Jerry Had High Ambitions

By Design News Staff -- Design News, November 22, 2004

How high can you go? That's a question that model rocket enthusiast Jerry Baumeister wanted an answer to. Cheap enough to be used in even "risky" launches, Jerry's battery-powered device features a circuit designed around a Flash microcontroller that performs an analog-to-digital conversion of the voltage produced by an absolute pressure transducer. Altitude and operational data is then output to two LEDs. Since the output is in A/D units, Jerry just has to do a quick mathematical conversion and he's flying high. Or at least he knows if his rockets are.

Model Rocket Altimeter Parts List
Amt	Part Description	Allied Part #
1	5V regulator	881-3486
1	Red LED	263-1132
1	Green LED	263-0828
1	Absolute pressure sensor	858-4854
1	Tactile switch	676-5050
1	Eight-pin DIP socket	900-0004
Additional parts required: Assorted capacitors, resistors, software, microcontroller, battery clips/holder, PCB, and plastic shin. Model Rocket Altimeter Build Instructions

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