Eggtimer TRS - Dual-Deployment Controller with GPS/RF Tracking

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My guess is that it probably landed close to where that 2-stage M-to-4J rocket landed earlier. You know, the one that went horizontally, due South...

I spoke to the guy that was flying that one, when I asked him what tracker he was using he said that it was big enough that he didn't need one. I think he spent about 3 hours looking for the sustainer... they found it just this side of Rabbit Springs Rd. (about 3 miles away from the pad).
 
ksaves2 said:
Only thing I'd like to see is to be able to solder screw terminals on the outputs and hope the holes are standard spacing for that. Kurt
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You can. They're 3.81mm (.150"), I have some on order. Two 4-terminal blocks works fine, or you can get one and just put them on the igniter pads and hardwire the battery and deployment power/switch (which is what I would recommend doing).
 
Got the production PC boards back yesterday, built one to validate it, all is well. These WILL be shipping for the Black Friday Week sale.
 
I have an EggFinder and run the rocket unit with a 9 volt battery. I have run it about three hours and still had at least 1/4 mile range. (That was the drift distance for the last launch.)

Having said that, I don't know what the effects of the altimeter and deployment will be on said 9 volt. I know many use a 9 volt for a single launch and then replace.


Kirk
 
If you use TWO of them, one for the computer/GPS and one for the deployment, it would probably be OK. The deployment battery will probably last a long time if you're using Q2G2's, but I wouldn't stretch the computer/GPS battery out past one or two flights. When the voltage gets low, the GPS and RF just quit working, you don't want that to happen right before the LCO presses the button.

9V batteries are really heavy and they're big too. When you compare them to a 350 mAH LiPo that will work fine for both sides, there's no comparison... the LiPo is MUCH better. Other than quick and easy availability, I really can't think of any reason to use a 9V battery over a LiPo.
 
One thing I am wondering is will the existing LCDs need anything more than a flash? I would think that for remote arming the LCD would need to transmit. Is the existing module a transceiver? Or will we need to purchase an updated LCD unit? (While I would love to upgrade what I have, I understand if a new one would be needed.)

With this new option, I could see clubs that offer tracking going this route as an alternative.
 
You only need to flash it. The LCD receiver was designed to be a transceiver from the start, that capability just isn't used with an Eggfinder TX. Since the Hope RF modules are half-duplex, it's not emitting any RF signal unless it's actively transmitting, and when it does transmit to the TRS the only thing it sends are button press codes or a pairing acknowledgment code. Any data that you see on the display literally comes straight from the TRS; that way you know that any settings or data that you see are the real deal and aren't the result of an error due to a garbled transmission.
 
I'll at least be tempted. Got a finder built by conman, might try it with him as plan b. Given, i don't ruin it.
 
cavecentral said:
I'll at least be tempted. Got a finder built by conman, might try it with him as plan b. Given, i don't ruin it.
Click to expand...

For club purposes, would take an EF LCD which is frequency agile and people could get their own transmitters. But then again, the system is so economical, it
is within the realm of more flyers to just buy their own system. With the Walston/Rocket tracker stuff the transmitter is almost the cost of a whole EF system. Yeah, one can add a handheld GPS or Android device but if they already own one or both, they'r good to go. Kurt
 
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I understand trying to keep the cost for the LCD case down you supply the one you do with the kit. Is there an alternative that will still house everything that you could recommend that might be a little smaller that I might be able to get on my own?
 
If you're still taking count, I'm very interested! Currently fly 3 ET, 1 EF (non LCD) and love all of it.
 
Thought I would mention that I took a different approach with my LCD case. I turned the case 90 degrees and mounted the LCD near the bottom of the case. This allows the entire antenna to be within the case. Yes, the range will be slightly less - but the antenna won't get banged up either.

I may have to change my wish list order because of this. A single altimeter and finder has a lot of appeal.
 
1tree said:
Thought I would mention that I took a different approach with my LCD case. I turned the case 90 degrees and mounted the LCD near the bottom of the case. This allows the entire antenna to be within the case. Yes, the range will be slightly less - but the antenna won't get banged up either.

I may have to change my wish list order because of this. A single altimeter and finder has a lot of appeal.
Click to expand...

If one is just using the wire antenna that would be a good solution. Bulkhead mounts and screw on antennas that may afford some additional range and also available.

An aft facing antenna on a screw on bulkhead mount on the rocket is serviceable. If it gets damaged on landing, just replace the antenna. Kurt
 
Ok this has been in my head for awhile and may be a stupid question but is it possible to use a "flexible wire for the antenna like some Xbee modules have? So that the wire can be shaped to where you want it to be.

ImageUploadedByRocketry Forum1416508288.559579.jpg
 
Sure, that might be a good option for putting an Eggtimer TRS into an AV bay, having the antenna coming out of a hole. You'll need to play around with the length, though, to get the best signal; the 80mm wire length is based on a 1/4 wave at 915 MHz.
 
cerving said:
Sure, that might be a good option for putting an Eggtimer TRS into an AV bay, having the antenna coming out of a hole. You'll need to play around with the length, though, to get the best signal; the 80mm wire length is based on a 1/4 wave at 915 MHz.
Click to expand...

Ok good to know I will have to expierment with that when I get one.
 
cerving said:
Sure, that might be a good option for putting an Eggtimer TRS into an AV bay, having the antenna coming out of a hole. You'll need to play around with the length, though, to get the best signal; the 80mm wire length is based on a 1/4 wave at 915 MHz.
Click to expand...

One doesn't want it to get squished down by the recovery laundry if the antenna projects into the upper bay. I use the thick cardboard tubes that AT wired igniters come in with a wrap of plastic duct tape for momentary flame resistance of the charge.

If one has the antenna come out the aft end, the wire might get bent up a bit from the flopping of the shockcord (in a DD rocket) A "harder" antenna on a screw in bulkhead mount might be a better remedy. Kurt
 
ksaves2 said:
One doesn't want it to get squished down by the recovery laundry if the antenna projects into the upper bay. I use the thick cardboard tubes that AT wired igniters come in with a wrap of plastic duct tape for momentary flame resistance of the charge.

If one has the antenna come out the aft end, the wire might get bent up a bit from the flopping of the shockcord (in a DD rocket) A "harder" antenna on a screw in bulkhead mount might be a better remedy. Kurt
Click to expand...

The point of the antenna would be so that it has the ability to be "squished" down/ formed to where you want without ruining the antenna and permanently having it in one shape.
 
Flashed my EF LCD to 1.9 last night. Took a pin socket and used it as a male-male adapter so I could plug the USB cable in so I didn't have to disassemble my box "innards".

Upgraded first time I hit return and yanked the shorting cable out of the RST pins.:cool:

Read through the instructions "quickly" and did a test with some stock EF's. I also messed with some settings with the EF LCD.
I did change the "0" id to a "3" just for fun and the EF LCD wouldn't get a lock after I rebooted and then turned on the EF transmitter. Shut everything off, set the id back to "0" fired everything up and packets came in.

Sooooooo, (and I didn't get through all the instructions yet) if one is using the 1.9 firmware with a stock EF transmitter, does the "ID" need to be set on 0 on the EF LCD? If so, need to keep that in mind if tracking a TRS that has been assigned a different ID.
Must remember to set the ID back to 0 or one might sit there and wonder why the LCD isn't picking up packets from a stock transmitter (from the next flight/different rocket) when the receive frequency is correct.

There is a learning curve with the TRS I am pleasantly looking forward to master. Kurt
 
conman13 said:
The point of the antenna would be so that it has the ability to be "squished" down/ formed to where you want without ruining the antenna and permanently having it in one shape.
Click to expand...

You squish it down, your range is going to suffer. If the antenna is cocked a little bit, shouldn't be a problem.
Mashing it down, coiling it, doubling it back along itself is going to give you a performance hit. Personally, I'd like to have as much
range as possible from a given setup.

I suggest a ground range check and if you can hoist the tracking electronics bay up several feet in the air in an open area, that would be a good real world test as to how far you could reliably track. Kurt
 
ksaves2 said:
Flashed my EF LCD to 1.9 last night. Took a pin socket and used it as a male-male adapter so I could plug the USB cable in so I didn't have to disassemble my box "innards".

Upgraded first time I hit return and yanked the shorting cable out of the RST pins.:cool:

Read through the instructions "quickly" and did a test with some stock EF's. I also messed with some settings with the EF LCD.
I did change the "0" id to a "3" just for fun and the EF LCD wouldn't get a lock after I rebooted and then turned on the EF transmitter. Shut everything off, set the id back to "0" fired everything up and packets came in.

Sooooooo, (and I didn't get through all the instructions yet) if one is using the 1.9 firmware with a stock EF transmitter, does the "ID" need to be set on 0 on the EF LCD? If so, need to keep that in mind if tracking a TRS that has been assigned a different ID.
Must remember to set the ID back to 0 or one might sit there and wonder why the LCD isn't picking up packets from a stock transmitter (from the next flight/different rocket) when the receive frequency is correct.

There is a learning curve with the TRS I am pleasantly looking forward to master. Kurt
Click to expand...

Eggtimer TX transmitters require that you set the ID Code on the LCD to zero. Anything else ain't gonna work. The Eggfinder LCD Users Guide was updated to reflect this when the firmware update was posted, and it was in the Release Notes too.
 
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FredT said:
I read that the Eggfinder RX can be tuned to different frequencies. Does the TX have this capacity?
Click to expand...

The RX "dongle" has a fixed frequency. Ditto for the standard TX transmitter. They're meant to be a bare-bones low-cost tracking system... they have no provision for changing the frequency.

You CAN change the frequency on the Eggtimer TRS flight computer/GPS and the LCD receiver, plus use one of 8 possible ID codes so you can have 72 TRS flight computers going at the same time (if you have a really good frequency board at your LCO table...)
 
cerving said:
The RX "dongle" has a fixed frequency. Ditto for the standard TX transmitter. They're meant to be a bare-bones low-cost tracking system... they have no provision for changing the frequency.

You CAN change the frequency on the Eggtimer TRS flight computer/GPS and the LCD receiver, plus use one of 8 possible ID codes so you can have 72 TRS flight computers going at the same time (if you have a really good frequency board at your LCO table...)
Click to expand...

Thanks. Is it possible to have an Eggfinder TX set to a frequency other than 915 MHz (say 911) at the factory?
 
I doubt it, but I reprogram the RF modules to the "approved" Eggfinder frequencies when I kit them. If you want a TX/RX on 911, all you have to do is to let me know when you order.
 

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