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ROCKET
ALTIMETER
Foun.Jhree...two...one..*
JOHN FLEISCHER
program. Small-scale rockets, usually constructed from paper, plastic, and balsa wood, are rou tinely launched with commercially
made solid-fuel motors. Reaching al
titudes between 100 feet and several
by parachute to allow repeated flights and to reduce trie risk of personal injury.
In NAR (National Association of Rocketry contest events, a visual tracking system using
his rocket out-of-sighl. or through the clouds, will receive a "track lost" rating instead of altitude points. Visual tracking, dependent upon weather conditions
and operator skill, can often be difficult, and the sport flyer who wants to know how high his model went will rarely take
the time to set up and operate visual trackers. Our rocket altimeter was developed to help contest and sport rocketeers determine their models* altitude without tracking. his airborne "flight-recorder" is an all-CMOS microcomputer that is coupled to an atmospheric pressure sensor via signal-con
ditioning circuitry. Powered by a 9-volt battery, the unit is small enough to be launched in a D-, E-, or F-motor powered model rocket.
(The letters indicate the relative power of each engine: in alphabetical
order, each engine is twice as powerful as the previous one.) The unit takes a pressure sample every lA second and stores 1000 data values in memory during the flight. The completed system contains two sections: the flight-recorder section that
goes up in the rocket, and an LCD module that's used to display flight data back on the ground. When the rocket returns to Earth, the LCD module is connected to the flight recorder and the peak altitude achieved can be displayed in 50-foot increments, along with a '/i-speed "playback" of the entire flight. Rocketeers now
o o
CD rn
30
37
that a model reaches. The data obtained can then be used to cal
ALUMINUM PLATE
Figure 1 shows the con struction and pinout of the SCX15AN pressure sensor used in the altimeter. The sensor,
manufactured by Sensym (1255 Reamwood Ave.. Sunnyvale, CA 94089), is a low-cost (about $42)
piezoresistive IC in a strain-
gauge bridge configuration. The monolithic circuitry inside the sensor (see Fig. 2) is deposited on a silicon chip that has a cavity
ALUMINUM BASE
PLATE
PRESSURE MEDIA(B)
PRESSURE MEDIA(A)
FIG. 1THE MONOLITHIC CIRCUITRY inside the SCX15AN pressure sensoris deposited on a silicon chipthat has a cavity etchedout to form a diaphragm. A portis on top, anda
vacuum reference cavity is on the bottom. The result is a sensor that measures absolute barometric pressure, which is then converted to altitude.
PIN DTEMPERATURE OUTPUTS) PIN2)VS PIN3)0UTPUT(+)
O)p|N5)0UTPUT(-)
PIN6)TEMPERATURE 0UTPUT(-)
PIN4)GR0UND
BOTTOM VIEW
LM324 op-amp to feed an LM331 voltage-to-frequency (V/F) con verter. At ground level, a signal of
FIG. 2THE SENSOR'S OUTPUT VOLTAGE (V1-V2) ranges from 10-50 mV, and is
proportional to atmospheric pressure.
(with increasing altitude), that frequency also decreases; at 15,000 feet, the signal is about
2.9 kHz. An RCA 1802 micro
data from the frequency input. The entire system is made up from three separate PC boards,
although only two ever leave the ground. The pressure sensor, the
LM324 buffer, the V/F converter,
FIG. 3THEBLOCK DIAGRAM OFTHESYSTEM. The pressure sensor is buffered with an op-amp to feed a voltage-to-frequency (V/F) converter. At ground level, a signal of about
3.7 kHz will be output by the V/F converter; at 15,000 feet, the signal is about 2.9 kHz.
nected to the other two boards
and other support circuitry is lo cated on an "analog" PC board, and the microprocessor and data-logging circuitry are on a
"CPU" board. The two boards are
via a ribbon cable to play back flight information. Figure 4 shows the schematic of the CPU board; it gels its input from the analog board and logs the data every lA second. The circuit consists of the micro
stored. Figure 5 shows the sche matic of the analog board; the
pressure sensor is located on this
converter, which provides the fre quency input for the micro processor. Figure 6 shows the
schematic of the display module board. It is basically made up of the display driver and the display
itself, but also contains the con-
FIG. 4THE SCHEMATIC OF THE CPU BOARD. It logs the data to be read back when the
rocket returns to Earth.
FIG. 5THE ANALOG BOARD outputs a frequency that's proportional to altitude. The sensor (IC1) is located on this board.
ing 1.) The flowchart for the pro gram is shown in Fig. 7. The software handles data logging (the sample LED flashes every '/i second), mode switch input, and LCD interfacing.
39
CPU BOARD
?3|:'4| 1?|I6|15 14 13 12 I1|10 9 8 7I 6 5 4 3 ?I40l 39| 38l 3?| 3f,| 35 34 33J 3?|3l|30l 291 ?8| 27, 26
BPOBPINbl b2 b3 b4 bS b6 b/ b8 b9bl0b11bl2b13b14b1Sb 6b1/b'8b 9b?0b21b22b23b24b25b?CbVb'8b 9b
DATA
L0AD
CLK
MM5483N
J1-2.9 JM <
J1-8o J1-6o
IC1
,& SAMPLE lO' -ASS2 fFPV S3 urn .,,.,.,0^ 15 h|> OFF"ViN J? PLAYBACK 2 5 i ZERO
PEAK MODE
FIG. 6THE DISPLAY MODULE stays on the ground; when the rocket is retrieved, the
data from the CPU board is displayed on this module.
IC44013 dual D-type flip flop IC54520 dual synchronous up counter IC64081 quad 2-input AND gate IC74584 hex Schmitt trigger
INITIALIZE REGISTERS
YhS,
RESET MEMORY POINTER
,YES
J110-pin header
Miscellaneous: 10-conductor ribbon ca
YES
SET-UP DATA
ble, 3 Vi-inch #6 spacers, 3 #6-32 x Vzinch screws and nuts, PC board, IC sockets, wire, solder, etc..
'
DELAY
ANALOG BOARD
<Clas^am7le?^>. YESt
NoT
INCREMENT COUNT
R62000 ohms, '/n-watt, 1%, metal-film R7, R81 megohm, Vs-watt, 1%, metalLCD DISPLAY
film
FIG. 7THE SOFTWARE FOR THE ALTIMETER HANDLES data logging, mode switch
input, and LCD interfacing.
Construction
Three printed-circuit boards are used. The pressure sensor and analog section are combined on a single-sided PC board. The
CPU board is double-sided, as is
Capacitors C1, C54.7 m-F, 16 volts, tantalum C2-C41 ,xF, 25 volts, tantalum
ble-sided boards are not platedthrough, feed-through wires must be used instead. All pads on the top and bottom of the boards must be soldered to the compo
40
i
IC4LM33IN voltage-to-frequency
converter
crystal may be fastened to the board with foam tape or RTV sil
icone cement. IC sockets should
D11N4002 diode
ANALOG BOARD
,
d>
+9V TO
RS ANALOG
port, or you'll damage it. You must test the analog board before attaching it to the CPU board. The display board parts-place ment diagram is shown in Fig.
10. Install the resistors, capaci tors, connector, LED, and IC1.
V# FR0MB1
wire-wrap socket strips above IC1. Space the top of the strips lAinch from the board. Make sure
GROUND FROM J_
ANALOG BOARD-
FIG. 8WHEN ASSEMBLING THE CPU BOARD, the crystal should be fastened to the
SOLDER LEADSr*jVj
BATTERY TERMINALS!
ft
6 / R,8ijsR16
/ W w wTrRTI-o-byr
rich,
ffii.5
if youeverclean the PC board, do not allow any solventor moisture to enterthe sensor
port.
DISPLAY MODULE
PLAYBACK MODE
R11 megohm
R222,000 ohms
R310 ohms
n
^
able. Apply suction to sensor port A (draw a vacuum with your mouth) and verify that the signal
Capacitors
LED1red light-emittingdiode
Q12N4401 NPN transistor
>///,IGf^~ vl
points are designated in the three parts layouts. The 9-volt battery's positive lead connects to the CPU
board, and the 9 volts from the
IC1 MOUNTS
UNDERNEATH DSP1
clear plastic sheet for display window, 40-pin wirewrap socket strip, PC board,
wire, solder, etc..
FIG. 10DISPLAY BOARD parts-place ment diagram. The LCD module is plugged into wire wrap socket strips
above IC1.
CPU board is jumped over to the analog board. Also remember to connect ground, +5 volts, and the analog output between the
two boards. A rocket is a very
Note: The following items are available from Transolve Corporation, 13361 Shady Lane, Chesterland, Ohio 44026 (216) 341-5970: Pressure sen sor, $42; PC board set, $35; complete kit (except case), $135; EPROM only,
$15; machined case and custom
high vibration environment, so the 9-volt battery snap must be taped on, or the leads must be
soldered to the battery. After the
electrical connections are made between the two boards, the ana
EPROM's available on request. For large-scale rocket kits contact North Coast Rocketry, P.O. Box 24468, Mayfield Heights, Ohio 44124. For more information on model rocketry in general, contact the National As sociation of Rocketry, 2140 Colburn Drive, Shakopee, MN 55379.
Follow the analog-board parts layout shown in Fig. 9, and in stall the resistors, jumper wire, diode, and capacitors. Note that C6 must be a film-type capaci tora disc capacitor will cause excessive drift with temperature.
Next install the trimmer potenti ometer and the IC s. Carefully in stall the pressure sensor as
o
o
board as shown in the display- a 03 module parts-placement di m agram. One of the normally open pushbuttons is used to select CO o
CD
41
MICROPROCESSOR
POWER
ON/OFF
cable that goes between the CPU and display boards, and connect the two boards together. Turn the power switch on and open the playback switch. The sample LED on the CPU and dis
displayed. Adjust Rl on the ana log board for a reading of 100 feet,
then 50 feet, and the unit will
ANALOG BOARD
LISTING 1
000000 000010
000020 000030 000040 000050
cO 00 f8 20 f8 02 34 f8
c5 b5 55
fa
f8
bl el a3
00
000060
000070 000080
000090
OOOOaO OOOObO OOOOcO OOOOdO OOOOeO OOOOfO 000100 000110 000120 000130 000140
fb 06 3a la a9 b9 19 99 5f 34 61 14 00 3a 6c cO 73 73 51 c4 f8 05 51 30 bb f8 00 00 73 01 3a 85 cO 01 cO c4
ea
a2 e5 e3 65 7b f8 fb a3 7a fb 10 3a 52 3c 63 f8 00 01 Oe f8 05 c4 f8 05 al
7a
f8 82
b3 06
f4
f8 a5
fa
f8
a3 7a e3 02 al f8 02 f2 32 7a 05 fe e3 65 7b cO 00 db
a5 al f8 05 f8 20 32 90 32 f4 a7 al 51
65
7b b2 f8 3a
7a
7b
7a a2
00
31
55
f8 fb
27
fO a3
11
7a f8 b5 bl
f8
65 65 00 a4
cO el 01
30 81 f8 00 b4 3c 85 fb
bb
01
73
fb
09
03
00 c4
45 f2
c4
cO 01
60 b4 da
86
fc
96
00 df 84 af 8e 84
32
c4 96 26
a4 c4
be 2e
cO cO 66 b6 be eO cO 00 76 f8 c4 c4 c4 c4 86 ae 9f 3a 30 26 9e 3a
05 f8 00 a4 b5 94 3a 3a 56 30 5e 5d Id 30 le 3a 80 30 aO c4 c4 c4 c4
21 01 fb 09 32 bb f8 00 c4 c4 01 07
fb 32
f8
01 09 af 01
b6
f8 01
f8 f4
24
f8 00 73 00 51 30 95 01 f4 51 30 51 30 bb f8 3a 85 84 20 ad bd cO e7 37 e4 36 78 c4 c4 c4
02 20 c4 94
a6
c4
c4 01
fe 00 c4
000150
000160 000170
a6 cO 01 f8 00 a5 f8 70 24 25 95 94 5d Id 84 19
c4
aO
000180
000190 OOOlaO OOOlbO OOOlcO OOOldO OOOleO OOOlfO
99
c4
fb c4
97 fb 03 30 ac c4 c4 f8 20 a5 b5 c4 cO 00 db c4 c4 c4 c4
c4 c4
30 c4 3a
2c 3c 8e 32 3e b4 3c 49 34 61 84 fb 01 c4 c4 c4 c4 4d b4 4d a4 c4 c4 c4 c4 c4 c4 c4 c4
3a c4 f8 c4 af c4 01
b7 f8 c4 c4 35 00 cO 01 e6 00 01 a7 b7 f8 c4 c4 c4 8f 32 36
00 c4
ad c4 bd
c4 cO
bf
94
2f 9e 3a 33 30 42 94 b6 4b 14 3c 4d
3a c4 f8 61 cO c4 01
c4
00
c4 c4
a9 c4 c4 c4 c4
c4 b9 c4
c4
c4
c4
c4
87 fb c4 c4 c4 f8 00 55 c4 c4 c4 c4 c4 c4 c4 c4 c4
af
fO c4 15
2d 2d c4 C4 55 c4 c4
c4 15 c4 c4
cO 00 76 17 c4 c4 c4 c4 95
c4 c4 fb c4 c4
c4 c4
c4
c4
c4
c4 c4
c4
28 3a c4 c4
c4 c4 c4
-
c4
c4
c4
c4
000200
o
z
o rr h-
O
LU
6'/4 INCHES -
42
In that case, simply adjust the value of R16 on the analog board: increase it by IK to decrease the reading by 1000 feet, or decrease it by IK to increase the reading by
1000 feet. Note that the potenti
J^l^MtedJrO^
prevent oscillation (rosin flux won't hurt). Touching pins 1 or 39 of the microprocessor can cause the program to crash! Spraying the crystal area with clear lacquer is recommended, lb reset the program, turn the power off for 5 seconds, then turn it back on. Removing the battery power will erase data. Switching the playback switch to off will resume data logging at whatever sample was last dis played. The unit must be reset
(turn off for 5 seconds, then on)
r.
Lz"EBBB
olo 0000000009066 pjo 6-o
0 00 0
in
-H
K*"
37* INCHES-
45
EEtrnnics LTlTDD[JDD^/'a
safety precautions in order to avoid unnecessary injury or property damage. First of all, al
ways use properly constructed
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including the time on launch pad. When you recover the rock et, plug in the display, press the peak button, and the peak altitude achieved will be displayed.
Next, switch the playback tog gle to the closed position. Press
the zero button (hold it for two sample LED flashes) and release.
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ple per second). The flight can be played back as many times as de sired by pushing zero. The zero
Conclusion
The collected data may be used to determine the performance of a model rocket. Many modelers are flying high-performance com
posite motors in their "birds" al
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timeter can help optimize rocket designs to get maximum altitude for a given engine size. Non-rocket uses of the system
might include kites, hot-air bal