Eggtimer Quark - A $20 Simple Dual Deployment Controller

[cerving]

Thought it was... I'll look at it.

 

[beeblebrox]

I have one of the Quark gizmo's and am using a single cell lipo 3.7v. All bench tests have worked properly using a christmas tree light bulb in place of an igniter. Those light bulbs make a perfect igniter as well and they are dirt cheap, strings of 100 at the dollar store for guess the price...lol... To make an igniter, wrap the bulb with about two wraps of scotch tape. Bust off the tip with needle nose pliers. put a small amount of black powder fffG or ffffG then tape it over with scotch tape, place in your ejection well with whatever additional powder you need for your flight. the bulb will hold enough powder for a BT-50 diameter rocket.

 

[Joe Bruce]

I have two Quarks (Rev C2), one of which I was just testing (again) before Red Glare this weekend, as it is my backup to the Quantum on my first redundant DD rocket (my L2 cert rocket -- hopefully -- a 5.5" LOC Patriot).

Anyway, referring to the Rev B4 manual, my number of continuity beeps are backwards. I get 5 beeps for no Main continuity and 4 beeps for no Drogue continuity, while the manual says the opposite. The channel tests both match -- drogue jumper fires the drogue channel, ditto for main. Though the maiden flight will only be to 1,200 feet and I can live with a main deployment at apogee, I'd rest easier knowing that my channels aren't somehow reversed. ;-)

Thanks for the excellent products, Cris! My first build, a Quantum, has worked flawlessly on my first three DD launches, and the second Quantum has worked fine in ground testing. Real test on Saturday!

 

[Scott_650]

I have one of the Quark gizmo's and am using a single cell lipo 3.7v. All bench tests have worked properly using a christmas tree light bulb in place of an igniter. Those light bulbs make a perfect igniter as well and they are dirt cheap, strings of 100 at the dollar store for guess the price...lol... To make an igniter, wrap the bulb with about two wraps of scotch tape. Bust off the tip with needle nose pliers. put a small amount of black powder fffG or ffffG then tape it over with scotch tape, place in your ejection well with whatever additional powder you need for your flight. the bulb will hold enough powder for a BT-50 diameter rocket.

View attachment 374448

Quick question - are you putting the small amount of BP into what’s left of the glass bulb after the tip is broken off or inside the scotch tape “shell” that’s left after all the glass is removed? Thanks!

 

[cerving]

I have two Quarks (Rev C2), one of which I was just testing (again) before Red Glare this weekend, as it is my backup to the Quantum on my first redundant DD rocket (my L2 cert rocket -- hopefully -- a 5.5" LOC Patriot).

Anyway, referring to the Rev B4 manual, my number of continuity beeps are backwards. I get 5 beeps for no Main continuity and 4 beeps for no Drogue continuity, while the manual says the opposite. The channel tests both match -- drogue jumper fires the drogue channel, ditto for main. Though the maiden flight will only be to 1,200 feet and I can live with a main deployment at apogee, I'd rest easier knowing that my channels aren't somehow reversed. ;-)

Thanks for the excellent products, Cris! My first build, a Quantum, has worked flawlessly on my first three DD launches, and the second Quantum has worked fine in ground testing. Real test on Saturday!

The manual was wrong... the beeps are correct. I updated the manual a few weeks ago.

 

[SolarYellow]

@cerving,

I'm setting up my first Quark. I recall you mentioning somewhere that the Quark can be used with an OpenLog, but neither Google nor the site's search have brought me to that place again.

In "OpenLog-and-Eggfinder-Users-Manual.pdf," it says nothing about the Quark, but does say,

OpenLog VCC Pad ----- FIRST pad on the left on the RF Module
Open Log GND Pad ---- THIRD pad on the left on the RF Module
OpenLog RXD Pad ---- FOURTH pad on the left on the RF Module

In "Eggtimer-Quark-Manual-D3.pdf," it says nothing about the OpenLog, but does say,

Serial Port
Pinout:
GND – Ground (black wire on USB-Serial cable for testing)
3V3- 3.3V power output to Eggtimer Telemetry module (don’t connect anything else here!)
TXD – Transmitted data (white wire on USB-Serial cable for testing)

So I'm figuring I should connect it like this:

OpenLog VCC Pad ----- 3V3- 3.3V power output to Eggtimer Telemetry module (don’t connect anything else here!)
Open Log GND Pad ---- GND – Ground (black wire on USB-Serial cable for testing)
OpenLog RXD Pad ---- TXD – Transmitted data (white wire on USB-Serial cable for testing)

Will that give me a log of my Quark data?

 

[cerving]

Yes, that would work... but then you have to decode the data, it's designed for Eggtimer Telemetry and not for saving and analyzing. You're better off using a Quantum, it saves the in-flight data and you can download the data to a nice CSV-formatted file that you can easily view and graph with Excel or any other program that can import CSV data.

 

[SolarYellow]

OK, makes sense. Will keep Quantum in mind for the future. I have several Quarks, so I'll get up and running with them for now. I have an AltusMetrum microPeak that can ride along and weighs around the same as an OpenLog.

Thanks again.

 

[Highpowerrocketyahoo]

WOW! Cris you are amazing

+1 amazing