Featherweight flight computers are not compatible with Altus
415 Metrum flight computers or battery chargers.</p><div class="warning" style="margin-left: 0; margin-right: 10%;"><h3 class="title">Warning</h3><p>Check polarity and voltage before connecting any battery not
416 purchased from Altus Metrum.</p></div><div class="warning" style="margin-left: 0; margin-right: 10%;"><h3 class="title">Warning</h3><p>Spark Fun sells batteries that have a matching connector with
417 the correct polarity. However, these batteries include an
418 integrated current limiting circuit. That circuit will cause
419 the battery to shut down when firing the igniter circuit. Do
420 not use these batteries unless you remove the current limiting
421 circuit.</p></div><p>By default, we use the unregulated output of the battery
422 directly to fire ejection charges. This works marvelously
423 with standard low-current e-matches like the J-Tek from MJG
424 Technologies, and with Quest Q2G2 igniters. However, if you
425 want or need to use a separate pyro battery, check out
426 <a class="xref" href="#_using_a_separate_pyro_battery" title="3.8. Using a Separate Pyro Battery">Section 3.8, “Using a Separate Pyro Battery”</a> for instructions on how to wire
427 that up. The altimeters are designed to work with an external
428 pyro battery of no more than 15 volts.</p><p>Ejection charges are wired directly to the screw terminal block
429 at the aft end of the altimeter. You’ll need a very small straight
430 blade screwdriver for these screws, such as you might find in a
431 jeweler’s screwdriver set.</p><p>Except for TeleMini v1.0, the flight computers also use the
432 screw terminal block for the power switch leads. On TeleMini v1.0,
433 the power switch leads are soldered directly to the board and
434 can be connected directly to a switch.</p><p>For most air-frames, the integrated antennas are more than
435 adequate. However, if you are installing in a carbon-fiber or
436 metal electronics bay which is opaque to RF signals, you may need to
437 use off-board external antennas instead. In this case, you can
438 replace the stock UHF antenna wire with an edge-launched SMA connector,
439 and, on TeleMetrum v1, you can unplug the integrated GPS
440 antenna and select an appropriate off-board GPS antenna with
441 cable terminating in a U.FL connector.</p></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_using_altus_metrum_products"></a>Chapter 10. Using Altus Metrum Products</h1></div></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_being_legal"></a>10.1. Being Legal</h2></div></div></div><p>In the US, you need an
442 <a class="ulink" href="http://www.altusmetrum.org/Radio/" target="_top">amateur radio license</a>
443 or other authorization to legally operate the radio
444 transmitters that are part of our products.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_in_the_rocket"></a>10.2. In the Rocket</h2></div></div></div><p>In the rocket itself, you just need a flight computer
445 and a single-cell, 3.7 volt nominal Li-Po rechargeable
447 An 850mAh battery weighs less than a 9V
448 alkaline battery, and will run a TeleMetrum, TeleMega
449 or EasyMega for hours.
450 A 110mAh battery weighs less
451 than a triple A battery and is a good choice for use
454 EasyMini.</p><p>By default, we ship TeleMini, TeleMetrum and TeleMega
455 flight computers with a simple wire antenna. If your
456 electronics bay or the air-frame it resides within is
457 made of carbon fiber, which is opaque to RF signals,
458 you may prefer to install an SMA connector so that you
459 can run a coaxial cable to an antenna mounted
460 elsewhere in the rocket. However, note that the GPS
461 antenna is fixed on all current products, so you
462 really want to install the flight computer in a bay
463 made of RF-transparent materials if at all possible.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_on_the_ground"></a>10.3. On the Ground</h2></div></div></div><p>To receive the data stream from the rocket, you need
464 an antenna and short feed-line connected to one of our
465 <a class="ulink" href="http://www.altusmetrum.org/TeleDongle/" target="_top">TeleDongle</a>
466 units. If possible, use an SMA to BNC adapter instead
467 of feedline between the antenna feedpoint and
468 TeleDongle, as this will give you the best
469 performance. The TeleDongle in turn plugs directly
470 into the USB port on a notebook computer. Because
471 TeleDongle looks like a simple serial port, your
472 computer does not require special device
473 drivers… just plug it in.</p><p>The GUI tool, AltosUI, is written in Java and runs
474 across Linux, Mac OS and Windows. There’s also a suite
475 of C tools for Linux which can perform most of the
476 same tasks.</p><p>Alternatively, a TeleBT attached with an SMA to BNC
477 adapter at the feed point of a hand-held yagi used in
478 conjunction with an Android device running AltosDroid
479 makes an outstanding ground station.</p><p>After the flight,
480 you can use the radio link to
481 extract the more detailed data logged in either
482 TeleMetrum or TeleMini devices, or
484 USB cable to plug into the flight computer board directly.
485 A USB cable is also how you
486 charge the Li-Po battery, so you’ll want one of those
487 anyway. The same cable used by lots of digital
488 cameras and other modern electronic stuff will work
489 fine.</p><p>If your rocket lands out of sight, you may enjoy
490 having a hand-held GPS receiver, so that you can put
491 in a way-point for the last reported rocket position
492 before touch-down. This makes looking for your rocket
493 a lot like Geo-Caching… just go to the way-point and
494 look around starting from there. AltosDroid on an
495 Android device with GPS receiver works great for this,
496 too!</p><p>You may also enjoy having a ham radio “HT” that covers
497 the 70cm band… you can use that with your antenna to
498 direction-find the rocket on the ground the same way
499 you can use a Walston or Beeline tracker. This can be
500 handy if the rocket is hiding in sage brush or a tree,
501 or if the last GPS position doesn’t get you close
502 enough because the rocket dropped into a canyon, or
503 the wind is blowing it across a dry lake bed, or
504 something like that… Keith currently uses a Yaesu
505 FT1D, Bdale has a Yaesu VX-7R, which is a nicer radio
506 in most ways but doesn’t support APRS.</p><p>So, to recap, on the ground the hardware you’ll need includes:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem">
507 an antenna and feed-line or adapter
508 </li><li class="listitem">
510 </li><li class="listitem">
512 </li><li class="listitem">
513 optionally, a hand-held GPS receiver
514 </li><li class="listitem">
515 optionally, an HT or receiver covering 435 MHz
516 </li></ol></div><p>The best hand-held commercial directional antennas we’ve found for radio
517 direction finding rockets are from
518 <a class="ulink" href="http://www.arrowantennas.com/" target="_top">Arrow Antennas</a>.</p><p>The 440-3 and 440-5 are both good choices for finding
519 a TeleMetrum- or TeleMini- equipped rocket when used
520 with a suitable 70cm HT. TeleDongle and an SMA to BNC
521 adapter fit perfectly between the driven element and
522 reflector of Arrow antennas.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_data_analysis"></a>10.4. Data Analysis</h2></div></div></div><p>Our software makes it easy to log the data from each
523 flight, both the telemetry received during the flight
524 itself, and the more complete data log recorded in the
525 flash memory on the altimeter board. Once this data
526 is on your computer, our post-flight tools make it
527 easy to quickly get to the numbers everyone wants,
528 like apogee altitude, max acceleration, and max
529 velocity. You can also generate and view a standard
530 set of plots showing the altitude, acceleration, and
531 velocity of the rocket during flight. And you can
532 even export a flight log in a format usable with Google
533 Maps and Google Earth for visualizing the flight path
534 in two or three dimensions!</p><p>Our ultimate goal is to emit a set of files for each
535 flight that can be published as a web page per flight,
536 or just viewed on your local disk with a web browser.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_future_plans"></a>10.5. Future Plans</h2></div></div></div><p>We have designed and prototyped several “companion
537 boards” that can attach to the companion connector on
538 TeleMetrum, TeleMega and EasyMega flight computers to
539 collect more data, provide more pyro channels, and so
540 forth. We do not yet know if or when any of these
541 boards will be produced in enough quantity to sell.
542 If you have specific interests for data collection or
543 control of events in your rockets beyond the
544 capabilities of our existing productions, please let
545 us know!</p><p>Because all of our work is open, both the hardware
546 designs and the software, if you have some great idea
547 for an addition to the current Altus Metrum family,
548 feel free to dive in and help! Or let us know what
549 you’d like to see that we aren’t already working on,
550 and maybe we’ll get excited about it too…</p><p>Watch our <a class="ulink" href="http://altusmetrum.org/" target="_top">web site</a> for
551 more news and information as our family of products
552 evolves!</p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_altosui"></a>Chapter 11. AltosUI</h1></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130868928"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.1. AltosUI Main Window</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="altosui.png" width="414" alt="altosui.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>The AltosUI program provides a graphical user interface for
553 interacting with the Altus Metrum product family. AltosUI can
554 monitor telemetry data, configure devices and many other
555 tasks. The primary interface window provides a selection of
556 buttons, one for each major activity in the system. This
557 chapter is split into sections, each of which documents one of
558 the tasks provided from the top-level toolbar.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_monitor_flight"></a>11.1. Monitor Flight</h2></div></div></div><p>Selecting this item brings up a dialog box listing all
559 of the connected TeleDongle devices. When you choose
560 one of these, AltosUI will create a window to display
561 telemetry data as received by the selected TeleDongle
562 device.</p><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130863296"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.2. Device Selection Dialog</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="device-selection.png" width="279" alt="device-selection.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>All telemetry data received are automatically recorded
563 in suitable log files. The name of the files includes
564 the current date and rocket serial and flight numbers.</p><p>The radio frequency being monitored by the TeleDongle
565 device is displayed at the top of the window. You can
566 configure the frequency by clicking on the frequency
567 box and selecting the desired frequency. AltosUI
568 remembers the last frequency selected for each
569 TeleDongle and selects that automatically the next
570 time you use that device.</p><p>Below the TeleDongle frequency selector, the window
571 contains a few significant pieces of information about
572 the altimeter providing the telemetry data stream:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
573 The configured call-sign
574 </li><li class="listitem">
575 The device serial number
576 </li><li class="listitem">
577 The flight number. Each altimeter remembers how
578 many times it has flown.
579 </li><li class="listitem">
580 The rocket flight state. Each flight passes through
581 several states including Pad, Boost, Fast, Coast,
582 Drogue, Main and Landed.
583 </li><li class="listitem">
584 The Received Signal Strength Indicator value. This
585 lets you know how strong a signal TeleDongle is
586 receiving. At the default data rate, 38400 bps, in
587 bench testing, the radio inside TeleDongle v0.2
588 operates down to about -106dBm, while the v3 radio
589 works down to about -111dBm. Weaker signals, or an
590 environment with radio noise may cause the data to
591 not be received. The packet link uses error
592 detection and correction techniques which prevent
593 incorrect data from being reported.
594 </li><li class="listitem">
595 The age of the displayed data, in seconds since the
596 last successfully received telemetry packet. In
597 normal operation this will stay in the low single
598 digits. If the number starts counting up, then you
599 are no longer receiving data over the radio link
600 from the flight computer.
601 </li></ul></div><p>Finally, the largest portion of the window contains a
602 set of tabs, each of which contain some information
603 about the rocket. They’re arranged in <span class="emphasis"><em>flight order</em></span>
604 so that as the flight progresses, the selected tab
605 automatically switches to display data relevant to the
606 current state of the flight. You can select other tabs
607 at any time. The final <span class="emphasis"><em>table</em></span> tab displays all of the
608 raw telemetry values in one place in a
609 spreadsheet-like format.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_launch_pad"></a>11.1.1. Launch Pad</h3></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130849200"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.3. Monitor Flight Launch Pad View</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="launch-pad.png" width="495" alt="launch-pad.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>The <span class="emphasis"><em>Launch Pad</em></span> tab shows information used to decide when the
610 rocket is ready for flight. The first elements include red/green
611 indicators, if any of these is red, you’ll want to evaluate
612 whether the rocket is ready to launch:</p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">
615 This indicates whether the Li-Po battery powering the
616 flight computer has sufficient charge to last for
617 the duration of the flight. A value of more than
618 3.8V is required for a <span class="emphasis"><em>GO</em></span> status.
619 </dd><dt><span class="term">
620 Apogee Igniter Voltage
622 This indicates whether the apogee
623 igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a low
624 resistance, then the voltage measured here will be close
625 to the Li-Po battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is
626 required for a <span class="emphasis"><em>GO</em></span> status.
627 </dd><dt><span class="term">
630 This indicates whether the main
631 igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a low
632 resistance, then the voltage measured here will be close
633 to the Li-Po battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is
634 required for a <span class="emphasis"><em>GO</em></span> status.
635 </dd><dt><span class="term">
636 On-board Data Logging
638 This indicates whether there is space remaining
639 on-board to store flight data for the upcoming
640 flight. If you’ve downloaded data, but failed to erase
641 flights, there may not be any space left. Most of our
642 flight computers can store multiple flights, depending
643 on the configured maximum flight log size. TeleMini
644 v1.0 stores only a single flight, so it will need to
645 be downloaded and erased after each flight to capture
646 data. This only affects on-board flight logging; the
647 altimeter will still transmit telemetry and fire
648 ejection charges at the proper times even if the
649 flight data storage is full.
650 </dd><dt><span class="term">
653 For a TeleMetrum or TeleMega device, this indicates
654 whether the GPS receiver is currently able to compute
655 position information. GPS requires at least 4
656 satellites to compute an accurate position.
657 </dd><dt><span class="term">
660 For a TeleMetrum or TeleMega device, this indicates
661 whether GPS has reported at least 10 consecutive
662 positions without losing lock. This ensures that the
663 GPS receiver has reliable reception from the
665 </dd></dl></div><p>The Launchpad tab also shows the computed launch pad
666 position and altitude, averaging many reported
667 positions to improve the accuracy of the fix.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_ascent"></a>11.1.2. Ascent</h3></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130830016"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.4. Monitor Flight Ascent View</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="ascent.png" width="495" alt="ascent.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>This tab is shown during Boost, Fast and Coast
668 phases. The information displayed here helps monitor the
669 rocket as it heads towards apogee.</p><p>The height, speed, acceleration and tilt are shown along
670 with the maximum values for each of them. This allows you to
671 quickly answer the most commonly asked questions you’ll hear
672 during flight.</p><p>The current latitude and longitude reported by the GPS are
673 also shown. Note that under high acceleration, these values
674 may not get updated as the GPS receiver loses position
675 fix. Once the rocket starts coasting, the receiver should
676 start reporting position again.</p><p>Finally, the current igniter voltages are reported as in the
677 Launch Pad tab. This can help diagnose deployment failures
678 caused by wiring which comes loose under high acceleration.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_descent"></a>11.1.3. Descent</h3></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130823280"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.5. Monitor Flight Descent View</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="descent.png" width="495" alt="descent.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>Once the rocket has reached apogee and (we hope)
679 activated the apogee charge, attention switches to
680 tracking the rocket on the way back to the ground, and
681 for dual-deploy flights, waiting for the main charge
682 to fire.</p><p>To monitor whether the apogee charge operated
683 correctly, the current descent rate is reported along
684 with the current height. Good descent rates vary based
685 on the choice of recovery components, but generally
686 range from 15-30m/s on drogue and should be below
687 10m/s when under the main parachute in a dual-deploy
688 flight.</p><p>With GPS-equipped flight computers, you can locate the
689 rocket in the sky using the elevation and bearing
690 information to figure out where to look. Elevation is
691 in degrees above the horizon. Bearing is reported in
692 degrees relative to true north. Range can help figure
693 out how big the rocket will appear. Ground Distance
694 shows how far it is to a point directly under the
695 rocket and can help figure out where the rocket is
696 likely to land. Note that all of these values are
697 relative to the pad location. If the elevation is near
698 90°, the rocket is over the pad, not over you.</p><p>Finally, the igniter voltages are reported in this tab
699 as well, both to monitor the main charge as well as to
700 see what the status of the apogee charge is. Note
701 that some commercial e-matches are designed to retain
702 continuity even after being fired, and will continue
703 to show as green or return from red to green after
704 firing.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_landed"></a>11.1.4. Landed</h3></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130815168"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.6. Monitor Flight Landed View</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="landed.png" width="495" alt="landed.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>Once the rocket is on the ground, attention switches
705 to recovery. While the radio signal is often lost once
706 the rocket is on the ground, the last reported GPS
707 position is generally within a short distance of the
708 actual landing location.</p><p>The last reported GPS position is reported both by
709 latitude and longitude as well as a bearing and
710 distance from the launch pad. The distance should give
711 you a good idea of whether to walk or hitch a ride.
712 Take the reported latitude and longitude and enter
713 them into your hand-held GPS unit and have that
714 compute a track to the landing location.</p><p>Our flight computers will continue to transmit RDF
715 tones after landing, allowing you to locate the rocket
716 by following the radio signal if necessary. You may
717 need to get away from the clutter of the flight line,
718 or even get up on a hill (or your neighbor’s RV roof)
719 to receive the RDF signal.</p><p>The maximum height, speed and acceleration reported
720 during the flight are displayed for your admiring
721 observers. The accuracy of these immediate values
722 depends on the quality of your radio link and how many
723 packets were received. Recovering the on-board data
724 after flight may yield more precise results.</p><p>To get more detailed information about the flight, you
725 can click on the <span class="emphasis"><em>Graph Flight</em></span> button which will
726 bring up a graph window for the current flight.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_table"></a>11.1.5. Table</h3></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130806592"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.7. Monitor Flight Table View</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="table.png" width="495" alt="table.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>The table view shows all of the data available from the
727 flight computer. Probably the most useful data on
728 this tab is the detailed GPS information, which includes
729 horizontal dilution of precision information, and
730 information about the signal being received from the satellites.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_site_map"></a>11.1.6. Site Map</h3></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130801760"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.8. Monitor Flight Site Map View</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="site-map.png" width="495" alt="site-map.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>When the TeleMetrum has a GPS fix, the Site Map tab
731 will map the rocket’s position to make it easier for
732 you to locate the rocket, both while it is in the air,
733 and when it has landed. The rocket’s state is
734 indicated by color: white for pad, red for boost, pink
735 for fast, yellow for coast, light blue for drogue,
736 dark blue for main, and black for landed.</p><p>The map’s default scale is approximately 3m (10ft) per
737 pixel. The map can be dragged using the left mouse
738 button. The map will attempt to keep the rocket
739 roughly centered while data is being received.</p><p>You can adjust the style of map and the zoom level
740 with buttons on the right side of the map window. You
741 can draw a line on the map by moving the mouse over
742 the map with a button other than the left one pressed,
743 or by pressing the left button while also holding down
744 the shift key. The length of the line in real-world
745 units will be shown at the start of the line.</p><p>Images are fetched automatically via the Google Maps
746 Static API, and cached on disk for reuse. If map
747 images cannot be downloaded, the rocket’s path will be
748 traced on a dark gray background instead.</p><p>You can pre-load images for your favorite launch sites
749 before you leave home; check out <a class="xref" href="#_load_maps" title="11.12. Load Maps">Section 11.12, “Load Maps”</a>.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_igniter"></a>11.1.7. Igniter</h3></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130793680"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.9. Monitor Flight Additional Igniter View</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="ignitor.png" width="495" alt="ignitor.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>TeleMega includes four additional programmable pyro
750 channels. The Ignitor tab shows whether each of them has
751 continuity. If an ignitor has a low resistance, then the
752 voltage measured here will be close to the pyro battery
753 voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is required for a <span class="emphasis"><em>GO</em></span>
754 status.</p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_save_flight_data"></a>11.2. Save Flight Data</h2></div></div></div><p>The altimeter records flight data to its internal
756 Data logged on board is recorded at a much
757 higher rate than the telemetry system can handle, and
758 is not subject to radio drop-outs. As such, it
759 provides a more complete and precise record of the
761 The <span class="emphasis"><em>Save Flight Data</em></span> button allows you to
762 read the flash memory and write it to disk.</p><p>Clicking on the <span class="emphasis"><em>Save Flight Data</em></span> button brings up a
763 list of connected flight computers and TeleDongle
764 devices. If you select a flight computer, the flight
765 data will be downloaded from that device directly.
766 If you select a TeleDongle device, flight data will be
767 downloaded from a flight computer over radio link via
768 the specified TeleDongle. See
769 <a class="xref" href="#_controlling_an_altimeter_over_the_radio_link" title="A.3. Controlling An Altimeter Over The Radio Link">Section A.3, “Controlling An Altimeter Over The Radio Link”</a> for
770 more information.</p><p>After the device has been selected, a dialog showing
771 the flight data saved in the device will be shown
772 allowing you to select which flights to download and
773 which to delete. With version 0.9 or newer firmware,
774 you must erase flights in order for the space they
775 consume to be reused by another flight. This prevents
776 accidentally losing flight data if you neglect to
777 download data before flying again. Note that if there
778 is no more space available in the device, then no data
779 will be recorded during the next flight.</p><p>The file name for each flight log is computed
780 automatically from the recorded flight date, altimeter
781 serial number and flight number information.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_replay_flight"></a>11.3. Replay Flight</h2></div></div></div><p>Select this button and you are prompted to select a flight
782 record file, either a .telem file recording telemetry data or a
783 .eeprom file containing flight data saved from the altimeter
784 flash memory.</p><p>Once a flight record is selected, the flight monitor interface
785 is displayed and the flight is re-enacted in real
788 <a class="xref" href="#_monitor_flight" title="11.1. Monitor Flight">Section 11.1, “Monitor Flight”</a> to learn how this window operates.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_graph_data"></a>11.4. Graph Data</h2></div></div></div><p>Select this button and you are prompted to select a flight
789 record file, either a .telem file recording telemetry data or a
790 .eeprom file containing flight data saved from
791 flash memory.</p><p>Note that telemetry files will generally produce poor graphs
792 due to the lower sampling rate and missed telemetry packets.
793 Use saved flight data in .eeprom files for graphing where possible.</p><p>Once a flight record is selected, a window with multiple tabs is
794 opened.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_flight_graph"></a>11.4.1. Flight Graph</h3></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130777360"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.10. Flight Data Graph</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="graph.png" width="495" alt="graph.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>By default, the graph contains acceleration (blue),
795 velocity (green) and altitude (red).</p><p>The graph can be zoomed into a particular area by
796 clicking and dragging down and to the right. Once
797 zoomed, the graph can be reset by clicking and
798 dragging up and to the left. Holding down control and
799 clicking and dragging allows the graph to be panned.
800 The right mouse button causes a pop-up menu to be
801 displayed, giving you the option save or print the
802 plot.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_configure_graph"></a>11.4.2. Configure Graph</h3></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130771968"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.11. Flight Graph Configuration</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="graph-configure.png" width="495" alt="graph-configure.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>This selects which graph elements to show, and, at the
803 very bottom, lets you switch between metric and
804 imperial units</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_flight_statistics"></a>11.4.3. Flight Statistics</h3></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130767456"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.12. Flight Statistics</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="graph-stats.png" width="495" alt="graph-stats.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>Shows overall data computed from the flight.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_map"></a>11.4.4. Map</h3></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130763168"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.13. Flight Map</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="graph-map.png" width="495" alt="graph-map.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>Shows a satellite image of the flight area overlaid
805 with the path of the flight. The red concentric
806 circles mark the launch pad, the black concentric
807 circles mark the landing location.</p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_export_data"></a>11.5. Export Data</h2></div></div></div><p>This tool takes the raw data files and makes them
808 available for external analysis. When you select this
809 button, you are prompted to select a flight data file,
810 which can be either a .eeprom or .telem. The .eeprom
811 files contain higher resolution and more continuous
812 data, while .telem files contain receiver signal
813 strength information. Next, a second dialog appears
814 which is used to select where to write the resulting
816 It has a selector to choose between CSV and KML
817 file formats.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_comma_separated_value_format"></a>11.5.1. Comma Separated Value Format</h3></div></div></div><p>This is a text file containing the data in a form
818 suitable for import into a spreadsheet or other
819 external data analysis tool. The first few lines of
820 the file contain the version and configuration
821 information from the altimeter, then there is a single
822 header line which labels all of the fields. All of
823 these lines start with a <span class="emphasis"><em>#</em></span> character which many
824 tools can be configured to skip over.</p><p>The remaining lines of the file contain the data, with
825 each field separated by a comma and at least one
826 space. All of the sensor values are converted to
827 standard units, with the barometric data reported in
828 both pressure, altitude and height above pad units.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_keyhole_markup_language_for_google_earth"></a>11.5.2. Keyhole Markup Language (for Google Earth)</h3></div></div></div><p>This is the format used by Google Earth to provide an
829 overlay within that application. With this, you can
830 use Google Earth to see the whole flight path
831 in 3D.</p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_configure_altimeter"></a>11.6. Configure Altimeter</h2></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130751680"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.14. Altimeter Configuration</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="configure-altimeter.png" width="324" alt="configure-altimeter.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>Select this button and then select either an altimeter or
832 TeleDongle Device from the list provided. Selecting a TeleDongle
833 device will use the radio link to configure a remote
834 altimeter.</p><p>The first few lines of the dialog provide information about the
835 connected device, including the product name,
836 software version and hardware serial number. Below that are the
837 individual configuration entries.</p><p>At the bottom of the dialog, there are four buttons:</p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">
840 This writes any changes to the configuration parameter
841 block in flash memory. If you don’t press this button,
842 any changes you make will be lost.
843 </dd><dt><span class="term">
846 This resets the dialog to the most recently saved
847 values, erasing any changes you have made.
848 </dd><dt><span class="term">
851 This reboots the device. Use this to switch from idle
852 to pad mode by rebooting once the rocket is oriented
853 for flight, or to confirm changes you think you saved
855 </dd><dt><span class="term">
858 This closes the dialog. Any unsaved changes will be
860 </dd></dl></div><p>The rest of the dialog contains the parameters to be configured.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_main_deploy_altitude"></a>11.6.1. Main Deploy Altitude</h3></div></div></div><p>This sets the altitude (above the recorded pad
861 altitude) at which the <span class="emphasis"><em>main</em></span> igniter will fire. The
862 drop-down menu shows some common values, but you can
863 edit the text directly and choose whatever you
864 like. If the apogee charge fires below this altitude,
865 then the main charge will fire two seconds after the
866 apogee charge fires.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_apogee_delay"></a>11.6.2. Apogee Delay</h3></div></div></div><p>When flying redundant electronics, it’s often
867 important to ensure that multiple apogee charges don’t
868 fire at precisely the same time, as that can over
869 pressurize the apogee deployment bay and cause a
870 structural failure of the air-frame. The Apogee Delay
871 parameter tells the flight computer to fire the apogee
872 charge a certain number of seconds after apogee has
873 been detected.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_apogee_lockout"></a>11.6.3. Apogee Lockout</h3></div></div></div><p>Apogee lockout is the number of seconds after boost
874 where the flight computer will not fire the apogee
875 charge, even if the rocket appears to be at
876 apogee. This is often called <span class="emphasis"><em>Mach Delay</em></span>, as it is
877 intended to prevent a flight computer from
878 unintentionally firing apogee charges due to the
879 pressure spike that occurrs across a mach
880 transition. Altus Metrum flight computers include a
881 Kalman filter which is not fooled by this sharp
882 pressure increase, and so this setting should be left
883 at the default value of zero to disable it.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_frequency"></a>11.6.4. Frequency</h3></div></div></div><p>This configures which of the frequencies to use for
884 both telemetry and packet command mode. Note that if
885 you set this value via packet command mode, the
886 TeleDongle frequency will also be automatically
887 reconfigured to match so that communication will
888 continue afterwards.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_rf_calibration"></a>11.6.5. RF Calibration</h3></div></div></div><p>The radios in every Altus Metrum device are calibrated
889 at the factory to ensure that they transmit and
890 receive on the specified frequency. If you need to
891 you can adjust the calibration by changing this value.
892 Do not do this without understanding what the value
893 means, read the appendix on calibration and/or the
894 source code for more information. To change a
895 TeleDongle’s calibration, you must reprogram the unit
896 completely.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_telemetry_rdf_aprs_enable"></a>11.6.6. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable</h3></div></div></div><p>Enables the radio for transmission during
897 flight. When disabled, the radio will not
898 transmit anything during flight at all.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_telemetry_baud_rate"></a>11.6.7. Telemetry baud rate</h3></div></div></div><p>This sets the modulation bit rate for data
899 transmission for both telemetry and packet
900 link mode. Lower bit rates will increase range
901 while reducing the amount of data that can be
902 sent and increasing battery consumption. All
903 telemetry is done using a rate 1/2 constraint
904 4 convolution code, so the actual data
905 transmission rate is 1/2 of the modulation bit
906 rate specified here.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_aprs_interval"></a>11.6.8. APRS Interval</h3></div></div></div><p>How often to transmit GPS information via APRS
907 (in seconds). When set to zero, APRS
908 transmission is disabled.
910 available on TeleMetrum v2 and TeleMega
911 boards. TeleMetrum v1 boards cannot transmit
913 Note that a single APRS packet
914 takes nearly a full second to transmit, so
915 enabling this option will prevent sending any
916 other telemetry during that time.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_aprs_ssid"></a>11.6.9. APRS SSID</h3></div></div></div><p>Which SSID to report in APRS packets. By
917 default, this is set to the last digit of the
918 serial number, but can be configured to any
919 value from 0 to 9.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_aprs_format"></a>11.6.10. APRS Format</h3></div></div></div><p>Whether to send APRS data in Compressed or
920 Uncompressed format. Compressed format is
921 smaller and more precise. Uncompressed
922 format is older, but may work better with your
923 device. The Kenwood TH-D72 only displays
924 altitude information with Uncompressed
925 format, while the Yaesu FT1D only displays
926 altitude with Compressed format. Test before
927 you fly to see which to use.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_callsign"></a>11.6.11. Callsign</h3></div></div></div><p>This sets the call sign included in each
928 telemetry packet. Set this as needed to
929 conform to your local radio regulations.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_maximum_flight_log_size"></a>11.6.12. Maximum Flight Log Size</h3></div></div></div><p>This sets the space (in kilobytes) allocated
930 for each flight log. The available space will
931 be divided into chunks of this size. A smaller
932 value will allow more flights to be stored, a
933 larger value will record data from longer
934 flights.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_ignitor_firing_mode"></a>11.6.13. Ignitor Firing Mode</h3></div></div></div><p>This configuration parameter allows the two standard ignitor
935 channels (Apogee and Main) to be used in different
936 configurations.</p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">
939 This is the usual mode of operation; the
940 <span class="emphasis"><em>apogee</em></span> channel is fired at apogee and the
941 <span class="emphasis"><em>main</em></span> channel at the height above ground
942 specified by the <span class="emphasis"><em>Main Deploy Altitude</em></span> during
944 </dd><dt><span class="term">
947 This fires both channels at apogee, the
948 <span class="emphasis"><em>apogee</em></span> channel first followed after a two
949 second delay by the <span class="emphasis"><em>main</em></span> channel.
950 </dd><dt><span class="term">
953 This fires both channels at the height above
954 ground specified by the Main Deploy Altitude
955 setting during descent. The <span class="emphasis"><em>apogee</em></span> channel
956 is fired first, followed after a two second
957 delay by the <span class="emphasis"><em>main</em></span> channel.
958 </dd></dl></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_pad_orientation"></a>11.6.14. Pad Orientation</h3></div></div></div><p>Because they include accelerometers,
959 TeleMetrum, TeleMega and EasyMega are
960 sensitive to the orientation of the board. By
961 default, they expect the antenna end to point
962 forward. This parameter allows that default to
963 be changed, permitting the board to be mounted
964 with the antenna pointing aft instead.</p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">
967 In this mode, the antenna end of the flight
968 computer must point forward, in line with the
969 expected flight path.
970 </dd><dt><span class="term">
973 In this mode, the antenna end of the flight
974 computer must point aft, in line with the
975 expected flight path.
976 </dd></dl></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_beeper_frequency"></a>11.6.15. Beeper Frequency</h3></div></div></div><p>The beeper on all Altus Metrum flight
977 computers works best at 4000Hz, however if you
978 have more than one flight computer in a single
979 airframe, having all of them sound at the same
980 frequency can be confusing. This parameter
981 lets you adjust the base beeper frequency
982 value.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_logging_trigger_motion"></a>11.6.16. Logging Trigger Motion</h3></div></div></div><p>This sets the amount of motion that TeleGPS
983 needs to see before logging the new
984 position. Motions smaller than this are
985 skipped, which saves storage space.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_position_reporting_interval"></a>11.6.17. Position Reporting Interval</h3></div></div></div><p>The interval between TeleGPS position reports,
986 both over the air and in the log. Increase
987 this to reduce the frequency of radio
988 transmissions and the length of time available
989 in the log.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_configure_pyro_channels"></a>11.6.18. Configure Pyro Channels</h3></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130694496"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.15. Additional Pyro Channel Configuration</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="configure-pyro.png" width="495" alt="configure-pyro.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>This opens a separate window to configure the
990 additional pyro channels available on TeleMega
991 and EasyMega. One column is presented for
992 each channel. Each row represents a single
993 parameter, if enabled the parameter must meet
994 the specified test for the pyro channel to be
995 fired.</p><p>Select conditions and set the related value;
996 the pyro channel will be activated when <span class="strong"><strong>all</strong></span>
997 of the conditions are met. Each pyro channel
998 has a separate set of configuration values, so
999 you can use different values for the same
1000 condition with different channels.</p><p>At the bottom of the window, the <span class="emphasis"><em>Pyro Firing
1001 Time</em></span> configuration sets the length of time
1002 (in seconds) which each of these pyro channels
1003 will fire for.</p><p>Once you have selected the appropriate
1004 configuration for all of the necessary pyro
1005 channels, you can save the pyro configuration
1006 along with the rest of the flight computer
1007 configuration by pressing the <span class="emphasis"><em>Save</em></span> button in
1008 the main Configure Flight Computer window.</p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">
1011 Select a value, and then choose
1012 whether acceleration should be above or below
1013 that value. Acceleration is positive upwards,
1014 so accelerating towards the ground would
1015 produce negative numbers. Acceleration during
1016 descent is noisy and inaccurate, so be careful
1017 when using it during these phases of the
1019 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1022 Select a value, and then
1023 choose whether vertical speed should be above
1024 or below that value. Speed is positive
1025 upwards, so moving towards the ground would
1026 produce negative numbers. Speed during descent
1027 is a bit noisy and so be careful when using it
1028 during these phases of the flight.
1029 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1032 Select a value, and then choose
1033 whether the height above the launch pad should
1034 be above or below that value.
1035 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1038 TeleMega and EasyMega contain a
1039 3-axis gyroscope and accelerometer which is
1040 used to measure the current angle. Note that
1041 this angle is not the change in angle from the
1042 launch pad, but rather absolute relative to
1043 gravity; the 3-axis accelerometer is used to
1044 compute the angle of the rocket on the launch
1045 pad and initialize the system.
1046 </dd></dl></div><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0; margin-right: 10%;"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>Because this value is computed by integrating
1047 rate gyros, it gets progressively less
1048 accurate as the flight goes on. It should have
1049 an accumulated error of less than 0.2°/second
1050 (after 10 seconds of flight, the error should
1051 be less than 2°).</p><p>The usual use of the orientation configuration
1052 is to ensure that the rocket is traveling
1053 mostly upwards when deciding whether to ignite
1054 air starts or additional stages. For that,
1055 choose a reasonable maximum angle (like 20°)
1056 and set the motor igniter to require an angle
1057 of less than that value.</p></div><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">
1060 Time since boost was detected. Select a value and choose
1061 whether to activate the pyro channel before or after that amount of
1063 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1066 A simple test saying whether the rocket is going up or
1067 not. This is exactly equivalent to testing whether the speed is > 0.
1068 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1071 A simple test saying whether the rocket is going down or
1072 not. This is exactly equivalent to testing whether the speed is < 0.
1073 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1076 The flight software counts each time the rocket starts
1077 accelerating and then decelerating (presumably due to a motor or
1078 motors burning). Use this value for multi-staged or multi-airstart
1080 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1083 This value doesn’t perform any checks, instead it inserts a
1084 delay between the time when the other parameters become true and when
1085 the pyro channel is activated.
1086 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1088 </span></dt><dd><p class="simpara">
1089 The flight software tracks the flight
1090 through a sequence of states:
1091 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
1092 Boost. The motor has lit and the rocket is
1093 accelerating upwards.
1094 </li><li class="listitem">
1095 Fast. The motor has burned out and the
1096 rocket is decelerating, but it is going
1098 </li><li class="listitem">
1099 Coast. The rocket is still moving upwards
1100 and decelerating, but the speed is less
1102 </li><li class="listitem">
1103 Drogue. The rocket has reached apogee and
1104 is heading back down, but is above the
1105 configured Main altitude.
1106 </li><li class="listitem">
1107 Main. The rocket is still descending, and
1108 is below the Main altitude
1109 </li><li class="listitem">
1110 Landed. The rocket is no longer moving.
1111 </li></ul></div></dd></dl></div><p>You can select a state to limit when the pyro channel may activate;
1112 note that the check is based on when the rocket transitions <span class="strong"><strong>into</strong></span> the
1113 state, and so checking for “greater than Boost” means that the rocket
1114 is currently in boost or some later state.</p><p>When a motor burns out, the rocket enters either Fast or Coast state
1115 (depending on how fast it is moving). If the computer detects upwards
1116 acceleration again, it will move back to Boost state.</p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_configure_altosui"></a>11.7. Configure AltosUI</h2></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130656608"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.16. Configure AltosUI Dialog</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="configure-altosui.png" width="216" alt="configure-altosui.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>This button presents a dialog so that you can
1117 configure the AltosUI global settings.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_voice_settings"></a>11.7.1. Voice Settings</h3></div></div></div><p>AltosUI provides voice announcements during
1118 flight so that you can keep your eyes on the
1119 sky and still get information about the
1120 current flight status. However, sometimes you
1121 don’t want to hear them.</p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">
1124 Turns all voice announcements on and off
1125 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1128 Plays a short message allowing you to verify
1129 that the audio system is working and the volume settings
1131 </dd></dl></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_log_directory"></a>11.7.2. Log Directory</h3></div></div></div><p>AltosUI logs all telemetry data and saves all
1132 flash data to this directory. This
1133 directory is also used as the staring point
1134 when selecting data files for display or
1135 export.</p><p>Click on the directory name to bring up a
1136 directory choosing dialog, select a new
1137 directory and click <span class="emphasis"><em>Select Directory</em></span> to
1138 change where AltosUI reads and writes data
1139 files.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_callsign_2"></a>11.7.3. Callsign</h3></div></div></div><p>This value is transmitted in each command
1140 packet sent from TeleDongle and received from
1141 an altimeter. It is not used in telemetry
1142 mode, as the callsign configured in the
1143 altimeter board is included in all telemetry
1144 packets. Configure this with the AltosUI
1145 operators call sign as needed to comply with
1146 your local radio regulations.</p><p>Note that to successfully command a flight
1147 computer over the radio (to configure the
1148 altimeter, monitor idle, or fire pyro
1149 charges), the callsign configured here must
1150 exactly match the callsign configured in the
1151 flight computer. This matching is case
1152 sensitive.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_imperial_units"></a>11.7.4. Imperial Units</h3></div></div></div><p>This switches between metric units (meters)
1153 and imperial units (feet and miles). This
1154 affects the display of values use during
1155 flight monitoring, configuration, data
1156 graphing and all of the voice
1157 announcements. It does not change the units
1158 used when exporting to CSV files, those are
1159 always produced in metric units.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_serial_debug"></a>11.7.5. Serial Debug</h3></div></div></div><p>This causes all communication with a connected
1160 device to be dumped to the console from which
1161 AltosUI was started. If you’ve started it from
1162 an icon or menu entry, the output will simply
1163 be discarded. This mode can be useful to debug
1164 various serial communication issues.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_font_size"></a>11.7.6. Font size</h3></div></div></div><p>Selects the set of fonts used in the flight
1165 monitor window. Choose between the small,
1166 medium and large sets.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_look_amp_feel"></a>11.7.7. Look & feel</h3></div></div></div><p>Switches between the available Java user
1167 interface appearances. The default selection
1168 is supposed to match the native window system
1169 appearance for the target platform.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_menu_position"></a>11.7.8. Menu position</h3></div></div></div><p>Selects the initial position for the main
1170 AltosUI window that includes all of the
1171 command buttons.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_map_cache_size"></a>11.7.9. Map Cache Size</h3></div></div></div><p>Sets the number of map <span class="emphasis"><em>tiles</em></span> kept in memory
1172 while the application is running. More tiles
1173 consume more memory, but will make panning
1174 around the map faster.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_manage_frequencies"></a>11.7.10. Manage Frequencies</h3></div></div></div><p>This brings up a dialog where you can
1175 configure the set of frequencies shown in the
1176 various frequency menus. You can add as many
1177 as you like, or even reconfigure the default
1178 set. Changing this list does not affect the
1179 frequency settings of any devices, it only
1180 changes the set of frequencies shown in the
1181 menus.</p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_configure_groundstation"></a>11.8. Configure Groundstation</h2></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130628688"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.17. Configure Groundstation Dialog</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="configure-groundstation.png" width="279" alt="configure-groundstation.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>Select this button and then select a TeleDongle or
1182 TeleBT Device from the list provided.</p><p>The first few lines of the dialog provide information
1183 about the connected device, including the product
1184 name, software version and hardware serial
1185 number. Below that are the individual configuration
1186 entries.</p><p>Note that TeleDongle and TeleBT don’t save any
1187 configuration data, the settings here are recorded on
1188 the local machine in the Java preferences
1189 database. Moving the device to another machine, or
1190 using a different user account on the same machine
1191 will cause settings made here to have no effect.</p><p>At the bottom of the dialog, there are three
1192 buttons:</p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">
1195 This writes any changes to the local Java
1196 preferences file. If you don’t press this
1197 button, any changes you make will be lost.
1198 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1201 This resets the dialog to the most recently
1202 saved values, erasing any changes you have
1204 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1207 This closes the dialog. Any unsaved changes
1209 </dd></dl></div><p>The rest of the dialog contains the parameters
1210 to be configured.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_frequency_2"></a>11.8.1. Frequency</h3></div></div></div><p>This configures the frequency to use for both
1211 telemetry and packet command mode. Set this
1212 before starting any operation involving packet
1213 command mode so that it will use the right
1214 frequency. Telemetry monitoring mode also
1215 provides a menu to change the frequency, and
1216 that menu also sets the same Java preference
1217 value used here.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_rf_calibration_2"></a>11.8.2. RF Calibration</h3></div></div></div><p>The radios in every Altus Metrum device are
1218 calibrated at the factory to ensure that they
1219 transmit and receive on the specified
1220 frequency. To change a TeleDongle or TeleBT’s
1221 calibration, you must reprogram the unit
1222 completely, so this entry simply shows the
1223 current value and doesn’t allow any changes.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_telemetry_rate"></a>11.8.3. Telemetry Rate</h3></div></div></div><p>This lets you match the telemetry and packet
1224 link rate from the transmitter. If they don’t
1225 match, the device won’t receive any data.</p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_flash_image"></a>11.9. Flash Image</h2></div></div></div><p>This reprograms Altus Metrum devices with new
1227 TeleMetrum v1.x, TeleDongle v0.2, TeleMini
1228 and TeleBT are all reprogrammed by using another
1229 similar unit as a programming dongle (pair
1231 TeleMega, EasyMega, TeleMetrum v2,
1232 EasyMini and TeleDongle v3 are all
1234 over USB (self programming). Please read
1235 the directions for flashing devices in
1236 <a class="xref" href="#_updating_device_firmware" title="Appendix C. Updating Device Firmware">Appendix C, <em>Updating Device Firmware</em></a>.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_fire_igniter"></a>11.10. Fire Igniter</h2></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130608144"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.18. Fire Igniter Window</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="fire-igniter.png" width="108" alt="fire-igniter.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>This activates the igniter circuits in the flight
1237 computer to help test recovery systems
1239 Because this command can operate over the
1240 Packet Command Link, you can prepare the rocket as for
1241 flight and then test the recovery system without
1242 needing to snake wires inside the air-frame.</p><p>Selecting the <span class="emphasis"><em>Fire Igniter</em></span> button brings up the
1243 usual device selection dialog. Pick the desired
1244 device. This brings up another window which shows the
1245 current continuity test status for all of the pyro
1246 channels.</p><p>Next, select the desired igniter to fire. This will
1247 enable the <span class="emphasis"><em>Arm</em></span> button.</p><p>Select the <span class="emphasis"><em>Arm</em></span> button. This enables the <span class="emphasis"><em>Fire</em></span>
1248 button. The word <span class="emphasis"><em>Arm</em></span> is replaced by a countdown
1249 timer indicating that you have 10 seconds to press the
1250 <span class="emphasis"><em>Fire</em></span> button or the system will deactivate, at which
1251 point you start over again at selecting the desired
1252 igniter.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_scan_channels"></a>11.11. Scan Channels</h2></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130598992"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.19. Scan Channels Window</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="scan-channels.png" width="288" alt="scan-channels.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>This listens for telemetry packets on all of the
1253 configured frequencies, displaying information about
1254 each device it receives a packet from. You can select
1255 which of the baud rates and telemetry formats should
1256 be tried; by default, it only listens at 38400 baud
1257 with the standard telemetry format used in v1.0 and
1258 later firmware.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_load_maps"></a>11.12. Load Maps</h2></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130594176"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.20. Load Maps Window</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="load-maps.png" width="468" alt="load-maps.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>Before heading out to a new launch site, you can use
1259 this to load satellite images in case you don’t have
1260 internet connectivity at the site.</p><p>There’s a drop-down menu of launch sites we know
1261 about; if your favorites aren’t there, please let us
1262 know the lat/lon and name of the site. The contents of
1263 this list are actually downloaded from our server at
1264 run-time, so as new sites are sent in, they’ll get
1265 automatically added to this list. If the launch site
1266 isn’t in the list, you can manually enter the lat/lon
1267 values</p><p>There are four different kinds of maps you can view;
1268 you can select which to download by selecting as many
1269 as you like from the available types:</p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">
1272 A combination of satellite imagery and road data. This
1273 is the default view.
1274 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1277 Just the satellite imagery without any annotation.
1278 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1281 Roads, political boundaries and a few geographic
1283 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1286 Contour intervals and shading that show hills and
1288 </dd></dl></div><p>You can specify the range of zoom levels to download;
1289 smaller numbers show more area with less
1290 resolution. The default level, 0, shows about
1291 3m/pixel. One zoom level change doubles or halves that
1292 number. Larger zoom levels show more detail, smaller
1293 zoom levels less.</p><p>The Map Radius value sets how large an area around the
1294 center point to download. Select a value large enough
1295 to cover any plausible flight from that site. Be aware
1296 that loading a large area with a high maximum zoom
1297 level can attempt to download a lot of data. Loading
1298 hybrid maps with a 10km radius at a minimum zoom of -2
1299 and a maximum zoom of 2 consumes about 120MB of
1300 space. Terrain and road maps consume about 1/10 as
1301 much space as satellite or hybrid maps.</p><p>Clicking the <span class="emphasis"><em>Load Map</em></span> button will fetch images from
1302 Google Maps; note that Google limits how many images
1303 you can fetch at once, so if you load more than one
1304 launch site, you may get some gray areas in the map
1305 which indicate that Google is tired of sending data to
1306 you. Try again later.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_monitor_idle"></a>11.13. Monitor Idle</h2></div></div></div><div class="figure"><a id="idm45058130577728"></a><p class="title"><strong>Figure 11.21. Monitor Idle Window</strong></p><div class="figure-contents"><div class="mediaobject"><img src="monitor-idle.png" width="468" alt="monitor-idle.png" /></div></div></div><br class="figure-break" /><p>This brings up a dialog similar to the Monitor Flight
1307 UI, except it works with the altimeter in “idle” mode
1308 by sending query commands to discover the current
1309 state rather than listening for telemetry
1310 packets. Because this uses command mode, it needs to
1311 have the TeleDongle and flight computer callsigns
1312 match exactly. If you can receive telemetry, but
1313 cannot manage to run Monitor Idle, then it’s very
1314 likely that your callsigns are different in some way.</p><p>You can change the frequency and callsign used to
1315 communicate with the flight computer; they must both
1316 match the configuration in the flight computer
1317 exactly.</p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_altosdroid"></a>Chapter 12. AltosDroid</h1></div></div></div><p>AltosDroid provides the same flight monitoring capabilities as
1318 AltosUI, but runs on Android devices. AltosDroid is designed
1319 to connect to a TeleBT receiver over Bluetooth™ and (on
1320 Android devices supporting USB On-the-go) TeleDongle and
1321 TeleBT devices over USB. AltosDroid monitors telemetry data,
1322 logging it to internal storage in the Android device, and
1323 presents that data in a UI similar to the <span class="emphasis"><em>Monitor Flight</em></span>
1324 window in AltosUI.</p><p>This manual will explain how to configure AltosDroid, connect
1325 to TeleBT or TeleDongle, operate the flight monitoring
1326 interface and describe what the displayed data means.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_installing_altosdroid"></a>12.1. Installing AltosDroid</h2></div></div></div><p>AltosDroid is available from the Google Play store. To
1327 install it on your Android device, open the Google
1328 Play Store application and search for
1329 “altosdroid”. Make sure you don’t have a space between
1330 “altos” and “droid” or you probably won’t find what
1331 you want. That should bring you to the right page from
1332 which you can download and install the application.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_charging_telebt_battery"></a>12.2. Charging TeleBT Battery</h2></div></div></div><p>Before using TeleBT with AltosDroid, make sure the
1333 internal TeleBT battery is charged. To do this,
1334 attach a micro USB cable from a computer or other USB
1335 power source to TeleBT. A dual LED on the circuit
1336 board should illuminate, showing red while the battery
1337 is charging, green when charging is completed, and
1338 both red and green on at the same time if there is a
1339 battery fault.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_connecting_to_telebt_over_bluetooth"></a>12.3. Connecting to TeleBT over Bluetooth™</h2></div></div></div><p>Press the Android <span class="emphasis"><em>Menu</em></span> button or soft-key to see the
1340 configuration options available. Select the <span class="emphasis"><em>Connect a
1341 device</em></span> option and then the <span class="emphasis"><em>Scan for devices</em></span> entry
1342 at the bottom to look for your TeleBT device. Select
1343 your device, and when it asks for the code, enter
1344 <span class="emphasis"><em>1234</em></span>.</p><p>Subsequent connections will not require you to enter
1345 that code, and your <span class="emphasis"><em>paired</em></span> device will appear in the
1346 list without scanning.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_connecting_to_teledongle_or_telebt_over_usb"></a>12.4. Connecting to TeleDongle or TeleBT over USB</h2></div></div></div><p>Get a special USB On-the-go adapter cable. These
1347 cables have a USB micro-B male connector on one end
1348 and a standard A female connector on the other
1349 end. Plug in your TeleDongle or TeleBT device to the
1350 adapter cable and the adapter cable into your phone
1351 and AltosDroid should automatically start up. If it
1352 doesn’t, the most likely reason is that your Android
1353 device doesn’t support USB On-the-go.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_configuring_altosdroid"></a>12.5. Configuring AltosDroid</h2></div></div></div><p>There are several configuration and operation
1354 parameters available in the AltosDroid menu.</p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">
1355 Select radio frequency
1357 This selects which frequency to listen on by bringing
1358 up a menu of pre-set radio frequencies. Pick the one
1359 which matches your altimeter.
1360 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1363 Altus Metrum transmitters can be configured to operate
1364 at lower data rates to improve transmission range. If
1365 you have configured your device to do this, this menu
1366 item allows you to change the receiver to match.
1367 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1370 This toggles between metric and imperial units.
1371 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1374 Brings up a dialog allowing you to download offline
1375 map tiles so that you can have maps available even if
1376 you have no network connectivity at the launch site.
1377 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1380 Displays a menu of map types and lets you select
1381 one. Hybrid maps include satellite images with a
1382 roadmap overlaid. Satellite maps dispense with the
1383 roadmap overlay. Roadmap shows just the roads. Terrain
1384 includes roads along with shadows indicating changes
1385 in elevation, and other geographical features.
1386 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1387 Toggle Online/Offline maps
1389 Switches between online and offline maps. Online maps
1390 will show a <span class="emphasis"><em>move to current position</em></span> icon in the
1391 upper right corner, while offline maps will have
1392 copyright information all over the map. Otherwise,
1393 they’re pretty similar.
1394 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1397 Switches the information displays to show data for a
1398 different transmitting device. The map will always
1399 show all of the devices in view. Trackers are shown
1400 and selected by serial number, so make sure you note
1401 the serial number of devices in each airframe.
1402 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1405 Deletes all information about a transmitting device.
1406 </dd></dl></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_altosdroid_flight_monitoring"></a>12.6. AltosDroid Flight Monitoring</h2></div></div></div><p>AltosDroid is designed to mimic the AltosUI flight
1407 monitoring display, providing separate tabs for each
1408 stage of your rocket flight along with a tab
1409 containing a map of the local area with icons marking
1410 the current location of the altimeter and the Android
1411 device.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_pad"></a>12.7. Pad</h2></div></div></div><p>The <span class="emphasis"><em>Pad</em></span> tab shows information used to decide when
1412 the rocket is ready for flight. The first elements
1413 include red/green indicators, if any of these is red,
1414 you’ll want to evaluate whether the rocket is ready to
1415 launch.</p><p>When the pad tab is selected, the voice responses will
1416 include status changes to the igniters and GPS
1417 reception, letting you know if the rocket is still
1418 ready for launch.</p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">
1421 This indicates whether the Li-Po battery powering the
1422 transmitter has sufficient charge to last for the
1423 duration of the flight. A value of more than 3.8V is
1424 required for a <span class="emphasis"><em>GO</em></span> status.
1425 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1428 This indicates whether the Li-Po battery powering the
1429 TeleBT has sufficient charge to last for the duration
1430 of the flight. A value of more than 3.8V is required
1431 for a <span class="emphasis"><em>GO</em></span> status.
1432 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1435 This indicates whether there is space remaining
1436 on-board to store flight data for the upcoming
1437 flight. If you’ve downloaded data, but failed to erase
1438 flights, there may not be any space left. TeleMetrum
1439 and TeleMega can store multiple flights, depending on
1440 the configured maximum flight log size. TeleGPS logs
1441 data continuously. TeleMini stores only a single
1442 flight, so it will need to be downloaded and erased
1443 after each flight to capture data. This only affects
1444 on-board flight logging; the altimeter will still
1445 transmit telemetry and fire ejection charges at the
1447 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1450 For a TeleMetrum or TeleMega device, this indicates
1451 whether the GPS receiver is currently able to compute
1452 position information. GPS requires at least 4
1453 satellites to compute an accurate position.
1454 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1457 For a TeleMetrum or TeleMega device, this indicates
1458 whether GPS has reported at least 10 consecutive
1459 positions without losing lock. This ensures that the
1460 GPS receiver has reliable reception from the
1462 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1465 This indicates whether the apogee igniter has
1466 continuity. If the igniter has a low resistance, then
1467 the voltage measured here will be close to the Li-Po
1468 battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is required
1469 for a <span class="emphasis"><em>GO</em></span> status.
1470 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1473 This indicates whether the main igniter has
1474 continuity. If the igniter has a low resistance, then
1475 the voltage measured here will be close to the Li-Po
1476 battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is required
1477 for a <span class="emphasis"><em>GO</em></span> status.
1478 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1481 This indicates whether the indicated additional pyro
1482 channel igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a
1483 low resistance, then the voltage measured here will be
1484 close to the Li-Po battery voltage. A value greater
1485 than 3.2V is required for a <span class="emphasis"><em>GO</em></span> status.
1486 </dd></dl></div><p>The Pad tab also shows the location of the Android
1487 device.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_flight"></a>12.8. Flight</h2></div></div></div><p>The <span class="emphasis"><em>Flight</em></span> tab shows information used to evaluate
1488 and spot a rocket while in flight. It displays speed
1489 and height data to monitor the health of the rocket,
1490 along with elevation, range and bearing to help locate
1491 the rocket in the sky.</p><p>While the Flight tab is displayed, the voice
1492 announcements will include current speed, height,
1493 elevation and bearing information.</p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">
1496 Shows current vertical speed. During descent, the
1497 speed values are averaged over a fairly long time to
1498 try and make them steadier.
1499 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1502 Shows the current height above the launch pad.
1503 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1506 Shows the maximum vertical speed seen during the
1508 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1511 Shows the maximum height above launch pad.
1512 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1515 This is the angle above the horizon from the android
1516 devices current position.
1517 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1520 The total distance from the android device to the
1521 rocket, including both ground distance and difference
1522 in altitude. Use this to gauge how large the rocket is
1523 likely to appear in the sky.
1524 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1527 This is the aziumuth from true north for the rocket
1528 from the android device. Use this in combination with
1529 the Elevation value to help locate the rocket in the
1530 sky, or at least to help point the antenna in the
1531 general direction. This is provided in both degrees
1532 and a compass point (like West South West). You’ll
1533 want to know which direction is true north before
1534 launching your rocket.
1535 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1538 This shows the distance across the ground to the
1539 lat/lon where the rocket is located. Use this to
1540 estimate what is currently under the rocket.
1541 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1544 Displays the last known location of the rocket.
1545 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1548 This indicates whether the apogee igniter has
1549 continuity. If the igniter has a low resistance, then
1550 the voltage measured here will be close to the Li-Po
1551 battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is required
1552 for a <span class="emphasis"><em>GO</em></span> status.
1553 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1556 This indicates whether the main igniter has
1557 continuity. If the igniter has a low resistance, then
1558 the voltage measured here will be close to the Li-Po
1559 battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is required
1560 for a <span class="emphasis"><em>GO</em></span> status.
1561 </dd></dl></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_recover"></a>12.9. Recover</h2></div></div></div><p>The <span class="emphasis"><em>Recover</em></span> tab shows information used while
1562 recovering the rocket on the ground after flight.</p><p>While the Recover tab is displayed, the voice
1563 announcements will include distance along with either
1564 bearing or direction, depending on whether you are
1565 moving.</p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">
1568 This is the aziumuth from true north for the rocket
1569 from the android device. Use this in combination with
1570 the Elevation value to help locate the rocket in the
1571 sky, or at least to help point the antenna in the
1572 general direction. This is provided in both degrees
1573 and a compass point (like West South West). You’ll
1574 want to know which direction is true north before
1575 launching your rocket.
1576 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1579 When you are in motion, this provides the angle from
1580 your current direction of motion towards the rocket.
1581 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1584 Distance over the ground to the rocket.
1585 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1588 Displays the last known location of the rocket.
1589 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1592 Displays the location of the Android device.
1593 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1596 Shows the maximum height above launch pad.
1597 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1600 Shows the maximum vertical speed seen during the
1602 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1605 Shows the maximum vertical acceleration seen during
1607 </dd></dl></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_map_2"></a>12.10. Map</h2></div></div></div><p>The <span class="emphasis"><em>Map</em></span> tab shows a map of the area around the
1608 rocket being tracked along with information needed to
1609 recover it.</p><p>On the map itself, icons showing the location of the
1610 android device along with the last known location of
1611 each tracker. A blue line is drawn from the android
1612 device location to the currently selected tracker.</p><p>Below the map, the distance and either bearing or
1613 direction along with the lat/lon of the target and the
1614 android device are shown</p><p>The Map tab provides the same voice announcements as
1615 the Recover tab.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_downloading_flight_logs"></a>12.11. Downloading Flight Logs</h2></div></div></div><p>AltosDroid always saves every bit of telemetry data it
1616 receives. To download that to a computer for use with
1617 AltosUI, remove the SD card from your Android device,
1618 or connect your device to your computer’s USB port and
1619 browse the files on that device. You will find
1620 <span class="emphasis"><em>.telem</em></span> files in the TeleMetrum directory that will
1621 work with AltosUI directly.</p></div></div><div class="appendix"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_system_operation"></a>Appendix A. System Operation</h1></div></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_firmware_modes"></a>A.1. Firmware Modes</h2></div></div></div><p>The AltOS firmware build for the altimeters has two
1622 fundamental modes, “idle” and “flight”. Which of these modes
1623 the firmware operates in is determined at start up
1626 TeleMetrum, TeleMega and EasyMega, which have accelerometers, the mode is
1627 controlled by the orientation of the
1628 rocket (well, actually the board, of course…) at the time
1629 power is switched on. If the rocket is “nose up”, then
1630 the flight computer assumes it’s on a rail or rod being prepared for
1631 launch, so the firmware chooses flight mode. However, if the
1632 rocket is more or less horizontal, the firmware instead enters
1637 accelerometer we can use to determine orientation, “idle” mode
1638 is selected if the board is connected via USB to a computer,
1639 otherwise the board enters “flight” mode.
1641 selects “idle” mode if it receives a command packet within the
1642 first five seconds of operation.</p><p>At power on, the altimeter will beep out the battery voltage
1643 to the nearest tenth of a volt. Each digit is represented by
1644 a sequence of short “dit” beeps, with a pause between
1645 digits. A zero digit is represented with one long “dah”
1646 beep. Then there will be a short pause while the altimeter
1647 completes initialization and self test, and decides which mode
1648 to enter next.</p><p>In flight or “pad” mode, the altimeter engages the flight
1649 state machine, goes into transmit-only mode to send telemetry,
1650 and waits for launch to be detected. Flight mode is indicated
1651 by an “di-dah-dah-dit” (“P” for pad) on the beeper or lights,
1652 followed by beeps or flashes indicating the state of the
1653 pyrotechnic igniter continuity. One beep/flash indicates
1654 apogee continuity, two beeps/flashes indicate main continuity,
1655 three beeps/flashes indicate both apogee and main continuity,
1656 and one longer “brap” sound which is made by rapidly
1657 alternating between two tones indicates no continuity. For a
1658 dual deploy flight, make sure you’re getting three beeps or
1659 flashes before launching! For apogee-only or motor eject
1660 flights, do what makes sense.</p><p>If idle mode is entered, you will hear an audible “di-dit” or
1661 see two short flashes (“I” for idle), and the flight state
1662 machine is disengaged, thus no ejection charges will fire.
1663 The altimeters also listen for the radio link when in idle
1664 mode for requests sent via TeleDongle. Commands can be issued
1665 in idle mode over either USB or the radio link
1667 TeleMini v1.0 only has the radio link.
1668 Idle mode is useful for configuring the altimeter, for
1669 extracting data from the on-board storage chip after
1670 flight, and for ground testing pyro charges.</p><p>In “Idle” and “Pad” modes, once the mode indication
1671 beeps/flashes and continuity indication has been sent, if
1672 there is no space available to log the flight in on-board
1673 memory, the flight computer will emit a warbling tone (much
1674 slower than the “no continuity tone”)</p><p>See <a class="xref" href="#_understanding_beeps" title="3.5. Understanding Beeps">Section 3.5, “Understanding Beeps”</a> for a summary of all of
1675 the audio signals used.</p><p>Once landed, the flight computer will signal that by emitting
1676 the “Landed” sound described above, after which it will beep
1677 out the apogee height (in meters). Each digit is represented
1678 by a sequence of short “dit” beeps, with a pause between
1679 digits. A zero digit is represented with one long “dah”
1680 beep. The flight computer will continue to report landed mode
1681 and beep out the maximum height until turned off.</p><p>One “neat trick” of particular value when TeleMetrum, TeleMega
1682 or EasyMega are used with
1683 very large air-frames, is that you can power the board up while the
1684 rocket is horizontal, such that it comes up in idle mode. Then you can
1685 raise the air-frame to launch position, and issue a <span class="emphasis"><em>reset</em></span> command
1686 via TeleDongle over the radio link to cause the altimeter to reboot and
1687 come up in flight mode. This is much safer than standing on the top
1688 step of a rickety step-ladder or hanging off the side of a launch
1689 tower with a screw-driver trying to turn on your avionics before
1690 installing igniters!</p><p>TeleMini v1.0 is configured solely via the radio link. Of course, that
1691 means you need to know the TeleMini radio configuration values
1692 or you won’t be able to communicate with it. For situations
1693 when you don’t have the radio configuration values, TeleMini v1.0
1694 offers an <span class="emphasis"><em>emergency recovery</em></span> mode. In this mode, TeleMini is
1695 configured as follows:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
1696 Sets the radio frequency to 434.550MHz
1697 </li><li class="listitem">
1698 Sets the radio calibration back to the factory value.
1699 </li><li class="listitem">
1700 Sets the callsign to N0CALL
1701 </li><li class="listitem">
1702 Does not go to <span class="emphasis"><em>pad</em></span> mode after five seconds.
1703 </li></ul></div><p>To get into <span class="emphasis"><em>emergency recovery</em></span> mode, first find the row of
1704 four small holes opposite the switch wiring. Using a short
1705 piece of small gauge wire, connect the outer two holes
1706 together, then power TeleMini up. Once the red LED is lit,
1707 disconnect the wire and the board should signal that it’s in
1708 <span class="emphasis"><em>idle</em></span> mode after the initial five second startup
1709 period.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_gps"></a>A.2. GPS</h2></div></div></div><p>TeleMetrum and TeleMega include a complete GPS receiver. A
1710 complete explanation of how GPS works is beyond the scope of
1711 this manual, but the bottom line is that the GPS receiver
1712 needs to lock onto at least four satellites to obtain a solid
1713 3 dimensional position fix and know what time it is.</p><p>The flight computers provide backup power to the GPS chip any time a
1714 battery is connected. This allows the receiver to “warm start” on
1715 the launch rail much faster than if every power-on were a GPS
1716 “cold start”. In typical operations, powering up
1717 on the flight line in idle mode while performing final air-frame
1718 preparation will be sufficient to allow the GPS receiver to cold
1719 start and acquire lock. Then the board can be powered down during
1720 RSO review and installation on a launch rod or rail. When the board
1721 is turned back on, the GPS system should lock very quickly, typically
1722 long before igniter installation and return to the flight line are
1723 complete.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_controlling_an_altimeter_over_the_radio_link"></a>A.3. Controlling An Altimeter Over The Radio Link</h2></div></div></div><p>One of the unique features of the Altus Metrum system is the
1724 ability to create a two way command link between TeleDongle
1725 and an altimeter using the digital radio transceivers
1726 built into each device. This allows you to interact with the
1727 altimeter from afar, as if it were directly connected to the
1728 computer.</p><p>Any operation which can be performed with a flight computer can
1729 either be done with the device directly connected to the
1730 computer via the USB cable, or through the radio
1731 link. TeleMini v1.0 doesn’t provide a USB connector and so it is
1732 always communicated with over radio. Select the appropriate
1733 TeleDongle device when the list of devices is presented and
1734 AltosUI will interact with an altimeter over the radio link.</p><p>One oddity in the current interface is how AltosUI selects the
1735 frequency for radio communications. Instead of providing
1736 an interface to specifically configure the frequency, it uses
1737 whatever frequency was most recently selected for the target
1738 TeleDongle device in Monitor Flight mode. If you haven’t ever
1739 used that mode with the TeleDongle in question, select the
1740 Monitor Flight button from the top level UI, and pick the
1741 appropriate TeleDongle device. Once the flight monitoring
1742 window is open, select the desired frequency and then close it
1743 down again. All radio communications will now use that frequency.</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
1744 Save Flight Data—Recover flight data from the
1745 rocket without opening it up.
1746 </li><li class="listitem">
1747 Configure altimeter apogee delays, main deploy
1748 heights and additional pyro event conditions to
1749 respond to changing launch conditions. You can also
1750 <span class="emphasis"><em>reboot</em></span> the altimeter. Use this to remotely enable
1751 the flight computer by turning TeleMetrum or
1752 TeleMega on in “idle” mode, then once the air-frame
1753 is oriented for launch, you can reboot the
1754 altimeter and have it restart in pad mode without
1755 having to climb the scary ladder.
1756 </li><li class="listitem">
1757 Fire Igniters—Test your deployment charges without snaking
1758 wires out through holes in the air-frame. Simply assemble the
1759 rocket as if for flight with the apogee and main charges
1760 loaded, then remotely command the altimeter to fire the
1762 </li></ul></div><p>Operation over the radio link for configuring an
1763 altimeter, ground testing igniters, and so forth uses
1764 the same RF frequencies as flight telemetry. To
1765 configure the desired TeleDongle frequency, select the
1766 monitor flight tab, then use the frequency selector
1767 and close the window before performing other desired
1768 radio operations.</p><p>The flight computers only enable radio commanding in
1769 <span class="emphasis"><em>idle</em></span> mode. TeleMetrum and TeleMega use the
1770 accelerometer to detect which orientation they start
1771 up in, so make sure you have the flight computer lying
1772 horizontally when you turn it on. Otherwise, it will
1773 start in <span class="emphasis"><em>pad</em></span> mode ready for flight, and will not be
1774 listening for command packets from TeleDongle.</p><p>TeleMini listens for a command packet for five seconds
1775 after first being turned on, if it doesn’t hear
1776 anything, it enters <span class="emphasis"><em>pad</em></span> mode, ready for flight and
1777 will no longer listen for command packets. The easiest
1778 way to connect to TeleMini is to initiate the command
1779 and select the TeleDongle device. At this point, the
1780 TeleDongle will be attempting to communicate with the
1781 TeleMini. Now turn TeleMini on, and it should
1782 immediately start communicating with the TeleDongle
1783 and the desired operation can be performed.</p><p>You can monitor the operation of the radio link by watching the
1784 lights on the devices. The red LED will flash each time a packet
1785 is transmitted, while the green LED will light up on TeleDongle when
1786 it is waiting to receive a packet from the altimeter.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_ground_testing"></a>A.4. Ground Testing</h2></div></div></div><p>An important aspect of preparing a rocket using electronic deployment
1787 for flight is ground testing the recovery system.
1789 to the bi-directional radio link central to the Altus Metrum system,
1790 this can be accomplished in a TeleMega, TeleMetrum or TeleMini equipped rocket
1791 with less work than you may be accustomed to with other systems. It
1792 can even be fun!</p><p>Just prep the rocket for flight, then power up the altimeter
1794 mode (placing air-frame horizontal for TeleMetrum or TeleMega, or
1795 selecting the Configure Altimeter tab for TeleMini).
1797 the firmware to go into “idle” mode, in which the normal flight
1798 state machine is disabled and charges will not fire without
1800 You can now command the altimeter to fire the apogee
1801 or main charges from a safe distance using your
1802 computer and the Fire Igniter tab to complete ejection testing.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_radio_link"></a>A.5. Radio Link</h2></div></div></div><p>TeleMetrum, TeleMini and TeleMega all incorporate an
1803 RF transceiver, but it’s not a full duplex system;
1804 each end can only be transmitting or receiving at any
1805 given moment. So we had to decide how to manage the
1806 link.</p><p>By design, the altimeter firmware listens for the
1807 radio link when it’s in “idle mode”, which allows us
1808 to use the radio link to configure the rocket, do
1809 things like ejection tests, and extract data after a
1810 flight without having to crack open the air-frame.
1811 However, when the board is in “flight mode”, the
1812 altimeter only transmits and doesn’t listen at all.
1813 That’s because we want to put ultimate priority on
1814 event detection and getting telemetry out of the
1815 rocket through the radio in case the rocket crashes
1816 and we aren’t able to extract data later.</p><p>We don’t generally use a <span class="emphasis"><em>normal packet radio</em></span> mode
1817 like APRS because they’re just too inefficient. The
1818 GFSK modulation we use is FSK with the base-band
1819 pulses passed through a Gaussian filter before they go
1820 into the modulator to limit the transmitted bandwidth.
1821 When combined with forward error correction and
1822 interleaving, this allows us to have a very robust
1823 19.2 kilobit data link with only 10-40 milliwatts of
1824 transmit power, a whip antenna in the rocket, and a
1825 hand-held Yagi on the ground. We’ve had flights to
1826 above 21k feet AGL with great reception, and
1827 calculations suggest we should be good to well over
1828 40k feet AGL with a 5-element yagi on the ground with
1829 our 10mW units and over 100k feet AGL with the 40mW
1830 devices. We hope to fly boards to higher altitudes
1831 over time, and would of course appreciate customer
1832 feedback on performance in higher altitude flights!</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_aprs"></a>A.6. APRS</h2></div></div></div><p>TeleMetrum v2.0 and TeleMega can send APRS if desired, and the
1833 interval between APRS packets can be configured. As each APRS
1834 packet takes a full second to transmit, we recommend an
1835 interval of at least 5 seconds to avoid consuming too much
1836 battery power or radio channel bandwidth. You can configure
1837 the APRS interval using AltosUI; that process is described in
1838 <a class="xref" href="#_configure_altimeter" title="11.6. Configure Altimeter">Section 11.6, “Configure Altimeter”</a>.</p><p>AltOS supports both compressed and uncompressed APRS
1839 position report data formats. The compressed format
1840 provides for higher position precision and shorter
1841 packets than the uncompressed APRS format. We’ve found
1842 some older APRS receivers that do not handle the
1843 compressed format. The Kenwood TH-72A requires the use
1844 of uncompressed format to display altitude information
1845 correctly. The Yaesu FT1D requires the use of
1846 compressed format to display altitude information.</p><p>APRS packets include an SSID (Secondary Station Identifier)
1847 field that allows one operator to have multiple
1848 transmitters. AltOS allows you to set this to a single digit
1849 from 0 to 9, allowing you to fly multiple transmitters at the
1850 same time while keeping the identify of each one separate in
1851 the receiver. By default, the SSID is set to the last digit of
1852 the device serial number.</p><p>The APRS packet format includes a comment field that
1853 can have arbitrary text in it. AltOS uses this to send
1854 status information as shown in the following table.</p><div class="table"><a id="idm45058130419360"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table A.1. Altus Metrum APRS Comments</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Altus Metrum APRS Comments" cellpadding="4px" style="border-collapse: collapse;border-top: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; border-left: 1px solid #78079a; border-right: 1px solid #78079a; "><colgroup><col class="col_1" /><col class="col_2" /><col class="col_3" /></colgroup><thead><tr><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Field </th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Example </th><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>1</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>L</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>GPS Status U for unlocked, L for locked</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>2</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>6</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Number of Satellites in View</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>3</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>B4.0</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Altimeter Battery Voltage</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>4</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>A3.7</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee Igniter Voltage</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>5</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>M3.7</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Main Igniter Voltage</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>6</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>1286</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Device Serial Number</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>4</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>1286</p></td><td style="" align="left" valign="top"><p>Device Serial Number</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>Here’s an example of an APRS comment showing GPS lock with 6
1855 satellites in view, a primary battery at 4.0V, and
1856 apogee and main igniters both at 3.7V from device 1286.</p><pre class="literallayout">L6 B4.0 A3.7 M3.7 1286</pre><p>Here’s an example of an APRS comment showing GPS lock with 6
1857 satellites in view and a primary battery at 4.0V from device 1876.</p><pre class="literallayout">L6 B4.0 1876</pre><p>Make sure your primary battery is above 3.8V
1858 any connected igniters are above 3.5V
1859 and GPS is locked with at least 5 or 6 satellites in
1860 view before flying. If GPS is switching between L and
1861 U regularly, then it doesn’t have a good lock and you
1862 should wait until it becomes stable.</p><p>If the GPS receiver loses lock, the APRS data
1863 transmitted will contain the last position for which
1864 GPS lock was available. You can tell that this has
1865 happened by noticing that the GPS status character
1866 switches from <span class="emphasis"><em>L</em></span> to <span class="emphasis"><em>U</em></span>. Before GPS has locked, APRS
1867 will transmit zero for latitude, longitude and
1868 altitude.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_configurable_parameters"></a>A.7. Configurable Parameters</h2></div></div></div><p>Configuring an Altus Metrum altimeter for flight is
1869 very simple. Even on our baro-only TeleMini and
1870 EasyMini boards, the use of a Kalman filter means
1871 there is no need to set a “mach delay”. All of the
1872 configurable parameters can be set using AltosUI. Read
1873 <a class="xref" href="#_configure_altimeter" title="11.6. Configure Altimeter">Section 11.6, “Configure Altimeter”</a> for more information.</p></div></div><div class="appendix"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_handling_precautions"></a>Appendix B. Handling Precautions</h1></div></div></div><p>All Altus Metrum products are sophisticated electronic devices.
1874 When handled gently and properly installed in an air-frame, they
1875 will deliver impressive results. However, as with all electronic
1876 devices, there are some precautions you must take.</p><div class="warning" style="margin-left: 0; margin-right: 10%;"><h3 class="title">Warning</h3><p>The Lithium Polymer rechargeable batteries have an
1877 extraordinary power density. This is great because we can fly with
1878 much less battery mass than if we used alkaline batteries or previous
1879 generation rechargeable batteries… but if they are punctured
1880 or their leads are allowed to short, they can and will release their
1881 energy very rapidly!
1882 Thus we recommend that you take some care when handling our batteries
1883 and consider giving them some extra protection in your air-frame. We
1884 often wrap them in suitable scraps of closed-cell packing foam before
1885 strapping them down, for example.</p></div><p>The barometric sensors used on all of our flight computers are
1886 sensitive to sunlight. In normal mounting situations, the baro sensor
1887 and all of the other surface mount components
1888 are “down” towards whatever the underlying mounting surface is, so
1889 this is not normally a problem. Please consider this when designing an
1890 installation in an air-frame with a see-through plastic payload bay. It
1891 is particularly important to
1892 consider this with TeleMini v1.0, both because the baro sensor is on the
1893 “top” of the board, and because many model rockets with payload bays
1894 use clear plastic for the payload bay! Replacing these with an opaque
1895 cardboard tube, painting them, or wrapping them with a layer of masking
1896 tape are all reasonable approaches to keep the sensor out of direct
1897 sunlight.</p><p>The barometric sensor sampling port must be able to “breathe”,
1898 both by not being covered by foam or tape or other materials that might
1899 directly block the hole on the top of the sensor, and also by having a
1900 suitable static vent to outside air.</p><p>As with all other rocketry electronics, Altus Metrum altimeters must
1901 be protected from exposure to corrosive motor exhaust and ejection
1902 charge gasses.</p></div><div class="appendix"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_updating_device_firmware"></a>Appendix C. Updating Device Firmware</h1></div></div></div><p>TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2, EasyMega, EasyMini and TeleDongle v3
1904 programmed directly over their USB connectors (self
1906 TeleMetrum v1, TeleMini and TeleDongle v0.2 are
1907 all programmed by using another device as a programmer (pair
1908 programming). It’s important to recognize which kind of devices
1909 you have before trying to reprogram them.</p><p>You may wish to begin by ensuring you have current firmware
1910 images. These are distributed as part of the AltOS software
1911 bundle that also includes the AltosUI ground station program.
1912 Newer ground station versions typically work fine with older
1913 firmware versions, so you don’t need to update your devices
1914 just to try out new software features. You can always
1915 download the most recent version from
1916 <a class="ulink" href="http://www.altusmetrum.org/AltOS/" target="_top">http://www.altusmetrum.org/AltOS/</a></p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_updating_telemega_telemetrum_v2_easymega_easymini_or_teledongle_v3_firmware"></a>C.1. Updating TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2, EasyMega, EasyMini or TeleDongle v3 Firmware</h2></div></div></div><p>Self-programmable devices are reprogrammed by
1917 connecting them to your computer over USB.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem">
1918 Attach a battery if necessary and power switch to
1919 the target device. Power up the device.
1920 </li><li class="listitem">
1921 Using a Micro USB cable, connect the target device to your
1922 computer’s USB socket.
1923 </li><li class="listitem">
1924 Run AltosUI, and select <span class="emphasis"><em>Flash Image</em></span> from the File menu.
1925 </li><li class="listitem">
1926 Select the target device in the Device Selection dialog.
1927 </li><li class="listitem">
1928 Select the image you want to flash to the device,
1929 which should have a name in the form
1930 <product>-v<product-version>-<software-version>.ihx,
1931 such as EasyMini-v1.0-1.6.0.ihx.
1932 </li><li class="listitem">
1933 Make sure the configuration parameters are
1934 reasonable looking. If the serial number and/or RF
1935 configuration values aren’t right, you’ll need to
1937 </li><li class="listitem">
1938 Hit the <span class="emphasis"><em>OK</em></span> button and the software should proceed
1939 to flash the device with new firmware, showing a
1941 </li><li class="listitem">
1942 Verify that the device is working by using the
1943 <span class="emphasis"><em>Configure Altimeter</em></span> or <span class="emphasis"><em>Configure Groundstation</em></span>
1944 item to check over the configuration.
1945 </li></ol></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_recovering_from_self_flashing_failure"></a>C.1.1. Recovering From Self-Flashing Failure</h3></div></div></div><p>If the firmware loading fails, it can leave the device
1946 unable to boot. Not to worry, you can force the device to
1947 start the boot loader instead, which will let you try to
1948 flash the device again.</p><p>On each device, connecting two pins from one of the exposed
1949 connectors will force the boot loader to start, even if the
1950 regular operating system has been corrupted in some way.</p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">
1953 Connect pin 6 and pin 1 of the companion
1954 connector. Pin 1 can be identified by the square pad
1955 around it, and then the pins could sequentially across
1956 the board. Be very careful to <span class="strong"><strong>not</strong></span> short pin 8 to
1957 anything as that is connected directly to the
1958 battery. Pin 7 carries 3.3V and the board will crash
1959 if that is connected to pin 1, but shouldn’t damage
1961 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1964 Connect pin 6 and pin 1 of the companion
1965 connector. Pin 1 can be identified by the square pad
1966 around it, and then the pins could sequentially across
1967 the board. Be very careful to <span class="strong"><strong>not</strong></span> short pin 8 to
1968 anything as that is connected directly to the
1969 battery. Pin 7 carries 3.3V and the board will crash
1970 if that is connected to pin 1, but shouldn’t damage
1972 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1975 Connect pin 6 and pin 1 of the companion
1976 connector. Pin 1 can be identified by the square pad
1977 around it, and then the pins could sequentially across
1978 the board. Be very careful to <span class="strong"><strong>not</strong></span> short pin 8 to
1979 anything as that is connected directly to the
1980 battery. Pin 7 carries 3.3V and the board will crash
1981 if that is connected to pin 1, but shouldn’t damage
1983 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1986 Connect pin 6 and pin 1 of the debug connector, which
1987 is the six holes next to the beeper. Pin 1 can be
1988 identified by the square pad around it, and then the
1989 pins could sequentially across the board, making Pin 6
1990 the one on the other end of the row.
1991 </dd><dt><span class="term">
1994 Connect pin 32 on the CPU to ground. Pin 32 is closest
1995 to the USB wires on the row of pins towards the center
1996 of the board. Ground is available on the capacitor
1997 next to it, on the end towards the USB wires.
1998 </dd></dl></div><p>Once you’ve located the right pins:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem">
1999 Turn the altimeter power off.
2000 </li><li class="listitem">
2002 </li><li class="listitem">
2003 Connect the indicated terminals together with a
2004 short piece of wire. Take care not to accidentally
2005 connect anything else.
2006 </li><li class="listitem">
2008 </li><li class="listitem">
2009 Turn the board power on.
2010 </li></ol></div><p>The board should now be visible over USB as
2011 <span class="emphasis"><em>AltosFlash</em></span> and be ready to receive firmware. Once
2012 the board has been powered up, you can remove the
2013 piece of wire.</p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_pair_programming"></a>C.2. Pair Programming</h2></div></div></div><p>The big concept to understand is that you have to use
2014 a TeleMetrum v1.0, TeleBT v1.0 or TeleDongle v0.2 as a
2015 programmer to update a pair programmed device. Due to
2016 limited memory resources in the cc1111, we don’t
2017 support programming directly over USB for these
2018 devices.</p><p>If you need to update the firmware on a TeleDongle
2019 v0.2, we recommend updating the altimeter first,
2020 before updating TeleDongle. However, note that
2021 TeleDongle rarely need to be updated. Any firmware
2022 version 1.0.1 or later will work, version 1.2.1 may
2023 have improved receiver performance slightly.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_updating_telemetrum_v1_x_firmware"></a>C.2.1. Updating TeleMetrum v1.x Firmware</h3></div></div></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem">
2024 Find the <span class="emphasis"><em>programming cable</em></span> that you got as
2025 part of the starter kit, that has a red
2026 8-pin MicroMaTch connector on one end and a
2027 red 4-pin MicroMaTch connector on the other
2029 </li><li class="listitem">
2030 Take the 2 screws out of the TeleDongle v0.2
2031 or TeleBT v1.0 case to get access to the
2033 </li><li class="listitem">
2034 Plug the 8-pin end of the programming cable
2035 to the matching connector on the TeleDongle
2036 v0.2 or TeleBT v1.0, and the 4-pin end to
2037 the matching connector on the TeleMetrum.
2038 Note that each MicroMaTch connector has an
2039 alignment pin that goes through a hole in
2040 the PC board when you have the cable
2042 </li><li class="listitem">
2043 Attach a battery to the TeleMetrum board.
2044 </li><li class="listitem">
2045 Plug the TeleDongle v0.2 or TeleBT v1.0 into
2046 your computer’s USB port, and power up the
2048 </li><li class="listitem">
2049 Run AltosUI, and select <span class="emphasis"><em>Flash Image</em></span> from
2051 </li><li class="listitem">
2052 Pick the TeleDongle v0.2 or TeleBT v1.0
2053 device from the list, identifying it as the
2055 </li><li class="listitem">
2056 Select the image you want put on the
2057 TeleMetrum, which should have a name in the
2058 form telemetrum-v1.2-1.0.0.ihx. It should
2059 be visible in the default directory, if not
2060 you may have to poke around your system to
2062 </li><li class="listitem">
2063 Make sure the configuration parameters are
2064 reasonable looking. If the serial number
2065 and/or RF configuration values aren’t right,
2066 you’ll need to change them.
2067 </li><li class="listitem">
2068 Hit the <span class="emphasis"><em>OK</em></span> button and the software should
2069 proceed to flash the TeleMetrum with new
2070 firmware, showing a progress bar.
2071 </li><li class="listitem">
2072 Confirm that the TeleMetrum board seems to
2073 have updated OK, which you can do by
2074 plugging in to it over USB and using a
2075 terminal program to connect to the board and
2076 issue the <span class="emphasis"><em>v</em></span> command to check the version,
2078 </li></ol></div><p>If something goes wrong, give it another try.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_updating_telemini_firmware"></a>C.2.2. Updating TeleMini Firmware</h3></div></div></div><p>You’ll need a special <span class="emphasis"><em>programming cable</em></span> to
2079 reprogram the TeleMini. You can make your own
2080 using an 8-pin MicroMaTch connector on one end
2081 and a set of four pins on the other.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem">
2082 Take the 2 screws out of the TeleDongle v0.2
2083 or TeleBT v1.0 case to get access to the
2085 </li><li class="listitem">
2086 Plug the 8-pin end of the programming cable
2087 to the matching connector on the TeleDongle
2088 v0.2 or TeleBT v1.0, and the 4-pins into the
2089 holes in the TeleMini circuit board. Note
2090 that the MicroMaTch connector has an
2091 alignment pin that goes through a hole in
2092 the PC board when you have the cable
2093 oriented correctly, and that pin 1 on the
2094 TeleMini board is marked with a square pad
2095 while the other pins have round pads.
2096 </li><li class="listitem">
2097 Attach a battery to the TeleMini board.
2098 </li><li class="listitem">
2099 Plug the TeleDongle v0.2 or TeleBT v1.0 into
2100 your computer’s USB port, and power up the
2102 </li><li class="listitem">
2103 Run AltosUI, and select <span class="emphasis"><em>Flash Image</em></span> from
2105 </li><li class="listitem">
2106 Pick the TeleDongle v0.2 or TeleBT v1.0
2107 device from the list, identifying it as the
2109 </li><li class="listitem">
2110 Select the image you want put on the
2111 TeleMini, which should have a name in the
2112 form telemini-v1.0-1.0.0.ihx. It should be
2113 visible in the default directory, if not you
2114 may have to poke around your system to find
2116 </li><li class="listitem">
2117 Make sure the configuration parameters are
2118 reasonable looking. If the serial number
2119 and/or RF configuration values aren’t right,
2120 you’ll need to change them.
2121 </li><li class="listitem">
2122 Hit the <span class="emphasis"><em>OK</em></span> button and the software should
2123 proceed to flash the TeleMini with new
2124 firmware, showing a progress bar.
2125 </li><li class="listitem">
2126 Confirm that the TeleMini board seems to
2127 have updated OK, which you can do by
2128 configuring it over the radio link through
2129 the TeleDongle, or letting it come up in
2130 “flight” mode and listening for telemetry.
2131 </li></ol></div><p>If something goes wrong, give it another try.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_updating_teledongle_v0_2_firmware"></a>C.2.3. Updating TeleDongle v0.2 Firmware</h3></div></div></div><p>Updating TeleDongle v0.2 firmware is just like
2132 updating TeleMetrum v1.x or TeleMini firmware, but you
2133 use either a TeleMetrum v1.x, TeleDongle v0.2 or
2134 TeleBT v1.0 as the programmer.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem">
2135 Find the <span class="emphasis"><em>programming cable</em></span> that you got as part of
2136 the starter kit, that has a red 8-pin MicroMaTch
2137 connector on one end and a red 4-pin MicroMaTch
2138 connector on the other end.
2139 </li><li class="listitem">
2140 Find the USB cable that you got as part of the
2141 starter kit, and plug the “mini” end in to the
2142 mating connector on TeleMetrum v1.x, TeleDongle v0.2
2144 </li><li class="listitem">
2145 Take the 2 screws out of the TeleDongle v0.2 or
2146 TeleBT v1.0 case to get access to the circuit board.
2147 </li><li class="listitem">
2148 Plug the 8-pin end of the programming cable to the
2149 matching connector on the programmer, and the 4-pin
2150 end to the matching connector on the TeleDongle
2151 v0.2. Note that each MicroMaTch connector has an
2152 alignment pin that goes through a hole in the PC
2153 board when you have the cable oriented correctly.
2154 </li><li class="listitem">
2155 Attach a battery to the TeleMetrum v1.x board if
2157 </li><li class="listitem">
2158 Plug both the programmer and the TeleDongle into
2159 your computer’s USB ports, and power up the
2161 </li><li class="listitem">
2162 Run AltosUI, and select <span class="emphasis"><em>Flash Image</em></span> from the File
2164 </li><li class="listitem">
2165 Pick the programmer device from the list,
2166 identifying it as the programming device.
2167 </li><li class="listitem">
2168 Select the image you want put on the TeleDongle
2169 v0.2, which should have a name in the form
2170 teledongle-v0.2-1.0.0.ihx. It should be visible in
2171 the default directory, if not you may have to poke
2172 around your system to find it.
2173 </li><li class="listitem">
2174 Make sure the configuration parameters are
2175 reasonable looking. If the serial number and/or RF
2176 configuration values aren’t right, you’ll need to
2177 change them. The TeleDongle v0.2 serial number is
2178 on the “bottom” of the circuit board, and can
2179 usually be read through the translucent blue plastic
2180 case without needing to remove the board from the
2182 </li><li class="listitem">
2183 Hit the <span class="emphasis"><em>OK</em></span> button and the software should proceed
2184 to flash the TeleDongle v0.2 with new firmware,
2185 showing a progress bar.
2186 </li><li class="listitem">
2187 Confirm that the TeleDongle v0.2 board seems to have
2188 updated OK, which you can do by plugging in to it
2189 over USB and using a terminal program to connect to
2190 the board and issue the <span class="emphasis"><em>v</em></span> command to check the
2191 version, etc. Once you’re happy, remove the
2192 programming cable and put the cover back on the
2194 </li></ol></div><p>If something goes wrong, give it another try.</p><p>Be careful removing the programming cable from the
2195 locking 8-pin connector on TeleMetrum. You’ll need a
2196 fingernail or perhaps a thin screwdriver or knife
2197 blade to gently pry the locking ears out slightly to
2198 extract the connector. We used a locking connector on
2199 TeleMetrum to help ensure that the cabling to
2200 companion boards used in a rocket don’t ever come
2201 loose accidentally in flight.</p></div></div></div><div class="appendix"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_flight_data_recording"></a>Appendix D. Flight Data Recording</h1></div></div></div><p>Each flight computer logs data at 100 samples per second
2202 during ascent and 10 samples per second during
2203 descent, except for TeleMini v1.0, which records ascent at 10 samples
2204 per second and descent at 1 sample per second.
2206 an on-board flash memory part, which can be partitioned into
2207 several equal-sized blocks, one for each flight.</p><div class="table"><a id="idm45058130283472"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table D.1. Data Storage on Altus Metrum altimeters</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Data Storage on Altus Metrum altimeters" cellpadding="4px" style="border-collapse: collapse;border-top: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; border-left: 1px solid #78079a; border-right: 1px solid #78079a; "><colgroup><col class="col_1" /><col class="col_2" /><col class="col_3" /><col class="col_4" /></colgroup><thead><tr><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Device </th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Bytes per Sample </th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Total Storage </th><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Minutes at Full Rate</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>TeleMetrum v1.0</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>8</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>1MB</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>20</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>TeleMetrum v1.1 v1.2</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>8</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>2MB</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>40</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>TeleMetrum v2.0</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>16</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>8MB</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>80</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>TeleMini v1.0</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>2</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>5kB</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>4</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>EasyMini</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>16</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>1MB</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>10</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>TeleMega</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>32</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>8MB</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>40</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>EasyMega</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>32</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>8MB</p></td><td style="" align="left" valign="top"><p>40</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p>The on-board flash is partitioned into separate flight logs,
2208 each of a fixed maximum size. Increase the maximum size of
2209 each log and you reduce the number of flights that can be
2210 stored. Decrease the size and you can store more flights.</p><p>Configuration data is also stored in the flash memory on
2215 of flash space. This configuration space is not available
2216 for storing flight log data.</p><p>TeleMetrum v2.0, TeleMega and EasyMega
2217 store configuration data in a bit of eeprom available within
2218 the processor chip, leaving that space available in flash for
2219 more flight data.</p><p>To compute the amount of space needed for a single flight, you
2220 can multiply the expected ascent time (in seconds) by 100
2221 times bytes-per-sample, multiply the expected descent time (in
2222 seconds) by 10 times the bytes per sample and add the two
2223 together. That will slightly under-estimate the storage (in
2224 bytes) needed for the flight.
2225 For instance, a TeleMetrum v2.0 flight spending
2226 20 seconds in ascent and 150 seconds in descent will take
2227 about (20 * 1600) + (150 * 160) = 56000 bytes of storage. You
2228 could store dozens of these flights in the on-board flash.</p><p>The default size allows for several flights on each flight
2229 computer, except for TeleMini v1.0, which
2230 only holds data for a single flight.
2231 You can adjust the size.</p><p>Altus Metrum flight computers will not overwrite existing
2232 flight data, so be sure to download flight data and erase it
2233 from the flight computer before it fills up. The flight
2234 computer will still successfully control the flight even if it
2235 cannot log data, so the only thing you will lose is the data.</p></div><div class="appendix"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_altus_metrum_hardware_specifications"></a>Appendix E. Altus Metrum Hardware Specifications</h1></div></div></div><p>Here’s the full set of Altus Metrum products, both in
2236 production and retired.</p><div class="table"><a id="idm45058130237152"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table E.1. Altus Metrum Flight Computer Electronics</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Altus Metrum Flight Computer Electronics" cellpadding="4px" style="border-collapse: collapse;border-top: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; border-left: 1px solid #78079a; border-right: 1px solid #78079a; "><colgroup><col class="col_1" /><col class="col_2" /><col class="col_3" /><col class="col_4" /><col class="col_5" /><col class="col_6" /><col class="col_7" /><col class="col_8" /></colgroup><thead><tr><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Device </th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"> Barometer </th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"> Z-axis accel </th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"> GPS </th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"> 3D sensors </th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"> Storage </th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"> RF Output </th><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"> Battery</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>TeleMetrum v1.0</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>MP3H6115 10km (33k')</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>MMA2202 50g</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>SkyTraq</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>-</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>1MB</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>10mW</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>3.7V</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>TeleMetrum v1.1</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>MP3H6115 10km (33k')</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>MMA2202 50g</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>SkyTraq</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>-</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>2MB</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>10mW</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>3.7V</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>TeleMetrum v1.2</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>MP3H6115 10km (33k')</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>ADXL78 70g</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>SkyTraq</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>-</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>2MB</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>10mW</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>3.7V</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>TeleMetrum v2.0</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>MS5607 30km (100k')</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>MMA6555 102g</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>uBlox Max-7Q</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>-</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>8MB</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>40mW</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>3.7V</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>TeleMini v1.0</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>MP3H6115 10km (33k')</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>-</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>-</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>-</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>5kB</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>10mW</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>3.7V</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>EasyMini v1.0</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>MS5607 30km (100k')</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>-</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>-</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>-</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>1MB</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>-</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>3.7-12V</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>TeleMega v1.0</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>MS5607 30km (100k')</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>MMA6555 102g</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>uBlox Max-7Q</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>MPU6000 HMC5883</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>8MB</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>40mW</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>3.7V</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>EasyMega v1.0</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>MS5607 30km (100k')</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>MMA6555 102g</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>-</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>MPU6000 HMC5883</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>8MB</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>-</p></td><td style="" align="left" valign="top"><p>3.7V</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /><p></p><div class="table"><a id="idm45058130154144"></a><p class="title"><strong>Table E.2. Altus Metrum Flight Computer Mechanical Components</strong></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Altus Metrum Flight Computer Mechanical Components" cellpadding="4px" style="border-collapse: collapse;border-top: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; border-left: 1px solid #78079a; border-right: 1px solid #78079a; "><colgroup><col class="col_1" /><col class="col_2" /><col class="col_3" /><col class="col_4" /><col class="col_5" /><col class="col_6" /></colgroup><thead><tr><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Device</th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Connectors</th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Screw Terminals</th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Width</th><th style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Length</th><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top">Tube Size</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>TeleMetrum</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Antenna Debug Companion USB Battery</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee pyro Main pyro Switch</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>1 inch (2.54cm)</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>2 ¾ inch (6.99cm)</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>29mm coupler</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>TeleMini v1.0</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Antenna Debug Battery</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee pyro Main pyro</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>½ inch (1.27cm)</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>1½ inch (3.81cm)</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>18mm coupler</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>TeleMini v2.0</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Antenna Debug USB Battery</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee pyro Main pyro Battery Switch</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>0.8 inch (2.03cm)</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>1½ inch (3.81cm)</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>24mm coupler</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>EasyMini</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Debug USB Battery</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee pyro Main pyro Battery</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>0.8 inch (2.03cm)</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>1½ inch (3.81cm)</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>24mm coupler</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>TeleMega</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Antenna Debug Companion USB Battery</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee pyro Main pyro Pyro A-D Switch Pyro battery</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>1¼ inch (3.18cm)</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>3¼ inch (8.26cm)</p></td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>38mm coupler</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>EasyMega</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Debug Companion USB Battery</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>Apogee pyro Main pyro Pyro A-D Switch Pyro battery</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>1¼ inch (3.18cm)</p></td><td style="border-right: 1px solid #78079a; " align="left" valign="top"><p>2¼ inch (5.62cm)</p></td><td style="" align="left" valign="top"><p>38mm coupler</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break" /></div><div class="appendix"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="_release_notes"></a>Appendix F. Release Notes</h1></div></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_1_6_2"></a>F.1. Release Notes for Version 1.6.2</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.6.2 includes support for our updated TeleMega v2.0
2237 product and bug fixes in in the flight software for all our boards
2238 and ground station interfaces.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altos"></a>F.1.1. AltOS</h3></div></div></div><p>AltOS New Features:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2239 Add support for TeleMega v2.0 boards.
2240 </li><li class="listitem">
2241 Add PWM servo driver. There’s no higher level code using
2242 this yet, but the driver allows testing of the TeleMega v2.0
2243 servo output connector.
2244 </li></ul></div><p>AltOS Fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2245 Slow down telemetry packets to allow receiver to keep
2247 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_and_telegps_applications"></a>F.1.2. AltosUI and TeleGPS Applications</h3></div></div></div><p>AltosUI and TeleGPS Fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2248 Fix post-flight orientation computation when processing
2249 TeleMega and EasyMega eeprom data files.
2250 </li><li class="listitem">
2251 Capture complete eeprom data even when there are invalid
2252 entries in the data. This keeps reading eeprom contents and
2253 writing the associated .eeprom file when an error is detected.
2254 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_documentation"></a>F.1.3. Documentation</h3></div></div></div><p>We spent a bunch of time trying to improve our documentation</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2255 HTML versions now have a table of contents on the left side.
2256 </li><li class="listitem">
2257 EasyMini now has its own shorter manual.
2258 </li><li class="listitem">
2259 Provide links between sections in each document.
2260 </li><li class="listitem">
2261 Lots of minor rewriting and restructuring to avoid
2262 duplication of information
2263 </li></ul></div><p></p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_1_6_1"></a>F.2. Release Notes for Version 1.6.1</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.6.1 includes support for our updated TeleBT v3.0
2264 product and bug fixes in in the flight software for all our boards
2265 and ground station interfaces.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altos_2"></a>F.2.1. AltOS</h3></div></div></div><p>AltOS New Features:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2266 Add support for TeleBT v3.0 boards.
2267 </li><li class="listitem">
2268 Add support for uncompressed APRS data, providing support
2269 for older APRS receivers. Uncompressed APRS data is less
2270 precise, takes more bandwidth and doesn’t have integrated
2272 </li></ul></div><p>AltOS Fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2273 Make TeleDongle and TeleBT more tolerant of data rate
2274 variations from transmitting devices.
2275 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_and_telegps_applications_2"></a>F.2.2. AltosUI and TeleGPS Applications</h3></div></div></div><p>AltosUI and TeleGPS New Features:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2276 Add map to Monitor Idle display. It’s nice to be able to
2277 verify that maps are working, instead of needing to use
2279 </li></ul></div><p>AltosUI and TeleGPS Fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2280 Fix frequency configuration to round values instead of
2281 truncate them, avoiding a common 1kHz error in the setting.
2282 </li><li class="listitem">
2283 Turn the Windows stub into a more useful program that can
2284 launch the application with parameters so that file manager
2285 icons work more reliably.
2286 </li><li class="listitem">
2287 Force KML export to use a C locale so that numbers are
2288 formatted with <span class="emphasis"><em>.</em></span> instead of <span class="emphasis"><em>,</em></span> for a decimal separator in
2290 </li><li class="listitem">
2291 Preload map tiles based on distance rather than number of
2292 tiles; this means you get the same resolution covering the
2293 entire area, rather than having high resolution near the
2294 center and low resolution further away.
2295 </li><li class="listitem">
2296 Allow configuration of frequency and callsign in Monitor
2298 </li><li class="listitem">
2299 Fix layout weirdness when resizing windows on
2300 Windows. Windows shouldn’t have giant blank spaces around
2301 the useful content anymore.
2302 </li><li class="listitem">
2303 Fix layout weirdness when resizing windows on
2304 Windows. Windows shouldn’t have giant blank spaces around
2305 the useful content anymore.
2306 </li><li class="listitem">
2307 Use a longer filter for descent speed values. This should
2308 provide something more useful on the display, although it
2309 will take longer to respond to changes now.
2310 </li><li class="listitem">
2311 Make Replay Flight run in realtime again. It had been set to
2312 run at 10x speed by mistake.
2313 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosdroid_2"></a>F.2.3. AltosDroid</h3></div></div></div><p>AltosDroid New Features:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2314 Add offline map support using mapping code from AltosUI.
2315 </li><li class="listitem">
2316 Support TeleDongle (and TeleBT via USB) on devices
2317 supporting USB On-The-Go.
2318 </li><li class="listitem">
2319 Display additional TeleMega pyro channel status in Pad tab.
2320 </li><li class="listitem">
2321 Switch between metric and imperial units.
2322 </li><li class="listitem">
2323 Monitor TeleBT battery voltage.
2324 </li><li class="listitem">
2325 Track multiple devices at the same time, selecting between
2326 them with a menu or using the map.
2327 </li><li class="listitem">
2328 Add hybrid, satellite and terrain map types.
2329 </li></ul></div><p>AltosDroid Fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2330 Use standard Android display conventions so that a menu
2331 button is available in the application title bar.
2332 </li><li class="listitem">
2333 Adjust layout to work on large and small screens; shrinking
2334 the go/no-go lights in smaller environments to try and make
2336 </li><li class="listitem">
2337 Make voice announcements depend on current tab.
2338 </li><li class="listitem">
2339 Compute adjustment to current travel direction while in
2340 motion towards rocket.
2341 </li></ul></div><p></p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_1_6"></a>F.3. Release Notes for Version 1.6</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.6 includes support for our updated TeleDongle v3.0
2342 product and bug fixes in in the flight software for all our boards
2343 and ground station interfaces.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altos_3"></a>F.3.1. AltOS</h3></div></div></div><p>AltOS New Features</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2344 Add support for TeleDongle v3.0 boards.
2345 </li></ul></div><p>AltOS Fixes</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2346 Don’t beep out the continuity twice by accident in idle mode.
2347 If the battery voltage report takes longer than the initialiation
2348 sequence, the igniter continuity would get reported twice.
2349 </li><li class="listitem">
2350 Record all 32 bits of gyro calibration data in TeleMega and
2351 EasyMega log files. This fixes computation of the gyro rates
2353 </li><li class="listitem">
2354 Change TeleDongle LED usage. Green LED flashes when valid
2355 packet is received. Red LED flashes when invalid packet is
2357 </li><li class="listitem">
2358 Replace LPC11U14 SPI driver with non-interrupt version. The
2359 interrupt code would occasionally wedge on long transfers
2360 if interrupts were blocked for too long. This affects all
2361 released TeleGPS products; if you have a TeleGPS device,
2362 you’ll want to reflash the firmware.
2363 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_and_telegps_applications_3"></a>F.3.2. AltosUI and TeleGPS Applications</h3></div></div></div><p>AltosUI and TeleGPS New Features</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2364 Compute tilt angle from TeleMega and EasyMega log
2365 files. This duplicates the quaternion-based angle tracking
2366 code from the flight firmware inside the ground station
2367 software so that post-flight analysis can include evaluation
2369 </li><li class="listitem">
2370 Shows the tool button window when starting with a data file
2371 specified. This means that opening a data file from the file
2372 manager will now bring up the main window to let you operate
2373 the whole application.
2374 </li></ul></div><p>AltosUI Fixes</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2375 Show the <span class="emphasis"><em>Connecting</em></span> dialog when using Monitor Idle. Lets
2376 you cancel the Monitor Idle startup when connecting over the
2378 </li><li class="listitem">
2379 Make <span class="emphasis"><em>Monitor Idle</em></span> work for TeleGPS devices when connected
2380 over USB. It’s nice for testing without needing to broadcast
2382 </li><li class="listitem">
2383 Use different Windows API to discover USB devices. This
2384 works better on my Windows 7 box, and will be used if the
2385 older API fails to provide the necessary information.
2386 </li><li class="listitem">
2387 Look in more places in the registry to try and identify the
2388 installed Java version on Windows. If you install the
2389 default 32-bit version of Windows on a 64-bit OS, the Java
2390 registry information is hiding \SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node for
2392 </li><li class="listitem">
2393 Fix file association on Windows by searching for the
2394 javaw.exe program instead of assuming it is in
2395 %SYSTEMROOT%. This makes double-clicking on Altus Metrum
2396 data files in the file manager work correctly.
2397 </li><li class="listitem">
2398 When replaying a file, put <span class="emphasis"><em>done</em></span> in the Age field when we
2399 reach the end of the file, instead of continuing to count forever.
2400 </li><li class="listitem">
2401 In the Scan Channels code, wait for five seconds if we see
2402 any packet. This is needed because AltOS now sends the
2403 callsign, serial number and flight number only once every
2404 five seconds these days.
2405 </li><li class="listitem">
2406 In the Scan Channels code, reset pending flight state
2407 information each time we change channels. This avoids having
2408 flight computers appear on multiple frequencies by accident.
2409 </li></ul></div><p></p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_1_5"></a>F.4. Release Notes for Version 1.5</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.5 is a major release. It includes support for our new
2410 EasyMega product, new features and bug fixes in in the flight
2411 software for all our boards and the AltosUI ground station</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altos_4"></a>F.4.1. AltOS</h3></div></div></div><p>AltOS New Features</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2412 Add support for EasyMega boards.
2413 </li><li class="listitem">
2414 Make the APRS SSID be configurable. This lets you track
2415 different rockets on the same receiver without getting
2417 </li><li class="listitem">
2418 Report extra pyro channel continuity state on EasyMega and
2419 TeleMega via the beeper. This lets you easily verify flight
2420 readiness on these boards after powering up the electronics
2422 </li><li class="listitem">
2423 Add lower telemetry data rates (2400 and 9600 bps) to
2424 increase telemetry radio range. This reduces the amount of
2425 data received as well as increasing battery consumption in
2427 </li><li class="listitem">
2428 Change TeleGPS to have only a single log, and append new
2429 data to it rather than using seperate per-flight logs. This
2430 avoids accidentally filling up log storage by turning
2431 TeleGPS on/off several times.
2432 </li></ul></div><p>AltOS Fixes</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2433 Increase the maximum range for altitude values from +/-32767m
2434 to +/-2147483647m, allowing the flight computers to function
2435 correctly above the 32km level.
2436 </li><li class="listitem">
2437 Continuously test pyro firing conditions during delay stage,
2438 inhibiting the pyro channel if the test fails. This prevents
2439 firing pyro charges where the conditions were good before
2440 the delay, but become bad before the delay expires.
2441 </li><li class="listitem">
2442 Allow negative numbers in pyro configuration values. This
2443 lets you specify things like descending speed or
2445 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_and_telegps_applications_4"></a>F.4.2. AltosUI and TeleGPS Applications</h3></div></div></div><p>AltosUI and TeleGPS New Features</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2446 Support telemetry baud rate selection. Adds menus to
2447 the flight monitoring and configuration for baud rate
2449 </li><li class="listitem">
2450 Support APRS SSID configuration.
2451 </li><li class="listitem">
2452 Integrate with file managers. This provides icons for all of
2453 our file types and associates our application with the files
2454 so that using a file manager to open a AltOS data file
2455 results in launching our application.
2456 </li></ul></div><p>AltosUI Fixes</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2457 Make the <span class="emphasis"><em>Graph</em></span> button on the landed tab work again.
2458 </li><li class="listitem">
2459 Make tests for Java on Windows a bit smarter, and also
2460 provide the user with the option to skip installing Java for
2461 cases where we just can’t figure out what version is installed.
2462 </li></ul></div><p></p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_1_4_2"></a>F.5. Release Notes for Version 1.4.2</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.4.2 is a minor release. It fixes Java-related install issues on
2463 Windows</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_and_telegps_applications_5"></a>F.5.1. AltosUI and TeleGPS Applications</h3></div></div></div><p>Windows Install Fixes</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2464 Checks for Java installation data in more registry locations.
2465 </li><li class="listitem">
2466 Allows user to bypass Java installation in case the
2468 </li></ul></div><p></p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_1_4_1"></a>F.6. Release Notes for Version 1.4.1</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.4.1 is a minor release. It fixes install issues on
2469 Windows and provides the missing TeleMetrum V2.0 firmware. There
2470 aren’t any changes to the firmware or host applications at
2471 all. All Windows users will want to upgrade to get the signed
2472 driver, but Mac and Linux users who do not need the TeleMetrum
2473 V2.0 firmware image will not need to upgrade.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_and_telegps_applications_6"></a>F.6.1. AltosUI and TeleGPS Applications:</h3></div></div></div><p>Windows Install Fixes</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2474 Provide signed Windows driver files. This should avoid any need to
2475 disable driver signature checking on Windows 7 or 8.
2476 </li><li class="listitem">
2477 Fix Java version detection and download. Previously, the
2478 installer would only look for Java 6 or 7 and insist on
2479 downloading its own Java bits if there was something else
2480 installed. Furthermore, the 64-bit Java link provided didn’t
2481 work for anyone other than Keith, making it impossible to
2482 install AltOS on any machine with Java SE 8 installed.
2483 </li></ul></div><p>Other Fixes</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2484 Include 1.4 firmware for TeleMetrum V2.0. None of the
2485 installers shipped this file. Now it’s included in the AltOS
2486 packages for Linux, Mac and Windows.
2487 </li><li class="listitem">
2488 Include Google Application Key for map downloading. The 1.4
2489 release didn’t have this key in the released version of the
2490 software, making map downloading fail for most people.
2491 </li></ul></div><p></p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_1_4"></a>F.7. Release Notes for Version 1.4</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.4 is a major release. It includes support for our new
2492 TeleGPS product, new features and bug fixes in in the flight
2493 software for all our boards and the AltosUI ground station</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altos_5"></a>F.7.1. AltOS</h3></div></div></div><p>AltOS new features:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2494 Add support for TeleGPS boards.
2495 </li><li class="listitem">
2496 Make the beeper tone configurable, making it
2497 possible to distinguish between two Altus Metrum
2498 products in the same ebay.
2499 </li><li class="listitem">
2500 Make the firing time for extra pyro channels
2501 configurable, allowing longer (or shorter) than the
2502 default 50ms. Only relevant for TeleMega at this
2504 </li></ul></div><p>AltOS fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2505 Replace the <span class="emphasis"><em>dit dit dit</em></span> tones at startup with the
2506 current battery voltage, measured in tenths of a
2507 volt. This lets you check the battery voltage
2508 without needing telemetry, which is especially
2510 </li><li class="listitem">
2511 Change state beeping to "Farnsworth spacing", which
2512 means they’re quite a bit faster than before, and so
2513 they take less time to send.
2514 </li><li class="listitem">
2515 Fix bug preventing the selection of the <span class="emphasis"><em>Flight
2516 State After</em></span> mode in pyro configuration.
2517 </li><li class="listitem">
2518 Fix bug where erasing flights would reset the flight
2519 number to 2 on TeleMega and TeleMetrum v2.
2520 </li><li class="listitem">
2521 Fix u-Blox GPS driver to mark course and speed data
2523 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_application"></a>F.7.2. AltosUI Application</h3></div></div></div><p>AltosUI new features:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2524 Add zooming and new content types (terrain and road
2525 maps) to map view. Change map storage format from
2526 PNG to Jpeg, which saves a huge amount of disk
2527 space. You will need to re-download all of your
2528 pre-loaded map images.
2529 </li><li class="listitem">
2530 Add a distance measuring device to the maps
2531 view. Select this by using any button other than the
2532 left one, or by pressing shift or control on the
2533 keyboard while using the left button.
2534 </li><li class="listitem">
2535 Add new <span class="emphasis"><em>Ignitor</em></span> tab to the flight monitor display
2536 for TeleMega’s extra ignitors.
2537 </li><li class="listitem">
2538 Add additional ignitor firing marks and voltages to
2539 the graph so you can see when the ignitors fired,
2540 along with the ignitor voltages.
2541 </li><li class="listitem">
2542 Add GPS course, ground speed and climb rate as
2543 optional graph elements.
2544 </li></ul></div><p>AltosUI fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2545 When flashing new firmware, re-try opening the
2546 device as sometimes it takes a while for the
2547 underlying operating system to recognize that the
2548 device has rebooted in preparation for the flashing
2550 </li><li class="listitem">
2551 Hide Tilt Angle in ascent tab for devices that don’t
2553 </li><li class="listitem">
2554 Increase the width of data lines in the graphs to
2555 make them easier to read.
2556 </li><li class="listitem">
2557 Filter out speed and acceleration spikes caused by
2558 ejection charge firing when computing the maximum
2559 values. This provides a more accurate reading of
2561 </li><li class="listitem">
2562 Fix EasyMini voltage displays. Early EasyMini
2563 prototypes used a 3.0V regulator, and AltosUI still
2564 used that value as the basis of the
2565 computation. Production EasyMini boards have always
2566 shipped with a 3.3V regulator. Also, purple EasyMini
2567 boards sensed the battery voltage past the blocking
2568 diode, resulting in a drop of about 150mV from the
2569 true battery voltage. Compensate for that when
2570 displaying the value.
2571 </li><li class="listitem">
2572 Display error message when trying to configure
2573 maximum flight log size while the flight computer
2574 still has flight data stored.
2575 </li><li class="listitem">
2576 Handle TeleMetrum and TeleMini eeprom files
2577 generated with pre-1.0 firmware. Those ancient
2578 versions didn’t report the log format, so just use
2579 the product name instead.
2580 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_telegps_application"></a>F.7.3. TeleGPS Application</h3></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2581 New application designed for use with TeleGPS boards.
2582 </li><li class="listitem">
2583 Shares code with AltosUI, mostly just trimmed down
2584 to focus on TeleGPS-related functions.
2585 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_documentation_2"></a>F.7.4. Documentation</h3></div></div></div><p>Documentation changes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2586 Re-create the drill template images; they should
2587 print correctly from Firefox at least. Ship these as
2588 individual PDF files so they’re easy to print.
2589 </li><li class="listitem">
2590 Add a description of the <span class="emphasis"><em>Apogee Lockout</em></span> setting,
2591 which prevents the apogee charge from firing for a
2592 configurable amount of time after boost.
2593 </li></ul></div><p></p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_1_3_2"></a>F.8. Release Notes for Version 1.3.2</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.3.2 is a minor release. It includes small bug fixes for
2594 the TeleMega flight software and AltosUI ground station</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altos_6"></a>F.8.1. AltOS</h3></div></div></div><p>AltOS fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2595 On TeleMega, limit number of logged GPS status
2596 information to 12 satellites. That’s all there is
2597 room for in the log structure.
2598 </li><li class="listitem">
2599 Improve APRS behavior. Remembers last known GPS
2600 position and keeps sending that if we lose GPS
2601 lock. Marks locked/unlocked by sending L/U in the
2602 APRS comment field along with the number of sats in
2604 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_application_2"></a>F.8.2. AltosUI Application</h3></div></div></div><p>AltosUI fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2605 If the TeleMega flight firmware reports that it has
2606 logged information about more than 12 satellites,
2607 don’t believe it as the log only holds 12 satellite
2609 </li><li class="listitem">
2610 Track the maximum height as computed from GPS
2611 altitude data and report that in the flight summary
2613 </li><li class="listitem">
2614 Use letters (A, B, C, D) for alternate pyro channel
2615 names instead of numbers (0, 1, 2, 3) in the Fire
2617 </li></ul></div><p></p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_1_3_1"></a>F.9. Release Notes for Version 1.3.1</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.3.1 is a minor release. It improves support for
2618 TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2.0, TeleMini v2.0 and EasyMini.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altos_7"></a>F.9.1. AltOS</h3></div></div></div><p>AltOS new features:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2619 Improved APRS mode. Now uses compressed position
2620 format for smaller data size, improved precision and
2621 to include altitude data as well as latitude and
2622 longitude. Also added battery and pyro voltage
2623 reports in the APRS comment field so you can confirm
2624 that the unit is ready for launch.
2625 </li></ul></div><p>AltOS fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2626 Improve sensor boot code. If sensors fail to
2627 self-test, the device will still boot up and check
2628 for pad/idle modes. If in idle mode, the device will
2629 warn the user with a distinct beep, if in Pad mode,
2630 the unit will operate as best it can. Also, the
2631 Z-axis accelerometer now uses the factory
2632 calibration values instead of re-calibrating on the
2633 pad each time. This avoids accidental boost detect
2634 when moving the device around while in Pad mode.
2635 </li><li class="listitem">
2636 Fix antenna-down mode accelerometer
2637 configuration. Antenna down mode wasn’t working
2638 because the accelerometer calibration values were
2639 getting re-computed incorrectly in inverted mode.
2640 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_application_3"></a>F.9.2. AltosUI Application</h3></div></div></div><p>AltosUI new features:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2641 Display additional TeleMega sensor values in real
2642 units. Make all of these values available for
2643 plotting. Display TeleMega orientation value in the
2644 Ascent and Table tabs.
2645 </li><li class="listitem">
2646 Support additional TeleMega pyro channels in the
2647 Fire Igniter dialog. This lets you do remote testing
2648 of all of the channels, rather than just Apogee and
2650 </li></ul></div><p>AltosUI fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2651 Limit data rate when downloading satellite images
2652 from Google to make sure we stay within their limits
2653 so that all of the map tiles download successfully.
2654 </li></ul></div><p></p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_1_3"></a>F.10. Release Notes for Version 1.3</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.3 is a major release. It adds support for TeleMega,
2655 TeleMetrum v2.0, TeleMini v2.0 and EasyMini.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altos_8"></a>F.10.1. AltOS</h3></div></div></div><p>AltOS new features:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2656 Add STM32L processor support. This includes
2657 enhancements to the scheduler to support products
2659 </li><li class="listitem">
2660 Add NXP LPC11U14 processor support.
2661 </li><li class="listitem">
2662 Support additional pyro channels. These are
2663 configurable through the UI to handle air starts,
2664 staging, additional recovery events and external
2665 devices such as cameras.
2666 </li><li class="listitem">
2667 Add 3-axis gyro support for orientation
2668 tracking. This integrates the gyros to compute the
2669 angle from vertical during flight, allowing the
2670 additional pyro events to be controlled by this
2672 </li><li class="listitem">
2673 Many more device drivers, including u-Blox Max 7Q
2674 GPS, Freescale MMA6555 digital single-axis
2675 accelerometer, Invensense MPU6000 3-axis
2676 accelerometer + 3 axis gyro, Honeywell HMC5883
2677 3-axis magnetic sensor and the TI CC1120 and CC115L
2678 digital FM transceivers
2679 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_application_4"></a>F.10.2. AltosUI Application</h3></div></div></div><p>AltosUI new features:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2680 Support TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2.0, TeleMini v2.0 and
2681 EasyMini telemetry and log formats.
2682 </li></ul></div><p>AltosUI fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2683 Use preferred units for main deployment height
2684 configuration, instead of always doing configuration in
2686 == MicroPeak Application
2687 </li><li class="listitem">
2688 Add <span class="emphasis"><em>Download</em></span> button to menu bar.
2689 </li><li class="listitem">
2690 Save the last log directory and offer that as the
2691 default for new downloads
2692 </li></ul></div><p></p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_1_2_1"></a>F.11. Release Notes for Version 1.2.1</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.2.1 is a minor release. It adds support for TeleBT and
2693 the AltosDroid application, provides several new features in
2694 AltosUI and fixes some bugs in the AltOS firmware.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altos_9"></a>F.11.1. AltOS</h3></div></div></div><p>AltOS new features:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2695 Add support for TeleBT
2696 </li></ul></div><p>AltOS fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2697 In TeleMini recovery mode (when booted with the
2698 outer two debug pins connected together), the radio
2699 parameters are also set back to defaults
2700 (434.550MHz, N0CALL, factory radio cal).
2701 </li><li class="listitem">
2702 Correct Kalman filter model error covariance
2703 matrix. The values used previously assumed
2704 continuous measurements instead of discrete
2706 </li><li class="listitem">
2707 Fix some bugs in the USB driver for TeleMetrum and
2708 TeleDongle that affected Windows users.
2709 </li><li class="listitem">
2710 Adjusted the automatic gain control parameters that
2711 affect receive performance for TeleDongle. Field
2712 tests indicate that this may improve receive
2713 performance somewhat.
2714 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_application_5"></a>F.11.2. AltosUI Application</h3></div></div></div><p>AltosUI application new features:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2715 Make the initial position of the AltosUI top level
2716 window configurable. Along with this change, the
2717 other windows will pop up at <span class="emphasis"><em>sensible</em></span> places now,
2718 instead of on top of one another.
2719 </li><li class="listitem">
2720 Add GPS data and a map to the graph window. This
2721 lets you see a complete summary of the flight
2722 without needing to <span class="emphasis"><em>replay</em></span> the whole thing.
2723 </li></ul></div><p>AltosUI application fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2724 Handle missing GPS lock in <span class="emphasis"><em>Descent</em></span>
2725 tab. Previously, if the GPS position of the pad was
2726 unknown, an exception would be raised, breaking the
2727 Descent tab contents.
2728 </li><li class="listitem">
2729 Improve the graph, adding tool-tips to show values
2730 near the cursor and making the displayed set of
2731 values configurable, adding all of the flight data
2732 as options while leaving the default settings alone
2733 so that the graph starts by showing height, speed
2735 </li><li class="listitem">
2736 Add callsign to Monitor idle window and connecting
2737 dialogs. This makes it clear which callsign is being
2738 used so that the operator will be aware that it must
2739 match the flight computer value or no communication
2741 </li><li class="listitem">
2742 When downloading flight data, display the block
2743 number so that the user has some sense of
2744 progress. Unfortunately, we don’t know how many
2745 blocks will need to be downloaded, but at least it
2746 isn’t just sitting there doing nothing for a long
2748 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosdroid_3"></a>F.11.3. AltosDroid</h3></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2749 First version of this application
2750 </li></ul></div><p></p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_1_2"></a>F.12. Release Notes for Version 1.2</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.2 is a major release. It adds support for MicroPeak
2751 and the MicroPeak USB adapter.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altos_10"></a>F.12.1. AltOS</h3></div></div></div><p>AltOS New Features:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2752 Add MicroPeak support. This includes support for the
2753 ATtiny85 processor and adaptations to the core code
2754 to allow for devices too small to run the
2755 multi-tasking scheduler.
2756 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_and_micropeak_application"></a>F.12.2. AltosUI and MicroPeak Application</h3></div></div></div><p>New Features:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2757 Added MicroPeak application
2758 </li></ul></div><p>AltosUI and MicroPeak fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2759 Distribute Mac OS X packages in disk image (<span class="emphasis"><em>.dmg</em></span>)
2760 format to greatly simplify installation.
2761 </li><li class="listitem">
2762 Provide version numbers for the shared Java
2763 libraries to ensure that upgrades work properly, and
2764 to allow for multiple Altus Metrum software packages
2765 to be installed in the same directory at the same
2767 </li></ul></div><p></p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_1_1"></a>F.13. Release Notes for Version 1.1</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.1.1 is a bug-fix release. It fixes a couple of bugs
2768 in AltosUI and one firmware bug that affects TeleMetrum
2769 version 1.0 boards. Thanks to Bob Brown for help diagnosing
2770 the Google Earth file export issue, and for suggesting the
2771 addition of the Ground Distance value in the Descent tab.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altos_11"></a>F.13.1. AltOS</h3></div></div></div><p>AltOS fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2772 TeleMetrum v1.0 boards use the AT45DB081D flash
2773 memory part to store flight data, which is different
2774 from later TeleMetrum boards. The AltOS v1.1 driver
2775 for this chip couldn’t erase memory, leaving it
2776 impossible to delete flight data or update
2777 configuration values. This bug doesn’t affect newer
2778 TeleMetrum boards, and it doesn’t affect the safety
2779 of rockets flying version 1.1 firmware.
2780 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_2"></a>F.13.2. AltosUI</h3></div></div></div><p>AltosUI new features:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2781 The “Descent” tab displays the range to the rocket,
2782 which is a combination of the over-the-ground
2783 distance to the rockets current latitude/longitude
2784 and the height of the rocket. As such, it’s useful
2785 for knowing how far away the rocket is, but
2786 difficult to use when estimating where the rocket
2787 might eventually land. A new “Ground Distance” field
2788 has been added which displays the distance to a spot
2789 right underneath the rocket.
2790 </li></ul></div><p>AltosUI fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2791 Creating a Google Earth file (KML) from on-board
2792 flight data (EEPROM) would generate an empty
2793 file. The code responsible for reading the EEPROM
2794 file wasn’t ever setting the GPS valid bits, and so
2795 the KML export code thought there was no GPS data in
2797 </li><li class="listitem">
2798 The “Landed” tab was displaying all values in metric
2799 units, even when AltosUI was configured to display
2800 imperial units. Somehow I just missed this tab when
2801 doing the units stuff.
2802 </li><li class="listitem">
2803 Sensor data wasn’t being displayed for TeleMini
2804 flight computers in Monitor Idle mode, including
2805 things like battery voltage. The code that picked
2806 which kinds of data to fetch from the flight
2807 computer was missing a check for TeleMini when
2808 deciding whether to fetch the analog sensor data.
2809 </li></ul></div><p></p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_1_1_2"></a>F.14. Release Notes for Version 1.1</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.1 is a minor release. It provides a few new features
2810 in AltosUI and the AltOS firmware and fixes bugs.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altos_12"></a>F.14.1. AltOS</h3></div></div></div><p>AltOS Firmware New Features:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2811 Add apogee-lockout value. Overrides the apogee
2812 detection logic to prevent incorrect apogee charge
2814 </li><li class="listitem">
2815 Force the radio frequency to 434.550MHz when the
2816 debug clock pin is connected to ground at boot
2817 time. This provides a way to talk to a TeleMini
2818 which is configured to some unknown frequency.
2819 </li><li class="listitem">
2820 Provide RSSI values for Monitor Idle mode. This
2821 makes it easy to check radio range without needing
2822 to go to flight mode.
2823 </li></ul></div><p>AltOS Fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2824 Fix a bug where the data reported in telemetry
2825 packets was from 320ms ago.
2826 </li><li class="listitem">
2827 Fix a bug which caused the old received telemetry
2828 packets to be retransmitted over the USB link when
2829 the radio was turned off and back on.
2830 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_3"></a>F.14.2. AltosUI</h3></div></div></div><p>AltosUI New Features:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2831 Make the look-n-feel configurable, providing a choice from
2832 the available options.
2833 </li><li class="listitem">
2834 Add an <span class="emphasis"><em>Age</em></span> element to mark how long since a
2835 telemetry packet has been received. Useful to
2836 quickly gauge whether communications with the rocket
2838 </li><li class="listitem">
2839 Add <span class="emphasis"><em>Configure Ground Station</em></span> dialog to set the
2840 radio frequency used by a particular TeleDongle
2841 without having to go through the flight monitor UI.
2842 </li><li class="listitem">
2843 Add configuration for the new apogee-lockout
2844 value. A menu provides a list of reasonable values,
2845 or the value can be set by hand.
2846 </li><li class="listitem">
2847 Add Imperial units mode to present data in feet
2849 </li></ul></div><p>AltosUI Fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2850 Fix a bug that caused GPS ready to happen too
2851 quickly. The software was using every telemetry
2852 packet to signal new GPS data, which caused GPS
2853 ready to be signalled after 10 packets instead of 10
2855 </li><li class="listitem">
2856 Fix Google Earth data export to work with recent
2857 versions. The google earth file loading code got a
2858 lot pickier, requiring some minor white space
2859 changes in the export code.
2860 </li><li class="listitem">
2861 Changed how flight data are downloaded. Now there’s
2862 an initial dialog asking which flights to download,
2863 and after that finishes, a second dialog comes up
2864 asking which flights to delete.
2865 </li><li class="listitem">
2866 Re-compute time spent in each state for the flight
2867 graph; this figures out the actual boost and landing
2868 times instead of using the conservative values
2869 provide by the flight electronics. This improves the
2870 accuracy of the boost acceleration and main descent
2872 </li><li class="listitem">
2873 Make AltosUI run on Mac OS Lion. The default Java
2874 heap space was dramatically reduced for this release
2875 causing much of the UI to fail randomly. This most
2876 often affected the satellite mapping download and
2878 </li><li class="listitem">
2879 Change how data are displayed in the <span class="emphasis"><em>table</em></span> tab of
2880 the flight monitoring window. This eliminates
2881 entries duplicated from the header and adds both
2882 current altitude and pad altitude, which are useful
2883 in <span class="emphasis"><em>Monitor Idle</em></span> mode.
2884 </li></ul></div><p></p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_1_0_1"></a>F.15. Release Notes for Version 1.0.1</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 1.0.1 is a major release, adding support for the
2885 TeleMini device and lots of new AltosUI features</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altos_13"></a>F.15.1. AltOS</h3></div></div></div><p>AltOS New Features</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2886 Add TeleMini v1.0 support.
2887 </li><li class="listitem">
2888 Support operation of TeleMetrum with the antenna pointing
2889 aft. Previous firmware versions required the antenna to be
2890 pointing upwards, now there is a configuration option
2891 allowing the antenna to point aft, to aid installation in
2893 </li><li class="listitem">
2894 Ability to disable telemetry. For airframes where an antenna
2895 just isn’t possible, or where radio transmissions might
2896 cause trouble with other electronics, there’s a
2897 configuration option to disable all telemetry. Note that the
2898 board will still enable the radio link in idle mode.
2899 </li><li class="listitem">
2900 Arbitrary frequency selection. The radios in Altus Metrum
2901 devices can be programmed to a wide range of frequencies, so
2902 instead of limiting devices to 10 pre-selected <span class="emphasis"><em>channels</em></span>,
2903 the new firmware allows the user to choose any frequency in
2904 the 70cm band. Note that the RF matching circuit on the
2905 boards is tuned for around 435MHz, so frequencies far from
2906 that may reduce the available range.
2907 </li></ul></div><p>AltOS Fixes</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2908 Change telemetry to be encoded in multiple 32-byte
2909 packets. This enables support for TeleMini and other devices
2910 without requiring further updates to the TeleDongle
2912 </li><li class="listitem">
2913 Kalman-filter based flight-tracking. The model based sensor
2914 fusion approach of a Kalman filter means that AltOS now
2915 computes apogee much more accurately than before, generally
2916 within a fraction of a second. In addition, this approach
2917 allows the baro-only TeleMini device to correctly identify
2918 Mach transitions, avoiding the error-prone selection of a
2920 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_application_6"></a>F.15.2. AltosUI Application</h3></div></div></div><p>AltosUI New Features</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2921 Add main/apogee voltage graphs to the data
2922 plot. This provides a visual indication if the
2923 igniters fail before being fired.
2924 </li><li class="listitem">
2925 Scan for altimeter devices by watching the defined
2926 telemetry frequencies. This avoids the problem of
2927 remembering what frequency a device was configured
2928 to use, which is especially important with TeleMini
2929 which does not include a USB connection.
2930 </li><li class="listitem">
2931 Monitor altimeter state in "Idle" mode. This
2932 provides much of the information presented in the
2933 "Pad" dialog from the Monitor Flight command,
2934 monitoring the igniters, battery and GPS status
2935 withing requiring the flight computer to be armed
2936 and ready for flight.
2937 </li><li class="listitem">
2938 Pre-load map images from home. For those launch
2939 sites which don’t provide free Wi-Fi, this allows
2940 you to download the necessary satellite images
2941 given the location of the launch site. A list of
2942 known launch sites is maintained at altusmetrum.org
2943 which AltosUI downloads to populate a menu; if
2944 you’ve got a launch site not on that list, please
2945 send the name of it, latitude and longitude along
2946 with a link to the web site of the controlling club
2947 to the altusmetrum mailing list.
2948 </li><li class="listitem">
2949 Flight statistics are now displayed in the Graph
2950 data window. These include max height/speed/accel,
2951 average descent rates and a few other bits of
2952 information. The Graph Data window can now be
2953 reached from the <span class="emphasis"><em>Landed</em></span> tab in the Monitor Flight
2954 window so you can immediately see the results of a
2956 </li></ul></div><p>AltosUI Changes</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2957 Wait for altimeter when using packet mode. Instead
2958 of quicly timing out when trying to initialize a
2959 packet mode configuration connection, AltosUI now
2960 waits indefinitely for the remote device to appear,
2961 providing a cancel button should the user get
2962 bored. This is necessary as the TeleMini can only be
2963 placed in "Idle" mode if AltosUI is polling it.
2964 </li></ul></div><p></p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_0_9_2"></a>F.16. Release Notes for Version 0.9.2</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 0.9.2 is an AltosUI bug-fix release, with no firmware
2965 changes.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_4"></a>F.16.1. AltosUI</h3></div></div></div><p>AltosUI fixes:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2966 Fix plotting problems due to missing file in the Mac
2968 </li><li class="listitem">
2969 Always read whole eeprom blocks, mark empty records
2970 invalid, display parsing errors to user.
2971 </li><li class="listitem">
2972 Add software version to Configure AltosUI dialog
2973 </li></ul></div><p></p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_0_9"></a>F.17. Release Notes for Version 0.9</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 0.9 adds a few new firmware features and accompanying
2974 AltosUI changes, along with new hardware support.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altos_14"></a>F.17.1. AltOS</h3></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2975 Support for TeleMetrum v1.1 hardware. Sources for the flash
2976 memory part used in v1.0 dried up, so v1.1 uses a different
2977 part which required a new driver and support for explicit
2979 </li><li class="listitem">
2980 Multiple flight log support. This stores more than one
2981 flight log in the on-board flash memory. It also requires
2982 the user to explicitly erase flights so that you won’t lose
2983 flight logs just because you fly the same board twice in one
2985 </li><li class="listitem">
2986 Telemetry support for devices with serial number >= 256.
2987 Previous versions used a telemetry packet format that
2988 provided only 8 bits for the device serial number. This
2989 change requires that both ends of the telemetry link be
2990 running the 0.9 firmware or they will not communicate.
2991 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_application_7"></a>F.17.2. AltosUI Application</h3></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2992 Support for telemetry format changes.
2993 </li><li class="listitem">
2994 Support for multiple flight logs.
2995 </li></ul></div><p></p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_0_8"></a>F.18. Release Notes for Version 0.8</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 0.8 offers a major upgrade in the AltosUI
2996 interface.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_application_8"></a>F.18.1. AltosUI Application:</h3></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
2997 Post-flight graphing tool. This lets you explore the
2998 behaviour of your rocket after flight with a scroll-able and
2999 zoom-able chart showing the altitude, speed and acceleration
3000 of the airframe along with events recorded by the flight
3001 computer. You can export graphs to PNG files, or print them
3003 </li><li class="listitem">
3004 Real-time moving map which overlays the in-progress flight
3005 on satellite imagery fetched from Google Maps. This lets you
3006 see in pictures where your rocket has landed, allowing you
3007 to plan recovery activities more accurately.
3008 </li><li class="listitem">
3009 Wireless recovery system testing. Prep your rocket for
3010 flight and test fire the deployment charges to make sure
3011 things work as expected. All without threading wires through
3012 holes in your airframe.
3013 </li><li class="listitem">
3014 Optimized flight status displays. Each flight state now has
3015 it’s own custom <span class="emphasis"><em>tab</em></span> in the flight monitoring window so you
3016 can focus on the most important details. Pre-flight, the
3017 system shows a set of red/green status indicators for
3018 battery voltage, apogee/main igniter continutity and GPS
3019 reception. Wait until they’re all green and your rocket is
3020 ready for flight. There are also tabs for ascent, descent
3021 and landing along with the original tabular view of the
3023 </li><li class="listitem">
3024 Monitor multiple flights simultaneously. If you have more
3025 than one TeleDongle, you can monitor a flight with each one
3026 on the same computer.
3027 </li><li class="listitem">
3028 Automatic flight monitoring at startup. Plug TeleDongle into
3029 the machine before starting AltosUI and it will
3030 automatically connect to it and prepare to monitor a flight.
3031 </li><li class="listitem">
3032 Exports Google Earth flight tracks. Using the Keyhole Markup
3033 Language (.kml) file format, this provides a 3D view of your
3034 rocket flight through the Google Earth program.
3035 </li></ul></div><p></p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id="_release_notes_for_version_0_7_1"></a>F.19. Release Notes for Version 0.7.1</h2></div></div></div><p>Version 0.7.1 is the first release containing our new
3036 cross-platform Java-based user interface.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a id="_altosui_application_9"></a>F.19.1. AltosUI Application</h3></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem">
3037 Receive and log telemetry from a connected TeleDongle
3038 device. All data received is saved to log files named with
3039 the current date and the connected rocket serial and flight
3040 numbers. There is no mode in which telemetry data will not
3042 </li><li class="listitem">
3043 Download logged data from TeleMetrum devices, either through
3044 a direct USB connection or over the air through a TeleDongle
3046 </li><li class="listitem">
3047 Configure a TeleMetrum device, setting the radio channel,
3048 callsign, apogee delay and main deploy height. This can be
3049 done through either a USB connection or over a radio link
3050 via a TeleDongle device.
3051 </li><li class="listitem">
3052 Replay a flight in real-time. This takes a saved telemetry
3053 log or eeprom download and replays it through the user
3054 interface so you can relive your favorite rocket flights.
3055 </li><li class="listitem">
3056 Reprogram Altus Metrum devices. Using an Altus Metrum device
3057 connected via USB, another Altus Metrum device can be
3058 reprogrammed using the supplied programming cable between
3060 </li><li class="listitem">
3061 Export Flight data to a comma-separated-values file. This
3062 takes either telemetry or on-board flight data and generates
3063 data suitable for use in external applications. All data is
3064 exported using standard units so that no device-specific
3065 knowledge is needed to handle the data.
3066 </li><li class="listitem">
3067 Speak to you during the flight. Instead of spending the
3068 flight hunched over your laptop looking at the screen, enjoy
3069 the view while the computer tells you what’s going on up
3070 there. During ascent, you hear the current flight state and
3071 altitude information. During descent, you get azimuth,
3072 elevation and range information to try and help you find
3073 your rocket in the air. Once on the ground, the direction
3074 and distance are reported.
3075 </li></ul></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>
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