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authorBdale Garbee <bdale@gag.com>2010-11-23 18:53:18 -0700
committerBdale Garbee <bdale@gag.com>2010-11-23 18:53:18 -0700
commit853b7112e34212040c4cb7289f9cfdb2f3ea9f90 (patch)
tree8071c1525df4cc0ac030aac8178a7812cc3a3ed8 /doc
parent737f2fdd012202f453120ece117ae5e859b32082 (diff)
merge Keith's AltosUI documention into "the big book"
Diffstat (limited to 'doc')
-rw-r--r--doc/Makefile4
-rw-r--r--doc/altosui-doc.xsl596
-rw-r--r--doc/telemetrum-doc.xsl1629
3 files changed, 1099 insertions, 1130 deletions
diff --git a/doc/Makefile b/doc/Makefile
index 52934290..65917ea2 100644
--- a/doc/Makefile
+++ b/doc/Makefile
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
# http://docbook.sourceforge.net/release/xsl/current/README
#
-HTML=telemetrum-doc.html altosui-doc.html altos.html
-PDF=telemetrum-doc.pdf altosui-doc.pdf altos.pdf
+HTML=telemetrum-doc.html altos.html
+PDF=telemetrum-doc.pdf altos.pdf
DOC=$(HTML) $(PDF)
HTMLSTYLE=/usr/share/xml/docbook/stylesheet/docbook-xsl/html/docbook.xsl
FOSTYLE=/usr/share/xml/docbook/stylesheet/docbook-xsl/fo/docbook.xsl
diff --git a/doc/altosui-doc.xsl b/doc/altosui-doc.xsl
deleted file mode 100644
index 4a1f43b5..00000000
--- a/doc/altosui-doc.xsl
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,596 +0,0 @@
-<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
-<!DOCTYPE book PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
- "/usr/share/xml/docbook/schema/dtd/4.5/docbookx.dtd">
-
-<book>
- <title>AltosUI</title>
- <subtitle>Altos Metrum Graphical User Interface Manual</subtitle>
- <bookinfo>
- <author>
- <firstname>Bdale</firstname>
- <surname>Garbee</surname>
- </author>
- <author>
- <firstname>Keith</firstname>
- <surname>Packard</surname>
- </author>
- <copyright>
- <year>2010</year>
- <holder>Bdale Garbee and Keith Packard</holder>
- </copyright>
- <legalnotice>
- <para>
- This document is released under the terms of the
- <ulink url="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">
- Creative Commons ShareAlike 3.0
- </ulink>
- license.
- </para>
- </legalnotice>
- <revhistory>
- <revision>
- <revnumber>0.1</revnumber>
- <date>19 November 2010</date>
- <revremark>Initial content</revremark>
- </revision>
- </revhistory>
- </bookinfo>
- <chapter>
- <title>Introduction</title>
- <para>
- The AltosUI program provides a graphical user interface for
- interacting with the Altus Metrum product family, including
- TeleMetrum and TeleDongle. AltosUI can monitor telemetry data,
- configure TeleMetrum and TeleDongle devices and many other
- tasks. The primary interface window provides a selection of
- buttons, one for each major activity in the system. This manual
- is split into chapters, each of which documents one of the tasks
- provided from the top-level toolbar.
- </para>
- </chapter>
- <chapter>
- <title>Packet Command Mode</title>
- <subtitle>Controlling TeleMetrum Over The Radio Link</subtitle>
- <para>
- One of the unique features of the Altos Metrum environment is
- the ability to create a two way command link between TeleDongle
- and TeleMetrum using the digital radio transceivers built into
- each device. This allows you to interact with TeleMetrum from
- afar, as if it were directly connected to the computer.
- </para>
- <para>
- Any operation which can be performed with TeleMetrum
- can either be done with TeleMetrum directly connected to
- the computer via the USB cable, or through the packet
- link. Simply select the appropriate TeleDongle device when
- the list of devices is presented and AltosUI will use packet
- command mode.
- </para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Save Flight Data—Recover flight data from the rocket without
- opening it up.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Configure TeleMetrum—Reset apogee delays or main deploy
- heights to respond to changing launch conditions. You can
- also 'reboot' the TeleMetrum device. Use this to remotely
- enable the flight computer by turning TeleMetrum on while
- horizontal, then once the airframe is oriented for launch,
- you can reboot TeleMetrum and have it restart in pad mode
- without having to climb the scary ladder.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Fire Igniters—Test your deployment charges without snaking
- wires out through holes in the airframe. Simply assembly the
- rocket as if for flight with the apogee and main charges
- loaded, then remotely command TeleMetrum to fire the
- igniters.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- <para>
- Packet command mode uses the same RF channels as telemetry
- mode. Configure the desired TeleDongle channel using the
- flight monitor window channel selector and then close that
- window before performing the desired operation.
- </para>
- <para>
- TeleMetrum only enables packet command mode in 'idle' mode, so
- make sure you have TeleMetrum lying horizontally when you turn
- it on. Otherwise, TeleMetrum will start in 'pad' mode ready for
- flight and will not be listening for command packets from TeleDongle.
- </para>
- <para>
- When packet command mode is enabled, you can monitor the link
- by watching the lights on the TeleDongle and TeleMetrum
- devices. The red LED will flash each time TeleDongle or
- TeleMetrum transmit a packet while the green LED will light up
- on TeleDongle while it is waiting to receive a packet from
- TeleMetrum.
- </para>
- </chapter>
- <chapter>
- <title>Monitor Flight</title>
- <subtitle>Receive, Record and Display Telemetry Data</subtitle>
- <para>
- Selecting this item brings up a dialog box listing all of the
- connected TeleDongle devices. When you choose one of these,
- AltosUI will create a window to display telemetry data as
- received by the selected TeleDongle device.
- </para>
- <para>
- All telemetry data received are automatically recorded in
- suitable log files. The name of the files includes the current
- date and rocket serial and flight numbers.
- </para>
- <para>
- The radio channel being monitored by the TeleDongle device is
- displayed at the top of the window. You can configure the
- channel by clicking on the channel box and selecting the desired
- channel. AltosUI remembers the last channel selected for each
- TeleDongle and selects that automatically the next time you use
- that device.
- </para>
- <para>
- Below the TeleDongle channel selector, the window contains a few
- significant pieces of information about the TeleMetrum providing
- the telemetry data stream:
- </para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>The TeleMetrum callsign</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>The TeleMetrum serial number</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>The flight number. Each TeleMetrum remembers how many
- times it has flown.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- The rocket flight state. Each flight passes through several
- states including Pad, Boost, Fast, Coast, Drogue, Main and
- Landed.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- The Received Signal Strength Indicator value. This lets
- you know how strong a signal TeleDongle is receiving. The
- radio inside TeleDongle operates down to about -99dBm;
- weaker signals may not be receiveable. The packet link uses
- error correction and detection techniques which prevent
- incorrect data from being reported.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- <para>
- Finally, the largest portion of the window contains a set of
- tabs, each of which contain some information about the rocket.
- They're arranged in 'flight order' so that as the flight
- progresses, the selected tab automatically switches to display
- data relevant to the current state of the flight. You can select
- other tabs at any time. The final 'table' tab contains all of
- the telemetry data in one place.
- </para>
- <section>
- <title>Launch Pad</title>
- <para>
- The 'Launch Pad' tab shows information used to decide when the
- rocket is ready for flight. The first elements include red/green
- indicators, if any of these is red, you'll want to evaluate
- whether the rocket is ready to launch:
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Battery Voltage. This indicates whether the LiPo battery
- powering the TeleMetrum has sufficient charge to last for
- the duration of the flight. A value of more than
- 3.7V is required for a 'GO' status.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Apogee Igniter Voltage. This indicates whether the apogee
- igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a low
- resistance, then the voltage measured here will be close
- to the LiPo battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is
- required for a 'GO' status.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Main Igniter Voltage. This indicates whether the main
- igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a low
- resistance, then the voltage measured here will be close
- to the LiPo battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is
- required for a 'GO' status.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- GPS Locked. This indicates whether the GPS receiver is
- currently able to compute position information. GPS requires
- at least 4 satellites to compute an accurate position.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- GPS Ready. This indicates whether GPS has reported at least
- 10 consecutive positions without losing lock. This ensures
- that the GPS receiver has reliable reception from the
- satellites.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- <para>
- The LaunchPad tab also shows the computed launch pad position
- and altitude, averaging many reported positions to improve the
- accuracy of the fix.
- </para>
- </para>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Ascent</title>
- <para>
- This tab is shown during Boost, Fast and Coast
- phases. The information displayed here helps monitor the
- rocket as it heads towards apogee.
- </para>
- <para>
- The height, speed and acceleration are shown along with the
- maxium values for each of them. This allows you to quickly
- answer the most commonly asked questions you'll hear during
- flight.
- </para>
- <para>
- The current latitude and longitude reported by the GPS are
- also shown. Note that under high acceleration, these values
- may not get updated as the GPS receiver loses position
- fix. Once the rocket starts coasting, the receiver should
- start reporting position again.
- </para>
- <para>
- Finally, the current igniter voltages are reported as in the
- Launch Pad tab. This can help diagnose deployment failures
- caused by wiring which comes loose under high acceleration.
- </para>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Descent</title>
- <para>
- Once the rocket has reached apogee and (we hope) activated the
- apogee charge, attention switches to tracking the rocket on
- the way back to the ground, and for dual-deploy flights,
- waiting for the main charge to fire.
- </para>
- <para>
- To monitor whether the apogee charge operated correctly, the
- current descent rate is reported along with the current
- height. Good descent rates generally range from 15-30m/s.
- </para>
- <para>
- To help locate the rocket in the sky, use the elevation and
- bearing information to figure out where to look. Elevation is
- in degrees above the horizon. Bearing is reported in degrees
- relative to true north. Range can help figure out how big the
- rocket will appear. Note that all of these values are relative
- to the pad location. If the elevation is near 90°, the rocket
- is over the pad, not over you.
- </para>
- <para>
- Finally, the igniter voltages are reported in this tab as
- well, both to monitor the main charge as well as to see what
- the status of the apogee charge is.
- </para>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Landed</title>
- <para>
- Once the rocket is on the ground, attention switches to
- recovery. While the radio signal is generally lost once the
- rocket is on the ground, the last reported GPS position is
- generally within a short distance of the actual landing location.
- </para>
- <para>
- The last reported GPS position is reported both by
- latitude and longitude as well as a bearing and distance from
- the launch pad. The distance should give you a good idea of
- whether you'll want to walk or hitch a ride. Take the reported
- latitude and longitude and enter them into your handheld GPS
- unit and have that compute a track to the landing location.
- </para>
- <para>
- Finally, the maximum height, speed and acceleration reported
- during the flight are displayed for your admiring observers.
- </para>
- </section>
- </chapter>
- <chapter>
- <title>Save Flight Data</title>
- <para>
- TeleMetrum records flight data to its internal flash memory.
- This data is recorded at a much higher rate than the telemetry
- system can handle, and is not subject to radio drop-outs. As
- such, it provides a more complete and precise record of the
- flight. The 'Save Flight Data' button allows you to read the
- flash memory and write it to disk.
- </para>
- <para>
- Clicking on the 'Save Flight Data' button brings up a list of
- connected TeleMetrum and TeleDongle devices. If you select a
- TeleMetrum device, the flight data will be downloaded from that
- device directly. If you select a TeleDongle device, flight data
- will be downloaded from a TeleMetrum device connected via the
- packet command link to the specified TeleDongle. See the chapter
- on Packet Command Mode for more information about this.
- </para>
- <para>
- The filename for the data is computed automatically from the recorded
- flight date, TeleMetrum serial number and flight number
- information.
- </para>
- </chapter>
- <chapter>
- <title>Replay Flight</title>
- <para>
- Select this button and you are prompted to select a flight
- record file, either a .telem file recording telemetry data or a
- .eeprom file containing flight data saved from the TeleMetrum
- flash memory.
- </para>
- <para>
- Once a flight record is selected, the flight monitor interface
- is displayed and the flight is re-enacted in real time. Check
- the Monitor Flight chapter above to learn how this window operates.
- </para>
- </chapter>
- <chapter>
- <title>Graph Data</title>
- <para>
- This section should be written by AJ.
- </para>
- </chapter>
- <chapter>
- <title>Export Data</title>
- <para>
- This tool takes the raw data files and makes them available for
- external analysis. When you select this button, you are prompted to select a flight
- data file (either .eeprom or .telem will do, remember that
- .eeprom files contain higher resolution and more continuous
- data). Next, a second dialog appears which is used to select
- where to write the resulting file. It has a selector to choose
- between CSV and KML file formats.
- </para>
- <section>
- <title>Comma Separated Value Format</title>
- <para>
- This is a text file containing the data in a form suitable for
- import into a spreadsheet or other external data analysis
- tool. The first few lines of the file contain the version and
- configuration information from the TeleMetrum device, then
- there is a single header line which labels all of the
- fields. All of these lines start with a '#' character which
- most tools can be configured to skip over.
- </para>
- <para>
- The remaining lines of the file contain the data, with each
- field separated by a comma and at least one space. All of
- the sensor values are converted to standard units, with the
- barometric data reported in both pressure, altitude and
- height above pad units.
- </para>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Keyhole Markup Language (for Google Earth)</title>
- <para>
- This is the format used by
- Googleearth to provide an overlay within that
- application. With this, you can use Googleearth to see the
- whole flight path in 3D.
- </para>
- </section>
- </chapter>
- <chapter>
- <title>Configure TeleMetrum</title>
- <para>
- Select this button and then select either a TeleMetrum or
- TeleDongle Device from the list provided. Selecting a TeleDongle
- device will use Packet Comamnd Mode to configure remote
- TeleMetrum device. Learn how to use this in the Packet Command
- Mode chapter.
- </para>
- <para>
- The first few lines of the dialog provide information about the
- connected TeleMetrum device, including the product name,
- software version and hardware serial number. Below that are the
- individual configuration entries.
- </para>
- <para>
- At the bottom of the dialog, there are four buttons:
- </para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Save. This writes any changes to the TeleMetrum
- configuration parameter block in flash memory. If you don't
- press this button, any changes you make will be lost.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Reset. This resets the dialog to the most recently saved values,
- erasing any changes you have made.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Reboot. This reboots the TeleMetrum device. Use this to
- switch from idle to pad mode by rebooting once the rocket is
- oriented for flight.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Close. This closes the dialog. Any unsaved changes will be
- lost.
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- <para>
- The rest of the dialog contains the parameters to be configured.
- </para>
- <section>
- <title>Main Deploy Altitude</title>
- <para>
- This sets the altitude (above the recorded pad altitude) at
- which the 'main' igniter will fire. The drop-down menu shows
- some common values, but you can edit the text directly and
- choose whatever you like. If the apogee charge fires below
- this altitude, then the main charge will fire two seconds
- after the apogee charge fires.
- </para>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Apogee Delay</title>
- <para>
- When flying redundant electronics, it's often important to
- ensure that multiple apogee charges don't fire at precisely
- the same time as that can overpressurize the apogee deployment
- bay and cause a structural failure of the airframe. The Apogee
- Delay parameter tells the flight computer to fire the apogee
- charge a certain number of seconds after apogee has been
- detected.
- </para>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Radio Channel</title>
- <para>
- This configures which of the 10 radio channels to use for both
- telemetry and packet command mode. Note that if you set this
- value via packet command mode, you will have to reconfigure
- the TeleDongle channel before you will be able to use packet
- command mode again.
- </para>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Radio Calibration</title>
- <para>
- The radios in every Altus Metrum device are calibrated at the
- factory to ensure that they transmit and receive on the
- specified frequency for each channel. You can adjust that
- calibration by changing this value. To change the TeleDongle's
- calibration, you must reprogram the unit completely.
- </para>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Callsign</title>
- <para>
- This sets the callsign included in each telemetry packet. Set this
- as needed to conform to your local radio regulations.
- </para>
- </section>
- </chapter>
- <chapter>
- <title>Configure AltosUI</title>
- <para>
- This button presents a dialog so that you can configure the AltosUI global settings.
- </para>
- <section>
- <title>Voice Settings</title>
- <para>
- AltosUI provides voice annoucements during flight so that you
- can keep your eyes on the sky and still get information about
- the current flight status. However, sometimes you don't want
- to hear them.
- </para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>Enable—turns all voice announcements on and off</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- Test Voice—Plays a short message allowing you to verify
- that the audio systme is working and the volume settings
- are reasonable
- </para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Log Directory</title>
- <para>
- AltosUI logs all telemetry data and saves all TeleMetrum flash
- data to this directory. This directory is also used as the
- staring point when selecting data files for display or export.
- </para>
- <para>
- Click on the directory name to bring up a directory choosing
- dialog, select a new directory and click 'Select Directory' to
- change where AltosUI reads and writes data files.
- </para>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Callsign</title>
- <para>
- This value is used in command packet mode and is transmitted
- in each packet sent from TeleDongle and received from
- TeleMetrum. It is not used in telemetry mode as that transmits
- packets only from TeleMetrum to TeleDongle. Configure this
- with the AltosUI operators callsign as needed to comply with
- your local radio regulations.
- </para>
- </section>
- </chapter>
- <chapter>
- <title>Flash Image</title>
- <para>
- This reprograms any Altus Metrum device by using a TeleMetrum or
- TeleDongle as a programming dongle. Please read the directions
- for connecting the programming cable in the main TeleMetrum
- manual before reading these instructions.
- </para>
- <para>
- Once you have the programmer and target devices connected,
- push the 'Flash Image' button. That will present a dialog box
- listing all of the connected devices. Carefully select the
- programmer device, not the device to be programmed.
- </para>
- <para>
- Next, select the image to flash to the device. These are named
- with the product name and firmware version. The file selector
- will start in the directory containing the firmware included
- with the AltosUI package. Navigate to the directory containing
- the desired firmware if it isn't there.
- </para>
- <para>
- Next, a small dialog containing the device serial number and
- RF calibration values should appear. If these values are
- incorrect (possibly due to a corrupted image in the device),
- enter the correct values here.
- </para>
- <para>
- Finally, a dialog containing a progress bar will follow the
- programming process.
- </para>
- <para>
- When programming is complete, the target device will
- reboot. Note that if the target device is connected via USB, you
- will have to unplug it and then plug it back in for the USB
- connection to reset so that you can communicate with the device
- again.
- </para>
- </chapter>
- <chapter>
- <title>Fire Igniter</title>
- <para>
- </para>
- </chapter>
-</book> \ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/doc/telemetrum-doc.xsl b/doc/telemetrum-doc.xsl
index b7963aec..6be23e7f 100644
--- a/doc/telemetrum-doc.xsl
+++ b/doc/telemetrum-doc.xsl
@@ -28,6 +28,11 @@
</legalnotice>
<revhistory>
<revision>
+ <revnumber>0.3</revnumber>
+ <date>23 November 2010</date>
+ <revremark>New section on AltosUI mostly by Keith</revremark>
+ </revision>
+ <revision>
<revnumber>0.2</revnumber>
<date>18 July 2010</date>
<revremark>Significant update</revremark>
@@ -118,12 +123,12 @@
When you have successfully installed the software suite (either from
compiled source code or as the pre-built Debian package) you will
have 10 or so executable programs all of which have names beginning
- with 'ao-'.
+ with 'ao-'.
('ao-view' is the lone GUI-based program, the rest are command-line
oriented.) You will also have man pages, that give you basic info
- on each program.
+ on each program.
You will also get this documentation in two file types in the doc/
-directory, telemetrum-doc.pdf and telemetrum-doc.html.
+ directory, telemetrum-doc.pdf and telemetrum-doc.html.
Finally you will have a couple control files that allow the ao-view
GUI-based program to appear in your menu of programs (under
the 'Internet' category).
@@ -133,7 +138,7 @@ directory, telemetrum-doc.pdf and telemetrum-doc.html.
with using USB ports. The first thing you should try after getting
both units plugged into to your computer's usb port(s) is to run
'ao-list' from a terminal-window to see what port-device-name each
- device has been assigned by the operating system.
+ device has been assigned by the operating system.
You will need this information to access the devices via their
respective on-board firmware and data using other command line
programs in the AltOS software suite.
@@ -158,7 +163,7 @@ directory, telemetrum-doc.pdf and telemetrum-doc.html.
<para>
Both TeleMetrum and TeleDongle share the concept of a two level
command set in their firmware.
- The first layer has several single letter commands. Once
+ The first layer has several single letter commands. Once
you are using 'cu' (or 'cutecom') sending (typing) a '?'
returns a full list of these
commands. The second level are configuration sub-commands accessed
@@ -177,7 +182,7 @@ directory, telemetrum-doc.pdf and telemetrum-doc.html.
use 'N0CALL' which is cute, but not exactly legal!
Spend a few minutes getting comfortable with the units, their
firmware, and 'cu' (or possibly 'cutecom').
- For instance, try to send
+ For instance, try to send
(type) a 'c r 2' and verify the channel change by sending a 'c s'.
Verify you can connect and disconnect from the units while in your
terminal program by sending the escape-disconnect mentioned above.
@@ -250,7 +255,7 @@ directory, telemetrum-doc.pdf and telemetrum-doc.html.
As for ao-view.... some things are in the menu but don't do anything
very useful. The developers have stopped working on ao-view to focus
on a new, cross-platform ground station program. So ao-view may or
- may not be updated in the future. Mostly you just use
+ may not be updated in the future. Mostly you just use
the Log and Device menus. It has a wonderful display of the incoming
flight data and I am sure you will enjoy what it has to say to you
once you enable the voice output!
@@ -299,611 +304,1171 @@ directory, telemetrum-doc.pdf and telemetrum-doc.html.
Live telemetry is written to file(s) whenever 'ao-view' is connected
to the TeleDongle. The file area defaults to ~/altos
but is easily changed using the menus in 'ao-view'. The files that
- are written end in '.telem'. The after-flight
+ are written end in '.telem'. The after-flight
data-dumped files will end in .eeprom and represent continuous data
unlike the rf-linked .telem files that are subject to the
turnarounds/data-packaging time slots in the half-duplex rf data path.
See the above instructions on what and how to save the eeprom stored
data after physically retrieving your TeleMetrum. Make sure to save
- the on-board data after each flight, as the current firmware will
- over-write any previous flight data during a new flight.
+ the on-board data after each flight, as the current firmware will
+ over-write any previous flight data during a new flight.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ </chapter>
+ <chapter>
+ <title>Specifications</title>
+ <itemizedlist>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Recording altimeter for model rocketry.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Supports dual deployment (can fire 2 ejection charges).
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ 70cm ham-band transceiver for telemetry downlink.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Barometric pressure sensor good to 45k feet MSL.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ 1-axis high-g accelerometer for motor characterization, capable of
+ +/- 50g using default part.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ On-board, integrated GPS receiver with 5hz update rate capability.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ On-board 1 megabyte non-volatile memory for flight data storage.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ USB interface for battery charging, configuration, and data recovery.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Fully integrated support for LiPo rechargeable batteries.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Uses LiPo to fire e-matches, support for optional separate pyro
+ battery if needed.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ 2.75 x 1 inch board designed to fit inside 29mm airframe coupler tube.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </itemizedlist>
+ </chapter>
+ <chapter>
+ <title>Handling Precautions</title>
+ <para>
+ TeleMetrum is a sophisticated electronic device. When handled gently and
+ properly installed in an airframe, it will deliver impressive results.
+ However, like all electronic devices, there are some precautions you
+ must take.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The Lithium Polymer rechargeable batteries used with TeleMetrum have an
+ extraordinary power density. This is great because we can fly with
+ much less battery mass than if we used alkaline batteries or previous
+ generation rechargeable batteries... but if they are punctured
+ or their leads are allowed to short, they can and will release their
+ energy very rapidly!
+ Thus we recommend that you take some care when handling our batteries
+ and consider giving them some extra protection in your airframe. We
+ often wrap them in suitable scraps of closed-cell packing foam before
+ strapping them down, for example.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The TeleMetrum barometric sensor is sensitive to sunlight. In normal
+ mounting situations, it and all of the other surface mount components
+ are "down" towards whatever the underlying mounting surface is, so
+ this is not normally a problem. Please consider this, though, when
+ designing an installation, for example, in a 29mm airframe with a
+ see-through plastic payload bay.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The TeleMetrum barometric sensor sampling port must be able to
+ "breathe",
+ both by not being covered by foam or tape or other materials that might
+ directly block the hole on the top of the sensor, but also by having a
+ suitable static vent to outside air.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ As with all other rocketry electronics, TeleMetrum must be protected
+ from exposure to corrosive motor exhaust and ejection charge gasses.
+ </para>
+ </chapter>
+ <chapter>
+ <title>Hardware Overview</title>
+ <para>
+ TeleMetrum is a 1 inch by 2.75 inch circuit board. It was designed to
+ fit inside coupler for 29mm airframe tubing, but using it in a tube that
+ small in diameter may require some creativity in mounting and wiring
+ to succeed! The default 1/4
+ wave UHF wire antenna attached to the center of the nose-cone end of
+ the board is about 7 inches long, and wiring for a power switch and
+ the e-matches for apogee and main ejection charges depart from the
+ fin can end of the board. Given all this, an ideal "simple" avionics
+ bay for TeleMetrum should have at least 10 inches of interior length.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ A typical TeleMetrum installation using the on-board GPS antenna and
+ default wire UHF antenna involves attaching only a suitable
+ Lithium Polymer battery, a single pole switch for power on/off, and
+ two pairs of wires connecting e-matches for the apogee and main ejection
+ charges.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ By default, we use the unregulated output of the LiPo battery directly
+ to fire ejection charges. This works marvelously with standard
+ low-current e-matches like the J-Tek from MJG Technologies, and with
+ Quest Q2G2 igniters. However, if you
+ want or need to use a separate pyro battery, you can do so by adding
+ a second 2mm connector to position B2 on the board and cutting the
+ thick pcb trace connecting the LiPo battery to the pyro circuit between
+ the two silk screen marks on the surface mount side of the board shown
+ here [insert photo]
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ We offer two choices of pyro and power switch connector, or you can
+ choose neither and solder wires directly to the board. All three choices
+ are reasonable depending on the constraints of your airframe. Our
+ favorite option when there is sufficient room above the board is to use
+ the Tyco pin header with polarization and locking. If you choose this
+ option, you crimp individual wires for the power switch and e-matches
+ into a mating connector, and installing and removing the TeleMetrum
+ board from an airframe is as easy as plugging or unplugging two
+ connectors. If the airframe will not support this much height or if
+ you want to be able to directly attach e-match leads to the board, we
+ offer a screw terminal block. This is very similar to what most other
+ altimeter vendors provide and so may be the most familiar option.
+ You'll need a very small straight blade screwdriver to connect
+ and disconnect the board in this case, such as you might find in a
+ jeweler's screwdriver set. Finally, you can forego both options and
+ solder wires directly to the board, which may be the best choice for
+ minimum diameter and/or minimum mass designs.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ For most airframes, the integrated GPS antenna and wire UHF antenna are
+ a great combination. However, if you are installing in a carbon-fiber
+ electronics bay which is opaque to RF signals, you may need to use
+ off-board external antennas instead. In this case, you can order
+ TeleMetrum with an SMA connector for the UHF antenna connection, and
+ you can unplug the integrated GPS antenna and select an appropriate
+ off-board GPS antenna with cable terminating in a U.FL connector.
+ </para>
+ </chapter>
+ <chapter>
+ <title>System Operation</title>
+ <section>
+ <title>Firmware Modes </title>
+ <para>
+ The AltOS firmware build for TeleMetrum has two fundamental modes,
+ "idle" and "flight". Which of these modes the firmware operates in
+ is determined by the orientation of the rocket (well, actually the
+ board, of course...) at the time power is switched on. If the rocket
+ is "nose up", then TeleMetrum assumes it's on a rail or rod being
+ prepared for launch, so the firmware chooses flight mode. However,
+ if the rocket is more or less horizontal, the firmware instead enters
+ idle mode.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ At power on, you will hear three beeps
+ ("S" in Morse code for startup) and then a pause while
+ TeleMetrum completes initialization and self tests, and decides which
+ mode to enter next.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ In flight or "pad" mode, TeleMetrum turns on the GPS system,
+ engages the flight
+ state machine, goes into transmit-only mode on the RF link sending
+ telemetry, and waits for launch to be detected. Flight mode is
+ indicated by an audible "di-dah-dah-dit" ("P" for pad) on the
+ beeper, followed by
+ beeps indicating the state of the pyrotechnic igniter continuity.
+ One beep indicates apogee continuity, two beeps indicate
+ main continuity, three beeps indicate both apogee and main continuity,
+ and one longer "brap" sound indicates no continuity. For a dual
+ deploy flight, make sure you're getting three beeps before launching!
+ For apogee-only or motor eject flights, do what makes sense.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ In idle mode, you will hear an audible "di-dit" ("I" for idle), and
+ the normal flight state machine is disengaged, thus
+ no ejection charges will fire. TeleMetrum also listens on the RF
+ link when in idle mode for packet mode requests sent from TeleDongle.
+ Commands can be issued to a TeleMetrum in idle mode over either
+ USB or the RF link equivalently.
+ Idle mode is useful for configuring TeleMetrum, for extracting data
+ from the on-board storage chip after flight, and for ground testing
+ pyro charges.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ One "neat trick" of particular value when TeleMetrum is used with very
+ large airframes, is that you can power the board up while the rocket
+ is horizontal, such that it comes up in idle mode. Then you can
+ raise the airframe to launch position, use a TeleDongle to open
+ a packet connection, and issue a 'reset' command which will cause
+ TeleMetrum to reboot, realize it's now nose-up, and thus choose
+ flight mode. This is much safer than standing on the top step of a
+ rickety step-ladder or hanging off the side of a launch tower with
+ a screw-driver trying to turn on your avionics before installing
+ igniters!
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>GPS </title>
+ <para>
+ TeleMetrum includes a complete GPS receiver. See a later section for
+ a brief explanation of how GPS works that will help you understand
+ the information in the telemetry stream. The bottom line is that
+ the TeleMetrum GPS receiver needs to lock onto at least four
+ satellites to obtain a solid 3 dimensional position fix and know
+ what time it is!
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ TeleMetrum provides backup power to the GPS chip any time a LiPo
+ battery is connected. This allows the receiver to "warm start" on
+ the launch rail much faster than if every power-on were a "cold start"
+ for the GPS receiver. In typical operations, powering up TeleMetrum
+ on the flight line in idle mode while performing final airframe
+ preparation will be sufficient to allow the GPS receiver to cold
+ start and acquire lock. Then the board can be powered down during
+ RSO review and installation on a launch rod or rail. When the board
+ is turned back on, the GPS system should lock very quickly, typically
+ long before igniter installation and return to the flight line are
+ complete.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Ground Testing </title>
+ <para>
+ An important aspect of preparing a rocket using electronic deployment
+ for flight is ground testing the recovery system. Thanks
+ to the bi-directional RF link central to the Altus Metrum system,
+ this can be accomplished in a TeleMetrum-equipped rocket without as
+ much work as you may be accustomed to with other systems. It can
+ even be fun!
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Just prep the rocket for flight, then power up TeleMetrum while the
+ airframe is horizontal. This will cause the firmware to go into
+ "idle" mode, in which the normal flight state machine is disabled and
+ charges will not fire without manual command. Then, establish an
+ RF packet connection from a TeleDongle-equipped computer using the
+ P command from a safe distance. You can now command TeleMetrum to
+ fire the apogee or main charges to complete your testing.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ In order to reduce the chance of accidental firing of pyrotechnic
+ charges, the command to fire a charge is intentionally somewhat
+ difficult to type, and the built-in help is slightly cryptic to
+ prevent accidental echoing of characters from the help text back at
+ the board from firing a charge. The command to fire the apogee
+ drogue charge is 'i DoIt drogue' and the command to fire the main
+ charge is 'i DoIt main'.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Radio Link </title>
+ <para>
+ The chip our boards are based on incorporates an RF transceiver, but
+ it's not a full duplex system... each end can only be transmitting or
+ receiving at any given moment. So we had to decide how to manage the
+ link.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ By design, TeleMetrum firmware listens for an RF connection when
+ it's in "idle mode" (turned on while the rocket is horizontal), which
+ allows us to use the RF link to configure the rocket, do things like
+ ejection tests, and extract data after a flight without having to
+ crack open the airframe. However, when the board is in "flight
+ mode" (turned on when the rocket is vertical) the TeleMetrum only
+ transmits and doesn't listen at all. That's because we want to put
+ ultimate priority on event detection and getting telemetry out of
+ the rocket and out over
+ the RF link in case the rocket crashes and we aren't able to extract
+ data later...
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ We don't use a 'normal packet radio' mode because they're just too
+ inefficient. The GFSK modulation we use is just FSK with the
+ baseband pulses passed through a
+ Gaussian filter before they go into the modulator to limit the
+ transmitted bandwidth. When combined with the hardware forward error
+ correction support in the cc1111 chip, this allows us to have a very
+ robust 38.4 kilobit data link with only 10 milliwatts of transmit power,
+ a whip antenna in the rocket, and a hand-held Yagi on the ground. We've
+ had flights to above 21k feet AGL with good reception, and calculations
+ suggest we should be good to well over 40k feet AGL with a 5-element yagi on
+ the ground. We hope to fly boards to higher altitudes soon, and would
+ of course appreciate customer feedback on performance in higher
+ altitude flights!
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Configurable Parameters</title>
+ <para>
+ Configuring a TeleMetrum board for flight is very simple. Because we
+ have both acceleration and pressure sensors, there is no need to set
+ a "mach delay", for example. The few configurable parameters can all
+ be set using a simple terminal program over the USB port or RF link
+ via TeleDongle.
+ </para>
+ <section>
+ <title>Radio Channel</title>
+ <para>
+ Our firmware supports 10 channels. The default channel 0 corresponds
+ to a center frequency of 434.550 Mhz, and channels are spaced every
+ 100 khz. Thus, channel 1 is 434.650 Mhz, and channel 9 is 435.550 Mhz.
+ At any given launch, we highly recommend coordinating who will use
+ each channel and when to avoid interference. And of course, both
+ TeleMetrum and TeleDongle must be configured to the same channel to
+ successfully communicate with each other.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ To set the radio channel, use the 'c r' command, like 'c r 3' to set
+ channel 3.
+ As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
+ change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip on
+ your TeleMetrum board if you want the change to stay in place across reboots.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Apogee Delay</title>
+ <para>
+ Apogee delay is the number of seconds after TeleMetrum detects flight
+ apogee that the drogue charge should be fired. In most cases, this
+ should be left at the default of 0. However, if you are flying
+ redundant electronics such as for an L3 certification, you may wish
+ to set one of your altimeters to a positive delay so that both
+ primary and backup pyrotechnic charges do not fire simultaneously.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ To set the apogee delay, use the [FIXME] command.
+ As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
+ change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Please note that the TeleMetrum apogee detection algorithm always
+ fires a fraction of a second *after* apogee. If you are also flying
+ an altimeter like the PerfectFlite MAWD, which only supports selecting
+ 0 or 1 seconds of apogee delay, you may wish to set the MAWD to 0
+ seconds delay and set the TeleMetrum to fire your backup 2 or 3
+ seconds later to avoid any chance of both charges firing
+ simultaneously. We've flown several airframes this way quite happily,
+ including Keith's successful L3 cert.
</para>
</section>
- </chapter>
- <chapter>
- <title>Specifications</title>
+ <section>
+ <title>Main Deployment Altitude</title>
+ <para>
+ By default, TeleMetrum will fire the main deployment charge at an
+ elevation of 250 meters (about 820 feet) above ground. We think this
+ is a good elevation for most airframes, but feel free to change this
+ to suit. In particular, if you are flying two altimeters, you may
+ wish to set the
+ deployment elevation for the backup altimeter to be something lower
+ than the primary so that both pyrotechnic charges don't fire
+ simultaneously.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ To set the main deployment altitude, use the [FIXME] command.
+ As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
+ change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Calibration</title>
+ <para>
+ There are only two calibrations required for a TeleMetrum board, and
+ only one for TeleDongle.
+ </para>
+ <section>
+ <title>Radio Frequency</title>
+ <para>
+ The radio frequency is synthesized from a clock based on the 48 Mhz
+ crystal on the board. The actual frequency of this oscillator must be
+ measured to generate a calibration constant. While our GFSK modulation
+ bandwidth is wide enough to allow boards to communicate even when
+ their oscillators are not on exactly the same frequency, performance
+ is best when they are closely matched.
+ Radio frequency calibration requires a calibrated frequency counter.
+ Fortunately, once set, the variation in frequency due to aging and
+ temperature changes is small enough that re-calibration by customers
+ should generally not be required.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ To calibrate the radio frequency, connect the UHF antenna port to a
+ frequency counter, set the board to channel 0, and use the 'C'
+ command to generate a CW carrier. Wait for the transmitter temperature
+ to stabilize and the frequency to settle down.
+ Then, divide 434.550 Mhz by the
+ measured frequency and multiply by the current radio cal value show
+ in the 'c s' command. For an unprogrammed board, the default value
+ is 1186611. Take the resulting integer and program it using the 'c f'
+ command. Testing with the 'C' command again should show a carrier
+ within a few tens of Hertz of the intended frequency.
+ As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
+ change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Accelerometer</title>
+ <para>
+ The accelerometer we use has its own 5 volt power supply and
+ the output must be passed through a resistive voltage divider to match
+ the input of our 3.3 volt ADC. This means that unlike the barometric
+ sensor, the output of the acceleration sensor is not ratiometric to
+ the ADC converter, and calibration is required. We also support the
+ use of any of several accelerometers from a Freescale family that
+ includes at least +/- 40g, 50g, 100g, and 200g parts. Using gravity,
+ a simple 2-point calibration yields acceptable results capturing both
+ the different sensitivities and ranges of the different accelerometer
+ parts and any variation in power supply voltages or resistor values
+ in the divider network.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ To calibrate the acceleration sensor, use the 'c a 0' command. You
+ will be prompted to orient the board vertically with the UHF antenna
+ up and press a key, then to orient the board vertically with the
+ UHF antenna down and press a key.
+ As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
+ change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The +1g and -1g calibration points are included in each telemetry
+ frame and are part of the header extracted by ao-dumplog after flight.
+ Note that we always store and return raw ADC samples for each
+ sensor... nothing is permanently "lost" or "damaged" if the
+ calibration is poor.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ </section>
+ </chapter>
+ <chapter>
+
+ <title>AltosUI</title>
+ <para>
+ The AltosUI program provides a graphical user interface for
+ interacting with the Altus Metrum product family, including
+ TeleMetrum and TeleDongle. AltosUI can monitor telemetry data,
+ configure TeleMetrum and TeleDongle devices and many other
+ tasks. The primary interface window provides a selection of
+ buttons, one for each major activity in the system. This manual
+ is split into chapters, each of which documents one of the tasks
+ provided from the top-level toolbar.
+ </para>
+ <section>
+ <title>Packet Command Mode</title>
+ <subtitle>Controlling TeleMetrum Over The Radio Link</subtitle>
+ <para>
+ One of the unique features of the Altos Metrum environment is
+ the ability to create a two way command link between TeleDongle
+ and TeleMetrum using the digital radio transceivers built into
+ each device. This allows you to interact with TeleMetrum from
+ afar, as if it were directly connected to the computer.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Any operation which can be performed with TeleMetrum
+ can either be done with TeleMetrum directly connected to
+ the computer via the USB cable, or through the packet
+ link. Simply select the appropriate TeleDongle device when
+ the list of devices is presented and AltosUI will use packet
+ command mode.
+ </para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
- Recording altimeter for model rocketry.
+ Save Flight Data—Recover flight data from the rocket without
+ opening it up.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Supports dual deployment (can fire 2 ejection charges).
+ Configure TeleMetrum—Reset apogee delays or main deploy
+ heights to respond to changing launch conditions. You can
+ also 'reboot' the TeleMetrum device. Use this to remotely
+ enable the flight computer by turning TeleMetrum on while
+ horizontal, then once the airframe is oriented for launch,
+ you can reboot TeleMetrum and have it restart in pad mode
+ without having to climb the scary ladder.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- 70cm ham-band transceiver for telemetry downlink.
+ Fire Igniters—Test your deployment charges without snaking
+ wires out through holes in the airframe. Simply assembly the
+ rocket as if for flight with the apogee and main charges
+ loaded, then remotely command TeleMetrum to fire the
+ igniters.
</para>
</listitem>
+ </itemizedlist>
+ <para>
+ Packet command mode uses the same RF channels as telemetry
+ mode. Configure the desired TeleDongle channel using the
+ flight monitor window channel selector and then close that
+ window before performing the desired operation.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ TeleMetrum only enables packet command mode in 'idle' mode, so
+ make sure you have TeleMetrum lying horizontally when you turn
+ it on. Otherwise, TeleMetrum will start in 'pad' mode ready for
+ flight and will not be listening for command packets from TeleDongle.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ When packet command mode is enabled, you can monitor the link
+ by watching the lights on the TeleDongle and TeleMetrum
+ devices. The red LED will flash each time TeleDongle or
+ TeleMetrum transmit a packet while the green LED will light up
+ on TeleDongle while it is waiting to receive a packet from
+ TeleMetrum.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Monitor Flight</title>
+ <subtitle>Receive, Record and Display Telemetry Data</subtitle>
+ <para>
+ Selecting this item brings up a dialog box listing all of the
+ connected TeleDongle devices. When you choose one of these,
+ AltosUI will create a window to display telemetry data as
+ received by the selected TeleDongle device.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ All telemetry data received are automatically recorded in
+ suitable log files. The name of the files includes the current
+ date and rocket serial and flight numbers.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The radio channel being monitored by the TeleDongle device is
+ displayed at the top of the window. You can configure the
+ channel by clicking on the channel box and selecting the desired
+ channel. AltosUI remembers the last channel selected for each
+ TeleDongle and selects that automatically the next time you use
+ that device.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Below the TeleDongle channel selector, the window contains a few
+ significant pieces of information about the TeleMetrum providing
+ the telemetry data stream:
+ </para>
+ <itemizedlist>
<listitem>
- <para>
- Barometric pressure sensor good to 45k feet MSL.
- </para>
+ <para>The TeleMetrum callsign</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
- <para>
- 1-axis high-g accelerometer for motor characterization, capable of
- +/- 50g using default part.
+ <para>The TeleMetrum serial number</para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>The flight number. Each TeleMetrum remembers how many
+ times it has flown.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- On-board, integrated GPS receiver with 5hz update rate capability.
+ The rocket flight state. Each flight passes through several
+ states including Pad, Boost, Fast, Coast, Drogue, Main and
+ Landed.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- On-board 1 megabyte non-volatile memory for flight data storage.
+ The Received Signal Strength Indicator value. This lets
+ you know how strong a signal TeleDongle is receiving. The
+ radio inside TeleDongle operates down to about -99dBm;
+ weaker signals may not be receiveable. The packet link uses
+ error correction and detection techniques which prevent
+ incorrect data from being reported.
</para>
</listitem>
+ </itemizedlist>
+ <para>
+ Finally, the largest portion of the window contains a set of
+ tabs, each of which contain some information about the rocket.
+ They're arranged in 'flight order' so that as the flight
+ progresses, the selected tab automatically switches to display
+ data relevant to the current state of the flight. You can select
+ other tabs at any time. The final 'table' tab contains all of
+ the telemetry data in one place.
+ </para>
+ <section>
+ <title>Launch Pad</title>
+ <para>
+ The 'Launch Pad' tab shows information used to decide when the
+ rocket is ready for flight. The first elements include red/green
+ indicators, if any of these is red, you'll want to evaluate
+ whether the rocket is ready to launch:
+ <itemizedlist>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Battery Voltage. This indicates whether the LiPo battery
+ powering the TeleMetrum has sufficient charge to last for
+ the duration of the flight. A value of more than
+ 3.7V is required for a 'GO' status.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Apogee Igniter Voltage. This indicates whether the apogee
+ igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a low
+ resistance, then the voltage measured here will be close
+ to the LiPo battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is
+ required for a 'GO' status.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Main Igniter Voltage. This indicates whether the main
+ igniter has continuity. If the igniter has a low
+ resistance, then the voltage measured here will be close
+ to the LiPo battery voltage. A value greater than 3.2V is
+ required for a 'GO' status.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ GPS Locked. This indicates whether the GPS receiver is
+ currently able to compute position information. GPS requires
+ at least 4 satellites to compute an accurate position.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ GPS Ready. This indicates whether GPS has reported at least
+ 10 consecutive positions without losing lock. This ensures
+ that the GPS receiver has reliable reception from the
+ satellites.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </itemizedlist>
+ <para>
+ The LaunchPad tab also shows the computed launch pad position
+ and altitude, averaging many reported positions to improve the
+ accuracy of the fix.
+ </para>
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Ascent</title>
+ <para>
+ This tab is shown during Boost, Fast and Coast
+ phases. The information displayed here helps monitor the
+ rocket as it heads towards apogee.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The height, speed and acceleration are shown along with the
+ maxium values for each of them. This allows you to quickly
+ answer the most commonly asked questions you'll hear during
+ flight.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The current latitude and longitude reported by the GPS are
+ also shown. Note that under high acceleration, these values
+ may not get updated as the GPS receiver loses position
+ fix. Once the rocket starts coasting, the receiver should
+ start reporting position again.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Finally, the current igniter voltages are reported as in the
+ Launch Pad tab. This can help diagnose deployment failures
+ caused by wiring which comes loose under high acceleration.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Descent</title>
+ <para>
+ Once the rocket has reached apogee and (we hope) activated the
+ apogee charge, attention switches to tracking the rocket on
+ the way back to the ground, and for dual-deploy flights,
+ waiting for the main charge to fire.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ To monitor whether the apogee charge operated correctly, the
+ current descent rate is reported along with the current
+ height. Good descent rates generally range from 15-30m/s.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ To help locate the rocket in the sky, use the elevation and
+ bearing information to figure out where to look. Elevation is
+ in degrees above the horizon. Bearing is reported in degrees
+ relative to true north. Range can help figure out how big the
+ rocket will appear. Note that all of these values are relative
+ to the pad location. If the elevation is near 90°, the rocket
+ is over the pad, not over you.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Finally, the igniter voltages are reported in this tab as
+ well, both to monitor the main charge as well as to see what
+ the status of the apogee charge is.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Landed</title>
+ <para>
+ Once the rocket is on the ground, attention switches to
+ recovery. While the radio signal is generally lost once the
+ rocket is on the ground, the last reported GPS position is
+ generally within a short distance of the actual landing location.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The last reported GPS position is reported both by
+ latitude and longitude as well as a bearing and distance from
+ the launch pad. The distance should give you a good idea of
+ whether you'll want to walk or hitch a ride. Take the reported
+ latitude and longitude and enter them into your handheld GPS
+ unit and have that compute a track to the landing location.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Finally, the maximum height, speed and acceleration reported
+ during the flight are displayed for your admiring observers.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Save Flight Data</title>
+ <para>
+ TeleMetrum records flight data to its internal flash memory.
+ This data is recorded at a much higher rate than the telemetry
+ system can handle, and is not subject to radio drop-outs. As
+ such, it provides a more complete and precise record of the
+ flight. The 'Save Flight Data' button allows you to read the
+ flash memory and write it to disk.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Clicking on the 'Save Flight Data' button brings up a list of
+ connected TeleMetrum and TeleDongle devices. If you select a
+ TeleMetrum device, the flight data will be downloaded from that
+ device directly. If you select a TeleDongle device, flight data
+ will be downloaded from a TeleMetrum device connected via the
+ packet command link to the specified TeleDongle. See the chapter
+ on Packet Command Mode for more information about this.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The filename for the data is computed automatically from the recorded
+ flight date, TeleMetrum serial number and flight number
+ information.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Replay Flight</title>
+ <para>
+ Select this button and you are prompted to select a flight
+ record file, either a .telem file recording telemetry data or a
+ .eeprom file containing flight data saved from the TeleMetrum
+ flash memory.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Once a flight record is selected, the flight monitor interface
+ is displayed and the flight is re-enacted in real time. Check
+ the Monitor Flight chapter above to learn how this window operates.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Graph Data</title>
+ <para>
+ This section should be written by AJ.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Export Data</title>
+ <para>
+ This tool takes the raw data files and makes them available for
+ external analysis. When you select this button, you are prompted to select a flight
+ data file (either .eeprom or .telem will do, remember that
+ .eeprom files contain higher resolution and more continuous
+ data). Next, a second dialog appears which is used to select
+ where to write the resulting file. It has a selector to choose
+ between CSV and KML file formats.
+ </para>
+ <section>
+ <title>Comma Separated Value Format</title>
+ <para>
+ This is a text file containing the data in a form suitable for
+ import into a spreadsheet or other external data analysis
+ tool. The first few lines of the file contain the version and
+ configuration information from the TeleMetrum device, then
+ there is a single header line which labels all of the
+ fields. All of these lines start with a '#' character which
+ most tools can be configured to skip over.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The remaining lines of the file contain the data, with each
+ field separated by a comma and at least one space. All of
+ the sensor values are converted to standard units, with the
+ barometric data reported in both pressure, altitude and
+ height above pad units.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Keyhole Markup Language (for Google Earth)</title>
+ <para>
+ This is the format used by
+ Googleearth to provide an overlay within that
+ application. With this, you can use Googleearth to see the
+ whole flight path in 3D.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Configure TeleMetrum</title>
+ <para>
+ Select this button and then select either a TeleMetrum or
+ TeleDongle Device from the list provided. Selecting a TeleDongle
+ device will use Packet Comamnd Mode to configure remote
+ TeleMetrum device. Learn how to use this in the Packet Command
+ Mode chapter.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The first few lines of the dialog provide information about the
+ connected TeleMetrum device, including the product name,
+ software version and hardware serial number. Below that are the
+ individual configuration entries.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ At the bottom of the dialog, there are four buttons:
+ </para>
+ <itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
- USB interface for battery charging, configuration, and data recovery.
+ Save. This writes any changes to the TeleMetrum
+ configuration parameter block in flash memory. If you don't
+ press this button, any changes you make will be lost.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Fully integrated support for LiPo rechargeable batteries.
+ Reset. This resets the dialog to the most recently saved values,
+ erasing any changes you have made.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- Uses LiPo to fire e-matches, support for optional separate pyro
- battery if needed.
+ Reboot. This reboots the TeleMetrum device. Use this to
+ switch from idle to pad mode by rebooting once the rocket is
+ oriented for flight.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
- 2.75 x 1 inch board designed to fit inside 29mm airframe coupler tube.
+ Close. This closes the dialog. Any unsaved changes will be
+ lost.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
- </chapter>
- <chapter>
- <title>Handling Precautions</title>
- <para>
- TeleMetrum is a sophisticated electronic device. When handled gently and
- properly installed in an airframe, it will deliver impressive results.
- However, like all electronic devices, there are some precautions you
- must take.
- </para>
- <para>
- The Lithium Polymer rechargeable batteries used with TeleMetrum have an
- extraordinary power density. This is great because we can fly with
- much less battery mass than if we used alkaline batteries or previous
- generation rechargeable batteries... but if they are punctured
- or their leads are allowed to short, they can and will release their
- energy very rapidly!
- Thus we recommend that you take some care when handling our batteries
- and consider giving them some extra protection in your airframe. We
- often wrap them in suitable scraps of closed-cell packing foam before
- strapping them down, for example.
- </para>
- <para>
- The TeleMetrum barometric sensor is sensitive to sunlight. In normal
- mounting situations, it and all of the other surface mount components
- are "down" towards whatever the underlying mounting surface is, so
- this is not normally a problem. Please consider this, though, when
- designing an installation, for example, in a 29mm airframe with a
- see-through plastic payload bay.
- </para>
- <para>
- The TeleMetrum barometric sensor sampling port must be able to
- "breathe",
- both by not being covered by foam or tape or other materials that might
- directly block the hole on the top of the sensor, but also by having a
- suitable static vent to outside air.
- </para>
- <para>
- As with all other rocketry electronics, TeleMetrum must be protected
- from exposure to corrosive motor exhaust and ejection charge gasses.
- </para>
- </chapter>
- <chapter>
- <title>Hardware Overview</title>
- <para>
- TeleMetrum is a 1 inch by 2.75 inch circuit board. It was designed to
- fit inside coupler for 29mm airframe tubing, but using it in a tube that
- small in diameter may require some creativity in mounting and wiring
- to succeed! The default 1/4
- wave UHF wire antenna attached to the center of the nose-cone end of
- the board is about 7 inches long, and wiring for a power switch and
- the e-matches for apogee and main ejection charges depart from the
- fin can end of the board. Given all this, an ideal "simple" avionics
- bay for TeleMetrum should have at least 10 inches of interior length.
- </para>
- <para>
- A typical TeleMetrum installation using the on-board GPS antenna and
- default wire UHF antenna involves attaching only a suitable
- Lithium Polymer battery, a single pole switch for power on/off, and
- two pairs of wires connecting e-matches for the apogee and main ejection
- charges.
- </para>
- <para>
- By default, we use the unregulated output of the LiPo battery directly
- to fire ejection charges. This works marvelously with standard
- low-current e-matches like the J-Tek from MJG Technologies, and with
- Quest Q2G2 igniters. However, if you
- want or need to use a separate pyro battery, you can do so by adding
- a second 2mm connector to position B2 on the board and cutting the
- thick pcb trace connecting the LiPo battery to the pyro circuit between
- the two silk screen marks on the surface mount side of the board shown
- here [insert photo]
- </para>
- <para>
- We offer two choices of pyro and power switch connector, or you can
- choose neither and solder wires directly to the board. All three choices
- are reasonable depending on the constraints of your airframe. Our
- favorite option when there is sufficient room above the board is to use
- the Tyco pin header with polarization and locking. If you choose this
- option, you crimp individual wires for the power switch and e-matches
- into a mating connector, and installing and removing the TeleMetrum
- board from an airframe is as easy as plugging or unplugging two
- connectors. If the airframe will not support this much height or if
- you want to be able to directly attach e-match leads to the board, we
- offer a screw terminal block. This is very similar to what most other
- altimeter vendors provide and so may be the most familiar option.
- You'll need a very small straight blade screwdriver to connect
- and disconnect the board in this case, such as you might find in a
- jeweler's screwdriver set. Finally, you can forego both options and
- solder wires directly to the board, which may be the best choice for
- minimum diameter and/or minimum mass designs.
- </para>
- <para>
- For most airframes, the integrated GPS antenna and wire UHF antenna are
- a great combination. However, if you are installing in a carbon-fiber
- electronics bay which is opaque to RF signals, you may need to use
- off-board external antennas instead. In this case, you can order
- TeleMetrum with an SMA connector for the UHF antenna connection, and
- you can unplug the integrated GPS antenna and select an appropriate
- off-board GPS antenna with cable terminating in a U.FL connector.
- </para>
- </chapter>
- <chapter>
- <title>Operation</title>
+ <para>
+ The rest of the dialog contains the parameters to be configured.
+ </para>
<section>
- <title>Firmware Modes </title>
- <para>
- The AltOS firmware build for TeleMetrum has two fundamental modes,
- "idle" and "flight". Which of these modes the firmware operates in
- is determined by the orientation of the rocket (well, actually the
- board, of course...) at the time power is switched on. If the rocket
- is "nose up", then TeleMetrum assumes it's on a rail or rod being
- prepared for launch, so the firmware chooses flight mode. However,
- if the rocket is more or less horizontal, the firmware instead enters
- idle mode.
- </para>
- <para>
- At power on, you will hear three beeps
- ("S" in Morse code for startup) and then a pause while
- TeleMetrum completes initialization and self tests, and decides which
- mode to enter next.
- </para>
- <para>
- In flight or "pad" mode, TeleMetrum turns on the GPS system,
- engages the flight
- state machine, goes into transmit-only mode on the RF link sending
- telemetry, and waits for launch to be detected. Flight mode is
- indicated by an audible "di-dah-dah-dit" ("P" for pad) on the
- beeper, followed by
- beeps indicating the state of the pyrotechnic igniter continuity.
- One beep indicates apogee continuity, two beeps indicate
- main continuity, three beeps indicate both apogee and main continuity,
- and one longer "brap" sound indicates no continuity. For a dual
- deploy flight, make sure you're getting three beeps before launching!
- For apogee-only or motor eject flights, do what makes sense.
- </para>
- <para>
- In idle mode, you will hear an audible "di-dit" ("I" for idle), and
- the normal flight state machine is disengaged, thus
- no ejection charges will fire. TeleMetrum also listens on the RF
- link when in idle mode for packet mode requests sent from TeleDongle.
- Commands can be issued to a TeleMetrum in idle mode over either
- USB or the RF link equivalently.
- Idle mode is useful for configuring TeleMetrum, for extracting data
- from the on-board storage chip after flight, and for ground testing
- pyro charges.
- </para>
- <para>
- One "neat trick" of particular value when TeleMetrum is used with very
- large airframes, is that you can power the board up while the rocket
- is horizontal, such that it comes up in idle mode. Then you can
- raise the airframe to launch position, use a TeleDongle to open
- a packet connection, and issue a 'reset' command which will cause
- TeleMetrum to reboot, realize it's now nose-up, and thus choose
- flight mode. This is much safer than standing on the top step of a
- rickety step-ladder or hanging off the side of a launch tower with
- a screw-driver trying to turn on your avionics before installing
- igniters!
+ <title>Main Deploy Altitude</title>
+ <para>
+ This sets the altitude (above the recorded pad altitude) at
+ which the 'main' igniter will fire. The drop-down menu shows
+ some common values, but you can edit the text directly and
+ choose whatever you like. If the apogee charge fires below
+ this altitude, then the main charge will fire two seconds
+ after the apogee charge fires.
</para>
</section>
<section>
- <title>GPS </title>
- <para>
- TeleMetrum includes a complete GPS receiver. See a later section for
- a brief explanation of how GPS works that will help you understand
- the information in the telemetry stream. The bottom line is that
- the TeleMetrum GPS receiver needs to lock onto at least four
- satellites to obtain a solid 3 dimensional position fix and know
- what time it is!
- </para>
- <para>
- TeleMetrum provides backup power to the GPS chip any time a LiPo
- battery is connected. This allows the receiver to "warm start" on
- the launch rail much faster than if every power-on were a "cold start"
- for the GPS receiver. In typical operations, powering up TeleMetrum
- on the flight line in idle mode while performing final airframe
- preparation will be sufficient to allow the GPS receiver to cold
- start and acquire lock. Then the board can be powered down during
- RSO review and installation on a launch rod or rail. When the board
- is turned back on, the GPS system should lock very quickly, typically
- long before igniter installation and return to the flight line are
- complete.
+ <title>Apogee Delay</title>
+ <para>
+ When flying redundant electronics, it's often important to
+ ensure that multiple apogee charges don't fire at precisely
+ the same time as that can overpressurize the apogee deployment
+ bay and cause a structural failure of the airframe. The Apogee
+ Delay parameter tells the flight computer to fire the apogee
+ charge a certain number of seconds after apogee has been
+ detected.
</para>
</section>
<section>
- <title>Ground Testing </title>
+ <title>Radio Channel</title>
<para>
- An important aspect of preparing a rocket using electronic deployment
- for flight is ground testing the recovery system. Thanks
- to the bi-directional RF link central to the Altus Metrum system,
- this can be accomplished in a TeleMetrum-equipped rocket without as
- much work as you may be accustomed to with other systems. It can
- even be fun!
+ This configures which of the 10 radio channels to use for both
+ telemetry and packet command mode. Note that if you set this
+ value via packet command mode, you will have to reconfigure
+ the TeleDongle channel before you will be able to use packet
+ command mode again.
</para>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Radio Calibration</title>
<para>
- Just prep the rocket for flight, then power up TeleMetrum while the
- airframe is horizontal. This will cause the firmware to go into
- "idle" mode, in which the normal flight state machine is disabled and
- charges will not fire without manual command. Then, establish an
- RF packet connection from a TeleDongle-equipped computer using the
- P command from a safe distance. You can now command TeleMetrum to
- fire the apogee or main charges to complete your testing.
+ The radios in every Altus Metrum device are calibrated at the
+ factory to ensure that they transmit and receive on the
+ specified frequency for each channel. You can adjust that
+ calibration by changing this value. To change the TeleDongle's
+ calibration, you must reprogram the unit completely.
</para>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Callsign</title>
<para>
- In order to reduce the chance of accidental firing of pyrotechnic
- charges, the command to fire a charge is intentionally somewhat
- difficult to type, and the built-in help is slightly cryptic to
- prevent accidental echoing of characters from the help text back at
- the board from firing a charge. The command to fire the apogee
- drogue charge is 'i DoIt drogue' and the command to fire the main
- charge is 'i DoIt main'.
+ This sets the callsign included in each telemetry packet. Set this
+ as needed to conform to your local radio regulations.
</para>
</section>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Configure AltosUI</title>
+ <para>
+ This button presents a dialog so that you can configure the AltosUI global settings.
+ </para>
<section>
- <title>Radio Link </title>
- <para>
- The chip our boards are based on incorporates an RF transceiver, but
- it's not a full duplex system... each end can only be transmitting or
- receiving at any given moment. So we had to decide how to manage the
- link.
- </para>
- <para>
- By design, TeleMetrum firmware listens for an RF connection when
- it's in "idle mode" (turned on while the rocket is horizontal), which
- allows us to use the RF link to configure the rocket, do things like
- ejection tests, and extract data after a flight without having to
- crack open the airframe. However, when the board is in "flight
- mode" (turned on when the rocket is vertical) the TeleMetrum only
- transmits and doesn't listen at all. That's because we want to put
- ultimate priority on event detection and getting telemetry out of
- the rocket and out over
- the RF link in case the rocket crashes and we aren't able to extract
- data later...
- </para>
- <para>
- We don't use a 'normal packet radio' mode because they're just too
- inefficient. The GFSK modulation we use is just FSK with the
- baseband pulses passed through a
- Gaussian filter before they go into the modulator to limit the
- transmitted bandwidth. When combined with the hardware forward error
- correction support in the cc1111 chip, this allows us to have a very
- robust 38.4 kilobit data link with only 10 milliwatts of transmit power,
- a whip antenna in the rocket, and a hand-held Yagi on the ground. We've
- had flights to above 21k feet AGL with good reception, and calculations
- suggest we should be good to well over 40k feet AGL with a 5-element yagi on
- the ground. We hope to fly boards to higher altitudes soon, and would
- of course appreciate customer feedback on performance in higher
- altitude flights!
+ <title>Voice Settings</title>
+ <para>
+ AltosUI provides voice annoucements during flight so that you
+ can keep your eyes on the sky and still get information about
+ the current flight status. However, sometimes you don't want
+ to hear them.
</para>
+ <itemizedlist>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Enable—turns all voice announcements on and off</para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Test Voice—Plays a short message allowing you to verify
+ that the audio systme is working and the volume settings
+ are reasonable
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </itemizedlist>
</section>
<section>
- <title>Configurable Parameters</title>
+ <title>Log Directory</title>
<para>
- Configuring a TeleMetrum board for flight is very simple. Because we
- have both acceleration and pressure sensors, there is no need to set
- a "mach delay", for example. The few configurable parameters can all
- be set using a simple terminal program over the USB port or RF link
- via TeleDongle.
+ AltosUI logs all telemetry data and saves all TeleMetrum flash
+ data to this directory. This directory is also used as the
+ staring point when selecting data files for display or export.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Click on the directory name to bring up a directory choosing
+ dialog, select a new directory and click 'Select Directory' to
+ change where AltosUI reads and writes data files.
</para>
- <section>
- <title>Radio Channel</title>
- <para>
- Our firmware supports 10 channels. The default channel 0 corresponds
- to a center frequency of 434.550 Mhz, and channels are spaced every
- 100 khz. Thus, channel 1 is 434.650 Mhz, and channel 9 is 435.550 Mhz.
- At any given launch, we highly recommend coordinating who will use
- each channel and when to avoid interference. And of course, both
- TeleMetrum and TeleDongle must be configured to the same channel to
- successfully communicate with each other.
- </para>
- <para>
- To set the radio channel, use the 'c r' command, like 'c r 3' to set
- channel 3.
- As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
- change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip on
- your TeleMetrum board if you want the change to stay in place across reboots.
- </para>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Apogee Delay</title>
- <para>
- Apogee delay is the number of seconds after TeleMetrum detects flight
- apogee that the drogue charge should be fired. In most cases, this
- should be left at the default of 0. However, if you are flying
- redundant electronics such as for an L3 certification, you may wish
- to set one of your altimeters to a positive delay so that both
- primary and backup pyrotechnic charges do not fire simultaneously.
- </para>
- <para>
- To set the apogee delay, use the [FIXME] command.
- As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
- change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
- </para>
- <para>
- Please note that the TeleMetrum apogee detection algorithm always
- fires a fraction of a second *after* apogee. If you are also flying
- an altimeter like the PerfectFlite MAWD, which only supports selecting
- 0 or 1 seconds of apogee delay, you may wish to set the MAWD to 0
- seconds delay and set the TeleMetrum to fire your backup 2 or 3
- seconds later to avoid any chance of both charges firing
- simultaneously. We've flown several airframes this way quite happily,
- including Keith's successful L3 cert.
- </para>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Main Deployment Altitude</title>
- <para>
- By default, TeleMetrum will fire the main deployment charge at an
- elevation of 250 meters (about 820 feet) above ground. We think this
- is a good elevation for most airframes, but feel free to change this
- to suit. In particular, if you are flying two altimeters, you may
- wish to set the
- deployment elevation for the backup altimeter to be something lower
- than the primary so that both pyrotechnic charges don't fire
- simultaneously.
- </para>
- <para>
- To set the main deployment altitude, use the [FIXME] command.
- As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
- change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
- </para>
- </section>
</section>
<section>
- <title>Calibration</title>
+ <title>Callsign</title>
<para>
- There are only two calibrations required for a TeleMetrum board, and
- only one for TeleDongle.
+ This value is used in command packet mode and is transmitted
+ in each packet sent from TeleDongle and received from
+ TeleMetrum. It is not used in telemetry mode as that transmits
+ packets only from TeleMetrum to TeleDongle. Configure this
+ with the AltosUI operators callsign as needed to comply with
+ your local radio regulations.
</para>
- <section>
- <title>Radio Frequency</title>
- <para>
- The radio frequency is synthesized from a clock based on the 48 Mhz
- crystal on the board. The actual frequency of this oscillator must be
- measured to generate a calibration constant. While our GFSK modulation
- bandwidth is wide enough to allow boards to communicate even when
- their oscillators are not on exactly the same frequency, performance
- is best when they are closely matched.
- Radio frequency calibration requires a calibrated frequency counter.
- Fortunately, once set, the variation in frequency due to aging and
- temperature changes is small enough that re-calibration by customers
- should generally not be required.
- </para>
- <para>
- To calibrate the radio frequency, connect the UHF antenna port to a
- frequency counter, set the board to channel 0, and use the 'C'
- command to generate a CW carrier. Wait for the transmitter temperature
- to stabilize and the frequency to settle down.
- Then, divide 434.550 Mhz by the
- measured frequency and multiply by the current radio cal value show
- in the 'c s' command. For an unprogrammed board, the default value
- is 1186611. Take the resulting integer and program it using the 'c f'
- command. Testing with the 'C' command again should show a carrier
- within a few tens of Hertz of the intended frequency.
- As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
- change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
- </para>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Accelerometer</title>
- <para>
- The accelerometer we use has its own 5 volt power supply and
- the output must be passed through a resistive voltage divider to match
- the input of our 3.3 volt ADC. This means that unlike the barometric
- sensor, the output of the acceleration sensor is not ratiometric to
- the ADC converter, and calibration is required. We also support the
- use of any of several accelerometers from a Freescale family that
- includes at least +/- 40g, 50g, 100g, and 200g parts. Using gravity,
- a simple 2-point calibration yields acceptable results capturing both
- the different sensitivities and ranges of the different accelerometer
- parts and any variation in power supply voltages or resistor values
- in the divider network.
- </para>
- <para>
- To calibrate the acceleration sensor, use the 'c a 0' command. You
- will be prompted to orient the board vertically with the UHF antenna
- up and press a key, then to orient the board vertically with the
- UHF antenna down and press a key.
- As with all 'c' sub-commands, follow this with a 'c w' to write the
- change to the parameter block in the on-board DataFlash chip.
- </para>
- <para>
- The +1g and -1g calibration points are included in each telemetry
- frame and are part of the header extracted by ao-dumplog after flight.
- Note that we always store and return raw ADC samples for each
- sensor... nothing is permanently "lost" or "damaged" if the
- calibration is poor.
- </para>
- </section>
</section>
- </chapter>
- <chapter>
- <title>Using Altus Metrum Products</title>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Flash Image</title>
+ <para>
+ This reprograms any Altus Metrum device by using a TeleMetrum or
+ TeleDongle as a programming dongle. Please read the directions
+ for connecting the programming cable in the main TeleMetrum
+ manual before reading these instructions.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Once you have the programmer and target devices connected,
+ push the 'Flash Image' button. That will present a dialog box
+ listing all of the connected devices. Carefully select the
+ programmer device, not the device to be programmed.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Next, select the image to flash to the device. These are named
+ with the product name and firmware version. The file selector
+ will start in the directory containing the firmware included
+ with the AltosUI package. Navigate to the directory containing
+ the desired firmware if it isn't there.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Next, a small dialog containing the device serial number and
+ RF calibration values should appear. If these values are
+ incorrect (possibly due to a corrupted image in the device),
+ enter the correct values here.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Finally, a dialog containing a progress bar will follow the
+ programming process.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ When programming is complete, the target device will
+ reboot. Note that if the target device is connected via USB, you
+ will have to unplug it and then plug it back in for the USB
+ connection to reset so that you can communicate with the device
+ again.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Fire Igniter</title>
+ <para>
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ </chapter>
+ <chapter>
+ <title>Using Altus Metrum Products</title>
+ <section>
+ <title>Being Legal</title>
+ <para>
+ First off, in the US, you need an [amateur radio license](../Radio) or
+ other authorization to legally operate the radio transmitters that are part
+ of our products.
+ </para>
<section>
- <title>Being Legal</title>
+ <title>In the Rocket</title>
<para>
- First off, in the US, you need an [amateur radio license](../Radio) or
- other authorization to legally operate the radio transmitters that are part
- of our products.
+ In the rocket itself, you just need a [TeleMetrum](../TeleMetrum) board and
+ a LiPo rechargeable battery. An 860mAh battery weighs less than a 9V
+ alkaline battery, and will run a [TeleMetrum](../TeleMetrum) for hours.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ By default, we ship TeleMetrum with a simple wire antenna. If your
+ electronics bay or the airframe it resides within is made of carbon fiber,
+ which is opaque to RF signals, you may choose to have an SMA connector
+ installed so that you can run a coaxial cable to an antenna mounted
+ elsewhere in the rocket.
</para>
- <section>
- <title>In the Rocket</title>
- <para>
- In the rocket itself, you just need a [TeleMetrum](../TeleMetrum) board and
- a LiPo rechargeable battery. An 860mAh battery weighs less than a 9V
- alkaline battery, and will run a [TeleMetrum](../TeleMetrum) for hours.
- </para>
- <para>
- By default, we ship TeleMetrum with a simple wire antenna. If your
- electronics bay or the airframe it resides within is made of carbon fiber,
- which is opaque to RF signals, you may choose to have an SMA connector
- installed so that you can run a coaxial cable to an antenna mounted
- elsewhere in the rocket.
- </para>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>On the Ground</title>
- <para>
- To receive the data stream from the rocket, you need an antenna and short
- feedline connected to one of our [TeleDongle](../TeleDongle) units. The
- TeleDongle in turn plugs directly into the USB port on a notebook
- computer. Because TeleDongle looks like a simple serial port, your computer
- does not require special device drivers... just plug it in.
- </para>
- <para>
- Right now, all of our application software is written for Linux. However,
- because we understand that many people run Windows or MacOS, we are working
- on a new ground station program written in Java that should work on all
- operating systems.
- </para>
- <para>
- After the flight, you can use the RF link to extract the more detailed data
- logged in the rocket, or you can use a mini USB cable to plug into the
- TeleMetrum board directly. Pulling out the data without having to open up
- the rocket is pretty cool! A USB cable is also how you charge the LiPo
- battery, so you'll want one of those anyway... the same cable used by lots
- of digital cameras and other modern electronic stuff will work fine.
- </para>
- <para>
- If your rocket lands out of sight, you may enjoy having a hand-held GPS
- receiver, so that you can put in a waypoint for the last reported rocket
- position before touch-down. This makes looking for your rocket a lot like
- Geo-Cacheing... just go to the waypoint and look around starting from there.
- </para>
- <para>
- You may also enjoy having a ham radio "HT" that covers the 70cm band... you
- can use that with your antenna to direction-find the rocket on the ground
- the same way you can use a Walston or Beeline tracker. This can be handy
- if the rocket is hiding in sage brush or a tree, or if the last GPS position
- doesn't get you close enough because the rocket dropped into a canyon, or
- the wind is blowing it across a dry lake bed, or something like that... Keith
- and Bdale both currently own and use the Yaesu VX-7R at launches.
- </para>
- <para>
- So, to recap, on the ground the hardware you'll need includes:
- <orderedlist inheritnum='inherit' numeration='arabic'>
- <listitem>
- an antenna and feedline
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- a TeleDongle
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- a notebook computer
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- optionally, a handheld GPS receiver
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- optionally, an HT or receiver covering 435 Mhz
- </listitem>
- </orderedlist>
- </para>
- <para>
- The best hand-held commercial directional antennas we've found for radio
- direction finding rockets are from
- <ulink url="http://www.arrowantennas.com/" >
- Arrow Antennas.
- </ulink>
- The 440-3 and 440-5 are both good choices for finding a
- TeleMetrum-equipped rocket when used with a suitable 70cm HT.
- </para>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Data Analysis</title>
- <para>
- Our software makes it easy to log the data from each flight, both the
- telemetry received over the RF link during the flight itself, and the more
- complete data log recorded in the DataFlash memory on the TeleMetrum
- board. Once this data is on your computer, our postflight tools make it
- easy to quickly get to the numbers everyone wants, like apogee altitude,
- max acceleration, and max velocity. You can also generate and view a
- standard set of plots showing the altitude, acceleration, and
- velocity of the rocket during flight. And you can even export a data file
- useable with Google Maps and Google Earth for visualizing the flight path
- in two or three dimensions!
- </para>
- <para>
- Our ultimate goal is to emit a set of files for each flight that can be
- published as a web page per flight, or just viewed on your local disk with
- a web browser.
- </para>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Future Plans</title>
- <para>
- In the future, we intend to offer "companion boards" for the rocket that will
- plug in to TeleMetrum to collect additional data, provide more pyro channels,
- and so forth. A reference design for a companion board will be documented
- soon, and will be compatible with open source Arduino programming tools.
- </para>
- <para>
- We are also working on the design of a hand-held ground terminal that will
- allow monitoring the rocket's status, collecting data during flight, and
- logging data after flight without the need for a notebook computer on the
- flight line. Particularly since it is so difficult to read most notebook
- screens in direct sunlight, we think this will be a great thing to have.
- </para>
- <para>
- Because all of our work is open, both the hardware designs and the software,
- if you have some great idea for an addition to the current Altus Metrum family,
- feel free to dive in and help! Or let us know what you'd like to see that
- we aren't already working on, and maybe we'll get excited about it too...
- </para>
- </section>
</section>
<section>
- <title>
- How GPS Works
- </title>
+ <title>On the Ground</title>
+ <para>
+ To receive the data stream from the rocket, you need an antenna and short
+ feedline connected to one of our [TeleDongle](../TeleDongle) units. The
+ TeleDongle in turn plugs directly into the USB port on a notebook
+ computer. Because TeleDongle looks like a simple serial port, your computer
+ does not require special device drivers... just plug it in.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Right now, all of our application software is written for Linux. However,
+ because we understand that many people run Windows or MacOS, we are working
+ on a new ground station program written in Java that should work on all
+ operating systems.
+ </para>
<para>
- Placeholder.
+ After the flight, you can use the RF link to extract the more detailed data
+ logged in the rocket, or you can use a mini USB cable to plug into the
+ TeleMetrum board directly. Pulling out the data without having to open up
+ the rocket is pretty cool! A USB cable is also how you charge the LiPo
+ battery, so you'll want one of those anyway... the same cable used by lots
+ of digital cameras and other modern electronic stuff will work fine.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ If your rocket lands out of sight, you may enjoy having a hand-held GPS
+ receiver, so that you can put in a waypoint for the last reported rocket
+ position before touch-down. This makes looking for your rocket a lot like
+ Geo-Cacheing... just go to the waypoint and look around starting from there.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ You may also enjoy having a ham radio "HT" that covers the 70cm band... you
+ can use that with your antenna to direction-find the rocket on the ground
+ the same way you can use a Walston or Beeline tracker. This can be handy
+ if the rocket is hiding in sage brush or a tree, or if the last GPS position
+ doesn't get you close enough because the rocket dropped into a canyon, or
+ the wind is blowing it across a dry lake bed, or something like that... Keith
+ and Bdale both currently own and use the Yaesu VX-7R at launches.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ So, to recap, on the ground the hardware you'll need includes:
+ <orderedlist inheritnum='inherit' numeration='arabic'>
+ <listitem>
+ an antenna and feedline
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ a TeleDongle
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ a notebook computer
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ optionally, a handheld GPS receiver
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ optionally, an HT or receiver covering 435 Mhz
+ </listitem>
+ </orderedlist>
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The best hand-held commercial directional antennas we've found for radio
+ direction finding rockets are from
+ <ulink url="http://www.arrowantennas.com/" >
+ Arrow Antennas.
+ </ulink>
+ The 440-3 and 440-5 are both good choices for finding a
+ TeleMetrum-equipped rocket when used with a suitable 70cm HT.
</para>
</section>
- </chapter>
- </book>
-
+ <section>
+ <title>Data Analysis</title>
+ <para>
+ Our software makes it easy to log the data from each flight, both the
+ telemetry received over the RF link during the flight itself, and the more
+ complete data log recorded in the DataFlash memory on the TeleMetrum
+ board. Once this data is on your computer, our postflight tools make it
+ easy to quickly get to the numbers everyone wants, like apogee altitude,
+ max acceleration, and max velocity. You can also generate and view a
+ standard set of plots showing the altitude, acceleration, and
+ velocity of the rocket during flight. And you can even export a data file
+ useable with Google Maps and Google Earth for visualizing the flight path
+ in two or three dimensions!
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Our ultimate goal is to emit a set of files for each flight that can be
+ published as a web page per flight, or just viewed on your local disk with
+ a web browser.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>Future Plans</title>
+ <para>
+ In the future, we intend to offer "companion boards" for the rocket that will
+ plug in to TeleMetrum to collect additional data, provide more pyro channels,
+ and so forth. A reference design for a companion board will be documented
+ soon, and will be compatible with open source Arduino programming tools.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ We are also working on the design of a hand-held ground terminal that will
+ allow monitoring the rocket's status, collecting data during flight, and
+ logging data after flight without the need for a notebook computer on the
+ flight line. Particularly since it is so difficult to read most notebook
+ screens in direct sunlight, we think this will be a great thing to have.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Because all of our work is open, both the hardware designs and the software,
+ if you have some great idea for an addition to the current Altus Metrum family,
+ feel free to dive in and help! Or let us know what you'd like to see that
+ we aren't already working on, and maybe we'll get excited about it too...
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ </section>
+ <section>
+ <title>
+ How GPS Works
+ </title>
+ <para>
+ Placeholder.
+ </para>
+ </section>
+ </chapter>
+</book>
+