altimeter ?

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If you want a recording altimeter and pyro channels and don't want to solder it up yourself, it's tough to beat the Perfectflite StratologgerCF at $55
 
All good recommendations above. The fine tuning is in the features and how much you can live without. Go with DIY and simple interface will equal less $$$$ but perhaps higher learning curve to use.
Download can be a pain if having to tear apart the ebay to get at the device but if one only is going to fly the rocket once and download at home later, it's not a problem. Many of the economical devices
have memory so one can save more than one flight so technically they could fly,recover, reprep and fly again. Not so with older recording devices. Had to download before flying again or the flight was lost.

Kurt
 
If you don't need deployment there is also the PerfectFlite Pnut, and for a really, really tiny one that still gives you 45s of data (which is plenty for the "up" phase for must of us, as well as the beginning of the "down" phase) there is the Altus Metrum MicroPeak. The Pnut stores 31 flights' worth of data - but you do need to be able to cycle the power to reset it for the next flight. The MicroPeak only stores one flight at a time.

Both of these, with added hardware to connect to your computer, have applications for reading/graphing data that run on Windoze or MacOS. The Altus Metrum device can also be read by a Linux computer. And both have their power source aboard (one-cell li-poly for the Pnut, CR1016 coin cell for the microPeak) and so don't need external power like the StratologgerCF.

I have and have flown both quite a bit.

But it's so much easier to just let my iPhone pull the data in off the AltimeterThree.....and it is controlled completely from there as well. I've been known to fly a model two or three times at one session and never access the A3. I've tested it with a fairly cheap Android tablet as well with good results, FWIW.
 
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How about this one for $40...

https://www.eggtimerrocketry.com/Quantum.php

Yes, it's a kit and you have to solder it together, but it's completely cable-free with ANY WiFi/browser enabled device (iWhatever, Android, PC, Mac, etc.). No apps, just your browser.

Nice thing you get to the launch site, connect up the battery to the Quantum and button up the ebay. Get the rocket on the pad, fire up a browser on any device after pairing with the WiFi chip on the Quantum and can activate
the Quantum standing next to the rocket. Get the "Go" beeps and insert the igniter. Like everything else, the procedures are spelled out in the manual and it behooves a user to practice at the bench and perhaps write down a checklist to
follow onsite. Kurt
 
Nice thing you get to the launch site, connect up the battery to the Quantum and button up the ebay. Get the rocket on the pad, fire up a browser on any device after pairing with the WiFi chip on the Quantum and can activate
the Quantum standing next to the rocket. Get the "Go" beeps and insert the igniter. Like everything else, the procedures are spelled out in the manual and it behooves a user to practice at the bench and perhaps write down a checklist to
follow onsite. Kurt

+1

Worked like a charm for my L1. I love the fact I don't need to hassle with installing switches. I can arm it over Wifi on my phone. Later on, at home, I download the flight data to my laptop and plot it out for analysis. That's really helped in figuring out chute descent rates vs Cd.

The test mode is crucial in making sure you soldered it all together right. Hint, most of your problems will come down to getting those optoisolator j-legs soldered. They take some finesse.
 
+1

Worked like a charm for my L1. I love the fact I don't need to hassle with installing switches. I can arm it over Wifi on my phone. Later on, at home, I download the flight data to my laptop and plot it out for analysis. That's really helped in figuring out chute descent rates vs Cd.

The test mode is crucial in making sure you soldered it all together right. Hint, most of your problems will come down to getting those optoisolator j-legs soldered. They take some finesse.

Follow the WiFi chip soldering instructions to a "T". I think I got a solder bridge under it and bricked one of mine. The voltage regulator got "scorch'in" hot and after some trouble-shooting it ended up in the junk box. 4 out of 5 build successes t'aint so
bad. Kurt
 
For anyone considering any of these kits, don't let the need of soldering put you off. If you have a little ability in that area (or sometimes you can get away with none at all!) you should be able to put any of the Egg kits together. This instructions are written (the ones I have seen anyway) for someone who is a complete novice and especially formulated for your success. As an electronic engineer I can solder most things standing on my head (ambidextrous too), so I might have half an idea about what I am talking about :). As ksaves2 said, follow the instructions absolutely and you should be successful.

As for other altimeters, I like the Ravens (I have six), and the TeleMega units (two). TeleMega seems expensive, but has great functionality. If you count the software for the TeleMega in the price (they call it "free") it is quite an impressive unit for the price, and the only one I think currently with tilt sensing that can be added into the configuration.

RRC3 units (three) we used on the full-scale V2 last year were a breeze to use and performed very well too.
 
The key to assembly is: 1. The smallest tipped soldering iron you can get. 15 watt is fine. They're serviceable and cheap.
2. Fine tipped angled tweezers (pickups)
3. Good lighting
4. Head magnifiers.
Additionally I assemble in a glass square casserole dish so parts if flipped, may land in the dish.

Kurt
 
If you want a recording altimeter and pyro channels and don't want to solder it up yourself, it's tough to beat the Perfectflite StratologgerCF at $55

Have to agree. I have been down an altimeter, bought a StratoLogger CF from the on-site vendor, installed it and flew successfully, no config changes needed (out of the box it'll deploy drogue at apogee and main at 700agl). Love 'em!
 
Have to agree. I have been down an altimeter, bought a StratoLogger CF from the on-site vendor, installed it and flew successfully, no config changes needed (out of the box it'll deploy drogue at apogee and main at 700agl). Love 'em!

I have the predecessor MAWD too that was $79.00 when they came out that's still going strong. Kurt
 
what is the best recording altimeter for the money that is offered now ?

Thanks


1. Eggtimer Quantum $40. This is the winner for "most features@lowest cost" recording altimeter. 60,000' max altitude, 15 flight memory, Programmed via wifi, (Requires assembly - can you solder tiny parts?)

2. Missileworks RRC2+ $45 Records peak altitude one flight only.
3. Strattologger CF $50. 100,000 max altitude, 16 flight memory (flight data = altitude, temperature, and battery voltage sampled 20 times per second) No assembly required, very simple, can be flown right out-of-the-box.
4. Missileworks RRC3 $70. 15 flight memory. Add-on accessories available including LCD screen and GPS.
5. Featherweight Raven3 $155. Includes baro and Accelerometer, 5 flight memory, 4 event channels, A good choice for high-power staging.
6. Altus Metrum TeleMega v2.0 $400 - If price is no object, many folks consider this to be the "best" altimeter, with 6 events, GPS tracking, baro and accelerometer, telemetry downlink, and more.

For self-contained altimeters WITHOUT deployment - consider any of the three Jolly Logic altimeters $50 - $100.
 
1. Eggtimer Quantum $40. This is the winner for "most features@lowest cost" recording altimeter. 60,000' max altitude, 15 flight memory, Programmed via wifi, (Requires assembly - can you solder tiny parts?)

2. Missileworks RRC2+ $45 Records peak altitude one flight only.
3. Strattologger CF $50. 100,000 max altitude, 16 flight memory (flight data = altitude, temperature, and battery voltage sampled 20 times per second) No assembly required, very simple, can be flown right out-of-the-box.
4. Missileworks RRC3 $70. 15 flight memory. Add-on accessories available including LCD screen and GPS.
5. Featherweight Raven3 $155. Includes baro and Accelerometer, 5 flight memory, 4 event channels, A good choice for high-power staging.
6. Altus Metrum TeleMega v2.0 $400 - If price is no object, many folks consider this to be the "best" altimeter, with 6 events, GPS tracking, baro and accelerometer, telemetry downlink, and more.

For self-contained altimeters WITHOUT deployment - consider any of the three Jolly Logic altimeters $50 - $100.

Sabrina, very nice work, could you add the Marsa54 since the Altus Metrums are represented. Also the RRC3 has three output channels and the third one can be used for staging.
 
Thing is, he didn't really specify what he meant by "recording altimeter". Does he need deployments? Does he just want apogee, does he want summary data, or does he want to be able to download full time vs alt/velocity/accel data? There's a really good comparison chart that one of the TRF members put together, at https://rocketsetc.com/altimeter-comparison/ , it has the skinny on just about every altimeter around (some current and some not).
 
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