Viperfixr
Born Again Rocketeer
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Labrat, I would definitely like to know when your tracker sleds are available.
New tracker range test result
- Thread starter Adrian A
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Labrat, I would definitely like to know when your tracker sleds are available.
Thanks for the interest. Likely later this week...I'm printing the first run now. Need to update the store and right an instructions page. EXTREMELY destructive testing is complete, and this is the toughest sled I've made by a good margin. I will send out a notice to my website subscribers first, and then post on TRF a few days later.
These fit 38mm FW Madcow and the Wildman/CTI nosecones with the same 38mm NC-bulkhead that fits my entire line of sleds. Ypu could also make a full length sleeve for these (i.e. the antenna is enclosed too) by using the 38-NC bulkhead and a length of fiberglass coupler.
Pretty sweet. I have to buy the tracker first.
Ummmm, The more folks GPS track their projects, the more they'll spend flying than "finding". Can put up smaller projects that can't be visually tracked well,
on relatively smaller motors and still get them back as long as they don't sink to the bottom of a lake or end up in high tension power lines. Trees? I hear some take a chainsaw to if they can get away with it!
Kurt
+1. If you have not experienced walking directly up to a rocket that has flown out of sight you have no idea what a good feeling it is
.
+1. If you have not experienced walking directly up to a rocket that has flown out of sight you have no idea what a good feeling it is
Yup, I did that several times in when APRS was the only game in town. Only thing that limited it was
the cost. With the rockets I flew, I recovered the "costs" from the potential "losses". Now the cost of
entry into GPS tracking has dropped dramatically since 2005 so enjoy! Kurt
... Trees? I hear some take a chainsaw to if they can get away with it!
Chainsaws, fishing lines, and .... wait for it, ... a shot gun! Chaps in our group have resorted to any means to retrieve a rocket from trees.
It appears that the stock of GPS Trackers and ground stations is seriously depleted! Is there hope of new stocks in the near future? It looks like a great system and Adrian has done a brilliant job of developing it.
Luck has it. I have money to buy a set and now it is sold out. I will patiently wait for the next set.
woferry
Well-Known Member
Sorry, I reduced the supply by 1 in the past few days. But very impressed, ordered Saturday evening (EDT) and had the package in the mail (CA->PA) by Monday afternoon!
Very impressed so far, the app could use some minor improvements that I recommended via PM. Great start, and lots of promise for the future. Can't wait to fly it!!
Two HW-related questions (apologies if these were asked before and I missed it while following this thread):
1) The manual mentions 3.4-4.5V recommended but 3-9V supported. I'm curious if the board has a UVP/UVLO to disable itself once it reaches a minimum voltage (to stop a 1S battery from going into deep-discharge), or will it just keep drawing the battery down even when the voltage is no longer sufficient to keep the board running properly?
2) The manual only has a header line for Data Logging as a future feature. Is the current setup actually recording any data during the flight? I.e. is the data being logged but there's just no current way to display it (and if so how much data can it log before it runs over), or is there no logging right now and a plan to add it (and dumping said logs) later? While on-rocket logging is certainly better (in case any individual packets get lost/corrupted), I assume the app is not keeping any logs of received data, either? I'd certainly like to have *something* captured for flight path analysis later, even if it was just the app saving raw data to be extracted/analyzed later.
I do have to figure out what I'm going to do with the ground station while holding the phone to use the software. I never felt the need for a belt/neck clip for my Eggfinder or RTx receivers since you have to look at them to use them, but this one could really use it IMO, or perhaps a way to clip the unit onto the back of the phone itself. I'll likely end up printing a different case anyway, to go with the bigger batteries I already use on my other tracker receivers.
But very impressed, ordered Saturday evening (EDT) and had the package in the mail (CA->PA) by Monday afternoon!Very impressed so far, the app could use some minor improvements that I recommended via PM. Great start, and lots of promise for the future. Can't wait to fly it!!
Two HW-related questions (apologies if these were asked before and I missed it while following this thread):
1) The manual mentions 3.4-4.5V recommended but 3-9V supported. I'm curious if the board has a UVP/UVLO to disable itself once it reaches a minimum voltage (to stop a 1S battery from going into deep-discharge), or will it just keep drawing the battery down even when the voltage is no longer sufficient to keep the board running properly?
2) The manual only has a header line for Data Logging as a future feature. Is the current setup actually recording any data during the flight? I.e. is the data being logged but there's just no current way to display it (and if so how much data can it log before it runs over), or is there no logging right now and a plan to add it (and dumping said logs) later? While on-rocket logging is certainly better (in case any individual packets get lost/corrupted), I assume the app is not keeping any logs of received data, either? I'd certainly like to have *something* captured for flight path analysis later, even if it was just the app saving raw data to be extracted/analyzed later.
I do have to figure out what I'm going to do with the ground station while holding the phone to use the software. I never felt the need for a belt/neck clip for my Eggfinder or RTx receivers since you have to look at them to use them, but this one could really use it IMO, or perhaps a way to clip the unit onto the back of the phone itself. I'll likely end up printing a different case anyway, to go with the bigger batteries I already use on my other tracker receivers.
Will enjoy.
cabbey
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There's no need to carry it like that... all of my three location trecks this past weekend I had the ground station in a cargo pocket of my shorts. The first time out I had made an effort to ensure the antenna was sticking out the top... somewhere along the 1/4 mile walk to slipped down and was totally enclosed in heavy weight denim... I didn't even notice it with my face alternately glued to the cellphone and the sagebrush. On several occasions prior to launch the ground station was about 100 foot away from me and my phone was still able to connect to it just fine. That doesn't do much good when trecking out to recover the rocket, but when LSO asks if you have tracking, it's plenty.
Currently there is no data logging capability. What you see is what you get. The only way to save any data (in vidoe format) is to use the Apple feature.
Settings -> Control Center -> Customize Controls.
Then add the screen recording to your control center. Swipe up from bottom of phone and then click the record button. You have to do that again to end recording & it saves the video to your photos.
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No worries cwbullet- it could be worse! I received my order for the gps system right away.... but no software or links to it... and Adrian seems to be away! Looks really nice all charged up on the desk acting like a paperweight! lol.
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Warner, Do you still need the software?
Tony
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You can probably get an iOS device for what an emulator would cost... [I am Intel/Windows at more core... an iOS device is available and just another device - less complicated than your smart TV - and a lot cheaper...]
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I think Warner got his link but if anyone gets a unit and doesn't have the TestFlight link, then send an email to [email protected] ... I will get a text (but phone is on silent since computers around the world might text met there also to let me know they are 'working'... ) but I will reply and add you as soon as I can... :smile:
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Well, after some scrounging around the Net, I did find a couple of free (I hope non-fake/unhacked) apps that might do the trick. One is called iPadian and the other is Mono.
I'll be installing them in a VBox Windows 7 VM guest to test.
woferry
Well-Known Member
I hope I'm wrong, but I sincerely doubt any emulator would work here, since iFIP depends on Bluetooth data from the ground station, and I'd be amazed if any of these emulators have any support for peripherals using interfaces such as BT. Putting the extra layer of a VBox VM between the PC's BT hardware and the iOS emulator seems even less likely to work. But good luck.
A-N-D-R-E-W
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I see you are out of stock again, any chance there will be more available soon?
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From my searches it seems that many have had success using USB BT dongles and a few have been able to get integrated BT to work with a VBox guest. Anyhoot using a VM is only to ensure that the stuff I've DL'd isn't malicious. I've learned the hard way that quite a few things on the Net can be really nasty buggers.
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Given that more than one half of the advertised features do not yet exist in the Featherweight tracker, is this an "introductory" price? Will the price go up when the system is fully functional?
Maybe the answer is somewhere in the 460 previous posts, but i missed it.
The Lab Rat Rocketry sleds for these trackers are now available.
See this thread for details: https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/featherweight-tracker-sled-system-available.146869/
of visit our web store: https://www.labratrocketry.com/shop
See this thread for details: https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/featherweight-tracker-sled-system-available.146869/
of visit our web store: https://www.labratrocketry.com/shop
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you may have saved me the cost of a 3D printer, but can you IM me on the side with what you would recommend? I'll still buy parts from your store but might want to experiment some on my own.... Thanks!
I don't keep it a secret. My first printer was an authentic Prusa mk2s, and I think it is worth every penny. I know there are lots of lower cost printers that you can tinker with to get them near or up to the level of the mk2s. However, if you are just beginning and want something that will work, plus allow you a wide range of print settings/filament options it is a great printer. The mk2s was my first printer. I bought it as a kit because I figured if I assembled it I would understand enough to diagnose and fix any possible issues. Mercifully there have been few, I have only had to replace the y-axis rods and bearings (I upgraded to higher tolerance parts while I was at it), and do routine stuff like nozzle replacements and replace the PEI sheet on the bed.
I have no experience with the mk3 version, so i cant say one way or the other on it. On paper it looks like a nice advancement, but I have read a few things have been sketchy in reality. Probably just early model issues they will work out, but I'm not an early adopter type.
I would love to add an SLA printer, but just can't justify the spend...yet.
I have no experience with the mk3 version, so i cant say one way or the other on it. On paper it looks like a nice advancement, but I have read a few things have been sketchy in reality. Probably just early model issues they will work out, but I'm not an early adopter type.
I would love to add an SLA printer, but just can't justify the spend...yet.
Agreed, I be a script kiddie and don't go dinking around with emulators unless absolutely necessary. This isn't a case where it's worth going at it.
Get a used device recommended by the developer to find your rocket and count on your onboard electronics to get you the information you desire that you can download after recovery of the rocket.
Also, lugging a laptop to a launch site is an absolute pain. Yeah, you can do a tablet but if running through layers of an emulator I doubt it will be helpful.
Try going pedestrian portable with a laptop.
If one must absolutely have something "right away" that does an Android (or with great difficulty a WinBlows app), get a T3 or have somebody build ya
some EggFinder stuff.
Believe me, there is no perfect GPS tracker out there that will "please" everyone but they do find one's rockets.
Kurt
dshmel
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I just wrapped up my solution to mounting and protecting the FW tracker. I used a 29mm 3D sled (https://www.missileworks.com/store/#!/29mm-S-M-A-R-T-Sled-for-RRC3/p/39751280/category=9045100) that I had on hand. I Dremel'd off the mounting "risers" and made some modifications to allow room for the tip of the antenna. The provided battery fits (since the sled is based on the 400 mAh "Sparkfun" LiPo). I didn't have a 29mm coupler tube handy, so I used a 29mm BT and added an internal circumference of material. I also swapped out the stock JST-PH connector on the battery (with 2mm spacing) for a "standard" JST connector. I add little dots of white out to one side of all connectors to help avoid connecting them in reverse polarity. I have found the JST connector to be easy to connect in reverse since the pins are in the center of the connector. The sled has a slot on each end that allows you to see inside to view the blinking LEDs.
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midpower_madness
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If this rocket tracker uses LoRa I am curious where the transmitter is on the GPS unit pictured here? I see a ublox gps module only......
PCA has two sides.
What should be the last prototype before production:
Top:
Dang, I soldered the antenna on a little crooked. (These prototypes, unlike the production units, are hand-assembled)
Bottom:
Edge:
By popular request, the mounting holes have round-number locations. Both of them are 0.25" from the centerline vertically and 1.00" apart horizontally.
I should have pictures of an assembled ground station next week.
Eric
Well-Known Member
I asked Adrian that at LDRS and he said it was not need. He did say that it would not hurt either. I guess it's attatched differently then the eggfinder patch.
I did run a small bead on the edge. It did not help save it.
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