From b35d0beb5b519dbec8bef286a3f8a0cb35c7bcf0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Bdale Garbee Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2014 18:39:49 -0600 Subject: update docs --- AltOS/doc/telegps.html | 636 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 636 insertions(+) create mode 100644 AltOS/doc/telegps.html (limited to 'AltOS/doc/telegps.html') diff --git a/AltOS/doc/telegps.html b/AltOS/doc/telegps.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0478716 --- /dev/null +++ b/AltOS/doc/telegps.html @@ -0,0 +1,636 @@ +TeleGPS Owner's Manual

TeleGPS Owner's Manual

A recording GPS tracker

Keith Packard

+ This document is released under the terms of the + + Creative Commons ShareAlike 3.0 + + license. +

Revision History
Revision 1.413 June 2014
+ Initial release +

Acknowledgements

+ Have fun using these products, and we hope to meet all of you + out on the rocket flight line somewhere. +


+Bdale Garbee, KB0G
+NAR #87103, TRA #12201
+
+Keith Packard, KD7SQG
+NAR #88757, TRA #12200
+      

+

List of Tables

4.1. Altus Metrum APRS Comments

Chapter 1. Quick Start Guide

+ TeleGPS is designed to be easy to use. Requiring no external + components, flying takes just a few steps. +

+ First, download and install the software from http://altusmetrum.org/AltOS. This will make sure that + you have the right device drivers installed. +

+ Next, plug in the battery and USB cable and connect TeleGPS to + your computer. This will charge the battery and allow you to + configure the device. +

+ Start the TeleGPS application and set the callsign and frequency + on your TeleGPS device; refer to the Configure TeleGPS section + in the TeleGPS Application chapter for instructions. +

+ Unplug TeleGPS when the battery charger light goes green. This + will enable the radio and logging portions of the TeleGPS + firmware. +

+ Connect TeleDongle to your computer and start TeleGPS or start + AltosDroid on your android device and connect to TeleBT. Set the + frequency to match the TeleGPS and you should be receiving telemetry. +

Chapter 2. Handling Precautions

+ All Altus Metrum products are sophisticated electronic devices. + When handled gently and properly installed in an air-frame, they + will deliver impressive results. However, as with all electronic + devices, there are some precautions you must take. +

+ The Lithium polymer batteries have an + extraordinary power density. This is great because we can fly with + much less battery mass... but if they are punctured + or their contacts are allowed to short, they can and will release their + energy very rapidly! + Thus we recommend that you take some care when handling TeleGPS + to keep conductive material from coming in contact with the exposed metal elements. +

+ As with all other rocketry electronics, Altus Metrum devices must + be protected from exposure to corrosive motor exhaust and ejection + charge gasses. +

Chapter 3. TeleGPS Hardware

1. Hooking Up Lithium Polymer Batteries

+ TeleGPS has a two pin JST PH series connector to connect up + a single-cell Lithium Polymer cell (3.7V nominal). You can + purchase matching batteries from the Altus Metrum store, or + other vendors, or you can make your own. Pin 1 of the + connector is positive, pin 2 is negative. Spark Fun sells a + cable with the connector attached, which they call a JST Jumper 2 + Wire Assembly. +

+ Many RC vendors also sell lithium polymer batteries with + this same connector. All that we have found use the opposite + polarity, and if you use them that way, you will damage or + destroy TeleGPS. +

2. On-board Data Recording

+ TeleGPS logs GPS data at a user-configurable rate. Data are + logged to a 2MB on-board flash memory part, which can be + partitioned into several equal-sized blocks, one for each + flight. 64kB of this storage are reserved to hold + configuration data, leaving 1984kB for flight data. +

+ The on-board flash is partitioned into separate flight logs, + each of a fixed maximum size. Increase the maximum size of + each log and you reduce the number of flights that can be + stored. Decrease the size and you can store more flights. +

+ To compute the amount of space needed for a single log, you + can divide the expected time (in seconds) by the sample period + (by default, 1 second per sample) and then multiply the result + by 32 bytes per sample. For instance, a sample period of 1 + second and a flight lasting one hour will take 32 * 3600 = + 115200 bytes. TeleGPS does try to reduce log space used by not + recording position information when it isn't moving, so actual + space consumed may be less than this. +

+ The default size allows for four flights of 496kB each, which + provides over four hours of logging at 1 sample per second. +

+ TeleGPS will not overwrite existing flight data, so be sure to + download flight data and erase it from the onboard flash + before it fills up. TeleGPS will still report telemetry even + if memory is full, so the only thing you will lose is the + on-board data log. +

3. Installation

+ The battery connectors are a standard 2-pin JST connector and + match batteries sold by Spark Fun. These batteries are + single-cell Lithium Polymer batteries that nominally provide 3.7 + volts. Other vendors sell similar batteries for RC aircraft + using mating connectors, however the polarity for those is + generally reversed from the batteries used by Altus Metrum + products. In particular, the Tenergy batteries supplied for use + in Featherweight flight computers are not compatible with Altus + Metrum flight computers or battery chargers. Check + polarity and voltage before connecting any battery not purchased + from Altus Metrum or Spark Fun. +

+ TeleGPS uses an integrate GPS patch antenna and won't + receive GPS signals if installed inside a metal or carbon + fiber compartment. Test GPS reception and telemetry + transmission with the system installed and all other + electronics powered up to verify signal reception and make + sure there isn't any interference from other systems. +

Chapter 4. System Operation

1. GFSK Telemetry

+ TeleGPS's native telemetry system doesn't use a 'normal packet + radio' mode like APRS because it's not very efficient. The + GFSK modulation we use is FSK with the base-band pulses passed + through a Gaussian filter before they go into the modulator to + limit the transmitted bandwidth. When combined with forward + error correction and interleaving, this allows us to have a + very robust 19.2 kilobit data link with only 10-40 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 great reception, and calculations suggest we + should be good to well over 40k feet AGL with a 5-element yagi + on the ground with our 10mW units and over 100k feet AGL with + the 40mW devices. +

2. APRS

+ TeleGPS can send APRS if desired, and the + interval between APRS packets can be configured. As each APRS + packet takes a full second to transmit, we recommend an + interval of at least 5 seconds to avoid consuming too much + battery power or radio channel bandwidth. You can configure + the APRS interval using AltosUI; that process is described in + the Configure Altimeter section of the AltosUI chapter. +

+ AltOS uses the APRS compressed position report data format, + which provides for higher position precision and shorter + packets than the original APRS format. It also includes + altitude data, which is invaluable when tracking rockets. We + haven't found a receiver which doesn't handle compressed + positions, but it's just possible that you have one, so if you + have an older device that can receive the raw packets but + isn't displaying position information, it's possible that this + is the cause. +

+ The APRS packet format includes a comment field that can have + arbitrary text in it. AltOS uses this to send status + information about the flight computer. It sends four fields as + shown in the following table. +

Table 4.1. Altus Metrum APRS Comments

FieldExampleDescription
1LGPS Status U for unlocked, L for locked
26Number of Satellites in View
3B4.0Battery Voltage

+ Here's an example of an APRS comment showing GPS lock with 6 + satellites in view and a battery at 4.0V. +

+	  L6 B4.0
+	

+

+ Make sure your primary battery is above 3.8V and GPS is locked + with at least 5 or 6 satellites in view before starting. If GPS + is switching between L and U regularly, then it doesn't have a + good lock and you should wait until it becomes stable. +

+ If the GPS receiver loses lock, the APRS data transmitted will + contain the last position for which GPS lock was + available. You can tell that this has happened by noticing + that the GPS status character switches from 'L' to 'U'. Before + GPS has locked, APRS will transmit zero for latitude, + longitude and altitude. +

3. Configurable Parameters

+ Configuring TeleGPS is very + simple; the few configurable parameters can all be set + using the TeleGPS application over USB. Read + the Configure TeleGPS section in the TeleGPS Software chapter below + for more information. +

3.1. Radio Frequency

+ Altus Metrum boards support radio frequencies in the 70cm + band. By default, the configuration interface provides a + list of 10 “standard” frequencies in 100kHz channels starting at + 434.550MHz. However, the firmware supports use of + any 50kHz multiple within the 70cm band. At any given + launch, we highly recommend coordinating when and by whom each + frequency will be used to avoid interference. And of course, both + TeleGPS and the receiver must be configured to the same + frequency to successfully communicate with each other. +

3.2. Callsign

+ This sets the callsign used for telemetry and APRS to + identify the device. +

3.3. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable

+ You can completely disable the radio, if necessary, leaving + TeleGPS only logging data to internal memory. +

3.4. APRS Interval

+ This selects how often APRS packets are transmitted. Set + this to zero to disable APRS without also disabling the + regular telemetry and RDF transmissions. As APRS takes a + full second to transmit a single position report, we + recommend sending packets no more than once every 5 seconds. +

3.5. Maximum Flight Log

+ Changing this value will set the maximum amount of flight + log storage that an individual flight will use. The + available storage is divided into as many flights of the + specified size as can fit in the available space. You can + download and erase individual flight logs. If you fill up + the available storage, future flights will not get logged + until you erase some of the stored ones. +

3.6. Logging Trigger Motion

+ If TeleGPS moves less than this distance over a long period + of time, it will not log that location, saving storage space. +

3.7. Position Reporting Interval

+ This sets how often TeleGPS reports position information via + telemetry and to the on-board log. Reducing this value will + save power and logging memory consumption. +

Chapter 5. TeleGPS Application

+ The TeleGPS application provides a graphical user interface for + interacting with the Altus Metrum product family. TeleGPS can + monitor telemetry data, configure devices and many other + tasks. The primary interface window is for displaying data + received over the telemetry link. There are additional + tasks available from the main window menu bar. This chapter + is split into sections, each of which documents one of the tasks + provided from the top-level toolbar. +

1. Telemetry Monitoring

+ This is the window brought up when you start the + application. If you have a TeleDongle device connected to the + computer, it will automatically be selected for telemetry monitoring +

+ All telemetry data received are automatically recorded in + suitable log files. The name of the files includes the current + date and TeleGPS serial and flight numbers. +

+ The radio frequency being monitored by the TeleDongle device + is displayed at the top of the window. You can configure the + frequency by clicking on the frequency box and selecting the + desired frequency. The TeleGPS application remembers the last + frequency selected for each TeleDongle and selects that + automatically the next time you use that device. +

+ Below the TeleDongle frequency selector, the window contains a few + significant pieces of information about the altimeter providing + the telemetry data stream: +

  • The configured call-sign

  • The device serial number

  • The flight number. TeleGPS remembers how many + times it has flown. +

  • + 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 -100dBm; + weaker signals may not be receivable. The packet link uses + error detection and correction techniques which prevent + incorrect data from being reported. +

  • + The age of the displayed data, in seconds since the last + successfully received telemetry packet. In normal operation + this will stay in the low single digits. If the number starts + counting up, then you are no longer receiving data over the radio + link from the flight computer. +

+ Finally, the largest portion of the window contains a set of + tabs, each of which contain some information about the TeleGPS + board. The final 'table' tab displays many of the raw telemetry + values in one place in a spreadsheet-like format. +

1.1. Map

+ The Map tab shows the TeleGPS track over time on top of map + data making it easy to locate the device. +

+ The map's default scale is approximately 3m (10ft) per pixel. The map + can be dragged using the left mouse button. The map will attempt + to keep the rocket roughly centered while data is being received. +

+ You can adjust the style of map and the zoom level with + buttons on the right side of the map window. You can draw a + line on the map by moving the mouse over the map with a + button other than the left one pressed, or by pressing the + left button while also holding down the shift key. The + length of the line in real-world units will be shown at the + start of the line. +

+ Images are fetched automatically via the Google Maps Static API, + and cached on disk for reuse. If map images cannot be downloaded, + the rocket's path will be traced on a dark gray background + instead. +

+ You can pre-load images for your favorite launch sites + before you leave home; check out the 'Preload Maps' section below. +

1.2. Location

+ The Location tab shows the raw GPS data received from TeleGPS. +

1.3. Status

+ The Status tab shows data relative to the location of + TeleGPS when the application first received telemetry from + it. +

1.4. Table

+ The Table tab shows detailed information about the GPS + receiver +

2. TeleGPS Menus

+ TeleGPS has three or four menus at the top of the window: +

File

+ New Window, Graph Data, Export Data, Load Maps, Preferences, Close and Exit +

Monitor

+ Connect Device, Disconnect and Scan Channels +

Device

+ Download Data, Configure Device and Flash Device +

Frequency

+ This shows the current monitoring frequency with a + drop-down menu listing other configured + frequencies. You can change the set of frequencies + shown here from the Preferences dialog. This menu is + only shown when the TeleGPS application is connected + to a TeleDongle or TeleBT device. +

+

2.1. New Window

+ This creates another telemetry monitoring window, in case + you have multiple TeleDongle devices connected to the + computer. +

2.2. Graph Data

+ This brings up a file dialog to load a saved log, either + a .telem file of recorded telemetry or .eeprom of saved + data from on-board memory. It looks a bit like the flight + monitoring window, using a selection of tabs to show + different views of the saved data. +

2.2.1. Graph

+ The Graph tab shows a plot of the the GPS data + collected. The X axis is time in seconds; there are a + variety of Y axes available for different kinds of data. +

2.2.2. Configure Graph

+ This selects which graph elements to show, and, at the + bottom, lets you switch between metric and imperial units +

2.2.3. Statistics

+ Shows overall data computed from the flight. +

2.2.4. Map

+ Shows a map of the area overlaid with the GPS track. As with + the telemetry monitoring window, you can select the style + of map and zoom level using buttons along the side; + you can scroll the map by dragging within the map pressing + the left button and you can draw a line to measure + distances using either the left button with the shift key, + or any other button. +

2.3. Export Data

+ 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 data file, which can be either a .eeprom or .telem. + The .eeprom files contain higher resolution and more continuous data, + while .telem files contain receiver signal strength information. + 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. +

2.3.1. Comma Separated Value Format

+ 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 TeleGPS, then + there is a single header line which labels all of the + fields. All of these lines start with a '#' character which + many tools can be configured to skip over. +

+ 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. +

2.3.2. Keyhole Markup Language (for Google Earth)

+ This is the format used by Google Earth to provide an overlay + within that application. With this, you can use Google Earth to + see the whole flight path in 3D. +

2.4. Load Maps

+ Before using TeleGPS, you can use Load Maps to load map data + in case you don't have access to the internet while + receiving telemetry. +

+ There's a drop-down menu of rocket launch sites we know + about; if your favorites aren't there, please let us know + the lat/lon and name of the site. The contents of this list + are actually downloaded from our server at run-time, so as + new sites are sent in, they'll get automatically added to + this list. If the launch site isn't in the list, you can + manually enter the lat/lon values +

+ There are four different kinds of maps you can view; you can + select which to download by selecting as many as you like from + the available types: +

Hybrid

+ A combination of satellite imagery and road data. This + is the default view. +

Satellite

+ Just the satellite imagery without any annotation. +

Roadmap

+ Roads, political boundaries and a few geographic features. +

Terrain

+ Contour intervals and shading that show hills and + valleys. +

+

+ You can specify the range of zoom levels to download; smaller + numbers show more area with less resolution. The default + level, 0, shows about 3m/pixel. One zoom level change + doubles or halves that number. +

+ The Tile Radius value sets how large an area around the center + point to download. Each tile is 512x512 pixels, and the + 'radius' value specifies how many tiles away from the center + will be downloaded. Specify a radius of 0 and you get only the + center tile. A radius of 1 loads a 3x3 grid, centered on the + specified location. +

+ Clicking the 'Load Map' button will fetch images from Google + Maps; note that Google limits how many images you can fetch at + once, so if you load more than one launch site, you may get + some gray areas in the map which indicate that Google is tired + of sending data to you. Try again later. +

2.5. Preferences

2.5.1. Voice Settings

+ AltosUI provides voice announcements 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. +

Enable

Turns all voice announcements on and off

Test Voice

+ Plays a short message allowing you to verify + that the audio system is working and the volume settings + are reasonable +

2.5.2. Log Directory

+ 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. +

+ 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. +

2.5.3. Callsign

+ This value is transmitted in each command packet sent from + TeleDongle and received from an altimeter. It is not used in + telemetry mode, as the callsign configured in the altimeter board + is included in all telemetry packets. Configure this + with the AltosUI operators call sign as needed to comply with + your local radio regulations. +

+ Note that to successfully command a flight computer over the radio + (to configure the altimeter, monitor idle, or fire pyro charges), + the callsign configured here must exactly match the callsign + configured in the flight computer. This matching is case + sensitive. +

2.5.4. Imperial Units

+ This switches between metric units (meters) and imperial + units (feet and miles). This affects the display of values + use during flight monitoring, configuration, data graphing + and all of the voice announcements. It does not change the + units used when exporting to CSV files, those are always + produced in metric units. +

2.5.5. Serial Debug

+ This causes all communication with a connected device to be + dumped to the console from which AltosUI was started. If + you've started it from an icon or menu entry, the output + will simply be discarded. This mode can be useful to debug + various serial communication issues. +

2.5.6. Font Size

+ Selects the set of fonts used in the flight monitor + window. Choose between the small, medium and large sets. +

2.5.7. Look & Feel

+ Adjust the style of the windows. By default, the TeleGPS + application attempts to blend in with the native style. +

2.5.8. Manage Frequencies

+ This brings up a dialog where you can configure the set of + frequencies shown in the various frequency menus. You can + add as many as you like, or even reconfigure the default + set. Changing this list does not affect the frequency + settings of any devices, it only changes the set of + frequencies shown in the menus. +

2.6. Close

+ This closes the current window, leaving any other windows + open and the application running. +

2.7. Exit

+ This closes all TeleGPS windows and terminates the application. +

2.8. Connect Device

+ Selecting this item brings up a dialog box listing all of + the connected TeleDongle devices. When you choose one of + these, AltosUI will display telemetry data as received by + the selected TeleDongle device. +

2.9. Disconnect

+ Disconnects the currently connected TeleDongle or TeleBT +

2.10. Scan Channels

+ Scans the configured set of frequencies looking for + telemetry signals. A list of all of the discovered signals + is show; selecting one of those and clicking on 'Monitor' + will select that frequency in the associated TeleGPS + application window. +

2.11. Download Data

+ TeleGPS records data to its internal flash memory. + On-board data is recorded at the same rate as telemetry + but is not subject to radio drop-outs. As + such, it generally provides a more complete and precise record. + The 'Download Data' menu entry allows you to read the + flash memory and write it to disk. +

+ Select the 'Download Data' menu entry to bring up a list of + connected TeleGPS devices. After the device has been + selected, a dialog showing the data stored in the + device will be shown allowing you to select which entries to + download and which to delete. You must erase flights in order for the space they + consume to be reused by another track. This prevents + accidentally losing data if you neglect to download + data before starting TeleGPS again. Note that if there is no more + space available in the device, then no data will be recorded. +

+ The file name for each data log is computed automatically + from the recorded date, altimeter serial number and flight + number information. +

2.12. Configure Device

+ Select this button and then select any connected TeleGPS + device from the list provided. +

+ The first few lines of the dialog provide information about the + connected device, including the product name, + software version and hardware serial number. Below that are the + individual configuration entries. +

+ At the bottom of the dialog, there are four buttons: +

Save

+ This writes any changes to the + configuration parameter block in flash memory. If you don't + press this button, any changes you make will be lost. +

Reset

+ This resets the dialog to the most recently saved values, + erasing any changes you have made. +

Reboot

+ This reboots the device. This will restart logging for + a new flight number, if any log information has been + saved for the current flight. +

Close

+ This closes the dialog. Any unsaved changes will be + lost. +

+ The rest of the dialog contains the parameters to be configured. +

2.12.1. Frequency

+ This configures which of the frequencies to use for both + telemetry and packet command mode. Note that if you set this + value via packet command mode, the TeleDongle frequency will + also be automatically reconfigured to match so that + communication will continue afterwards. +

2.12.2. RF Calibration

+ The radios in every Altus Metrum device are calibrated at the + factory to ensure that they transmit and receive on the + specified frequency. If you need to you can adjust the calibration + by changing this value. Do not do this without understanding what + the value means, read the appendix on calibration and/or the source + code for more information. To change a TeleDongle's calibration, + you must reprogram the unit completely. +

2.12.3. Telemetry/RDF/APRS Enable

+ Enables the radio for transmission during flight. When + disabled, the radio will not transmit anything during flight + at all. +

2.12.4. APRS Interval

+ How often to transmit GPS information via APRS (in + seconds). When set to zero, APRS transmission is + disabled. This option is available on TeleMetrum v2 and + TeleMega boards. TeleMetrum v1 boards cannot transmit APRS + packets. Note that a single APRS packet takes nearly a full + second to transmit, so enabling this option will prevent + sending any other telemetry during that time. +

2.12.5. Callsign

+ This sets the call sign included in each telemetry packet. Set this + as needed to conform to your local radio regulations. +

2.12.6. Maximum Log Size

+ This sets the space (in kilobytes) allocated for each data + log. The available space will be divided into chunks of this + size. A smaller value will allow more logs to be stored, + a larger value will record data for longer times. +

2.12.7. Logging Trigger Motion

+ If TeleGPS moves less than this distance over a long period + of time, it will not log that location, saving storage space. +

2.12.8. Position Reporting Interval

+ This sets how often TeleGPS reports position information via + telemetry and to the on-board log. Reducing this value will + save power and logging memory consumption. +

2.13. Flash Device

+ This reprograms TeleGPS devices with new firmware. Please + read the directions for flashing devices in the Updating + Device Firmware chapter below. +

Chapter 6. Updating Device Firmware

+ TeleGPS is programmed directly over its USB connectors. +

+ You may wish to begin by ensuring you have current firmware images. + These are distributed as part of the TeleGPS software bundle that + also includes the TeleGPS 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/. +

1.  + Updating TeleGPS Firmware +

  1. + Attach a battery and power switch to the target + device. Power up the device. +

  2. + Using a Micro USB cable, connect the target device to your + computer's USB socket. +

  3. + Run TeleGPS, and select 'Flash Device' from the Device menu. +

  4. + Select the target device in the Device Selection dialog. +

  5. + Select the image you want to flash to the device, which + should have a name in the form + <product>-v<product-version>-<software-version>.ihx, such + as TeleGPS-v1.0-1.4.0.ihx. +

  6. + 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. +

  7. + Hit the 'OK' button and the software should proceed to flash + the device with new firmware, showing a progress bar. +

  8. + Verify that the device is working by using the 'Configure + Altimeter' item to check over the configuration. +

Chapter 7. Technical Information

1. GPS Receiver

+ TeleGPS uses the u-Blox Max-7Q GPS receiver. +

2. Micro-controller

+ TeleGPS uses an NXP LPC11U14 micro-controller. This tiny + CPU contains 32kB of flash for the application and 4kB of RAM for + temporary data storage. +

3. Lithium Polymer Battery

+ Shipping restrictions may prevent us from including a battery + battery with TeleGPS. +

4. Mechanical Considerations

+ TeleGPS is designed to be rugged enough for typical rocketry + applications. The 4 mounting holes on the board are sized for + use with 4-40 or M3 screws. +

5. On-board data storage

+ TeleGPS has 2MB of non-volatile storage, separate from the + code storage memory. The TeleGPS firmware uses this to log + information during flight. +

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