Help please, Eggtimer Quantum will not arm

[billdz]

My Quantum has been very reliable but today something went wrong. I have it configured with drogue channel off, main channel to deploy at nose over. In test mode the Quantum fires as it should. But in deployment mode, the Quantum will not arm. I have punched in the code numerous times, I've tried rebooting, no success. Am I doing something wrong or is there a problem with the Quantum? Any fix?
Thanks for any info,
Bill

 

[SpaceX76]

Have you tried clearing the flight data your memory could be full

 

[billdz]

Have you tried clearing the flight data your memory could be full

Thanks, I'll try that. I see how to download the data, how do I clear or delete it?

 

[Landon]

My Quantum has been very reliable but today something went wrong. I have it configured with drogue channel off, main channel to deploy at nose over. In test mode the Quantum fires as it should. But in deployment mode, the Quantum will not arm. I have punched in the code numerous times, I've tried rebooting, no success. Am I doing something wrong or is there a problem with the Quantum? Any fix?
Thanks for any info,
Bill

If it shows a red "off", the channel is still on, but it doesn't have continuity. Have you turned the channel off in the Drogue settings?

 

[Voyager1]

If it shows a red "off", the channel is still on, but it doesn't have continuity. Have you turned the channel off in the Drogue settings?

+1

 

[billdz]

If it shows a red "off", the channel is still on, but it doesn't have continuity. Have you turned the channel off in the Drogue settings?

I don't think the channel can be turned off. The only options in Drogue settings is the length of the delay. From page 48 of the manual:
"Drogue Settings
Click on Change link next to Drogue settings to change
0.1-9.0 secs by 0.1 secs, 3.0 – 9.0 secs by 1.0 secs"
If the Quantum is not supposed to arm if there is no continuity on the drogue channel, that would explain my problem. But the odd thing is that I have used this Quantum before with the same settings and it has always armed without any issue.

 

[billdz]

I don't think the channel can be turned off. The only options in Drogue settings is the length of the delay. From page 48 of the manual:
"Drogue Settings
Click on Change link next to Drogue settings to change
0.1-9.0 secs by 0.1 secs, 3.0 – 9.0 secs by 1.0 secs"
If the Quantum is not supposed to arm if there is no continuity on the drogue channel, that would explain my problem. But the odd thing is that I have used this Quantum before with the same settings and it has always armed without any issue.

On further review, page 6 of the manual says:
"Drogue Deployment (DROG) - Two solder pads for connecting an electric match or other deployment device such as a hot-wire or a servo. This normally triggers right after nose-over, but you can delay it from 100 ms to 9 seconds for backup use. You can also turn it off if you're not going to use it."
But how to turn it off?
Page 15 says:
"◦ Silver – Status does not affect arming (channel turned off, for example)
◦ Aqua - Good deployment status, i.e. channel is enabled and you have continuity
◦ Red – No continuity on enabled channel, arming not possible"
I have red and it should be silver.

 

[Voyager1]

I don't think the channel can be turned off. The only options in Drogue settings is the length of the delay. From page 48 of the manual:
"Drogue Settings
Click on Change link next to Drogue settings to change
0.1-9.0 secs by 0.1 secs, 3.0 – 9.0 secs by 1.0 secs"
If the Quantum is not supposed to arm if there is no continuity on the drogue channel, that would explain my problem. But the odd thing is that I have used this Quantum before with the same settings and it has always armed without any issue.

Yes, you can turn the drogue channel OFF. That's the first option in the drogue drop down list above 0 delay.

Something else you might check out is whether there is any residual solder flux around the output connections. Flux can exhibit some finite resistance and cause an error in the continuity sensing.

 

[billdz]

Yes, you can turn the drogue channel OFF. That's the first option in the drogue drop down list.

I see that on your photo and on page 20 of the manual. But I do not have that window in Drogue settings, I just have the Delay window (see attached). Is this a software glitch or what?

 

[Voyager1]

I see that on your photo and on page 20 of the manual. But I do not have that window in Drogue settings, I just have the Delay window (see attached). Is this a software glitch or what?

View attachment 480424

Are you able to take a screen shot with the full drop down list exposed?
It might be time to contact Cris.

 

[billdz]

Are you able to take a screen shot with the full drop down list exposed?

The screen shot in my previous post shows all that is on my Drogue settings page. I'm not seeing the "OFF, 100, 200, 300" drop down box at all.

 

[billdz]

I tried with a different phone, same result. Since the Quantum always worked in the past, I'm guessing that I had the Drogue channel turned off and that whatever caused the "OFF, 100, 200, 300" drop down box to disappear also caused the channel to be turned on.

What could be going on?

 

[Charles_McG]

Can you re-flash?

 

[billdz]

Can you re-flash?

How is that done?

 

[Troy3003]

On mine I believe you open the drop down box by clicking on the delay and then scroll up until you see the off setting. Its kind of hidden until you scroll one way or the other all the way.

 

[Charles_McG]

You need the USB cable - and might need the drivers. Then you download the firmware. Unzip it. Edit the .BAT file to match the COM# that the USB cable likes to register as. Hook up the cable - make sure the pins are correct. put a shorting jumper across the PGM pins - I like metal tweezers, but a bent paper clip works. Power up. run the .bat (from the CMD window). Watch the pretty progress dots. When done, disconnect, open the PGM jumper, and power cycle. Full instructions on eggtimer.

 

[Zbench]

A simplistic thought, but have you tested the ematch to see if it’s good? Tried putting a small loop of wire across the deployment channels? If a small piece of copper shows no continuity, then something in the device. If it does, then some issue about what’s attached to it. Something to consider.

 

[cerving]

Click on the tick mark in the drop-down box, scroll UP and "OFF" is the very first choice (BEFORE "0"). What software version are you running?

 

[Dan Griffing]

On further review, page 6 of the manual says:
"Drogue Deployment (DROG) - Two solder pads for connecting an electric match or other deployment device such as a hot-wire or a servo. This normally triggers right after nose-over, but you can delay it from 100 ms to 9 seconds for backup use. You can also turn it off if you're not going to use it."
But how to turn it off?
Page 15 says:
"◦ Silver – Status does not affect arming (channel turned off, for example)
◦ Aqua - Good deployment status, i.e. channel is enabled and you have continuity
◦ Red – No continuity on enabled channel, arming not possible"
I have red and it should be silver.

When that happened to me it turned out that there was a loose connection to the drogue igniter. Verify with an ohm reading on a multimeter at the Quantum drogue terminals.

 

[billdz]

Click on the tick mark in the drop-down box, scroll UP and "OFF" is the very first choice (BEFORE "0"). What software version are you running?

Thank you Cris! I did as Cris instructed and found the OFF by scrolling up, now the Quantum will arm as it should.

Still not sure why I'm not seeing the "OFF, 100, 200, 300" drop down box, is that from a different software version? Mine is B4119 1.06N.

 

[cerving]

"OFF" has been an option since version 1.01... for both channels.

 

[billdz]

"OFF" has been an option since version 1.01... for both channels.

Roger. Guess it doesn't really matter, but why am I not seeing the "OFF, 100, 200, 300" drop down box at the bottom of the Drogue settings page. Is that perhaps something added in a later version?

 

[cerving]

The Drogue setting is "time after nose-over", not "feet". You're confusing the Main chute setting ("feet AGL") with the Drogue settings. Both of them can be set to "OFF" by scrolling up... it's the very first option.

 

[billdz]

The Drogue setting is "time after nose-over", not "feet". You're confusing the Main chute setting ("feet AGL") with the Drogue settings. Both of them can be set to "OFF" by scrolling up... it's the very first option.

Thanks very much, Cris, but I do not think you are following my question. In both the screen shot posted by Voyager1 above in post 8, and on page 20 of the manual, the Drogue settings page (not the Main chute settings), there is an "OFF, 100, 200, 300" drop down box, like this:

I am not seeing the red-circled box, just the Drogue delay box on top:


It does not seem to be important, but is there some reason why I am not seeing the "OFF, 100, 200, 300" drop down box on my phone. Is that because this box is only on a different version?

 

[cerving]

Did you click on the down "tick mark" on the setting, next to "0 sec"? That's what displays the drop-down box.

The screen shot was a VERY early version, with the settings in ms instead of seconds... so "100" was 100 ms, or 0.1 seconds. We changed that in like the second release so it was more intuitive. We'll change it in the next version of the docs.

 

[Sandy H.]

Thanks very much, Cris, but I do not think you are following my question. In both the screen shot posted by Voyager1 above in post 8, and on page 20 of the manual, the Drogue settings page (not the Main chute settings), there is an "OFF, 100, 200, 300" drop down box, like this:
View attachment 480488
I am not seeing the red-circled box, just the Drogue delay box on top:
View attachment 480489

It does not seem to be important, but is there some reason why I am not seeing the "OFF, 100, 200, 300" drop down box on my phone. Is that because this box is only on a different version?

Can you screen-shot what happens when you click on the drop-down to display the other options?

Sandy.

 

[Sandy H.]

Second duplicate post in 2 days. Not sure if its the forum or just me. Sorry either way.

 

[Troy3003]

Thank you Cris! I did as Cris instructed and found the OFF by scrolling up, now the Quantum will arm as it should.

Still not sure why I'm not seeing the "OFF, 100, 200, 300" drop down box, is that from a different software version? Mine is B4119 1.06N.

Your welcome as well- post 15 lol

 

[billdz]

Your welcome as well- post 15 lol

Wow, Troy, you are right, somehow I missed your post, thanks to you and to all others who replied and tried to help. I'm just so happy the problem was fixed without re-flashing or other complications.

 

[billdz]

Can you screen-shot what happens when you click on the drop-down to display the other options?

Sandy.