[ARTS] Question

[Jarrett Gorin, AICP]

Hi Dave,

 

Congrats on your ARTS2 purchase.  It is a fantastic piece of hardware.

 

To answer your question about Mach Delay, the ARTS2 doesn't have any
setting for this because it doesn't need one.  The trigger to put it
into active flight operations and to correctly sense apogee is
accelerometer based.  Therefore, the shockwave produced by breaking Mach
has no effect on the ARTS2 measurements.  You can break Mach all you
want and it will still perfectly sense apogee.  Then on the way down, it
uses the barometric altimeter.

 

On the connection issue, check the COMM ports like the other users
recommended, but if that doesn't work, it is possible you have a
defective unit.  You DO NOT have to have completed a flight in order to
have 2-way data communication with your ARTS2.  My first unit was
missing a chip that correctly switched the COM port on the ARTS2 itself,
so it could only send data downstream to the PC.  You need to have 2-way
data exchange in order for the ARTS2 to get out of flight mode and
bnegin to be accessible via DataAnalyzer.

 

Once you have your ARTS2 communicating with your PC, I STRONGLY ADVISE
that you use the excellent diagnostic functions in DataAnalyzer to
test-fire the ARTS2 in exactly the configuration in which you will be
flying it (i.e. 1 or 2 battery, same type of E-matches) to ensure that
it will trigger your intended ignition source.   If you plan on flying
with a single battery, then follow the manual instructions to bypass the
current limiter.

 

Finally, I would recommend that you send your ARTS2 along for a
ride-along only flight in another rocket.  After this flight, you will
be able to download the data and confirm that all of the sensors are
working, and that the ARTS2 is sending "fire" charges to both channels
at the appropriate times during the flight (you don't actually need to
hook up E-matches for this).  DataAnalyzer provides very specific
details about all of the critical flight events, so you will be able to
see that everything is working perfectly before you use the ARTS 2 as an
actual flight controller.  I just stuck my ARTS2 in the payload bay of
an Aerotech Arreaux and sent it up on a G77R with standard motor
deployment to test this out.

 

Good luck, and enjoy your new ARTS2.

 

_________________________________________

Jarrett Gorin, AICP

President

Centerpoint Development Partners LLC

735 State Street, Suite 204

Santa Barbara, CA  93101-5502

(805) 966-3966

(805) 715-7005 FAX

jarrett.gorin at centerpointdevelopmentpartners.com
<mailto:jarrett.gorin at centerpointdevelopmentpartners.com> 

 

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