FlightSketch Products for 2020

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Scott_650 said:
...The size/mass of the Mini is amazing but I do have a question - what’s the best option for use when NOT mounted on a sled? My first thought is a small sleeve made of an open weave synthetic fabric. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

In one of the other FS Mini threads is a picture or two of the little fleece pouch my wife made for me (intended for FireFlys). The FS Mini, being narrower, fits in one easily. These were inspired by the little protector that DinoChutes made for AltimeterOne/Two/Three. I see they now also have pouches for FireFly and Pnut.

I wouldn’t do open weave....you want to protect the thing from ejection gases if you’re hanging it in with the parachute and such. It only needs a VERY tiny bit of air passage to do its thing - look at the size of the opening on the pressure sensor.

In a dedicated payload section I just use thin sheet foam or even recovery wadding to sort of cushion small altimeters - using enough to keep it from rattling around but not so much as to choke it from the static ports.
 
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manixFan said:
Just as an aside, in my experience combined units really don't work that well. Trackers really belong in the nosecone, A/V bays, not so much.
Click to expand...
I see your point, and Russ's, although I was well satisfied with my Telemetrum, which does both dual deploy and GPS. Biggest advantage is that only one battery is needed.
 
I like the idea of keeping deployment and tracking functions on separate devices.
Tracker mounting in the nose and deployment control in an AV bay.
 
These all seem like they're going to be fantastic. I do have one request though. If possible, could you make the mounting holes symmetric for the Sport deployment altimeter? To save space, I like to mount redundant altimeters on opposite sides of the sled from one another and reuse the same holes. I've included pictures of a stratologger mounting setup to show what I'm talking about.
IMG_20191204_182246[1].jpg
IMG_20191204_182304[1].jpg
 
What I would most like to see in terms of a new product would be an improvement on the Jolly Logic Chute Release. Smaller and thinner to fit in a BT-50. Lighter. USB connection to set the altitude to exactly what you want. Cheaper - We own the Jolly Logic unit, but are afraid to fly it in high altitude rockets for risk of losing it and being out $130. Seems ironic since wasn't high altitude what it was intended for?
 
Bruce said:
What I would most like to see in terms of a new product would be an improvement on the Jolly Logic Chute Release. Smaller and thinner to fit in a BT-50.
Click to expand...
+1, that would be so cool.
 
How is everyone attaching their Minis to the rocket? Received my 2 new Minis today and they both connected to my Galaxy S9+ with no problem, but they did not come with the little pouch like my original one did. Are you making your own pouches or just using them with no pouch?
 
billdz said:
Are you making your own pouches or just using them with no pouch?
Click to expand...

In non payload bay flights I’ve been wrapping them in a square of wadding with some masking tape. It’s fast and can’t beat the price.

6405D5E1-AB24-4FD8-9835-7C728A07A9F1.jpeg
 
billdz said:
How is everyone attaching their Minis to the rocket? Received my 2 new Minis today and they both connected to my Galaxy S9+ with no problem, but they did not come with the little pouch like my original one did. Are you making your own pouches or just using them with no pouch?
Click to expand...

3D printed cases. :)
 
I flew a mini in a TARC rocket on Saturday. When we recovered the rocket, I started downloading the data while we were walking back to the launchpad to open up the nosecone and release the altimeter. At about 87% downloaded, the mini stopped communicating. When we got the nosecone off I found the mini non-responsive. I then checked my 2nd altimiter, still in my field box and that one also was non-responsive. It was about 33 F out at the time. Could this be temperature related. I'm going to check the batteries, but this was the mini's maiden flight. I hope to use it a lot more.
 
Hopefully Russ will weigh in.

On the one that stopped downloading (well, both of them, actually) try pulling the battery tray out, waiting a moment or two, and then putting it back in. That will reset the processor. Generally you’ll get the solid LED indication that it’s turned on when you put the tray back in. The data you got today will still be aboard the Mini you flew until you command it to arm for launch again.

On the Android app I’ve had a couple occasions where the download stopped just short of completion but the signal strength indication on the app showed it was still connected. Just tapping download a second time gets it to start over and go to completion. It is possible the iOS app does this as well, but I haven’t seen it happen there.

Also, the LED indication on these isn’t as clear as to what’s going on as with some other devices. There’s the solid LED when powered up, the one flash every four seconds when its armed for flight and the group of quick flashes after holding the power switch for three seconds that indicates it’s turning off. There is no visual indication on the altimeter itself when it’s on but not armed for flight. I have a couple of times discovered one of these was on when I thought it wasn’t by simply opening the app nearby and letting it scan. You may find that the one you didn’t fly was/is on. If it is, a quick poke of the button to turn it on doesn’t do anything.

I know Russ has flown these in colder conditions that that—there are some flights on the online log showing sensor temperatures in the 20s, so I don’t think it’s necessarily just being cold-sensitive. But he will have to tell us what the limits actually are.
 
Thanks, @BEC ! I did pull the battery on site, but I'll do that again this morning on both. It was indeed strange as I was walking next to the rocket being carried, so I was definitely in range.

Good to know the data will remain. This is early in the TARC season, but I was hoping to really put these through their paces to get proficient at working with the data they collect.

The others were please to see a mini in the wild. When I get these figured out, I'll likely keep Flightsketch products (included the models coming out next year) in my kit.
 
It's possible it could be temperature related. The battery voltage will drop with temperature and eventually it will not be enough to power the system. As noted above, I have flown them down to about 20F but that was not an all day launch. The altimeters were in a payload bay and only left the car for about an hour so they may not have actually gotten that cold. If you reset by removing & reinstalling the battery when warm they should wake up. Also, verify you are seeing ~2.7-2.8 V at room temp. If they were turned on accidentally either in shipping or in the box a low state of charge will make the matter worse.

Also remember that you can only connect with one device at a time. I have connected with a tablet and then was unable to find it with my phone until I realized the other app was running in the background. Even if you power it off and back on it will try to reconnect to the first device and may seem like it can't connect.

Let me know if that helps. Family is in town now but I will try to get back to you when I can.

Russ
 
gtg738w said:
It's possible it could be temperature related. The battery voltage will drop with temperature and eventually it will not be enough to power the system. As noted above, I have flown them down to about 20F but that was not an all day launch. The altimeters were in a payload bay and only left the car for about an hour so they may not have actually gotten that cold. If you reset by removing & reinstalling the battery when warm they should wake up. Also, verify you are seeing ~2.7-2.8 V at room temp. If they were turned on accidentally either in shipping or in the box a low state of charge will make the matter worse.

Also remember that you can only connect with one device at a time. I have connected with a tablet and then was unable to find it with my phone until I realized the other app was running in the background. Even if you power it off and back on it will try to reconnect to the first device and may seem like it can't connect.

Let me know if that helps. Family is in town now but I will try to get back to you when I can.

Russ
Click to expand...
Thanks! I reseated the batter in both after about a day back in the house so the temp was surely ok, but neither booted. I'm thinking the batteries died and the minis were likely accidentally left on. The 2nd altimeter was in a baggie in a closed, sealed toolbox. I wouldn't think that it would have gotten too cold. Actually, the one that flew was reading a chip temp in the 40s before it flew. I made not that it was staying a bit warmer than the conditions outside. I looked for replacement 1225 batteries at Kroger, but they didn't have them. I'll look for them again today and, when I do, I'll post here whether they came back to life.
 
Be aware that coin cell batteries are widely and expertly counterfeited. Pretty much everything on eBay and Amazon will be fake. If you check the voltage it’s usually spot on at 3 or 3.3V, but the cheap batteries will either be very old stock, manufactured with a much lower capacity, or some other nefarious trick. Buy only from a reputable source and expect to pay a fair non-discount price. Sources like Digikey, Afafruit, or even your local hardware store will have the genuine article. Adafruit and Digikey have the best prices but unless you buy in bulk the shipping is a killer.

do your homework with this product. Google “counterfeit coin cell batteries”, see what EBay says about them, and if you bought batteries already that were an unbelievable price, google the brand+counterfeit+battery. You’ll often get a link from the manufacturer showing subtle markings or packaging differences that can help distinguish their real batteries from fake ones.
 
Zeke Johnson said:
Is anyone aware of a Dual Event device similar in size to the FlightSketch Sport? The specs claim the dimensions are 0.6" x 2.0".

Their Web Site sates the unit is coming in 2019. Unfortunately, it does not appear to be available yet.

https://flightsketch.com/store/catalog/flightsketch-sport_227/

A dual deployment device the size of the FS Sport would be awesome.
Click to expand...

Sorry, that was a typo. It should have said 2020 like the other two. We're flying the Sport now and very close to releasing to some external beta testers. I was hoping to get some resolution on the TRA switch issue before that but it looks like we will just be proceeding at risk based on the most recent discussion. Hopefully more info soon.

Russ
 
  1. Got some pictures to show us of the sport? Love to see some video of it in action!
 

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