TeleMini V3.0 Dual-deploy altimeter with telemetry now available

TeleMini v3.0 is an update to our original TeleMini v1.0 flight computer. It is a miniature (1/2 inch by 1.7 inch) dual-deploy flight computer with data logging and radio telemetry. Small enough to fit comfortably in an 18mm tube, this powerful package does everything you need on a single board:

  • 512kB on-board data logging memory, compared with 5kB in v1.

  • 40mW, 70cm ham-band digital transceiver for in-flight telemetry and on-the-ground configuration, compared to 10mW in v1.

  • Transmitted telemetry includes altitude, speed, acceleration, flight state, igniter continutity, temperature and battery voltage. Monitor the state of the rocket before, during and after flight.

  • Radio direction finding beacon transmitted during and after flight. This beacon can be received with a regular 70cm Amateur radio receiver.

  • Barometer accurate to 100k' MSL. Reliable apogee detection, independent of flight path. Barometric data recorded on-board during flight. The v1 boards could only fly to 45k'.

  • Dual-deploy with adjustable apogee delay and main altitude. Fires standard e-matches and Q2G2 igniters.

  • 0.5” x 1.7”. Fits easily in an 18mm tube. This is slightly longer than the v1 boards to provide room for two extra mounting holes past the pyro screw terminals.

  • Uses rechargeable Lithium Polymer battery technology. All-day power in a small and light-weight package.

  • Learn more at http://www.altusmetrum.org/TeleMini/

  • Purchase these at http://shop.gag.com/home-page/telemini-v3.html

I don't have anything in these images to show just how tiny this board is—but the spacing between the screw terminals is 2.54mm (0.1in), and the whole board is only 13mm wide (1/2in).

This was a fun board to design. As you might guess from the version number, we made a couple prototypes of a version 2 using the same CC1111 SoC/radio part as version 1 but in the EasyMini form factor (0.8 by 1.5 inches). Feed back from existing users indicated that bigger wasn't better in this case, so we shelved that design.

With the availability of the STM32F042 ARM Cortex-M0 part in a 4mm square package, I was able to pack that, the higher power CC1200 radio part, a 512kB memory part and a beeper into the same space as the original TeleMini version 1 board. There is USB on the board, but it's only on some tiny holes, along with the cortex SWD debugging connection. I may make some kind of jig to gain access to that for configuration, data download and reprogramming.

For those interested in an even smaller option, you could remove the screw terminals and battery connector and directly wire to the board, and replace the beeper with a shorter version. You could even cut the rear mounting holes off to make the board shorter; there are no components in that part of the board.