C1

Info

This is our first launch in 2012 and our fifth launch in our LEAD Balloon Project.

Members and Non-members alike are welcome to come along for the launch and recovery!

Please see LEAD Balloon Launch Day Details for what we do the 'day of' and what to expect if you come along!

Results

The balloon made it to <TBD>

KMZ of the new tracker's APRS data: TBD

KMZ of the old tracker's APRS data: TBD

Images

(Insert links to flickr pool, etc.)

Launch Date

• Sun Oct 28th, 2012 - TARGET DATE

Locations

• Launch point: (this was B1's launch point, consider using again for C1)
  • 40° 43.685'N, 81° 31.500'W Map
  • 517 Park St NW, Navarre, OH 44662-9267
  • This was a great location: a football field that had metal bleachers (makeshift tables, seating) and porta-potties.

• Projected Landing:
  • TBD

• ACTUAL Landing:
  • TBD

Equipment

Aerial

Balloon

KCI-1500 from Kaymont (wayback machine link)

Enclosure

• Multiple:
  • Scavenged Styrofoam cooler for the GPS tracking
  • TBD for other payloads.

Parachute

3.6' orange ripstop nylon round parachute with eight 7' lines to the payload. 5" center vent with one 15' line to the balloon. Grommeted cord connection points.

Tracking

• New Tracker:
  • Home built controller based on Trackuino
  • The radio module was a Radiometrix HX1-144.390-3.
  • The GPS is a high altitude gps from Argent Data systems (https://www.argentdata.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=144).
• Old Faithful:
  • A home built controller based on the Micro-Trak 300 from Byonics.
  • The radio module was a Radiometrix HX1-144.390-3.
  • The GPS is a high altitude gps from Argent Data systems (https://www.argentdata.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=144).
  • Old Faithful has been, but is closed source and we want to make modifications, hence the New Tracker. We're flying two trackers just in case the new one has issues...
• New Tracker: APRS.fi for KB3TOA-11 - transmiting every 47 seconds
• Old Tracker: APRS.fi for KB3TAN-11 - transmiting every 31 seconds

Imaging

• Gary: <Details to be filled in>

20121002 1100 hours: Camera is working and logging images to 4GB SD card on logger shield @ approx. 1 min. intervals. Files are stored with file creation times. Images are 640x480 and require approx 50KB of storage. Writing to SD card requires almost 30 secs. Other image sizes available are 160x120, 320x240 and smaller sizes require less time to write to card. Need to experiment with these different sizes since 30 secs write time seems a bit excessive.

I checked with local Giant Eagle fish/meat dept. for styrofoam boxes that they use for frozen products. They could not provide any due to contamination concerns. I have 2 styrofoam boxes approx. 5x5x5 inch outside dimensions. They were originally used for shipping coffee mugs. While they are large enough for housing the Arduino Uno, Prototshield, and DataLogger shield, I'm not sure if power supplies will fit. Also there is prototyping area available on logger shield, so proto shield could potentially be eliminated. Used Protoshield from "Musical Images" project from Mini Maker Faire as it contained voltage divider network required for camera.

Arduino is currently running from USB cable tethered to laptop. Have to modify it to run from power supply which I understand is 2-9v batteries connected in parallel (primary) and lithium backup.

Electronics

• Sayan: Gamma detector - specs to be filled in.
• Sayan: Gas sensors - specs to be filled in.

Weight

TBD

Cost

TBD

Power

TBD

Ground

Tracking

For anyone who can't be at the start and wants to follow along or meet us part way: TBD