Did I get a bad Bluetooth Module? (Eggfinder)

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

mccordmw

Well-Known Member
TRF Supporter
Joined
Jan 18, 2016
Messages
1,051
Reaction score
72
Location
St. Louis, MO
I've had my Eggfinder put together and working well for my L1 cert kit. Buld thread: https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?131715-Binder-Design-Excel-Plus-54mm-Build-Thread

I have the USB cable connected to my phone and get NMEA data just fine. I've been wanting to try out the wireless Bluetooth option to more elegantly use the system with an app like Rocket Locator. So I replaced the cable with an HC-06 module. It powers up and syns with the transmitter and then pairs with my phone (also tested with my laptop). However, I can't seem to receive any data from it now using either my phone or my laptop.

To troubleshoot, I took the bluetooth module off and put the USB cable back on. Again, good gps data received when using terminal apps or putty on my laptop. I put the Bluetooth module back on and poof, no data received. It did pair again, though. I wonder if I got a bad module? Or am I missing something in the setup? I thought simply pairing with my phone and using a bluetooth gps app would do it.

Or maybe I got the wrong bluetooth module? I got a standard HC-06 slave. This is what I got:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SR4PULU/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I also can't seem to find it assigned to a COM port on my laptop when it was paired.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Do you receive nothing over bluetooth or just something which can not be interpreted by the app?
If you receive something but it is nonsense then the baud rate is most likely wrong.
 
It pairs ok, but I don't receive anything. The specs from the Amazon site said it default is 9600 n 8 1 - the standard. They're cheap, so I'm getting a JBTeck one to test. The odds of two bad ones from two sellers should hopefully be minimal.
 
do you have gps satellite lock on tx , before turning on the RX ?

I turned on the RX and then the TX a few seconds later. I didn't wait for a sat lock. But it did get one about 10 seconds later. Still no luck, though. Does it matter if I keep the RX off until there is a TX sat lock? Didn't seem to affect me when I had it plugged into the phone via USB cable.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Yes. Looks like my old bluetooth module was a dud. I attached the new one, and it works perfectly. I get sync and I get gps data with rocket locator. Huzzah! All my electronics are now done. All that's left are shear plates for my shear pins, and my rocket is 100% complete.
 
BT module is fine. I'll pay shipping to me (Florida) if you care to get rid of it.
 
Yes. Looks like my old bluetooth module was a dud. I attached the new one, and it works perfectly. I get sync and I get gps data with rocket locator. Huzzah! All my electronics are now done. All that's left are shear plates for my shear pins, and my rocket is 100% complete.

Ahhhhh, Make sure you ground test to be certain you have sufficient BP to pop it apart. The EggFinders can't really be expected to take a ballistic recovery. How'd I know? Don't ask. Suffice it to say the EF gave up its life with one last packet before it hit. I was directed where to dig out the fiberglass rocket from the farmground. If I hadn't rushed the digging and cracked the nosecone, I would have just had to wipe off the nosecone, put in a new EF, reload, repack and I would'a been able to fly again right then.

If I didn't get that last position before it hit, it would have been totally lost as the entire flight was sight unseen. I had no idea where the rocket went after the straight as an arrow boost. Kurt
 
Ahhhhh, Make sure you ground test to be certain you have sufficient BP to pop it apart. The EggFinders can't really be expected to take a ballistic recovery. How'd I know? Don't ask. Suffice it to say the EF gave up its life with one last packet before it hit. I was directed where to dig out the fiberglass rocket from the farmground. If I hadn't rushed the digging and cracked the nosecone, I would have just had to wipe off the nosecone, put in a new EF, reload, repack and I would'a been able to fly again right then.

If I didn't get that last position before it hit, it would have been totally lost as the entire flight was sight unseen. I had no idea where the rocket went after the straight as an arrow boost. Kurt

I plan on testing this weekend. I did the calculations a while back on my build thread at https://www.rocketryforum.com/showt...-Plus-54mm-Build-Thread&p=1560330#post1560330

Also tested my earlier Quantum.

[video=youtube;eB8vqssPK-w]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB8vqssPK-w[/video]

I'll repeat the test again for primary and backups for the main and drogue. *fingers crossed*
 
At LDRS one of my flying buddies got his L3, he hadn't done a full deployment ground test so we got an extra Quantum and a small 2S battery, taped it to his sled, and tested both ends. That's really one of the nicest features of the Quantum... the remote deployment test is really easy, and much safer than playing with wires.
 
Back
Top