Eggfinder TXLog OpenLog Adapter Board Assembly Instructions

Transcription

1 Eggfinder TXLog OpenLog Adapter Board Assembly Instructions The TXLog board allows you to connect a standard OpenLog datalogging module to your Eggfinder TX transmitter, so you can save the NMEA GPS data feed to a micro SD (usd) card. You can use programs such as Google Maps to create a 3D map of your rocket s track, and you can also use the raw NMEA data with a spreadsheet to create a flight profile graph. It will fit any B6/B7 revision Eggfinder TX board. (Sorry, it won t fit the earlier Eggfinder TX B4d board for options attaching an OpenLog to that board, or the Eggtimer TRS, see the Eggfinder and OpenLog User s Guide, available on the Eggtimer Rocketry web site). Our thanks to Bill Riley for developing the TXLog board we ve been playing with OpenLog s for awhile, but we never thought of making an adapter board. TXLog Parts List TXLog PC Board 2-pin right-angle header Spacer /37 No-Clean Solder Not Included, but Required: OpenLog Datalogger Module 6-pin header (usually included with OpenLog module) TXLog kit with OpenLog Module & 6-pin header (non-included)

2 Assembly Instructions Like any electronics kit, you ll need a few tools: Soldering iron, 15W or smaller recommended Needle nose piers Small diagonal cutting pliers Paper masking tape Now that we got everything together, time to heat up the soldering iron and get to work _ Set the PC board over the 6-pin header, over the long side of the pins. Push it down against a table so that the plastic part of the header is flush with the bottom of the pins. _ Solder the 6-pin header from the TOP of the board. Solder only one pin, make sure that the header is square with the board and that the plastic part of the header is flush with the bottom of the board, then solder the remaining pins. _ Insert the 2-pin header through the top of the board, turn it over, and solder the pins to the bottom of the board. _ Remove the shorting jumper from your Eggfinder TX transmitter and set it aside. If you ve wirewrapped or otherwise jumpered the RUN pins, remove whatever wire/jumper you installed. _ Place the TXLog board over the header pins on the Eggfinder TX. It s designed to fit right over them, if you soldered them square. If you got one or more of the headers a little askew, you may have to bend the header on the Eggfinder TX board a little to get the TXLog board to fit. _ Check the fit to make sure that the TXLog board is all the way down, i.e. all the plastic part of the headers are flush with the bottom of the TXLog board and the top of the Eggfinder TX board. You may want to tape the TXLog board down temporarily for the next steps (soldering it to the headers).

3 _ Solder the TXLog board to the 2-pin RUN header. _ Using just enough solder to fill the holes, solder the 2-pin PGM header to the TXLog board. You do NOT want a fillet of solder sticking up from the hole, since you will still need to be able to attach a jumper to these pins to program the Eggfinder TX. _ Using just enough solder to fill the holes, solder the 3-pin header to the TXLog board. You do NOT want a fillet of solder sticking up from the hole, since you will still need to be able to attach the 3- pin pairing cable to these pins to program the Eggfinder TX. If you taped the TXLog board in place, remove the tape now. _ Place your OpenLog module on top of the 6-pin header, so that the micro SD card holder is up, and the slot is facing away from the header. Make sure that the components on the bottom do not touch the top of the RF module; you may want to tape it in place. _ Solder one header pin to the OpenLog module, and make sure that it s square and not touching the RF module. Reheat the solder joint and adjust the board if necessary. When you re satisfied that it s nice and square, solder the remaining pins, then trim the header pins flush with a pair of small diagonal cutters. _ Put the shorting jumper you had set aside earlier across the RUN header. Your re done! Now it s time to test

4 Testing the TXLog/OpenLog Put an empty micro SD card into the slot on the OpenLog board. When you push it in, you should feel a nice click as it locks in. (To remove it, press the micro SD card in, and it should pop out). If you haven t done so already, put the shorting jumper across the RUN pins on the TXLog board (it s used instead of the 2-pin RUN header on the Eggfinder TX board). Power up your Eggfinder TX board. As the red LED on the RF module blinks, you should also see the data LED on the OpenLog module blink too; it may be red or blue, depending on the module. Some modules may have a LED come on constantly and not blink; that means that it s initializing the configuration file, if you power the Eggfinder down and back up again you should see the blinking LED come on. Let it run for a few minutes, then power off the Eggfinder. Remove the usd card and insert it into an usd-sd adapter (a lot of usd cards come with them you ll need one!), and put it into your computer. Open up the usd card, and you should see two files: config.txt lognnnnn.txt (where nnnnn is a number, probably but it may be ) The config.txt file is the configuration file for the OpenLog, it should look like this: 9600,26,3,0,0,0,0 baud,escape,esc#,mode,verb,echo,ignorerx If it does NOT, then edit it so that it does. The important part is the 9600, everything else is related to the command mode, which is not used in the Eggfinder. We recommend that you make this file readonly once the file has been set up, so that it won t get accidentally changed. The lognnnnn.txt file is your recorded data. It should contain the NMEA data stream from the GPS module, which should look something like this:

5 $PSRF150,1*3E $GPRMC,,V,,,,,,,,,,N*53 $GPRMC,,V,,,,,,,,,,N*53 <more stuff when you get the amber LED blinking you ll see this > $GPGGA, , ,N, ,W,1,07,1.1,53.9,M,-26.9,M,,0000*5E $GPGSV,3,1,12,17,76,036,40,28,41,062,39,30,30,137,37,15,25,275,39*77 $GPGSV,3,2,12,24,20,315,37,01,15,044,36,12,05,279,31,06,00,000,21*71 $GPGSV,3,3,12,08,71,103,16,32,72,033,,18,62,076,,04,49,192,*7A $GPRMC, ,A, ,N, ,W,0.00,164.33,200517,,,A*76 $GPGGA, , ,N, ,W,1,07,1.1,53.9,M,-26.9,M,,0000*51 $GPRMC, ,A, ,N, ,W,0.00,164.33,200517,,,A*79 $GPGGA, , ,N, ,W,1,07,1.1,53.9,M,-26.9,M,,0000*50 <etc > If you see this, congratulations! Everything is working fine. If your data does NOT look like this (i.e., it s a bunch of gibberish) then chances are that the OpenLog configured the baud rate incorrectly. Some of them default to 115,200 baud, rather than 9600 baud. Make sure the config.txt file is EXACTLY the same as stated earlier, make it read-only, delete the bad lognnnn.txt files, then put the usd card back into the OpenLog and start the test over. It should be fine at that point. From here, you re ready to start getting some in-flight data. Mount your Eggfinder TX with the TXLog/OpenLog in your rocket. We include a spacer to help keep the TXLog in place during high-g flights, if it s a little tight you may need to sand it down a bit to fit. We recommend that you tape the usd card in place so it won t pop out in flight (not likely, but we ve heard of it happening). Once you get some real data, you can use the Eggfinder and OpenLog User s Manual (available on the Eggtimer Rocketry web site) as a guide to analyzing your data.