1 <html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"><title>TeleGPS Owner's Manual</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.78.1"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="book"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idm45869268938816"></a>TeleGPS Owner's Manual</h1></div><div><h2 class="subtitle">A recording GPS tracker</h2></div><div><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Keith</span> <span class="surname">Packard</span></h3></div></div><div><p class="copyright">Copyright © 2015 Bdale Garbee and Keith Packard</p></div><div><div class="legalnotice"><a name="idm45869241732464"></a><p>
2 This document is released under the terms of the
3 <a class="ulink" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/" target="_top">
4 Creative Commons ShareAlike 3.0
7 </p></div></div><div><div class="revhistory"><table style="border-style:solid; width:100%;" summary="Revision History"><tr><th align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><b>Revision History</b></th></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.6</td><td align="left">8 January 2015</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
8 Major release adding TeleDongle v3.0 support.
9 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.4.1</td><td align="left">20 June 2014</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
10 Minor release fixing some installation bugs.
11 </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 1.4</td><td align="left">13 June 2014</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">
13 </td></tr></table></div></div></div><hr></div><div class="dedication"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idm45869241725744"></a>Acknowledgements</h1></div></div></div><p>
14 Have fun using these products, and we hope to meet all of you
15 out on the rocket flight line somewhere.
16 </p><div class="literallayout"><p><br>
17 Bdale Garbee, KB0G<br>
18 NAR #87103, TRA #12201<br>
20 Keith Packard, KD7SQG<br>
21 NAR #88757, TRA #12200<br>
23 </p></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idm45869241723376">1. Quick Start Guide</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idm45869241718752">2. Handling Precautions</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idm45869238226240">3. TeleGPS Hardware</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869238225600">1. Hooking Up Lithium Polymer Batteries</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869238222784">2. On-board Data Recording</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869238218576">3. Installation</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idm45869238215456">4. System Operation</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869238214784">1. GFSK Telemetry</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869240867456">2. APRS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242600368">3. Configurable Parameters</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242599040">3.1. Radio Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242596912">3.2. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242595728">3.3. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242594400">3.4. APRS Interval</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242592896">3.5. Maximum Flight Log</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242591296">3.6. Logging Trigger Motion</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242589968">3.7. Position Reporting Interval</a></span></dt></dl></dd></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idm45869242588320">5. TeleGPS Application</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242586736">1. Telemetry Monitoring</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242577744">1.1. Map</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242571616">1.2. Location</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237093232">1.3. Status</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237089808">1.4. Table</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237085920">2. TeleGPS Menus</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237077952">2.1. New Window</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237076656">2.2. Graph Data</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237060384">2.3. Export Data</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237054400">2.4. Load Maps</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237040656">2.5. Preferences</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237021056">2.6. Close</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237019792">2.7. Exit</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237018640">2.8. Connect Device</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237015104">2.9. Disconnect</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237013952">2.10. Scan Channels</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237010400">2.11. Download Data</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237007264">2.12. Configure Device</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869236983600">2.13. Flash Device</a></span></dt></dl></dd></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idm45869236982000">6. Updating Device Firmware</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869236979632">1.
24 Updating TeleGPS Firmware
25 </a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#idm45869236970352">7. Technical Information</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869236969680">1. GPS Receiver</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869236966368">2. Micro-controller</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869236965040">3. Lithium Polymer Battery</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869236963776">4. Mechanical Considerations</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869236962448">5. On-board data storage</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="appendix"><a href="#idm45869236960992">A. Release Notes</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="list-of-tables"><p><b>List of Tables</b></p><dl><dt>4.1. <a href="#idm45869238928544">Altus Metrum APRS Comments</a></dt></dl></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idm45869241723376"></a>Chapter 1. Quick Start Guide</h1></div></div></div><p>
26 TeleGPS is designed to be easy to use. Requiring no external
27 components, flying takes just a few steps.
29 First, download and install the software from <a class="ulink" href="http://altusmetrum.org/AltOS" target="_top">http://altusmetrum.org/AltOS</a>. This will make sure that
30 you have the right device drivers installed.
32 Next, plug in the battery and USB cable and connect TeleGPS to
33 your computer. This will charge the battery and allow you to
36 Start the TeleGPS application and set the callsign and frequency
37 on your TeleGPS device; refer to the Configure TeleGPS section
38 in the TeleGPS Application chapter for instructions.
40 Unplug TeleGPS when the battery charger light goes green. This
41 will enable the radio and logging portions of the TeleGPS
44 Connect TeleDongle to your computer and start TeleGPS or start
45 AltosDroid on your android device and connect to TeleBT. Set the
46 frequency to match the TeleGPS and you should be receiving telemetry.
47 </p></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idm45869241718752"></a>Chapter 2. Handling Precautions</h1></div></div></div><p>
48 All Altus Metrum products are sophisticated electronic devices.
49 When handled gently and properly installed in an air-frame, they
50 will deliver impressive results. However, as with all electronic
51 devices, there are some precautions you must take.
53 The Lithium polymer batteries have an
54 extraordinary power density. This is great because we can fly with
55 much less battery mass... but if they are punctured
56 or their contacts are allowed to short, they can and will release their
58 Thus we recommend that you take some care when handling TeleGPS
59 to keep conductive material from coming in contact with the exposed metal elements.
61 As with all other rocketry electronics, Altus Metrum devices must
62 be protected from exposure to corrosive motor exhaust and ejection
64 </p></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idm45869238226240"></a>Chapter 3. TeleGPS Hardware</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869238225600">1. Hooking Up Lithium Polymer Batteries</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869238222784">2. On-board Data Recording</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869238218576">3. Installation</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idm45869238225600"></a>1. Hooking Up Lithium Polymer Batteries</h2></div></div></div><p>
65 TeleGPS has a two pin JST PH series connector to connect up
66 a single-cell Lithium Polymer cell (3.7V nominal). You can
67 purchase matching batteries from the Altus Metrum store, or
68 other vendors, or you can make your own. Pin 1 of the
69 connector is positive, pin 2 is negative. Spark Fun sells a
70 cable with the connector attached, which they call a <a class="ulink" href="https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9914" target="_top">JST Jumper 2
73 Many RC vendors also sell lithium polymer batteries with
74 this same connector. All that we have found use the opposite
75 polarity, and if you use them that way, you will damage or
77 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idm45869238222784"></a>2. On-board Data Recording</h2></div></div></div><p>
78 TeleGPS logs GPS data at a user-configurable rate. Data are
79 logged to a 2MB on-board flash memory part, which can be
80 partitioned into several equal-sized blocks, one for each
81 flight. 64kB of this storage are reserved to hold
82 configuration data, leaving 1984kB for flight data.
84 The on-board flash is partitioned into separate flight logs,
85 each of a fixed maximum size. Increase the maximum size of
86 each log and you reduce the number of flights that can be
87 stored. Decrease the size and you can store more flights.
89 To compute the amount of space needed for a single log, you
90 can divide the expected time (in seconds) by the sample period
91 (by default, 1 second per sample) and then multiply the result
92 by 32 bytes per sample. For instance, a sample period of 1
93 second and a flight lasting one hour will take 32 * 3600 =
94 115200 bytes. TeleGPS does try to reduce log space used by not
95 recording position information when it isn't moving, so actual
96 space consumed may be less than this.
98 The default size allows for four flights of 496kB each, which
99 provides over four hours of logging at 1 sample per second.
101 TeleGPS will not overwrite existing flight data, so be sure to
102 download flight data and erase it from the onboard flash
103 before it fills up. TeleGPS will still report telemetry even
104 if memory is full, so the only thing you will lose is the
106 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idm45869238218576"></a>3. Installation</h2></div></div></div><p>
107 The battery connectors are a standard 2-pin JST connector and
108 match batteries sold by Spark Fun. These batteries are
109 single-cell Lithium Polymer batteries that nominally provide 3.7
110 volts. Other vendors sell similar batteries for RC aircraft
111 using mating connectors, however the polarity for those is
112 generally reversed from the batteries used by Altus Metrum
113 products. In particular, the Tenergy batteries supplied for use
114 in Featherweight flight computers are not compatible with Altus
115 Metrum flight computers or battery chargers. <span class="emphasis"><em>Check
116 polarity and voltage before connecting any battery not purchased
117 from Altus Metrum or Spark Fun.</em></span>
119 TeleGPS uses an integrate GPS patch antenna and won't
120 receive GPS signals if installed inside a metal or carbon
121 fiber compartment. Test GPS reception and telemetry
122 transmission with the system installed and all other
123 electronics powered up to verify signal reception and make
124 sure there isn't any interference from other systems.
125 </p></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idm45869238215456"></a>Chapter 4. System Operation</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869238214784">1. GFSK Telemetry</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869240867456">2. APRS</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242600368">3. Configurable Parameters</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242599040">3.1. Radio Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242596912">3.2. Callsign</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242595728">3.3. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242594400">3.4. APRS Interval</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242592896">3.5. Maximum Flight Log</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242591296">3.6. Logging Trigger Motion</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242589968">3.7. Position Reporting Interval</a></span></dt></dl></dd></dl></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idm45869238214784"></a>1. GFSK Telemetry</h2></div></div></div><p>
126 TeleGPS's native telemetry system doesn't use a 'normal packet
127 radio' mode like APRS because it's not very efficient. The
128 GFSK modulation we use is FSK with the base-band pulses passed
129 through a Gaussian filter before they go into the modulator to
130 limit the transmitted bandwidth. When combined with forward
131 error correction and interleaving, this allows us to have a
132 very robust 19.2 kilobit data link with only 10-40 milliwatts
133 of transmit power, a whip antenna in the rocket, and a
134 hand-held Yagi on the ground. We've had flights to above 21k
135 feet AGL with great reception, and calculations suggest we
136 should be good to well over 40k feet AGL with a 5-element yagi
137 on the ground with our 10mW units and over 100k feet AGL with
139 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idm45869240867456"></a>2. APRS</h2></div></div></div><p>
140 TeleGPS can send APRS if desired, and the
141 interval between APRS packets can be configured. As each APRS
142 packet takes a full second to transmit, we recommend an
143 interval of at least 5 seconds to avoid consuming too much
144 battery power or radio channel bandwidth. You can configure
145 the APRS interval using AltosUI; that process is described in
146 the Configure Altimeter section of the AltosUI chapter.
148 AltOS uses the APRS compressed position report data format,
149 which provides for higher position precision and shorter
150 packets than the original APRS format. It also includes
151 altitude data, which is invaluable when tracking rockets. We
152 haven't found a receiver which doesn't handle compressed
153 positions, but it's just possible that you have one, so if you
154 have an older device that can receive the raw packets but
155 isn't displaying position information, it's possible that this
158 The APRS packet format includes a comment field that can have
159 arbitrary text in it. AltOS uses this to send status
160 information about the flight computer. It sends four fields as
161 shown in the following table.
162 </p><div class="table"><a name="idm45869238928544"></a><p class="title"><b>Table 4.1. Altus Metrum APRS Comments</b></p><div class="table-contents"><table summary="Altus Metrum APRS Comments" border="1"><colgroup><col align="center" class="Field"><col align="center" class="Example"><col align="center" class="Description"></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="center">Field</th><th align="center">Example</th><th align="center">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center">1</td><td align="center">L</td><td align="center">GPS Status U for unlocked, L for locked</td></tr><tr><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">6</td><td align="center">Number of Satellites in View</td></tr><tr><td align="center">3</td><td align="center">B4.0</td><td align="center">Battery Voltage</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br class="table-break"><p>
163 Here's an example of an APRS comment showing GPS lock with 6
164 satellites in view and a battery at 4.0V.
165 </p><pre class="screen">
169 Make sure your primary battery is above 3.8V and GPS is locked
170 with at least 5 or 6 satellites in view before starting. If GPS
171 is switching between L and U regularly, then it doesn't have a
172 good lock and you should wait until it becomes stable.
174 If the GPS receiver loses lock, the APRS data transmitted will
175 contain the last position for which GPS lock was
176 available. You can tell that this has happened by noticing
177 that the GPS status character switches from 'L' to 'U'. Before
178 GPS has locked, APRS will transmit zero for latitude,
179 longitude and altitude.
180 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idm45869242600368"></a>3. Configurable Parameters</h2></div></div></div><p>
181 Configuring TeleGPS is very
182 simple; the few configurable parameters can all be set
183 using the TeleGPS application over USB. Read
184 the Configure TeleGPS section in the TeleGPS Software chapter below
185 for more information.
186 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869242599040"></a>3.1. Radio Frequency</h3></div></div></div><p>
187 Altus Metrum boards support radio frequencies in the 70cm
188 band. By default, the configuration interface provides a
189 list of 10 “standard” frequencies in 100kHz channels starting at
190 434.550MHz. However, the firmware supports use of
191 any 50kHz multiple within the 70cm band. At any given
192 launch, we highly recommend coordinating when and by whom each
193 frequency will be used to avoid interference. And of course, both
194 TeleGPS and the receiver must be configured to the same
195 frequency to successfully communicate with each other.
196 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869242596912"></a>3.2. Callsign</h3></div></div></div><p>
197 This sets the callsign used for telemetry and APRS to
199 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869242595728"></a>3.3. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable</h3></div></div></div><p>
200 You can completely disable the radio, if necessary, leaving
201 TeleGPS only logging data to internal memory.
202 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869242594400"></a>3.4. APRS Interval</h3></div></div></div><p>
203 This selects how often APRS packets are transmitted. Set
204 this to zero to disable APRS without also disabling the
205 regular telemetry and RDF transmissions. As APRS takes a
206 full second to transmit a single position report, we
207 recommend sending packets no more than once every 5 seconds.
208 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869242592896"></a>3.5. Maximum Flight Log</h3></div></div></div><p>
209 Changing this value will set the maximum amount of flight
210 log storage that an individual flight will use. The
211 available storage is divided into as many flights of the
212 specified size as can fit in the available space. You can
213 download and erase individual flight logs. If you fill up
214 the available storage, future flights will not get logged
215 until you erase some of the stored ones.
216 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869242591296"></a>3.6. Logging Trigger Motion</h3></div></div></div><p>
217 If TeleGPS moves less than this distance over a long period
218 of time, it will not log that location, saving storage space.
219 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869242589968"></a>3.7. Position Reporting Interval</h3></div></div></div><p>
220 This sets how often TeleGPS reports position information via
221 telemetry and to the on-board log. Reducing this value will
222 save power and logging memory consumption.
223 </p></div></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idm45869242588320"></a>Chapter 5. TeleGPS Application</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242586736">1. Telemetry Monitoring</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242577744">1.1. Map</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869242571616">1.2. Location</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237093232">1.3. Status</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237089808">1.4. Table</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237085920">2. TeleGPS Menus</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237077952">2.1. New Window</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237076656">2.2. Graph Data</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237060384">2.3. Export Data</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237054400">2.4. Load Maps</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237040656">2.5. Preferences</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237021056">2.6. Close</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237019792">2.7. Exit</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237018640">2.8. Connect Device</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237015104">2.9. Disconnect</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237013952">2.10. Scan Channels</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237010400">2.11. Download Data</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869237007264">2.12. Configure Device</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869236983600">2.13. Flash Device</a></span></dt></dl></dd></dl></div><p>
224 The TeleGPS application provides a graphical user interface for
225 interacting with the Altus Metrum product family. TeleGPS can
226 monitor telemetry data, configure devices and many other
227 tasks. The primary interface window is for displaying data
228 received over the telemetry link. There are additional
229 tasks available from the main window menu bar. This chapter
230 is split into sections, each of which documents one of the tasks
231 provided from the top-level toolbar.
232 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idm45869242586736"></a>1. Telemetry Monitoring</h2></div></div></div><p>
233 This is the window brought up when you start the
234 application. If you have a TeleDongle device connected to the
235 computer, it will automatically be selected for telemetry monitoring
237 All telemetry data received are automatically recorded in
238 suitable log files. The name of the files includes the current
239 date and TeleGPS serial and flight numbers.
241 The radio frequency being monitored by the TeleDongle device
242 is displayed at the top of the window. You can configure the
243 frequency by clicking on the frequency box and selecting the
244 desired frequency. The TeleGPS application remembers the last
245 frequency selected for each TeleDongle and selects that
246 automatically the next time you use that device.
248 Below the TeleDongle frequency selector, the window contains a few
249 significant pieces of information about the altimeter providing
250 the telemetry data stream:
251 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>The configured call-sign</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>The device serial number</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>The flight number. TeleGPS remembers how many
253 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
254 The Received Signal Strength Indicator value. This lets
255 you know how strong a signal TeleDongle is receiving. The
256 radio inside TeleDongle operates down to about -100dBm;
257 weaker signals may not be receivable. The packet link uses
258 error detection and correction techniques which prevent
259 incorrect data from being reported.
260 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
261 The age of the displayed data, in seconds since the last
262 successfully received telemetry packet. In normal operation
263 this will stay in the low single digits. If the number starts
264 counting up, then you are no longer receiving data over the radio
265 link from the flight computer.
266 </p></li></ul></div><p>
267 Finally, the largest portion of the window contains a set of
268 tabs, each of which contain some information about the TeleGPS
269 board. The final 'table' tab displays many of the raw telemetry
270 values in one place in a spreadsheet-like format.
271 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869242577744"></a>1.1. Map</h3></div></div></div><p>
272 The Map tab shows the TeleGPS track over time on top of map
273 data making it easy to locate the device.
274 </p><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="telegps-map.png" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
275 The map's default scale is approximately 3m (10ft) per pixel. The map
276 can be dragged using the left mouse button. The map will attempt
277 to keep the rocket roughly centered while data is being received.
279 You can adjust the style of map and the zoom level with
280 buttons on the right side of the map window. You can draw a
281 line on the map by moving the mouse over the map with a
282 button other than the left one pressed, or by pressing the
283 left button while also holding down the shift key. The
284 length of the line in real-world units will be shown at the
287 Images are fetched automatically via the Google Maps Static API,
288 and cached on disk for reuse. If map images cannot be downloaded,
289 the rocket's path will be traced on a dark gray background
292 You can pre-load images for your favorite launch sites
293 before you leave home; check out the 'Preload Maps' section below.
294 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869242571616"></a>1.2. Location</h3></div></div></div><p>
295 The Location tab shows the raw GPS data received from TeleGPS.
296 </p><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="telegps-location.png" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869237093232"></a>1.3. Status</h3></div></div></div><p>
297 The Status tab shows data relative to the location of
298 TeleGPS when the application first received telemetry from
300 </p><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="telegps-status.png" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869237089808"></a>1.4. Table</h3></div></div></div><p>
301 The Table tab shows detailed information about the GPS
303 </p><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="495"><tr><td><img src="telegps-table.png" width="495"></td></tr></table></div></div></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idm45869237085920"></a>2. TeleGPS Menus</h2></div></div></div><p>
304 TeleGPS has three or four menus at the top of the window:
305 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">File</span></dt><dd><p>
306 New Window, Graph Data, Export Data, Load Maps, Preferences, Close and Exit
307 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Monitor</span></dt><dd><p>
308 Connect Device, Disconnect and Scan Channels
309 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Device</span></dt><dd><p>
310 Download Data, Configure Device and Flash Device
311 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Frequency</span></dt><dd><p>
312 This shows the current monitoring frequency with a
313 drop-down menu listing other configured
314 frequencies. You can change the set of frequencies
315 shown here from the Preferences dialog. This menu is
316 only shown when the TeleGPS application is connected
317 to a TeleDongle or TeleBT device.
318 </p></dd></dl></div><p>
319 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869237077952"></a>2.1. New Window</h3></div></div></div><p>
320 This creates another telemetry monitoring window, in case
321 you have multiple TeleDongle devices connected to the
323 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869237076656"></a>2.2. Graph Data</h3></div></div></div><p>
324 This brings up a file dialog to load a saved log, either
325 a .telem file of recorded telemetry or .eeprom of saved
326 data from on-board memory. It looks a bit like the flight
327 monitoring window, using a selection of tabs to show
328 different views of the saved data.
329 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869237075344"></a>2.2.1. Graph</h4></div></div></div><p>
330 The Graph tab shows a plot of the the GPS data
331 collected. The X axis is time in seconds; there are a
332 variety of Y axes available for different kinds of data.
333 </p><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="540"><tr><td><img src="telegps-graph-graph.png" width="540"></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869237071632"></a>2.2.2. Configure Graph</h4></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="540"><tr><td><img src="telegps-graph-configure.png" width="540"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
334 This selects which graph elements to show, and, at the
335 bottom, lets you switch between metric and imperial units
336 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869237067968"></a>2.2.3. Statistics</h4></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="540"><tr><td><img src="telegps-graph-stats.png" width="540"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
337 Shows overall data computed from the flight.
338 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869237064448"></a>2.2.4. Map</h4></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="540"><tr><td><img src="telegps-graph-map.png" width="540"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
339 Shows a map of the area overlaid with the GPS track. As with
340 the telemetry monitoring window, you can select the style
341 of map and zoom level using buttons along the side;
342 you can scroll the map by dragging within the map pressing
343 the left button and you can draw a line to measure
344 distances using either the left button with the shift key,
346 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869237060384"></a>2.3. Export Data</h3></div></div></div><p>
347 This tool takes the raw data files and makes them available for
348 external analysis. When you select this button, you are prompted to
349 select a data file, which can be either a .eeprom or .telem.
350 The .eeprom files contain higher resolution and more continuous data,
351 while .telem files contain receiver signal strength information.
352 Next, a second dialog appears which is used to select
353 where to write the resulting file. It has a selector to choose
354 between CSV and KML file formats.
355 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869237058272"></a>2.3.1. Comma Separated Value Format</h4></div></div></div><p>
356 This is a text file containing the data in a form suitable for
357 import into a spreadsheet or other external data analysis
358 tool. The first few lines of the file contain the version and
359 configuration information from TeleGPS, then
360 there is a single header line which labels all of the
361 fields. All of these lines start with a '#' character which
362 many tools can be configured to skip over.
364 The remaining lines of the file contain the data, with each
365 field separated by a comma and at least one space. All of
366 the sensor values are converted to standard units, with the
367 barometric data reported in both pressure, altitude and
368 height above pad units.
369 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869237055888"></a>2.3.2. Keyhole Markup Language (for Google Earth)</h4></div></div></div><p>
370 This is the format used by Google Earth to provide an overlay
371 within that application. With this, you can use Google Earth to
372 see the whole flight path in 3D.
373 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869237054400"></a>2.4. Load Maps</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="468"><tr><td><img src="load-maps.png" width="468"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
374 Before using TeleGPS, you can use Load Maps to load map data
375 in case you don't have access to the internet while
378 There's a drop-down menu of rocket launch sites we know
379 about; if your favorites aren't there, please let us know
380 the lat/lon and name of the site. The contents of this list
381 are actually downloaded from our server at run-time, so as
382 new sites are sent in, they'll get automatically added to
383 this list. If the launch site isn't in the list, you can
384 manually enter the lat/lon values
386 There are four different kinds of maps you can view; you can
387 select which to download by selecting as many as you like from
389 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Hybrid</span></dt><dd><p>
390 A combination of satellite imagery and road data. This
392 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Satellite</span></dt><dd><p>
393 Just the satellite imagery without any annotation.
394 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Roadmap</span></dt><dd><p>
395 Roads, political boundaries and a few geographic features.
396 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Terrain</span></dt><dd><p>
397 Contour intervals and shading that show hills and
399 </p></dd></dl></div><p>
401 You can specify the range of zoom levels to download; smaller
402 numbers show more area with less resolution. The default
403 level, 0, shows about 3m/pixel. One zoom level change
404 doubles or halves that number.
406 The Tile Radius value sets how large an area around the center
407 point to download. Each tile is 512x512 pixels, and the
408 'radius' value specifies how many tiles away from the center
409 will be downloaded. Specify a radius of 0 and you get only the
410 center tile. A radius of 1 loads a 3x3 grid, centered on the
413 Clicking the 'Load Map' button will fetch images from Google
414 Maps; note that Google limits how many images you can fetch at
415 once, so if you load more than one launch site, you may get
416 some gray areas in the map which indicate that Google is tired
417 of sending data to you. Try again later.
418 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869237040656"></a>2.5. Preferences</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="216"><tr><td><img src="telegps-preferences.png" width="216"></td></tr></table></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869237037648"></a>2.5.1. Voice Settings</h4></div></div></div><p>
419 AltosUI provides voice announcements during flight so that you
420 can keep your eyes on the sky and still get information about
421 the current flight status. However, sometimes you don't want
423 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Enable</span></dt><dd><p>Turns all voice announcements on and off</p></dd><dt><span class="term">Test Voice</span></dt><dd><p>
424 Plays a short message allowing you to verify
425 that the audio system is working and the volume settings
427 </p></dd></dl></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869237032624"></a>2.5.2. Log Directory</h4></div></div></div><p>
428 AltosUI logs all telemetry data and saves all TeleMetrum flash
429 data to this directory. This directory is also used as the
430 staring point when selecting data files for display or export.
432 Click on the directory name to bring up a directory choosing
433 dialog, select a new directory and click 'Select Directory' to
434 change where AltosUI reads and writes data files.
435 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869237030592"></a>2.5.3. Callsign</h4></div></div></div><p>
436 This value is transmitted in each command packet sent from
437 TeleDongle and received from an altimeter. It is not used in
438 telemetry mode, as the callsign configured in the altimeter board
439 is included in all telemetry packets. Configure this
440 with the AltosUI operators call sign as needed to comply with
441 your local radio regulations.
443 Note that to successfully command a flight computer over the radio
444 (to configure the altimeter, monitor idle, or fire pyro charges),
445 the callsign configured here must exactly match the callsign
446 configured in the flight computer. This matching is case
448 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869237028320"></a>2.5.4. Imperial Units</h4></div></div></div><p>
449 This switches between metric units (meters) and imperial
450 units (feet and miles). This affects the display of values
451 use during flight monitoring, configuration, data graphing
452 and all of the voice announcements. It does not change the
453 units used when exporting to CSV files, those are always
454 produced in metric units.
455 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869237026800"></a>2.5.5. Serial Debug</h4></div></div></div><p>
456 This causes all communication with a connected device to be
457 dumped to the console from which AltosUI was started. If
458 you've started it from an icon or menu entry, the output
459 will simply be discarded. This mode can be useful to debug
460 various serial communication issues.
461 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869237025296"></a>2.5.6. Font Size</h4></div></div></div><p>
462 Selects the set of fonts used in the flight monitor
463 window. Choose between the small, medium and large sets.
464 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869237024000"></a>2.5.7. Look & Feel</h4></div></div></div><p>
465 Adjust the style of the windows. By default, the TeleGPS
466 application attempts to blend in with the native style.
467 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869237022704"></a>2.5.8. Manage Frequencies</h4></div></div></div><p>
468 This brings up a dialog where you can configure the set of
469 frequencies shown in the various frequency menus. You can
470 add as many as you like, or even reconfigure the default
471 set. Changing this list does not affect the frequency
472 settings of any devices, it only changes the set of
473 frequencies shown in the menus.
474 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869237021056"></a>2.6. Close</h3></div></div></div><p>
475 This closes the current window, leaving any other windows
476 open and the application running.
477 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869237019792"></a>2.7. Exit</h3></div></div></div><p>
478 This closes all TeleGPS windows and terminates the application.
479 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869237018640"></a>2.8. Connect Device</h3></div></div></div><p>
480 Selecting this item brings up a dialog box listing all of
481 the connected TeleDongle devices. When you choose one of
482 these, AltosUI will display telemetry data as received by
483 the selected TeleDongle device.
484 </p><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="279"><tr><td><img src="device-selection.png" width="279"></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869237015104"></a>2.9. Disconnect</h3></div></div></div><p>
485 Disconnects the currently connected TeleDongle or TeleBT
486 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869237013952"></a>2.10. Scan Channels</h3></div></div></div><p>
487 Scans the configured set of frequencies looking for
488 telemetry signals. A list of all of the discovered signals
489 is show; selecting one of those and clicking on 'Monitor'
490 will select that frequency in the associated TeleGPS
492 </p><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="279"><tr><td><img src="telegps-scan.png" width="279"></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869237010400"></a>2.11. Download Data</h3></div></div></div><p>
493 TeleGPS records data to its internal flash memory.
494 On-board data is recorded at the same rate as telemetry
495 but is not subject to radio drop-outs. As
496 such, it generally provides a more complete and precise record.
497 The 'Download Data' menu entry allows you to read the
498 flash memory and write it to disk.
500 Select the 'Download Data' menu entry to bring up a list of
501 connected TeleGPS devices. After the device has been
502 selected, a dialog showing the data stored in the
503 device will be shown allowing you to select which entries to
504 download and which to delete. You must erase flights in order for the space they
505 consume to be reused by another track. This prevents
506 accidentally losing data if you neglect to download
507 data before starting TeleGPS again. Note that if there is no more
508 space available in the device, then no data will be recorded.
510 The file name for each data log is computed automatically
511 from the recorded date, altimeter serial number and flight
513 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869237007264"></a>2.12. Configure Device</h3></div></div></div><div class="informalfigure"><div class="mediaobject"><table border="0" summary="manufactured viewport for HTML img" style="cellpadding: 0; cellspacing: 0;" width="324"><tr><td><img src="telegps-configure.png" width="324"></td></tr></table></div></div><p>
514 Select this button and then select any connected TeleGPS
515 device from the list provided.
517 The first few lines of the dialog provide information about the
518 connected device, including the product name,
519 software version and hardware serial number. Below that are the
520 individual configuration entries.
522 At the bottom of the dialog, there are four buttons:
523 </p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt><span class="term">Save</span></dt><dd><p>
524 This writes any changes to the
525 configuration parameter block in flash memory. If you don't
526 press this button, any changes you make will be lost.
527 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Reset</span></dt><dd><p>
528 This resets the dialog to the most recently saved values,
529 erasing any changes you have made.
530 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Reboot</span></dt><dd><p>
531 This reboots the device. This will restart logging for
532 a new flight number, if any log information has been
533 saved for the current flight.
534 </p></dd><dt><span class="term">Close</span></dt><dd><p>
535 This closes the dialog. Any unsaved changes will be
537 </p></dd></dl></div><p>
538 The rest of the dialog contains the parameters to be configured.
539 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869236995216"></a>2.12.1. Frequency</h4></div></div></div><p>
540 This configures which of the frequencies to use for both
541 telemetry and packet command mode. Note that if you set this
542 value via packet command mode, the TeleDongle frequency will
543 also be automatically reconfigured to match so that
544 communication will continue afterwards.
545 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869236993712"></a>2.12.2. RF Calibration</h4></div></div></div><p>
546 The radios in every Altus Metrum device are calibrated at the
547 factory to ensure that they transmit and receive on the
548 specified frequency. If you need to you can adjust the calibration
549 by changing this value. Do not do this without understanding what
550 the value means, read the appendix on calibration and/or the source
551 code for more information. To change a TeleDongle's calibration,
552 you must reprogram the unit completely.
553 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869236992048"></a>2.12.3. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable</h4></div></div></div><p>
554 Enables the radio for transmission during flight. When
555 disabled, the radio will not transmit anything during flight
557 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869236990736"></a>2.12.4. APRS Interval</h4></div></div></div><p>
558 How often to transmit GPS information via APRS (in
559 seconds). When set to zero, APRS transmission is
560 disabled. This option is available on TeleMetrum v2 and
561 TeleMega boards. TeleMetrum v1 boards cannot transmit APRS
562 packets. Note that a single APRS packet takes nearly a full
563 second to transmit, so enabling this option will prevent
564 sending any other telemetry during that time.
565 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869236989152"></a>2.12.5. Callsign</h4></div></div></div><p>
566 This sets the call sign included in each telemetry packet. Set this
567 as needed to conform to your local radio regulations.
568 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869236987824"></a>2.12.6. Maximum Log Size</h4></div></div></div><p>
569 This sets the space (in kilobytes) allocated for each data
570 log. The available space will be divided into chunks of this
571 size. A smaller value will allow more logs to be stored,
572 a larger value will record data for longer times.
573 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869236986384"></a>2.12.7. Logging Trigger Motion</h4></div></div></div><p>
574 If TeleGPS moves less than this distance over a long period
575 of time, it will not log that location, saving storage space.
576 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="idm45869236985072"></a>2.12.8. Position Reporting Interval</h4></div></div></div><p>
577 This sets how often TeleGPS reports position information via
578 telemetry and to the on-board log. Reducing this value will
579 save power and logging memory consumption.
580 </p></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="idm45869236983600"></a>2.13. Flash Device</h3></div></div></div><p>
581 This reprograms TeleGPS devices with new firmware. Please
582 read the directions for flashing devices in the Updating
583 Device Firmware chapter below.
584 </p></div></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idm45869236982000"></a>Chapter 6. Updating Device Firmware</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869236979632">1.
585 Updating TeleGPS Firmware
586 </a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
587 TeleGPS is programmed directly over its USB connectors.
589 You may wish to begin by ensuring you have current firmware images.
590 These are distributed as part of the TeleGPS software bundle that
591 also includes the TeleGPS ground station program. Newer ground
592 station versions typically work fine with older firmware versions,
593 so you don't need to update your devices just to try out new
594 software features. You can always download the most recent
595 version from <a class="ulink" href="http://www.altusmetrum.org/AltOS/" target="_top">http://www.altusmetrum.org/AltOS/</a>.
596 </p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idm45869236979632"></a>1.
597 Updating TeleGPS Firmware
598 </h2></div></div></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>
599 Attach a battery and power switch to the target
600 device. Power up the device.
601 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
602 Using a Micro USB cable, connect the target device to your
603 computer's USB socket.
604 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
605 Run TeleGPS, and select 'Flash Device' from the Device menu.
606 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
607 Select the target device in the Device Selection dialog.
608 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
609 Select the image you want to flash to the device, which
610 should have a name in the form
611 <product>-v<product-version>-<software-version>.ihx, such
612 as TeleGPS-v1.0-1.4.0.ihx.
613 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
614 Make sure the configuration parameters are reasonable
615 looking. If the serial number and/or RF configuration
616 values aren't right, you'll need to change them.
617 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
618 Hit the 'OK' button and the software should proceed to flash
619 the device with new firmware, showing a progress bar.
620 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
621 Verify that the device is working by using the 'Configure
622 Altimeter' item to check over the configuration.
623 </p></li></ol></div></div></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idm45869236970352"></a>Chapter 7. Technical Information</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869236969680">1. GPS Receiver</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869236966368">2. Micro-controller</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869236965040">3. Lithium Polymer Battery</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869236963776">4. Mechanical Considerations</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#idm45869236962448">5. On-board data storage</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idm45869236969680"></a>1. GPS Receiver</h2></div></div></div><p>
624 TeleGPS uses the u-Blox Max-7Q GPS receiver.
625 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idm45869236966368"></a>2. Micro-controller</h2></div></div></div><p>
626 TeleGPS uses an NXP LPC11U14 micro-controller. This tiny
627 CPU contains 32kB of flash for the application and 4kB of RAM for
628 temporary data storage.
629 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idm45869236965040"></a>3. Lithium Polymer Battery</h2></div></div></div><p>
630 Shipping restrictions may prevent us from including a battery
631 battery with TeleGPS.
632 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idm45869236963776"></a>4. Mechanical Considerations</h2></div></div></div><p>
633 TeleGPS is designed to be rugged enough for typical rocketry
634 applications. The 4 mounting holes on the board are sized for
635 use with 4-40 or M3 screws.
636 </p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idm45869236962448"></a>5. On-board data storage</h2></div></div></div><p>
637 TeleGPS has 2MB of non-volatile storage, separate from the
638 code storage memory. The TeleGPS firmware uses this to log
639 information during flight.
640 </p></div></div><div class="appendix"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="idm45869236960992"></a>Appendix A. Release Notes</h1></div></div></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idm45869236960352"></a>Version 1.6</h2></div></div></div><p>
641 Version 1.6 includes support for our updated TeleDongle v3.0
642 product and bug fixes in in the flight software for all our boards
643 and ground station interfaces.
646 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
647 Add support for TeleDongle v3.0 boards.
648 </p></li></ul></div><p>
651 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
652 Don't beep out the continuity twice by accident in idle mode.
653 If the battery voltage report takes longer than the initialiation
654 sequence, the igniter continuity would get reported twice.
655 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
656 Record all 32 bits of gyro calibration data in TeleMega and
657 EasyMega log files. This fixes computation of the gyro rates
659 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
660 Change TeleDongle LED usage. Green LED flashes when valid
661 packet is received. Red LED flashes when invalid packet is
663 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
664 Replace LPC11U14 SPI driver with non-interrupt version. The
665 interrupt code would occasionally wedge on long transfers
666 if interrupts were blocked for too long. This affects all
667 released TeleGPS products; if you have a TeleGPS device,
668 you'll want to reflash the firmware.
669 </p></li></ul></div><p>
671 AltosUI and TeleGPS New Features
672 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
673 Compute tilt angle from TeleMega and EasyMega log
674 files. This duplicates the quaternion-based angle tracking
675 code from the flight firmware inside the ground station
676 software so that post-flight analysis can include evaluation
678 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
679 Shows the tool button window when starting with a data file
680 specified. This means that opening a data file from the file
681 manager will now bring up the main window to let you operate
682 the whole application.
683 </p></li></ul></div><p>
686 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
687 Show the 'Connecting' dialog when using Monitor Idle. Lets
688 you cancel the Monitor Idle startup when connecting over the
690 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
691 Make 'Monitor Idle' work for TeleGPS devices when connected
692 over USB. It's nice for testing without needing to broadcast
694 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
695 Use different Windows API to discover USB devices. This
696 works better on my Windows 7 box, and will be used if the
697 older API fails to provide the necessary information.
698 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
699 Look in more places in the registry to try and identify the
700 installed Java version on Windows. If you install the
701 default 32-bit version of Windows on a 64-bit OS, the Java
702 registry information is hiding \SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node for
704 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
705 Fix file association on Windows by searching for the
706 javaw.exe program instead of assuming it is in
707 %SYSTEMROOT%. This makes double-clicking on Altus Metrum
708 data files in the file manager work correctly.
709 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
710 When replaying a file, put 'done' in the Age field when we
711 reach the end of the file, instead of continuing to count forever.
712 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
713 In the Scan Channels code, wait for five seconds if we see
714 any packet. This is needed because AltOS now sends the
715 callsign, serial number and flight number only once every
716 five seconds these days.
717 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
718 In the Scan Channels code, reset pending flight state
719 information each time we change channels. This avoids having
720 flight computers appear on multiple frequencies by accident.
721 </p></li></ul></div><p>
722 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idm45869236958752"></a>Version 1.4.1</h2></div></div></div><p>
723 Version 1.4.1 is a minor release. It fixes install issues on
724 Windows and provides the missing TeleMetrum V2.0 firmware. There
725 aren't any changes to the firmware or host applications at
726 all. All Windows users will want to upgrade to get the signed
727 driver, but Mac and Linux users who do not need the TeleMetrum
728 V2.0 firmware image will not need to upgrade.
730 Windows Install Fixes
731 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
732 Provide signed Windows driver files. This should avoid any need to
733 disable driver signature checking on Windows 7 or 8.
734 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
735 Fix Java version detection and download. Previously, the
736 installer would only look for Java 6 or 7 and insist on
737 downloading its own Java bits if there was something else
738 installed. Furthermore, the 64-bit Java link provided didn't
739 work for anyone other than Keith, making it impossible to
740 install AltOS on any machine with Java SE 8 installed.
741 </p></li></ul></div><p>
744 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
745 Include 1.4 firmware for TeleMetrum V2.0. None of the
746 installers shipped this file. Now it's included in the AltOS
747 packages for Linux, Mac and Windows.
748 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
749 Include Google Application Key for map downloading. The 1.4
750 release didn't have this key in the released version of the
751 software, making map downloading fail for most people.
752 </p></li></ul></div><p>
753 </p></div><div class="simplesect"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="idm45869236957152"></a>Version 1.4</h2></div></div></div><p>
754 Version 1.4 is a major release. It includes support for our new
755 TeleGPS product, new features and bug fixes in in the flight
756 software for all our boards and the AltosUI ground station
759 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
760 Add support for TeleGPS boards.
761 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
762 Replace the 'dit dit dit' tones at startup with the current
763 battery voltage, measured in tenths of a volt. This lets you
764 check the battery voltage without needing telemetry, which
765 is especially useful on EasyMini.
766 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
767 Change state beeping to "Farnsworth spacing", which means
768 they're quite a bit faster than before, and so they take
770 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
771 Make the beeper tone configurable, making it possible to
772 distinguish between two Altus Metrum products in the same ebay.
773 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
774 Make the firing time for extra pyro channels configurable,
775 allowing longer (or shorter) than the default 50ms. Only relevant
776 for TeleMega at this time.
777 </p></li></ul></div><p>
780 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
781 Fix bug preventing the selection of the 'Flight State After'
782 mode in pyro configuration.
783 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
784 Fix bug where erasing flights would reset the flight number
785 to 2 on TeleMega and TeleMetrum v2.
786 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
787 Fix u-Blox GPS driver to mark course and speed data as being
789 </p></li></ul></div><p>
792 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
793 Add zooming and new content types (terrain and road maps) to
794 map view. Change map storage format from PNG to Jpeg, which
795 saves a huge amount of disk space. You will need to
796 re-download all of your pre-loaded map images.
797 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
798 Add a distance measuring device to the maps view. Select
799 this by using any button other than the left one, or by
800 pressing shift or control on the keyboard while using the
802 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
803 Add new 'Ignitor' tab to the flight monitor display for
804 TeleMega's extra ignitors.
805 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
806 Increase the width of data lines in the graphs to make them
808 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
809 Add additional ignitor firing marks and voltages to the
810 graph so you can see when the ignitors fired, along with
811 the ignitor voltages.
812 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
813 Add GPS course, ground speed and climb rate as optional
815 </p></li></ul></div><p>
818 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
819 When flashing new firmware, re-try opening the device as
820 sometimes it takes a while for the underlying operating
821 system to recognize that the device has rebooted in
822 preparation for the flashing operation.
823 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
824 Hide Tilt Angle in ascent tab for devices that don't have a gyro.
825 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
826 Filter out speed and acceleration spikes caused by ejection
827 charge firing when computing the maximum values. This
828 provides a more accurate reading of those maximums.
829 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
830 Fix EasyMini voltage displays. Early EasyMini prototypes
831 used a 3.0V regulator, and AltosUI still used that value as
832 the basis of the computation. Production EasyMini boards
833 have always shipped with a 3.3V regulator. Also, purple
834 EasyMini boards sensed the battery voltage past the blocking
835 diode, resulting in a drop of about 150mV from the true
836 battery voltage. Compensate for that when displaying the
838 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
839 Display error message when trying to configure maximum
840 flight log size while the flight computer still has flight
842 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
843 Handle TeleMetrum and TeleMini eeprom files generated with
844 pre-1.0 firmware. Those ancient versions didn't report the
845 log format, so just use the product name instead.
846 </p></li></ul></div><p>
849 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
850 New application designed for use with TeleGPS boards.
851 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
852 Shares code with AltosUI, mostly just trimmed down to focus
853 on TeleGPS-related functions.
854 </p></li></ul></div><p>
856 Documentation changes
857 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>
858 Re-create the drill template images; they should print
859 correctly from Firefox at least. Ship these as individual
860 PDF files so they're easy to print.
861 </p></li><li class="listitem"><p>
862 Add a description of the 'Apogee Lockout' setting, which
863 prevents the apogee charge from firing for a configurable
864 amount of time after boost.
865 </p></li></ul></div><p>
866 </p></div></div></div></body></html>
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