1 <html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"><title>The Altus Metrum System</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.78.1"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="book"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp12496880"></a>The Altus Metrum System</h1></div><div><h2 class="subtitle">An Owner's Manual for Altus Metrum Rocketry Electronics</h2></div><div><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Bdale</span> <span class="surname">Garbee</span></h3></div></div><div><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Keith</span> <span class="surname">Packard</span></h3></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 © 2014 Bdale Garbee and Keith Packard</p></div><div><div class="legalnotice"><a name="idp38841440"></a><p>
2 This document is released under the terms of the
3 <a class="ulink" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/" target="_top">
4 Creative Commons ShareAlike 3.0
7 </p></div></div><div><div class="revhistory"><table style="border-style:solid; width:100%;" summary="Revision History"><tr><th align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><b>Revision History</b></th></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.4.1</td><td align="left">24 June 2014</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
8 Minor release fixing some installation bugs.
9 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.4</td><td align="left">15 June 2014</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
10 Major release adding TeleGPS support.
11 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.3.2</td><td align="left">24 January 2014</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
12 Bug fixes for TeleMega and AltosUI.
13 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.3.1</td><td align="left">21 January 2014</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
14 Bug fixes for TeleMega and TeleMetrum v2.0 along with a few
15 small UI improvements.
16 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.3</td><td align="left">12 November 2013</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
17 Updated for software version 1.3. Version 1.3 adds support
18 for TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2.0, TeleMini v2.0 and EasyMini
19 and fixes bugs in AltosUI and the AltOS firmware.
20 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.2.1</td><td align="left">21 May 2013</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
21 Updated for software version 1.2. Version 1.2 adds support
22 for TeleBT and AltosDroid. It also adds a few minor features
23 and fixes bugs in AltosUI and the AltOS firmware.
24 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.2</td><td align="left">18 April 2013</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
25 Updated for software version 1.2. Version 1.2 adds support
26 for MicroPeak and the MicroPeak USB interface.
27 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.1.1</td><td align="left">16 September 2012</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
28 Updated for software version 1.1.1 Version 1.1.1 fixes a few
29 bugs found in version 1.1.
30 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.1</td><td align="left">13 September 2012</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
31 Updated for software version 1.1. Version 1.1 has new
32 features but is otherwise compatible with version 1.0.
33 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.0</td><td align="left">24 August 2011</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
34 Updated for software version 1.0. Note that 1.0 represents a
35 telemetry format change, meaning both ends of a link
36 (TeleMetrum/TeleMini and TeleDongle) must be updated or
37 communications will fail.
38 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 0.9</td><td align="left">18 January 2011</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
39 Updated for software version 0.9. Note that 0.9 represents a
40 telemetry format change, meaning both ends of a link (TeleMetrum and
41 TeleDongle) must be updated or communications will fail.
42 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 0.8</td><td align="left">24 November 2010</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">Updated for software version 0.8 </td></tr></table></div></div></div><hr></div><div class="dedication"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp43519856"></a>Acknowledgments</h1></div></div></div><p>
43 Thanks to Bob Finch, W9YA, NAR 12965, TRA 12350 for writing “The
44 Mere-Mortals Quick Start/Usage Guide to the Altus Metrum Starter
45 Kit” which formed the basis of the original Getting Started chapter
46 in this manual. Bob was one of our first customers for a production
47 TeleMetrum, and his continued enthusiasm and contributions
48 are immensely gratifying and highly appreciated!
50 And thanks to Anthony (AJ) Towns for major contributions including
51 the AltosUI graphing and site map code and associated documentation.
52 Free software means that our customers and friends can become our
53 collaborators, and we certainly appreciate this level of
56 Have fun using these products, and we hope to meet all of you
57 out on the rocket flight line somewhere.
58 </p><div class="literallayout"><p><br>
59 Bdale Garbee, KB0G<br>
60 NAR #87103, TRA #12201<br>
62 Keith Packard, KD7SQG<br>
63 NAR #88757, TRA #12200<br>
65 </p></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp43524064">1. Introduction and Overview</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp43531824">2. Getting Started</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp38854464">3. Handling Precautions</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp38859952">4. Altus Metrum Hardware</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38860624">1. General Usage Instructions</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38862592">1.1. Hooking Up Lithium Polymer Batteries</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp42276480">1.2. Hooking Up Pyro Charges</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp42591936">1.3. Hooking Up a Power Switch</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp40956544">1.4. Using a Separate Pyro Battery</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp40258464">1.5. Using a Different Kind of Battery</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp43170688">2. Specifications</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44431104">3. TeleMetrum</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44436000">3.1. TeleMetrum Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44455216">3.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMetrum</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44458464">3.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMetrum</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44460592">4. TeleMini v1.0</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44465488">4.1. TeleMini v1.0 Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44484832">4.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMini v1.0</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44488208">4.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMini v1.0</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44490416">5. TeleMini v2.0</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44494432">5.1. TeleMini v2.0 Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44516816">5.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMini v2.0</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44520016">5.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMini v2.0</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44522112">6. EasyMini</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44525968">6.1. EasyMini Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44548352">6.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with EasyMini</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44551536">6.3. Using an Active Switch with EasyMini</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44553632">7. TeleMega</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44557600">7.1. TeleMega Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44595104">7.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMega</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44596704">7.3. Using Only One Battery With TeleMega</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44598624">7.4. Using an Active Switch with TeleMega</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44600672">8. Flight Data Recording</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44629504">9. Installation</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp44636240">5. System Operation</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44636880">1. Firmware Modes </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44705168">2. GPS </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44707952">3. Controlling An Altimeter Over The Radio Link</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44719248">4. Ground Testing </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44722000">5. Radio Link </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44726000">6. APRS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44747968">7. Configurable Parameters</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44749888">7.1. Radio Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44751936">7.2. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44753472">7.3. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44754768">7.4. APRS Interval</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44756240">7.5. Apogee Delay</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44758832">7.6. Apogee Lockout</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44760560">7.7. Main Deployment Altitude</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44762256">7.8. Maximum Flight Log</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44764400">7.9. Ignite Mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44766512">7.10. Pad Orientation</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44768208">7.11. Configurable Pyro Channels</a></span></dt></dl></dd></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp44790592">6. AltosUI</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44794208">1. Monitor Flight</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44806928">1.1. Launch Pad</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44823216">1.2. Ascent</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44828672">1.3. Descent</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44835536">1.4. Landed</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44841968">1.5. Table</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44845552">1.6. Site Map</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44852272">1.7. Ignitor</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44856048">2. Save Flight Data</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44860000">3. Replay Flight</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44862032">4. Graph Data</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44864416">4.1. Flight Graph</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44868864">4.2. Configure Graph</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44872528">4.3. Flight Statistics</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44876048">4.4. Map</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44879904">5. Export Data</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44881472">5.1. Comma Separated Value Format</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44883824">5.2. Keyhole Markup Language (for Google Earth)</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44885312">6. Configure Altimeter</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44897616">6.1. Main Deploy Altitude</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44899184">6.2. Apogee Delay</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44900800">6.3. Apogee Lockoug</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44902528">6.4. Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44904032">6.5. RF Calibration</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44905680">6.6. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44906976">6.7. APRS Interval</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44908544">6.8. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44909856">6.9. Maximum Flight Log Size</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44911296">6.10. Ignitor Firing Mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44918208">6.11. Pad Orientation</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44923424">6.12. Beeper Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44924880">6.13. Configure Pyro Channels</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44931248">7. Configure AltosUI</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44934752">7.1. Voice Settings</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44939776">7.2. Log Directory</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44941776">7.3. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44944400">7.4. Imperial Units</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44945904">7.5. Font Size</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44947184">7.6. Serial Debug</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44948688">7.7. Manage Frequencies</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44950320">8. Configure Groundstation</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44961440">8.1. Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44963008">8.2. Radio Calibration</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44964640">9. Flash Image</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44966272">10. Fire Igniter</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44971904">11. Scan Channels</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44975760">12. Load Maps</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44989568">13. Monitor Idle</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp44991664">7. AltosDroid</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44994048">1. Installing AltosDroid</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44995984">2. Connecting to TeleBT</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44997984">3. Configuring AltosDroid</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44999440">4. AltosDroid Flight Monitoring</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45000752">4.1. Pad</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45014304">5. Downloading Flight Logs</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp45015968">8. Using Altus Metrum Products</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45016608">1. Being Legal</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45018512">2. In the Rocket</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45020976">3. On the Ground</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45034288">4. Data Analysis</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45036832">5. Future Plans</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp45041568">9. Altimeter Installation Recommendations</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45043024">1. Mounting the Altimeter</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45047856">2. Dealing with the Antenna</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45053952">3. Preserving GPS Reception</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45058736">4. Radio Frequency Interference</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45066304">5. The Barometric Sensor</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45069456">6. Ground Testing</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp45072624">10. Updating Device Firmware</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45076640">1.
66 Updating TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2 or EasyMini Firmware
67 </a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45085696">1.1. Recovering From Self-Flashing Failure</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45094672">2. Pair Programming</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45096112">3. Updating TeleMetrum v1.x Firmware</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45109648">4. Updating TeleMini Firmware</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45123200">5. Updating TeleDongle Firmware</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp45139824">11. Hardware Specifications</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45140464">1.
68 TeleMega Specifications
69 </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45151936">2.
70 TeleMetrum v2 Specifications
71 </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45162496">3. TeleMetrum v1 Specifications</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45173056">4.
72 TeleMini v2.0 Specifications
73 </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45181888">5.
74 TeleMini v1.0 Specifications
75 </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45190688">6.
76 EasyMini Specifications
77 </a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp45198800">12. FAQ</a></span></dt><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#idp45207648">A. Notes for Older Software</a></span></dt><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#idp45230128">B. Drill Templates</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45231296">1. TeleMega template</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45247984">2. TeleMetrum template</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45252368">3. TeleMini v2/EasyMini template</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45256768">4. TeleMini v1 template</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#idp45261280">C. Calibration</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45262832">1. Radio Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45267376">2. TeleMetrum and TeleMega Accelerometers</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#idp45272480">D. Release Notes</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="list-of-tables"><p><b>List of Tables</b></p><dl><dt>4.1. <a href="#idp42978752">Altus Metrum Electronics</a></dt><dt>4.2. <a href="#idp44395088">Altus Metrum Boards</a></dt><dt>4.3. <a href="#idp44437312">TeleMetrum Screw Terminals</a></dt><dt>4.4. <a href="#idp44466928">TeleMini v1.0 Connections</a></dt><dt>4.5. <a href="#idp44495840">TeleMini v2.0 Connections</a></dt><dt>4.6. <a href="#idp44527376">EasyMini Connections</a></dt><dt>4.7. <a href="#idp44558768">TeleMega Screw Terminals</a></dt><dt>4.8. <a href="#idp44602080">Data Storage on Altus Metrum altimeters</a></dt><dt>5.1. <a href="#idp44642240">AltOS Modes</a></dt><dt>5.2. <a href="#idp44679328">Pad/Idle Indications</a></dt><dt>5.3. <a href="#idp44729008">Altus Metrum APRS Comments</a></dt></dl></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp43524064"></a>Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview</h1></div></div></div><p>
78 Welcome to the Altus Metrum community! Our circuits and software reflect
79 our passion for both hobby rocketry and Free Software. We hope their
80 capabilities and performance will delight you in every way, but by
81 releasing all of our hardware and software designs under open licenses,
82 we also hope to empower you to take as active a role in our collective
85 The first device created for our community was TeleMetrum, a dual
86 deploy altimeter with fully integrated GPS and radio telemetry
87 as standard features, and a “companion interface” that will
88 support optional capabilities in the future. The latest version
89 of TeleMetrum, v2.0, has all of the same features but with
90 improved sensors and radio to offer increased performance.
92 Our second device was TeleMini, a dual deploy altimeter with
93 radio telemetry and radio direction finding. The first version
94 of this device was only 13mm by 38mm (½ inch by 1½ inches) and
95 could fit easily in an 18mm air-frame. The latest version, v2.0,
96 includes a beeper, USB data download and extended on-board
97 flight logging, along with an improved barometric sensor.
99 TeleMega is our most sophisticated device, including six pyro
100 channels (four of which are fully programmable), integrated GPS,
101 integrated gyroscopes for staging/air-start inhibit and high
102 performance telemetry.
104 EasyMini is a dual-deploy altimeter with logging and built-in
107 TeleDongle was our first ground station, providing a USB to RF
108 interfaces for communicating with the altimeters. Combined with
109 your choice of antenna and notebook computer, TeleDongle and our
110 associated user interface software form a complete ground
111 station capable of logging and displaying in-flight telemetry,
112 aiding rocket recovery, then processing and archiving flight
113 data for analysis and review.
115 For a slightly more portable ground station experience that also
116 provides direct rocket recovery support, TeleBT offers flight
117 monitoring and data logging using a Bluetooth™ connection between
118 the receiver and an Android device that has the AltosDroid
119 application installed from the Google Play store.
121 More products will be added to the Altus Metrum family over time, and
122 we currently envision that this will be a single, comprehensive manual
123 for the entire product family.
124 </p></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp43531824"></a>Chapter 2. Getting Started</h1></div></div></div><p>
125 The first thing to do after you check the inventory of parts in your
126 “starter kit” is to charge the battery.
128 For TeleMetrum and TeleMega, the battery can be charged by plugging it into the
129 corresponding socket of the device and then using the USB
130 cable to plug the flight computer into your computer's USB socket. The
131 on-board circuitry will charge the battery whenever it is plugged
132 in, because the on-off switch does NOT control the
135 On TeleMetrum v1 boards, when the GPS chip is initially
136 searching for satellites, TeleMetrum will consume more current
137 than it pulls from the USB port, so the battery must be
138 attached in order to get satellite lock. Once GPS is locked,
139 the current consumption goes back down enough to enable charging
140 while running. So it's a good idea to fully charge the battery
141 as your first item of business so there is no issue getting and
142 maintaining satellite lock. The yellow charge indicator led
143 will go out when the battery is nearly full and the charger goes
144 to trickle charge. It can take several hours to fully recharge a
145 deeply discharged battery.
147 TeleMetrum v2.0 and TeleMega use a higher power battery charger,
148 allowing them to charge the battery while running the board at
149 maximum power. When the battery is charging, or when the board
150 is consuming a lot of power, the red LED will be lit. When the
151 battery is fully charged, the green LED will be lit. When the
152 battery is damaged or missing, both LEDs will be lit, which
155 The Lithium Polymer TeleMini and EasyMini battery can be charged by
156 disconnecting it from the board and plugging it into a
157 standalone battery charger such as the LipoCharger product
158 included in TeleMini Starter Kits, and connecting that via a USB
159 cable to a laptop or other USB power source.
161 You can also choose to use another battery with TeleMini v2.0
162 and EasyMini, anything supplying between 4 and 12 volts should
163 work fine (like a standard 9V battery), but if you are planning
164 to fire pyro charges, ground testing is required to verify that
165 the battery supplies enough current to fire your chosen e-matches.
167 The other active device in the starter kit is the TeleDongle USB to
168 RF interface. If you plug it in to your Mac or Linux computer it should
169 “just work”, showing up as a serial port device. Windows systems need
170 driver information that is part of the AltOS download to know that the
171 existing USB modem driver will work. We therefore recommend installing
172 our software before plugging in TeleDongle if you are using a Windows
173 computer. If you are using an older version of Linux and are having
174 problems, try moving to a fresher kernel (2.6.33 or newer).
176 Next you should obtain and install the AltOS software. The AltOS
177 distribution includes the AltosUI ground station program, current
179 images for all of the hardware, and a number of standalone
180 utilities that are rarely needed. Pre-built binary packages are
181 available for Linux, Microsoft Windows, and recent MacOSX
182 versions. Full source code and build instructions are also
183 available. The latest version may always be downloaded from
184 <a class="ulink" href="http://altusmetrum.org/AltOS" target="_top">http://altusmetrum.org/AltOS</a>.
186 If you're using a TeleBT instead of the TeleDongle, you'll want to
187 install the AltosDroid application from the Google Play store on an
188 Android device. You don't need a data plan to use AltosDroid, but
189 without network access, the Map view will be less useful as it
190 won't contain any map data. You can also use TeleBT connected
191 over USB with your laptop computer; it acts exactly like a
192 TeleDongle. Anywhere this manual talks about TeleDongle, you can
193 also read that as 'and TeleBT when connected via USB'.
194 </p></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp38854464"></a>Chapter 3. Handling Precautions</h1></div></div></div><p>
195 All Altus Metrum products are sophisticated electronic devices.
196 When handled gently and properly installed in an air-frame, they
197 will deliver impressive results. However, as with all electronic
198 devices, there are some precautions you must take.
200 The Lithium Polymer rechargeable batteries have an
201 extraordinary power density. This is great because we can fly with
202 much less battery mass than if we used alkaline batteries or previous
203 generation rechargeable batteries... but if they are punctured
204 or their leads are allowed to short, they can and will release their
206 Thus we recommend that you take some care when handling our batteries
207 and consider giving them some extra protection in your air-frame. We
208 often wrap them in suitable scraps of closed-cell packing foam before
209 strapping them down, for example.
211 The barometric sensors used on all of our flight computers are
212 sensitive to sunlight. In normal mounting situations, the baro sensor
213 and all of the other surface mount components
214 are “down” towards whatever the underlying mounting surface is, so
215 this is not normally a problem. Please consider this when designing an
216 installation in an air-frame with a see-through plastic payload bay. It
217 is particularly important to
218 consider this with TeleMini v1.0, both because the baro sensor is on the
219 “top” of the board, and because many model rockets with payload bays
220 use clear plastic for the payload bay! Replacing these with an opaque
221 cardboard tube, painting them, or wrapping them with a layer of masking
222 tape are all reasonable approaches to keep the sensor out of direct
225 The barometric sensor sampling port must be able to “breathe”,
226 both by not being covered by foam or tape or other materials that might
227 directly block the hole on the top of the sensor, and also by having a
228 suitable static vent to outside air.
230 As with all other rocketry electronics, Altus Metrum altimeters must
231 be protected from exposure to corrosive motor exhaust and ejection
233 </p></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp38859952"></a>Chapter 4. Altus Metrum Hardware</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38860624">1. General Usage Instructions</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp38862592">1.1. Hooking Up Lithium Polymer Batteries</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp42276480">1.2. Hooking Up Pyro Charges</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp42591936">1.3. Hooking Up a Power Switch</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp40956544">1.4. Using a Separate Pyro Battery</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp40258464">1.5. Using a Different Kind of Battery</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp43170688">2. Specifications</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44431104">3. TeleMetrum</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44436000">3.1. TeleMetrum Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44455216">3.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMetrum</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44458464">3.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMetrum</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44460592">4. TeleMini v1.0</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44465488">4.1. TeleMini v1.0 Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44484832">4.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMini v1.0</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44488208">4.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMini v1.0</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44490416">5. TeleMini v2.0</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44494432">5.1. TeleMini v2.0 Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44516816">5.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMini v2.0</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44520016">5.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMini v2.0</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44522112">6. EasyMini</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44525968">6.1. EasyMini Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44548352">6.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with EasyMini</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44551536">6.3. Using an Active Switch with EasyMini</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44553632">7. TeleMega</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44557600">7.1. TeleMega Screw Terminals</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44595104">7.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMega</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44596704">7.3. Using Only One Battery With TeleMega</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44598624">7.4. Using an Active Switch with TeleMega</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44600672">8. Flight Data Recording</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44629504">9. Installation</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp38860624"></a>1. General Usage Instructions</h2></div></div></div><p>
234 Here are general instructions for hooking up an Altus Metrum
235 flight computer. Instructions specific to each model will be
236 found in the section devoted to that model below.
238 To prevent electrical interference from affecting the
239 operation of the flight computer, it's important to always
240 twist pairs of wires connected to the board. Twist the switch
241 leads, the pyro leads and the battery leads. This reduces
242 interference through a mechanism called common mode rejection.
243 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp38862592"></a>1.1. Hooking Up Lithium Polymer Batteries</h3></div></div></div><p>
244 All Altus Metrum flight computers have a two pin JST PH
245 series connector to connect up a single-cell Lithium Polymer
246 cell (3.7V nominal). You can purchase matching batteries
247 from the Altus Metrum store, or other vendors, or you can
248 make your own. Pin 1 of the connector is positive, pin 2 is
249 negative. Spark Fun sells a cable with the connector
250 attached, which they call a <a class="ulink" href="https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9914" target="_top">JST Jumper 2
253 Many RC vendors also sell lithium polymer batteries with
254 this same connector. All that we have found use the opposite
255 polarity, and if you use them that way, you will damage or
256 destroy the flight computer.
257 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp42276480"></a>1.2. Hooking Up Pyro Charges</h3></div></div></div><p>
258 Altus Metrum flight computers always have two screws for
259 each pyro charge. This means you shouldn't need to put two
260 wires into a screw terminal or connect leads from pyro
261 charges together externally.
263 On the flight computer, one lead from each charge is hooked
264 to the positive battery terminal through the power switch.
265 The other lead is connected through the pyro circuit, which
266 is connected to the negative battery terminal when the pyro
268 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp42591936"></a>1.3. Hooking Up a Power Switch</h3></div></div></div><p>
269 Altus Metrum flight computers need an external power switch
270 to turn them on. This disconnects both the computer and the
271 pyro charges from the battery, preventing the charges from
272 firing when in the Off position. The switch is in-line with
273 the positive battery terminal.
274 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idp42971904"></a>1.3.1. Using an External Active Switch Circuit</h4></div></div></div><p>
275 You can use an active switch circuit, such as the
276 Featherweight Magnetic Switch, with any Altus Metrum
277 flight computer. These require three connections, one to
278 the battery, one to the positive power input on the flight
279 computer and one to ground. Find instructions on how to
280 hook these up for each flight computer below. The follow
281 the instructions that come with your active switch to
283 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp40956544"></a>1.4. Using a Separate Pyro Battery</h3></div></div></div><p>
284 As mentioned above in the section on hooking up pyro
285 charges, one lead for each of the pyro charges is connected
286 through the power switch directly to the positive battery
287 terminal. The other lead is connected to the pyro circuit,
288 which connects it to the negative battery terminal when the
289 pyro circuit is fired. The pyro circuit on all of the flight
290 computers is designed to handle up to 16V.
292 To use a separate pyro battery, connect the negative pyro
293 battery terminal to the flight computer ground terminal,
294 the positive battery terminal to the igniter and the other
295 igniter lead to the negative pyro terminal on the flight
296 computer. When the pyro channel fires, it will complete the
297 circuit between the negative pyro terminal and the ground
298 terminal, firing the igniter. Specific instructions on how
299 to hook this up will be found in each section below.
300 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp40258464"></a>1.5. Using a Different Kind of Battery</h3></div></div></div><p>
301 EasyMini and TeleMini v2 are designed to use either a
302 lithium polymer battery or any other battery producing
303 between 4 and 12 volts, such as a rectangular 9V
304 battery. TeleMega and TeleMetrum are not designed for this,
305 and must only be powered by a lithium polymer battery. Find
306 instructions on how to use other batteries in the EasyMini
307 and TeleMini sections below.
308 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp43170688"></a>2. Specifications</h2></div></div></div><p>
309 Here's the full set of Altus Metrum products, both in
310 production and retired.
311 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp42978752"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 4.1. Altus Metrum Electronics</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Altus Metrum Electronics" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Device"><col align="center" class="Barometer"><col align="center" class="Z-axis accelerometer"><col align="center" class="GPS"><col align="center" class="3D sensors"><col align="center" class="Storage"><col align="center" class="RF"><col align="center" class="Battery"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Device</th><th align="center">Barometer</th><th align="center">Z-axis accelerometer</th><th align="center">GPS</th><th align="center">3D sensors</th><th align="center">Storage</th><th align="center">RF Output</th><th align="center">Battery</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">TeleMetrum v1.0</td><td align="center"><p>MP3H6115 10km (33k')</p></td><td align="center"><p>MMA2202 50g</p></td><td align="center">SkyTraq</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">1MB</td><td align="center">10mW</td><td align="center">3.7V</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMetrum v1.1</td><td align="center"><p>MP3H6115 10km (33k')</p></td><td align="center"><p>MMA2202 50g</p></td><td align="center">SkyTraq</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">2MB</td><td align="center">10mW</td><td align="center">3.7V</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMetrum v1.2</td><td align="center"><p>MP3H6115 10km (33k')</p></td><td align="center"><p>ADXL78 70g</p></td><td align="center">SkyTraq</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">2MB</td><td align="center">10mW</td><td align="center">3.7V</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMetrum v2.0</td><td align="center"><p>MS5607 30km (100k')</p></td><td align="center"><p>MMA6555 102g</p></td><td align="center">uBlox Max-7Q</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">8MB</td><td align="center">40mW</td><td align="center">3.7V</td></tr><tr><td align="center"><p>TeleMini v1.0</p></td><td align="center"><p>MP3H6115 10km (33k')</p></td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">5kB</td><td align="center">10mW</td><td align="center">3.7V</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMini v2.0</td><td align="center"><p>MS5607 30km (100k')</p></td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">1MB</td><td align="center">10mW</td><td align="center">3.7-12V</td></tr><tr><td align="center">EasyMini v1.0</td><td align="center"><p>MS5607 30km (100k')</p></td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">1MB</td><td align="center">-</td><td align="center">3.7-12V</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMega v1.0</td><td align="center"><p>MS5607 30km (100k')</p></td><td align="center"><p>MMA6555 102g</p></td><td align="center">uBlox Max-7Q</td><td align="center"><p>MPU6000 HMC5883</p></td><td align="center">8MB</td><td align="center">40mW</td><td align="center">3.7V</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break"><div class="table"><a name="idp44395088"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 4.2. Altus Metrum Boards</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Altus Metrum Boards" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Device"><col align="center" class="Connectors"><col align="center" class="Screw Terminals"><col align="center" class="Width"><col align="center" class="Length"><col align="center" class="Tube Size"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Device</th><th align="center">Connectors</th><th align="center">Screw Terminals</th><th align="center">Width</th><th align="center">Length</th><th align="center">Tube Size</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">TeleMetrum</td><td align="center"><p>
317 </p></td><td align="center"><p>Apogee pyro Main pyro Switch</p></td><td align="center">1 inch (2.54cm)</td><td align="center">2 ¾ inch (6.99cm)</td><td align="center">29mm coupler</td></tr><tr><td align="center"><p>TeleMini v1.0</p></td><td align="center"><p>
321 </p></td><td align="center"><p>
324 </p></td><td align="center">½ inch (1.27cm)</td><td align="center">1½ inch (3.81cm)</td><td align="center">18mm coupler</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMini v2.0</td><td align="center"><p>
329 </p></td><td align="center"><p>
334 </p></td><td align="center">0.8 inch (2.03cm)</td><td align="center">1½ inch (3.81cm)</td><td align="center">24mm coupler</td></tr><tr><td align="center">EasyMini</td><td align="center"><p>
338 </p></td><td align="center"><p>
343 </p></td><td align="center">0.8 inch (2.03cm)</td><td align="center">1½ inch (3.81cm)</td><td align="center">24mm coupler</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMega</td><td align="center"><p>
349 </p></td><td align="center"><p>
355 </p></td><td align="center">1¼ inch (3.18cm)</td><td align="center">3¼ inch (8.26cm)</td><td align="center">38mm coupler</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 name="idp44431104"></a>3. TeleMetrum</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="telemetrum-v1.1-thside.jpg" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
356 TeleMetrum is a 1 inch by 2¾ inch circuit board. It was designed to
357 fit inside coupler for 29mm air-frame tubing, but using it in a tube that
358 small in diameter may require some creativity in mounting and wiring
359 to succeed! The presence of an accelerometer means TeleMetrum should
360 be aligned along the flight axis of the airframe, and by default the ¼
361 wave UHF wire antenna should be on the nose-cone end of the board. The
362 antenna wire is about 7 inches long, and wiring for a power switch and
363 the e-matches for apogee and main ejection charges depart from the
364 fin can end of the board, meaning an ideal “simple” avionics
365 bay for TeleMetrum should have at least 10 inches of interior length.
366 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44436000"></a>3.1. TeleMetrum Screw Terminals</h3></div></div></div><p>
367 TeleMetrum has six screw terminals on the end of the board
368 opposite the telemetry antenna. Two are for the power
369 switch, and two each for the apogee and main igniter
370 circuits. Using the picture above and starting from the top,
371 the terminals are as follows:
372 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp44437312"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 4.3. TeleMetrum Screw Terminals</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="TeleMetrum Screw Terminals" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Pin #"><col align="center" class="Pin Name"><col align="left" class="Description"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Terminal #</th><th align="center">Terminal Name</th><th align="center">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">1</td><td align="center">Switch Output</td><td align="left">Switch connection to flight computer</td></tr><tr><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">Switch Input</td><td align="left">Switch connection to positive battery terminal</td></tr><tr><td align="center">3</td><td align="center">Main +</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">4</td><td align="center">Main -</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">5</td><td align="center">Apogee +</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">6</td><td align="center">Apogee -</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break"></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44455216"></a>3.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMetrum</h3></div></div></div><p>
373 As described above, using an external pyro battery involves
374 connecting the negative battery terminal to the flight
375 computer ground, connecting the positive battery terminal to
376 one of the igniter leads and connecting the other igniter
377 lead to the per-channel pyro circuit connection.
379 To connect the negative battery terminal to the TeleMetrum
380 ground, insert a small piece of wire, 24 to 28 gauge
381 stranded, into the GND hole just above the screw terminal
382 strip and solder it in place.
384 Connecting the positive battery terminal to the pyro
385 charges must be done separate from TeleMetrum, by soldering
386 them together or using some other connector.
388 The other lead from each pyro charge is then inserted into
389 the appropriate per-pyro channel screw terminal (terminal 4 for the
390 Main charge, terminal 6 for the Apogee charge).
391 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44458464"></a>3.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMetrum</h3></div></div></div><p>
392 As explained above, an external active switch requires three
393 connections, one to the positive battery terminal, one to
394 the flight computer positive input and one to ground.
396 The positive battery terminal is available on screw terminal
397 2, the positive flight computer input is on terminal 1. To
398 hook a lead to ground, solder a piece of wire, 24 to 28
399 gauge stranded, to the GND hole just above terminal 1.
400 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44460592"></a>4. TeleMini v1.0</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="telemini-v1-top.jpg" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
401 TeleMini v1.0 is ½ inches by 1½ inches. It was
402 designed to fit inside an 18mm air-frame tube, but using it in
403 a tube that small in diameter may require some creativity in
404 mounting and wiring to succeed! Since there is no
405 accelerometer, TeleMini can be mounted in any convenient
406 orientation. The default ¼ wave UHF wire antenna attached to
407 the center of one end of the board is about 7 inches long. Two
408 wires for the power switch are connected to holes in the
409 middle of the board. Screw terminals for the e-matches for
410 apogee and main ejection charges depart from the other end of
411 the board, meaning an ideal “simple” avionics bay for TeleMini
412 should have at least 9 inches of interior length.
413 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44465488"></a>4.1. TeleMini v1.0 Screw Terminals</h3></div></div></div><p>
414 TeleMini v1.0 has four screw terminals on the end of the
415 board opposite the telemetry antenna. Two are for the apogee
416 and two are for main igniter circuits. There are also wires
417 soldered to the board for the power switch. Using the
418 picture above and starting from the top for the terminals
419 and from the left for the power switch wires, the
420 connections are as follows:
421 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp44466928"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 4.4. TeleMini v1.0 Connections</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="TeleMini v1.0 Connections" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Pin #"><col align="center" class="Pin Name"><col align="left" class="Description"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Terminal #</th><th align="center">Terminal Name</th><th align="center">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">1</td><td align="center">Apogee -</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">Apogee +</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">3</td><td align="center">Main -</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">4</td><td align="center">Main +</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Left</td><td align="center">Switch Output</td><td align="left">Switch connection to flight computer</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Right</td><td align="center">Switch Input</td><td align="left">Switch connection to positive battery terminal</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break"></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44484832"></a>4.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMini v1.0</h3></div></div></div><p>
422 As described above, using an external pyro battery involves
423 connecting the negative battery terminal to the flight
424 computer ground, connecting the positive battery terminal to
425 one of the igniter leads and connecting the other igniter
426 lead to the per-channel pyro circuit connection. Because
427 there is no solid ground connection to use on TeleMini, this
430 The only available ground connection on TeleMini v1.0 are
431 the two mounting holes next to the telemetry
432 antenna. Somehow connect a small piece of wire to one of
433 those holes and hook it to the negative pyro battery terminal.
435 Connecting the positive battery terminal to the pyro
436 charges must be done separate from TeleMini v1.0, by soldering
437 them together or using some other connector.
439 The other lead from each pyro charge is then inserted into
440 the appropriate per-pyro channel screw terminal (terminal 3 for the
441 Main charge, terminal 1 for the Apogee charge).
442 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44488208"></a>4.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMini v1.0</h3></div></div></div><p>
443 As explained above, an external active switch requires three
444 connections, one to the positive battery terminal, one to
445 the flight computer positive input and one to ground. Again,
446 because TeleMini doesn't have any good ground connection,
447 this is not recommended.
449 The positive battery terminal is available on the Right
450 power switch wire, the positive flight computer input is on
451 the left power switch wire. Hook a lead to either of the
452 mounting holes for a ground connection.
453 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44490416"></a>5. TeleMini v2.0</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="telemini-v2-top.jpg" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
454 TeleMini v2.0 is 0.8 inches by 1½ inches. It adds more
455 on-board data logging memory, a built-in USB connector and
456 screw terminals for the battery and power switch. The larger
457 board fits in a 24mm coupler. There's also a battery connector
458 for a LiPo battery if you want to use one of those.
459 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44494432"></a>5.1. TeleMini v2.0 Screw Terminals</h3></div></div></div><p>
460 TeleMini v2.0 has two sets of four screw terminals on the end of the
461 board opposite the telemetry antenna. Using the picture
462 above, the top four have connections for the main pyro
463 circuit and an external battery and the bottom four have
464 connections for the apogee pyro circuit and the power
465 switch. Counting from the left, the connections are as follows:
466 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp44495840"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 4.5. TeleMini v2.0 Connections</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="TeleMini v2.0 Connections" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Pin #"><col align="center" class="Pin Name"><col align="left" class="Description"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Terminal #</th><th align="center">Terminal Name</th><th align="center">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">Top 1</td><td align="center">Main -</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 2</td><td align="center">Main +</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 3</td><td align="center">Battery +</td><td align="left">Positive external battery terminal</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 4</td><td align="center">Battery -</td><td align="left">Negative external battery terminal</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 1</td><td align="center">Apogee -</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 2</td><td align="center">Apogee +</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel common connection to
467 battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 3</td><td align="center">Switch Output</td><td align="left">Switch connection to flight computer</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 4</td><td align="center">Switch Input</td><td align="left">Switch connection to positive battery terminal</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break"></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44516816"></a>5.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMini v2.0</h3></div></div></div><p>
468 As described above, using an external pyro battery involves
469 connecting the negative battery terminal to the flight
470 computer ground, connecting the positive battery terminal to
471 one of the igniter leads and connecting the other igniter
472 lead to the per-channel pyro circuit connection.
474 To connect the negative pyro battery terminal to TeleMini
475 ground, connect it to the negative external battery
476 connection, top terminal 4.
478 Connecting the positive battery terminal to the pyro
479 charges must be done separate from TeleMini v2.0, by soldering
480 them together or using some other connector.
482 The other lead from each pyro charge is then inserted into
483 the appropriate per-pyro channel screw terminal (top
484 terminal 1 for the Main charge, bottom terminal 1 for the
486 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44520016"></a>5.3. Using an Active Switch with TeleMini v2.0</h3></div></div></div><p>
487 As explained above, an external active switch requires three
488 connections, one to the positive battery terminal, one to
489 the flight computer positive input and one to ground. Use
490 the negative external battery connection, top terminal 4 for
493 The positive battery terminal is available on bottom
494 terminal 4, the positive flight computer input is on the
496 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44522112"></a>6. EasyMini</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="easymini-top.jpg" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
497 EasyMini is built on a 0.8 inch by 1½ inch circuit board. It's
498 designed to fit in a 24mm coupler tube. The connectors and
499 screw terminals match TeleMini v2.0, so you can easily swap between
500 EasyMini and TeleMini.
501 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44525968"></a>6.1. EasyMini Screw Terminals</h3></div></div></div><p>
502 EasyMini has two sets of four screw terminals on the end of the
503 board opposite the telemetry antenna. Using the picture
504 above, the top four have connections for the main pyro
505 circuit and an external battery and the bottom four have
506 connections for the apogee pyro circuit and the power
507 switch. Counting from the left, the connections are as follows:
508 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp44527376"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 4.6. EasyMini Connections</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="EasyMini Connections" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Pin #"><col align="center" class="Pin Name"><col align="left" class="Description"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Terminal #</th><th align="center">Terminal Name</th><th align="center">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">Top 1</td><td align="center">Main -</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 2</td><td align="center">Main +</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 3</td><td align="center">Battery +</td><td align="left">Positive external battery terminal</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 4</td><td align="center">Battery -</td><td align="left">Negative external battery terminal</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 1</td><td align="center">Apogee -</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 2</td><td align="center">Apogee +</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel common connection to
509 battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 3</td><td align="center">Switch Output</td><td align="left">Switch connection to flight computer</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 4</td><td align="center">Switch Input</td><td align="left">Switch connection to positive battery terminal</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break"></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44548352"></a>6.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with EasyMini</h3></div></div></div><p>
510 As described above, using an external pyro battery involves
511 connecting the negative battery terminal to the flight
512 computer ground, connecting the positive battery terminal to
513 one of the igniter leads and connecting the other igniter
514 lead to the per-channel pyro circuit connection.
516 To connect the negative pyro battery terminal to TeleMini
517 ground, connect it to the negative external battery
518 connection, top terminal 4.
520 Connecting the positive battery terminal to the pyro
521 charges must be done separate from EasyMini, by soldering
522 them together or using some other connector.
524 The other lead from each pyro charge is then inserted into
525 the appropriate per-pyro channel screw terminal (top
526 terminal 1 for the Main charge, bottom terminal 1 for the
528 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44551536"></a>6.3. Using an Active Switch with EasyMini</h3></div></div></div><p>
529 As explained above, an external active switch requires three
530 connections, one to the positive battery terminal, one to
531 the flight computer positive input and one to ground. Use
532 the negative external battery connection, top terminal 4 for
535 The positive battery terminal is available on bottom
536 terminal 4, the positive flight computer input is on the
538 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44553632"></a>7. TeleMega</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="telemega-v1.0-top.jpg" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
539 TeleMega is a 1¼ inch by 3¼ inch circuit board. It was
540 designed to easily fit in a 38mm coupler. Like TeleMetrum,
541 TeleMega has an accelerometer and so it must be mounted so that
542 the board is aligned with the flight axis. It can be mounted
543 either antenna up or down.
544 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44557600"></a>7.1. TeleMega Screw Terminals</h3></div></div></div><p>
545 TeleMega has two sets of nine screw terminals on the end of
546 the board opposite the telemetry antenna. They are as follows:
547 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp44558768"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 4.7. TeleMega Screw Terminals</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="TeleMega Screw Terminals" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Pin #"><col align="center" class="Pin Name"><col align="left" class="Description"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Terminal #</th><th align="center">Terminal Name</th><th align="center">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">Top 1</td><td align="center">Switch Input</td><td align="left">Switch connection to positive battery terminal</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 2</td><td align="center">Switch Output</td><td align="left">Switch connection to flight computer</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 3</td><td align="center">GND</td><td align="left">Ground connection for use with external active switch</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 4</td><td align="center">Main -</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 5</td><td align="center">Main +</td><td align="left">Main pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 6</td><td align="center">Apogee -</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 7</td><td align="center">Apogee +</td><td align="left">Apogee pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 8</td><td align="center">D -</td><td align="left">D pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Top 9</td><td align="center">D +</td><td align="left">D pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 1</td><td align="center">GND</td><td align="left">Ground connection for negative pyro battery terminal</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 2</td><td align="center">Pyro</td><td align="left">Positive pyro battery terminal</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 3</td><td align="center">Lipo</td><td align="left">
548 Power switch output. Use to connect main battery to
550 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 4</td><td align="center">A -</td><td align="left">A pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 5</td><td align="center">A +</td><td align="left">A pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 6</td><td align="center">B -</td><td align="left">B pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 7</td><td align="center">B +</td><td align="left">B pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 8</td><td align="center">C -</td><td align="left">C pyro channel connection to pyro circuit</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Bottom 9</td><td align="center">C +</td><td align="left">C pyro channel common connection to battery +</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break"></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44595104"></a>7.2. Using a Separate Pyro Battery with TeleMega</h3></div></div></div><p>
551 TeleMega provides explicit support for an external pyro
552 battery. All that is required is to remove the jumper
553 between the lipo terminal (Bottom 3) and the pyro terminal
554 (Bottom 2). Then hook the negative pyro battery terminal to ground
555 (Bottom 1) and the positive pyro battery to the pyro battery
556 input (Bottom 2). You can then use the existing pyro screw
557 terminals to hook up all of the pyro charges.
558 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44596704"></a>7.3. Using Only One Battery With TeleMega</h3></div></div></div><p>
559 Because TeleMega has built-in support for a separate pyro
560 battery, if you want to fly with just one battery running
561 both the computer and firing the charges, you need to
562 connect the flight computer battery to the pyro
563 circuit. TeleMega has two screw terminals for this—hook a
564 wire from the Lipo terminal (Bottom 3) to the Pyro terminal
566 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44598624"></a>7.4. Using an Active Switch with TeleMega</h3></div></div></div><p>
567 As explained above, an external active switch requires three
568 connections, one to the positive battery terminal, one to
569 the flight computer positive input and one to ground.
571 The positive battery terminal is available on Top terminal
572 1, the positive flight computer input is on Top terminal
573 2. Ground is on Top terminal 3.
574 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44600672"></a>8. Flight Data Recording</h2></div></div></div><p>
575 Each flight computer logs data at 100 samples per second
576 during ascent and 10 samples per second during descent, except
577 for TeleMini v1.0, which records ascent at 10 samples per
578 second and descent at 1 sample per second. Data are logged to
579 an on-board flash memory part, which can be partitioned into
580 several equal-sized blocks, one for each flight.
581 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp44602080"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 4.8. Data Storage on Altus Metrum altimeters</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Data Storage on Altus Metrum altimeters" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Device"><col align="center" class="Bytes per sample"><col align="center" class="Total storage"><col align="center" class="Minutes of full-rate"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Device</th><th align="center">Bytes per Sample</th><th align="center">Total Storage</th><th align="center">Minutes at Full Rate</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">TeleMetrum v1.0</td><td align="center">8</td><td align="center">1MB</td><td align="center">20</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMetrum v1.1 v1.2</td><td align="center">8</td><td align="center">2MB</td><td align="center">40</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMetrum v2.0</td><td align="center">16</td><td align="center">8MB</td><td align="center">80</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMini v1.0</td><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">5kB</td><td align="center">4</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMini v2.0</td><td align="center">16</td><td align="center">1MB</td><td align="center">10</td></tr><tr><td align="center">EasyMini</td><td align="center">16</td><td align="center">1MB</td><td align="center">10</td></tr><tr><td align="center">TeleMega</td><td align="center">32</td><td align="center">8MB</td><td align="center">40</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break"><p>
582 The on-board flash is partitioned into separate flight logs,
583 each of a fixed maximum size. Increase the maximum size of
584 each log and you reduce the number of flights that can be
585 stored. Decrease the size and you can store more flights.
587 Configuration data is also stored in the flash memory on
588 TeleMetrum v1.x, TeleMini and EasyMini. This consumes 64kB
589 of flash space. This configuration space is not available
590 for storing flight log data. TeleMetrum v2.0 and TeleMega
591 store configuration data in a bit of eeprom available within
592 the processor chip, leaving that space available in flash for
595 To compute the amount of space needed for a single flight, you
596 can multiply the expected ascent time (in seconds) by 100
597 times bytes-per-sample, multiply the expected descent time (in
598 seconds) by 10 times the bytes per sample and add the two
599 together. That will slightly under-estimate the storage (in
600 bytes) needed for the flight. For instance, a TeleMetrum v2.0 flight spending
601 20 seconds in ascent and 150 seconds in descent will take
602 about (20 * 1600) + (150 * 160) = 56000 bytes of storage. You
603 could store dozens of these flights in the on-board flash.
605 The default size allows for several flights on each flight
606 computer, except for TeleMini v1.0, which only holds data for a
607 single flight. You can adjust the size.
609 Altus Metrum flight computers will not overwrite existing
610 flight data, so be sure to download flight data and erase it
611 from the flight computer before it fills up. The flight
612 computer will still successfully control the flight even if it
613 cannot log data, so the only thing you will lose is the data.
614 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44629504"></a>9. Installation</h2></div></div></div><p>
615 A typical installation involves attaching
616 only a suitable battery, a single pole switch for
617 power on/off, and two pairs of wires connecting e-matches for the
618 apogee and main ejection charges. All Altus Metrum products are
619 designed for use with single-cell batteries with 3.7 volts
620 nominal. TeleMini v2.0 and EasyMini may also be used with other
621 batteries as long as they supply between 4 and 12 volts.
623 The battery connectors are a standard 2-pin JST connector and
624 match batteries sold by Spark Fun. These batteries are
625 single-cell Lithium Polymer batteries that nominally provide 3.7
626 volts. Other vendors sell similar batteries for RC aircraft
627 using mating connectors, however the polarity for those is
628 generally reversed from the batteries used by Altus Metrum
629 products. In particular, the Tenergy batteries supplied for use
630 in Featherweight flight computers are not compatible with Altus
631 Metrum flight computers or battery chargers. <span class="emphasis"><em>Check
632 polarity and voltage before connecting any battery not purchased
633 from Altus Metrum or Spark Fun.</em></span>
635 By default, we use the unregulated output of the battery directly
636 to fire ejection charges. This works marvelously with standard
637 low-current e-matches like the J-Tek from MJG Technologies, and with
638 Quest Q2G2 igniters. However, if you want or need to use a separate
639 pyro battery, check out the “External Pyro Battery” section in this
640 manual for instructions on how to wire that up. The altimeters are
641 designed to work with an external pyro battery of no more than 15 volts.
643 Ejection charges are wired directly to the screw terminal block
644 at the aft end of the altimeter. You'll need a very small straight
645 blade screwdriver for these screws, such as you might find in a
646 jeweler's screwdriver set.
648 Except for TeleMini v1.0, the flight computers also use the
649 screw terminal block for the power switch leads. On TeleMini v1.0,
650 the power switch leads are soldered directly to the board and
651 can be connected directly to a switch.
653 For most air-frames, the integrated antennas are more than
654 adequate. However, if you are installing in a carbon-fiber or
655 metal electronics bay which is opaque to RF signals, you may need to
656 use off-board external antennas instead. In this case, you can
657 replace the stock UHF antenna wire with an edge-launched SMA connector,
658 and, on TeleMetrum v1, you can unplug the integrated GPS
659 antenna and select an appropriate off-board GPS antenna with
660 cable terminating in a U.FL connector.
661 </p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp44636240"></a>Chapter 5. System Operation</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44636880">1. Firmware Modes </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44705168">2. GPS </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44707952">3. Controlling An Altimeter Over The Radio Link</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44719248">4. Ground Testing </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44722000">5. Radio Link </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44726000">6. APRS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44747968">7. Configurable Parameters</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44749888">7.1. Radio Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44751936">7.2. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44753472">7.3. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44754768">7.4. APRS Interval</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44756240">7.5. Apogee Delay</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44758832">7.6. Apogee Lockout</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44760560">7.7. Main Deployment Altitude</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44762256">7.8. Maximum Flight Log</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44764400">7.9. Ignite Mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44766512">7.10. Pad Orientation</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44768208">7.11. Configurable Pyro Channels</a></span></dt></dl></dd></dl></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44636880"></a>1. Firmware Modes </h2></div></div></div><p>
662 The AltOS firmware build for the altimeters has two
663 fundamental modes, “idle” and “flight”. Which of these modes
664 the firmware operates in is determined at start up time. For
665 TeleMetrum and TeleMega, which have accelerometers, the mode is
666 controlled by the orientation of the
667 rocket (well, actually the board, of course...) at the time
668 power is switched on. If the rocket is “nose up”, then
669 the flight computer assumes it's on a rail or rod being prepared for
670 launch, so the firmware chooses flight mode. However, if the
671 rocket is more or less horizontal, the firmware instead enters
672 idle mode. Since TeleMini v2.0 and EasyMini don't have an
673 accelerometer we can use to determine orientation, “idle” mode
674 is selected if the board is connected via USB to a computer,
675 otherwise the board enters “flight” mode. TeleMini v1.0
676 selects “idle” mode if it receives a command packet within the
677 first five seconds of operation.
679 At power on, the altimeter will beep out the battery voltage
680 to the nearest tenth of a volt. Each digit is represented by
681 a sequence of short “dit” beeps, with a pause between
682 digits. A zero digit is represented with one long “dah”
683 beep. Then there will be a short pause while the altimeter
684 completes initialization and self test, and decides which mode
687 Here's a short summary of all of the modes and the beeping (or
688 flashing, in the case of TeleMini v1) that accompanies each
689 mode. In the description of the beeping pattern, “dit” means a
690 short beep while "dah" means a long beep (three times as
691 long). “Brap” means a long dissonant tone.
692 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp44642240"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 5.1. AltOS Modes</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="AltOS Modes" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Mode Name"><col align="center" class="Letter"><col align="center" class="Beeps"><col align="center" class="Description"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Mode Name</th><th align="center">Abbreviation</th><th align="center">Beeps</th><th align="center">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">Startup</td><td align="center">S</td><td align="center">battery voltage in decivolts</td><td align="center">
694 Calibrating sensors, detecting orientation.
696 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Idle</td><td align="center">I</td><td align="center">dit dit</td><td align="center">
698 Ready to accept commands over USB or radio link.
700 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Pad</td><td align="center">P</td><td align="center">dit dah dah dit</td><td align="center">
702 Waiting for launch. Not listening for commands.
704 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Boost</td><td align="center">B</td><td align="center">dah dit dit dit</td><td align="center">
706 Accelerating upwards.
708 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Fast</td><td align="center">F</td><td align="center">dit dit dah dit</td><td align="center">
710 Decelerating, but moving faster than 200m/s.
712 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Coast</td><td align="center">C</td><td align="center">dah dit dah dit</td><td align="center">
714 Decelerating, moving slower than 200m/s
716 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Drogue</td><td align="center">D</td><td align="center">dah dit dit</td><td align="center">
718 Descending after apogee. Above main height.
720 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Main</td><td align="center">M</td><td align="center">dah dah</td><td align="center">
722 Descending. Below main height.
724 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Landed</td><td align="center">L</td><td align="center">dit dah dit dit</td><td align="center">
726 Stable altitude for at least ten seconds.
728 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Sensor error</td><td align="center">X</td><td align="center">dah dit dit dah</td><td align="center">
730 Error detected during sensor calibration.
732 </td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><p><br class="table-break">
734 In flight or “pad” mode, the altimeter engages the flight
735 state machine, goes into transmit-only mode to send telemetry,
736 and waits for launch to be detected. Flight mode is indicated
737 by an “di-dah-dah-dit” (“P” for pad) on the beeper or lights,
738 followed by beeps or flashes indicating the state of the
739 pyrotechnic igniter continuity. One beep/flash indicates
740 apogee continuity, two beeps/flashes indicate main continuity,
741 three beeps/flashes indicate both apogee and main continuity,
742 and one longer “brap” sound which is made by rapidly
743 alternating between two tones indicates no continuity. For a
744 dual deploy flight, make sure you're getting three beeps or
745 flashes before launching! For apogee-only or motor eject
746 flights, do what makes sense.
748 If idle mode is entered, you will hear an audible “di-dit” or
749 see two short flashes (“I” for idle), and the flight state
750 machine is disengaged, thus no ejection charges will fire.
751 The altimeters also listen for the radio link when in idle
752 mode for requests sent via TeleDongle. Commands can be issued
753 in idle mode over either USB or the radio link
754 equivalently. TeleMini v1.0 only has the radio link. Idle
755 mode is useful for configuring the altimeter, for extracting
756 data from the on-board storage chip after flight, and for
757 ground testing pyro charges.
759 In “Idle” and “Pad” modes, once the mode indication
760 beeps/flashes and continuity indication has been sent, if
761 there is no space available to log the flight in on-board
762 memory, the flight computer will emit a warbling tone (much
763 slower than the “no continuity tone”)
765 Here's a summary of all of the “pad” and “idle” mode indications.
766 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp44679328"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 5.2. Pad/Idle Indications</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Pad/Idle Indications" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Name"><col align="center" class="Beeps"><col align="center" class="Description"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Name</th><th align="center">Beeps</th><th align="center">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">Neither</td><td align="center">brap</td><td align="center">
768 No continuity detected on either apogee or main
771 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Apogee</td><td align="center">dit</td><td align="center">
773 Continuity detected only on apogee igniter.
775 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Main</td><td align="center">dit dit</td><td align="center">
777 Continuity detected only on main igniter.
779 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Both</td><td align="center">dit dit dit</td><td align="center">
781 Continuity detected on both igniters.
783 </td></tr><tr><td align="center">Storage Full</td><td align="center">warble</td><td align="center">
785 On-board data logging storage is full. This will
786 not prevent the flight computer from safely
787 controlling the flight or transmitting telemetry
788 signals, but no record of the flight will be
789 stored in on-board flash.
791 </td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><p><br class="table-break">
793 Once landed, the flight computer will signal that by emitting
794 the “Landed” sound described above, after which it will beep
795 out the apogee height (in meters). Each digit is represented
796 by a sequence of short “dit” beeps, with a pause between
797 digits. A zero digit is represented with one long “dah”
798 beep. The flight computer will continue to report landed mode
799 and beep out the maximum height until turned off.
801 One “neat trick” of particular value when TeleMetrum or TeleMega are used with
802 very large air-frames, is that you can power the board up while the
803 rocket is horizontal, such that it comes up in idle mode. Then you can
804 raise the air-frame to launch position, and issue a 'reset' command
805 via TeleDongle over the radio link to cause the altimeter to reboot and
806 come up in flight mode. This is much safer than standing on the top
807 step of a rickety step-ladder or hanging off the side of a launch
808 tower with a screw-driver trying to turn on your avionics before
811 TeleMini v1.0 is configured solely via the radio link. Of course, that
812 means you need to know the TeleMini radio configuration values
813 or you won't be able to communicate with it. For situations
814 when you don't have the radio configuration values, TeleMini v1.0
815 offers an 'emergency recovery' mode. In this mode, TeleMini is
816 configured as follows:
817 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
818 Sets the radio frequency to 434.550MHz
819 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
820 Sets the radio calibration back to the factory value.
821 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
822 Sets the callsign to N0CALL
823 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
824 Does not go to 'pad' mode after five seconds.
825 </p></li></ul></div><p>
827 To get into 'emergency recovery' mode, first find the row of
828 four small holes opposite the switch wiring. Using a short
829 piece of small gauge wire, connect the outer two holes
830 together, then power TeleMini up. Once the red LED is lit,
831 disconnect the wire and the board should signal that it's in
832 'idle' mode after the initial five second startup period.
833 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44705168"></a>2. GPS </h2></div></div></div><p>
834 TeleMetrum and TeleMega include a complete GPS receiver. A
835 complete explanation of how GPS works is beyond the scope of
836 this manual, but the bottom line is that the GPS receiver
837 needs to lock onto at least four satellites to obtain a solid
838 3 dimensional position fix and know what time it is.
840 The flight computers provide backup power to the GPS chip any time a
841 battery is connected. This allows the receiver to “warm start” on
842 the launch rail much faster than if every power-on were a GPS
843 “cold start”. In typical operations, powering up
844 on the flight line in idle mode while performing final air-frame
845 preparation will be sufficient to allow the GPS receiver to cold
846 start and acquire lock. Then the board can be powered down during
847 RSO review and installation on a launch rod or rail. When the board
848 is turned back on, the GPS system should lock very quickly, typically
849 long before igniter installation and return to the flight line are
851 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44707952"></a>3. Controlling An Altimeter Over The Radio Link</h2></div></div></div><p>
852 One of the unique features of the Altus Metrum system is the
853 ability to create a two way command link between TeleDongle
854 and an altimeter using the digital radio transceivers
855 built into each device. This allows you to interact with the
856 altimeter from afar, as if it were directly connected to the
859 Any operation which can be performed with a flight computer can
860 either be done with the device directly connected to the
861 computer via the USB cable, or through the radio
862 link. TeleMini v1.0 doesn't provide a USB connector and so it is
863 always communicated with over radio. Select the appropriate
864 TeleDongle device when the list of devices is presented and
865 AltosUI will interact with an altimeter over the radio link.
867 One oddity in the current interface is how AltosUI selects the
868 frequency for radio communications. Instead of providing
869 an interface to specifically configure the frequency, it uses
870 whatever frequency was most recently selected for the target
871 TeleDongle device in Monitor Flight mode. If you haven't ever
872 used that mode with the TeleDongle in question, select the
873 Monitor Flight button from the top level UI, and pick the
874 appropriate TeleDongle device. Once the flight monitoring
875 window is open, select the desired frequency and then close it
876 down again. All radio communications will now use that frequency.
877 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
878 Save Flight Data—Recover flight data from the rocket without
880 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
881 Configure altimeter apogee delays, main deploy heights
882 and additional pyro event conditions
883 to respond to changing launch conditions. You can also
884 'reboot' the altimeter. Use this to remotely enable the
885 flight computer by turning TeleMetrum or TeleMega on in “idle” mode,
886 then once the air-frame is oriented for launch, you can
887 reboot the altimeter and have it restart in pad mode
888 without having to climb the scary ladder.
889 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
890 Fire Igniters—Test your deployment charges without snaking
891 wires out through holes in the air-frame. Simply assemble the
892 rocket as if for flight with the apogee and main charges
893 loaded, then remotely command the altimeter to fire the
895 </p></li></ul></div><p>
896 Operation over the radio link for configuring an altimeter, ground
897 testing igniters, and so forth uses the same RF frequencies as flight
898 telemetry. To configure the desired TeleDongle frequency, select
899 the monitor flight tab, then use the frequency selector and
900 close the window before performing other desired radio operations.
902 The flight computers only enable radio commanding in 'idle' mode.
903 TeleMetrum and TeleMega use the accelerometer to detect which orientation they
904 start up in, so make sure you have the flight computer lying horizontally when you turn
905 it on. Otherwise, it will start in 'pad' mode ready for
906 flight, and will not be listening for command packets from TeleDongle.
908 TeleMini listens for a command packet for five seconds after
909 first being turned on, if it doesn't hear anything, it enters
910 'pad' mode, ready for flight and will no longer listen for
911 command packets. The easiest way to connect to TeleMini is to
912 initiate the command and select the TeleDongle device. At this
913 point, the TeleDongle will be attempting to communicate with
914 the TeleMini. Now turn TeleMini on, and it should immediately
915 start communicating with the TeleDongle and the desired
916 operation can be performed.
918 You can monitor the operation of the radio link by watching the
919 lights on the devices. The red LED will flash each time a packet
920 is transmitted, while the green LED will light up on TeleDongle when
921 it is waiting to receive a packet from the altimeter.
922 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44719248"></a>4. Ground Testing </h2></div></div></div><p>
923 An important aspect of preparing a rocket using electronic deployment
924 for flight is ground testing the recovery system. Thanks
925 to the bi-directional radio link central to the Altus Metrum system,
926 this can be accomplished in a TeleMega, TeleMetrum or TeleMini equipped rocket
927 with less work than you may be accustomed to with other systems. It
930 Just prep the rocket for flight, then power up the altimeter
931 in “idle” mode (placing air-frame horizontal for TeleMetrum or TeleMega, or
932 selecting the Configure Altimeter tab for TeleMini). This will cause
933 the firmware to go into “idle” mode, in which the normal flight
934 state machine is disabled and charges will not fire without
935 manual command. You can now command the altimeter to fire the apogee
936 or main charges from a safe distance using your computer and
937 TeleDongle and the Fire Igniter tab to complete ejection testing.
938 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44722000"></a>5. Radio Link </h2></div></div></div><p>
939 Our flight computers all incorporate an RF transceiver, but
940 it's not a full duplex system... each end can only be transmitting or
941 receiving at any given moment. So we had to decide how to manage the
944 By design, the altimeter firmware listens for the radio link when
945 it's in “idle mode”, which
946 allows us to use the radio link to configure the rocket, do things like
947 ejection tests, and extract data after a flight without having to
948 crack open the air-frame. However, when the board is in “flight
949 mode”, the altimeter only
950 transmits and doesn't listen at all. That's because we want to put
951 ultimate priority on event detection and getting telemetry out of
953 the radio in case the rocket crashes and we aren't able to extract
956 We don't generally use a 'normal packet radio' mode like APRS
957 because they're just too inefficient. The GFSK modulation we
958 use is FSK with the base-band pulses passed through a Gaussian
959 filter before they go into the modulator to limit the
960 transmitted bandwidth. When combined with forward error
961 correction and interleaving, this allows us to have a very
962 robust 19.2 kilobit data link with only 10-40 milliwatts of
963 transmit power, a whip antenna in the rocket, and a hand-held
964 Yagi on the ground. We've had flights to above 21k feet AGL
965 with great reception, and calculations suggest we should be
966 good to well over 40k feet AGL with a 5-element yagi on the
967 ground with our 10mW units and over 100k feet AGL with the
968 40mW devices. We hope to fly boards to higher altitudes over
969 time, and would of course appreciate customer feedback on
970 performance in higher altitude flights!
971 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44726000"></a>6. APRS</h2></div></div></div><p>
972 TeleMetrum v2.0 and TeleMega can send APRS if desired, and the
973 interval between APRS packets can be configured. As each APRS
974 packet takes a full second to transmit, we recommend an
975 interval of at least 5 seconds to avoid consuming too much
976 battery power or radio channel bandwidth. You can configure
977 the APRS interval using AltosUI; that process is described in
978 the Configure Altimeter section of the AltosUI chapter.
980 AltOS uses the APRS compressed position report data format,
981 which provides for higher position precision and shorter
982 packets than the original APRS format. It also includes
983 altitude data, which is invaluable when tracking rockets. We
984 haven't found a receiver which doesn't handle compressed
985 positions, but it's just possible that you have one, so if you
986 have an older device that can receive the raw packets but
987 isn't displaying position information, it's possible that this
990 The APRS packet format includes a comment field that can have
991 arbitrary text in it. AltOS uses this to send status
992 information about the flight computer. It sends four fields as
993 shown in the following table.
994 </p><div class="table"><a name="idp44729008"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 5.3. Altus Metrum APRS Comments</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Altus Metrum APRS Comments" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Field"><col align="center" class="Example"><col align="center" class="Description"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Field</th><th align="center">Example</th><th align="center">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">1</td><td align="center">L</td><td align="center">GPS Status U for unlocked, L for locked</td></tr><tr><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">6</td><td align="center">Number of Satellites in View</td></tr><tr><td align="center">3</td><td align="center">B4.0</td><td align="center">Altimeter Battery Voltage</td></tr><tr><td align="center">4</td><td align="center">A3.7</td><td align="center">Apogee Igniter Voltage</td></tr><tr><td align="center">5</td><td align="center">M3.7</td><td align="center">Main Igniter Voltage</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break"><p>
995 Here's an example of an APRS comment showing GPS lock with 6
996 satellites in view, a primary battery at 4.0V, and
997 apogee and main igniters both at 3.7V.
998 </p><pre class="screen">
1002 Make sure your primary battery is above 3.8V, any connected
1003 igniters are above 3.5V and GPS is locked with at least 5 or 6
1004 satellites in view before flying. If GPS is switching between
1005 L and U regularly, then it doesn't have a good lock and you
1006 should wait until it becomes stable.
1008 If the GPS receiver loses lock, the APRS data transmitted will
1009 contain the last position for which GPS lock was
1010 available. You can tell that this has happened by noticing
1011 that the GPS status character switches from 'L' to 'U'. Before
1012 GPS has locked, APRS will transmit zero for latitude,
1013 longitude and altitude.
1014 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44747968"></a>7. Configurable Parameters</h2></div></div></div><p>
1015 Configuring an Altus Metrum altimeter for flight is very
1016 simple. Even on our baro-only TeleMini and EasyMini boards,
1017 the use of a Kalman filter means there is no need to set a
1018 “mach delay”. The few configurable parameters can all be set
1019 using AltosUI over USB or or radio link via TeleDongle. Read
1020 the Configure Altimeter section in the AltosUI chapter below
1021 for more information.
1022 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44749888"></a>7.1. Radio Frequency</h3></div></div></div><p>
1023 Altus Metrum boards support radio frequencies in the 70cm
1024 band. By default, the configuration interface provides a
1025 list of 10 “standard” frequencies in 100kHz channels starting at
1026 434.550MHz. However, the firmware supports use of
1027 any 50kHz multiple within the 70cm band. At any given
1028 launch, we highly recommend coordinating when and by whom each
1029 frequency will be used to avoid interference. And of course, both
1030 altimeter and TeleDongle must be configured to the same
1031 frequency to successfully communicate with each other.
1032 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44751936"></a>7.2. Callsign</h3></div></div></div><p>
1033 This sets the callsign used for telemetry, APRS and the
1034 packet link. For telemetry and APRS, this is used to
1035 identify the device. For the packet link, the callsign must
1036 match that configured in AltosUI or the link will not
1037 work. This is to prevent accidental configuration of another
1038 Altus Metrum flight computer operating on the same frequency nearby.
1039 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44753472"></a>7.3. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable</h3></div></div></div><p>
1040 You can completely disable the radio while in flight, if
1041 necessary. This doesn't disable the packet link in idle
1043 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44754768"></a>7.4. APRS Interval</h3></div></div></div><p>
1044 This selects how often APRS packets are transmitted. Set
1045 this to zero to disable APRS without also disabling the
1046 regular telemetry and RDF transmissions. As APRS takes a
1047 full second to transmit a single position report, we
1048 recommend sending packets no more than once every 5 seconds.
1049 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44756240"></a>7.5. Apogee Delay</h3></div></div></div><p>
1050 Apogee delay is the number of seconds after the altimeter detects flight
1051 apogee that the drogue charge should be fired. In most cases, this
1052 should be left at the default of 0. However, if you are flying
1053 redundant electronics such as for an L3 certification, you may wish
1054 to set one of your altimeters to a positive delay so that both
1055 primary and backup pyrotechnic charges do not fire simultaneously.
1057 The Altus Metrum apogee detection algorithm fires exactly at
1058 apogee. If you are also flying an altimeter like the
1059 PerfectFlite MAWD, which only supports selecting 0 or 1
1060 seconds of apogee delay, you may wish to set the MAWD to 0
1061 seconds delay and set the TeleMetrum to fire your backup 2
1062 or 3 seconds later to avoid any chance of both charges
1063 firing simultaneously. We've flown several air-frames this
1064 way quite happily, including Keith's successful L3 cert.
1065 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44758832"></a>7.6. Apogee Lockout</h3></div></div></div><p>
1066 Apogee lockout is the number of seconds after boost where
1067 the flight computer will not fire the apogee charge, even if
1068 the rocket appears to be at apogee. This is often called
1069 'Mach Delay', as it is intended to prevent a flight computer
1070 from unintentionally firing apogee charges due to the pressure
1071 spike that occurrs across a mach transition. Altus Metrum
1072 flight computers include a Kalman filter which is not fooled
1073 by this sharp pressure increase, and so this setting should
1074 be left at the default value of zero to disable it.
1075 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44760560"></a>7.7. Main Deployment Altitude</h3></div></div></div><p>
1076 By default, the altimeter will fire the main deployment charge at an
1077 elevation of 250 meters (about 820 feet) above ground. We think this
1078 is a good elevation for most air-frames, but feel free to change this
1079 to suit. In particular, if you are flying two altimeters, you may
1081 deployment elevation for the backup altimeter to be something lower
1082 than the primary so that both pyrotechnic charges don't fire
1084 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44762256"></a>7.8. Maximum Flight Log</h3></div></div></div><p>
1085 Changing this value will set the maximum amount of flight
1086 log storage that an individual flight will use. The
1087 available storage is divided into as many flights of the
1088 specified size as can fit in the available space. You can
1089 download and erase individual flight logs. If you fill up
1090 the available storage, future flights will not get logged
1091 until you erase some of the stored ones.
1093 Even though our flight computers (except TeleMini v1.0) can store
1094 multiple flights, we strongly recommend downloading and saving
1095 flight data after each flight.
1096 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44764400"></a>7.9. Ignite Mode</h3></div></div></div><p>
1097 Instead of firing one charge at apogee and another charge at
1098 a fixed height above the ground, you can configure the
1099 altimeter to fire both at apogee or both during
1100 descent. This was added to support an airframe Bdale designed that
1101 had two altimeters, one in the fin can and one in the nose.
1103 Providing the ability to use both igniters for apogee or
1104 main allows some level of redundancy without needing two
1105 flight computers. In Redundant Apogee or Redundant Main
1106 mode, the two charges will be fired two seconds apart.
1107 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44766512"></a>7.10. Pad Orientation</h3></div></div></div><p>
1108 TeleMetrum and TeleMega measure acceleration along the axis
1109 of the board. Which way the board is oriented affects the
1110 sign of the acceleration value. Instead of trying to guess
1111 which way the board is mounted in the air frame, the
1112 altimeter must be explicitly configured for either Antenna
1113 Up or Antenna Down. The default, Antenna Up, expects the end
1114 of the board connected to the 70cm antenna to be nearest the
1115 nose of the rocket, with the end containing the screw
1116 terminals nearest the tail.
1117 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44768208"></a>7.11. Configurable Pyro Channels</h3></div></div></div><p>
1118 In addition to the usual Apogee and Main pyro channels,
1119 TeleMega has four additional channels that can be configured
1120 to activate when various flight conditions are
1121 satisfied. You can select as many conditions as necessary;
1122 all of them must be met in order to activate the
1123 channel. The conditions available are:
1124 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
1125 Acceleration away from the ground. Select a value, and
1126 then choose whether acceleration should be above or
1127 below that value. Acceleration is positive upwards, so
1128 accelerating towards the ground would produce negative
1129 numbers. Acceleration during descent is noisy and
1130 inaccurate, so be careful when using it during these
1131 phases of the flight.
1132 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1133 Vertical speed. Select a value, and then choose whether
1134 vertical speed should be above or below that
1135 value. Speed is positive upwards, so moving towards the
1136 ground would produce negative numbers. Speed during
1137 descent is a bit noisy and so be careful when using it
1138 during these phases of the flight.
1139 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1140 Height. Select a value, and then choose whether the
1141 height above the launch pad should be above or below
1143 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1144 Orientation. TeleMega contains a 3-axis gyroscope and
1145 accelerometer which is used to measure the current
1146 angle. Note that this angle is not the change in angle
1147 from the launch pad, but rather absolute relative to
1148 gravity; the 3-axis accelerometer is used to compute the
1149 angle of the rocket on the launch pad and initialize the
1150 system. Because this value is computed by integrating
1151 rate gyros, it gets progressively less accurate as the
1152 flight goes on. It should have an accumulated error of
1153 less than 0.2°/second (after 10 seconds of flight, the
1154 error should be less than 2°).
1156 The usual use of the orientation configuration is to
1157 ensure that the rocket is traveling mostly upwards when
1158 deciding whether to ignite air starts or additional
1159 stages. For that, choose a reasonable maximum angle
1160 (like 20°) and set the motor igniter to require an angle
1161 of less than that value.
1162 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1163 Flight Time. Time since boost was detected. Select a
1164 value and choose whether to activate the pyro channel
1165 before or after that amount of time.
1166 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1167 Ascending. A simple test saying whether the rocket is
1168 going up or not. This is exactly equivalent to testing
1169 whether the speed is > 0.
1170 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1171 Descending. A simple test saying whether the rocket is
1172 going down or not. This is exactly equivalent to testing
1173 whether the speed is < 0.
1174 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1175 After Motor. The flight software counts each time the
1176 rocket starts accelerating (presumably due to a motor or
1177 motors igniting). Use this value to count ignitions for
1178 multi-staged or multi-airstart launches.
1179 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1180 Delay. This value doesn't perform any checks, instead it
1181 inserts a delay between the time when the other
1182 parameters become true and when the pyro channel is
1184 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1185 Flight State. The flight software tracks the flight
1186 through a sequence of states:
1187 </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>
1188 Boost. The motor has lit and the rocket is
1189 accelerating upwards.
1190 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1191 Fast. The motor has burned out and the rocket is
1192 decelerating, but it is going faster than 200m/s.
1193 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1194 Coast. The rocket is still moving upwards and
1195 decelerating, but the speed is less than 200m/s.
1196 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1197 Drogue. The rocket has reached apogee and is heading
1198 back down, but is above the configured Main
1200 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1201 Main. The rocket is still descending, and is below
1203 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1204 Landed. The rocket is no longer moving.
1205 </p></li></ol></div><p>
1207 You can select a state to limit when the pyro channel
1208 may activate; note that the check is based on when the
1209 rocket transitions <span class="emphasis"><em>into</em></span> the state, and so checking for
1210 “greater than Boost” means that the rocket is currently
1211 in boost or some later state.
1213 When a motor burns out, the rocket enters either Fast or
1214 Coast state (depending on how fast it is moving). If the
1215 computer detects upwards acceleration again, it will
1216 move back to Boost state.
1217 </p></li></ul></div></div></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp44790592"></a>Chapter 6. AltosUI</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44794208">1. Monitor Flight</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44806928">1.1. Launch Pad</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44823216">1.2. Ascent</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44828672">1.3. Descent</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44835536">1.4. Landed</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44841968">1.5. Table</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44845552">1.6. Site Map</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44852272">1.7. Ignitor</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44856048">2. Save Flight Data</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44860000">3. Replay Flight</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44862032">4. Graph Data</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44864416">4.1. Flight Graph</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44868864">4.2. Configure Graph</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44872528">4.3. Flight Statistics</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44876048">4.4. Map</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44879904">5. Export Data</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44881472">5.1. Comma Separated Value Format</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44883824">5.2. Keyhole Markup Language (for Google Earth)</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44885312">6. Configure Altimeter</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44897616">6.1. Main Deploy Altitude</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44899184">6.2. Apogee Delay</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44900800">6.3. Apogee Lockoug</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44902528">6.4. Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44904032">6.5. RF Calibration</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44905680">6.6. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44906976">6.7. APRS Interval</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44908544">6.8. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44909856">6.9. Maximum Flight Log Size</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44911296">6.10. Ignitor Firing Mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44918208">6.11. Pad Orientation</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44923424">6.12. Beeper Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44924880">6.13. Configure Pyro Channels</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44931248">7. Configure AltosUI</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44934752">7.1. Voice Settings</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44939776">7.2. Log Directory</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44941776">7.3. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44944400">7.4. Imperial Units</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44945904">7.5. Font Size</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44947184">7.6. Serial Debug</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44948688">7.7. Manage Frequencies</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44950320">8. Configure Groundstation</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44961440">8.1. Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44963008">8.2. Radio Calibration</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44964640">9. Flash Image</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44966272">10. Fire Igniter</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44971904">11. Scan Channels</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44975760">12. Load Maps</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44989568">13. Monitor Idle</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="414"><tr><td><img src="altosui.png" width="414"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1218 The AltosUI program provides a graphical user interface for
1219 interacting with the Altus Metrum product family. AltosUI can
1220 monitor telemetry data, configure devices and many other
1221 tasks. The primary interface window provides a selection of
1222 buttons, one for each major activity in the system. This chapter
1223 is split into sections, each of which documents one of the tasks
1224 provided from the top-level toolbar.
1225 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44794208"></a>1. Monitor Flight</h2></div><div><h3 class="subtitle">Receive, Record and Display Telemetry Data</h3></div></div></div><p>
1226 Selecting this item brings up a dialog box listing all of the
1227 connected TeleDongle devices. When you choose one of these,
1228 AltosUI will create a window to display telemetry data as
1229 received by the selected TeleDongle device.
1230 </p><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="279"><tr><td><img src="device-selection.png" width="279"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1231 All telemetry data received are automatically recorded in
1232 suitable log files. The name of the files includes the current
1233 date and rocket serial and flight numbers.
1235 The radio frequency being monitored by the TeleDongle device is
1236 displayed at the top of the window. You can configure the
1237 frequency by clicking on the frequency box and selecting the desired
1238 frequency. AltosUI remembers the last frequency selected for each
1239 TeleDongle and selects that automatically the next time you use
1242 Below the TeleDongle frequency selector, the window contains a few
1243 significant pieces of information about the altimeter providing
1244 the telemetry data stream:
1245 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>The configured call-sign</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>The device serial number</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>The flight number. Each altimeter remembers how many
1247 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1248 The rocket flight state. Each flight passes through several
1249 states including Pad, Boost, Fast, Coast, Drogue, Main and
1251 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1252 The Received Signal Strength Indicator value. This lets
1253 you know how strong a signal TeleDongle is receiving. The
1254 radio inside TeleDongle operates down to about -99dBm;
1255 weaker signals may not be receivable. The packet link uses
1256 error detection and correction techniques which prevent
1257 incorrect data from being reported.
1258 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1259 The age of the displayed data, in seconds since the last
1260 successfully received telemetry packet. In normal operation
1261 this will stay in the low single digits. If the number starts
1262 counting up, then you are no longer receiving data over the radio
1263 link from the flight computer.
1264 </p></li></ul></div><p>
1265 Finally, the largest portion of the window contains a set of
1266 tabs, each of which contain some information about the rocket.
1267 They're arranged in 'flight order' so that as the flight
1268 progresses, the selected tab automatically switches to display
1269 data relevant to the current state of the flight. You can select
1270 other tabs at any time. The final 'table' tab displays all of
1271 the raw telemetry values in one place in a spreadsheet-like format.
1272 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44806928"></a>1.1. Launch Pad</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="launch-pad.png" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1273 The 'Launch Pad' tab shows information used to decide when the
1274 rocket is ready for flight. The first elements include red/green
1275 indicators, if any of these is red, you'll want to evaluate
1276 whether the rocket is ready to launch:
1277 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Battery Voltage</span></dt><dd><p>
1278 This indicates whether the Li-Po battery powering the
1279 flight computer has sufficient charge to last for
1280 the duration of the flight. A value of more than
1281 3.8V is required for a 'GO' status.
1282 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Apogee Igniter Voltage</span></dt><dd><p>
1283 This indicates whether the apogee
1284 igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a low
1285 resistance, then the voltage measured here will be close
1286 to the Li-Po battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is
1287 required for a 'GO' status.
1288 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Main Igniter Voltage</span></dt><dd><p>
1289 This indicates whether the main
1290 igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a low
1291 resistance, then the voltage measured here will be close
1292 to the Li-Po battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is
1293 required for a 'GO' status.
1294 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">On-board Data Logging</span></dt><dd><p>
1295 This indicates whether there is
1296 space remaining on-board to store flight data for the
1297 upcoming flight. If you've downloaded data, but failed
1298 to erase flights, there may not be any space
1299 left. Most of our flight computers can store multiple
1300 flights, depending on the configured maximum flight log
1301 size. TeleMini v1.0 stores only a single flight, so it
1303 downloaded and erased after each flight to capture
1304 data. This only affects on-board flight logging; the
1305 altimeter will still transmit telemetry and fire
1306 ejection charges at the proper times even if the flight
1307 data storage is full.
1308 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">GPS Locked</span></dt><dd><p>
1309 For a TeleMetrum or TeleMega device, this indicates whether the GPS receiver is
1310 currently able to compute position information. GPS requires
1311 at least 4 satellites to compute an accurate position.
1312 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">GPS Ready</span></dt><dd><p>
1313 For a TeleMetrum or TeleMega device, this indicates whether GPS has reported at least
1314 10 consecutive positions without losing lock. This ensures
1315 that the GPS receiver has reliable reception from the
1317 </p></dd></dl></div><p>
1319 The Launchpad tab also shows the computed launch pad position
1320 and altitude, averaging many reported positions to improve the
1321 accuracy of the fix.
1322 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44823216"></a>1.2. Ascent</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="ascent.png" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1323 This tab is shown during Boost, Fast and Coast
1324 phases. The information displayed here helps monitor the
1325 rocket as it heads towards apogee.
1327 The height, speed, acceleration and tilt are shown along
1328 with the maximum values for each of them. This allows you to
1329 quickly answer the most commonly asked questions you'll hear
1332 The current latitude and longitude reported by the GPS are
1333 also shown. Note that under high acceleration, these values
1334 may not get updated as the GPS receiver loses position
1335 fix. Once the rocket starts coasting, the receiver should
1336 start reporting position again.
1338 Finally, the current igniter voltages are reported as in the
1339 Launch Pad tab. This can help diagnose deployment failures
1340 caused by wiring which comes loose under high acceleration.
1341 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44828672"></a>1.3. Descent</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="descent.png" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1342 Once the rocket has reached apogee and (we hope) activated the
1343 apogee charge, attention switches to tracking the rocket on
1344 the way back to the ground, and for dual-deploy flights,
1345 waiting for the main charge to fire.
1347 To monitor whether the apogee charge operated correctly, the
1348 current descent rate is reported along with the current
1349 height. Good descent rates vary based on the choice of recovery
1350 components, but generally range from 15-30m/s on drogue and should
1351 be below 10m/s when under the main parachute in a dual-deploy flight.
1353 With GPS-equipped flight computers, you can locate the rocket in the
1354 sky using the elevation and bearing information to figure
1355 out where to look. Elevation is in degrees above the
1356 horizon. Bearing is reported in degrees relative to true
1357 north. Range can help figure out how big the rocket will
1358 appear. Ground Distance shows how far it is to a point
1359 directly under the rocket and can help figure out where the
1360 rocket is likely to land. Note that all of these values are
1361 relative to the pad location. If the elevation is near 90°,
1362 the rocket is over the pad, not over you.
1364 Finally, the igniter voltages are reported in this tab as
1365 well, both to monitor the main charge as well as to see what
1366 the status of the apogee charge is. Note that some commercial
1367 e-matches are designed to retain continuity even after being
1368 fired, and will continue to show as green or return from red to
1370 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44835536"></a>1.4. Landed</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="landed.png" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1371 Once the rocket is on the ground, attention switches to
1372 recovery. While the radio signal is often lost once the
1373 rocket is on the ground, the last reported GPS position is
1374 generally within a short distance of the actual landing location.
1376 The last reported GPS position is reported both by
1377 latitude and longitude as well as a bearing and distance from
1378 the launch pad. The distance should give you a good idea of
1379 whether to walk or hitch a ride. Take the reported
1380 latitude and longitude and enter them into your hand-held GPS
1381 unit and have that compute a track to the landing location.
1383 Our flight computers will continue to transmit RDF
1384 tones after landing, allowing you to locate the rocket by
1385 following the radio signal if necessary. You may need to get
1386 away from the clutter of the flight line, or even get up on
1387 a hill (or your neighbor's RV roof) to receive the RDF signal.
1389 The maximum height, speed and acceleration reported
1390 during the flight are displayed for your admiring observers.
1391 The accuracy of these immediate values depends on the quality
1392 of your radio link and how many packets were received.
1393 Recovering the on-board data after flight may yield
1394 more precise results.
1396 To get more detailed information about the flight, you can
1397 click on the 'Graph Flight' button which will bring up a
1398 graph window for the current flight.
1399 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44841968"></a>1.5. Table</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="table.png" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1400 The table view shows all of the data available from the
1401 flight computer. Probably the most useful data on
1402 this tab is the detailed GPS information, which includes
1403 horizontal dilution of precision information, and
1404 information about the signal being received from the satellites.
1405 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44845552"></a>1.6. Site Map</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="site-map.png" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1406 When the TeleMetrum has a GPS fix, the Site Map tab will map
1407 the rocket's position to make it easier for you to locate the
1408 rocket, both while it is in the air, and when it has landed. The
1409 rocket's state is indicated by color: white for pad, red for
1410 boost, pink for fast, yellow for coast, light blue for drogue,
1411 dark blue for main, and black for landed.
1413 The map's default scale is approximately 3m (10ft) per pixel. The map
1414 can be dragged using the left mouse button. The map will attempt
1415 to keep the rocket roughly centered while data is being received.
1417 You can adjust the style of map and the zoom level with
1418 buttons on the right side of the map window. You can draw a
1419 line on the map by moving the mouse over the map with a
1420 button other than the left one pressed, or by pressing the
1421 left button while also holding down the shift key. The
1422 length of the line in real-world units will be shown at the
1425 Images are fetched automatically via the Google Maps Static API,
1426 and cached on disk for reuse. If map images cannot be downloaded,
1427 the rocket's path will be traced on a dark gray background
1430 You can pre-load images for your favorite launch sites
1431 before you leave home; check out the 'Preload Maps' section below.
1432 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44852272"></a>1.7. Ignitor</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="ignitor.png" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1433 TeleMega includes four additional programmable pyro
1434 channels. The Ignitor tab shows whether each of them has
1435 continuity. If an ignitor has a low resistance, then the
1436 voltage measured here will be close to the pyro battery
1437 voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is required for a 'GO'
1439 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44856048"></a>2. Save Flight Data</h2></div></div></div><p>
1440 The altimeter records flight data to its internal flash memory.
1441 TeleMetrum data is recorded at a much higher rate than the telemetry
1442 system can handle, and is not subject to radio drop-outs. As
1443 such, it provides a more complete and precise record of the
1444 flight. The 'Save Flight Data' button allows you to read the
1445 flash memory and write it to disk.
1447 Clicking on the 'Save Flight Data' button brings up a list of
1448 connected flight computers and TeleDongle devices. If you select a
1449 flight computer, the flight data will be downloaded from that
1450 device directly. If you select a TeleDongle device, flight data
1451 will be downloaded from a flight computer over radio link via the
1452 specified TeleDongle. See the chapter on Controlling An Altimeter
1453 Over The Radio Link for more information.
1455 After the device has been selected, a dialog showing the
1456 flight data saved in the device will be shown allowing you to
1457 select which flights to download and which to delete. With
1458 version 0.9 or newer firmware, you must erase flights in order
1459 for the space they consume to be reused by another
1460 flight. This prevents accidentally losing flight data
1461 if you neglect to download data before flying again. Note that
1462 if there is no more space available in the device, then no
1463 data will be recorded during the next flight.
1465 The file name for each flight log is computed automatically
1466 from the recorded flight date, altimeter serial number and
1467 flight number information.
1468 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44860000"></a>3. Replay Flight</h2></div></div></div><p>
1469 Select this button and you are prompted to select a flight
1470 record file, either a .telem file recording telemetry data or a
1471 .eeprom file containing flight data saved from the altimeter
1474 Once a flight record is selected, the flight monitor interface
1475 is displayed and the flight is re-enacted in real time. Check
1476 the Monitor Flight chapter above to learn how this window operates.
1477 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44862032"></a>4. Graph Data</h2></div></div></div><p>
1478 Select this button and you are prompted to select a flight
1479 record file, either a .telem file recording telemetry data or a
1480 .eeprom file containing flight data saved from
1483 Note that telemetry files will generally produce poor graphs
1484 due to the lower sampling rate and missed telemetry packets.
1485 Use saved flight data in .eeprom files for graphing where possible.
1487 Once a flight record is selected, a window with multiple tabs is
1489 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44864416"></a>4.1. Flight Graph</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="540"><tr><td><img src="graph.png" width="540"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1490 By default, the graph contains acceleration (blue),
1491 velocity (green) and altitude (red).
1493 The graph can be zoomed into a particular area by clicking and
1494 dragging down and to the right. Once zoomed, the graph can be
1495 reset by clicking and dragging up and to the left. Holding down
1496 control and clicking and dragging allows the graph to be panned.
1497 The right mouse button causes a pop-up menu to be displayed, giving
1498 you the option save or print the plot.
1499 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44868864"></a>4.2. Configure Graph</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="540"><tr><td><img src="graph-configure.png" width="540"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1500 This selects which graph elements to show, and, at the
1501 very bottom, lets you switch between metric and
1503 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44872528"></a>4.3. Flight Statistics</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="540"><tr><td><img src="graph-stats.png" width="540"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1504 Shows overall data computed from the flight.
1505 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44876048"></a>4.4. Map</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="540"><tr><td><img src="graph-map.png" width="540"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1506 Shows a satellite image of the flight area overlaid
1507 with the path of the flight. The red concentric
1508 circles mark the launch pad, the black concentric
1509 circles mark the landing location.
1510 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44879904"></a>5. Export Data</h2></div></div></div><p>
1511 This tool takes the raw data files and makes them available for
1512 external analysis. When you select this button, you are prompted to
1513 select a flight data file, which can be either a .eeprom or .telem.
1514 The .eeprom files contain higher resolution and more continuous data,
1515 while .telem files contain receiver signal strength information.
1516 Next, a second dialog appears which is used to select
1517 where to write the resulting file. It has a selector to choose
1518 between CSV and KML file formats.
1519 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44881472"></a>5.1. Comma Separated Value Format</h3></div></div></div><p>
1520 This is a text file containing the data in a form suitable for
1521 import into a spreadsheet or other external data analysis
1522 tool. The first few lines of the file contain the version and
1523 configuration information from the altimeter, then
1524 there is a single header line which labels all of the
1525 fields. All of these lines start with a '#' character which
1526 many tools can be configured to skip over.
1528 The remaining lines of the file contain the data, with each
1529 field separated by a comma and at least one space. All of
1530 the sensor values are converted to standard units, with the
1531 barometric data reported in both pressure, altitude and
1532 height above pad units.
1533 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44883824"></a>5.2. Keyhole Markup Language (for Google Earth)</h3></div></div></div><p>
1534 This is the format used by Google Earth to provide an overlay
1535 within that application. With this, you can use Google Earth to
1536 see the whole flight path in 3D.
1537 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44885312"></a>6. Configure Altimeter</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="324"><tr><td><img src="configure-altimeter.png" width="324"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1538 Select this button and then select either an altimeter or
1539 TeleDongle Device from the list provided. Selecting a TeleDongle
1540 device will use the radio link to configure a remote altimeter.
1542 The first few lines of the dialog provide information about the
1543 connected device, including the product name,
1544 software version and hardware serial number. Below that are the
1545 individual configuration entries.
1547 At the bottom of the dialog, there are four buttons:
1548 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Save</span></dt><dd><p>
1549 This writes any changes to the
1550 configuration parameter block in flash memory. If you don't
1551 press this button, any changes you make will be lost.
1552 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Reset</span></dt><dd><p>
1553 This resets the dialog to the most recently saved values,
1554 erasing any changes you have made.
1555 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Reboot</span></dt><dd><p>
1556 This reboots the device. Use this to
1557 switch from idle to pad mode by rebooting once the rocket is
1558 oriented for flight, or to confirm changes you think you saved
1560 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Close</span></dt><dd><p>
1561 This closes the dialog. Any unsaved changes will be
1563 </p></dd></dl></div><p>
1564 The rest of the dialog contains the parameters to be configured.
1565 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44897616"></a>6.1. Main Deploy Altitude</h3></div></div></div><p>
1566 This sets the altitude (above the recorded pad altitude) at
1567 which the 'main' igniter will fire. The drop-down menu shows
1568 some common values, but you can edit the text directly and
1569 choose whatever you like. If the apogee charge fires below
1570 this altitude, then the main charge will fire two seconds
1571 after the apogee charge fires.
1572 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44899184"></a>6.2. Apogee Delay</h3></div></div></div><p>
1573 When flying redundant electronics, it's often important to
1574 ensure that multiple apogee charges don't fire at precisely
1575 the same time, as that can over pressurize the apogee deployment
1576 bay and cause a structural failure of the air-frame. The Apogee
1577 Delay parameter tells the flight computer to fire the apogee
1578 charge a certain number of seconds after apogee has been
1580 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44900800"></a>6.3. Apogee Lockoug</h3></div></div></div><p>
1581 Apogee lockout is the number of seconds after boost where
1582 the flight computer will not fire the apogee charge, even if
1583 the rocket appears to be at apogee. This is often called
1584 'Mach Delay', as it is intended to prevent a flight computer
1585 from unintentionally firing apogee charges due to the pressure
1586 spike that occurrs across a mach transition. Altus Metrum
1587 flight computers include a Kalman filter which is not fooled
1588 by this sharp pressure increase, and so this setting should
1589 be left at the default value of zero to disable it.
1590 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44902528"></a>6.4. Frequency</h3></div></div></div><p>
1591 This configures which of the frequencies to use for both
1592 telemetry and packet command mode. Note that if you set this
1593 value via packet command mode, the TeleDongle frequency will
1594 also be automatically reconfigured to match so that
1595 communication will continue afterwards.
1596 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44904032"></a>6.5. RF Calibration</h3></div></div></div><p>
1597 The radios in every Altus Metrum device are calibrated at the
1598 factory to ensure that they transmit and receive on the
1599 specified frequency. If you need to you can adjust the calibration
1600 by changing this value. Do not do this without understanding what
1601 the value means, read the appendix on calibration and/or the source
1602 code for more information. To change a TeleDongle's calibration,
1603 you must reprogram the unit completely.
1604 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44905680"></a>6.6. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable</h3></div></div></div><p>
1605 Enables the radio for transmission during flight. When
1606 disabled, the radio will not transmit anything during flight
1608 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44906976"></a>6.7. APRS Interval</h3></div></div></div><p>
1609 How often to transmit GPS information via APRS (in
1610 seconds). When set to zero, APRS transmission is
1611 disabled. This option is available on TeleMetrum v2 and
1612 TeleMega boards. TeleMetrum v1 boards cannot transmit APRS
1613 packets. Note that a single APRS packet takes nearly a full
1614 second to transmit, so enabling this option will prevent
1615 sending any other telemetry during that time.
1616 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44908544"></a>6.8. Callsign</h3></div></div></div><p>
1617 This sets the call sign included in each telemetry packet. Set this
1618 as needed to conform to your local radio regulations.
1619 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44909856"></a>6.9. Maximum Flight Log Size</h3></div></div></div><p>
1620 This sets the space (in kilobytes) allocated for each flight
1621 log. The available space will be divided into chunks of this
1622 size. A smaller value will allow more flights to be stored,
1623 a larger value will record data from longer flights.
1624 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44911296"></a>6.10. Ignitor Firing Mode</h3></div></div></div><p>
1625 This configuration parameter allows the two standard ignitor
1626 channels (Apogee and Main) to be used in different
1628 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Dual Deploy</span></dt><dd><p>
1629 This is the usual mode of operation; the
1630 'apogee' channel is fired at apogee and the 'main'
1631 channel at the height above ground specified by the
1632 'Main Deploy Altitude' during descent.
1633 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Redundant Apogee</span></dt><dd><p>
1634 This fires both channels at
1635 apogee, the 'apogee' channel first followed after a two second
1636 delay by the 'main' channel.
1637 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Redundant Main</span></dt><dd><p>
1638 This fires both channels at the
1639 height above ground specified by the Main Deploy
1640 Altitude setting during descent. The 'apogee'
1641 channel is fired first, followed after a two second
1642 delay by the 'main' channel.
1643 </p></dd></dl></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44918208"></a>6.11. Pad Orientation</h3></div></div></div><p>
1644 Because they include accelerometers, TeleMetrum and
1645 TeleMega are sensitive to the orientation of the board. By
1646 default, they expect the antenna end to point forward. This
1647 parameter allows that default to be changed, permitting the
1648 board to be mounted with the antenna pointing aft instead.
1649 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Antenna Up</span></dt><dd><p>
1650 In this mode, the antenna end of the
1651 flight computer must point forward, in line with the
1652 expected flight path.
1653 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Antenna Down</span></dt><dd><p>
1654 In this mode, the antenna end of the
1655 flight computer must point aft, in line with the
1656 expected flight path.
1657 </p></dd></dl></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44923424"></a>6.12. Beeper Frequency</h3></div></div></div><p>
1658 The beeper on all Altus Metrum flight computers works best
1659 at 4000Hz, however if you have more than one flight computer
1660 in a single airframe, having all of them sound at the same
1661 frequency can be confusing. This parameter lets you adjust
1662 the base beeper frequency value.
1663 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44924880"></a>6.13. Configure Pyro Channels</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="540"><tr><td><img src="configure-pyro.png" width="540"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1664 This opens a separate window to configure the additional
1665 pyro channels available on TeleMega. One column is
1666 presented for each channel. Each row represents a single
1667 parameter, if enabled the parameter must meet the specified
1668 test for the pyro channel to be fired. See the Pyro Channels
1669 section in the System Operation chapter above for a
1670 description of these parameters.
1672 Select conditions and set the related value; the pyro
1673 channel will be activated when <span class="emphasis"><em>all</em></span> of the
1674 conditions are met. Each pyro channel has a separate set of
1675 configuration values, so you can use different values for
1676 the same condition with different channels.
1678 At the bottom of the window, the 'Pyro Firing Time'
1679 configuration sets the length of time (in seconds) which
1680 each of these pyro channels will fire for.
1682 Once you have selected the appropriate configuration for all
1683 of the necessary pyro channels, you can save the pyro
1684 configuration along with the rest of the flight computer
1685 configuration by pressing the 'Save' button in the main
1686 Configure Flight Computer window.
1687 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44931248"></a>7. Configure AltosUI</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="216"><tr><td><img src="configure-altosui.png" width="216"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1688 This button presents a dialog so that you can configure the AltosUI global settings.
1689 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44934752"></a>7.1. Voice Settings</h3></div></div></div><p>
1690 AltosUI provides voice announcements during flight so that you
1691 can keep your eyes on the sky and still get information about
1692 the current flight status. However, sometimes you don't want
1694 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Enable</span></dt><dd><p>Turns all voice announcements on and off</p></dd><dt><span class="term">Test Voice</span></dt><dd><p>
1695 Plays a short message allowing you to verify
1696 that the audio system is working and the volume settings
1698 </p></dd></dl></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44939776"></a>7.2. Log Directory</h3></div></div></div><p>
1699 AltosUI logs all telemetry data and saves all TeleMetrum flash
1700 data to this directory. This directory is also used as the
1701 staring point when selecting data files for display or export.
1703 Click on the directory name to bring up a directory choosing
1704 dialog, select a new directory and click 'Select Directory' to
1705 change where AltosUI reads and writes data files.
1706 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44941776"></a>7.3. Callsign</h3></div></div></div><p>
1707 This value is transmitted in each command packet sent from
1708 TeleDongle and received from an altimeter. It is not used in
1709 telemetry mode, as the callsign configured in the altimeter board
1710 is included in all telemetry packets. Configure this
1711 with the AltosUI operators call sign as needed to comply with
1712 your local radio regulations.
1714 Note that to successfully command a flight computer over the radio
1715 (to configure the altimeter, monitor idle, or fire pyro charges),
1716 the callsign configured here must exactly match the callsign
1717 configured in the flight computer. This matching is case
1719 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44944400"></a>7.4. Imperial Units</h3></div></div></div><p>
1720 This switches between metric units (meters) and imperial
1721 units (feet and miles). This affects the display of values
1722 use during flight monitoring, configuration, data graphing
1723 and all of the voice announcements. It does not change the
1724 units used when exporting to CSV files, those are always
1725 produced in metric units.
1726 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44945904"></a>7.5. Font Size</h3></div></div></div><p>
1727 Selects the set of fonts used in the flight monitor
1728 window. Choose between the small, medium and large sets.
1729 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44947184"></a>7.6. Serial Debug</h3></div></div></div><p>
1730 This causes all communication with a connected device to be
1731 dumped to the console from which AltosUI was started. If
1732 you've started it from an icon or menu entry, the output
1733 will simply be discarded. This mode can be useful to debug
1734 various serial communication issues.
1735 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44948688"></a>7.7. Manage Frequencies</h3></div></div></div><p>
1736 This brings up a dialog where you can configure the set of
1737 frequencies shown in the various frequency menus. You can
1738 add as many as you like, or even reconfigure the default
1739 set. Changing this list does not affect the frequency
1740 settings of any devices, it only changes the set of
1741 frequencies shown in the menus.
1742 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44950320"></a>8. Configure Groundstation</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="279"><tr><td><img src="configure-groundstation.png" width="279"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1743 Select this button and then select a TeleDongle Device from the list provided.
1745 The first few lines of the dialog provide information about the
1746 connected device, including the product name,
1747 software version and hardware serial number. Below that are the
1748 individual configuration entries.
1750 Note that the TeleDongle itself doesn't save any configuration
1751 data, the settings here are recorded on the local machine in
1752 the Java preferences database. Moving the TeleDongle to
1753 another machine, or using a different user account on the same
1754 machine will cause settings made here to have no effect.
1756 At the bottom of the dialog, there are three buttons:
1757 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Save</span></dt><dd><p>
1758 This writes any changes to the
1759 local Java preferences file. If you don't
1760 press this button, any changes you make will be lost.
1761 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Reset</span></dt><dd><p>
1762 This resets the dialog to the most recently saved values,
1763 erasing any changes you have made.
1764 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Close</span></dt><dd><p>
1765 This closes the dialog. Any unsaved changes will be
1767 </p></dd></dl></div><p>
1768 The rest of the dialog contains the parameters to be configured.
1769 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44961440"></a>8.1. Frequency</h3></div></div></div><p>
1770 This configures the frequency to use for both telemetry and
1771 packet command mode. Set this before starting any operation
1772 involving packet command mode so that it will use the right
1773 frequency. Telemetry monitoring mode also provides a menu to
1774 change the frequency, and that menu also sets the same Java
1775 preference value used here.
1776 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp44963008"></a>8.2. Radio Calibration</h3></div></div></div><p>
1777 The radios in every Altus Metrum device are calibrated at the
1778 factory to ensure that they transmit and receive on the
1779 specified frequency. To change a TeleDongle's calibration,
1780 you must reprogram the unit completely, so this entry simply
1781 shows the current value and doesn't allow any changes.
1782 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44964640"></a>9. Flash Image</h2></div></div></div><p>
1783 This reprograms Altus Metrum devices with new
1784 firmware. TeleMetrum v1.x, TeleDongle, TeleMini and TeleBT are
1785 all reprogrammed by using another similar unit as a
1786 programming dongle (pair programming). TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2
1787 and EasyMini are all programmed directly over their USB ports
1788 (self programming). Please read the directions for flashing
1789 devices in the Updating Device Firmware chapter below.
1790 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44966272"></a>10. Fire Igniter</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="108"><tr><td><img src="fire-igniter.png" width="108"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1791 This activates the igniter circuits in the flight computer to help
1792 test recovery systems deployment. Because this command can operate
1793 over the Packet Command Link, you can prepare the rocket as
1794 for flight and then test the recovery system without needing
1795 to snake wires inside the air-frame.
1797 Selecting the 'Fire Igniter' button brings up the usual device
1798 selection dialog. Pick the desired device. This brings up another
1799 window which shows the current continuity test status for all
1800 of the pyro channels.
1802 Next, select the desired igniter to fire. This will enable the
1805 Select the 'Arm' button. This enables the 'Fire' button. The
1806 word 'Arm' is replaced by a countdown timer indicating that
1807 you have 10 seconds to press the 'Fire' button or the system
1808 will deactivate, at which point you start over again at
1809 selecting the desired igniter.
1810 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44971904"></a>11. Scan Channels</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="288"><tr><td><img src="scan-channels.png" width="288"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1811 This listens for telemetry packets on all of the configured
1812 frequencies, displaying information about each device it
1813 receives a packet from. You can select which of the three
1814 telemetry formats should be tried; by default, it only listens
1815 for the standard telemetry packets used in v1.0 and later
1817 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44975760"></a>12. Load Maps</h2></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="468"><tr><td><img src="load-maps.png" width="468"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
1818 Before heading out to a new launch site, you can use this to
1819 load satellite images in case you don't have internet
1820 connectivity at the site. This loads a fairly large area
1821 around the launch site, which should cover any flight you're likely to make.
1823 There's a drop-down menu of launch sites we know about; if
1824 your favorites aren't there, please let us know the lat/lon
1825 and name of the site. The contents of this list are actually
1826 downloaded from our server at run-time, so as new sites are sent
1827 in, they'll get automatically added to this list.
1828 If the launch site isn't in the list, you can manually enter the lat/lon values
1830 There are four different kinds of maps you can view; you can
1831 select which to download by selecting as many as you like from
1832 the available types:
1833 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Hybrid</span></dt><dd><p>
1834 A combination of satellite imagery and road data. This
1835 is the default view.
1836 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Satellite</span></dt><dd><p>
1837 Just the satellite imagery without any annotation.
1838 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Roadmap</span></dt><dd><p>
1839 Roads, political boundaries and a few geographic features.
1840 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Terrain</span></dt><dd><p>
1841 Contour intervals and shading that show hills and
1843 </p></dd></dl></div><p>
1845 You can specify the range of zoom levels to download; smaller
1846 numbers show more area with less resolution. The default
1847 level, 0, shows about 3m/pixel. One zoom level change
1848 doubles or halves that number.
1850 The Tile Radius value sets how large an area around the center
1851 point to download. Each tile is 512x512 pixels, and the
1852 'radius' value specifies how many tiles away from the center
1853 will be downloaded. Specify a radius of 0 and you get only the
1854 center tile. A radius of 1 loads a 3x3 grid, centered on the
1857 Clicking the 'Load Map' button will fetch images from Google
1858 Maps; note that Google limits how many images you can fetch at
1859 once, so if you load more than one launch site, you may get
1860 some gray areas in the map which indicate that Google is tired
1861 of sending data to you. Try again later.
1862 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44989568"></a>13. Monitor Idle</h2></div></div></div><p>
1863 This brings up a dialog similar to the Monitor Flight UI,
1864 except it works with the altimeter in “idle” mode by sending
1865 query commands to discover the current state rather than
1866 listening for telemetry packets. Because this uses command
1867 mode, it needs to have the TeleDongle and flight computer
1868 callsigns match exactly. If you can receive telemetry, but
1869 cannot manage to run Monitor Idle, then it's very likely that
1870 your callsigns are different in some way.
1871 </p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp44991664"></a>Chapter 7. AltosDroid</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44994048">1. Installing AltosDroid</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44995984">2. Connecting to TeleBT</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44997984">3. Configuring AltosDroid</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp44999440">4. AltosDroid Flight Monitoring</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45000752">4.1. Pad</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45014304">5. Downloading Flight Logs</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
1872 AltosDroid provides the same flight monitoring capabilities as
1873 AltosUI, but runs on Android devices and is designed to connect
1874 to a TeleBT receiver over Bluetooth™. AltosDroid monitors
1875 telemetry data, logging it to internal storage in the Android
1876 device, and presents that data in a UI the same way the 'Monitor
1877 Flight' window does in AltosUI.
1879 This manual will explain how to configure AltosDroid, connect
1880 to TeleBT, operate the flight monitoring interface and describe
1881 what the displayed data means.
1882 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44994048"></a>1. Installing AltosDroid</h2></div></div></div><p>
1883 AltosDroid is available from the Google Play store. To install
1884 it on your Android device, open the Google Play Store
1885 application and search for “altosdroid”. Make sure you don't
1886 have a space between “altos” and “droid” or you probably won't
1887 find what you want. That should bring you to the right page
1888 from which you can download and install the application.
1889 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44995984"></a>2. Connecting to TeleBT</h2></div></div></div><p>
1890 Press the Android 'Menu' button or soft-key to see the
1891 configuration options available. Select the 'Connect a device'
1892 option and then the 'Scan for devices' entry at the bottom to
1893 look for your TeleBT device. Select your device, and when it
1894 asks for the code, enter '1234'.
1896 Subsequent connections will not require you to enter that
1897 code, and your 'paired' device will appear in the list without
1899 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44997984"></a>3. Configuring AltosDroid</h2></div></div></div><p>
1900 The only configuration option available for AltosDroid is
1901 which frequency to listen on. Press the Android 'Menu' button
1902 or soft-key and pick the 'Select radio frequency' entry. That
1903 brings up a menu of pre-set radio frequencies; pick the one
1904 which matches your altimeter.
1905 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp44999440"></a>4. AltosDroid Flight Monitoring</h2></div></div></div><p>
1906 AltosDroid is designed to mimic the AltosUI flight monitoring
1907 display, providing separate tabs for each stage of your rocket
1908 flight along with a tab containing a map of the local area
1909 with icons marking the current location of the altimeter and
1911 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp45000752"></a>4.1. Pad</h3></div></div></div><p>
1912 The 'Launch Pad' tab shows information used to decide when the
1913 rocket is ready for flight. The first elements include red/green
1914 indicators, if any of these is red, you'll want to evaluate
1915 whether the rocket is ready to launch:
1916 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Battery Voltage</span></dt><dd><p>
1917 This indicates whether the Li-Po battery
1918 powering the TeleMetrum has sufficient charge to last for
1919 the duration of the flight. A value of more than
1920 3.8V is required for a 'GO' status.
1921 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Apogee Igniter Voltage</span></dt><dd><p>
1922 This indicates whether the apogee
1923 igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a low
1924 resistance, then the voltage measured here will be close
1925 to the Li-Po battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is
1926 required for a 'GO' status.
1927 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Main Igniter Voltage</span></dt><dd><p>
1928 This indicates whether the main
1929 igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a low
1930 resistance, then the voltage measured here will be close
1931 to the Li-Po battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is
1932 required for a 'GO' status.
1933 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">On-board Data Logging</span></dt><dd><p>
1934 This indicates whether there is
1935 space remaining on-board to store flight data for the
1936 upcoming flight. If you've downloaded data, but failed
1937 to erase flights, there may not be any space
1938 left. TeleMetrum can store multiple flights, depending
1939 on the configured maximum flight log size. TeleMini
1940 stores only a single flight, so it will need to be
1941 downloaded and erased after each flight to capture
1942 data. This only affects on-board flight logging; the
1943 altimeter will still transmit telemetry and fire
1944 ejection charges at the proper times.
1945 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">GPS Locked</span></dt><dd><p>
1946 For a TeleMetrum or TeleMega device, this indicates whether the GPS receiver is
1947 currently able to compute position information. GPS requires
1948 at least 4 satellites to compute an accurate position.
1949 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">GPS Ready</span></dt><dd><p>
1950 For a TeleMetrum or TeleMega device, this indicates whether GPS has reported at least
1951 10 consecutive positions without losing lock. This ensures
1952 that the GPS receiver has reliable reception from the
1954 </p></dd></dl></div><p>
1956 The Launchpad tab also shows the computed launch pad position
1957 and altitude, averaging many reported positions to improve the
1958 accuracy of the fix.
1959 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45014304"></a>5. Downloading Flight Logs</h2></div></div></div><p>
1960 AltosDroid always saves every bit of telemetry data it
1961 receives. To download that to a computer for use with AltosUI,
1962 simply remove the SD card from your Android device, or connect
1963 your device to your computer's USB port and browse the files
1964 on that device. You will find '.telem' files in the TeleMetrum
1965 directory that will work with AltosUI directly.
1966 </p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp45015968"></a>Chapter 8. Using Altus Metrum Products</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45016608">1. Being Legal</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45018512">2. In the Rocket</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45020976">3. On the Ground</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45034288">4. Data Analysis</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45036832">5. Future Plans</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45016608"></a>1. Being Legal</h2></div></div></div><p>
1967 First off, in the US, you need an <a class="ulink" href="http://www.altusmetrum.org/Radio/" target="_top">amateur radio license</a> or
1968 other authorization to legally operate the radio transmitters that are part
1970 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45018512"></a>2. In the Rocket</h2></div></div></div><p>
1971 In the rocket itself, you just need a flight computer and
1972 a single-cell, 3.7 volt nominal Li-Po rechargeable battery. An
1973 850mAh battery weighs less than a 9V alkaline battery, and will
1974 run a TeleMetrum or TeleMega for hours.
1975 A 110mAh battery weighs less than a triple A battery and is a good
1976 choice for use with TeleMini.
1978 By default, we ship flight computers with a simple wire antenna.
1979 If your electronics bay or the air-frame it resides within is made
1980 of carbon fiber, which is opaque to RF signals, you may prefer to
1981 install an SMA connector so that you can run a coaxial cable to an
1982 antenna mounted elsewhere in the rocket. However, note that the
1983 GPS antenna is fixed on all current products, so you really want
1984 to install the flight computer in a bay made of RF-transparent
1985 materials if at all possible.
1986 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45020976"></a>3. On the Ground</h2></div></div></div><p>
1987 To receive the data stream from the rocket, you need an antenna and short
1988 feed-line connected to one of our <a class="ulink" href="http://www.altusmetrum.org/TeleDongle/" target="_top">TeleDongle</a> units. If possible, use an SMA to BNC
1989 adapter instead of feedline between the antenna feedpoint and
1990 TeleDongle, as this will give you the best performance. The
1991 TeleDongle in turn plugs directly into the USB port on a notebook
1992 computer. Because TeleDongle looks like a simple serial port, your computer
1993 does not require special device drivers... just plug it in.
1995 The GUI tool, AltosUI, is written in Java and runs across
1996 Linux, Mac OS and Windows. There's also a suite of C tools
1997 for Linux which can perform most of the same tasks.
1999 Alternatively, a TeleBT attached with an SMA to BNC adapter at the
2000 feed point of a hand-held yagi used in conjunction with an Android
2001 device running AltosDroid makes an outstanding ground station.
2003 After the flight, you can use the radio link to extract the more detailed data
2004 logged in either TeleMetrum or TeleMini devices, or you can use a mini USB cable to plug into the
2005 TeleMetrum board directly. Pulling out the data without having to open up
2006 the rocket is pretty cool! A USB cable is also how you charge the Li-Po
2007 battery, so you'll want one of those anyway... the same cable used by lots
2008 of digital cameras and other modern electronic stuff will work fine.
2010 If your rocket lands out of sight, you may enjoy having a hand-held
2011 GPS receiver, so that you can put in a way-point for the last
2012 reported rocket position before touch-down. This makes looking for
2013 your rocket a lot like Geo-Caching... just go to the way-point and
2014 look around starting from there. AltosDroid on an Android device
2015 with GPS receiver works great for this, too!
2017 You may also enjoy having a ham radio “HT” that covers the 70cm band... you
2018 can use that with your antenna to direction-find the rocket on the ground
2019 the same way you can use a Walston or Beeline tracker. This can be handy
2020 if the rocket is hiding in sage brush or a tree, or if the last GPS position
2021 doesn't get you close enough because the rocket dropped into a canyon, or
2022 the wind is blowing it across a dry lake bed, or something like that... Keith
2023 currently uses a Yaesu VX-7R, Bdale has a Baofung UV-5R
2024 which isn't as nice, but was a whole lot cheaper.
2026 So, to recap, on the ground the hardware you'll need includes:
2027 </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>
2028 an antenna and feed-line or adapter
2029 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2031 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2033 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2034 optionally, a hand-held GPS receiver
2035 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2036 optionally, an HT or receiver covering 435 MHz
2037 </p></li></ol></div><p>
2039 The best hand-held commercial directional antennas we've found for radio
2040 direction finding rockets are from
2041 <a class="ulink" href="http://www.arrowantennas.com/" target="_top">
2044 The 440-3 and 440-5 are both good choices for finding a
2045 TeleMetrum- or TeleMini- equipped rocket when used with a suitable
2046 70cm HT. TeleDongle and an SMA to BNC adapter fit perfectly
2047 between the driven element and reflector of Arrow antennas.
2048 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45034288"></a>4. Data Analysis</h2></div></div></div><p>
2049 Our software makes it easy to log the data from each flight, both the
2050 telemetry received during the flight itself, and the more
2051 complete data log recorded in the flash memory on the altimeter
2052 board. Once this data is on your computer, our post-flight tools make it
2053 easy to quickly get to the numbers everyone wants, like apogee altitude,
2054 max acceleration, and max velocity. You can also generate and view a
2055 standard set of plots showing the altitude, acceleration, and
2056 velocity of the rocket during flight. And you can even export a TeleMetrum data file
2057 usable with Google Maps and Google Earth for visualizing the flight path
2058 in two or three dimensions!
2060 Our ultimate goal is to emit a set of files for each flight that can be
2061 published as a web page per flight, or just viewed on your local disk with
2063 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45036832"></a>5. Future Plans</h2></div></div></div><p>
2064 We've designed a simple GPS based radio tracker called TeleGPS.
2065 If all goes well, we hope to introduce this in the first
2068 We have designed and prototyped several “companion boards” that
2069 can attach to the companion connector on TeleMetrum and TeleMega
2070 flight computers to collect more data, provide more pyro channels,
2071 and so forth. We do not yet know if or when any of these boards
2072 will be produced in enough quantity to sell. If you have specific
2073 interests for data collection or control of events in your rockets
2074 beyond the capabilities of our existing productions, please let
2077 Because all of our work is open, both the hardware designs and the
2078 software, if you have some great idea for an addition to the current
2079 Altus Metrum family, feel free to dive in and help! Or let us know
2080 what you'd like to see that we aren't already working on, and maybe
2081 we'll get excited about it too...
2084 <a class="ulink" href="http://altusmetrum.org/" target="_top">web site</a> for more news
2085 and information as our family of products evolves!
2086 </p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp45041568"></a>Chapter 9. Altimeter Installation Recommendations</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45043024">1. Mounting the Altimeter</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45047856">2. Dealing with the Antenna</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45053952">3. Preserving GPS Reception</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45058736">4. Radio Frequency Interference</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45066304">5. The Barometric Sensor</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45069456">6. Ground Testing</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
2087 Building high-power rockets that fly safely is hard enough. Mix
2088 in some sophisticated electronics and a bunch of radio energy
2089 and some creativity and/or compromise may be required. This chapter
2090 contains some suggestions about how to install Altus Metrum
2091 products into a rocket air-frame, including how to safely and
2092 reliably mix a variety of electronics into the same air-frame.
2093 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45043024"></a>1. Mounting the Altimeter</h2></div></div></div><p>
2094 The first consideration is to ensure that the altimeter is
2095 securely fastened to the air-frame. For most of our products, we
2096 prefer nylon standoffs and nylon screws; they're good to at least 50G
2097 and cannot cause any electrical issues on the board. Metal screws
2098 and standoffs are fine, too, just be careful to avoid electrical
2099 shorts! For TeleMini v1.0, we usually cut small pieces of 1/16 inch
2101 under the screw holes, and then take 2x56 nylon screws and
2102 screw them through the TeleMini mounting holes, through the
2103 balsa and into the underlying material.
2104 </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>
2105 Make sure accelerometer-equipped products like TeleMetrum and
2106 TeleMega are aligned precisely along the axis of
2107 acceleration so that the accelerometer can accurately
2108 capture data during the flight.
2109 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2110 Watch for any metal touching components on the
2111 board. Shorting out connections on the bottom of the board
2112 can cause the altimeter to fail during flight.
2113 </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45047856"></a>2. Dealing with the Antenna</h2></div></div></div><p>
2114 The antenna supplied is just a piece of solid, insulated,
2115 wire. If it gets damaged or broken, it can be easily
2116 replaced. It should be kept straight and not cut; bending or
2117 cutting it will change the resonant frequency and/or
2118 impedance, making it a less efficient radiator and thus
2119 reducing the range of the telemetry signal.
2121 Keeping metal away from the antenna will provide better range
2122 and a more even radiation pattern. In most rockets, it's not
2123 entirely possible to isolate the antenna from metal
2124 components; there are often bolts, all-thread and wires from other
2125 electronics to contend with. Just be aware that the more stuff
2126 like this around the antenna, the lower the range.
2128 Make sure the antenna is not inside a tube made or covered
2129 with conducting material. Carbon fiber is the most common
2130 culprit here -- CF is a good conductor and will effectively
2131 shield the antenna, dramatically reducing signal strength and
2132 range. Metallic flake paint is another effective shielding
2133 material which should be avoided around any antennas.
2135 If the ebay is large enough, it can be convenient to simply
2136 mount the altimeter at one end and stretch the antenna out
2137 inside. Taping the antenna to the sled can keep it straight
2138 under acceleration. If there are metal rods, keep the
2139 antenna as far away as possible.
2141 For a shorter ebay, it's quite practical to have the antenna
2142 run through a bulkhead and into an adjacent bay. Drill a small
2143 hole in the bulkhead, pass the antenna wire through it and
2144 then seal it up with glue or clay. We've also used acrylic
2145 tubing to create a cavity for the antenna wire. This works a
2146 bit better in that the antenna is known to stay straight and
2147 not get folded by recovery components in the bay. Angle the
2148 tubing towards the side wall of the rocket and it ends up
2149 consuming very little space.
2151 If you need to place the UHF antenna at a distance from the
2152 altimeter, you can replace the antenna with an edge-mounted
2153 SMA connector, and then run 50Ω coax from the board to the
2154 antenna. Building a remote antenna is beyond the scope of this
2156 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45053952"></a>3. Preserving GPS Reception</h2></div></div></div><p>
2157 The GPS antenna and receiver used in TeleMetrum and TeleMega is
2158 highly sensitive and normally have no trouble tracking enough
2159 satellites to provide accurate position information for
2160 recovering the rocket. However, there are many ways the GPS signal
2161 can end up attenuated, negatively affecting GPS performance.
2162 </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>
2163 Conductive tubing or coatings. Carbon fiber and metal
2164 tubing, or metallic paint will all dramatically attenuate the
2165 GPS signal. We've never heard of anyone successfully
2166 receiving GPS from inside these materials.
2167 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2168 Metal components near the GPS patch antenna. These will
2169 de-tune the patch antenna, changing the resonant frequency
2170 away from the L1 carrier and reduce the effectiveness of the
2171 antenna. You can place as much stuff as you like beneath the
2172 antenna as that's covered with a ground plane. But, keep
2173 wires and metal out from above the patch antenna.
2174 </p></li></ol></div><p>
2175 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45058736"></a>4. Radio Frequency Interference</h2></div></div></div><p>
2176 Any altimeter will generate RFI; the digital circuits use
2177 high-frequency clocks that spray radio interference across a
2178 wide band. Altus Metrum altimeters generate intentional radio
2179 signals as well, increasing the amount of RF energy around the board.
2181 Rocketry altimeters also use precise sensors measuring air
2182 pressure and acceleration. Tiny changes in voltage can cause
2183 these sensor readings to vary by a huge amount. When the
2184 sensors start mis-reporting data, the altimeter can either
2185 fire the igniters at the wrong time, or not fire them at all.
2187 Voltages are induced when radio frequency energy is
2188 transmitted from one circuit to another. Here are things that
2189 influence the induced voltage and current:
2190 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2191 Keep wires from different circuits apart. Moving circuits
2192 further apart will reduce RFI.
2193 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2194 Avoid parallel wires from different circuits. The longer two
2195 wires run parallel to one another, the larger the amount of
2196 transferred energy. Cross wires at right angles to reduce
2198 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2199 Twist wires from the same circuits. Two wires the same
2200 distance from the transmitter will get the same amount of
2201 induced energy which will then cancel out. Any time you have
2202 a wire pair running together, twist the pair together to
2203 even out distances and reduce RFI. For altimeters, this
2204 includes battery leads, switch hookups and igniter
2206 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2207 Avoid resonant lengths. Know what frequencies are present
2208 in the environment and avoid having wire lengths near a
2209 natural resonant length. Altus Metrum products transmit on the
2210 70cm amateur band, so you should avoid lengths that are a
2211 simple ratio of that length; essentially any multiple of ¼
2212 of the wavelength (17.5cm).
2213 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45066304"></a>5. The Barometric Sensor</h2></div></div></div><p>
2214 Altusmetrum altimeters measure altitude with a barometric
2215 sensor, essentially measuring the amount of air above the
2216 rocket to figure out how high it is. A large number of
2217 measurements are taken as the altimeter initializes itself to
2218 figure out the pad altitude. Subsequent measurements are then
2219 used to compute the height above the pad.
2221 To accurately measure atmospheric pressure, the ebay
2222 containing the altimeter must be vented outside the
2223 air-frame. The vent must be placed in a region of linear
2224 airflow, have smooth edges, and away from areas of increasing or
2225 decreasing pressure.
2227 All barometric sensors are quite sensitive to chemical damage from
2228 the products of APCP or BP combustion, so make sure the ebay is
2229 carefully sealed from any compartment which contains ejection
2231 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45069456"></a>6. Ground Testing</h2></div></div></div><p>
2232 The most important aspect of any installation is careful
2233 ground testing. Bringing an air-frame up to the LCO table which
2234 hasn't been ground tested can lead to delays or ejection
2235 charges firing on the pad, or, even worse, a recovery system
2238 Do a 'full systems' test that includes wiring up all igniters
2239 without any BP and turning on all of the electronics in flight
2240 mode. This will catch any mistakes in wiring and any residual
2241 RFI issues that might accidentally fire igniters at the wrong
2242 time. Let the air-frame sit for several minutes, checking for
2243 adequate telemetry signal strength and GPS lock. If any igniters
2244 fire unexpectedly, find and resolve the issue before loading any
2247 Ground test the ejection charges. Prepare the rocket for
2248 flight, loading ejection charges and igniters. Completely
2249 assemble the air-frame and then use the 'Fire Igniters'
2250 interface through a TeleDongle to command each charge to
2251 fire. Make sure the charge is sufficient to robustly separate
2252 the air-frame and deploy the recovery system.
2253 </p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp45072624"></a>Chapter 10. Updating Device Firmware</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45076640">1.
2254 Updating TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2 or EasyMini Firmware
2255 </a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45085696">1.1. Recovering From Self-Flashing Failure</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45094672">2. Pair Programming</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45096112">3. Updating TeleMetrum v1.x Firmware</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45109648">4. Updating TeleMini Firmware</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45123200">5. Updating TeleDongle Firmware</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
2256 TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2 and EasyMini are all programmed directly
2257 over their USB connectors (self programming). TeleMetrum v1, TeleMini and
2258 TeleDongle are all programmed by using another device as a
2259 programmer (pair programming). It's important to recognize which
2260 kind of devices you have before trying to reprogram them.
2262 You may wish to begin by ensuring you have current firmware images.
2263 These are distributed as part of the AltOS software bundle that
2264 also includes the AltosUI ground station program. Newer ground
2265 station versions typically work fine with older firmware versions,
2266 so you don't need to update your devices just to try out new
2267 software features. You can always download the most recent
2268 version from <a class="ulink" href="http://www.altusmetrum.org/AltOS/" target="_top">http://www.altusmetrum.org/AltOS/</a>.
2270 If you need to update the firmware on a TeleDongle, we recommend
2271 updating the altimeter first, before updating TeleDongle. However,
2272 note that TeleDongle rarely need to be updated. Any firmware version
2273 1.0.1 or later will work, version 1.2.1 may have improved receiver
2274 performance slightly.
2276 Self-programmable devices (TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2 and EasyMini)
2277 are reprogrammed by connecting them to your computer over USB
2278 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45076640"></a>1.
2279 Updating TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2 or EasyMini Firmware
2280 </h2></div></div></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>
2281 Attach a battery and power switch to the target
2282 device. Power up the device.
2283 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2284 Using a Micro USB cable, connect the target device to your
2285 computer's USB socket.
2286 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2287 Run AltosUI, and select 'Flash Image' from the File menu.
2288 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2289 Select the target device in the Device Selection dialog.
2290 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2291 Select the image you want to flash to the device, which
2292 should have a name in the form
2293 <product>-v<product-version>-<software-version>.ihx, such
2294 as TeleMega-v1.0-1.3.0.ihx.
2295 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2296 Make sure the configuration parameters are reasonable
2297 looking. If the serial number and/or RF configuration
2298 values aren't right, you'll need to change them.
2299 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2300 Hit the 'OK' button and the software should proceed to flash
2301 the device with new firmware, showing a progress bar.
2302 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2303 Verify that the device is working by using the 'Configure
2304 Altimeter' item to check over the configuration.
2305 </p></li></ol></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp45085696"></a>1.1. Recovering From Self-Flashing Failure</h3></div></div></div><p>
2306 If the firmware loading fails, it can leave the device
2307 unable to boot. Not to worry, you can force the device to
2308 start the boot loader instead, which will let you try to
2309 flash the device again.
2311 On each device, connecting two pins from one of the exposed
2312 connectors will force the boot loader to start, even if the
2313 regular operating system has been corrupted in some way.
2314 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">TeleMega</span></dt><dd><p>
2315 Connect pin 6 and pin 1 of the companion connector. Pin 1
2316 can be identified by the square pad around it, and then
2317 the pins could sequentially across the board. Be very
2318 careful to <span class="emphasis"><em>not</em></span> short pin 8 to
2319 anything as that is connected directly to the battery. Pin
2320 7 carries 3.3V and the board will crash if that is
2321 connected to pin 1, but shouldn't damage the board.
2322 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">TeleMetrum v2</span></dt><dd><p>
2323 Connect pin 6 and pin 1 of the companion connector. Pin 1
2324 can be identified by the square pad around it, and then
2325 the pins could sequentially across the board. Be very
2326 careful to <span class="emphasis"><em>not</em></span> short pin 8 to
2327 anything as that is connected directly to the battery. Pin
2328 7 carries 3.3V and the board will crash if that is
2329 connected to pin 1, but shouldn't damage the board.
2330 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">EasyMini</span></dt><dd><p>
2331 Connect pin 6 and pin 1 of the debug connector, which is
2332 the six holes next to the beeper. Pin 1 can be identified
2333 by the square pad around it, and then the pins could
2334 sequentially across the board, making Pin 6 the one on the
2335 other end of the row.
2336 </p></dd></dl></div></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45094672"></a>2. Pair Programming</h2></div></div></div><p>
2337 The big concept to understand is that you have to use a
2338 TeleMega, TeleMetrum or TeleDongle as a programmer to update a
2339 pair programmed device. Due to limited memory resources in the
2340 cc1111, we don't support programming directly over USB for these
2342 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45096112"></a>3. Updating TeleMetrum v1.x Firmware</h2></div></div></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>
2343 Find the 'programming cable' that you got as part of the starter
2344 kit, that has a red 8-pin MicroMaTch connector on one end and a
2345 red 4-pin MicroMaTch connector on the other end.
2346 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2347 Take the 2 screws out of the TeleDongle case to get access
2348 to the circuit board.
2349 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2350 Plug the 8-pin end of the programming cable to the
2351 matching connector on the TeleDongle, and the 4-pin end to the
2352 matching connector on the TeleMetrum.
2353 Note that each MicroMaTch connector has an alignment pin that
2354 goes through a hole in the PC board when you have the cable
2356 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2357 Attach a battery to the TeleMetrum board.
2358 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2359 Plug the TeleDongle into your computer's USB port, and power
2361 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2362 Run AltosUI, and select 'Flash Image' from the File menu.
2363 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2364 Pick the TeleDongle device from the list, identifying it as the
2366 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2367 Select the image you want put on the TeleMetrum, which should have a
2368 name in the form telemetrum-v1.2-1.0.0.ihx. It should be visible
2369 in the default directory, if not you may have to poke around
2370 your system to find it.
2371 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2372 Make sure the configuration parameters are reasonable
2373 looking. If the serial number and/or RF configuration
2374 values aren't right, you'll need to change them.
2375 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2376 Hit the 'OK' button and the software should proceed to flash
2377 the TeleMetrum with new firmware, showing a progress bar.
2378 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2379 Confirm that the TeleMetrum board seems to have updated OK, which you
2380 can do by plugging in to it over USB and using a terminal program
2381 to connect to the board and issue the 'v' command to check
2383 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2384 If something goes wrong, give it another try.
2385 </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45109648"></a>4. Updating TeleMini Firmware</h2></div></div></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>
2386 You'll need a special 'programming cable' to reprogram the
2387 TeleMini. You can make your own using an 8-pin MicroMaTch
2388 connector on one end and a set of four pins on the other.
2389 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2390 Take the 2 screws out of the TeleDongle case to get access
2391 to the circuit board.
2392 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2393 Plug the 8-pin end of the programming cable to the matching
2394 connector on the TeleDongle, and the 4-pins into the holes
2395 in the TeleMini circuit board. Note that the MicroMaTch
2396 connector has an alignment pin that goes through a hole in
2397 the PC board when you have the cable oriented correctly, and
2398 that pin 1 on the TeleMini board is marked with a square pad
2399 while the other pins have round pads.
2400 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2401 Attach a battery to the TeleMini board.
2402 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2403 Plug the TeleDongle into your computer's USB port, and power
2405 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2406 Run AltosUI, and select 'Flash Image' from the File menu.
2407 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2408 Pick the TeleDongle device from the list, identifying it as the
2410 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2411 Select the image you want put on the TeleMini, which should have a
2412 name in the form telemini-v1.0-1.0.0.ihx. It should be visible
2413 in the default directory, if not you may have to poke around
2414 your system to find it.
2415 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2416 Make sure the configuration parameters are reasonable
2417 looking. If the serial number and/or RF configuration
2418 values aren't right, you'll need to change them.
2419 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2420 Hit the 'OK' button and the software should proceed to flash
2421 the TeleMini with new firmware, showing a progress bar.
2422 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2423 Confirm that the TeleMini board seems to have updated OK, which you
2424 can do by configuring it over the radio link through the TeleDongle, or
2425 letting it come up in “flight” mode and listening for telemetry.
2426 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2427 If something goes wrong, give it another try.
2428 </p></li></ol></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45123200"></a>5. Updating TeleDongle Firmware</h2></div></div></div><p>
2429 Updating TeleDongle's firmware is just like updating TeleMetrum or TeleMini
2430 firmware, but you use either a TeleMetrum or another TeleDongle as the programmer.
2431 </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>
2432 Find the 'programming cable' that you got as part of the starter
2433 kit, that has a red 8-pin MicroMaTch connector on one end and a
2434 red 4-pin MicroMaTch connector on the other end.
2435 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2436 Find the USB cable that you got as part of the starter kit, and
2437 plug the “mini” end in to the mating connector on TeleMetrum or TeleDongle.
2438 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2439 Take the 2 screws out of the TeleDongle case to get access
2440 to the circuit board.
2441 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2442 Plug the 8-pin end of the programming cable to the
2443 matching connector on the programmer, and the 4-pin end to the
2444 matching connector on the TeleDongle.
2445 Note that each MicroMaTch connector has an alignment pin that
2446 goes through a hole in the PC board when you have the cable
2448 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2449 Attach a battery to the TeleMetrum board if you're using one.
2450 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2451 Plug both the programmer and the TeleDongle into your computer's USB
2452 ports, and power up the programmer.
2453 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2454 Run AltosUI, and select 'Flash Image' from the File menu.
2455 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2456 Pick the programmer device from the list, identifying it as the
2458 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2459 Select the image you want put on the TeleDongle, which should have a
2460 name in the form teledongle-v0.2-1.0.0.ihx. It should be visible
2461 in the default directory, if not you may have to poke around
2462 your system to find it.
2463 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2464 Make sure the configuration parameters are reasonable
2465 looking. If the serial number and/or RF configuration
2466 values aren't right, you'll need to change them. The TeleDongle
2467 serial number is on the “bottom” of the circuit board, and can
2468 usually be read through the translucent blue plastic case without
2469 needing to remove the board from the case.
2470 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2471 Hit the 'OK' button and the software should proceed to flash
2472 the TeleDongle with new firmware, showing a progress bar.
2473 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2474 Confirm that the TeleDongle board seems to have updated OK, which you
2475 can do by plugging in to it over USB and using a terminal program
2476 to connect to the board and issue the 'v' command to check
2477 the version, etc. Once you're happy, remove the programming cable
2478 and put the cover back on the TeleDongle.
2479 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2480 If something goes wrong, give it another try.
2481 </p></li></ol></div><p>
2482 Be careful removing the programming cable from the locking 8-pin
2483 connector on TeleMetrum. You'll need a fingernail or perhaps a thin
2484 screwdriver or knife blade to gently pry the locking ears out
2485 slightly to extract the connector. We used a locking connector on
2486 TeleMetrum to help ensure that the cabling to companion boards
2487 used in a rocket don't ever come loose accidentally in flight.
2488 </p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp45139824"></a>Chapter 11. Hardware Specifications</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45140464">1.
2489 TeleMega Specifications
2490 </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45151936">2.
2491 TeleMetrum v2 Specifications
2492 </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45162496">3. TeleMetrum v1 Specifications</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45173056">4.
2493 TeleMini v2.0 Specifications
2494 </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45181888">5.
2495 TeleMini v1.0 Specifications
2496 </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45190688">6.
2497 EasyMini Specifications
2498 </a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45140464"></a>1.
2499 TeleMega Specifications
2500 </h2></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2501 Recording altimeter for model rocketry.
2502 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2503 Supports dual deployment and four auxiliary pyro channels
2504 (a total of 6 events).
2505 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2506 70cm 40mW ham-band transceiver for telemetry down-link.
2507 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2508 Barometric pressure sensor good to 100k feet MSL.
2509 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2510 1-axis high-g accelerometer for motor characterization, capable of
2512 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2513 9-axis IMU including integrated 3-axis accelerometer,
2514 3-axis gyroscope and 3-axis magnetometer.
2515 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2516 On-board, integrated uBlox Max 7 GPS receiver with 5Hz update rate capability.
2517 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2518 On-board 8 Megabyte non-volatile memory for flight data storage.
2519 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2520 USB interface for battery charging, configuration, and data recovery.
2521 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2522 Fully integrated support for Li-Po rechargeable batteries.
2523 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2524 Can use either main system Li-Po or optional separate pyro battery
2526 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2527 3.25 x 1.25 inch board designed to fit inside 38mm air-frame coupler tube.
2528 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45151936"></a>2.
2529 TeleMetrum v2 Specifications
2530 </h2></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2531 Recording altimeter for model rocketry.
2532 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2533 Supports dual deployment (can fire 2 ejection charges).
2534 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2535 70cm, 40mW ham-band transceiver for telemetry down-link.
2536 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2537 Barometric pressure sensor good to 100k feet MSL.
2538 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2539 1-axis high-g accelerometer for motor characterization, capable of
2541 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2542 On-board, integrated uBlox Max 7 GPS receiver with 5Hz update rate capability.
2543 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2544 On-board 8 Megabyte non-volatile memory for flight data storage.
2545 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2546 USB interface for battery charging, configuration, and data recovery.
2547 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2548 Fully integrated support for Li-Po rechargeable batteries.
2549 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2550 Uses Li-Po to fire e-matches, can be modified to support
2551 optional separate pyro battery if needed.
2552 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2553 2.75 x 1 inch board designed to fit inside 29mm air-frame coupler tube.
2554 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45162496"></a>3. TeleMetrum v1 Specifications</h2></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2555 Recording altimeter for model rocketry.
2556 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2557 Supports dual deployment (can fire 2 ejection charges).
2558 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2559 70cm, 10mW ham-band transceiver for telemetry down-link.
2560 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2561 Barometric pressure sensor good to 45k feet MSL.
2562 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2563 1-axis high-g accelerometer for motor characterization, capable of
2564 +/- 50g using default part.
2565 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2566 On-board, integrated GPS receiver with 5Hz update rate capability.
2567 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2568 On-board 1 megabyte non-volatile memory for flight data storage.
2569 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2570 USB interface for battery charging, configuration, and data recovery.
2571 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2572 Fully integrated support for Li-Po rechargeable batteries.
2573 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2574 Uses Li-Po to fire e-matches, can be modified to support
2575 optional separate pyro battery if needed.
2576 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2577 2.75 x 1 inch board designed to fit inside 29mm air-frame coupler tube.
2578 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45173056"></a>4.
2579 TeleMini v2.0 Specifications
2580 </h2></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2581 Recording altimeter for model rocketry.
2582 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2583 Supports dual deployment (can fire 2 ejection charges).
2584 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2585 70cm, 10mW ham-band transceiver for telemetry down-link.
2586 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2587 Barometric pressure sensor good to 100k feet MSL.
2588 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2589 On-board 1 megabyte non-volatile memory for flight data storage.
2590 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2591 USB interface for configuration, and data recovery.
2592 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2593 Support for Li-Po rechargeable batteries (using an
2594 external charger), or any 3.7-15V external battery.
2595 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2596 Uses Li-Po to fire e-matches, can be modified to support
2597 optional separate pyro battery if needed.
2598 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2599 1.5 x .8 inch board designed to fit inside 24mm air-frame coupler tube.
2600 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45181888"></a>5.
2601 TeleMini v1.0 Specifications
2602 </h2></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2603 Recording altimeter for model rocketry.
2604 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2605 Supports dual deployment (can fire 2 ejection charges).
2606 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2607 70cm, 10mW ham-band transceiver for telemetry down-link.
2608 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2609 Barometric pressure sensor good to 45k feet MSL.
2610 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2611 On-board 5 kilobyte non-volatile memory for flight data storage.
2612 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2613 RF interface for configuration, and data recovery.
2614 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2615 Support for Li-Po rechargeable batteries, using an external charger.
2616 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2617 Uses Li-Po to fire e-matches, can be modified to support
2618 optional separate pyro battery if needed.
2619 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2620 1.5 x .5 inch board designed to fit inside 18mm air-frame coupler tube.
2621 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45190688"></a>6.
2622 EasyMini Specifications
2623 </h2></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2624 Recording altimeter for model rocketry.
2625 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2626 Supports dual deployment (can fire 2 ejection charges).
2627 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2628 Barometric pressure sensor good to 100k feet MSL.
2629 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2630 On-board 1 megabyte non-volatile memory for flight data storage.
2631 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2632 USB interface for configuration, and data recovery.
2633 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2634 Support for Li-Po rechargeable batteries (using an
2635 external charger), or any 3.7-15V external battery.
2636 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2637 Uses Li-Po to fire e-matches, can be modified to support
2638 optional separate pyro battery if needed.
2639 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2640 1.5 x .8 inch board designed to fit inside 24mm air-frame coupler tube.
2641 </p></li></ul></div></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp45198800"></a>Chapter 12. FAQ</h1></div></div></div><p>
2642 <span class="emphasis"><em>TeleMetrum seems to shut off when disconnected from the
2643 computer.</em></span>
2644 Make sure the battery is adequately charged. Remember the
2645 unit will pull more power than the USB port can deliver before the
2646 GPS enters “locked” mode. The battery charges best when TeleMetrum
2649 <span class="emphasis"><em>It's impossible to stop the TeleDongle when it's in “p” mode, I have
2650 to unplug the USB cable? </em></span>
2651 Make sure you have tried to “escape out” of
2652 this mode. If this doesn't work the reboot procedure for the
2653 TeleDongle *is* to simply unplug it. 'cu' however will retain it's
2654 outgoing buffer IF your “escape out” ('~~') does not work.
2655 At this point using either 'ao-view' (or possibly
2656 'cutemon') instead of 'cu' will 'clear' the issue and allow renewed
2659 <span class="emphasis"><em>The amber LED (on the TeleMetrum) lights up when both
2660 battery and USB are connected. Does this mean it's charging?
2662 Yes, the yellow LED indicates the charging at the 'regular' rate.
2663 If the led is out but the unit is still plugged into a USB port,
2664 then the battery is being charged at a 'trickle' rate.
2666 <span class="emphasis"><em>There are no “dit-dah-dah-dit” sound or lights like the manual
2667 mentions?</em></span>
2668 That's the “pad” mode. Weak batteries might be the problem.
2669 It is also possible that the flight computer is horizontal and the
2671 is instead a “dit-dit” meaning 'idle'. For TeleMini, it's possible that
2672 it received a command packet which would have left it in “pad” mode.
2674 <span class="emphasis"><em>How do I save flight data?</em></span>
2675 Live telemetry is written to file(s) whenever AltosUI is connected
2676 to the TeleDongle. The file area defaults to ~/TeleMetrum
2677 but is easily changed using the menus in AltosUI. The files that
2678 are written end in '.telem'. The after-flight
2679 data-dumped files will end in .eeprom and represent continuous data
2680 unlike the .telem files that are subject to losses
2681 along the RF data path.
2682 See the above instructions on what and how to save the eeprom stored
2683 data after physically retrieving your altimeter. Make sure to save
2684 the on-board data after each flight; while the TeleMetrum can store
2685 multiple flights, you never know when you'll lose the altimeter...
2686 </p></div><div class="appendix"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp45207648"></a>Appendix A. Notes for Older Software</h1></div></div></div><p>
2687 <span class="emphasis"><em>
2688 Before AltosUI was written, using Altus Metrum devices required
2689 some finesse with the Linux command line. There was a limited
2690 GUI tool, ao-view, which provided functionality similar to the
2691 Monitor Flight window in AltosUI, but everything else was a
2692 fairly 80's experience. This appendix includes documentation for
2693 using that software.
2696 Both TeleMetrum and TeleDongle can be directly communicated
2697 with using USB ports. The first thing you should try after getting
2698 both units plugged into to your computer's USB port(s) is to run
2699 'ao-list' from a terminal-window to see what port-device-name each
2700 device has been assigned by the operating system.
2701 You will need this information to access the devices via their
2702 respective on-board firmware and data using other command line
2703 programs in the AltOS software suite.
2705 TeleMini can be communicated with through a TeleDongle device
2706 over the radio link. When first booted, TeleMini listens for a
2707 TeleDongle device and if it receives a packet, it goes into
2708 'idle' mode. Otherwise, it goes into 'pad' mode and waits to be
2709 launched. The easiest way to get it talking is to start the
2710 communication link on the TeleDongle and the power up the
2713 To access the device's firmware for configuration you need a terminal
2714 program such as you would use to talk to a modem. The software
2715 authors prefer using the program 'cu' which comes from the UUCP package
2716 on most Unix-like systems such as Linux. An example command line for
2717 cu might be 'cu -l /dev/ttyACM0', substituting the correct number
2718 indicated from running the
2719 ao-list program. Another reasonable terminal program for Linux is
2720 'cutecom'. The default 'escape'
2721 character used by CU (i.e. the character you use to
2722 issue commands to cu itself instead of sending the command as input
2723 to the connected device) is a '~'. You will need this for use in
2724 only two different ways during normal operations. First is to exit
2725 the program by sending a '~.' which is called a 'escape-disconnect'
2726 and allows you to close-out from 'cu'. The
2727 second use will be outlined later.
2729 All of the Altus Metrum devices share the concept of a two level
2730 command set in their firmware.
2731 The first layer has several single letter commands. Once
2732 you are using 'cu' (or 'cutecom') sending (typing) a '?'
2733 returns a full list of these
2734 commands. The second level are configuration sub-commands accessed
2735 using the 'c' command, for
2736 instance typing 'c?' will give you this second level of commands
2737 (all of which require the
2738 letter 'c' to access). Please note that most configuration options
2739 are stored only in Flash memory; TeleDongle doesn't provide any storage
2740 for these options and so they'll all be lost when you unplug it.
2742 Try setting these configuration ('c' or second level menu) values. A good
2743 place to start is by setting your call sign. By default, the boards
2744 use 'N0CALL' which is cute, but not exactly legal!
2745 Spend a few minutes getting comfortable with the units, their
2746 firmware, and 'cu' (or possibly 'cutecom').
2747 For instance, try to send
2748 (type) a 'c r 2' and verify the channel change by sending a 'c s'.
2749 Verify you can connect and disconnect from the units while in your
2750 terminal program by sending the escape-disconnect mentioned above.
2752 To set the radio frequency, use the 'c R' command to specify the
2753 radio transceiver configuration parameter. This parameter is computed
2754 using the desired frequency, 'F', the radio calibration parameter, 'C' (showed by the 'c s' command) and
2755 the standard calibration reference frequency, 'S', (normally 434.550MHz):
2756 </p><pre class="programlisting">
2759 Round the result to the nearest integer value.
2760 As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
2761 change to the parameter block in the on-board flash on
2762 your altimeter board if you want the change to stay in place across reboots.
2764 To set the apogee delay, use the 'c d' command.
2765 As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
2766 change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
2768 To set the main deployment altitude, use the 'c m' command.
2769 As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
2770 change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
2772 To calibrate the radio frequency, connect the UHF antenna port to a
2773 frequency counter, set the board to 434.550MHz, and use the 'C'
2774 command to generate a CW carrier. Wait for the transmitter temperature
2775 to stabilize and the frequency to settle down.
2776 Then, divide 434.550 MHz by the
2777 measured frequency and multiply by the current radio cal value show
2778 in the 'c s' command. For an unprogrammed board, the default value
2779 is 1186611 for cc1111 based products and 7119667 for cc1120
2780 based products. Take the resulting integer and program it using the 'c f'
2781 command. Testing with the 'C' command again should show a carrier
2782 within a few tens of Hertz of the intended frequency.
2783 As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
2784 change to the configuration memory.
2786 Note that the 'reboot' command, which is very useful on the altimeters,
2787 will likely just cause problems with the dongle. The *correct* way
2788 to reset the dongle is just to unplug and re-plug it.
2790 A fun thing to do at the launch site and something you can do while
2791 learning how to use these units is to play with the radio link access
2792 between an altimeter and the TeleDongle. Be aware that you *must* create
2793 some physical separation between the devices, otherwise the link will
2794 not function due to signal overload in the receivers in each device.
2796 Now might be a good time to take a break and read the rest of this
2797 manual, particularly about the two “modes” that the altimeters
2798 can be placed in. TeleMetrum uses the position of the device when booting
2799 up will determine whether the unit is in “pad” or “idle” mode. TeleMini
2800 enters “idle” mode when it receives a command packet within the first 5 seconds
2801 of being powered up, otherwise it enters “pad” mode.
2803 You can access an altimeter in idle mode from the TeleDongle's USB
2804 connection using the radio link
2805 by issuing a 'p' command to the TeleDongle. Practice connecting and
2806 disconnecting ('~~' while using 'cu') from the altimeter. If
2807 you cannot escape out of the “p” command, (by using a '~~' when in
2808 CU) then it is likely that your kernel has issues. Try a newer version.
2810 Using this radio link allows you to configure the altimeter, test
2811 fire e-matches and igniters from the flight line, check pyro-match
2812 continuity and so forth. You can leave the unit turned on while it
2813 is in 'idle mode' and then place the
2814 rocket vertically on the launch pad, walk away and then issue a
2815 reboot command. The altimeter will reboot and start sending data
2816 having changed to the “pad” mode. If the TeleDongle is not receiving
2817 this data, you can disconnect 'cu' from the TeleDongle using the
2818 procedures mentioned above and THEN connect to the TeleDongle from
2819 inside 'ao-view'. If this doesn't work, disconnect from the
2820 TeleDongle, unplug it, and try again after plugging it back in.
2822 In order to reduce the chance of accidental firing of pyrotechnic
2823 charges, the command to fire a charge is intentionally somewhat
2824 difficult to type, and the built-in help is slightly cryptic to
2825 prevent accidental echoing of characters from the help text back at
2826 the board from firing a charge. The command to fire the apogee
2827 drogue charge is 'i DoIt drogue' and the command to fire the main
2828 charge is 'i DoIt main'.
2830 On TeleMetrum, the GPS will eventually find enough satellites, lock in on them,
2831 and 'ao-view' will both auditorily announce and visually indicate
2833 Now you can launch knowing that you have a good data path and
2834 good satellite lock for flight data and recovery. Remember
2835 you MUST tell ao-view to connect to the TeleDongle explicitly in
2836 order for ao-view to be able to receive data.
2838 The altimeters provide RDF (radio direction finding) tones on
2839 the pad, during descent and after landing. These can be used to
2840 locate the rocket using a directional antenna; the signal
2841 strength providing an indication of the direction from receiver to rocket.
2843 TeleMetrum also provides GPS tracking data, which can further simplify
2844 locating the rocket once it has landed. (The last good GPS data
2845 received before touch-down will be on the data screen of 'ao-view'.)
2847 Once you have recovered the rocket you can download the eeprom
2848 contents using either 'ao-dumplog' (or possibly 'ao-eeprom'), over
2849 either a USB cable or over the radio link using TeleDongle.
2850 And by following the man page for 'ao-postflight' you can create
2851 various data output reports, graphs, and even KML data to see the
2852 flight trajectory in Google-earth. (Moving the viewing angle making
2853 sure to connect the yellow lines while in Google-earth is the proper
2856 As for ao-view.... some things are in the menu but don't do anything
2857 very useful. The developers have stopped working on ao-view to focus
2858 on a new, cross-platform ground station program. So ao-view may or
2859 may not be updated in the future. Mostly you just use
2860 the Log and Device menus. It has a wonderful display of the incoming
2861 flight data and I am sure you will enjoy what it has to say to you
2862 once you enable the voice output!
2863 </p></div><div class="appendix"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp45230128"></a>Appendix B. Drill Templates</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45231296">1. TeleMega template</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45247984">2. TeleMetrum template</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45252368">3. TeleMini v2/EasyMini template</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45256768">4. TeleMini v1 template</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
2864 These images, when printed, provide precise templates for the
2865 mounting holes in Altus Metrum flight computers
2866 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45231296"></a>1. TeleMega template</h2></div></div></div><p>
2867 TeleMega has overall dimensions of 1.250 x 3.250 inches, and
2868 the mounting holes are sized for use with 4-40 or M3 screws.
2869 </p><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><a name="TeleMegaTemplate"></a><object type="image/svg+xml" data="telemega.svg" align="middle"></object></div></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45247984"></a>2. TeleMetrum template</h2></div></div></div><p>
2870 TeleMetrum has overall dimensions of 1.000 x 2.750 inches, and the
2871 mounting holes are sized for use with 4-40 or M3 screws.
2872 </p><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><a name="TeleMetrumTemplate"></a><object type="image/svg+xml" data="telemetrum.svg" align="middle"></object></div></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45252368"></a>3. TeleMini v2/EasyMini template</h2></div></div></div><p>
2873 TeleMini v2 and EasyMini have overall dimensions of 0.800 x 1.500 inches, and the
2874 mounting holes are sized for use with 4-40 or M3 screws.
2875 </p><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><a name="MiniTemplate"></a><object type="image/svg+xml" data="easymini.svg" align="middle"></object></div></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45256768"></a>4. TeleMini v1 template</h2></div></div></div><p>
2876 TeleMini has overall dimensions of 0.500 x 1.500 inches, and the
2877 mounting holes are sized for use with 2-56 or M2 screws.
2878 </p><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject" align="center"><a name="TeleMiniTemplate"></a><object type="image/svg+xml" data="telemini.svg" align="middle"></object></div></div></div></div><div class="appendix"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp45261280"></a>Appendix C. Calibration</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45262832">1. Radio Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp45267376">2. TeleMetrum and TeleMega Accelerometers</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
2879 There are only two calibrations required for TeleMetrum and
2880 TeleMega, and only one for TeleDongle, TeleMini and EasyMini.
2881 All boards are shipped from the factory pre-calibrated, but
2882 the procedures are documented here in case they are ever
2883 needed. Re-calibration is not supported by AltosUI, you must
2884 connect to the board with a serial terminal program and
2885 interact directly with the on-board command interpreter to
2887 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45262832"></a>1. Radio Frequency</h2></div></div></div><p>
2888 The radio frequency is synthesized from a clock based on the
2889 crystal on the board. The actual frequency of this oscillator
2890 must be measured to generate a calibration constant. While our
2892 bandwidth is wide enough to allow boards to communicate even when
2893 their oscillators are not on exactly the same frequency, performance
2894 is best when they are closely matched.
2895 Radio frequency calibration requires a calibrated frequency counter.
2896 Fortunately, once set, the variation in frequency due to aging and
2897 temperature changes is small enough that re-calibration by customers
2898 should generally not be required.
2900 To calibrate the radio frequency, connect the UHF antenna
2901 port to a frequency counter, set the board to 434.550MHz,
2902 and use the 'C' command in the on-board command interpreter
2903 to generate a CW carrier. For USB-enabled boards, this is
2904 best done over USB. For TeleMini v1, note that the only way
2905 to escape the 'C' command is via power cycle since the board
2906 will no longer be listening for commands once it starts
2907 generating a CW carrier.
2909 Wait for the transmitter temperature to stabilize and the frequency
2910 to settle down. Then, divide 434.550 MHz by the
2911 measured frequency and multiply by the current radio cal value show
2912 in the 'c s' command. For an unprogrammed board, the default value
2913 is 1186611. Take the resulting integer and program it using the 'c f'
2914 command. Testing with the 'C' command again should show a carrier
2915 within a few tens of Hertz of the intended frequency.
2916 As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
2917 change to the parameter block in the on-board storage chip.
2919 Note that any time you re-do the radio frequency calibration, the
2920 radio frequency is reset to the default 434.550 Mhz. If you want
2921 to use another frequency, you will have to set that again after
2922 calibration is completed.
2923 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45267376"></a>2. TeleMetrum and TeleMega Accelerometers</h2></div></div></div><p>
2924 While barometric sensors are factory-calibrated,
2925 accelerometers are not, and so each must be calibrated once
2926 installed in a flight computer. Explicitly calibrating the
2927 accelerometers also allows us to load any compatible device.
2928 We perform a two-point calibration using gravity.
2930 To calibrate the acceleration sensor, use the 'c a 0' command. You
2931 will be prompted to orient the board vertically with the UHF antenna
2932 up and press a key, then to orient the board vertically with the
2933 UHF antenna down and press a key. Note that the accuracy of this
2934 calibration depends primarily on how perfectly vertical and still
2935 the board is held during the cal process. As with all 'c'
2936 sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
2937 change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
2939 The +1g and -1g calibration points are included in each telemetry
2940 frame and are part of the header stored in onboard flash to be
2941 downloaded after flight. We always store and return raw ADC
2942 samples for each sensor... so nothing is permanently “lost” or
2943 “damaged” if the calibration is poor.
2945 In the unlikely event an accel cal goes badly, it is possible
2946 that TeleMetrum or TeleMega may always come up in 'pad mode'
2947 and as such not be listening to either the USB or radio link.
2948 If that happens, there is a special hook in the firmware to
2949 force the board back in to 'idle mode' so you can re-do the
2950 cal. To use this hook, you just need to ground the SPI clock
2951 pin at power-on. This pin is available as pin 2 on the 8-pin
2952 companion connector, and pin 1 is ground. So either
2953 carefully install a fine-gauge wire jumper between the two
2954 pins closest to the index hole end of the 8-pin connector, or
2955 plug in the programming cable to the 8-pin connector and use
2956 a small screwdriver or similar to short the two pins closest
2957 to the index post on the 4-pin end of the programming cable,
2958 and power up the board. It should come up in 'idle mode'
2959 (two beeps), allowing a re-cal.
2960 </p></div></div><div class="appendix"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idp45272480"></a>Appendix D. Release Notes</h1></div></div></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45273120"></a>Version 1.41</h2></div></div></div><p>
2961 Version 1.4.1 is a minor release. It fixes install issues on
2962 Windows and provides the missing TeleMetrum V2.0 firmware. There
2963 aren't any changes to the firmware or host applications at
2964 all. All Windows users will want to upgrade to get the signed
2965 driver, but Mac and Linux users who do not need the TeleMetrum
2966 V2.0 firmware image will not need to upgrade.
2968 Windows Install Fixes
2969 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2970 Provide signed Windows driver files. This should avoid any need to
2971 disable driver signature checking on Windows 7 or 8.
2972 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2973 Fix Java version detection and download. Previously, the
2974 installer would only look for Java 6 or 7 and insist on
2975 downloading its own Java bits if there was something else
2976 installed. Furthermore, the 64-bit Java link provided didn't
2977 work for anyone other than Keith, making it impossible to
2978 install AltOS on any machine with Java SE 8 installed.
2979 </p></li></ul></div><p>
2982 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2983 Include 1.4 firmware for TeleMetrum V2.0. None of the
2984 installers shipped this file. Now it's included in the AltOS
2985 packages for Linux, Mac and Windows.
2986 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
2987 Include Google Application Key for map downloading. The 1.4
2988 release didn't have this key in the released version of the
2989 software, making map downloading fail for most people.
2990 </p></li></ul></div><p>
2991 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45274720"></a>Version 1.4</h2></div></div></div><p>
2992 Version 1.4 is a major release. It includes support for our new
2993 TeleGPS product, new features and bug fixes in in the flight
2994 software for all our boards and the AltosUI ground station
2997 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
2998 Add support for TeleGPS boards.
2999 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3000 Replace the 'dit dit dit' tones at startup with the current
3001 battery voltage, measured in tenths of a volt. This lets you
3002 check the battery voltage without needing telemetry, which
3003 is especially useful on EasyMini.
3004 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3005 Change state beeping to "Farnsworth spacing", which means
3006 they're quite a bit faster than before, and so they take
3008 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3009 Make the beeper tone configurable, making it possible to
3010 distinguish between two Altus Metrum products in the same ebay.
3011 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3012 Make the firing time for extra pyro channels configurable,
3013 allowing longer (or shorter) than the default 50ms. Only relevant
3014 for TeleMega at this time.
3015 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3018 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3019 Fix bug preventing the selection of the 'Flight State After'
3020 mode in pyro configuration.
3021 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3022 Fix bug where erasing flights would reset the flight number
3023 to 2 on TeleMega and TeleMetrum v2.
3024 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3025 Fix u-Blox GPS driver to mark course and speed data as being
3027 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3029 AltosUI New Features
3030 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3031 Add zooming and new content types (terrain and road maps) to
3032 map view. Change map storage format from PNG to Jpeg, which
3033 saves a huge amount of disk space. You will need to
3034 re-download all of your pre-loaded map images.
3035 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3036 Add a distance measuring device to the maps view. Select
3037 this by using any button other than the left one, or by
3038 pressing shift or control on the keyboard while using the
3040 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3041 Add new 'Ignitor' tab to the flight monitor display for
3042 TeleMega's extra ignitors.
3043 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3044 Increase the width of data lines in the graphs to make them
3046 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3047 Add additional ignitor firing marks and voltages to the
3048 graph so you can see when the ignitors fired, along with
3049 the ignitor voltages.
3050 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3051 Add GPS course, ground speed and climb rate as optional
3053 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3056 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3057 When flashing new firmware, re-try opening the device as
3058 sometimes it takes a while for the underlying operating
3059 system to recognize that the device has rebooted in
3060 preparation for the flashing operation.
3061 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3062 Hide Tilt Angle in ascent tab for devices that don't have a gyro.
3063 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3064 Filter out speed and acceleration spikes caused by ejection
3065 charge firing when computing the maximum values. This
3066 provides a more accurate reading of those maximums.
3067 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3068 Fix EasyMini voltage displays. Early EasyMini prototypes
3069 used a 3.0V regulator, and AltosUI still used that value as
3070 the basis of the computation. Production EasyMini boards
3071 have always shipped with a 3.3V regulator. Also, purple
3072 EasyMini boards sensed the battery voltage past the blocking
3073 diode, resulting in a drop of about 150mV from the true
3074 battery voltage. Compensate for that when displaying the
3076 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3077 Display error message when trying to configure maximum
3078 flight log size while the flight computer still has flight
3080 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3081 Handle TeleMetrum and TeleMini eeprom files generated with
3082 pre-1.0 firmware. Those ancient versions didn't report the
3083 log format, so just use the product name instead.
3084 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3087 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3088 New application designed for use with TeleGPS boards.
3089 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3090 Shares code with AltosUI, mostly just trimmed down to focus
3091 on TeleGPS-related functions.
3092 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3094 Documentation changes
3095 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3096 Re-create the drill template images; they should print
3097 correctly from Firefox at least. Ship these as individual
3098 PDF files so they're easy to print.
3099 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3100 Add a description of the 'Apogee Lockout' setting, which
3101 prevents the apogee charge from firing for a configurable
3102 amount of time after boost.
3103 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3104 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45276320"></a>Version 1.3.2</h2></div></div></div><p>
3105 Version 1.3.2 is a minor release. It includes small bug fixes for
3106 the TeleMega flight software and AltosUI ground station
3108 AltOS Firmware Changes
3109 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3110 On TeleMega, limit number of logged GPS status information
3111 to 12 satellites. That's all there is room for in the log
3113 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3114 Improve APRS behavior. Remembers last known GPS position and
3115 keeps sending that if we lose GPS lock. Marks
3116 locked/unlocked by sending L/U in the APRS comment field
3117 along with the number of sats in view and voltages.
3118 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3121 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3122 If the TeleMega flight firmware reports that it has logged
3123 information about more than 12 satellites, don't believe it
3124 as the log only holds 12 satellite records.
3125 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3126 Track the maximum height as computed from GPS altitude
3127 data and report that in the flight summary data.
3128 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3129 Use letters (A, B, C, D) for alternate pyro channel names
3130 instead of numbers (0, 1, 2, 3) in the Fire Igniter dialog.
3131 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3132 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45277824"></a>Version 1.3.1</h2></div></div></div><p>
3133 Version 1.3.1 is a minor release. It improves support for TeleMega,
3134 TeleMetrum v2.0, TeleMini v2.0 and EasyMini.
3136 AltOS Firmware Changes
3137 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3138 Improve sensor boot code. If sensors fail to self-test, the
3139 device will still boot up and check for pad/idle modes. If
3140 in idle mode, the device will warn the user with a distinct
3141 beep, if in Pad mode, the unit will operate as best it
3142 can. Also, the Z-axis accelerometer now uses the factory
3143 calibration values instead of re-calibrating on the pad each
3144 time. This avoids accidental boost detect when moving the
3145 device around while in Pad mode.
3146 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3147 Fix antenna-down mode accelerometer configuration. Antenna
3148 down mode wasn't working because the accelerometer
3149 calibration values were getting re-computed incorrectly in
3151 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3152 Improved APRS mode. Now uses compressed position format for
3153 smaller data size, improved precision and to include
3154 altitude data as well as latitude and longitude. Also added
3155 battery and pyro voltage reports in the APRS comment field
3156 so you can confirm that the unit is ready for launch.
3157 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3160 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3161 Display additional TeleMega sensor values in real
3162 units. Make all of these values available for
3163 plotting. Display TeleMega orientation value in the Ascent
3165 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3166 Support additional TeleMega pyro channels in the Fire
3167 Igniter dialog. This lets you do remote testing of all of
3168 the channels, rather than just Apogee and Main.
3169 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3170 Limit data rate when downloading satellite images from
3171 Google to make sure we stay within their limits so that all
3172 of the map tiles download successfully.
3173 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3174 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45279328"></a>Version 1.3</h2></div></div></div><p>
3175 Version 1.3 is a major release. It adds support for TeleMega,
3176 TeleMetrum v2.0, TeleMini v2.0 and EasyMini.
3178 AltOS Firmware Changes
3179 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3180 Add STM32L processor support. This includes enhancements to
3181 the scheduler to support products with many threads.
3182 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3183 Add NXP LPC11U14 processor support.
3184 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3185 Support additional pyro channels. These are configurable
3186 through the UI to handle air starts, staging, additional
3187 recovery events and external devices such as cameras.
3188 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3189 Add 3-axis gyro support for orientation tracking. This
3190 integrates the gyros to compute the angle from vertical during
3191 flight, allowing the additional pyro events to be controlled
3193 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3194 Many more device drivers, including u-Blox Max 7Q GPS,
3195 Freescale MMA6555 digital single-axis accelerometer,
3196 Invensense MPU6000 3-axis accelerometer + 3 axis gyro,
3197 Honeywell HMC5883 3-axis magnetic sensor and the TI CC1120 and
3198 CC115L digital FM transceivers
3199 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3202 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3203 Support TeleMega, TeleMetrum v2.0, TeleMini v2.0 and EasyMini telemetry and log formats.
3204 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3205 Use preferred units for main deployment height configuration,
3206 instead of always doing configuration in meters.
3207 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3209 MicroPeak UI changes
3210 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3211 Add 'Download' button to menu bar.
3212 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3213 Save the last log directory and offer that as the default for new downloads
3214 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3215 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45280832"></a>Version 1.2.1</h2></div></div></div><p>
3216 Version 1.2.1 is a minor release. It adds support for TeleBT and
3217 the AltosDroid application, provides several new features in
3218 AltosUI and fixes some bugs in the AltOS firmware.
3220 AltOS Firmware Changes
3221 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3222 Add support for TeleBT
3223 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3224 In TeleMini recovery mode (when booted with the outer two
3225 debug pins connected together), the radio parameters are also
3226 set back to defaults (434.550MHz, N0CALL, factory radio cal).
3227 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3228 Add support for reflashing the SkyTraq GPS chips. This
3229 requires special host-side code which currently only exists
3231 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3232 Correct Kalman filter model error covariance matrix. The
3233 values used previously assumed continuous measurements instead
3234 of discrete measurements.
3235 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3236 Fix some bugs in the USB driver for TeleMetrum and TeleDongle
3237 that affected Windows users.
3238 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3239 Adjusted the automatic gain control parameters that affect
3240 receive performance for TeleDongle. Field tests indicate that this
3241 may improve receive performance somewhat.
3242 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3245 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3246 Handle missing GPS lock in 'Descent' tab. Previously, if the
3247 GPS position of the pad was unknown, an exception would be
3248 raised, breaking the Descent tab contents.
3249 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3250 Improve the graph, adding tool-tips to show values near the
3251 cursor and making the displayed set of values configurable,
3252 adding all of the flight data as options while leaving the
3253 default settings alone so that the graph starts by showing
3254 height, speed and acceleration.
3255 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3256 Make the initial position of the AltosUI top level window
3257 configurable. Along with this change, the other windows will
3258 pop up at 'sensible' places now, instead of on top of one
3260 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3261 Add callsign to Monitor idle window and connecting
3262 dialogs. This makes it clear which callsign is being used so
3263 that the operator will be aware that it must match the flight
3264 computer value or no communication will work.
3265 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3266 When downloading flight data, display the block number so that
3267 the user has some sense of progress. Unfortunately, we don't
3268 know how many blocks will need to be downloaded, but at least
3269 it isn't just sitting there doing nothing for a long time.
3270 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3271 Add GPS data and a map to the graph window. This lets you see
3272 a complete summary of the flight without needing to 'replay'
3274 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3275 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45282336"></a>Version 1.2</h2></div></div></div><p>
3276 Version 1.2 is a major release. It adds support for MicroPeak and
3277 the MicroPeak USB adapter.
3279 AltOS Firmware Changes
3280 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3281 Add MicroPeak support. This includes support for the ATtiny85
3282 processor and adaptations to the core code to allow for
3283 devices too small to run the multi-tasking scheduler.
3284 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3286 MicroPeak UI changes
3287 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3288 Added this new application
3289 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3291 Distribution Changes
3292 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3293 Distribute Mac OS X packages in disk image ('.dmg') format to
3294 greatly simplify installation.
3295 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3296 Provide version numbers for the shared Java libraries to
3297 ensure that upgrades work properly, and to allow for multiple
3298 Altus Metrum software packages to be installed in the same
3299 directory at the same time.
3300 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3301 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45283840"></a>Version 1.1.1</h2></div></div></div><p>
3302 Version 1.1.1 is a bug-fix release. It fixes a couple of bugs in
3303 AltosUI and one firmware bug that affects TeleMetrum version 1.0
3304 boards. Thanks to Bob Brown for help diagnosing the Google Earth
3305 file export issue, and for suggesting the addition of the Ground
3306 Distance value in the Descent tab.
3308 AltOS Firmware Changes
3309 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3310 TeleMetrum v1.0 boards use the AT45DB081D flash memory part to
3311 store flight data, which is different from later TeleMetrum
3312 boards. The AltOS v1.1 driver for this chip couldn't erase
3313 memory, leaving it impossible to delete flight data or update
3314 configuration values. This bug doesn't affect newer TeleMetrum
3315 boards, and it doesn't affect the safety of rockets flying
3316 version 1.1 firmware.
3317 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3320 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3321 Creating a Google Earth file (KML) from on-board flight data
3322 (EEPROM) would generate an empty file. The code responsible
3323 for reading the EEPROM file wasn't ever setting the GPS valid
3324 bits, and so the KML export code thought there was no GPS data
3326 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3327 The “Landed” tab was displaying all values in metric units,
3328 even when AltosUI was configured to display imperial
3329 units. Somehow I just missed this tab when doing the units stuff.
3330 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3331 The “Descent” tab displays the range to the rocket, which is a
3332 combination of the over-the-ground distance to the rockets
3333 current latitude/longitude and the height of the rocket. As
3334 such, it's useful for knowing how far away the rocket is, but
3335 difficult to use when estimating where the rocket might
3336 eventually land. A new “Ground Distance” field has been added
3337 which displays the distance to a spot right underneath the
3339 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3340 Sensor data wasn't being displayed for TeleMini flight
3341 computers in Monitor Idle mode, including things like battery
3342 voltage. The code that picked which kinds of data to fetch
3343 from the flight computer was missing a check for TeleMini when
3344 deciding whether to fetch the analog sensor data.
3345 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3346 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45285344"></a>Version 1.1</h2></div></div></div><p>
3347 Version 1.1 is a minor release. It provides a few new features in AltosUI
3348 and the AltOS firmware and fixes bugs.
3350 AltOS Firmware Changes
3351 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3352 Add apogee-lockout value. Overrides the apogee detection logic to
3353 prevent incorrect apogee charge firing.
3354 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3355 Fix a bug where the data reported in telemetry packets was
3357 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3358 Force the radio frequency to 434.550MHz when the debug clock
3359 pin is connected to ground at boot time. This provides a way
3360 to talk to a TeleMini which is configured to some unknown frequency.
3361 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3362 Provide RSSI values for Monitor Idle mode. This makes it easy to check radio
3363 range without needing to go to flight mode.
3364 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3365 Fix a bug which caused the old received telemetry packets to
3366 be retransmitted over the USB link when the radio was turned
3368 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3371 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3372 Fix a bug that caused GPS ready to happen too quickly. The
3373 software was using every telemetry packet to signal new GPS
3374 data, which caused GPS ready to be signalled after 10 packets
3375 instead of 10 GPS updates.
3376 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3377 Fix Google Earth data export to work with recent versions. The
3378 google earth file loading code got a lot pickier, requiring
3379 some minor white space changes in the export code.
3380 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3381 Make the look-n-feel configurable, providing a choice from
3382 the available options.
3383 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3384 Add an 'Age' element to mark how long since a telemetry packet
3385 has been received. Useful to quickly gauge whether
3386 communications with the rocket are still active.
3387 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3388 Add 'Configure Ground Station' dialog to set the radio
3389 frequency used by a particular TeleDongle without having to go
3390 through the flight monitor UI.
3391 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3392 Add configuration for the new apogee-lockout value. A menu provides a list of
3393 reasonable values, or the value can be set by hand.
3394 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3395 Changed how flight data are downloaded. Now there's an initial
3396 dialog asking which flights to download, and after that
3397 finishes, a second dialog comes up asking which flights to delete.
3398 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3399 Re-compute time spent in each state for the flight graph; this
3400 figures out the actual boost and landing times instead of
3401 using the conservative values provide by the flight
3402 electronics. This improves the accuracy of the boost
3403 acceleration and main descent rate computations.
3404 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3405 Make AltosUI run on Mac OS Lion. The default Java heap space
3406 was dramatically reduced for this release causing much of the
3407 UI to fail randomly. This most often affected the satellite
3408 mapping download and displays.
3409 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3410 Change how data are displayed in the 'table' tab of the flight
3411 monitoring window. This eliminates entries duplicated from the
3412 header and adds both current altitude and pad altitude, which
3413 are useful in 'Monitor Idle' mode.
3414 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3415 Add Imperial units mode to present data in feet instead of
3417 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3418 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45286848"></a>Version 1.0.1</h2></div></div></div><p>
3419 Version 1.0.1 is a major release, adding support for the TeleMini
3420 device and lots of new AltosUI features
3422 AltOS Firmware Changes
3423 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3424 Add TeleMini v1.0 support. Firmware images for TeleMini are
3425 included in AltOS releases.
3426 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3427 Change telemetry to be encoded in multiple 32-byte packets. This
3428 enables support for TeleMini and other devices without requiring
3429 further updates to the TeleDongle firmware.
3430 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3431 Support operation of TeleMetrum with the antenna pointing
3432 aft. Previous firmware versions required the antenna to be
3433 pointing upwards, now there is a configuration option allowing
3434 the antenna to point aft, to aid installation in some airframes.
3435 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3436 Ability to disable telemetry. For airframes where an antenna
3437 just isn't possible, or where radio transmissions might cause
3438 trouble with other electronics, there's a configuration option
3439 to disable all telemetry. Note that the board will still
3440 enable the radio link in idle mode.
3441 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3442 Arbitrary frequency selection. The radios in Altus Metrum
3443 devices can be programmed to a wide range of frequencies, so
3444 instead of limiting devices to 10 pre-selected 'channels', the
3445 new firmware allows the user to choose any frequency in the
3446 70cm band. Note that the RF matching circuit on the boards is
3447 tuned for around 435MHz, so frequencies far from that may
3448 reduce the available range.
3449 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3450 Kalman-filter based flight-tracking. The model based sensor
3451 fusion approach of a Kalman filter means that AltOS now
3452 computes apogee much more accurately than before, generally
3453 within a fraction of a second. In addition, this approach
3454 allows the baro-only TeleMini device to correctly identify
3455 Mach transitions, avoiding the error-prone selection of a Mach
3457 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3460 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3461 Wait for altimeter when using packet mode. Instead of quicly
3462 timing out when trying to initialize a packet mode
3463 configuration connection, AltosUI now waits indefinitely for
3464 the remote device to appear, providing a cancel button should
3465 the user get bored. This is necessary as the TeleMini can only
3466 be placed in "Idle" mode if AltosUI is polling it.
3467 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3468 Add main/apogee voltage graphs to the data plot. This provides
3469 a visual indication if the igniters fail before being fired.
3470 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3471 Scan for altimeter devices by watching the defined telemetry
3472 frequencies. This avoids the problem of remembering what
3473 frequency a device was configured to use, which is especially
3474 important with TeleMini which does not include a USB connection.
3475 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3476 Monitor altimeter state in "Idle" mode. This provides much of
3477 the information presented in the "Pad" dialog from the Monitor
3478 Flight command, monitoring the igniters, battery and GPS
3479 status withing requiring the flight computer to be armed and
3481 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3482 Pre-load map images from home. For those launch sites which
3483 don't provide free Wi-Fi, this allows you to download the
3484 necessary satellite images given the location of the launch
3485 site. A list of known launch sites is maintained at
3486 altusmetrum.org which AltosUI downloads to populate a menu; if
3487 you've got a launch site not on that list, please send the
3488 name of it, latitude and longitude along with a link to the
3489 web site of the controlling club to the altusmetrum mailing list.
3490 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3491 Flight statistics are now displayed in the Graph data
3492 window. These include max height/speed/accel, average descent
3493 rates and a few other bits of information. The Graph Data
3494 window can now be reached from the 'Landed' tab in the Monitor
3495 Flight window so you can immediately see the results of a
3497 </p></li></ul></div><p>
3498 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45288352"></a>Version 0.9.2</h2></div></div></div><p>
3499 Version 0.9.2 is an AltosUI bug-fix release, with no firmware changes.
3500 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3501 Fix plotting problems due to missing file in the Mac OS install image.
3502 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3503 Always read whole eeprom blocks, mark empty records invalid, display parsing errors to user.
3504 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3505 Add software version to Configure AltosUI dialog
3506 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45289856"></a>Version 0.9</h2></div></div></div><p>
3507 Version 0.9 adds a few new firmware features and accompanying
3508 AltosUI changes, along with new hardware support.
3509 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3510 Support for TeleMetrum v1.1 hardware. Sources for the flash
3511 memory part used in v1.0 dried up, so v1.1 uses a different part
3512 which required a new driver and support for explicit flight log
3514 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3515 Multiple flight log support. This stores more than one flight
3516 log in the on-board flash memory. It also requires the user to
3517 explicitly erase flights so that you won't lose flight logs just
3518 because you fly the same board twice in one day.
3519 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3520 Telemetry support for devices with serial number >=
3521 256. Previous versions used a telemetry packet format that
3522 provided only 8 bits for the device serial number. This change
3523 requires that both ends of the telemetry link be running the 0.9
3524 firmware or they will not communicate.
3525 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45291360"></a>Version 0.8</h2></div></div></div><p>
3526 Version 0.8 offers a major upgrade in the AltosUI
3527 interface. Significant new features include:
3528 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3529 Post-flight graphing tool. This lets you explore the behaviour
3530 of your rocket after flight with a scroll-able and zoom-able
3531 chart showing the altitude, speed and acceleration of the
3532 airframe along with events recorded by the flight computer. You
3533 can export graphs to PNG files, or print them directly.
3534 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3535 Real-time moving map which overlays the in-progress flight on
3536 satellite imagery fetched from Google Maps. This lets you see in
3537 pictures where your rocket has landed, allowing you to plan
3538 recovery activities more accurately.
3539 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3540 Wireless recovery system testing. Prep your rocket for flight
3541 and test fire the deployment charges to make sure things work as
3542 expected. All without threading wires through holes in your
3544 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3545 Optimized flight status displays. Each flight state now has it's
3546 own custom 'tab' in the flight monitoring window so you can
3547 focus on the most important details. Pre-flight, the system
3548 shows a set of red/green status indicators for battery voltage,
3549 apogee/main igniter continutity and GPS reception. Wait until
3550 they're all green and your rocket is ready for flight. There are
3551 also tabs for ascent, descent and landing along with the
3552 original tabular view of the data.
3553 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3554 Monitor multiple flights simultaneously. If you have more than
3555 one TeleDongle, you can monitor a flight with each one on the
3557 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3558 Automatic flight monitoring at startup. Plug TeleDongle into the
3559 machine before starting AltosUI and it will automatically
3560 connect to it and prepare to monitor a flight.
3561 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3562 Exports Google Earth flight tracks. Using the Keyhole Markup
3563 Language (.kml) file format, this provides a 3D view of your
3564 rocket flight through the Google Earth program.
3565 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp45292864"></a>Version 0.7.1</h2></div></div></div><p>
3566 Version 0.7.1 is the first release containing our new cross-platform Java-based user interface. AltosUI can:
3567 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
3568 Receive and log telemetry from a connected TeleDongle
3569 device. All data received is saved to log files named with the
3570 current date and the connected rocket serial and flight
3571 numbers. There is no mode in which telemetry data will not be
3573 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3574 Download logged data from TeleMetrum devices, either through a
3575 direct USB connection or over the air through a TeleDongle
3577 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3578 Configure a TeleMetrum device, setting the radio channel,
3579 callsign, apogee delay and main deploy height. This can be done
3580 through either a USB connection or over a radio link via a
3582 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3583 Replay a flight in real-time. This takes a saved telemetry log
3584 or eeprom download and replays it through the user interface so
3585 you can relive your favorite rocket flights.
3586 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3587 Reprogram Altus Metrum devices. Using an Altus Metrum device
3588 connected via USB, another Altus Metrum device can be
3589 reprogrammed using the supplied programming cable between the
3591 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3592 Export Flight data to a comma-separated-values file. This takes
3593 either telemetry or on-board flight data and generates data
3594 suitable for use in external applications. All data is exported
3595 using standard units so that no device-specific knowledge is
3596 needed to handle the data.
3597 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
3598 Speak to you during the flight. Instead of spending the flight
3599 hunched over your laptop looking at the screen, enjoy the view
3600 while the computer tells you what’s going on up there. During
3601 ascent, you hear the current flight state and altitude
3602 information. During descent, you get azimuth, elevation and
3603 range information to try and help you find your rocket in the
3604 air. Once on the ground, the direction and distance are
3606 </p></li></ul></div></div></div></div></body></html>
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