Help with TeleMini

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hi, I'm pretty sure the downlink can be disabled. you'll have to install the client software and double check the configuration, which you want to do anyway so you can download the flight data.

can you find a licensed friend in your rocket club, and get them to help with the downlink data? use their call sign.

meanwhile, get your license! it's a 35 question test, only need 27 correct answers to pass. the question pool is available online, with practice tests. most folks find a few hours of study is enough.
 
How do you download the flight data from a Telemini? There is no connector.
 
The Telemini is small and I know of no other DD board that fits in a BT20 tube.
Too bad they have this designed to ONLY use Ham Radio link to setup and get flight data.

I use Eggtimers and the Quark for small rockets but only fits in a BT55 coupler and larger.
The Quark will do what you need, simple DD. What size is the BT of your rocket.
 
The Telemini is small and I know of no other DD board that fits in a BT20 tube.
Too bad they have this designed to ONLY use Ham Radio link to setup and get flight data.

I use Eggtimers and the Quark for small rockets but only fits in a BT55 coupler and larger.
The Quark will do what you need, simple DD. What size is the BT of your rocket.
I was thinking of bt20. I will wait for it to arrive and see connections there are. I believe a radio link is required but not sure until I get it in my hand.
 
What do you mean? The altimeter has an antenna. Do you mean the ground station?
yea, the altimeter is the tracker and has a transmitter onboard.

If it's a v3 TeleMini you can download and wipe the flight log over the 70cm link. But if you don't have a license you might not want to do that. You can also create your own 'USB to serial' cable and interface directly with the board given it doesn't have a USB connector. From the mailing list.
On one edge of the board (see attached photo), there are 6 holes in a
row, one of which has a square pad, though you really have to squint at
it to see which pad that is. It's the third pad in from one end, and
has 2 round holes on one side and 3 on the other. The side with two is
what you care about... they are the USB plus and minus data lines. 3
connections will do it, GND / D+ / D-.

To actually connect to these holes, the quickest hack is probably to
take some existing USB A to mini or micro B cable, cut the B connector
off, then carefully strip the outer jacket, strip the conductors, twist
and tin their stranded leads, and just stick them into the appropriate
holes. Note that the usual color code for such cables is black for
ground, red for 5V (avoid like the plague getting that near our
boards!), green and white for the data lines. On the cables we buy for
TeleDongle, et al, green is D+ and white is D-, but sadly not everyone
seems to get that right who sells cheap cables. I've never seen anyone
mess up the red and black wires. Fortunately, if you get the data lines
reversed, it won't hurt anything, it just won't work.

It's going to be a bit of a challenge to keep everything making contact
long enough to talk to the board. You might consider finding some
50-mil pitch header pins to solder the wires to so you have a single
thing you're putting in and out of the holes. Or maybe some micro
grabbers on each wire? If you come up with some great solution, please
let me know.

In any case, once you have the USB port wired up, with a battery and
power switch hooked up to the board it should show up as a USB device on
your computer and you should be able to use altosui to configure it just
like any of our other products.

1676506049947.png
 
yea, the altimeter is the tracker and has a transmitter onboard.

If it's a v3 TeleMini you can download and wipe the flight log over the 70cm link. But if you don't have a license you might not want to do that. You can also create your own 'USB to serial' cable and interface directly with the board given it doesn't have a USB connector. From the mailing list.




View attachment 563579


The USB connection worked for me.
Although my hack was using an Adafruit module USB Micro-B Breakout Board ( https://www.adafruit.com/product/1833 ) and some breadboard wires which worked like a charm. 😁
 

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Temporary? Repeatedly soldering and desoldering the connections will destroy the board.
I was not going to solder the connection to the board and use a temporary connection. I have not done it yet, so I need to try it before commenting more. I think this will work for my intentions to deactivate the antenna and use this as a small altimeter for 18 mm rockets.
 
I was not going to solder the connection to the board and use a temporary connection. I have not done it yet, so I need to try it before commenting more. I think this will work for my intentions to deactivate the antenna and use this as a small altimeter for 18 mm rockets.



You might want to consider just selling your extremely valuable TeleMini for $150 and buying an EasyMini for $80, accomplishing exactly what you're trying to do, getting the benefit of a USB connection on the EasyMini, and pocketing $70 in the process. 👍


...because at the moment TeleMini Flight Computers are a scarce commodity.
 
You might want to consider just selling your extremely valuable TeleMini for $150 and buying an EasyMini for $80, accomplishing exactly what you're trying to do, getting the benefit of a USB connection on the EasyMini, and pocketing $70 in the process. 👍


...because at the moment TeleMini Flight Computers are a scarce commodity.
I had the same thought, though the 18 mm application is still important to me. For anything bigger, you are right.
 
@AlexBruccoleri Did you get your issues taken care of? It looks like Bdale has Easy Minis in stock, as does Chris Short, if you prefer to go that route.

Going from memory, I don't believe you can disable the transmitter on the TeleMini, so it will require a HAM license to use (they're easy to get).

If you have more questions, ping me and I'll do what I can to help.

-Kevin
 
@AlexBruccoleri Did you get your issues taken care of? It looks like Bdale has Easy Minis in stock, as does Chris Short, if you prefer to go that route.

Going from memory, I don't believe you can disable the transmitter on the TeleMini, so it will require a HAM license to use (they're easy to get).

If you have more questions, ping me and I'll do what I can to help.

-Kevin


If it's a TeleMini v3 with the latest firmware, I can confirm the config menu does have an Enable/Disable button for telemetry. So if they can access it via USB or with a TeleBT, they can disable the radio.

Although I would advocate getting a HAM License. Model.Rocketry is the whole reason I got mine.. That book, The Ham Whisperer, is the best study guide.
 
@AlexBruccoleri Did you get your issues taken care of? It looks like Bdale has Easy Minis in stock, as does Chris Short, if you prefer to go that route.

Going from memory, I don't believe you can disable the transmitter on the TeleMini, so it will require a HAM license to use (they're easy to get).

If you have more questions, ping me and I'll do what I can to help.

-Kevin
Hi Kevin, Thank you for the reply and offer! I am going to try to connect to the computer via the breakout board. This thread has been very helpful and informative and I am glad I posted. Thank you all for your responses. Cheers, Alex
 
Temporary? Repeatedly soldering and desoldering the connections will destroy the board.
not op but when I did my firmware update I didn't solder the connection. just ran the wires and ensured when I powered it up and had connectivity I didn't mess with it to disturb the link
 
Although I would advocate getting a HAM License. Model.Rocketry is the whole reason I got mine.. That book, The Ham Whisperer, is the best study guide.
While rocketry wasn't the whole reason (I had been interested in getting my license as a young man growing up in Houston, Elmered by W5NNK, Mike Blair, now SK), it was the impetus to finally get my license back in the 90s when Tad, K3TD, held a class for TARA while I was prefect.

My XYL now holds Mike's original callsign, W5NNK. Makes it a lot easier for her to remember, as I'm W5NNH (my great-uncle Dave's original callsign). Evidently, Mike and Uncle Dave both got their first licenses around the same time, Mike in Houston and Dave in Metairie.

@AlexBruccoleri, I'd strongly encourage you to go ahead and get your license. No Morse code requirements and all sorts of neat opportunities open up for you.
 

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