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  #1  
Old 06-24-2021, 11:20 AM
TigerHawk TigerHawk is offline
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Last edited by TigerHawk : 09-01-2023 at 12:51 PM.
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  #2  
Old 06-24-2021, 02:06 PM
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The picture on the FlightSketch web site doesn’t show just how tiny the FS Comp is. Here are two pictures. One includes a quarter and an FS Mini for comparison and one is a little closer on the Comp and is 9mAh power cell. The squares on the mat are half-inch.

A Comp, plus cell, weighs less than one gram.

Both the Mini (with firmware version 29 installed) and the Comp will be announced as NAR contest approved very shortly. They are already listed in the online version of the approved altimeters list as of yesterday.

(Yes, it’s a Canadian quarter. They are the same size as US quarters. Those of you who read my speed control test articles on RC Groups back when it was Ezone have seen that particular quarter before….)
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Old 06-24-2021, 03:15 PM
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Wowwwww.
That's tiny.
I have Vario sensors in my RC planes that provide real time downlink telemetry to my tx that are small, but this is really tiny.
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Old 06-24-2021, 07:26 PM
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Sure….since I put that pic up on “That Other Forum”…..

Note that the LiPoly cell is slightly thinner than it appears. That’s the curled up edge of the pouch you see in that edge-on side view.
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Old 06-24-2021, 09:49 PM
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Chas Russell Chas Russell is offline
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Default Flightsketch Comp

Great. What does one need to make this a workable package? Comp, battery, charger, cable, and/or wall charger? I charge my Chute Release from the USB port on my laptop. Do I need another cable or must I have a wall charger?
I want to buy this, but the website is sort of round about and not a this plus this except if you have this...
I am a retired guy and my hobby funds are limited.

Clarification please.

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Old 06-24-2021, 10:04 PM
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I guess my point is that it would be nice if they offered a package deal, perhaps at a small discount, with what someone would need to successfully use the Comp altimeter.

Flew the Flightsketch Mini for the first time this past Saturday - first launch in 15 months - with a Chute Release on a PSII Nike Smoke and a F67-6 motor. 689 ft and a successful recovery.

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Old 06-24-2021, 10:32 PM
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Chas,

The minimum you need is a Comp, a compatible single-cell LiPoly and a means to safely charge that cell. This is pretty much the same as with the Adrel, save that the Adrel’s charger is also the USB data interface.

The 9mAh cell FlightSketch sells will run a Comp for several hours, but finding a charger for it, beyond the one FlightSketch sells, could be a challenge since it’s so tiny. Their charger itself is powered off a USB source….so you could power it anywhere that you can charge a Chute Release. I’ve been using a prototype charger that only has one charge rate…it also has a micro USB socket on it for input. The cable that came with your Chute Release will work.

Operationally, the FlightSketch app can’t tell the Mini from the Comp - they work exactly the same way once turned on (for the Comp, by plugging in the power cell).

Russ is even selling a pigtail with the plug that mates to the socket on the Comp if you have your own cell already.

Feel free to ask more questions. I’ve been flying FS devices for a couple of years and have been flying a prototype Comp for over a year so have had a little experience with them.

I ordered another Comp and one of the production chargers, so will have it in hand in a few days (ETA is Monday the 28th) and can report from direct experience then.



Added later: I see your Nike-Smoke flight in the online log here: https://flightsketch.com/flights/2559/

Some thoughts - it looks as if the Mini was either out in the breeze/sun after deployment or rattling around in a payload section. Also, it looks as if either you had a very reluctant ‘chute or you used a Chute Release at 300 feet. I don’t know what’s the reason for that big downward spike (so sudden pressure drop) at 10 seconds….since the accelerometer data shows no big hit at that time. Maybe sun exposure?

From the acclerometer data I’m thinking you flew it on some kind of composite motor with about a 1s burn time, but I can’t guess which one (well, maybe - single grain 29mm CTI Smoky Sam - an F36?). The actual delay looks to have been almost exactly six seconds.

I also see you posted the flight twice….it seems like lots of folks do that, especially at first. You can go onto the web site and delete the unlabeled one (https://flightsketch.com/flights/2558/) and also add more info and pictures to the other entry if you want to.

I find it really interesting to look at others’ flight data, and the FS Flight Log is by far the easiest way to share that data.
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Last edited by BEC : 06-25-2021 at 11:12 PM.
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  #8  
Old 06-25-2021, 06:27 AM
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Bernard, I'm assuming this puppy will easily fit into a BT-5 tube, correct?

Also, I own an Orbit Pocketladder and an iCharger 106B charger.

I'm assuming either of those is up to the task of charging the battery, provided I find the right connector. Agree?

I ordered one of these yesterday and hope to fly it in 1/2A Altitude at NARAM.
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  #9  
Old 06-25-2021, 10:12 AM
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Thanks Bernard. I do not have any experience with Lipo batteries as I do not own any. When the Pod Bay Doors Team flies an Adrel altimeter, my job is to stay the heck out of the way.
This is why I was trying to figure out what I would need to get in one purchase for the FS Comp altimeter.
I have a couple of larger altimeters that I have yet to fly and have been using a Firefly for competition. I am just returning to flying after standing down due to the pandemic.

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Old 06-25-2021, 01:00 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GuyNoir
Bernard, I'm assuming this puppy will easily fit into a BT-5 tube, correct?

Correct. Easily. The squares in the pictures I posted are 1/2 inch (so BT-5 OD).

Quote:
Also, I own an Orbit Pocketladder and an iCharger 106B charger.

I'm assuming either of those is up to the task of charging the battery, provided I find the right connector. Agree?

Sorry, no, at least if you use the 9mAh cell Russ is selling for the Comp. I looked at the manuals for both of them, and both have a minimum charge rate of 50 mA. The maximum recommended charge rate for the FS cell is 15 mA, so your chargers will try to push over 3 times the maximum current into that tiny cell. The simplest thing is to get one of the FlightSketch chargers and power it off a phone or tablet charger or a computer USB port.

Quote:
I ordered one of these yesterday and hope to fly it in 1/2A Altitude at NARAM.

If I were planning to come to Geneseo, that would be my plan as well....
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