The Cheapest Altimiter

[strudleman]

I have a simple need. Put an altimeter in any of my rockets, just for fun.

I don't want any crazy options or LCD screens. Don't need time or altitude based events. Under 10k ft. Just something to put in my simpler single-engine, single deploy rockets. Something I won't cry over if it blows up or gets lost.

 

[lalligood]

3 cheapest ones I know of are (in no particular order):

1) PICO LO3 altimeter. $60.00 https://www.geocities.com/rdh82000/Picoalt/index.htm

2) Perfectflite Alt15k/WD $69.95 https://www.perfectflite.com/catalog/A15K.html

3) Transolve P6K $58.00 https://www.transolve.com/Transolve/Files/Products/P6-K/P6-K.html

The first two are *very* small & would work in any tube BT-20 & bigger. Light enough for most if not all LPR. They do not have any deployment capabilities either.

Transolve is a kit. You get a bunch of parts & have to solder everything together. Getting a fully assembled altimeter pretty much doubles the price ($115). Transolve altimeter only claims to have 100ft resolution but gives you deployment options. Need at least 1.5" diameter tube for this one. Stick to MPR & HPR with the Transolve.

HTH,

 

[jraice]

I have a perfectflite with deployment capabilities, they are nice because they have a capacitor so it wont turn off with all the vibrations, that is mandatory in dual deploy but in your case it is not, either of the small ones can be easily used in small stuff!

 

[dluders]

I own a PICO altimeter, and they work great! They're small enough to put into an Estes rocket with a BT-18 tube. The N-cell battery is easily found in local stores, and it lasts a long time. The unit flashes the altitude on a small red LED. It's nice and simple; check it out at https://www.geocities.com/rdh82000/Picoalt/ .

 

[dluders]

Apogee Components (the makers of RockSim) makes a 15,000-ft electronic altimeter for $75: https://www.apogeerockets.com/Altimeter.asp . Like the PICO Altimeter, it fits inside an 18mm body tube.

 

[Zack Lau]

How about the $20 Altimeter Project by Rick Weber in the January 2003 Sport Rocketry "made from a pill bottle, latex gove, fishing line,and a rubber band?" Pete Alway even posted a cheaper calibration technique (on RMR?)

 

[KermieD]

Get the PerfectFlite. Seriously. It's $10 more, but you never know when the bug is going to bite you to try a dual deployment launch. Or, if you have the skills, go with the P6. Personally, I'd never get that together without messing it up.

 

[Rocketmaniac]

Originally posted by KermieD
Get the PerfectFlite. Seriously. It's $10 more, but you never know when the bug is going to bite you to try a dual deployment launch.

I thought the Alt15K/WD ($70) was an altimeter with no deployment and the miniAlt/WD ($100) has the deployment?

It still might be worth the extra $$ to get the dual deployment capable version.

 

[Chilly]

What about the Missleworks RRC2? Isn't that supposed to be fairly cheap for dual-deploy capable?

 

[lalligood]

Originally posted by Chilly
What about the Missleworks RRC2? Isn't that supposed to be fairly cheap for dual-deploy capable?

I chose NOT to mention this altimeter in the beginning ONLY because the original question was "what is the cheapest altimeter?" instead of "what is the cheapest altimeter that does DD?" The original poster never mentioned (nor has bothered to follow up) what features he was looking for other than low price.

In the case of that second, unasked question, the Missile Works RRC2 is *definitely* worthy of mention.

 

[prowlerguy]

Originally posted by dluders
Apogee Components (the makers of RockSim) makes a 15,000-ft electronic altimeter for $75: https://www.apogeerockets.com/Altimeter.asp . Like the PICO Altimeter, it fits inside an 18mm body tube.

That is a PerfectFlite 15K (look at the CD logo in interface kits at the bottom of the page).

 

[bsdrocketry]

Transolve has two versions of the P6, both fit a 38mm coupler tube.

Version 1) P6 - fully assembled and tested dual deployment altimeter.

Version 2) P6K - KIT - The same as the P6 but you have to assemble it and it is a few dollars less.

I have built 3 P6K units that worked as advertised. One unit, mine is still working, one was destroyed when the rocket core sampled, and I do not know the status of the third unit.

The P6K was my first altimeter. Assembly took about 30 minutes.

The PICO altimeters are small, light weight and inexpensive. I would certinly give them a try. It can always be used as a secondary altimeter for altitude verification later when you decide to try dual deployment, or you can always sell it to someone else looking for an altimeter.

 

[strudleman]

The original poster never mentioned (nor has bothered to follow up) what features he was looking for other than low price.

Yea, my original post was asking for just the basic basic altimeters. I already have a solution for airstarting and DD, etc. This is mainly for my older rockets (and my sons rockets) that don't require anything fancy, just for the fun of seeing how high it goes.

Thank you for all the help everyone. Nothing around the price range I was looking for($40), but the P6K kit sounds like it would be a lot of fun to put together. I'll definatly look into that.

Thank you everyone!

 

[edwardw]

Originally posted by Chilly
What about the Missleworks RRC2? Isn't that supposed to be fairly cheap for dual-deploy capable?

A little bird told me that the RRC2 will be coming out in a smaller version, possibly 24mm compatible but for sure 29mm compatible.

Edward

 

[GL-P]

A little bird told me that the RRC2 will be coming out in a smaller version, possibly 24mm compatible but for sure 29mm compatible.

DD , single deploy or just reporting? Wahoooo!

 

[edwardw]

It will basically be a RRC2 just smaller. So that it will have Dual Deploy and peak altitude reporting.

Edward