Smallest altimeter?

[TRFfan]

What is the smallest commercial altimeter out there?

 

[markkoelsch]

Reading only or also capable of deployment control.

 

[TRFfan]

Reading only or also capable of deployment control.

Reading.

 

[jd2cylman]

https://rocketsetc.com/altimeter-comparison/
https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?121323-Altimeters-Comparison-guide

 

[TRFfan]

Thanks!

 

[ksaves2]

Smallest DD altimeter there was, was the PicoAlt AD4. It wasn't for the faint of heart to setup and unfortunately I believe is out of production. Kurt

 

[dhbarr]

Current smallest DD is the Bear AltiDuo SMT AFAICT.

 

[rharshberger]

OP has stated "Reading" not "DD".

 

[dave carver]

What's the size and altitude capability of the Estes version?

 

[rharshberger]

What's the size and altitude capability of the Estes version?

Bad and worse....

The Estes is 12g, but an number of people I have associated with have had issues getting them to read, something about issues with launch detection. An Jolly Logic Alt3 weighs 10g and is much more reliable. The Adrel Alt-Bmp is the current smallest reading altimeter at 1g a tie with the PicoAlt PICO-P1.

 

[dhbarr]

Bad and worse....

The Estes is 12g, but an number of people I have associated with have had issues getting them to read, something about issues with launch detection. An Jolly Logic Alt3 weighs 10g and is much more reliable. The Adrel Alt-Bmp is the current smallest reading altimeter at 1g a tie with the PicoAlt PICO-P1.

And someone in the US is supposed to start carrying the Adrel, but I can't for the life of me remember who.

 

[Todderbert]

If you only need 18mm fit, the firefly is great, onboard lithium battery and weighs in at 3grams total. The others are smaller but you have to add a battery, looks like lipos, not sure if you can fit a lithium cell holder to them.

 

[Nytrunner]

If you hold out for a few months, you can order the Altimeter 4 by Jolly Logic. Size of your thumb and a mass of ~ 1g I believe?

When a club member gave me an Alt 2, I was going to get an Alt 3 in the near future, but now I can be patient!

 

[BEC]

In this order from smallest currently on the market: Adrel Alt-BMP, Altus Metrum microPeak, PerfectFlite FireFly. The Adrels are currently only available from the maker in Poland (though I have also heard there will be a US dealer identity TBD). The microPeak is also a recording altimeter - 45 seconds of data, which is enough for the up part for most flights along with at least a portion of the down. Then the FireFly....which is inexpensive and fairly easy to find.

Both the microPeak and the FireFly use a small lithium coin cell - in fact they both use the same one. The Adrel requires a separate small li-poly cell (which Adrel also has available) and a means to charge it (also available from Adrel, among others). A separate interface is required to download the data from the microPeak. Versions of the interface software are available for Windows, Mac OS and Linux. The microPeak's LED is much easier to see in the sun.

Here is a quick iPhone picture of FF and mP. I don't have an example of the current Adrel device, just older ones. They are about 2/3 the size of the microPeak not counting the separate li-poly cell.

I am looking forward to AltimeterFour, which is gong to be certainly in the same size class but have some clever features I am sure.

 

[Micromeister]

The Alt-LED & Alt-BMP from Adrel are by far the smallest read only altimeter out there. I don't have the Alt-BMP which is slightly smaller then the Alt-LED shown below is the one ALL the international team member now use. the Alt-LED easily fits in a T4 (.448") Body tube. and is powered by the smallest 3.7v 20mah Lipo package i've seen. The Newer Alt-BMP is smaller yet using the same Lipo package.

 

[Todderbert]

Wanted to add I like the price of the Firefly at $25.00, if he needs an 18mm Alti. Though that Micro Peak is cool. Too bad its twice the price.

 

[BEC]

Well, if "by far the smallest", John means "fits in the smallest diameter tube" I'll give him that. I'll let these two images speak for themselves. Same two devices I showed in my prior post plus an Adrel Alt-LED and a 20 mAh Full River LiPoly cell as supplied by Adrel. This time I am showing both sides of all three devices.

As pictured the Alt-LED plus its LiPoly cell and wiring weigh 2.0g. The microPeak is 1.8g and the FireFly is 3.4g. So the microPeak is the lightest ready to fly.

Though that Micro Peak is cool. Too bad its twice the price.

The MicroPeak is now $30 (price was reduced some months ago) so is not that much more than the FireFly. https://shop.gag.com/altimeters/micropeak.html

 

[Gus]

Top to bottom:

Adrel Alt-BMP
Adrel Alt-USB
Micropeak
Perfectflite Firefly
Perfectflite Pnut (older version)
Perfectflite Pnut (newer version)
Jolly Logic Altimeter Two
Jolly Logic Altimeter Three
Perfectflite Alt 15K (newer version)

 

[dhbarr]

Top to bottom:

Adrel Alt-BMP
Adrel Alt-USB
Perfectflite Firefly
MicroPeak
Perfectflite Pnut (older version)
Perfectflite Pnut (newer version)
Jolly Logic Altimeter Two
Jolly Logic Altimeter Three
Perfectflite Alt 15K (newer version)

Firefly & MicroPeak are backwards?

 

[John Beans]

Details I shared at NARCON:

1. AltimeterFour can fit in a 10mm tube. About 1 gram.
2. It has a built-in rechargeable battery.
3. It is fully enclosed, and can be flown in rockets without a payload section.
4. It can do full flight analysis (it has both a barometric pressure sensor as well as a 100G 3-axis accelerometer), so it can perform the same flight analyses as AltimeterTwo and AltimeterThree.
5. It's designed to be as easy to use as our other altimeters.

No set release date yet. "This year."

 

[Leo]

John, that will be an amazing altimeter!

 

[dhbarr]

Details I shared at NARCON:

1. AltimeterFour can fit in a 10mm tube. About 1 gram.
2. It has a built-in rechargeable battery.
3. It is fully enclosed, and can be flown in rockets without a payload section.
4. It can do full flight analysis (it has both a barometric pressure sensor as well as a 100G 3-axis accelerometer), so it can perform the same flight analyses as AltimeterTwo and AltimeterThree.
5. It's designed to be as easy to use as our other altimeters.

No set release date yet. "This year."

View attachment 314612

My prediction: released right after my last flight of the season, so it stares at me all winter. Curse your beautiful products! ^_^

 

[BEC]

Firefly & MicroPeak are backwards?

Sure looks like it to me.....

That Adrel BMP is tiny....now the LiPoly cell is what sizes the tube it fits in.


Wow, John - AltimeterFour sounds like it will be amazing. And at 1g with power it will be the lightest of the bunch at about 60% of the microPeak.

 

[dhbarr]

Details I shared at NARCON:

1. AltimeterFour can fit in a 10mm tube. About 1 gram.
2. It has a built-in rechargeable battery.
3. It is fully enclosed, and can be flown in rockets without a payload section.
4. It can do full flight analysis (it has both a barometric pressure sensor as well as a 100G 3-axis accelerometer), so it can perform the same flight analyses as AltimeterTwo and AltimeterThree.
5. It's designed to be as easy to use as our other altimeters.

No set release date yet. "This year."

View attachment 314612

Can I order my Christmas present yet?

 

[John Beans]

Can I order my Christmas present yet?

No, sorry. Soon.

 

[snrkl]

Details I shared at NARCON:

1. AltimeterFour can fit in a 10mm tube. About 1 gram.
2. It has a built-in rechargeable battery.
3. It is fully enclosed, and can be flown in rockets without a payload section.
4. It can do full flight analysis (it has both a barometric pressure sensor as well as a 100G 3-axis accelerometer), so it can perform the same flight analyses as AltimeterTwo and AltimeterThree.
5. It's designed to be as easy to use as our other altimeters.

No set release date yet. "This year."

View attachment 314612

Damn you John... shuddupAndTakeMyMoneyAlready!! 😜

Being that small, I'm worried I would lose it!!!

 

[blackbrandt]

Details I shared at NARCON:

1. AltimeterFour can fit in a 10mm tube. About 1 gram.
2. It has a built-in rechargeable battery.
3. It is fully enclosed, and can be flown in rockets without a payload section.
4. It can do full flight analysis (it has both a barometric pressure sensor as well as a 100G 3-axis accelerometer), so it can perform the same flight analyses as AltimeterTwo and AltimeterThree.
5. It's designed to be as easy to use as our other altimeters.

No set release date yet. "This year."

View attachment 314612

At the rate this is going, the AltimeterFive will be the size of a grain of rice and put itself in the rocket for you....

 

[dhbarr]

Altimeter Six will just be a bag of powder you waft at your bird ^_^

 

[TNmike]

John, any hint as to the price of the AltimeterFour? Sounds like it's going to be an awesome product.

 

[John Beans]

John, any hint as to the price of the AltimeterFour? Sounds like it's going to be an awesome product.

AltimeterFour comes in two pieces. The tiny part you fly—and might lose or break—will be our least expensive. The overall price isn't set yet.