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 V1.76.1"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="book" title="The Altus Metrum System"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idm14876008"></a>The Altus Metrum System</h1></div><div><h2 class="subtitle">An Owner's Manual for TeleMetrum, TeleMini and TeleDongle Devices</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 © 2012 Bdale Garbee and Keith Packard</p></div><div><div class="legalnotice" title="Legal Notice"><a name="idp127112"></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 border="1" width="100%" summary="Revision history"><tr><th align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><b>Revision History</b></th></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.1.1</td><td align="left">16 September 2012</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
8 Updated for software version 1.1.1 Version 1.1.1 fixes a few
9 bugs found in version 1.1.
10 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.1</td><td align="left">13 September 2012</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
11 Updated for software version 1.1. Version 1.1 has new
12 features but is otherwise compatible with version 1.0.
13 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.0</td><td align="left">24 August 2011</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
14 Updated for software version 1.0. Note that 1.0 represents a
15 telemetry format change, meaning both ends of a link
16 (TeleMetrum/TeleMini and TeleDongle) must be updated or
17 communications will fail.
18 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 0.9</td><td align="left">18 January 2011</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
19 Updated for software version 0.9. Note that 0.9 represents a
20 telemetry format change, meaning both ends of a link (TeleMetrum and
21 TeleDongle) must be updated or communications will fail.
22 </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="acknowledgements" title="Acknowledgements"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="idp98856"></a>Acknowledgements</h2></div></div></div>
24 Thanks to Bob Finch, W9YA, NAR 12965, TRA 12350 for writing "The
25 Mere-Mortals Quick Start/Usage Guide to the Altus Metrum Starter
26 Kit" which formed the basis of the original Getting Started chapter
27 in this manual. Bob was one of our first customers for a production
28 TeleMetrum, and his continued enthusiasm and contributions
29 are immensely gratifying and highly appreciated!
32 And thanks to Anthony (AJ) Towns for major contributions including
33 the AltosUI graphing and site map code and associated documentation.
34 Free software means that our customers and friends can become our
35 collaborators, and we certainly appreciate this level of
39 Have fun using these products, and we hope to meet all of you
40 out on the rocket flight line somewhere.
41 </p><div class="literallayout"><p><br>
42 Bdale Garbee, KB0G<br>
43 NAR #87103, TRA #12201<br>
45 Keith Packard, KD7SQG<br>
46 NAR #88757, TRA #12200<br>
49 </div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp100944">1. Introduction and Overview</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp765272">2. Getting Started</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp2464288">3. Handling Precautions</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp2424088">4. Hardware Overview</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp2180232">5. System Operation</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1125224">1. Firmware Modes </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2147600">2. GPS </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2942696">3. Controlling An Altimeter Over The Radio Link</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2301664">4. Ground Testing </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2250232">5. Radio Link </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2942904">6. Configurable Parameters</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3488592">6.1. Radio Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp951896">6.2. Apogee Delay</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2731600">6.3. Main Deployment Altitude</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3129392">6.4. Maximum Flight Log</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2670464">6.5. Ignite Mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2903736">6.6. Pad Orientation</a></span></dt></dl></dd></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp3111552">6. AltosUI</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1977952">1. Monitor Flight</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2190152">1.1. Launch Pad</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp984840">1.2. Ascent</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2815128">1.3. Descent</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1778752">1.4. Landed</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2529176">1.5. Site Map</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1702472">2. Save Flight Data</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1611424">3. Replay Flight</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2095720">4. Graph Data</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1776584">5. Export Data</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2325688">5.1. Comma Separated Value Format</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2607232">5.2. Keyhole Markup Language (for Google Earth)</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2903528">6. Configure Altimeter</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2459720">6.1. Main Deploy Altitude</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1773368">6.2. Apogee Delay</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3135080">6.3. Radio Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2214616">6.4. Radio Calibration</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2100744">6.5. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3049840">6.6. Maximum Flight Log Size</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2695760">6.7. Ignite Mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2751336">6.8. Pad Orientation</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2353688">7. Configure AltosUI</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3404600">7.1. Voice Settings</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2310768">7.2. Log Directory</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1596232">7.3. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2062808">7.4. Imperial Units</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2195968">7.5. Font Size</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1445032">7.6. Serial Debug</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2086440">7.7. Manage Frequencies</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2372272">8. Configure Groundstation</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2225688">8.1. Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1993736">8.2. Radio Calibration</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3457272">9. Flash Image</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3527432">10. Fire Igniter</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3529536">11. Scan Channels</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3530440">12. Load Maps</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3532568">13. Monitor Idle</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp3533440">7. Using Altus Metrum Products</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3533760">1. Being Legal</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3534720">2. In the Rocket</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3536872">3. On the Ground</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3543680">4. Data Analysis</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3545432">5. Future Plans</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp3547472">8. Altimeter Installation Recommendations</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3548456">1. Mounting the Altimeter</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3550792">2. Dealing with the Antenna</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3554776">3. Preserving GPS Reception</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3557160">4. Radio Frequency Interference</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3561200">5. The Barometric Sensor</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3563040">6. Ground Testing</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp3565176">9. Updating Device Firmware</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3567176">1. Updating TeleMetrum Firmware</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3572480">2. Updating TeleMini Firmware</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3578376">3. Updating TeleDongle Firmware</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp3585824">10. Hardware Specifications</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3586144">1. TeleMetrum Specifications</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3591872">2. TeleMini Specifications</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idp3596696">11. FAQ</a></span></dt><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#idp3600440">A. Notes for Older Software</a></span></dt><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#idp3616576">B. Calibration</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3617552">1. Radio Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3620872">2. TeleMetrum Accelerometer</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#idp3624920">C. Release Notes</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="idp100944"></a>Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview</h2></div></div></div><p>
50 Welcome to the Altus Metrum community! Our circuits and software reflect
51 our passion for both hobby rocketry and Free Software. We hope their
52 capabilities and performance will delight you in every way, but by
53 releasing all of our hardware and software designs under open licenses,
54 we also hope to empower you to take as active a role in our collective
57 The first device created for our community was TeleMetrum, a dual
58 deploy altimeter with fully integrated GPS and radio telemetry
59 as standard features, and a "companion interface" that will
60 support optional capabilities in the future.
62 The newest device is TeleMini, a dual deploy altimeter with
63 radio telemetry and radio direction finding. This device is only
64 13mm by 38mm (½ inch by 1½ inches) and can fit easily in an 18mm
67 Complementing TeleMetrum and TeleMini is TeleDongle, a USB to RF
68 interface for communicating with the altimeters. Combined with your
70 notebook computer, TeleDongle and our associated user interface software
71 form a complete ground station capable of logging and displaying in-flight
72 telemetry, aiding rocket recovery, then processing and archiving flight
73 data for analysis and review.
75 More products will be added to the Altus Metrum family over time, and
76 we currently envision that this will be a single, comprehensive manual
77 for the entire product family.
78 </p></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 2. Getting Started"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="idp765272"></a>Chapter 2. Getting Started</h2></div></div></div><p>
79 The first thing to do after you check the inventory of parts in your
80 "starter kit" is to charge the battery.
82 The TeleMetrum battery can be charged by plugging it into the
83 corresponding socket of the TeleMetrum and then using the USB A to
85 cable to plug the TeleMetrum into your computer's USB socket. The
86 TeleMetrum circuitry will charge the battery whenever it is plugged
87 in, because the TeleMetrum's on-off switch does NOT control the
90 When the GPS chip is initially searching for
91 satellites, TeleMetrum will consume more current than it can pull
92 from the USB port, so the battery must be attached in order to get
93 satellite lock. Once GPS is locked, the current consumption goes back
94 down enough to enable charging while
95 running. So it's a good idea to fully charge the battery as your
96 first item of business so there is no issue getting and maintaining
97 satellite lock. The yellow charge indicator led will go out when the
98 battery is nearly full and the charger goes to trickle charge. It
99 can take several hours to fully recharge a deeply discharged battery.
101 The TeleMini battery can be charged by disconnecting it from the
102 TeleMini board and plugging it into a standalone battery charger
103 board, and connecting that via a USB cable to a laptop or other USB
106 The other active device in the starter kit is the TeleDongle USB to
107 RF interface. If you plug it in to your Mac or Linux computer it should
108 "just work", showing up as a serial port device. Windows systems need
109 driver information that is part of the AltOS download to know that the
110 existing USB modem driver will work. We therefore recommend installing
111 our software before plugging in TeleDongle if you are using a Windows
112 computer. If you are using Linux and are having problems, try moving
113 to a fresher kernel (2.6.33 or newer), as the USB serial driver had
114 ugly bugs in some earlier versions.
116 Next you should obtain and install the AltOS software. These include
117 the AltosUI ground station program, current firmware images for
118 TeleMetrum, TeleMini and TeleDongle, and a number of standalone
119 utilities that are rarely needed. Pre-built binary packages are
120 available for Linux, Microsoft Windows, and recent MacOSX versions.
121 Full source code and build instructions are also available.
122 The latest version may always be downloaded from
123 <a class="ulink" href="http://altusmetrum.org/AltOS" target="_top">http://altusmetrum.org/AltOS</a>.
124 </p></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 3. Handling Precautions"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="idp2464288"></a>Chapter 3. Handling Precautions</h2></div></div></div><p>
125 All Altus Metrum products are sophisticated electronic devices.
126 When handled gently and properly installed in an air-frame, they
127 will deliver impressive results. However, as with all electronic
128 devices, there are some precautions you must take.
130 The Lithium Polymer rechargeable batteries have an
131 extraordinary power density. This is great because we can fly with
132 much less battery mass than if we used alkaline batteries or previous
133 generation rechargeable batteries... but if they are punctured
134 or their leads are allowed to short, they can and will release their
136 Thus we recommend that you take some care when handling our batteries
137 and consider giving them some extra protection in your air-frame. We
138 often wrap them in suitable scraps of closed-cell packing foam before
139 strapping them down, for example.
141 The barometric sensors used on both TeleMetrum and TeleMini are
142 sensitive to sunlight. In normal TeleMetrum mounting situations, it
143 and all of the other surface mount components
144 are "down" towards whatever the underlying mounting surface is, so
145 this is not normally a problem. Please consider this, though, when
146 designing an installation, for example, in an air-frame with a
147 see-through plastic payload bay. It is particularly important to
148 consider this with TeleMini, both because the baro sensor is on the
149 "top" of the board, and because many model rockets with payload bays
150 use clear plastic for the payload bay! Replacing these with an opaque
151 cardboard tube, painting them, or wrapping them with a layer of masking
152 tape are all reasonable approaches to keep the sensor out of direct
155 The barometric sensor sampling port must be able to "breathe",
156 both by not being covered by foam or tape or other materials that might
157 directly block the hole on the top of the sensor, and also by having a
158 suitable static vent to outside air.
160 As with all other rocketry electronics, Altus Metrum altimeters must
161 be protected from exposure to corrosive motor exhaust and ejection
163 </p></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 4. Hardware Overview"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="idp2424088"></a>Chapter 4. Hardware Overview</h2></div></div></div><p>
164 TeleMetrum is a 1 inch by 2.75 inch circuit board. It was designed to
165 fit inside coupler for 29mm air-frame tubing, but using it in a tube that
166 small in diameter may require some creativity in mounting and wiring
167 to succeed! The presence of an accelerometer means TeleMetrum should
168 be aligned along the flight axis of the airframe, and by default the 1/4
169 wave UHF wire antenna should be on the nose-cone end of the board. The
170 antenna wire is about 7 inches long, and wiring for a power switch and
171 the e-matches for apogee and main ejection charges depart from the
172 fin can end of the board, meaning an ideal "simple" avionics
173 bay for TeleMetrum should have at least 10 inches of interior length.
175 TeleMini is a 0.5 inch by 1.5 inch circuit board. It was designed to
176 fit inside an 18mm air-frame tube, but using it in a tube that
177 small in diameter may require some creativity in mounting and wiring
178 to succeed! Since there is no accelerometer, TeleMini can be mounted
179 in any convenient orientation. The default 1/4
180 wave UHF wire antenna attached to the center of one end of
181 the board is about 7 inches long, and wiring for a power switch and
182 the e-matches for apogee and main ejection charges depart from the
183 other end of the board, meaning an ideal "simple" avionics
184 bay for TeleMini should have at least 9 inches of interior length.
186 A typical TeleMetrum or TeleMini installation involves attaching
187 only a suitable Lithium Polymer battery, a single pole switch for
188 power on/off, and two pairs of wires connecting e-matches for the
189 apogee and main ejection charges. All Altus Metrum products are
190 designed for use with single-cell batteries with 3.7 volts nominal.
192 By default, we use the unregulated output of the Li-Po battery directly
193 to fire ejection charges. This works marvelously with standard
194 low-current e-matches like the J-Tek from MJG Technologies, and with
195 Quest Q2G2 igniters. However, if you want or need to use a separate
196 pyro battery, check out the "External Pyro Battery" section in this
197 manual for instructions on how to wire that up. The altimeters are
198 designed to work with an external pyro battery of no more than 15 volts.
200 Ejection charges are wired directly to the screw terminal block
201 at the aft end of the altimeter. You'll need a very small straight
202 blade screwdriver for these screws, such as you might find in a
203 jeweler's screwdriver set.
205 TeleMetrum also uses the screw terminal block for the power
206 switch leads. On TeleMini, the power switch leads are soldered
207 directly to the board and can be connected directly to a switch.
209 For most air-frames, the integrated antennas are more than
210 adequate. However, if you are installing in a carbon-fiber or
211 metal electronics bay which is opaque to RF signals, you may need to
212 use off-board external antennas instead. In this case, you can
213 order an altimeter with an SMA connector for the UHF antenna
214 connection, and, on TeleMetrum, you can unplug the integrated GPS
215 antenna and select an appropriate off-board GPS antenna with
216 cable terminating in a U.FL connector.
217 </p></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 5. System Operation"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="idp2180232"></a>Chapter 5. System Operation</h2></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1125224">1. Firmware Modes </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2147600">2. GPS </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2942696">3. Controlling An Altimeter Over The Radio Link</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2301664">4. Ground Testing </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2250232">5. Radio Link </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2942904">6. Configurable Parameters</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3488592">6.1. Radio Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp951896">6.2. Apogee Delay</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2731600">6.3. Main Deployment Altitude</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3129392">6.4. Maximum Flight Log</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2670464">6.5. Ignite Mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2903736">6.6. Pad Orientation</a></span></dt></dl></dd></dl></div><div class="section" title="1. Firmware Modes"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp1125224"></a>1. Firmware Modes </h2></div></div></div><p>
218 The AltOS firmware build for the altimeters has two
219 fundamental modes, "idle" and "flight". Which of these modes
220 the firmware operates in is determined at start up time. For
221 TeleMetrum, the mode is controlled by the orientation of the
222 rocket (well, actually the board, of course...) at the time
223 power is switched on. If the rocket is "nose up", then
224 TeleMetrum assumes it's on a rail or rod being prepared for
225 launch, so the firmware chooses flight mode. However, if the
226 rocket is more or less horizontal, the firmware instead enters
227 idle mode. Since TeleMini doesn't have an accelerometer we can
228 use to determine orientation, "idle" mode is selected when the
229 board receives a command packet within the first five seconds
230 of operation; if no packet is received, the board enters
233 At power on, you will hear three beeps or see three flashes
234 ("S" in Morse code for start up) and then a pause while
235 the altimeter completes initialization and self test, and decides
236 which mode to enter next.
238 In flight or "pad" mode, the altimeter engages the flight
239 state machine, goes into transmit-only mode to
240 send telemetry, and waits for launch to be detected.
241 Flight mode is indicated by an "di-dah-dah-dit" ("P" for pad)
242 on the beeper or lights, followed by beeps or flashes
243 indicating the state of the pyrotechnic igniter continuity.
244 One beep/flash indicates apogee continuity, two beeps/flashes
245 indicate main continuity, three beeps/flashes indicate both
246 apogee and main continuity, and one longer "brap" sound or
247 rapidly alternating lights indicates no continuity. For a
248 dual deploy flight, make sure you're getting three beeps or
249 flashes before launching! For apogee-only or motor eject
250 flights, do what makes sense.
252 If idle mode is entered, you will hear an audible "di-dit" or see
253 two short flashes ("I" for idle), and the flight state machine is
254 disengaged, thus no ejection charges will fire. The altimeters also
255 listen for the radio link when in idle mode for requests sent via
256 TeleDongle. Commands can be issued to a TeleMetrum in idle mode
258 USB or the radio link equivalently. TeleMini only has the radio link.
259 Idle mode is useful for configuring the altimeter, for extracting data
260 from the on-board storage chip after flight, and for ground testing
263 One "neat trick" of particular value when TeleMetrum is used with
264 very large air-frames, is that you can power the board up while the
265 rocket is horizontal, such that it comes up in idle mode. Then you can
266 raise the air-frame to launch position, and issue a 'reset' command
267 via TeleDongle over the radio link to cause the altimeter to reboot and
268 come up in flight mode. This is much safer than standing on the top
269 step of a rickety step-ladder or hanging off the side of a launch
270 tower with a screw-driver trying to turn on your avionics before
272 </p></div><div class="section" title="2. GPS"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp2147600"></a>2. GPS </h2></div></div></div><p>
273 TeleMetrum includes a complete GPS receiver. A complete explanation
274 of how GPS works is beyond the scope of this manual, but the bottom
275 line is that the TeleMetrum GPS receiver needs to lock onto at least
276 four satellites to obtain a solid 3 dimensional position fix and know
279 TeleMetrum provides backup power to the GPS chip any time a
280 battery is connected. This allows the receiver to "warm start" on
281 the launch rail much faster than if every power-on were a GPS
282 "cold start". In typical operations, powering up TeleMetrum
283 on the flight line in idle mode while performing final air-frame
284 preparation will be sufficient to allow the GPS receiver to cold
285 start and acquire lock. Then the board can be powered down during
286 RSO review and installation on a launch rod or rail. When the board
287 is turned back on, the GPS system should lock very quickly, typically
288 long before igniter installation and return to the flight line are
290 </p></div><div class="section" title="3. Controlling An Altimeter Over The Radio Link"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp2942696"></a>3. Controlling An Altimeter Over The Radio Link</h2></div></div></div><p>
291 One of the unique features of the Altus Metrum system is
292 the ability to create a two way command link between TeleDongle
293 and an altimeter using the digital radio transceivers built into
294 each device. This allows you to interact with the altimeter from
295 afar, as if it were directly connected to the computer.
297 Any operation which can be performed with TeleMetrum can
298 either be done with TeleMetrum directly connected to the
299 computer via the USB cable, or through the radio
300 link. TeleMini doesn't provide a USB connector and so it is
301 always communicated with over radio. Select the appropriate
302 TeleDongle device when the list of devices is presented and
303 AltosUI will interact with an altimeter over the radio link.
305 One oddity in the current interface is how AltosUI selects the
306 frequency for radio communications. Instead of providing
307 an interface to specifically configure the frequency, it uses
308 whatever frequency was most recently selected for the target
309 TeleDongle device in Monitor Flight mode. If you haven't ever
310 used that mode with the TeleDongle in question, select the
311 Monitor Flight button from the top level UI, and pick the
312 appropriate TeleDongle device. Once the flight monitoring
313 window is open, select the desired frequency and then close it
314 down again. All radio communications will now use that frequency.
315 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem"><p>
316 Save Flight Data—Recover flight data from the rocket without
318 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
319 Configure altimeter apogee delays or main deploy heights
320 to respond to changing launch conditions. You can also
321 'reboot' the altimeter. Use this to remotely enable the
322 flight computer by turning TeleMetrum on in "idle" mode,
323 then once the air-frame is oriented for launch, you can
324 reboot the altimeter and have it restart in pad mode
325 without having to climb the scary ladder.
326 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
327 Fire Igniters—Test your deployment charges without snaking
328 wires out through holes in the air-frame. Simply assembly the
329 rocket as if for flight with the apogee and main charges
330 loaded, then remotely command the altimeter to fire the
332 </p></li></ul></div><p>
333 Operation over the radio link for configuring an altimeter, ground
334 testing igniters, and so forth uses the same RF frequencies as flight
335 telemetry. To configure the desired TeleDongle frequency, select
336 the monitor flight tab, then use the frequency selector and
337 close the window before performing other desired radio operations.
339 TeleMetrum only enables radio commanding in 'idle' mode, so
340 make sure you have TeleMetrum lying horizontally when you turn
341 it on. Otherwise, TeleMetrum will start in 'pad' mode ready for
342 flight, and will not be listening for command packets from TeleDongle.
344 TeleMini listens for a command packet for five seconds after
345 first being turned on, if it doesn't hear anything, it enters
346 'pad' mode, ready for flight and will no longer listen for
347 command packets. The easiest way to connect to TeleMini is to
348 initiate the command and select the TeleDongle device. At this
349 point, the TeleDongle will be attempting to communicate with
350 the TeleMini. Now turn TeleMini on, and it should immediately
351 start communicating with the TeleDongle and the desired
352 operation can be performed.
354 You can monitor the operation of the radio link by watching the
355 lights on the devices. The red LED will flash each time a packet
356 is tramsitted, while the green LED will light up on TeleDongle when
357 it is waiting to receive a packet from the altimeter.
358 </p></div><div class="section" title="4. Ground Testing"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp2301664"></a>4. Ground Testing </h2></div></div></div><p>
359 An important aspect of preparing a rocket using electronic deployment
360 for flight is ground testing the recovery system. Thanks
361 to the bi-directional radio link central to the Altus Metrum system,
362 this can be accomplished in a TeleMetrum or TeleMini equipped rocket
363 with less work than you may be accustomed to with other systems. It
366 Just prep the rocket for flight, then power up the altimeter
367 in "idle" mode (placing air-frame horizontal for TeleMetrum or
368 selected the Configure Altimeter tab for TeleMini). This will cause
369 the firmware to go into "idle" mode, in which the normal flight
370 state machine is disabled and charges will not fire without
371 manual command. You can now command the altimeter to fire the apogee
372 or main charges from a safe distance using your computer and
373 TeleDongle and the Fire Igniter tab to complete ejection testing.
374 </p></div><div class="section" title="5. Radio Link"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp2250232"></a>5. Radio Link </h2></div></div></div><p>
375 The chip our boards are based on incorporates an RF transceiver, but
376 it's not a full duplex system... each end can only be transmitting or
377 receiving at any given moment. So we had to decide how to manage the
380 By design, the altimeter firmware listens for the radio link when
381 it's in "idle mode", which
382 allows us to use the radio link to configure the rocket, do things like
383 ejection tests, and extract data after a flight without having to
384 crack open the air-frame. However, when the board is in "flight
385 mode", the altimeter only
386 transmits and doesn't listen at all. That's because we want to put
387 ultimate priority on event detection and getting telemetry out of
389 the radio in case the rocket crashes and we aren't able to extract
392 We don't use a 'normal packet radio' mode like APRS because they're
393 just too inefficient. The GFSK modulation we use is FSK with the
394 base-band pulses passed through a
395 Gaussian filter before they go into the modulator to limit the
396 transmitted bandwidth. When combined with the hardware forward error
397 correction support in the cc1111 chip, this allows us to have a very
398 robust 38.4 kilobit data link with only 10 milliwatts of transmit
399 power, a whip antenna in the rocket, and a hand-held Yagi on the
400 ground. We've had flights to above 21k feet AGL with great reception,
401 and calculations suggest we should be good to well over 40k feet AGL
402 with a 5-element yagi on the ground. We hope to fly boards to higher
403 altitudes over time, and would of course appreciate customer feedback
404 on performance in higher altitude flights!
405 </p></div><div class="section" title="6. Configurable Parameters"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp2942904"></a>6. Configurable Parameters</h2></div></div></div><p>
406 Configuring an Altus Metrum altimeter for flight is very
407 simple. Even on our baro-only TeleMini board, the use of a Kalman
408 filter means there is no need to set a "mach delay". The few
409 configurable parameters can all be set using AltosUI over USB or
410 or radio link via TeleDongle.
411 </p><div class="section" title="6.1. Radio Frequency"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp3488592"></a>6.1. Radio Frequency</h3></div></div></div><p>
412 Altus Metrum boards support radio frequencies in the 70cm
413 band. By default, the configuration interface provides a
414 list of 10 "standard" frequencies in 100kHz channels starting at
415 434.550MHz. However, the firmware supports use of
416 any 50kHz multiple within the 70cm band. At any given
417 launch, we highly recommend coordinating when and by whom each
418 frequency will be used to avoid interference. And of course, both
419 altimeter and TeleDongle must be configured to the same
420 frequency to successfully communicate with each other.
421 </p></div><div class="section" title="6.2. Apogee Delay"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp951896"></a>6.2. Apogee Delay</h3></div></div></div><p>
422 Apogee delay is the number of seconds after the altimeter detects flight
423 apogee that the drogue charge should be fired. In most cases, this
424 should be left at the default of 0. However, if you are flying
425 redundant electronics such as for an L3 certification, you may wish
426 to set one of your altimeters to a positive delay so that both
427 primary and backup pyrotechnic charges do not fire simultaneously.
429 The Altus Metrum apogee detection algorithm fires exactly at
430 apogee. If you are also flying an altimeter like the
431 PerfectFlite MAWD, which only supports selecting 0 or 1
432 seconds of apogee delay, you may wish to set the MAWD to 0
433 seconds delay and set the TeleMetrum to fire your backup 2
434 or 3 seconds later to avoid any chance of both charges
435 firing simultaneously. We've flown several air-frames this
436 way quite happily, including Keith's successful L3 cert.
437 </p></div><div class="section" title="6.3. Main Deployment Altitude"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp2731600"></a>6.3. Main Deployment Altitude</h3></div></div></div><p>
438 By default, the altimeter will fire the main deployment charge at an
439 elevation of 250 meters (about 820 feet) above ground. We think this
440 is a good elevation for most air-frames, but feel free to change this
441 to suit. In particular, if you are flying two altimeters, you may
443 deployment elevation for the backup altimeter to be something lower
444 than the primary so that both pyrotechnic charges don't fire
446 </p></div><div class="section" title="6.4. Maximum Flight Log"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp3129392"></a>6.4. Maximum Flight Log</h3></div></div></div><p>
447 TeleMetrum version 1.1 and 1.2 have 2MB of on-board flash storage,
448 enough to hold over 40 minutes of data at full data rate
449 (100 samples/second). TeleMetrum 1.0 has 1MB of on-board
450 storage. As data are stored at a reduced rate during descent
451 (10 samples/second), there's plenty of space to store many
452 flights worth of data.
454 The on-board flash is partitioned into separate flight logs,
455 each of a fixed maximum size. Increase the maximum size of
456 each log and you reduce the number of flights that can be
457 stored. Decrease the size and TeleMetrum can store more
460 All of the configuration data is also stored in the flash
461 memory, which consumes 64kB on TeleMetrum v1.1/v1.2 and 256B on
462 TeleMetrum v1.0. This configuration space is not available
463 for storing flight log data.
465 To compute the amount of space needed for a single flight,
466 you can multiply the expected ascent time (in seconds) by
467 800, multiply the expected descent time (in seconds) by 80
468 and add the two together. That will slightly under-estimate
469 the storage (in bytes) needed for the flight. For instance,
470 a flight spending 20 seconds in ascent and 150 seconds in
471 descent will take about (20 * 800) + (150 * 80) = 28000
472 bytes of storage. You could store dozens of these flights in
475 The default size, 192kB, allows for 10 flights of storage on
476 TeleMetrum v1.1/v1.2 and 5 flights on TeleMetrum v1.0. This
477 ensures that you won't need to erase the memory before
478 flying each time while still allowing more than sufficient
479 storage for each flight.
481 As TeleMini does not contain an accelerometer, it stores
482 data at 10 samples per second during ascent and one sample
483 per second during descent. Each sample is a two byte reading
484 from the barometer. These are stored in 5kB of
485 on-chip flash memory which can hold 256 seconds at the
486 ascent rate or 2560 seconds at the descent rate. Because of
487 the limited storage, TeleMini cannot hold data for more than
488 one flight, and so must be erased after each flight or it
489 will not capture data for subsequent flights.
490 </p></div><div class="section" title="6.5. Ignite Mode"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp2670464"></a>6.5. Ignite Mode</h3></div></div></div><p>
491 Instead of firing one charge at apogee and another charge at
492 a fixed height above the ground, you can configure the
493 altimeter to fire both at apogee or both during
494 descent. This was added to support an airframe that has two
495 TeleMetrum computers, one in the fin can and one in the
498 Providing the ability to use both igniters for apogee or
499 main allows some level of redundancy without needing two
500 flight computers. In Redundant Apogee or Redundant Main
501 mode, the two charges will be fired two seconds apart.
502 </p></div><div class="section" title="6.6. Pad Orientation"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp2903736"></a>6.6. Pad Orientation</h3></div></div></div><p>
503 TeleMetrum measures acceleration along the axis of the
504 board. Which way the board is oriented affects the sign of
505 the acceleration value. Instead of trying to guess which way
506 the board is mounted in the air frame, TeleMetrum must be
507 explicitly configured for either Antenna Up or Antenna
508 Down. The default, Antenna Up, expects the end of the
509 TeleMetrum board connected to the 70cm antenna to be nearest
510 the nose of the rocket, with the end containing the screw
511 terminals nearest the tail.
512 </p></div></div></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 6. AltosUI"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="idp3111552"></a>Chapter 6. AltosUI</h2></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1977952">1. Monitor Flight</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2190152">1.1. Launch Pad</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp984840">1.2. Ascent</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2815128">1.3. Descent</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1778752">1.4. Landed</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2529176">1.5. Site Map</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1702472">2. Save Flight Data</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1611424">3. Replay Flight</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2095720">4. Graph Data</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1776584">5. Export Data</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2325688">5.1. Comma Separated Value Format</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2607232">5.2. Keyhole Markup Language (for Google Earth)</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2903528">6. Configure Altimeter</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2459720">6.1. Main Deploy Altitude</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1773368">6.2. Apogee Delay</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3135080">6.3. Radio Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2214616">6.4. Radio Calibration</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2100744">6.5. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3049840">6.6. Maximum Flight Log Size</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2695760">6.7. Ignite Mode</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2751336">6.8. Pad Orientation</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2353688">7. Configure AltosUI</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3404600">7.1. Voice Settings</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2310768">7.2. Log Directory</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1596232">7.3. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2062808">7.4. Imperial Units</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2195968">7.5. Font Size</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1445032">7.6. Serial Debug</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2086440">7.7. Manage Frequencies</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2372272">8. Configure Groundstation</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp2225688">8.1. Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp1993736">8.2. Radio Calibration</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3457272">9. Flash Image</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3527432">10. Fire Igniter</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3529536">11. Scan Channels</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3530440">12. Load Maps</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3532568">13. Monitor Idle</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
513 The AltosUI program provides a graphical user interface for
514 interacting with the Altus Metrum product family, including
515 TeleMetrum, TeleMini and TeleDongle. AltosUI can monitor telemetry data,
516 configure TeleMetrum, TeleMini and TeleDongle devices and many other
517 tasks. The primary interface window provides a selection of
518 buttons, one for each major activity in the system. This manual
519 is split into chapters, each of which documents one of the tasks
520 provided from the top-level toolbar.
521 </p><div class="section" title="1. Monitor Flight"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp1977952"></a>1. Monitor Flight</h2></div><div><h3 class="subtitle">Receive, Record and Display Telemetry Data</h3></div></div></div><p>
522 Selecting this item brings up a dialog box listing all of the
523 connected TeleDongle devices. When you choose one of these,
524 AltosUI will create a window to display telemetry data as
525 received by the selected TeleDongle device.
527 All telemetry data received are automatically recorded in
528 suitable log files. The name of the files includes the current
529 date and rocket serial and flight numbers.
531 The radio frequency being monitored by the TeleDongle device is
532 displayed at the top of the window. You can configure the
533 frequency by clicking on the frequency box and selecting the desired
534 frequency. AltosUI remembers the last frequency selected for each
535 TeleDongle and selects that automatically the next time you use
538 Below the TeleDongle frequency selector, the window contains a few
539 significant pieces of information about the altimeter providing
540 the telemetry data stream:
541 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" 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
543 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
544 The rocket flight state. Each flight passes through several
545 states including Pad, Boost, Fast, Coast, Drogue, Main and
547 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
548 The Received Signal Strength Indicator value. This lets
549 you know how strong a signal TeleDongle is receiving. The
550 radio inside TeleDongle operates down to about -99dBm;
551 weaker signals may not be receivable. The packet link uses
552 error detection and correction techniques which prevent
553 incorrect data from being reported.
554 </p></li></ul></div><p>
555 Finally, the largest portion of the window contains a set of
556 tabs, each of which contain some information about the rocket.
557 They're arranged in 'flight order' so that as the flight
558 progresses, the selected tab automatically switches to display
559 data relevant to the current state of the flight. You can select
560 other tabs at any time. The final 'table' tab displays all of
561 the raw telemetry values in one place in a spreadsheet-like format.
562 </p><div class="section" title="1.1. Launch Pad"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp2190152"></a>1.1. Launch Pad</h3></div></div></div><p>
563 The 'Launch Pad' tab shows information used to decide when the
564 rocket is ready for flight. The first elements include red/green
565 indicators, if any of these is red, you'll want to evaluate
566 whether the rocket is ready to launch:
567 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem"><p>
568 Battery Voltage. This indicates whether the Li-Po battery
569 powering the TeleMetrum has sufficient charge to last for
570 the duration of the flight. A value of more than
571 3.7V is required for a 'GO' status.
572 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
573 Apogee Igniter Voltage. This indicates whether the apogee
574 igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a low
575 resistance, then the voltage measured here will be close
576 to the Li-Po battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is
577 required for a 'GO' status.
578 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
579 Main Igniter Voltage. This indicates whether the main
580 igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a low
581 resistance, then the voltage measured here will be close
582 to the Li-Po battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is
583 required for a 'GO' status.
584 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
585 On-board Data Logging. This indicates whether there is
586 space remaining on-board to store flight data for the
587 upcoming flight. If you've downloaded data, but failed
588 to erase flights, there may not be any space
589 left. TeleMetrum can store multiple flights, depending
590 on the configured maximum flight log size. TeleMini
591 stores only a single flight, so it will need to be
592 downloaded and erased after each flight to capture
593 data. This only affects on-board flight logging; the
594 altimeter will still transmit telemetry and fire
595 ejection charges at the proper times.
596 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
597 GPS Locked. For a TeleMetrum device, this indicates whether the GPS receiver is
598 currently able to compute position information. GPS requires
599 at least 4 satellites to compute an accurate position.
600 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
601 GPS Ready. For a TeleMetrum device, this indicates whether GPS has reported at least
602 10 consecutive positions without losing lock. This ensures
603 that the GPS receiver has reliable reception from the
605 </p></li></ul></div><p>
607 The Launchpad tab also shows the computed launch pad position
608 and altitude, averaging many reported positions to improve the
611 </p></div><div class="section" title="1.2. Ascent"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp984840"></a>1.2. Ascent</h3></div></div></div><p>
612 This tab is shown during Boost, Fast and Coast
613 phases. The information displayed here helps monitor the
614 rocket as it heads towards apogee.
616 The height, speed and acceleration are shown along with the
617 maximum values for each of them. This allows you to quickly
618 answer the most commonly asked questions you'll hear during
621 The current latitude and longitude reported by the TeleMetrum GPS are
622 also shown. Note that under high acceleration, these values
623 may not get updated as the GPS receiver loses position
624 fix. Once the rocket starts coasting, the receiver should
625 start reporting position again.
627 Finally, the current igniter voltages are reported as in the
628 Launch Pad tab. This can help diagnose deployment failures
629 caused by wiring which comes loose under high acceleration.
630 </p></div><div class="section" title="1.3. Descent"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp2815128"></a>1.3. Descent</h3></div></div></div><p>
631 Once the rocket has reached apogee and (we hope) activated the
632 apogee charge, attention switches to tracking the rocket on
633 the way back to the ground, and for dual-deploy flights,
634 waiting for the main charge to fire.
636 To monitor whether the apogee charge operated correctly, the
637 current descent rate is reported along with the current
638 height. Good descent rates vary based on the choice of recovery
639 components, but generally range from 15-30m/s on drogue and should
640 be below 10m/s when under the main parachute in a dual-deploy flight.
642 For TeleMetrum altimeters, you can locate the rocket in the
643 sky using the elevation and bearing information to figure
644 out where to look. Elevation is in degrees above the
645 horizon. Bearing is reported in degrees relative to true
646 north. Range can help figure out how big the rocket will
647 appear. Ground Distance shows how far it is to a point
648 directly under the rocket and can help figure out where the
649 rocket is likely to land. Note that all of these values are
650 relative to the pad location. If the elevation is near 90°,
651 the rocket is over the pad, not over you.
653 Finally, the igniter voltages are reported in this tab as
654 well, both to monitor the main charge as well as to see what
655 the status of the apogee charge is. Note that some commercial
656 e-matches are designed to retain continuity even after being
657 fired, and will continue to show as green or return from red to
659 </p></div><div class="section" title="1.4. Landed"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp1778752"></a>1.4. Landed</h3></div></div></div><p>
660 Once the rocket is on the ground, attention switches to
661 recovery. While the radio signal is often lost once the
662 rocket is on the ground, the last reported GPS position is
663 generally within a short distance of the actual landing location.
665 The last reported GPS position is reported both by
666 latitude and longitude as well as a bearing and distance from
667 the launch pad. The distance should give you a good idea of
668 whether to walk or hitch a ride. Take the reported
669 latitude and longitude and enter them into your hand-held GPS
670 unit and have that compute a track to the landing location.
672 Both TeleMini and TeleMetrum will continue to transmit RDF
673 tones after landing, allowing you to locate the rocket by
674 following the radio signal if necessary. You may need to get
675 away from the clutter of the flight line, or even get up on
676 a hill (or your neighbor's RV roof) to receive the RDF signal.
678 The maximum height, speed and acceleration reported
679 during the flight are displayed for your admiring observers.
680 The accuracy of these immediate values depends on the quality
681 of your radio link and how many packets were received.
682 Recovering the on-board data after flight will likely yield
683 more precise results.
685 To get more detailed information about the flight, you can
686 click on the 'Graph Flight' button which will bring up a
687 graph window for the current flight.
688 </p></div><div class="section" title="1.5. Site Map"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp2529176"></a>1.5. Site Map</h3></div></div></div><p>
689 When the TeleMetrum has a GPS fix, the Site Map tab will map
690 the rocket's position to make it easier for you to locate the
691 rocket, both while it is in the air, and when it has landed. The
692 rocket's state is indicated by color: white for pad, red for
693 boost, pink for fast, yellow for coast, light blue for drogue,
694 dark blue for main, and black for landed.
696 The map's scale is approximately 3m (10ft) per pixel. The map
697 can be dragged using the left mouse button. The map will attempt
698 to keep the rocket roughly centered while data is being received.
700 Images are fetched automatically via the Google Maps Static API,
701 and cached on disk for reuse. If map images cannot be downloaded,
702 the rocket's path will be traced on a dark gray background
705 You can pre-load images for your favorite launch sites
706 before you leave home; check out the 'Preload Maps' section below.
707 </p></div></div><div class="section" title="2. Save Flight Data"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp1702472"></a>2. Save Flight Data</h2></div></div></div><p>
708 The altimeter records flight data to its internal flash memory.
709 TeleMetrum data is recorded at a much higher rate than the telemetry
710 system can handle, and is not subject to radio drop-outs. As
711 such, it provides a more complete and precise record of the
712 flight. The 'Save Flight Data' button allows you to read the
713 flash memory and write it to disk. As TeleMini has only a barometer, it
714 records data at the same rate as the telemetry signal, but there will be
715 no data lost due to telemetry drop-outs.
717 Clicking on the 'Save Flight Data' button brings up a list of
718 connected TeleMetrum and TeleDongle devices. If you select a
719 TeleMetrum device, the flight data will be downloaded from that
720 device directly. If you select a TeleDongle device, flight data
721 will be downloaded from an altimeter over radio link via the
722 specified TeleDongle. See the chapter on Controlling An Altimeter
723 Over The Radio Link for more information.
725 After the device has been selected, a dialog showing the
726 flight data saved in the device will be shown allowing you to
727 select which flights to download and which to delete. With
728 version 0.9 or newer firmware, you must erase flights in order
729 for the space they consume to be reused by another
730 flight. This prevents accidentally losing flight data
731 if you neglect to download data before flying again. Note that
732 if there is no more space available in the device, then no
733 data will be recorded during the next flight.
735 The file name for each flight log is computed automatically
736 from the recorded flight date, altimeter serial number and
737 flight number information.
738 </p></div><div class="section" title="3. Replay Flight"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp1611424"></a>3. Replay Flight</h2></div></div></div><p>
739 Select this button and you are prompted to select a flight
740 record file, either a .telem file recording telemetry data or a
741 .eeprom file containing flight data saved from the altimeter
744 Once a flight record is selected, the flight monitor interface
745 is displayed and the flight is re-enacted in real time. Check
746 the Monitor Flight chapter above to learn how this window operates.
747 </p></div><div class="section" title="4. Graph Data"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp2095720"></a>4. Graph Data</h2></div></div></div><p>
748 Select this button and you are prompted to select a flight
749 record file, either a .telem file recording telemetry data or a
750 .eeprom file containing flight data saved from
753 Once a flight record is selected, a window with two tabs is
754 opened. The first tab contains a graph with acceleration
755 (blue), velocity (green) and altitude (red) of the flight,
756 measured in metric units. The
757 apogee(yellow) and main(magenta) igniter voltages are also
758 displayed; high voltages indicate continuity, low voltages
759 indicate open circuits. The second tab contains some basic
762 The graph can be zoomed into a particular area by clicking and
763 dragging down and to the right. Once zoomed, the graph can be
764 reset by clicking and dragging up and to the left. Holding down
765 control and clicking and dragging allows the graph to be panned.
766 The right mouse button causes a pop-up menu to be displayed, giving
767 you the option save or print the plot.
769 Note that telemetry files will generally produce poor graphs
770 due to the lower sampling rate and missed telemetry packets.
771 Use saved flight data in .eeprom files for graphing where possible.
772 </p></div><div class="section" title="5. Export Data"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp1776584"></a>5. Export Data</h2></div></div></div><p>
773 This tool takes the raw data files and makes them available for
774 external analysis. When you select this button, you are prompted to
776 data file (either .eeprom or .telem will do, remember that
777 .eeprom files contain higher resolution and more continuous
778 data). Next, a second dialog appears which is used to select
779 where to write the resulting file. It has a selector to choose
780 between CSV and KML file formats.
781 </p><div class="section" title="5.1. Comma Separated Value Format"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp2325688"></a>5.1. Comma Separated Value Format</h3></div></div></div><p>
782 This is a text file containing the data in a form suitable for
783 import into a spreadsheet or other external data analysis
784 tool. The first few lines of the file contain the version and
785 configuration information from the altimeter, then
786 there is a single header line which labels all of the
787 fields. All of these lines start with a '#' character which
788 many tools can be configured to skip over.
790 The remaining lines of the file contain the data, with each
791 field separated by a comma and at least one space. All of
792 the sensor values are converted to standard units, with the
793 barometric data reported in both pressure, altitude and
794 height above pad units.
795 </p></div><div class="section" title="5.2. Keyhole Markup Language (for Google Earth)"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp2607232"></a>5.2. Keyhole Markup Language (for Google Earth)</h3></div></div></div><p>
796 This is the format used by Google Earth to provide an overlay
797 within that application. With this, you can use Google Earth to
798 see the whole flight path in 3D.
799 </p></div></div><div class="section" title="6. Configure Altimeter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp2903528"></a>6. Configure Altimeter</h2></div></div></div><p>
800 Select this button and then select either a TeleMetrum or
801 TeleDongle Device from the list provided. Selecting a TeleDongle
802 device will use the radio link to configure a remote altimeter.
804 The first few lines of the dialog provide information about the
805 connected device, including the product name,
806 software version and hardware serial number. Below that are the
807 individual configuration entries.
809 At the bottom of the dialog, there are four buttons:
810 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem"><p>
811 Save. This writes any changes to the
812 configuration parameter block in flash memory. If you don't
813 press this button, any changes you make will be lost.
814 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
815 Reset. This resets the dialog to the most recently saved values,
816 erasing any changes you have made.
817 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
818 Reboot. This reboots the device. Use this to
819 switch from idle to pad mode by rebooting once the rocket is
820 oriented for flight, or to confirm changes you think you saved
822 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
823 Close. This closes the dialog. Any unsaved changes will be
825 </p></li></ul></div><p>
826 The rest of the dialog contains the parameters to be configured.
827 </p><div class="section" title="6.1. Main Deploy Altitude"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp2459720"></a>6.1. Main Deploy Altitude</h3></div></div></div><p>
828 This sets the altitude (above the recorded pad altitude) at
829 which the 'main' igniter will fire. The drop-down menu shows
830 some common values, but you can edit the text directly and
831 choose whatever you like. If the apogee charge fires below
832 this altitude, then the main charge will fire two seconds
833 after the apogee charge fires.
834 </p></div><div class="section" title="6.2. Apogee Delay"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp1773368"></a>6.2. Apogee Delay</h3></div></div></div><p>
835 When flying redundant electronics, it's often important to
836 ensure that multiple apogee charges don't fire at precisely
837 the same time, as that can over pressurize the apogee deployment
838 bay and cause a structural failure of the air-frame. The Apogee
839 Delay parameter tells the flight computer to fire the apogee
840 charge a certain number of seconds after apogee has been
842 </p></div><div class="section" title="6.3. Radio Frequency"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp3135080"></a>6.3. Radio Frequency</h3></div></div></div><p>
843 This configures which of the configured frequencies to use for both
844 telemetry and packet command mode. Note that if you set this
845 value via packet command mode, you will have to reconfigure
846 the TeleDongle frequency before you will be able to use packet
848 </p></div><div class="section" title="6.4. Radio Calibration"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp2214616"></a>6.4. Radio Calibration</h3></div></div></div><p>
849 The radios in every Altus Metrum device are calibrated at the
850 factory to ensure that they transmit and receive on the
851 specified frequency. If you need to you can adjust the calibration
852 by changing this value. Do not do this without understanding what
853 the value means, read the appendix on calibration and/or the source
854 code for more information. To change a TeleDongle's calibration,
855 you must reprogram the unit completely.
856 </p></div><div class="section" title="6.5. Callsign"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp2100744"></a>6.5. Callsign</h3></div></div></div><p>
857 This sets the call sign included in each telemetry packet. Set this
858 as needed to conform to your local radio regulations.
859 </p></div><div class="section" title="6.6. Maximum Flight Log Size"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp3049840"></a>6.6. Maximum Flight Log Size</h3></div></div></div><p>
860 This sets the space (in kilobytes) allocated for each flight
861 log. The available space will be divided into chunks of this
862 size. A smaller value will allow more flights to be stored,
863 a larger value will record data from longer flights.
864 </p></div><div class="section" title="6.7. Ignite Mode"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp2695760"></a>6.7. Ignite Mode</h3></div></div></div><p>
865 TeleMetrum and TeleMini provide two igniter channels as they
866 were originally designed as dual-deploy flight
867 computers. This configuration parameter allows the two
868 channels to be used in different configurations.
869 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem"><p>
870 Dual Deploy. This is the usual mode of operation; the
871 'apogee' channel is fired at apogee and the 'main'
872 channel at the height above ground specified by the
873 'Main Deploy Altitude' during descent.
874 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
875 Redundant Apogee. This fires both channels at
876 apogee, the 'apogee' channel first followed after a two second
877 delay by the 'main' channel.
878 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
879 Redundant Main. This fires both channels at the
880 height above ground specified by the Main Deploy
881 Altitude setting during descent. The 'apogee'
882 channel is fired first, followed after a two second
883 delay by the 'main' channel.
884 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="section" title="6.8. Pad Orientation"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp2751336"></a>6.8. Pad Orientation</h3></div></div></div><p>
885 Because it includes an accelerometer, TeleMetrum is
886 sensitive to the orientation of the board. By default, it
887 expects the antenna end to point forward. This parameter
888 allows that default to be changed, permitting the board to
889 be mounted with the antenna pointing aft instead.
890 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem"><p>
891 Antenna Up. In this mode, the antenna end of the
892 TeleMetrum board must point forward, in line with the
893 expected flight path.
894 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
895 Antenna Down. In this mode, the antenna end of the
896 TeleMetrum board must point aft, in line with the
897 expected flight path.
898 </p></li></ul></div></div></div><div class="section" title="7. Configure AltosUI"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp2353688"></a>7. Configure AltosUI</h2></div></div></div><p>
899 This button presents a dialog so that you can configure the AltosUI global settings.
900 </p><div class="section" title="7.1. Voice Settings"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp3404600"></a>7.1. Voice Settings</h3></div></div></div><p>
901 AltosUI provides voice announcements during flight so that you
902 can keep your eyes on the sky and still get information about
903 the current flight status. However, sometimes you don't want
905 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem"><p>Enable—turns all voice announcements on and off</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
906 Test Voice—Plays a short message allowing you to verify
907 that the audio system is working and the volume settings
909 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="section" title="7.2. Log Directory"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp2310768"></a>7.2. Log Directory</h3></div></div></div><p>
910 AltosUI logs all telemetry data and saves all TeleMetrum flash
911 data to this directory. This directory is also used as the
912 staring point when selecting data files for display or export.
914 Click on the directory name to bring up a directory choosing
915 dialog, select a new directory and click 'Select Directory' to
916 change where AltosUI reads and writes data files.
917 </p></div><div class="section" title="7.3. Callsign"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp1596232"></a>7.3. Callsign</h3></div></div></div><p>
918 This value is transmitted in each command packet sent from
919 TeleDongle and received from an altimeter. It is not used in
920 telemetry mode, as the callsign configured in the altimeter board
921 is included in all telemetry packets. Configure this
922 with the AltosUI operators call sign as needed to comply with
923 your local radio regulations.
924 </p></div><div class="section" title="7.4. Imperial Units"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp2062808"></a>7.4. Imperial Units</h3></div></div></div><p>
925 This switches between metric units (meters) and imperial
926 units (feet and miles). This affects the display of values
927 use during flight monitoring, data graphing and all of the
928 voice announcements. It does not change the units used when
929 exporting to CSV files, those are always produced in metric units.
930 </p></div><div class="section" title="7.5. Font Size"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp2195968"></a>7.5. Font Size</h3></div></div></div><p>
931 Selects the set of fonts used in the flight monitor
932 window. Choose between the small, medium and large sets.
933 </p></div><div class="section" title="7.6. Serial Debug"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp1445032"></a>7.6. Serial Debug</h3></div></div></div><p>
934 This causes all communication with a connected device to be
935 dumped to the console from which AltosUI was started. If
936 you've started it from an icon or menu entry, the output
937 will simply be discarded. This mode can be useful to debug
938 various serial communication issues.
939 </p></div><div class="section" title="7.7. Manage Frequencies"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp2086440"></a>7.7. Manage Frequencies</h3></div></div></div><p>
940 This brings up a dialog where you can configure the set of
941 frequencies shown in the various frequency menus. You can
942 add as many as you like, or even reconfigure the default
943 set. Changing this list does not affect the frequency
944 settings of any devices, it only changes the set of
945 frequencies shown in the menus.
946 </p></div></div><div class="section" title="8. Configure Groundstation"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp2372272"></a>8. Configure Groundstation</h2></div></div></div><p>
947 Select this button and then select a TeleDongle Device from the list provided.
949 The first few lines of the dialog provide information about the
950 connected device, including the product name,
951 software version and hardware serial number. Below that are the
952 individual configuration entries.
954 Note that the TeleDongle itself doesn't save any configuration
955 data, the settings here are recorded on the local machine in
956 the Java preferences database. Moving the TeleDongle to
957 another machine, or using a different user account on the same
958 machine will cause settings made here to have no effect.
960 At the bottom of the dialog, there are three buttons:
961 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem"><p>
962 Save. This writes any changes to the
963 local Java preferences file. If you don't
964 press this button, any changes you make will be lost.
965 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
966 Reset. This resets the dialog to the most recently saved values,
967 erasing any changes you have made.
968 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
969 Close. This closes the dialog. Any unsaved changes will be
971 </p></li></ul></div><p>
972 The rest of the dialog contains the parameters to be configured.
973 </p><div class="section" title="8.1. Frequency"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp2225688"></a>8.1. Frequency</h3></div></div></div><p>
974 This configures the frequency to use for both telemetry and
975 packet command mode. Set this before starting any operation
976 involving packet command mode so that it will use the right
977 frequency. Telemetry monitoring mode also provides a menu to
978 change the frequency, and that menu also sets the same Java
979 preference value used here.
980 </p></div><div class="section" title="8.2. Radio Calibration"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idp1993736"></a>8.2. Radio Calibration</h3></div></div></div><p>
981 The radios in every Altus Metrum device are calibrated at the
982 factory to ensure that they transmit and receive on the
983 specified frequency. To change a TeleDongle's calibration,
984 you must reprogram the unit completely, so this entry simply
985 shows the current value and doesn't allow any changes.
986 </p></div></div><div class="section" title="9. Flash Image"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3457272"></a>9. Flash Image</h2></div></div></div><p>
987 This reprograms any Altus Metrum device by using a TeleMetrum
988 or TeleDongle as a programming dongle. Please read the
989 directions for flashing devices in the Updating Device
990 Firmware chapter below.
992 Once you have the programmer and target devices connected,
993 push the 'Flash Image' button. That will present a dialog box
994 listing all of the connected devices. Carefully select the
995 programmer device, not the device to be programmed.
997 Next, select the image to flash to the device. These are named
998 with the product name and firmware version. The file selector
999 will start in the directory containing the firmware included
1000 with the AltosUI package. Navigate to the directory containing
1001 the desired firmware if it isn't there.
1003 Next, a small dialog containing the device serial number and
1004 RF calibration values should appear. If these values are
1005 incorrect (possibly due to a corrupted image in the device),
1006 enter the correct values here.
1008 Finally, a dialog containing a progress bar will follow the
1009 programming process.
1011 When programming is complete, the target device will
1012 reboot. Note that if the target device is connected via USB, you
1013 will have to unplug it and then plug it back in for the USB
1014 connection to reset so that you can communicate with the device
1016 </p></div><div class="section" title="10. Fire Igniter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3527432"></a>10. Fire Igniter</h2></div></div></div><p>
1017 This activates the igniter circuits in TeleMetrum to help test
1018 recovery systems deployment. Because this command can operate
1019 over the Packet Command Link, you can prepare the rocket as
1020 for flight and then test the recovery system without needing
1021 to snake wires inside the air-frame.
1023 Selecting the 'Fire Igniter' button brings up the usual device
1024 selection dialog. Pick the desired TeleDongle or TeleMetrum
1025 device. This brings up another window which shows the current
1026 continuity test status for both apogee and main charges.
1028 Next, select the desired igniter to fire. This will enable the
1031 Select the 'Arm' button. This enables the 'Fire' button. The
1032 word 'Arm' is replaced by a countdown timer indicating that
1033 you have 10 seconds to press the 'Fire' button or the system
1034 will deactivate, at which point you start over again at
1035 selecting the desired igniter.
1036 </p></div><div class="section" title="11. Scan Channels"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3529536"></a>11. Scan Channels</h2></div></div></div><p>
1037 This listens for telemetry packets on all of the configured
1038 frequencies, displaying information about each device it
1039 receives a packet from. You can select which of the three
1040 telemetry formats should be tried; by default, it only listens
1041 for the standard telemetry packets used in v1.0 and later
1043 </p></div><div class="section" title="12. Load Maps"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3530440"></a>12. Load Maps</h2></div></div></div><p>
1044 Before heading out to a new launch site, you can use this to
1045 load satellite images in case you don't have internet
1046 connectivity at the site. This loads a fairly large area
1047 around the launch site, which should cover any flight you're likely to make.
1049 There's a drop-down menu of launch sites we know about; if
1050 your favorites aren't there, please let us know the lat/lon
1051 and name of the site. The contents of this list are actually
1052 downloaded at run-time, so as new sites are sent in, they'll
1053 get automatically added to this list.
1055 If the launch site isn't in the list, you can manually enter the lat/lon values
1057 Clicking the 'Load Map' button will fetch images from Google
1058 Maps; note that Google limits how many images you can fetch at
1059 once, so if you load more than one launch site, you may get
1060 some gray areas in the map which indicate that Google is tired
1061 of sending data to you. Try again later.
1062 </p></div><div class="section" title="13. Monitor Idle"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3532568"></a>13. Monitor Idle</h2></div></div></div><p>
1063 This brings up a dialog similar to the Monitor Flight UI,
1064 except it works with the altimeter in "idle" mode by sending
1065 query commands to discover the current state rather than
1066 listening for telemetry packets.
1067 </p></div></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 7. Using Altus Metrum Products"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="idp3533440"></a>Chapter 7. Using Altus Metrum Products</h2></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3533760">1. Being Legal</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3534720">2. In the Rocket</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3536872">3. On the Ground</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3543680">4. Data Analysis</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3545432">5. Future Plans</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="section" title="1. Being Legal"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3533760"></a>1. Being Legal</h2></div></div></div><p>
1068 First off, in the US, you need an <a class="ulink" href="http://www.altusmetrum.org/Radio/" target="_top">amateur radio license</a> or
1069 other authorization to legally operate the radio transmitters that are part
1071 </p></div><div class="section" title="2. In the Rocket"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3534720"></a>2. In the Rocket</h2></div></div></div><p>
1072 In the rocket itself, you just need a <a class="ulink" href="http://www.altusmetrum.org/TeleMetrum/" target="_top">TeleMetrum</a> or
1073 <a class="ulink" href="http://www.altusmetrum.org/TeleMini/" target="_top">TeleMini</a> board and
1074 a single-cell, 3.7 volt nominal Li-Po rechargeable battery. An
1075 850mAh battery weighs less than a 9V alkaline battery, and will
1076 run a TeleMetrum for hours.
1077 A 110mAh battery weighs less than a triple A battery and will run a TeleMetrum for
1078 a few hours, or a TeleMini for much (much) longer.
1080 By default, we ship the altimeters with a simple wire antenna. If your
1081 electronics bay or the air-frame it resides within is made of carbon fiber,
1082 which is opaque to RF signals, you may choose to have an SMA connector
1083 installed so that you can run a coaxial cable to an antenna mounted
1084 elsewhere in the rocket.
1085 </p></div><div class="section" title="3. On the Ground"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3536872"></a>3. On the Ground</h2></div></div></div><p>
1086 To receive the data stream from the rocket, you need an antenna and short
1087 feed-line connected to one of our <a class="ulink" href="http://www.altusmetrum.org/TeleDongle/" target="_top">TeleDongle</a> units. The
1088 TeleDongle in turn plugs directly into the USB port on a notebook
1089 computer. Because TeleDongle looks like a simple serial port, your computer
1090 does not require special device drivers... just plug it in.
1092 The GUI tool, AltosUI, is written in Java and runs across
1093 Linux, Mac OS and Windows. There's also a suite of C tools
1094 for Linux which can perform most of the same tasks.
1096 After the flight, you can use the radio link to extract the more detailed data
1097 logged in either TeleMetrum or TeleMini devices, or you can use a mini USB cable to plug into the
1098 TeleMetrum board directly. Pulling out the data without having to open up
1099 the rocket is pretty cool! A USB cable is also how you charge the Li-Po
1100 battery, so you'll want one of those anyway... the same cable used by lots
1101 of digital cameras and other modern electronic stuff will work fine.
1103 If your TeleMetrum-equipped rocket lands out of sight, you may enjoy having a hand-held GPS
1104 receiver, so that you can put in a way-point for the last reported rocket
1105 position before touch-down. This makes looking for your rocket a lot like
1106 Geo-Caching... just go to the way-point and look around starting from there.
1108 You may also enjoy having a ham radio "HT" that covers the 70cm band... you
1109 can use that with your antenna to direction-find the rocket on the ground
1110 the same way you can use a Walston or Beeline tracker. This can be handy
1111 if the rocket is hiding in sage brush or a tree, or if the last GPS position
1112 doesn't get you close enough because the rocket dropped into a canyon, or
1113 the wind is blowing it across a dry lake bed, or something like that... Keith
1114 and Bdale both currently own and use the Yaesu VX-7R at launches.
1116 So, to recap, on the ground the hardware you'll need includes:
1117 </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem">
1118 an antenna and feed-line
1119 </li><li class="listitem">
1121 </li><li class="listitem">
1123 </li><li class="listitem">
1124 optionally, a hand-held GPS receiver
1125 </li><li class="listitem">
1126 optionally, an HT or receiver covering 435 MHz
1129 The best hand-held commercial directional antennas we've found for radio
1130 direction finding rockets are from
1131 <a class="ulink" href="http://www.arrowantennas.com/" target="_top">
1134 The 440-3 and 440-5 are both good choices for finding a
1135 TeleMetrum- or TeleMini- equipped rocket when used with a suitable 70cm HT.
1136 </p></div><div class="section" title="4. Data Analysis"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3543680"></a>4. Data Analysis</h2></div></div></div><p>
1137 Our software makes it easy to log the data from each flight, both the
1138 telemetry received during the flight itself, and the more
1139 complete data log recorded in the flash memory on the altimeter
1140 board. Once this data is on your computer, our post-flight tools make it
1141 easy to quickly get to the numbers everyone wants, like apogee altitude,
1142 max acceleration, and max velocity. You can also generate and view a
1143 standard set of plots showing the altitude, acceleration, and
1144 velocity of the rocket during flight. And you can even export a TeleMetrum data file
1145 usable with Google Maps and Google Earth for visualizing the flight path
1146 in two or three dimensions!
1148 Our ultimate goal is to emit a set of files for each flight that can be
1149 published as a web page per flight, or just viewed on your local disk with
1151 </p></div><div class="section" title="5. Future Plans"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3545432"></a>5. Future Plans</h2></div></div></div><p>
1152 In the future, we intend to offer "companion boards" for the rocket that will
1153 plug in to TeleMetrum to collect additional data, provide more pyro channels,
1156 We are also working on the design of a hand-held ground terminal that will
1157 allow monitoring the rocket's status, collecting data during flight, and
1158 logging data after flight without the need for a notebook computer on the
1159 flight line. Particularly since it is so difficult to read most notebook
1160 screens in direct sunlight, we think this will be a great thing to have.
1162 Because all of our work is open, both the hardware designs and the software,
1163 if you have some great idea for an addition to the current Altus Metrum family,
1164 feel free to dive in and help! Or let us know what you'd like to see that
1165 we aren't already working on, and maybe we'll get excited about it too...
1166 </p></div></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 8. Altimeter Installation Recommendations"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="idp3547472"></a>Chapter 8. Altimeter Installation Recommendations</h2></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3548456">1. Mounting the Altimeter</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3550792">2. Dealing with the Antenna</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3554776">3. Preserving GPS Reception</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3557160">4. Radio Frequency Interference</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3561200">5. The Barometric Sensor</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3563040">6. Ground Testing</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
1167 Building high-power rockets that fly safely is hard enough. Mix
1168 in some sophisticated electronics and a bunch of radio energy
1169 and oftentimes you find few perfect solutions. This chapter
1170 contains some suggestions about how to install Altus Metrum
1171 products into the rocket air-frame, including how to safely and
1172 reliably mix a variety of electronics into the same air-frame.
1173 </p><div class="section" title="1. Mounting the Altimeter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3548456"></a>1. Mounting the Altimeter</h2></div></div></div><p>
1174 The first consideration is to ensure that the altimeter is
1175 securely fastened to the air-frame. For TeleMetrum, we use
1176 nylon standoffs and nylon screws; they're good to at least 50G
1177 and cannot cause any electrical issues on the board. For
1178 TeleMini, we usually cut small pieces of 1/16" balsa to fit
1179 under the screw holes, and then take 2x56 nylon screws and
1180 screw them through the TeleMini mounting holes, through the
1181 balsa and into the underlying material.
1182 </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem">
1183 Make sure TeleMetrum is aligned precisely along the axis of
1184 acceleration so that the accelerometer can accurately
1185 capture data during the flight.
1186 </li><li class="listitem">
1187 Watch for any metal touching components on the
1188 board. Shorting out connections on the bottom of the board
1189 can cause the altimeter to fail during flight.
1190 </li></ol></div></div><div class="section" title="2. Dealing with the Antenna"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3550792"></a>2. Dealing with the Antenna</h2></div></div></div><p>
1191 The antenna supplied is just a piece of solid, insulated,
1192 wire. If it gets damaged or broken, it can be easily
1193 replaced. It should be kept straight and not cut; bending or
1194 cutting it will change the resonant frequency and/or
1195 impedance, making it a less efficient radiator and thus
1196 reducing the range of the telemetry signal.
1198 Keeping metal away from the antenna will provide better range
1199 and a more even radiation pattern. In most rockets, it's not
1200 entirely possible to isolate the antenna from metal
1201 components; there are often bolts, all-thread and wires from other
1202 electronics to contend with. Just be aware that the more stuff
1203 like this around the antenna, the lower the range.
1205 Make sure the antenna is not inside a tube made or covered
1206 with conducting material. Carbon fiber is the most common
1207 culprit here -- CF is a good conductor and will effectively
1208 shield the antenna, dramatically reducing signal strength and
1209 range. Metallic flake paint is another effective shielding
1210 material which is to be avoided around any antennas.
1212 If the ebay is large enough, it can be convenient to simply
1213 mount the altimeter at one end and stretch the antenna out
1214 inside. Taping the antenna to the sled can keep it straight
1215 under acceleration. If there are metal rods, keep the
1216 antenna as far away as possible.
1218 For a shorter ebay, it's quite practical to have the antenna
1219 run through a bulkhead and into an adjacent bay. Drill a small
1220 hole in the bulkhead, pass the antenna wire through it and
1221 then seal it up with glue or clay. We've also used acrylic
1222 tubing to create a cavity for the antenna wire. This works a
1223 bit better in that the antenna is known to stay straight and
1224 not get folded by recovery components in the bay. Angle the
1225 tubing towards the side wall of the rocket and it ends up
1226 consuming very little space.
1228 If you need to place the antenna at a distance from the
1229 altimeter, you can replace the antenna with an edge-mounted
1230 SMA connector, and then run 50Ω coax from the board to the
1231 antenna. Building a remote antenna is beyond the scope of this
1233 </p></div><div class="section" title="3. Preserving GPS Reception"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3554776"></a>3. Preserving GPS Reception</h2></div></div></div><p>
1234 The GPS antenna and receiver in TeleMetrum are highly
1235 sensitive and normally have no trouble tracking enough
1236 satellites to provide accurate position information for
1237 recovering the rocket. However, there are many ways to
1238 attenuate the GPS signal.
1239 </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem">
1240 Conductive tubing or coatings. Carbon fiber and metal
1241 tubing, or metallic paint will all dramatically attenuate the
1242 GPS signal. We've never heard of anyone successfully
1243 receiving GPS from inside these materials.
1244 </li><li class="listitem">
1245 Metal components near the GPS patch antenna. These will
1246 de-tune the patch antenna, changing the resonant frequency
1247 away from the L1 carrier and reduce the effectiveness of the
1248 antenna. You can place as much stuff as you like beneath the
1249 antenna as that's covered with a ground plane. But, keep
1250 wires and metal out from above the patch antenna.
1252 </p></div><div class="section" title="4. Radio Frequency Interference"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3557160"></a>4. Radio Frequency Interference</h2></div></div></div><p>
1253 Any altimeter will generate RFI; the digital circuits use
1254 high-frequency clocks that spray radio interference across a
1255 wide band. Altus Metrum altimeters generate intentional radio
1256 signals as well, increasing the amount of RF energy around the board.
1258 Rocketry altimeters also use precise sensors measuring air
1259 pressure and acceleration. Tiny changes in voltage can cause
1260 these sensor readings to vary by a huge amount. When the
1261 sensors start mis-reporting data, the altimeter can either
1262 fire the igniters at the wrong time, or not fire them at all.
1264 Voltages are induced when radio frequency energy is
1265 transmitted from one circuit to another. Here are things that
1266 influence the induced voltage and current:
1267 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem">
1268 Keep wires from different circuits apart. Moving circuits
1269 further apart will reduce RFI.
1270 </li><li class="listitem">
1271 Avoid parallel wires from different circuits. The longer two
1272 wires run parallel to one another, the larger the amount of
1273 transferred energy. Cross wires at right angles to reduce
1275 </li><li class="listitem">
1276 Twist wires from the same circuits. Two wires the same
1277 distance from the transmitter will get the same amount of
1278 induced energy which will then cancel out. Any time you have
1279 a wire pair running together, twist the pair together to
1280 even out distances and reduce RFI. For altimeters, this
1281 includes battery leads, switch hookups and igniter
1283 </li><li class="listitem">
1284 Avoid resonant lengths. Know what frequencies are present
1285 in the environment and avoid having wire lengths near a
1286 natural resonant length. Altusmetrum products transmit on the
1287 70cm amateur band, so you should avoid lengths that are a
1288 simple ratio of that length; essentially any multiple of 1/4
1289 of the wavelength (17.5cm).
1290 </li></ul></div></div><div class="section" title="5. The Barometric Sensor"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3561200"></a>5. The Barometric Sensor</h2></div></div></div><p>
1291 Altusmetrum altimeters measure altitude with a barometric
1292 sensor, essentially measuring the amount of air above the
1293 rocket to figure out how high it is. A large number of
1294 measurements are taken as the altimeter initializes itself to
1295 figure out the pad altitude. Subsequent measurements are then
1296 used to compute the height above the pad.
1298 To accurately measure atmospheric pressure, the ebay
1299 containing the altimeter must be vented outside the
1300 air-frame. The vent must be placed in a region of linear
1301 airflow, have smooth edges, and away from areas of increasing or
1302 decreasing pressure.
1304 The barometric sensor in the altimeter is quite sensitive to
1305 chemical damage from the products of APCP or BP combustion, so
1306 make sure the ebay is carefully sealed from any compartment
1307 which contains ejection charges or motors.
1308 </p></div><div class="section" title="6. Ground Testing"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3563040"></a>6. Ground Testing</h2></div></div></div><p>
1309 The most important aspect of any installation is careful
1310 ground testing. Bringing an air-frame up to the LCO table which
1311 hasn't been ground tested can lead to delays or ejection
1312 charges firing on the pad, or, even worse, a recovery system
1315 Do a 'full systems' test that includes wiring up all igniters
1316 without any BP and turning on all of the electronics in flight
1317 mode. This will catch any mistakes in wiring and any residual
1318 RFI issues that might accidentally fire igniters at the wrong
1319 time. Let the air-frame sit for several minutes, checking for
1320 adequate telemetry signal strength and GPS lock. If any igniters
1321 fire unexpectedly, find and resolve the issue before loading any
1324 Ground test the ejection charges. Prepare the rocket for
1325 flight, loading ejection charges and igniters. Completely
1326 assemble the air-frame and then use the 'Fire Igniters'
1327 interface through a TeleDongle to command each charge to
1328 fire. Make sure the charge is sufficient to robustly separate
1329 the air-frame and deploy the recovery system.
1330 </p></div></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 9. Updating Device Firmware"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="idp3565176"></a>Chapter 9. Updating Device Firmware</h2></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3567176">1. Updating TeleMetrum Firmware</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3572480">2. Updating TeleMini Firmware</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3578376">3. Updating TeleDongle Firmware</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
1331 The big concept to understand is that you have to use a
1332 TeleDongle as a programmer to update a TeleMetrum or TeleMini,
1333 and a TeleMetrum or other TeleDongle to program the TeleDongle
1334 Due to limited memory resources in the cc1111, we don't support
1335 programming directly over USB.
1337 You may wish to begin by ensuring you have current firmware images.
1338 These are distributed as part of the AltOS software bundle that
1339 also includes the AltosUI ground station program. Newer ground
1340 station versions typically work fine with older firmware versions,
1341 so you don't need to update your devices just to try out new
1342 software features. You can always download the most recent
1343 version from <a class="ulink" href="http://www.altusmetrum.org/AltOS/" target="_top">http://www.altusmetrum.org/AltOS/</a>.
1345 We recommend updating the altimeter first, before updating TeleDongle.
1346 </p><div class="section" title="1. Updating TeleMetrum Firmware"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3567176"></a>1. Updating TeleMetrum Firmware</h2></div></div></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem">
1347 Find the 'programming cable' that you got as part of the starter
1348 kit, that has a red 8-pin MicroMaTch connector on one end and a
1349 red 4-pin MicroMaTch connector on the other end.
1350 </li><li class="listitem">
1351 Take the 2 screws out of the TeleDongle case to get access
1352 to the circuit board.
1353 </li><li class="listitem">
1354 Plug the 8-pin end of the programming cable to the
1355 matching connector on the TeleDongle, and the 4-pin end to the
1356 matching connector on the TeleMetrum.
1357 Note that each MicroMaTch connector has an alignment pin that
1358 goes through a hole in the PC board when you have the cable
1360 </li><li class="listitem">
1361 Attach a battery to the TeleMetrum board.
1362 </li><li class="listitem">
1363 Plug the TeleDongle into your computer's USB port, and power
1365 </li><li class="listitem">
1366 Run AltosUI, and select 'Flash Image' from the File menu.
1367 </li><li class="listitem">
1368 Pick the TeleDongle device from the list, identifying it as the
1370 </li><li class="listitem">
1371 Select the image you want put on the TeleMetrum, which should have a
1372 name in the form telemetrum-v1.2-1.0.0.ihx. It should be visible
1373 in the default directory, if not you may have to poke around
1374 your system to find it.
1375 </li><li class="listitem">
1376 Make sure the configuration parameters are reasonable
1377 looking. If the serial number and/or RF configuration
1378 values aren't right, you'll need to change them.
1379 </li><li class="listitem">
1380 Hit the 'OK' button and the software should proceed to flash
1381 the TeleMetrum with new firmware, showing a progress bar.
1382 </li><li class="listitem">
1383 Confirm that the TeleMetrum board seems to have updated OK, which you
1384 can do by plugging in to it over USB and using a terminal program
1385 to connect to the board and issue the 'v' command to check
1387 </li><li class="listitem">
1388 If something goes wrong, give it another try.
1389 </li></ol></div></div><div class="section" title="2. Updating TeleMini Firmware"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3572480"></a>2. Updating TeleMini Firmware</h2></div></div></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem">
1390 You'll need a special 'programming cable' to reprogram the
1391 TeleMini. It's available on the Altus Metrum web store, or
1392 you can make your own using an 8-pin MicroMaTch connector on
1393 one end and a set of four pins on the other.
1394 </li><li class="listitem">
1395 Take the 2 screws out of the TeleDongle case to get access
1396 to the circuit board.
1397 </li><li class="listitem">
1398 Plug the 8-pin end of the programming cable to the matching
1399 connector on the TeleDongle, and the 4-pins into the holes
1400 in the TeleMini circuit board. Note that the MicroMaTch
1401 connector has an alignment pin that goes through a hole in
1402 the PC board when you have the cable oriented correctly, and
1403 that pin 1 on the TeleMini board is marked with a square pad
1404 while the other pins have round pads.
1405 </li><li class="listitem">
1406 Attach a battery to the TeleMini board.
1407 </li><li class="listitem">
1408 Plug the TeleDongle into your computer's USB port, and power
1410 </li><li class="listitem">
1411 Run AltosUI, and select 'Flash Image' from the File menu.
1412 </li><li class="listitem">
1413 Pick the TeleDongle device from the list, identifying it as the
1415 </li><li class="listitem">
1416 Select the image you want put on the TeleMini, which should have a
1417 name in the form telemini-v1.0-1.0.0.ihx. It should be visible
1418 in the default directory, if not you may have to poke around
1419 your system to find it.
1420 </li><li class="listitem">
1421 Make sure the configuration parameters are reasonable
1422 looking. If the serial number and/or RF configuration
1423 values aren't right, you'll need to change them.
1424 </li><li class="listitem">
1425 Hit the 'OK' button and the software should proceed to flash
1426 the TeleMini with new firmware, showing a progress bar.
1427 </li><li class="listitem">
1428 Confirm that the TeleMini board seems to have updated OK, which you
1429 can do by configuring it over the radio link through the TeleDongle, or
1430 letting it come up in "flight" mode and listening for telemetry.
1431 </li><li class="listitem">
1432 If something goes wrong, give it another try.
1433 </li></ol></div></div><div class="section" title="3. Updating TeleDongle Firmware"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3578376"></a>3. Updating TeleDongle Firmware</h2></div></div></div><p>
1434 Updating TeleDongle's firmware is just like updating TeleMetrum or TeleMini
1435 firmware, but you use either a TeleMetrum or another TeleDongle as the programmer.
1436 </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem">
1437 Find the 'programming cable' that you got as part of the starter
1438 kit, that has a red 8-pin MicroMaTch connector on one end and a
1439 red 4-pin MicroMaTch connector on the other end.
1440 </li><li class="listitem">
1441 Find the USB cable that you got as part of the starter kit, and
1442 plug the "mini" end in to the mating connector on TeleMetrum or TeleDongle.
1443 </li><li class="listitem">
1444 Take the 2 screws out of the TeleDongle case to get access
1445 to the circuit board.
1446 </li><li class="listitem">
1447 Plug the 8-pin end of the programming cable to the
1448 matching connector on the programmer, and the 4-pin end to the
1449 matching connector on the TeleDongle.
1450 Note that each MicroMaTch connector has an alignment pin that
1451 goes through a hole in the PC board when you have the cable
1453 </li><li class="listitem">
1454 Attach a battery to the TeleMetrum board if you're using one.
1455 </li><li class="listitem">
1456 Plug both the programmer and the TeleDongle into your computer's USB
1457 ports, and power up the programmer.
1458 </li><li class="listitem">
1459 Run AltosUI, and select 'Flash Image' from the File menu.
1460 </li><li class="listitem">
1461 Pick the programmer device from the list, identifying it as the
1463 </li><li class="listitem">
1464 Select the image you want put on the TeleDongle, which should have a
1465 name in the form teledongle-v0.2-1.0.0.ihx. It should be visible
1466 in the default directory, if not you may have to poke around
1467 your system to find it.
1468 </li><li class="listitem">
1469 Make sure the configuration parameters are reasonable
1470 looking. If the serial number and/or RF configuration
1471 values aren't right, you'll need to change them. The TeleDongle
1472 serial number is on the "bottom" of the circuit board, and can
1473 usually be read through the translucent blue plastic case without
1474 needing to remove the board from the case.
1475 </li><li class="listitem">
1476 Hit the 'OK' button and the software should proceed to flash
1477 the TeleDongle with new firmware, showing a progress bar.
1478 </li><li class="listitem">
1479 Confirm that the TeleDongle board seems to have updated OK, which you
1480 can do by plugging in to it over USB and using a terminal program
1481 to connect to the board and issue the 'v' command to check
1482 the version, etc. Once you're happy, remove the programming cable
1483 and put the cover back on the TeleDongle.
1484 </li><li class="listitem">
1485 If something goes wrong, give it another try.
1487 Be careful removing the programming cable from the locking 8-pin
1488 connector on TeleMetrum. You'll need a fingernail or perhaps a thin
1489 screwdriver or knife blade to gently pry the locking ears out
1490 slightly to extract the connector. We used a locking connector on
1491 TeleMetrum to help ensure that the cabling to companion boards
1492 used in a rocket don't ever come loose accidentally in flight.
1493 </p></div></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 10. Hardware Specifications"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="idp3585824"></a>Chapter 10. Hardware Specifications</h2></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3586144">1. TeleMetrum Specifications</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3591872">2. TeleMini Specifications</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="section" title="1. TeleMetrum Specifications"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3586144"></a>1. TeleMetrum Specifications</h2></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem"><p>
1494 Recording altimeter for model rocketry.
1495 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1496 Supports dual deployment (can fire 2 ejection charges).
1497 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1498 70cm ham-band transceiver for telemetry down-link.
1499 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1500 Barometric pressure sensor good to 45k feet MSL.
1501 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1502 1-axis high-g accelerometer for motor characterization, capable of
1503 +/- 50g using default part.
1504 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1505 On-board, integrated GPS receiver with 5Hz update rate capability.
1506 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1507 On-board 1 megabyte non-volatile memory for flight data storage.
1508 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1509 USB interface for battery charging, configuration, and data recovery.
1510 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1511 Fully integrated support for Li-Po rechargeable batteries.
1512 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1513 Uses Li-Po to fire e-matches, can be modified to support
1514 optional separate pyro battery if needed.
1515 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1516 2.75 x 1 inch board designed to fit inside 29mm air-frame coupler tube.
1517 </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="section" title="2. TeleMini Specifications"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3591872"></a>2. TeleMini Specifications</h2></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem"><p>
1518 Recording altimeter for model rocketry.
1519 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1520 Supports dual deployment (can fire 2 ejection charges).
1521 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1522 70cm ham-band transceiver for telemetry down-link.
1523 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1524 Barometric pressure sensor good to 45k feet MSL.
1525 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1526 On-board 5 kilobyte non-volatile memory for flight data storage.
1527 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1528 RF interface for battery charging, configuration, and data recovery.
1529 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1530 Support for Li-Po rechargeable batteries, using an external charger.
1531 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1532 Uses Li-Po to fire e-matches, can be modified to support
1533 optional separate pyro battery if needed.
1534 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
1535 1.5 x .5 inch board designed to fit inside 18mm air-frame coupler tube.
1536 </p></li></ul></div></div></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 11. FAQ"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="idp3596696"></a>Chapter 11. FAQ</h2></div></div></div><p>
1537 TeleMetrum seems to shut off when disconnected from the
1538 computer. Make sure the battery is adequately charged. Remember the
1539 unit will pull more power than the USB port can deliver before the
1540 GPS enters "locked" mode. The battery charges best when TeleMetrum
1543 It's impossible to stop the TeleDongle when it's in "p" mode, I have
1544 to unplug the USB cable? Make sure you have tried to "escape out" of
1545 this mode. If this doesn't work the reboot procedure for the
1546 TeleDongle *is* to simply unplug it. 'cu' however will retain it's
1547 outgoing buffer IF your "escape out" ('~~') does not work.
1548 At this point using either 'ao-view' (or possibly
1549 'cutemon') instead of 'cu' will 'clear' the issue and allow renewed
1552 The amber LED (on the TeleMetrum) lights up when both
1553 battery and USB are connected. Does this mean it's charging?
1554 Yes, the yellow LED indicates the charging at the 'regular' rate.
1555 If the led is out but the unit is still plugged into a USB port,
1556 then the battery is being charged at a 'trickle' rate.
1558 There are no "dit-dah-dah-dit" sound or lights like the manual mentions?
1559 That's the "pad" mode. Weak batteries might be the problem.
1560 It is also possible that the TeleMetrum is horizontal and the output
1561 is instead a "dit-dit" meaning 'idle'. For TeleMini, it's possible that
1562 it received a command packet which would have left it in "pad" mode.
1564 How do I save flight data?
1565 Live telemetry is written to file(s) whenever AltosUI is connected
1566 to the TeleDongle. The file area defaults to ~/TeleMetrum
1567 but is easily changed using the menus in AltosUI. The files that
1568 are written end in '.telem'. The after-flight
1569 data-dumped files will end in .eeprom and represent continuous data
1570 unlike the .telem files that are subject to losses
1571 along the RF data path.
1572 See the above instructions on what and how to save the eeprom stored
1573 data after physically retrieving your altimeter. Make sure to save
1574 the on-board data after each flight; while the TeleMetrum can store
1575 multiple flights, you never know when you'll lose the altimeter...
1576 </p></div><div class="appendix" title="Appendix A. Notes for Older Software"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="idp3600440"></a>Appendix A. Notes for Older Software</h2></div></div></div><p>
1577 <span class="emphasis"><em>
1578 Before AltosUI was written, using Altus Metrum devices required
1579 some finesse with the Linux command line. There was a limited
1580 GUI tool, ao-view, which provided functionality similar to the
1581 Monitor Flight window in AltosUI, but everything else was a
1582 fairly 80's experience. This appendix includes documentation for
1583 using that software.
1586 Both TeleMetrum and TeleDongle can be directly communicated
1587 with using USB ports. The first thing you should try after getting
1588 both units plugged into to your computer's USB port(s) is to run
1589 'ao-list' from a terminal-window to see what port-device-name each
1590 device has been assigned by the operating system.
1591 You will need this information to access the devices via their
1592 respective on-board firmware and data using other command line
1593 programs in the AltOS software suite.
1595 TeleMini can be communicated with through a TeleDongle device
1596 over the radio link. When first booted, TeleMini listens for a
1597 TeleDongle device and if it receives a packet, it goes into
1598 'idle' mode. Otherwise, it goes into 'pad' mode and waits to be
1599 launched. The easiest way to get it talking is to start the
1600 communication link on the TeleDongle and the power up the
1603 To access the device's firmware for configuration you need a terminal
1604 program such as you would use to talk to a modem. The software
1605 authors prefer using the program 'cu' which comes from the UUCP package
1606 on most Unix-like systems such as Linux. An example command line for
1607 cu might be 'cu -l /dev/ttyACM0', substituting the correct number
1608 indicated from running the
1609 ao-list program. Another reasonable terminal program for Linux is
1610 'cutecom'. The default 'escape'
1611 character used by CU (i.e. the character you use to
1612 issue commands to cu itself instead of sending the command as input
1613 to the connected device) is a '~'. You will need this for use in
1614 only two different ways during normal operations. First is to exit
1615 the program by sending a '~.' which is called a 'escape-disconnect'
1616 and allows you to close-out from 'cu'. The
1617 second use will be outlined later.
1619 All of the Altus Metrum devices share the concept of a two level
1620 command set in their firmware.
1621 The first layer has several single letter commands. Once
1622 you are using 'cu' (or 'cutecom') sending (typing) a '?'
1623 returns a full list of these
1624 commands. The second level are configuration sub-commands accessed
1625 using the 'c' command, for
1626 instance typing 'c?' will give you this second level of commands
1627 (all of which require the
1628 letter 'c' to access). Please note that most configuration options
1629 are stored only in Flash memory; TeleDongle doesn't provide any storage
1630 for these options and so they'll all be lost when you unplug it.
1632 Try setting these configuration ('c' or second level menu) values. A good
1633 place to start is by setting your call sign. By default, the boards
1634 use 'N0CALL' which is cute, but not exactly legal!
1635 Spend a few minutes getting comfortable with the units, their
1636 firmware, and 'cu' (or possibly 'cutecom').
1637 For instance, try to send
1638 (type) a 'c r 2' and verify the channel change by sending a 'c s'.
1639 Verify you can connect and disconnect from the units while in your
1640 terminal program by sending the escape-disconnect mentioned above.
1642 To set the radio frequency, use the 'c R' command to specify the
1643 radio transceiver configuration parameter. This parameter is computed
1644 using the desired frequency, 'F', the radio calibration parameter, 'C' (showed by the 'c s' command) and
1645 the standard calibration reference frequency, 'S', (normally 434.550MHz):
1646 </p><pre class="programlisting">
1649 Round the result to the nearest integer value.
1650 As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
1651 change to the parameter block in the on-board flash on
1652 your altimeter board if you want the change to stay in place across reboots.
1654 To set the apogee delay, use the 'c d' command.
1655 As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
1656 change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
1658 To set the main deployment altitude, use the 'c m' command.
1659 As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
1660 change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
1662 To calibrate the radio frequency, connect the UHF antenna port to a
1663 frequency counter, set the board to 434.550MHz, and use the 'C'
1664 command to generate a CW carrier. Wait for the transmitter temperature
1665 to stabilize and the frequency to settle down.
1666 Then, divide 434.550 MHz by the
1667 measured frequency and multiply by the current radio cal value show
1668 in the 'c s' command. For an unprogrammed board, the default value
1669 is 1186611. Take the resulting integer and program it using the 'c f'
1670 command. Testing with the 'C' command again should show a carrier
1671 within a few tens of Hertz of the intended frequency.
1672 As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
1673 change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
1675 Note that the 'reboot' command, which is very useful on the altimeters,
1676 will likely just cause problems with the dongle. The *correct* way
1677 to reset the dongle is just to unplug and re-plug it.
1679 A fun thing to do at the launch site and something you can do while
1680 learning how to use these units is to play with the radio link access
1681 between an altimeter and the TeleDongle. Be aware that you *must* create
1682 some physical separation between the devices, otherwise the link will
1683 not function due to signal overload in the receivers in each device.
1685 Now might be a good time to take a break and read the rest of this
1686 manual, particularly about the two "modes" that the altimeters
1687 can be placed in. TeleMetrum uses the position of the device when booting
1688 up will determine whether the unit is in "pad" or "idle" mode. TeleMini
1689 enters "idle" mode when it receives a command packet within the first 5 seconds
1690 of being powered up, otherwise it enters "pad" mode.
1692 You can access an altimeter in idle mode from the TeleDongle's USB
1693 connection using the radio link
1694 by issuing a 'p' command to the TeleDongle. Practice connecting and
1695 disconnecting ('~~' while using 'cu') from the altimeter. If
1696 you cannot escape out of the "p" command, (by using a '~~' when in
1697 CU) then it is likely that your kernel has issues. Try a newer version.
1699 Using this radio link allows you to configure the altimeter, test
1700 fire e-matches and igniters from the flight line, check pyro-match
1701 continuity and so forth. You can leave the unit turned on while it
1702 is in 'idle mode' and then place the
1703 rocket vertically on the launch pad, walk away and then issue a
1704 reboot command. The altimeter will reboot and start sending data
1705 having changed to the "pad" mode. If the TeleDongle is not receiving
1706 this data, you can disconnect 'cu' from the TeleDongle using the
1707 procedures mentioned above and THEN connect to the TeleDongle from
1708 inside 'ao-view'. If this doesn't work, disconnect from the
1709 TeleDongle, unplug it, and try again after plugging it back in.
1711 In order to reduce the chance of accidental firing of pyrotechnic
1712 charges, the command to fire a charge is intentionally somewhat
1713 difficult to type, and the built-in help is slightly cryptic to
1714 prevent accidental echoing of characters from the help text back at
1715 the board from firing a charge. The command to fire the apogee
1716 drogue charge is 'i DoIt drogue' and the command to fire the main
1717 charge is 'i DoIt main'.
1719 On TeleMetrum, the GPS will eventually find enough satellites, lock in on them,
1720 and 'ao-view' will both auditorily announce and visually indicate
1722 Now you can launch knowing that you have a good data path and
1723 good satellite lock for flight data and recovery. Remember
1724 you MUST tell ao-view to connect to the TeleDongle explicitly in
1725 order for ao-view to be able to receive data.
1727 The altimeters provide RDF (radio direction finding) tones on
1728 the pad, during descent and after landing. These can be used to
1729 locate the rocket using a directional antenna; the signal
1730 strength providing an indication of the direction from receiver to rocket.
1732 TeleMetrum also provides GPS tracking data, which can further simplify
1733 locating the rocket once it has landed. (The last good GPS data
1734 received before touch-down will be on the data screen of 'ao-view'.)
1736 Once you have recovered the rocket you can download the eeprom
1737 contents using either 'ao-dumplog' (or possibly 'ao-eeprom'), over
1738 either a USB cable or over the radio link using TeleDongle.
1739 And by following the man page for 'ao-postflight' you can create
1740 various data output reports, graphs, and even KML data to see the
1741 flight trajectory in Google-earth. (Moving the viewing angle making
1742 sure to connect the yellow lines while in Google-earth is the proper
1745 As for ao-view.... some things are in the menu but don't do anything
1746 very useful. The developers have stopped working on ao-view to focus
1747 on a new, cross-platform ground station program. So ao-view may or
1748 may not be updated in the future. Mostly you just use
1749 the Log and Device menus. It has a wonderful display of the incoming
1750 flight data and I am sure you will enjoy what it has to say to you
1751 once you enable the voice output!
1752 </p></div><div class="appendix" title="Appendix B. Calibration"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="idp3616576"></a>Appendix B. Calibration</h2></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3617552">1. Radio Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idp3620872">2. TeleMetrum Accelerometer</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
1753 There are only two calibrations required for a TeleMetrum board, and
1754 only one for TeleDongle and TeleMini. All boards are shipped from
1755 the factory pre-calibrated, but the procedures are documented here
1756 in case they are ever needed. Re-calibration is not supported by
1757 AltosUI, you must connect to the board with a serial terminal program
1758 and interact directly with the on-board command interpreter to effect
1760 </p><div class="section" title="1. Radio Frequency"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3617552"></a>1. Radio Frequency</h2></div></div></div><p>
1761 The radio frequency is synthesized from a clock based on the 48 MHz
1762 crystal on the board. The actual frequency of this oscillator
1763 must be measured to generate a calibration constant. While our
1765 bandwidth is wide enough to allow boards to communicate even when
1766 their oscillators are not on exactly the same frequency, performance
1767 is best when they are closely matched.
1768 Radio frequency calibration requires a calibrated frequency counter.
1769 Fortunately, once set, the variation in frequency due to aging and
1770 temperature changes is small enough that re-calibration by customers
1771 should generally not be required.
1773 To calibrate the radio frequency, connect the UHF antenna port to a
1774 frequency counter, set the board to 434.550MHz, and use the 'C'
1775 command in the on-board command interpreter to generate a CW
1776 carrier. For TeleMetrum, this is best done over USB. For TeleMini,
1777 note that the only way to escape the 'C' command is via power cycle
1778 since the board will no longer be listening for commands once it
1779 starts generating a CW carrier.
1781 Wait for the transmitter temperature to stabilize and the frequency
1782 to settle down. Then, divide 434.550 MHz by the
1783 measured frequency and multiply by the current radio cal value show
1784 in the 'c s' command. For an unprogrammed board, the default value
1785 is 1186611. Take the resulting integer and program it using the 'c f'
1786 command. Testing with the 'C' command again should show a carrier
1787 within a few tens of Hertz of the intended frequency.
1788 As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
1789 change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
1791 Note that any time you re-do the radio frequency calibration, the
1792 radio frequency is reset to the default 434.550 Mhz. If you want
1793 to use another frequency, you will have to set that again after
1794 calibration is completed.
1795 </p></div><div class="section" title="2. TeleMetrum Accelerometer"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idp3620872"></a>2. TeleMetrum Accelerometer</h2></div></div></div><p>
1796 The TeleMetrum accelerometer we use has its own 5 volt power
1798 the output must be passed through a resistive voltage divider to match
1799 the input of our 3.3 volt ADC. This means that unlike the barometric
1800 sensor, the output of the acceleration sensor is not ratio-metric to
1801 the ADC converter, and calibration is required. Explicitly
1802 calibrating the accelerometers also allows us to load any device
1803 from a Freescale family that includes at least +/- 40g, 50g, 100g,
1804 and 200g parts. Using gravity,
1805 a simple 2-point calibration yields acceptable results capturing both
1806 the different sensitivities and ranges of the different accelerometer
1807 parts and any variation in power supply voltages or resistor values
1808 in the divider network.
1810 To calibrate the acceleration sensor, use the 'c a 0' command. You
1811 will be prompted to orient the board vertically with the UHF antenna
1812 up and press a key, then to orient the board vertically with the
1813 UHF antenna down and press a key. Note that the accuracy of this
1814 calibration depends primarily on how perfectly vertical and still
1815 the board is held during the cal process. As with all 'c'
1816 sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
1817 change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
1819 The +1g and -1g calibration points are included in each telemetry
1820 frame and are part of the header stored in onboard flash to be
1821 downloaded after flight. We always store and return raw ADC
1822 samples for each sensor... so nothing is permanently "lost" or
1823 "damaged" if the calibration is poor.
1825 In the unlikely event an accel cal goes badly, it is possible
1826 that TeleMetrum may always come up in 'pad mode' and as such not be
1827 listening to either the USB or radio link. If that happens,
1828 there is a special hook in the firmware to force the board back
1829 in to 'idle mode' so you can re-do the cal. To use this hook, you
1830 just need to ground the SPI clock pin at power-on. This pin is
1831 available as pin 2 on the 8-pin companion connector, and pin 1 is
1832 ground. So either carefully install a fine-gauge wire jumper
1833 between the two pins closest to the index hole end of the 8-pin
1834 connector, or plug in the programming cable to the 8-pin connector
1835 and use a small screwdriver or similar to short the two pins closest
1836 to the index post on the 4-pin end of the programming cable, and
1837 power up the board. It should come up in 'idle mode' (two beeps),
1839 </p></div></div><div class="appendix" title="Appendix C. Release Notes"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="idp3624920"></a>Appendix C. Release Notes</h2></div></div></div><p>
1840 Version 1.1.1 is a bug-fix release. It fixes a couple of bugs in
1841 AltosUI and one firmware bug that affects TeleMetrum version 1.0
1842 boards. Thanks to Bob Brown for help diagnosing the Google Earth
1843 file export issue, and for suggesting the addition of the Ground
1844 Distance value in the Descent tab.
1846 AltOS Firmware Changes
1847 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem">
1848 TeleMetrum v1.0 boards use the AT45DB081D flash memory part to
1849 store flight data, which is different from later TeleMetrum
1850 boards. The AltOS v1.1 driver for this chip couldn't erase
1851 memory, leaving it impossible to delete flight data or update
1852 configuration values. This bug doesn't affect newer TeleMetrum
1853 boards, and it doesn't affect the safety of rockets flying
1854 version 1.1 firmware.
1858 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem">
1859 Creating a Google Earth file (KML) from on-board flight data
1860 (EEPROM) would generate an empty file. The code responsible
1861 for reading the EEPROM file wasn't ever setting the GPS valid
1862 bits, and so the KML export code thought there was no GPS data
1864 </li><li class="listitem">
1865 The “Landed” tab was displaying all values in metric units,
1866 even when AltosUI was configured to display imperial
1867 units. Somehow I just missed this tab when doing the units stuff.
1868 </li><li class="listitem">
1869 The “Descent” tab displays the range to the rocket, which is a
1870 combination of the over-the-ground distance to the rockets
1871 current latitude/longitude and the height of the rocket. As
1872 such, it's useful for knowing how far away the rocket is, but
1873 difficult to use when estimating where the rocket might
1874 eventually land. A new “Ground Distance” field has been added
1875 which displays the distance to a spot right underneath the
1877 </li><li class="listitem">
1878 Sensor data wasn't being displayed for TeleMini flight
1879 computers in Monitor Idle mode, including things like battery
1880 voltage. The code that picked which kinds of data to fetch
1881 from the flight computer was missing a check for TeleMini when
1882 deciding whether to fetch the analog sensor data.
1885 Version 1.1 is a minor release. It provides a few new features in AltosUI
1886 and the AltOS firmware and fixes bugs.
1888 AltOS Firmware Changes
1889 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem">
1890 Add apogee-lockout value. Overrides the apogee detection logic to
1891 prevent incorrect apogee charge firing.
1892 </li><li class="listitem">
1893 Fix a bug where the data reported in telemetry packets was
1895 </li><li class="listitem">
1896 Force the radio frequency to 434.550MHz when the debug clock
1897 pin is connected to ground at boot time. This provides a way
1898 to talk to a TeleMini which is configured to some unknown frequency.
1899 </li><li class="listitem">
1900 Provide RSSI values for Monitor Idle mode. This makes it easy to check radio
1901 range without needing to go to flight mode.
1902 </li><li class="listitem">
1903 Fix a bug which caused the old received telemetry packets to
1904 be retransmitted over the USB link when the radio was turned
1909 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem">
1910 Fix a bug that caused GPS ready to happen too quickly. The
1911 software was using every telemetry packet to signal new GPS
1912 data, which caused GPS ready to be signalled after 10 packets
1913 instead of 10 GPS updates.
1914 </li><li class="listitem">
1915 Fix Google Earth data export to work with recent versions. The
1916 google earth file loading code got a lot pickier, requiring
1917 some minor white space changes in the export code.
1918 </li><li class="listitem">
1919 Make the look-n-feel configurable, providing a choice from
1920 the available options.
1921 </li><li class="listitem">
1922 Add an 'Age' element to mark how long since a telemetry packet
1923 has been received. Useful to quickly gauge whether
1924 communications with the rocket are still active.
1925 </li><li class="listitem">
1926 Add 'Configure Ground Station' dialog to set the radio
1927 frequency used by a particular TeleDongle without having to go
1928 through the flight monitor UI.
1929 </li><li class="listitem">
1930 Add configuration for the new apogee-lockout value. A menu provides a list of
1931 reasonable values, or the value can be set by hand.
1932 </li><li class="listitem">
1933 Changed how flight data are downloaded. Now there's an initial
1934 dialog asking which flights to download, and after that
1935 finishes, a second dialog comes up asking which flights to delete.
1936 </li><li class="listitem">
1937 Re-compute time spent in each state for the flight graph; this
1938 figures out the actual boost and landing times instead of
1939 using the conservative values provide by the flight
1940 electronics. This improves the accuracy of the boost
1941 acceleration and main descent rate computations.
1942 </li><li class="listitem">
1943 Make AltosUI run on Mac OS Lion. The default Java heap space
1944 was dramatically reduced for this release causing much of the
1945 UI to fail randomly. This most often affected the satellite
1946 mapping download and displays.
1947 </li><li class="listitem">
1948 Change how data are displayed in the 'table' tab of the flight
1949 monitoring window. This eliminates entries duplicated from the
1950 header and adds both current altitude and pad altitude, which
1951 are useful in 'Monitor Idle' mode.
1952 </li><li class="listitem">
1953 Add Imperial units mode to present data in feet instead of
1957 Version 1.0.1 is a major release, adding support for the TeleMini
1958 device and lots of new AltosUI features
1960 AltOS Firmware Changes
1961 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem">
1962 Add TeleMini v1.0 support. Firmware images for TeleMini are
1963 included in AltOS releases.
1964 </li><li class="listitem">
1965 Change telemetry to be encoded in multiple 32-byte packets. This
1966 enables support for TeleMini and other devices without requiring
1967 further updates to the TeleDongle firmware.
1968 </li><li class="listitem">
1969 Support operation of TeleMetrum with the antenna pointing
1970 aft. Previous firmware versions required the antenna to be
1971 pointing upwards, now there is a configuration option allowing
1972 the antenna to point aft, to aid installation in some airframes.
1973 </li><li class="listitem">
1974 Ability to disable telemetry. For airframes where an antenna
1975 just isn't possible, or where radio transmissions might cause
1976 trouble with other electronics, there's a configuration option
1977 to disable all telemetry. Note that the board will still
1978 enable the radio link in idle mode.
1979 </li><li class="listitem">
1980 Arbitrary frequency selection. The radios in Altus Metrum
1981 devices can be programmed to a wide range of frequencies, so
1982 instead of limiting devices to 10 pre-selected 'channels', the
1983 new firmware allows the user to choose any frequency in the
1984 70cm band. Note that the RF matching circuit on the boards is
1985 tuned for around 435MHz, so frequencies far from that may
1986 reduce the available range.
1987 </li><li class="listitem">
1988 Kalman-filter based flight-tracking. The model based sensor
1989 fusion approach of a Kalman filter means that AltOS now
1990 computes apogee much more accurately than before, generally
1991 within a fraction of a second. In addition, this approach
1992 allows the baro-only TeleMini device to correctly identify
1993 Mach transitions, avoiding the error-prone selection of a Mach
1998 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem">
1999 Wait for altimeter when using packet mode. Instead of quicly
2000 timing out when trying to initialize a packet mode
2001 configuration connection, AltosUI now waits indefinitely for
2002 the remote device to appear, providing a cancel button should
2003 the user get bored. This is necessary as the TeleMini can only
2004 be placed in "Idle" mode if AltosUI is polling it.
2005 </li><li class="listitem">
2006 Add main/apogee voltage graphs to the data plot. This provides
2007 a visual indication if the igniters fail before being fired.
2008 </li><li class="listitem">
2009 Scan for altimeter devices by watching the defined telemetry
2010 frequencies. This avoids the problem of remembering what
2011 frequency a device was configured to use, which is especially
2012 important with TeleMini which does not include a USB connection.
2013 </li><li class="listitem">
2014 Monitor altimeter state in "Idle" mode. This provides much of
2015 the information presented in the "Pad" dialog from the Monitor
2016 Flight command, monitoring the igniters, battery and GPS
2017 status withing requiring the flight computer to be armed and
2019 </li><li class="listitem">
2020 Pre-load map images from home. For those launch sites which
2021 don't provide free Wi-Fi, this allows you to download the
2022 necessary satellite images given the location of the launch
2023 site. A list of known launch sites is maintained at
2024 altusmetrum.org which AltosUI downloads to populate a menu; if
2025 you've got a launch site not on that list, please send the
2026 name of it, latitude and longitude along with a link to the
2027 web site of the controlling club to the altusmetrum mailing list.
2028 </li><li class="listitem">
2029 Flight statistics are now displayed in the Graph data
2030 window. These include max height/speed/accel, average descent
2031 rates and a few other bits of information. The Graph Data
2032 window can now be reached from the 'Landed' tab in the Monitor
2033 Flight window so you can immediately see the results of a
2037 Version 0.9.2 is an AltosUI bug-fix release, with no firmware changes.
2038 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem">
2039 Fix plotting problems due to missing file in the Mac OS install image.
2040 </li><li class="listitem">
2041 Always read whole eeprom blocks, mark empty records invalid, display parsing errors to user.
2042 </li><li class="listitem">
2043 Add software version to Configure AltosUI dialog
2045 Version 0.9 adds a few new firmware features and accompanying
2046 AltosUI changes, along with new hardware support.
2047 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem">
2048 Support for TeleMetrum v1.1 hardware. Sources for the flash
2049 memory part used in v1.0 dried up, so v1.1 uses a different part
2050 which required a new driver and support for explicit flight log
2052 </li><li class="listitem">
2053 Multiple flight log support. This stores more than one flight
2054 log in the on-board flash memory. It also requires the user to
2055 explicitly erase flights so that you won't lose flight logs just
2056 because you fly the same board twice in one day.
2057 </li><li class="listitem">
2058 Telemetry support for devices with serial number >=
2059 256. Previous versions used a telemetry packet format that
2060 provided only 8 bits for the device serial number. This change
2061 requires that both ends of the telemetry link be running the 0.9
2062 firmware or they will not communicate.
2064 Version 0.8 offers a major upgrade in the AltosUI
2065 interface. Significant new features include:
2066 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem">
2067 Post-flight graphing tool. This lets you explore the behaviour
2068 of your rocket after flight with a scroll-able and zoom-able
2069 chart showing the altitude, speed and acceleration of the
2070 airframe along with events recorded by the flight computer. You
2071 can export graphs to PNG files, or print them directly.
2072 </li><li class="listitem">
2073 Real-time moving map which overlays the in-progress flight on
2074 satellite imagery fetched from Google Maps. This lets you see in
2075 pictures where your rocket has landed, allowing you to plan
2076 recovery activities more accurately.
2077 </li><li class="listitem">
2078 Wireless recovery system testing. Prep your rocket for flight
2079 and test fire the deployment charges to make sure things work as
2080 expected. All without threading wires through holes in your
2082 </li><li class="listitem">
2083 Optimized flight status displays. Each flight state now has it's
2084 own custom 'tab' in the flight monitoring window so you can
2085 focus on the most important details. Pre-flight, the system
2086 shows a set of red/green status indicators for battery voltage,
2087 apogee/main igniter continutity and GPS reception. Wait until
2088 they're all green and your rocket is ready for flight. There are
2089 also tabs for ascent, descent and landing along with the
2090 original tabular view of the data.
2091 </li><li class="listitem">
2092 Monitor multiple flights simultaneously. If you have more than
2093 one TeleDongle, you can monitor a flight with each one on the
2095 </li><li class="listitem">
2096 Automatic flight monitoring at startup. Plug TeleDongle into the
2097 machine before starting AltosUI and it will automatically
2098 connect to it and prepare to monitor a flight.
2099 </li><li class="listitem">
2100 Exports Google Earth flight tracks. Using the Keyhole Markup
2101 Language (.kml) file format, this provides a 3D view of your
2102 rocket flight through the Google Earth program.
2104 Version 0.7.1 is the first release containing our new cross-platform Java-based user interface. AltosUI can:
2105 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem">
2106 Receive and log telemetry from a connected TeleDongle
2107 device. All data received is saved to log files named with the
2108 current date and the connected rocket serial and flight
2109 numbers. There is no mode in which telemetry data will not be
2111 </li><li class="listitem">
2112 Download logged data from TeleMetrum devices, either through a
2113 direct USB connection or over the air through a TeleDongle
2115 </li><li class="listitem">
2116 Configure a TeleMetrum device, setting the radio channel,
2117 callsign, apogee delay and main deploy height. This can be done
2118 through either a USB connection or over a radio link via a
2120 </li><li class="listitem">
2121 Replay a flight in real-time. This takes a saved telemetry log
2122 or eeprom download and replays it through the user interface so
2123 you can relive your favorite rocket flights.
2124 </li><li class="listitem">
2125 Reprogram Altus Metrum devices. Using an Altus Metrum device
2126 connected via USB, another Altus Metrum device can be
2127 reprogrammed using the supplied programming cable between the
2129 </li><li class="listitem">
2130 Export Flight data to a comma-separated-values file. This takes
2131 either telemetry or on-board flight data and generates data
2132 suitable for use in external applications. All data is exported
2133 using standard units so that no device-specific knowledge is
2134 needed to handle the data.
2135 </li><li class="listitem">
2136 Speak to you during the flight. Instead of spending the flight
2137 hunched over your laptop looking at the screen, enjoy the view
2138 while the computer tells you what’s going on up there. During
2139 ascent, you hear the current flight state and altitude
2140 information. During descent, you get azimuth, elevation and
2141 range information to try and help you find your rocket in the
2142 air. Once on the ground, the direction and distance are
2144 </li></ul></div></div></div></body></html>
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