Any UpDate on Jolly Logic Altimeter Three (JL-A3)

[scschulte]

It has been well over 18 months that I have been trying to purchase a Jolly Logic Altimeter Three (JL-A3). I'm on the mailing list to receive updates but have never received anything (likely because I'd only get an eMail if it were available – and it seems it is not available…)

Just wondering if anyone has purchased a JL-A3 in the past year or if anyone has heard anything. Last I heard from John was 19 August 2022 - total redesign with new parts he says. I'm wondering if they may just do a new one (Altimeter Four??) -- I guess they have enough other products to remain in business. I still have a fine Altimeter Two but the Altimeter Three was so much better with the ability to connect to my iPhone… (Altimeter Three did not survive my 200 mph lawn dart back in 2021… amazing that I was able to dig the Frenzy out of the ground and rebuild & fly it in 10 days! Somehow the Stratologger CF survived and works!)

OK just hope this Altimeter Three product will be available soon. Thanks for any comments or updates.

Steve on Monday 24 April 2023

 

[teepot]

It has been a while. I haven't heard anything. I'm glad he was able to fix mine. I'm on the same list.

 

[DeltaVee]

It seems it's not listed on the JL website any more. One can only speculate as to the issue... I'd guess there is an unobtainable key component.

 

[scschulte]

It seems it's not listed on the JL website any more. One can only speculate as to the issue... I'd guess there is an unobtainable key component.

I also noticed that the Altimeter-3 is no longer even listed as a product on the Jolly Logic website. BUT on 12 Nov 2023 - the owner John Beans replied to my eMail saying this: "Still planning to bring Altimeter 3 back. They are built. Finishing software". That's more than encouraging - hope he's got 100,000 in stock! LOL! - what a great little altimeter! I'll get a new one (crashed mine at 200 mph… in 2021)… -- hope they are available by Spring! Steve on Saturday 30 December 2023 - Happy New Year 2024!!

 

[DeltaVee]

I also noticed that the Altimeter-3 is no longer even listed as a product on the Jolly Logic website. BUT on 12 Nov 2023 - the owner John Beans replied to my eMail saying this: "Still planning to bring Altimeter 3 back. They are built. Finishing software". That's more than encouraging - hope he's got 100,000 in stock! LOL! - what a great little altimeter! I'll get a new one (crashed mine at 200 mph… in 2021)… -- hope they are available by Spring! Steve on Saturday 30 December 2023 - Happy New Year 2024!!

Awesome news! I'm hoping that the new software will allow the backup of the database so that when you change phones you won't lose your old flights.

 

[Pinetree]

The email I received gave me the impression that they would be available in November.

When I saw that they had removed it from their website, I pretty much gave up at that point.

 

[BEC]

@John Beans ....so, any news?

 

[Rschub]

This is not good news, but to tell the truth, I would be much more upset if the JLCR became unavailable. The altimeter would be nice and all but I consider the JLCR a necessary piece of equipment for me and there is no direct substitute.

 

[tbonerocketeer]

He asked everyone to pull it down as he has no return estimate and didn't want to pay for Bluetooth licensing for next year without a date planned.

 

[BEC]

Thanks for a little bit of added detail, Chris.

I suspect that he, like Russ Parrish, who also has a Bluetooth product for which folks are eagerly awaiting, has had other priorities in his life lately. But that's just speculation on my part....

Fortunately existing devices don't seem to know/care about whatever licensing that is.

 

[Danomite45]

It has been well over 18 months that I have been trying to purchase a Jolly Logic Altimeter Three (JL-A3). I'm on the mailing list to receive updates but have never received anything (likely because I'd only get an eMail if it were available – and it seems it is not available…)

Just wondering if anyone has purchased a JL-A3 in the past year or if anyone has heard anything. Last I heard from John was 19 August 2022 - total redesign with new parts he says. I'm wondering if they may just do a new one (Altimeter Four??) -- I guess they have enough other products to remain in business. I still have a fine Altimeter Two but the Altimeter Three was so much better with the ability to connect to my iPhone… (Altimeter Three did not survive my 200 mph lawn dart back in 2021… amazing that I was able to dig the Frenzy out of the ground and rebuild & fly it in 10 days! Somehow the Stratologger CF survived and works!)

OK just hope this Altimeter Three product will be available soon. Thanks for any comments or updates.

Steve on Monday 24 April 2023

Well, it's been a year since this posted.
I was just looking for an Altimeter Three today and couldn't find one anywhere, and searched this forum to find out it was no unobtanium.
Any updates??
Danomite!

 

[MarsLander]

Well, it's been a year since this posted.
I was just looking for an Altimeter Three today and couldn't find one anywhere, and searched this forum to find out it was no unobtanium.
Any updates??
Danomite!

@John Beans ???

 

[BEC]

John is the one who has to answer this.

That said, @tbonerocketeer do you have any other insight?

It seems Bluetooth-connected altimeters are snakebit, between AltimeterThree being unavailable for so long and the same being true for the FlightSketch Mini and Comp.

I wonder if this Bluetooth license that Chris mentioned a few posts up is a factor in both of these being unobtainable even though I've heard from both that hardware is on hand.

All of these are great devices that can tell one much about a rocket's flight right on one's phone (or tablet). *sigh*

 

[teepot]

I'm afraid to fly the one I have in case the rocket crashes and kills the last one I have.

 

[Art Upton]

I'm afraid to fly the one I have in case the rocket crashes and kills the last one I have.

I'm afraid of it getting lost in a tree more than a crash on my Alt-3. ++

I lost a Big Red Bee GPS* in a Tree in a Swampy Bog area in Manchester TN. We knew right where it was. Many folks went in to see if they could get the rocket, even a boy scout troop. But it was a treed goner, as no way to reach the area.

* I had a page on here saying "My Rocket is right here, with an arrow pointing to it on the Google Map Terrain"
++: I know you don't have trees to worry about Tee

 

[cwbullet]

Has anyone received an update on this one?

 

[Rschub]

I had a minor problem with my chute release a few months ago, and Mr. Beans replied swifty by email with a complete resolution.

My speculation is that the JLCR is so popular that he has hit the limit of what he can do building and supporting it, along with the simpler altimeters.

The cost might now also approach that of a full function altimeter, which would limit the market.

 

[WillMarchant]

I'm also reluctant to risk my AltimeterThree. But I screwed up my courage and flew it twice yesterday on my first flights of the Estes Cosmic Cargo. I couldn't find it the second time and spent a half hour fruitlessly gridding the field with a couple of friends. Somebody managed to sneak past me and returned it to lost and found at the range head. Anyway, I'd love it if they came back and I could pick up a spare...

 

[cwbullet]

There may be news.

 

[WillMarchant]

There may be news.

Please don’t tease. Is John going to say something?

And I wanted to remind people that one can sign up for “back in stock” notification on the https://jollylogic.com/products/altimeterthree/ page. I assume John gets a report on the level of interest. So everybody that cares should get on that list!

 

[Art Upton]

Please don’t tease. Is John going to say something?

And I wanted to remind people that one can sign up for “back in stock” notification on the https://jollylogic.com/products/altimeterthree/ page. I assume John gets a report on the level of interest. So everybody that cares should get on that list!

Added to list

 

[BEC]

I've been bugging him about it for a long time, but just signed up on that list, too.

It's supposed to be an updated version that uses Bluetooth Low Energy, but I have no other details, and that bit of intelligence is from the spring of 2021 so at this point I don't know what to think. John Beans is communicative when we correspond, except on the subject of the A3 (or tiny A4, which we also need since FlightSketch has also gone silent).

@WillMarchant, how do you like that Cosmic Cargo? It strikes me as being a nice reliable test mule for a number of things.

 

[Art Upton]

Will, how do you like that Cosmic Cargo? It strikes me as being a nice reliable test mule for a number of things.

I still have a few SkyTrax I use from time to time as mules. Going to use one again on a FlightSketch + Firefly next weekend if I still can make the launch.

The Cosmic Cargo I just looked at for the second time. Looks like it uses that screw on the fin can so you don't have the glue the fins ?

 

[BEC]

Art, I have a couple of those still as well. I used one most recently to simulate an egg lofter (by putting some ballast in the payload section) to see how the Q-Jet B14Ts work on a model that heavy.

You should see good agreement between the FlightSketch and the Firefly as long as you shield the FlightSketch from the sun some. All but the earliest FireFlys have a little bit of dark foam to keep the sun out of the baro sensor, but the FS devices don't. In the clear payload section of the SkyTrax sun exposure could perturb the data. It's usually not this bad but here's an example of what a combination of light and swinging under 'chute can do to the FS data: https://flightsketch.com/flights/4441/

 

[WillMarchant]

@WillMarchant, how do you like that Cosmic Cargo? It strikes me as being a nice reliable test mule for a number of things.

It’s kind of heavy. With the AltimeterThree it only got to 85’ on an A3-4FJ. It got to 426’ on a B14-3T. But I think it will be good for workshops. It would be better with a transparent payload bay, of course.

 

[cwbullet]

Please don’t tease. Is John going to say something?

And I wanted to remind people that one can sign up for “back in stock” notification on the https://jollylogic.com/products/altimeterthree/ page. I assume John gets a report on the level of interest. So everybody that cares should get on that list!

I did the same today and placed an order for a two. I will wait for John to announce.

 

[BEC]

It’s kind of heavy. With the AltimeterThree it only got to 85’ on an A3-4FJ. It got to 426’ on a B14-3T. But I think it will be good for workshops. It would be better with a transparent payload bay, of course.

I'll bet that B14-3T's delay was too short. See https://flightsketch.com/flights/4432/ Even a full 5s was a touch short. However, this was lighter as the altimeter was an FS Comp on a bit of 3/32 balsa as a "sled". That whole works comes in at about 1.5g.

 

[WillMarchant]

I'll bet that B14-3T's delay was too short. See https://flightsketch.com/flights/4432/ Even a full 5s was a touch short. However, this was lighter as the altimeter was an FS Comp on a bit of 3/32 balsa as a "sled".

Yup, it would be happier with a longer delay:

 

[BEC]

Yeah, in the flight I linked to above even 5 seconds (and it was the full 5) was a tad short (I seem to be repeating myself).

Your model would've gotten quite a bit higher I think. Interesting that your max velocity at burnout and mine in the Cosmic Cargo B14-5T flight were very close. I got 152.7 mph.

added: screen shot

 

[BEC]

It’s kind of heavy. With the AltimeterThree it only got to 85’ on an A3-4FJ. It got to 426’ on a B14-3T. But I think it will be good for workshops. It would be better with a transparent payload bay, of course.

[thread drift] This just showed up on AC Supply: https://www.acsupplyco.com/estes-model-rockets/estes-new-rockets/estes-1752 Not exactly Cosmic Cargo with a clear payload section with that big (and likely heavy) nose cone, but close.

added: we have a bit of a mystery as the part number for the bulk pack of Cosmic Cargos, as shown on the Estes educational web site, is ALSO 1752: https://edu.estesrockets.com/products/cosmic-cargo®-bulk-pack-12-pk That makes me really wonder what one would get ordering #1752 from AC Supply, though that one is longer, heavier and higher-priced.

[/thread drift]