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RAM3 User Manual - USB.pub

1. Overview The RAMS is the third generation in Soaring Circuits line of RAM altimeters These altimeters have been developed to allow the R C pilot to gather and analyze altitude data from model air craft The RAM3 is a barometric altimeter which means it is actually measuring variations in air pressure as your model changes altitude These pressure readings are then converted into alti tude data using a standard time tested algorithm similar to those used by full scale aircraft Your RAM3 package contains the altimeter itself wrapped in protective pink foam an upload cable used to connect your RAMS to your computer and a CD ROM which contains the Flight View software used to plot analyze and save your altitude data Installing the FlightView Software To install the FlightView software you ll first want to determine if your computer s operating sys tem is Windows 7 or an older version such as Windows XP If you are running Windows XP you may have to install Microsoft s NET Framework by running the dotnetfx exe program supplied on the CD ROM You most likely already have the required NET Framework installed so in most cases you can skip this step and proceed directly to installing FlightView FlightView is installed by running setup exe on the CD ROM Included on the CD ROM is a sam ple flight file so you can try running FlightView click on File then Open browse to your CD ROM drive and select the Omega alt fi
2. View software no matter how many times you take off and land The RAMS has 4 different sampling rates 1 2 5 and 10 samples per second The sampling rate is set by turning the unit off and on a certain way As mentioned above after the RAM3 is pow ered up and it beeps out the current sampling rate there s a 3 second silent delay If you turn the unit off during this 3 second period and turn it back on again it will come up in the programming mode The programming mode is very simple it simply cycles through 4 tones for 2 seconds each If you turn the unit off during the first lowest pitch tone it will come up in the lowest sam pling rate 1 sample per second the next time you turn it on If you turn it off during the second tone it will be set to 2 samples per second and so forth Using this method the sampling rate can be quickly set even if the altimeter is closed up inside the model Uploading the Data To upload the data to your computer make sure the RAM3 is OFF With the USB upload cable installed as previously described plug the other end into the RAM3 making sure the connector is fully seated in the RAM3 Run the FlightView software Click on Data then Upload A little window will appear waiting for the altimeter Power up the RAM3 You will hear the chime then the data being transferred which sounds like a modem When the data is done transferring there will be a 10 second period where the RAM will blip ev
3. ead too low Fortunately for the typical temperature range that we fly our models at the effect is not that great If however you would like your altitude data to be as accurate as possible temperature and elevation data may be entered into the FlightView software For example say your flying location is near sea level and the temperature when you were flying was 74F First using the Setup menu make sure the units for altitude are set to feet and the units for temperature are set to Farenheit Now set the temperature selection box to 74 F and the elevation selection box to sea level The altitude plot will be automatically adjusted to compensate for these settings Different temperature and elevation values may be entered for each separate flight and these values will be saved with the altitude data when the plot is saved to a file If you don t know the exact elevation of your flying field or you can t remember the exact tempera ture of the day you were flying just approximate them as closely as possible Soaring Circuits Recording Altimeter for Models User s Manual Specs Size 3 4 long x 5 8 wide x 3 8 high Weight 2 1 4 grams Resolution lt 1 foot Sample Rates 1 2 5 and 10 samples second Memory 18 hours at the 1 sample second rate Interface USB cable included Power Supply 3 1 to 15 volts Current Draw 5 milliamps Operating Temperature 32F 140F 0C to 60C Requi
4. ery second If you turn power off to the RAM3 before this 10 seconds is up the data will stay in the RAM3 s memory If you wait for the 10 seconds to time out you ll hear the chime then noth ing which means the RAM has erased the data and is now empty When uploading data from your RAM it is important to make sure that the upload has executed properly before allowing the RAMS to erase As soon as the modem sound stops you should see a window pop up that says Upload complete xxxx bytes of data received xx flights de coded If you do not see this quickly remove power from the RAM2L before the 10 second period is up so that the data is not erased then try to figure out why the upload is not working Temperature Compensation It was mentioned at the beginning of the manual that the RAM3 measures air pressure and con verts this into altitude data using a standard algorithm This algorithm is derived from a model of the atmosphere known as the International Standard Atmosphere In this atmospheric model the air temperature at sea level is 59F and drops linearly as altitude increases This temperature profile is obviously not the case for all locations at all times and furthermore if the temperature at your location does not match this ideal value it will affect your altimeter data as follows If the temperature is lower than the ideal the altimeter will read too high and if the temperature is higher than the ideal the altimeter will r
5. lane on the unit will beep out a 3 note chime that announces that the unit has powered up From here on out we ll just refer to this as a chime Right after the chime the unit will beep either 1 2 5 or 10 times signifying what the current sam pling rate is One beep signifies that the altimeter is currently set to a 1 sample per second sam pling rate two beeps signifies 2 samples per second etc After this set of beeps there s a3 second delay discussed below where the unit is silent and then another chime The unit will then start taking data and beep every second to let you know that it s running You ll notice that during the first 2 minutes of taking data the unit will have a double beep After 2 minutes the beep will convert to the standard single beep This is due to the fact that the RAM9 s pressure sensor must warm up before it s output settles down and stops drifting as the sensor reaches thermal equilibrium and this process takes approximately 2 minutes The origi nal RAM altimeters had a built in 2 minute delay where the unit would not take data until the pressure sensor warmed up The RAMS however starts taking data right away and the user can decide whether to let the plane sit until the double beeps stop signifying the end of the warm up period or to fly the plane right away For example if the RAMS is installed in a hand launch glider you can start throwing immediately because you ll most likely be back on the gro
6. le You can then play around with the panning and zooming controls and the different cursors to see how they work FlightView has a Help menu which contains more information regarding the various controls and features Installing the USB Upload Cable There are two steps to install the USB upload cable First the proper software drivers must be available so that your computer can recognize and install the cable when it s plugged in Second you must determine what COM port Windows has assigned to the cable and set FlightView to match using the Setup menu For the computer savvy user if you re running Windows 7 and connected to the internet there s a good chance that the cable will install automatically If it does open the Windows Device Man ager and look for the Ports COM amp LPT entry Expand this entry and you should see a USB Serial Port line followed by the COM port assignment Make note of this and then run FlightView and use Setup gt Com Port to set the COM port to match Otherwise if you need to download drivers please see the driver page at www ftdichip com The VCP Virtual Com Port drivers are the ones you want The drivers and installation instructions are all available for download there If you need more help please go to www soaringcircuits com for more information or drop us an email Installing the RAM3 in Your Model Your RAM3 was sent to you wrapped in a 6 long piece of 1 8 thick pink foam This foam is b
7. reathable and anti static and should be used when installing the RAM3 in your model so that the unit is protected and will operate properly You can trim the length of the foam wrap to suit whatever location you re putting the unit in but it is recommended that you use at least one full wrap To install the RAM3 find an appropriate spot in the aircraft s fuselage and adjust the length of the foam wrap so that the altimeter fits snugly in place If the area is too large for the supplied foam wrap any type of sponge rubber foam may be added to the unit to fill the space If extra foam is needed we recommend applying this over the supplied pink foam wrap Make sure that the area of the fuselage that the RAMS is in is not sealed from the outside air pressure This is rarely the case since any small hole will allow the altimeter to function While installing the RAM3 the unit should be easily accessible for uploading of the data after flying When using the RAM3 with a small dedicated LiPoly battery you can install them together by placing one wrap around the altimeter sandwiching the battery against the bundle then continu ing to wrap around both The RAM3 may be powered from 3 1 to 15 0 volts meaning that a single LiPoly may be used up to a standard 12 volt battery The battery s capacity does not need to be large For example a 100mAh pack will power the RAMS for about 20 hours Using the RAM3 With the RAMS installed when you turn your p
8. res PC running Win XP or Win 7 with USB port www soaringcircuits com
9. und after the 2 minute warm up period has ended and therefore be able to use FlightView s Zero Start function to set your zero altitude reference If you re going to winch launch a thermal duration glider and you won t be back on the ground for a half hour or so it would be best to wait the 2 minutes after turning the RAMS on until you hear the single beeps and then launch This way you re assured the most accurate altitude plot So to summarize the RAM will start taking data as soon as you hear the double beeps This is also when the zero altitude reference will be set During the 2 minute warm up this zero refer ence will typicaqlly drift due to the sensor warming up and depending how long it is until you launch you may also get some drift due to the barometric pressure changing at your location You can compensate for any drifting by placing your model on the ground for 5 10 seconds right before you launch and then setting that point on the plot to zero altitude in FlightView Between flights you can either turn the system off and back on again to reset the altimeter or you can just leave it on You can see on the plots when you re back on the ground If you turn the system off and back on again quickly there will be very little drift due to the sensor warming up because it never had a chance to cool down Every time the RAMS is turned on it begins a new flight A flight will be viewed as a single continuous plot on the Flight

RAM3 User Manual - USB.pub

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