altimer what would be a good one ?

Hello I'm now ready for duel deploy . What would be a good one to start with . Want to do air starts and clusters at some point . Kit would be fine . Not something I would out grow . Thanks

I have seen two kits , egg timer and another one didn't remember the name of it . It was cheap like 20 or dollars . Would they work for me or just buy one ?

The Altiduo is the one you're thinking of.

I've not had experience with the kits yet, but my experience with other altimeters is this:

The more powerful it is, the less suitable for beginners. There are many mistakes you can make when programming a Raven, but it offers an incredibly alluring compromise between capabilities, flexibility, price, and size. I like small altimeters because that lets me use tiny avionics bays that fit anywhere.

On the other end of the spectrum is something like the new RRC2+: so dead simple that it's harder to set it up incorrectly. And it's really inexpensive. I'm planning on picking one up soon. However, it won't give you airstarts, nor log any data.

In the other direction are the kits. The AltiDuo you can theoretically make do anything you want, but you need to know how to program microcontrollers to do more than the basics. (I should pick one of these up, since I've just learned some microcontroller programming thanks to my experience programming the controller for the keyboard I'm typing this post on). I'm not quite sure exactly what the Eggtimer's capabilities are.

Pick your own poison. I currently recommend the Raven, because I really like how small it is, but if you don't have a Windows computer handy you pretty much waste its potential.

My first altimeter was the Raven 3.

It is not that hard to learn as long as you understand basic physics like velocity's and pressures with rocket flight.

Just my 2 cents.

+1 on the Raven. It simply works, great for learning dual deploy, and then has great potential for doing many, many more things. That, coupled with the options for the Power Perch, modular AV Bays from 24mm to 38mm... Very flexible.

If you don't want the extensive future flexibility, but want simple plug and go, the RRC3 is a great choice.

+2 on the Raven. I have near 100 flights on mine and have NEVER had an issue. Asking advise on what to buy here is like going to a car show and asking what is the best car. Everybody is going to tell you something different. You should spend some time doing your own personal research, find out how they are wired, if they have switch terminals or not, if they log data. Things like that are 100% personal. No one can tell you what you want. I have Missleworks, Adepts, Ravens, Perfectflites.....they all have different features that make them fit my needs. Don't fall into the "cheapest one" trap either, you might find that isn't what you want in the long run.

CarVac said:

The Altiduo is the one you're thinking of.

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yes this is probably the cheapest one as long as you have electronics skills... however I have only some Mini AltiDuo kit left

Not looking for the cheap way out . To much time spent on my builds . Just seeing what people use to go with the research I'm doing . The egg timer is looking good

RRC3?

Chris, IMHO the new MW RRC2+ is the way to go. Small, easy to use, priced just right. All this unit will do is work over and over again. I have never been unhappy with a MW product. The RRC3 is the next step up. A few bucks more, feature packed. I have several of both. Can't go wrong!

Buy the RRC2+. By the time you are ready for clusters and staging you'll want a second altimeter anyway; then you can get the RRC3.

I doubt you will out grow any altimeter they all have their use so get a small simple DD one to start, try it out decide where you are going to go from there. A simple DD only altimeter will be a back up for a larger project one day it will always be useful. I haven't flown them all but i'm sure they all work great and you wouldn't go wrong with any of them.


TA

I have an RRC2 Mini, an RRC3, a Raven 1 & 2, and a PET2+ timer. All of them have a place in my rockets as will the RRC2+ when I get one bought.
The RRC3 will be getting expansion boards later allowing it to do more things.
For a beginner I would recommend the new RRC2+ because as others have said it is almost fool proof. After you gain experiance and determine where you want go with your rocket journey you can choose a different altimiter that suits your needs.
Good suggestions have been provided.
As always have fun and enjoy the process.

Perfectflite Stratologger

I own....

RRC2
3 RRC3s
RRC2+
Raven 2
2 Parrots
MARSA54
TeleMetrum
EasyMetrum

And probably one or two I'm forgetting.

I've also owned an RDAS Compact, AltAcc 2C, GWiz LC Deluxe, MAWD.

That said, I'd recommend a first altimeter be something along the lines of the RRC2+, maybe an RRC3 -- something that just works out of the box and is easy to understand. Or, if you're willing to spend more, get a MARSA54.

There's enough complexity in learning dual deploy, without adding common wires, difficult interfaces, etc.

The Raven is a great little altimeter, but it's one the last altimeters I'd recommend as a "first" altimeter, unless the buyer has a lot of electronics knowledge. Likewise anything like the TeleMetrum or AIM Xtra - when you start adding telemetry, ground stations, and the such, the complexity goes up significantly as you've just introduced a lot more into the puzzle.

No altimeter is likely to ever truly be "outgrown" as we typically fly with redundant electronics. If you later decide to move into more complex electronics, those first units still make great "second" altimeters in your rockets.

The altimeters I tend to fly the most are the ones with the lowest "fiddle" factor.

-Kevin

Odd I don't see any recommendations for the PerfectFlite SL100.

I've got about 15 of them and they have been flawless. If your happy with a 700ft main deployment, you can pull it out of the box and fly it as is.

On my dual altimeter setups, I set the backup to apogee +1 and the main at 600ft. Very easy to do it you drop the $20 and buy the USB connection cable so you can connect it to your computer.

Probably the SL100 or the RRC3 will be your best bet and the best bang (literally) for your buck.

The Stratologger is the SL100.... yup, i have 3 of them all worked perfectly out of the package and have great specs.

neond7 said:

Odd I don't see any recommendations for the PerfectFlite SL100.

I've got about 15 of them and they have been flawless. If your happy with a 700ft main deployment, you can pull it out is the box and fly it.

On my dual altimeter setups, I set the backup to apogee +1 and the main at 600ft. Very easy to do it you drop the $20 and buy the USB connection cable so you can connect it to your computer.

Probably the SL100 or the RRC3 will be your best bet and the best bang (literally) for your buck.

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