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| author | Bdale Garbee <bdale@gag.com> | 2010-11-28 18:46:02 -0700 |
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| committer | Bdale Garbee <bdale@gag.com> | 2010-11-28 18:46:02 -0700 |
| commit | cadd4c684a64e45d4daf020682502b7518b759c0 (patch) | |
| tree | 13ef58b2af81466da1e4f1994a99286fb02d3f92 /TeleMetrum | |
| parent | 91a14c23aa4a336840b20a6417414975c1ef3b4a (diff) | |
move docs to AltOS tree since they're not TeleMetrum specific
Diffstat (limited to 'TeleMetrum')
| -rw-r--r-- | TeleMetrum/doc/telemetrum-doc.html | 795 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | TeleMetrum/doc/telemetrum-doc.pdf | bin | 70885 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | TeleMetrum/index.mdwn | 6 |
3 files changed, 3 insertions, 798 deletions
diff --git a/TeleMetrum/doc/telemetrum-doc.html b/TeleMetrum/doc/telemetrum-doc.html deleted file mode 100644 index 4edd966..0000000 --- a/TeleMetrum/doc/telemetrum-doc.html +++ /dev/null @@ -1,795 +0,0 @@ -<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"><title>TeleMetrum</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.75.2"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="book" title="TeleMetrum"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="id2276207"></a>TeleMetrum</h1></div><div><h2 class="subtitle">Owner's Manual for the TeleMetrum System</h2></div><div><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Bdale</span> <span class="surname">Garbee</span></h3></div></div><div><div class="author"><h3 class="author"><span class="firstname">Keith</span> <span class="surname">Packard</span></h3></div></div><div><p class="copyright">Copyright © 2010 Bdale Garbee and Keith Packard</p></div><div><div class="legalnotice" title="Legal Notice"><a name="id2559812"></a><p> - This document is released under the terms of the - <a class="ulink" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/" target="_top"> - Creative Commons ShareAlike 3.0 - </a> - license. - </p></div></div><div><div class="revhistory"><table border="1" width="100%" summary="Revision history"><tr><th align="left" valign="top" colspan="2"><b>Revision History</b></th></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 0.3</td><td align="left">12 November 2010</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2"> - Add instructions for re-flashing devices using AltosUI - </td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 0.2</td><td align="left">18 July 2010</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">Significant update</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Revision 0.1</td><td align="left">30 March 2010</td></tr><tr><td align="left" colspan="2">Initial content</td></tr></table></div></div></div><hr></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#id2555013">1. Introduction and Overview</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#id2540100">2. Getting Started</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2559795">FAQ</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#id2546901">3. Specifications</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#id2574755">4. Handling Precautions</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#id2547133">5. Hardware Overview</a></span></dt><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#id2552998">6. Operation</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2556146">Firmware Modes </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2557858">GPS </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2572262">Ground Testing </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2572259">Radio Link </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2542980">Configurable Parameters</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2563251">Radio Channel</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2554165">Apogee Delay</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2571971">Main Deployment Altitude</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2550600">Calibration</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2574322">Radio Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2564433">Accelerometer</a></span></dt></dl></dd></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#id2554553">7. Updating Device Firmware</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2569887">Updating TeleMetrum Firmware</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2552683">Updating TeleDongle Firmware</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="chapter"><a href="#id2539483">8. Using Altus Metrum Products</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2558109">Being Legal</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2554650">In the Rocket</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2572268">On the Ground</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2569008">Data Analysis</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2563568">Future Plans</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2567979"> - How GPS Works - </a></span></dt></dl></dd></dl></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="id2555013"></a>Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview</h2></div></div></div><p> - Welcome to the Altus Metrum community! Our circuits and software reflect - our passion for both hobby rocketry and Free Software. We hope their - capabilities and performance will delight you in every way, but by - releasing all of our hardware and software designs under open licenses, - we also hope to empower you to take as active a role in our collective - future as you wish! - </p><p> - The focal point of our community is TeleMetrum, a dual deploy altimeter - with fully integrated GPS and radio telemetry as standard features, and - a "companion interface" that will support optional capabilities in the - future. - </p><p> - Complementing TeleMetrum is TeleDongle, a USB to RF interface for - communicating with TeleMetrum. Combined with your choice of antenna and - notebook computer, TeleDongle and our associated user interface software - form a complete ground station capable of logging and displaying in-flight - telemetry, aiding rocket recovery, then processing and archiving flight - data for analysis and review. - </p><p> - More products will be added to the Altus Metrum family over time, and - we currently envision that this will be a single, comprehensive manual - for the entire product family. - </p></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 2. Getting Started"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="id2540100"></a>Chapter 2. Getting Started</h2></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2559795">FAQ</a></span></dt></dl></div><p> - This chapter began as "The Mere-Mortals Quick Start/Usage Guide to - the Altus Metrum Starter Kit" by Bob Finch, W9YA, NAR 12965, TRA 12350, - w9ya@amsat.org. Bob was one of our first customers for a production - TeleMetrum, and the enthusiasm that led to his contribution of this - section is immensely gratifying and highy appreciated! - </p><p> - The first thing to do after you check the inventory of parts in your - "starter kit" is to charge the battery by plugging it into the - corresponding socket of the TeleMetrum and then using the USB A to B - cable to plug the Telemetrum into your computer's USB socket. The - TeleMetrum circuitry will charge the battery whenever it is plugged - into the usb socket. The TeleMetrum's on-off switch does NOT control - the charging circuitry. When the GPS chip is initially searching for - satellites, the unit will pull more current than it can pull from the - usb port, so the battery must be plugged in order to get a good - satellite lock. Once GPS is locked the current consumption goes back - down enough to enable charging while - running. So it's a good idea to fully charge the battery as your - first item of business so there is no issue getting and maintaining - satellite lock. The yellow charge indicator led will go out when the - battery is nearly full and the charger goes to trickle charge. - </p><p> - The other active device in the starter kit is the half-duplex TeleDongle - rf link. If you plug it in to your computer it should "just work", - showing up as a serial port device. If you are using Linux and are - having problems, try moving to a fresher kernel (2.6.33 or newer), as - there were some ugly USB serial driver bugs in earlier versions. - </p><p> - Next you should obtain and install the AltOS utilities. The first - generation sofware was written for Linux only. New software is coming - soon that will also run on Windows and Mac. For now, we'll concentrate - on Linux. If you are using Debian, an 'altos' package already exists, - see http://altusmetrum.org/AltOS for details on how to install it. - User-contributed directions for building packages on ArchLinux may be - found in the contrib/arch-linux directory as PKGBUILD files. - Between the debian/rules file and the PKGBUILD files in - contrib, you should find enough information to learn how to build the - software for any other version of Linux. - </p><p> - 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-'. - ('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. - You will also get this documentation in two file types in the doc/ - 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). - </p><p> - Both Telemetrum and TeleDongle can be directly communicated - 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. - 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. - </p><p> - To access the device's firmware for configuration you need a terminal - program such as you would use to talk to a modem. The software - authors prefer using the program 'cu' which comes from the UUCP package - on most Unix-like systems such as Linux. An example command line for - cu might be 'cu -l /dev/ttyACM0', substituting the correct number - indicated from running the - ao-list program. Another reasonable terminal program for Linux is - 'cutecom'. The default 'escape' - character used by CU (i.e. the character you use to - issue commands to cu itself instead of sending the command as input - to the connected device) is a '~'. You will need this for use in - only two different ways during normal operations. First is to exit - the program by sending a '~.' which is called a 'escape-disconnect' - and allows you to close-out from 'cu'. The - second use will be outlined later. - </p><p> - 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 - you are using 'cu' (or 'cutecom') sending (typing) a '?' - returns a full list of these - commands. The second level are configuration sub-commands accessed - using the 'c' command, for - instance typing 'c?' will give you this second level of commands - (all of which require the - letter 'c' to access). Please note that most configuration options - are stored only in DataFlash memory, and only TeleMetrum has this - memory to save the various values entered like the channel number - and your callsign when powered off. TeleDongle requires that you - set these each time you plug it in, which ao-view can help with. - </p><p> - Try setting these config ('c' or second level menu) values. A good - place to start is by setting your call sign. By default, the boards - 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 - (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. - </p><p> - Note that the 'reboot' command, which is very useful on TeleMetrum, - will likely just cause problems with the dongle. The *correct* way - to reset the dongle is just to unplug and re-plug it. - </p><p> - A fun thing to do at the launch site and something you can do while - learning how to use these units is to play with the rf-link access - of the TeleMetrum from the TeleDongle. Be aware that you *must* create - some physical separation between the devices, otherwise the link will - not function due to signal overload in the receivers in each device. - </p><p> - Now might be a good time to take a break and read the rest of this - manual, particularly about the two "modes" that the TeleMetrum - can be placed in and how the position of the TeleMetrum when booting - up will determine whether the unit is in "pad" or "idle" mode. - </p><p> - You can access a TeleMetrum in idle mode from the Teledongle's USB - connection using the rf link - by issuing a 'p' command to the TeleDongle. Practice connecting and - disconnecting ('~~' while using 'cu') from the TeleMetrum. If - you cannot escape out of the "p" command, (by using a '~~' when in - CU) then it is likely that your kernel has issues. Try a newer version. - </p><p> - Using this rf link allows you to configure the TeleMetrum, test - fire e-matches and igniters from the flight line, check pyro-match - continuity and so forth. You can leave the unit turned on while it - is in 'idle mode' and then place the - rocket vertically on the launch pad, walk away and then issue a - reboot command. The TeleMetrum will reboot and start sending data - having changed to the "pad" mode. If the TeleDongle is not receiving - this data, you can disconnect 'cu' from the Teledongle using the - procedures mentioned above and THEN connect to the TeleDongle from - inside 'ao-view'. If this doesn't work, disconnect from the - TeleDongle, unplug it, and try again after plugging it back in. - </p><p> - Eventually the GPS will find enough satellites, lock in on them, - and 'ao-view' will both auditorially announce and visually indicate - that GPS is ready. - Now you can launch knowing that you have a good data path and - good satellite lock for flight data and recovery. Remember - you MUST tell ao-view to connect to the TeleDongle explicitly in - order for ao-view to be able to receive data. - </p><p> - Both RDF (radio direction finding) tones from the TeleMetrum and - GPS trekking data are available and together are very useful in - locating the rocket once it has landed. (The last good GPS data - received before touch-down will be on the data screen of 'ao-view'.) - </p><p> - Once you have recovered the rocket you can download the eeprom - contents using either 'ao-dumplog' (or possibly 'ao-eeprom'), over - either a USB cable or over the radio link using TeleDongle. - And by following the man page for 'ao-postflight' you can create - various data output reports, graphs, and even kml data to see the - flight trajectory in google-earth. (Moving the viewing angle making - sure to connect the yellow lines while in google-earth is the proper - technique.) - </p><p> - 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 - 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! - </p><div class="section" title="FAQ"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2559795"></a>FAQ</h2></div></div></div><p> - The altimeter (TeleMetrum) seems to shut off when disconnected from the - computer. Make sure the battery is adequately charged. Remember the - unit will pull more power than the USB port can deliver before the - GPS enters "locked" mode. The battery charges best when TeleMetrum - is turned off. - </p><p> - It's impossible to stop the TeleDongle when it's in "p" mode, I have - to unplug the USB cable? Make sure you have tried to "escape out" of - this mode. If this doesn't work the reboot procedure for the - TeleDongle *is* to simply unplug it. 'cu' however will retain it's - outgoing buffer IF your "escape out" ('~~') does not work. - At this point using either 'ao-view' (or possibly - 'cutemon') instead of 'cu' will 'clear' the issue and allow renewed - communication. - </p><p> - The amber LED (on the TeleMetrum/altimeter) lights up when both - battery and USB are connected. Does this mean it's charging? - Yes, the yellow LED indicates the charging at the 'regular' rate. - If the led is out but the unit is still plugged into a USB port, - then the battery is being charged at a 'trickle' rate. - </p><p> - There are no "dit-dah-dah-dit" sound like the manual mentions? - That's the "pad" mode. Weak batteries might be the problem. - It is also possible that the unit is horizontal and the output - is instead a "dit-dit" meaning 'idle'. - </p><p> - It's unclear how to use 'ao-view' and other programs when 'cu' - is running. You cannot have more than one program connected to - the TeleDongle at one time without apparent data loss as the - incoming data will not make it to both programs intact. - Disconnect whatever programs aren't currently being used. - </p><p> - How do I save flight data? - 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 - 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. - </p></div></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 3. Specifications"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="id2546901"></a>Chapter 3. Specifications</h2></div></div></div><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem"><p> - Recording altimeter for model rocketry. - </p></li><li class="listitem"><p> - Supports dual deployment (can fire 2 ejection charges). - </p></li><li class="listitem"><p> - 70cm ham-band transceiver for telemetry downlink. - </p></li><li class="listitem"><p> - Barometric pressure sensor good to 45k feet MSL. - </p></li><li class="listitem"><p> - 1-axis high-g accelerometer for motor characterization, capable of - +/- 50g using default part. - </p></li><li class="listitem"><p> - On-board, integrated GPS receiver with 5hz update rate capability. - </p></li><li class="listitem"><p> - On-board 1 megabyte non-volatile memory for flight data storage. - </p></li><li class="listitem"><p> - USB interface for battery charging, configuration, and data recovery. - </p></li><li class="listitem"><p> - Fully integrated support for LiPo rechargeable batteries. - </p></li><li class="listitem"><p> - Uses LiPo to fire e-matches, support for optional separate pyro - battery if needed. - </p></li><li class="listitem"><p> - 2.75 x 1 inch board designed to fit inside 29mm airframe coupler tube. - </p></li></ul></div></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 4. Handling Precautions"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="id2574755"></a>Chapter 4. Handling Precautions</h2></div></div></div><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p><p> - As with all other rocketry electronics, TeleMetrum must be protected - from exposure to corrosive motor exhaust and ejection charge gasses. - </p></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 5. Hardware Overview"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="id2547133"></a>Chapter 5. Hardware Overview</h2></div></div></div><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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] - </p><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 6. Operation"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="id2552998"></a>Chapter 6. Operation</h2></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2556146">Firmware Modes </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2557858">GPS </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2572262">Ground Testing </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2572259">Radio Link </a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2542980">Configurable Parameters</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2563251">Radio Channel</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2554165">Apogee Delay</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2571971">Main Deployment Altitude</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2550600">Calibration</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2574322">Radio Frequency</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2564433">Accelerometer</a></span></dt></dl></dd></dl></div><div class="section" title="Firmware Modes"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2556146"></a>Firmware Modes </h2></div></div></div><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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! - </p></div><div class="section" title="GPS"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2557858"></a>GPS </h2></div></div></div><p> - 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! - </p><p> - 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. - </p></div><div class="section" title="Ground Testing"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2572262"></a>Ground Testing </h2></div></div></div><p> - 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! - </p><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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'. - </p></div><div class="section" title="Radio Link"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2572259"></a>Radio Link </h2></div></div></div><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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... - </p><p> - 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! - </p></div><div class="section" title="Configurable Parameters"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2542980"></a>Configurable Parameters</h2></div></div></div><p> - 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. - </p><div class="section" title="Radio Channel"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2563251"></a>Radio Channel</h3></div></div></div><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p></div><div class="section" title="Apogee Delay"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2554165"></a>Apogee Delay</h3></div></div></div><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p></div><div class="section" title="Main Deployment Altitude"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2571971"></a>Main Deployment Altitude</h3></div></div></div><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p></div></div><div class="section" title="Calibration"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2550600"></a>Calibration</h2></div></div></div><p> - There are only two calibrations required for a TeleMetrum board, and - only one for TeleDongle. - </p><div class="section" title="Radio Frequency"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2574322"></a>Radio Frequency</h3></div></div></div><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p></div><div class="section" title="Accelerometer"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2564433"></a>Accelerometer</h3></div></div></div><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p></div></div></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 7. Updating Device Firmware"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="id2554553"></a>Chapter 7. Updating Device Firmware</h2></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2569887">Updating TeleMetrum Firmware</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2552683">Updating TeleDongle Firmware</a></span></dt></dl></div><p> - The big conceptual thing to realize is that you have to use a - TeleDongle as a programmer to update a TeleMetrum, and vice versa. - Due to limited memory resources in the cc1111, we don't support - programming either unit directly over USB. - </p><p> - You may wish to begin by ensuring you have current firmware images. - These are distributed as part of the AltOS software bundle that - also includes the AltosUI ground station program. Newer ground - station versions typically work fine with older firmware versions, - so you don't need to update your devices just to try out new - software features. You can always download the most recent - version from http://www.altusmetrum.org/AltOS/. - </p><p> - We recommend updating TeleMetrum first, before updating TeleDongle. - </p><div class="section" title="Updating TeleMetrum Firmware"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2569887"></a>Updating TeleMetrum Firmware</h2></div></div></div><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"> - Find the 'programming cable' that you got as part of the starter - kit, that has a red 8-pin MicroMaTch connector on one end and a - red 4-pin MicroMaTch connector on the other end. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Take the 2 screws out of the TeleDongle case to get access - to the circuit board. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Plug the 8-pin end of the programming cable to the - matching connector on the TeleDongle, and the 4-pin end to the - matching connector on the TeleMetrum. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Attach a battery to the TeleMetrum board. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Plug the TeleDongle into your computer's USB port, and power - up the TeleMetrum. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Run AltosUI, and select 'Flash Image' from the File menu. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Pick the TeleDongle device from the list, identifying it as the - programming device. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Select the image you want put on the TeleMetrum, which should have a - name in the form telemetrum-v1.0-0.7.1.ihx. It should be visible - in the default directory, if not you may have to poke around - your system to find it. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Make sure the configuration parameters are reasonable - looking. If the serial number and/or RF configuration - values aren't right, you'll need to change them. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Hit the 'OK' button and the software should proceed to flash - the TeleMetrum with new firmware, showing a progress bar. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Confirm that the TeleMetrum board seems to have updated ok, which you - can do by plugging in to it over USB and using a terminal program - to connect to the board and issue the 'v' command to check - the version, etc. - </li><li class="listitem"> - If something goes wrong, give it another try. - </li></ol></div></div><div class="section" title="Updating TeleDongle Firmware"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2552683"></a>Updating TeleDongle Firmware</h2></div></div></div><p> - Updating TeleDongle's firmware is just like updating TeleMetrum - firmware, but you switch which board is the programmer and which - is the programming target. - </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"> - Find the 'programming cable' that you got as part of the starter - kit, that has a red 8-pin MicroMaTch connector on one end and a - red 4-pin MicroMaTch connector on the other end. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Find the USB cable that you got as part of the starter kit, and - plug the "mini" end in to the mating connector on TeleMetrum. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Take the 2 screws out of the TeleDongle case to get access - to the circuit board. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Plug the 8-pin end of the programming cable to the (latching) - matching connector on the TeleMetrum, and the 4-pin end to the - matching connector on the TeleDongle. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Attach a battery to the TeleMetrum board. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Plug both TeleMetrum and TeleDongle into your computer's USB - ports, and power up the TeleMetrum. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Run AltosUI, and select 'Flash Image' from the File menu. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Pick the TeleMongle device from the list, identifying it as the - programming device. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Select the image you want put on the TeleDongle, which should have a - name in the form teledongle-v0.2-0.7.1.ihx. It should be visible - in the default directory, if not you may have to poke around - your system to find it. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Make sure the configuration parameters are reasonable - looking. If the serial number and/or RF configuration - values aren't right, you'll need to change them. The TeleDongle - serial number is on the "bottom" of the circuit board, and can - usually be read through the translucent blue plastic case without - needing to remove the board from the case. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Hit the 'OK' button and the software should proceed to flash - the TeleDongle with new firmware, showing a progress bar. - </li><li class="listitem"> - Confirm that the TeleDongle board seems to have updated ok, which you - can do by plugging in to it over USB and using a terminal program - to connect to the board and issue the 'v' command to check - the version, etc. Once you're happy, remove the programming cable - and put the cover back on the TeleDongle. - </li><li class="listitem"> - If something goes wrong, give it another try. - </li></ol></div><p> - Be careful removing the programming cable from the locking 8-pin - connector on TeleMetrum. You'll need a fingernail or perhaps a thin - screwdriver or knife blade to gently pry the locking ears out - slightly to extract the connector. We used a locking connector on - TeleMetrum to help ensure that the cabling to companion boards - used in a rocket don't ever come loose accidentally in flight. - </p></div></div><div class="chapter" title="Chapter 8. Using Altus Metrum Products"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="id2539483"></a>Chapter 8. Using Altus Metrum Products</h2></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2558109">Being Legal</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2554650">In the Rocket</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2572268">On the Ground</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2569008">Data Analysis</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2563568">Future Plans</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="#id2567979"> - How GPS Works - </a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="section" title="Being Legal"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2558109"></a>Being Legal</h2></div></div></div><p> - 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. - </p><div class="section" title="In the Rocket"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2554650"></a>In the Rocket</h3></div></div></div><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p></div><div class="section" title="On the Ground"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2572268"></a>On the Ground</h3></div></div></div><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p><p> - So, to recap, on the ground the hardware you'll need includes: - </p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"> - an antenna and feedline - </li><li class="listitem"> - a TeleDongle - </li><li class="listitem"> - a notebook computer - </li><li class="listitem"> - optionally, a handheld GPS receiver - </li><li class="listitem"> - optionally, an HT or receiver covering 435 Mhz - </li></ol></div><p> - </p><p> - The best hand-held commercial directional antennas we've found for radio - direction finding rockets are from - <a class="ulink" href="http://www.arrowantennas.com/" target="_top"> - Arrow Antennas. - </a> - The 440-3 and 440-5 are both good choices for finding a - TeleMetrum-equipped rocket when used with a suitable 70cm HT. - </p></div><div class="section" title="Data Analysis"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2569008"></a>Data Analysis</h3></div></div></div><p> - 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! - </p><p> - 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. - </p></div><div class="section" title="Future Plans"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="id2563568"></a>Future Plans</h3></div></div></div><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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. - </p><p> - 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... - </p></div></div><div class="section" title="How GPS Works"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2567979"></a> - How GPS Works - </h2></div></div></div><p> - Placeholder. - </p></div></div></div></body></html> diff --git a/TeleMetrum/doc/telemetrum-doc.pdf b/TeleMetrum/doc/telemetrum-doc.pdf Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index a2ab575..0000000 --- a/TeleMetrum/doc/telemetrum-doc.pdf +++ /dev/null diff --git a/TeleMetrum/index.mdwn b/TeleMetrum/index.mdwn index 34fb87e..6b320c5 100644 --- a/TeleMetrum/index.mdwn +++ b/TeleMetrum/index.mdwn @@ -95,9 +95,9 @@ always want GPS on board, which lead to our current second generation boards. ## Artifacts ## -The user manual for TeleMetrum is available in -[html](doc/telemetrum-doc.html) and [pdf](doc/telemetrum-doc.pdf) -formats. +There is a single manual for TeleMetrum and all other Altus Metrum products, +which is available in [html](../AltOS/doc/altusmetrum.html) and +[pdf](../AltOS/doc/altusmetrum.pdf) formats. The hardware design current gEDA files are available from [git.gag.com](http://git.gag.com) in the project |