44 lines
2.1 KiB
HTML
44 lines
2.1 KiB
HTML
[appendix]
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== Handling Precautions
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All Altus Metrum products are sophisticated electronic devices.
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When handled gently and properly installed in an air-frame, they
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will deliver impressive results. However, as with all electronic
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devices, there are some precautions you must take.
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[WARNING]
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The Lithium Polymer rechargeable batteries have an
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extraordinary power density. This is great because we can fly with
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much less battery mass than if we used alkaline batteries or previous
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generation rechargeable batteries... but if they are punctured
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or their leads are allowed to short, they can and will release their
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energy very rapidly!
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Thus we recommend that you take some care when handling our batteries
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and consider giving them some extra protection in your air-frame. We
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often wrap them in suitable scraps of closed-cell packing foam before
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strapping them down, for example.
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The barometric sensors used on all of our flight computers are
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sensitive to sunlight. In normal mounting situations, the baro sensor
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and all of the other surface mount components
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are “down” towards whatever the underlying mounting surface is, so
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this is not normally a problem. Please consider this when designing an
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installation in an air-frame with a see-through plastic payload bay. It
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is particularly important to
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consider this with TeleMini v1.0, both because the baro sensor is on the
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“top” of the board, and because many model rockets with payload bays
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use clear plastic for the payload bay! Replacing these with an opaque
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cardboard tube, painting them, or wrapping them with a layer of masking
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tape are all reasonable approaches to keep the sensor out of direct
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sunlight.
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The barometric sensor sampling port must be able to “breathe”,
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both by not being covered by foam or tape or other materials that might
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directly block the hole on the top of the sensor, and also by having a
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suitable static vent to outside air.
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As with all other rocketry electronics, Altus Metrum altimeters must
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be protected from exposure to corrosive motor exhaust and ejection
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charge gasses.
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