TelemetryPro®Transmitter User Manual
Contents
1. The latest version of the Flight Data Analyzer program can be downloaded from the Multitronix website Visit www multitronix com software At this point only Windows is supported XP Vista Win7 and Win8 should all work Download and run the install package The install process does not make any changes to the Windows system or to the registry It simply creates a folder named TelemetryPro in your Documents directory It also puts a shortcut to the program on your desktop To uninstall the program just delete the TelemetryPro folder and the shortcut Run the Flight Data Analyzer program and you should see a window like this aed Make sure transmitter is turned on and connected via USB Then wait until CONFIG LED is on No device connected No flight data loaded Before you can connect to the transmitter you must let the operating system install the appropriate drivers See next page Page 11 of 17 Connecting the USB The first time a transmitter is connected to a computer the proper USB drivers need to be installed This should happen automatically even if the transmitter is connected but not turned on The Windows operating system should automatically detect the transmitter as a new device and then search for and install the correct driver for your system The only thing you should have to do is let it run to completion Do not disconnect while it is still installing drivers The whole process will typically take abo2. 2015 Updated document format to match receiver The information in this document is subject to change without notice For the most recent version of this document visit www multitronix com Multitronix LLC reserves the right to change improve or obsolete its products without prior notice TelemetryPro is a registered trademark of Multitronix LLC Copyright 2015 X Multitronix LLC All Rights Reserved Page 2 of 17 TelemetryPro Transmitter Model Mx110 ts CHG FAILED i CHG DONE CHARGING LED status indicators jis ACTIVITY POWER TRANSMITTER ID Ca cents USB connector raid WARNINGS NGS J 00 NOT CHA NA TENDED 00 NOT CHANA A gen AGED oa TERY O NOT SHORT CIRCUIT BATTER 00 NOT DISASSEM L Y DO NOT ALLOW BATTERY TO GET NOT OI POWER button Ss C Press and hold for two seconds to turn on transmitter Press and hold for six seconds to turn off transmitter Evyebolt lf transmitter gets stuck in a tube then pull it out using this eyebolt DO NOT PULL ON THE ANTENNA Downlink antenna gt Keep metal wires and other electronic devices well away from this antenna FLIGHT conric LINKED Y lt 4 GPS antenna Mount transmitter in nosecone with GPS antenna facing up Keep metal wires and other electronic devices well away from this antenna SET button Used for changing transmitter ID code to be com
3. change back to the original three digit ID code just press and hold the SET button again for another six seconds The transmitter will beep once and flash the CONFIG LED to indicate the ID code is being changed back It will then beep out the three digit ID code originally assigned to it Listen to the beeps to verify the ID code is as listed on the unit If the randomly selected two digit ID code needs to be changed due to a conflict with another system already using that code then just repeat the whole process described above to generate a different random two digit code Page 9 of 17 Establishing a Link When a transmitter and receiver are first turned on it will typically take about 20 60 seconds for them to link up This is normal The radio link is a spread spectrum frequency hopping link so the receiver needs time to find and synchronize with the transmitter The signal strength indicator in the upper right corner on the receiver display will be blinking LOS Loss of Signal until a link is established Once it is established the signal strength indicator will show the strength as O to 5 bars 5 bars represents the highest signal If the link is ever lost the two will automatically try to relink There is nothing the user needs to do other than make sure the receiver antenna is pointed at the transmitter if the transmitter is a long ways away The blue LINK LED on the transmitter will be lit when the transmitter is linke
4. expected The battery will charge faster when the transmitter is connected to a dedicated USB charging device than to a computer This is because it can draw more power from a dedicated charger than from a computer USB port However either way works fine Charging times vary a great deal depending on how low the battery was and how much power can be drawn over the USB Typical times range from one to four hours To avoid damaging the battery the charger will suspend charging switch itself off if the temperature of the battery is out of limit This will occur below 32 F and above 120 F Charging will automatically resume when the temperature returns within these limits Caution Never charge the battery unattended This is recommended just in case there has been some internal damage to the battery due to a hard landing or other flight anomaly If the battery gets hot while being charged then immediately stop charging it Replacement batteries are available from Multitronix Page 6 of 17 Turn on Coil The transmitter can be turned on by pressing the power button on it However it can also be turned on by passing a special induction coil around the outside of the nosecone This means the transmitter can be turned on after already being installed into a nosecone To turn on the transmitter press and hold the silver button on the turn on coil while sliding the coil around the outside of the nosecone such that the tip of the nosecone pass
5. same ID code ID codes are three digit numbers and are listed on the front of each transmitter Each transmitter is assigned a unique ID code at the factory so that there are no conflicts at a large launch where multiple TelemetryPro systems are being used at the same time For convenience the transmitter beeps out its ID code at regular intervals Each digit in the ID code is represented as a series of beeps There is a short delay in between digits Beeping out the ID code is handy in case you cannot remember it after the transmitter has already been installed into a nosecone It also serves as an indicator to the user that the transmitter is powered on and is operating in flight mode Example If the transmitter ID code is 235 then the transmitter will beep twice for the first digit It will then pause with a short delay of silence and then beep three more times to represent the second digit It will pause again with another short delay and then beep five more times to represent the last digit If there is a zero in the ID code then that digit will be represented as a single longer beep Multiple TelemetryPro systems can be on and running at the same time and they will not interfere with each other provided they use different ID codes It is also possible to link up to four receivers to one transmitter if some tracking redundancy is desired In that case the same ID code is used in all the receivers and must match the code used by the transmit
6. the tool bar Send Menu and Support Help Feature There is one menu on the toolbar that is worth special mention here It is the Send menu It will allow you to send your flight data directly to Multitronix to be included into our growing archive of flights Doing so is completely optional but such information is very helpful for making future improvements to this software and to the TelemetryPro products Of course you will need to be connected to the internet for this feature to work You can also use the Send menu to simply ask questions or get support help from Multitronix even without sending any flight data And lastly if you find a programming bug please report it using the Send menu if possible because it will send some additional debug information to Multitronix that may help figure out what is going wrong Page 16 of 17 Appendix A DIMENSIONS i GPS radome must have a clear Top view view of the sky Keep metal wires and other electroncs away from it 1 966 diameter white plastic GPS radome 2 125 diameter G10 bulkhead 0 0625 thick 0 59 aa eicht Side view aia 4 99 243 grams 4 50 Li ion battery z 2 125 diameter G10 bulkhead 0 0625 thick 11 79 PCA extension for antenna support Downlink antenna Keep metal wires and other electronics 5 16 well clear of this antenna Including directly off the end of it Bottom view Page 17 of 17 Multitronix
7. LLC www multitronix com
8. Multitronix LLC Mx vi Engineering Innovation and Technologies CONFIG LINKED USB AC f tiurry POHER TelemetryPro Transmitter aie User Manual as Rev 2 0 May 10 2015 DEVICES www multitronix com email support multitronix com Limitation of Liability Multitronix LLC has exercised reasonable care in the design and manufacture of this product Each one is carefully tested prior to shipment However the use or application of this product is beyond the control of Multitronix LLC and due to the nature of electronic devices and the applications and environments applied to them the possibility of failure or malfunction cannot be completely eliminated Therefore the buyer assumes all responsibility and uses this product at their own risk By using this product the user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Multitronix LLC and its officers agents and assigns from any and all liability losses damages costs claims judgments actions and demands arising out of the use of this product claimed on account of or in any way predicated upon loss or damage to property or injuries to or the death of any and all persons If you do not agree with this limitation of liability then do not use this product Revision History Rev Date Description oo June 26 2014 Initial Release June 28 2014 Nov 10 2014 Added section about establishing a link Dec 3 2014 Added section describing three digit transmitter ID codes May 10
9. and aft bulkhead Nosecone Use as little metal on bulkhead as possible at gt For example use tubular Kevlar strap rather Bulkhead than a U bolt to attach recovery harness Page 5 of 17 The transmitter will not perform properly if mounted inside carbon fiber tubes or inside a carbon fiber nosecone Carbon fiber will absorb the transmitted signal Some fiberglass tubes that are black can also absorb the signal if they contain a conductive form of carbon or graphite to make them black Some nosecones come with a metal tip This is not a problem as long as the TelemetryPro transmitter is mounted about four inches or so behind the tip Doing so allows the GPS antenna on top of the TelemetryPro transmitter to see around the metal tip to receive signals from the GPS satellites Charging the Battery The transmitter has a battery charger built in The charger only runs when the transmitter is off To charge the battery simply turn off the transmitter and connect the USB to a computer or other dedicated USB charging device If a dedicated USB charging device is being used it works best to first connect everything together and then plug the dedicated charger into a 120V outlet 1 The yellow CHARGING LED will be on when the battery is being charged 2 The green CHG DONE LED will be on when the battery is fully charged 3 The red CHG FAILED LED will come on if the battery failed to charge or took far longer to charge than
10. d to a receiver Please Note When the transmitter is in close proximity to the receiver within 200 feet then it is best to avoid pointing the receiver antenna directly at the transmitter This is because when the two are really close together the signal strength from the transmitter can overload the receiver and cause communications errors and dropped data packets In fact they may not be able to stay linked or may also have trouble getting linked in the first place If the link is not established within 60s then double check that you have set the receiver to the correct transmitter ID number Also try moving the receiver further away from the transmitter It also helps to stand with your back to the transmitter while holding the receiver and pointing the antenna away because your body helps block and attenuate the signal Once you are at a safe distance from the rocket and ready to launch then you should be able to point the antenna directly at the rocket It is also important to keep pointing it at the rocket during the entire flight Page 10 of 17 Downloading Flight Data The transmitter saves flight data in flash memory and will retain that data even after it is turned off However it only saves one flight The data will span from six seconds prior to liftoff and run for at least one hour after liftoff unless the transmitter was turned off before then The Flight Data Analyzer program can be used to read the data from the transmitter
11. device Mx110A0206 Read flight data from transmitter flash memory Save Data No flight data loaded Now press the Read Flash button to download all of the flight data It will take about five minutes Page 13 of 17 A new window will pop up while the flight data is being downloaded It is shown below It allows you to enter some information about the flight It is the same kind of information usually put onto a flight card It will get saved along with the raw flight data in order to document the data Downloading flight data e 14 Please fill out the flight card below while waiting for download to finish This information will be saved along with the flight data Flyer s name Rocket name Motor Expected altitude Recovery Single Deploy Main parachute deployment setting Launch site Comments When the download has completed the Done button will become active When you have also finished filling out the flight card information press Done Page 14 of 17 The program will now decode and analyze the flight data It will automatically pop up quite a few windows with plots and a flight summary page Usually these windows will exactly overlay each other so it may not be obvious they are all there Unstack them as you like to see each one At this point it is a good idea to save all of this data To do so locate the main Flight Data Analyzer window and press the Save Data bu
12. es through the middle of the coil Slide it somewhat slowly A few inches per second is ideal The turn on coil just needs to be approximately even with the top of the transmitter for just over one second Listen for a beep that will come from the transmitter when it powers up When you hear the beep you can release the silver button When the transmitter powers up it generates a one second beep to let the user know It then beeps out its transmitter ID code and repeats that every so often in case it is needed for setting the receiver to the same Turn on Coil code The beeping also serves as an audible I am still Model Mx105 alive indicator The turn on coil generates a high frequency magnetic field that fills the entire loop area and is detected by a special circuit built into the transmitter The turn on coil has a green LED that indicates the battery voltage is good and that the unit is operating The LED is extremely bright and can easily be seen in direct sunlight Do not stare directly into the green LED There is no power switch for the turn on coil itself Just one silver button that powers it on and activates the coil The turn on coil can only power on a transmitter It cannot power it off However the transmitter can be powered off remotely by selecting the turn off transmitter menu option on the receiver Page 7 of 17 Transmitter ID code The transmitter will only link with a receiver if they are both set to the
13. patible with old receivers Not needed unless an old receiver is being used that cannot be set to a three digit code number Transmitter ID code A unique three digit ID code number is pre assigned to each transmitter Set the receiver to this same code number in order to link it to the transmitter Antenna is not a handle Do not use it as one WARNING Do not attempt to remove the downlink antenna The transmitter can be permanently damaged if it is powered on without the antenna Do not operate the transmitter with a different antenna without written approval from Multitronix LLC Page 3 of 17 Safety Warnings 1 The transmitter comes with a Li ion battery already installed Never attempt to use a different type of battery other than the one Multitronix provides Doing so will run a significant risk of damaging the transmitter and possibly even starting a fire 2 The transmitter has a built in charger Never attempt to charge the Multitronix supplied battery on a charger other than the one built into the transmitter Doing so runs a significant risk of fire danger The battery may get hot catch fire or even explode 3 Discontinue use if the battery is ever damaged leaks fluid feels hot has an odor or appears abnormal in any way 4 Do not charge the battery unattended 5 Do not charge the battery if it has been damaged 6 Do not short circuit the battery 7 Do not disassemble or modify the battery 8 Do not allo
14. ter ID code backwards compatibility mode The original older TelemetryPro receivers only used a two digit ID code They cannot be set to a three digit code Therefore the new transmitters have a special mode that allows them to be set to a two digit code when they need to be used with an old receiver This special mode should only be used when absolutely necessary because it does not guarantee a unique ID code number Consequently there is a slight risk of having multiple systems interfere with each other by trying to use the same code at the same time Nevertheless it is handy in some situations because it allows new transmitters to be used with old receivers Page 8 of 17 To set a transmitter to a two digit ID code press and hold the SET button for more than six seconds The SET button is on the side of the transmitter as shown in the photo on page 3 After the SET button is pressed and held for six seconds the transmitter will beep once and flash the CONFIG LED to indicate the ID code has been changed It will then beep out the new ID code as a two digit number The number is randomly selected in the range 22 55 which is compatible with the old receivers Listen to the beeps to find out what random number was selected and then set the receiver to that same number The two digit ID code setting will stay in effect until intentionally changed back The transmitter can even be power cycled and it will retain the two digit ID code setting To
15. tton Codnected to device Mx110A0206 Read flight data from transmitter flash memory Save flight data flight analysis Google Earth and spreadsheet files By default the flight data will get saved in your Documents directory in the TelemetryPro FlightData folder However you can easily change that when you save the data There are five data files generated by this software 1 FlightData bin Raw Flight Data file 2 Analysis pdf Document that contains a summary and all the plots 3 GoogleEarth kml Google Earth flight trajectory file 4 Spreadsheet csv Spreadsheet of all the raw data Opens in Excel for example 5 Summary txt A simple text file that contains the flight summary You can open and view these files at a later time by using the File menu on the Flight Data Analyzer window to open the FlightData bin file Or you can open any of the other files as desired Page 15 of 17 You can view the flight trajectory in Google Earth by clicking on the Google Earth icon Disconnect D Connected to device Mx110A0206 Read flight data from transmitter flash memory a Save flight data flight analysis Google Earth and spreadsheet files Click on the Excel icon if you want to see the spreadsheet with all the raw data The plots flight summary page and full PDF flight report can also be opened by clicking on their icons Explore and investigate the other capabilities of this program by opening up the menus on
16. ut one or two minutes There are actually two separate drivers needed and Windows will automatically install both During this process you may see windows similar to those shown below Installing device driver software FT230X Basic UART CG Searching Windows Update Searching for the first Obtaining device driver software from Windows Update might take a while driver Skip obtaining driver software from Windows Update First driver installed okay Installing device driver software USB Serial Converter vi Ready to use USE Serial Port j Searching Windows Update Searching for the second Obtaining device driver software from Windows Update might take a while driver skip obtaining driver software from Windows Update Both drivers installed Your device is ready to use and ready to use USB Serial Converter i Ready to use USB Serial Port COM24 4f Ready to use Page 12 of 17 Once the drivers have been installed turn on the transmitter and wait until the CONFIG LED is on Then press the CONNECT button on the Flight Data Analyzer window The analyzer will automatically search for the transmitter USB address and connect to it Once that happens the serial number of the transmitter will show up next to the button and the button will change to be a disconnect button See example below You are now connected to the transmitter with this serial number File Edit View Tools Send About 20007 Connected to
17. w the battery to get wet 9 Do not dispose of the battery in fire Failure to observe these safety warnings may cause the battery to become hot catch fire or explode and cause serious injury Never charge the battery unattended This is recommended just in case there has been some internal damage to the battery due to a hard landing or other flight anomaly If the battery gets hot while being charged then immediately stop charging it Replacement batteries are available from Multitronix Page 4 of 17 Recommended Mounting Scheme The transmitter is designed to be mounted inside a standard 54mm phenolic or fiberglass tube Phenolic or fiberglass coupler tubes above and below it should be used to hold it in place within the main tube For best results it should be mounted in the nosecone It must be mounted with the GPS facing up This is required for proper operation of the GPS and the accelerometer This is a cross section view of the nosecone Orange is 54mm phenolic tube Red is phenolic coupler tube GPS Antenna Radome A length of coupler tube is used inside the 54mm tube to hold transmitter secure during negative G s Transmitter is slid inside a 54mm phenolic tube The tube is centered inside the nosecone and retained by the aft bulkhead A length of coupler tube is used T tt psa inside the 54mm tube to hold nenna transmitter secure during boost Maintain as much clearance as possible between antenna
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