February 2009
Overview
I have been dreaming of building a flight computer that will not only control the flight sequence, but also log data aboard a model rocket. But I do need to walk before I can run, so I started with a simple GPS data logger (GPSDL) that is just a piece of my future flight computer idea. This GPSDL will sit in a payload bay or nosecone of a rocket during flight.
My finished GPSDL weighs 62 grams with the power supply and has a 1.5 inch W x 3 inch L x 1 inch D footprint. The weight of the data logger can be further reduced by .25 to .75 oz. by using a simpler GPS antennae than the one I used. Cost can run from $100 to $200 depending on how careful a shopper you are. My cost was $200 for the parts used in this article.
The design is simple consisting of three major parts: a 5.5g accelerometer switch, a BS2p microcontoller and a GPS receiver. A parts list, pictures, source code and a schematic are included in this article.
The GPSDL records the date, time, latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, heading in degrees and number of satellites that are in communication with the receiver every second for a total of 5 minutes. The source code provided will record two 5 minute flights before you have to download the data. This is completely customizable for any number of flights or a single 12 minute flight. The comments in the source code explain not only how to make this flight time change, but also what the program is doing throughout its runtime. The source code was split into two programs to maximize the amount of data that could be stored, negating the need for a separate EEPROM. The first program parses the GPRMC and GPGGA GPS sentences for the data points and writes them to memory. Post flight, the second program is downloaded to read the data points stored in memory and prints them to your PC screen. The data points are finally copied/pasted into a spreadsheet for conversions and graphing.
Overview
I have been dreaming of building a flight computer that will not only control the flight sequence, but also log data aboard a model rocket. But I do need to walk before I can run, so I started with a simple GPS data logger (GPSDL) that is just a piece of my future flight computer idea. This GPSDL will sit in a payload bay or nosecone of a rocket during flight.
My finished GPSDL weighs 62 grams with the power supply and has a 1.5 inch W x 3 inch L x 1 inch D footprint. The weight of the data logger can be further reduced by .25 to .75 oz. by using a simpler GPS antennae than the one I used. Cost can run from $100 to $200 depending on how careful a shopper you are. My cost was $200 for the parts used in this article.
The design is simple consisting of three major parts: a 5.5g accelerometer switch, a BS2p microcontoller and a GPS receiver. A parts list, pictures, source code and a schematic are included in this article.
The GPSDL records the date, time, latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, heading in degrees and number of satellites that are in communication with the receiver every second for a total of 5 minutes. The source code provided will record two 5 minute flights before you have to download the data. This is completely customizable for any number of flights or a single 12 minute flight. The comments in the source code explain not only how to make this flight time change, but also what the program is doing throughout its runtime. The source code was split into two programs to maximize the amount of data that could be stored, negating the need for a separate EEPROM. The first program parses the GPRMC and GPGGA GPS sentences for the data points and writes them to memory. Post flight, the second program is downloaded to read the data points stored in memory and prints them to your PC screen. The data points are finally copied/pasted into a spreadsheet for conversions and graphing.
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My first step was to familiarize myself with the parts chosen to work with by reading the data sheet for the GPS antennae and spending some time online learning how to use the free IDE that Parallax provides to develop and download code from my PC to the BS2p microcontroller via a serial port. This is quite simple and you can learn how to do this in an evening. If you want to just cut and paste my code onto your microcontroller that is about all you need to know code-wise to get the circuit running. If you want to customize my code or roll your own, PBASIC, which is the language that the BS2p runs on, is probably the easiest language to learn. There are multiple online forums catering to the Basic Stamp where help is available if you need it.
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I am doing similar project. Just The GPS data logger part.
i am using a garmin 15l receiver and a GA25mcx antenna and Atmega32 micro controller.. I have developed code for for displaying the values[data] from GPS onto a LCD display.. but am not able to code for logging part onto a SD/MMC card. So cud pls help me with the source code for this.. Thanks in advance..
u can also mail me at dare4351 @ gmail . com
May want to take a look at TeleMetrum - http://www.altusmetrum.org/TeleMetrum I believe the intent is to integrate GPS in the future, serial port is already there IIRC.
Pressure sensor sounds great. This one is a SPI interface and has temperature reading as well. http://www.vti.fi/en/products/pressure-sensors/pressure_sensors/
Keep looking out there I'm sure you can find something cheap. Let me know if you have any specific questions.
kurf