Best first Dual Deploy Altimeter?

SilicdyneTRF
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Congrats. It's a great choice. You can hook up a variety of lights to use while you are testing it. I have some LEDs that I soldered a resister to one leg so I can just plug them into the connections. I've also used really small 12v dashboard and instrument panel bulbs that I bought at Radio Shack years ago. And worth testing with some of the actual matches you plan to use as well.

When you decide to get an accelerometer based altimeter you'll find there are probably even more choices out there. I really like the small size and low power requirements of the Featherweight Raven. But you'll find everyone has their favorite that they'll recommend. Lots of choices to find pretty much any budget and flight profile.

Tony
 
In about a year or two you will have several Stratologgers and RRC3's and egg products of various flavors. Maybe even a Raven4 and a MARSA something-or other.

You will have all of these and more because of the easy success you got flying your first SLCF. (under $50 at this link) Nothing to build, nothing to set, just take it out of the package and install in the rocket. Easy Peasy. The second thing you got was the usb data kit to pull the data off the SLCF. - that graph is so cool...

so yeah - one more vote the the Stratologger. Really the best one to start with.
 
Ha! I already got a little suckered in to the Eggstravaganza Eggtimer Holiday sale too. But those are really for later. I just couldn’t pass up the deals.
 
And yeah. I got the stratologger from perfect flight. But they were out of the the USB cable so I bought that from Giant Leap.
 
I did not see anyone mention that Missile Works also coats all their altimeters (potting i think it is called) with a protective coating. They are very very robust. I don't have time to list all the mayhem my 10+ units have seen with every one of them still running strong. I have never had a Missile Works altimeter fail......after hundreds of flights big and small.....cool flghts and very cool flghts......if you know what I mean! Missle Works=sure thing. IMHO
Andrew
 
BSNW said:
I did not see anyone mention that Missile Works also coats all their altimeters (potting i think it is called) with a protective coating. They are very very robust. I don't have time to list all the mayhem my 10+ units have seen with every one of them still running strong. I have never had a Missile Works altimeter fail......after hundreds of flights big and small.....cool flghts and very cool flghts......if you know what I mean! Missle Works=sure thing. IMHO
Andrew
Click to expand...

Ummmmm, I think potting is encasing the entire device in epoxy to withstand G's in a block form. Low mass SMT devices withstand G's better but with through the hole components, casting and encasing the entire deployment altimeter in a non-conductive epoxy ensures that things like through hole capacitors don't rip off the PC board............... Don't laugh. Some folks here have done just that in the olden days with high G flights and resultant failures from older electronics. Kurt
 
CONFORMAL...... coating material is a thin polymeric film which conforms to the contours of a printed circuit board to protect the board's components. Typically applied at 25-250 μm thickness, it is applied to electronic circuitry to protect against moisture, dust, chemicals, and temperature extremes. Wikipedia
Yes missleworks does coat all their units.

All you solder monkeys building your own units.....
You can buy it at most electronic supply houses ....comes in rattle can ,sprayed on like paint. Cover holes in sensors with tape
 
solid_fuel said:
I am looking to start getting into some dual deploy rockets. In your opinion what would be the best Altimeter to start into the realm of dual deploy? I’m looking closely at the RRC3 sport and the eggtimer Classic. The sport is edging out the classic as it’s going to be ready to go right out of the box. I do believe I could handle the soldering on the the Eggtimer but perhaps not a good choice as the first time.
What other altimeters should I consider and why?
What are your thoughts on the RRC3?
On the Eggtimer Classic whatare the potential problems with soldering?
Anyone who uses either what do you like about it?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Use whatever altimeter you feel comfortable with. Even used as there are a lot of altimeters out there that have never been flown and even if they have, as long as the recoveries were successful should be workable. They're for sale a lot of times here and at larger launch sites. People get in and out of the hobby all the time. I built radios so soldering wasn't a thing for me. If you do it, get a low wattage soldering pen, good light and a head magnifier. Assemble in a glass baking dish in case you drop a component. It's important if you are doing SMT (surface mount) components. If doing a "discrete" altimeter with components with leads that can be shoved into the circuit board holes not as important but I still assembled in a baking dish anyways.
Many altimeters can be interfaced to a computer and can run diagnostics and minimally test fire ematches. I did that with every device I bought new or used to pop ematches to make sure the deployment circuits work.
I remember one new assembled device I bought from a maker and tested before flight, one channel failed and the maker gladly replaced it. Was probably glad I didn't trash a rocket with it. Make sure you lay in a supply of ematches just for testing purposes too.
A failed deployment device out of the box is extremely rare but test for it. Oh, I still use many products from the maker I received the defective altimeter from. I was a very rare fluke and I had no problems since. Still test before flight.
Shoot, I have a classic four channel "Mission Controller" deployment altimeter I bought used. Tested it and all four channels worked. Never flew it as it was large and before I could build a project for it, newer technology came out that was smaller. Thing is the Mission Controller was fully programmable with an arcane computer program and could be used for complex staging. I still have it stored in a cool, dry place along with the massive instructions that goes with it.
I think a lot of the early large staged rockets used this device. So many more economical choices now to do the same thing.
Don't dwell on "what electronics" to get. Read online, heck you can read the instructions on a planned device before you buy. Talk to folks if you are able to attend large launches. I'm sure many an old-timer would be happy to steer you towards an easy device to use for dual deploy for the first time.
Stay clear at least initially of a device that can program absolutely every bit of minutiae of a flight. Stick with one that will blow on apogee and then allow one to pick the main chute deployment. I flew at a large site and blew the mains at 1000 feet with larger rockets. It gave time for the large chute to deploy and the rocket was still coming down fast before full inflation.
Smaller rockets say with 4 feet or less diameter parachutes I blow the mains lower like 800 or 600 feet. Electronics got smaller so easier to fly in smaller rockets. Doesn't take as much time for a main to inflate so I blew'em out lower.
If one goes to enough launches, they will see some flier who blows a main out too low and the rocket smacks the ground in varying conditions with varying amounts of damage. Use a simulator if you got it and run bunches of simulations under different conditions. It can be enlightening.
Kurt
 
ksaves2 said:
Use whatever altimeter you feel comfortable with. Even used as there are a lot of altimeters out there that have never been flown and even if they have, as long as the recoveries were successful should be workable. They're for sale a lot of times here and at larger launch sites. People get in and out of the hobby all the time. I built radios so soldering wasn't a thing for me. If you do it, get a low wattage soldering pen, good light and a head magnifier. Assemble in a glass baking dish in case you drop a component. It's important if you are doing SMT (surface mount) components. If doing a "discrete" altimeter with components with leads that can be shoved into the circuit board holes not as important but I still assembled in a baking dish anyways.
Many altimeters can be interfaced to a computer and can run diagnostics and minimally test fire ematches. I did that with every device I bought new or used to pop ematches to make sure the deployment circuits work.
I remember one new assembled device I bought from a maker and tested before flight, one channel failed and the maker gladly replaced it. Was probably glad I didn't trash a rocket with it. Make sure you lay in a supply of ematches just for testing purposes too.
A failed deployment device out of the box is extremely rare but test for it. Oh, I still use many products from the maker I received the defective altimeter from. I was a very rare fluke and I had no problems since. Still test before flight.
Shoot, I have a classic four channel "Mission Controller" deployment altimeter I bought used. Tested it and all four channels worked. Never flew it as it was large and before I could build a project for it, newer technology came out that was smaller. Thing is the Mission Controller was fully programmable with an arcane computer program and could be used for complex staging. I still have it stored in a cool, dry place along with the massive instructions that goes with it.
I think a lot of the early large staged rockets used this device. So many more economical choices now to do the same thing.
Don't dwell on "what electronics" to get. Read online, heck you can read the instructions on a planned device before you buy. Talk to folks if you are able to attend large launches. I'm sure many an old-timer would be happy to steer you towards an easy device to use for dual deploy for the first time.
Stay clear at least initially of a device that can program absolutely every bit of minutiae of a flight. Stick with one that will blow on apogee and then allow one to pick the main chute deployment. I flew at a large site and blew the mains at 1000 feet with larger rockets. It gave time for the large chute to deploy and the rocket was still coming down fast before full inflation.
Smaller rockets say with 4 feet or less diameter parachutes I blow the mains lower like 800 or 600 feet. Electronics got smaller so easier to fly in smaller rockets. Doesn't take as much time for a main to inflate so I blew'em out lower.
If one goes to enough launches, they will see some flier who blows a main out too low and the rocket smacks the ground in varying conditions with varying amounts of damage. Use a simulator if you got it and run bunches of simulations under different conditions. It can be enlightening.
Kurt
Click to expand...
The bottom line is that no matter what altimeter you end up getting, you should be very familiar with it before the first flight. Simpler altimeters without a data interface (Eggtimer Quark, MissileWorks RRC2) are a good start because they don't require a lot of fiddling... just ground-test them to make sure they work properly, and you're good to go. Having to read the instructions at the pad to figure out what the beeps mean is not a good thing.
 
Ahhhh, I forgot to add. If building SMT devices, use a clear glass baking dish with white paper underneath it along with head magnification. If you flip an SMT part, it generally lands in the dish and you can find it. In preparation of building EggTimer stuff, I went online and bought an assortment of SMT resistors. They were dirt cheap as they were tiny. I figured I might lose some in the process of building.
Sure enough, I accidentally flipped an SMT resistor out of the rectangular baking dish and it ended up lost on the floor. I did a cursory look and couldn't find it so broke out my stash of resistors, found the right one and kept on building. Kurt
 
cerving said:
The bottom line is that no matter what altimeter you end up getting, you should be very familiar with it before the first flight. Simpler altimeters without a data interface (Eggtimer Quark, MissileWorks RRC2) are a good start because they don't require a lot of fiddling... just ground-test them to make sure they work properly, and you're good to go. Having to read the instructions at the pad to figure out what the beeps mean is not a good thing.
Click to expand...
I agree on that and I like using the devices without interfaces for sport flights. It seems in the older days, interfaces were the norm along with hefty price tags.

I think it took some years before straight forward apogee/main deployment altimeters came out. Only thing I'll add is I at least like a device I can set the main deployment within a range using jumpers. Adds more utility for flying with smaller or larger projects with varying main parachute sizes. Read the instructions at home while ground testing the ematch channels is a good idea!

Sheeooot, With a new larger project, I sometimes set up a pad with the rocket on it without propellant in the backyard and come up with a checklist and procedures for launching. No stress, can stay calm and figure out how to launch it safely.

Small rockets, yeah that's not necessary.

Kurt
 
Easiest and smallest, probably Altus EasyMini. You can get a small LiPo that plugs in for a really small form factor, but you'll have to get a charger.

My favorite small one Missleworks RRC2/+. The new ones can talk to a computer or LCD, and reliably use 9V batteries. You can use the Lipo's too, but, there are issues to be aware of.
 
I've had good service from Missileworks RRC3 (also in a dual altimeter larger rocket), Eggtimer Quantum, and a long time ago, Perfectflite MiniAlt.

Of these, for me, easiest overall is the Quantum. While LiPo require a bit more prep than 9V, the WiFi interface makes use--ground test, assembly checks, arming, data download--much simpler. I got the Q for a 38mm min diameter rocket--fitting an arming switch in the tiny space would have been tough for me.
 

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