NOW SHIPPING: Airspeed, Altitude and lots more new sensors for the MicroPower

[billpa]

Eagle Tree Systems, LLC is pleased to announce several powerful new sensors for our MicroPower eLogger!

http://www.eagletreesystems.com/press/microsensors.jpg

Look at all you can learn about your model with your MicroPower and our low-cost add-ons:

* HOW HIGH WAS THAT? Altimeter Expander (MPR-ALT-EXP) - High resolution Altimeter measures Altitude from 0-20000 feet with 4 foot (2 meter) resolution.

* AND HOW FAST? Airspeed Expander (MPR-AIR-EXP) - Measures airspeed from 9-200 MPH!

* WHAT'S THAT BUZZ I HEAR? Servo Current Logger (SERVO-CURR-LOG) - Find out how much current your servo is drawing. Plugs into your MicroPower and servo to log current from 0-5 Amps.

* I WANT MORE! Multi-Expander (MPR-MULTI-EXP) - Expands your MicroPower to log Brushless RPM, Throttle stick movement, and simultaneous recording of two temperatures! Includes integrated Brushless RPM sensor and Y cable for Throttle monitoring. Temperature sensors sold separately.

* I WANT TO SEE IT ALL!! Memory Expander (MPR-MEM-EXP) - Increases your MicroPower's onboard logging time by 5x!

All the sensors listed above can be used simultaneously. And, they work with all versions of the MicroPower - support is only a web download away. Click here (http://eagletreesystems.com/MicroPower/micro.htm) for more information!

Remember, only the Eagle Tree MicroPower eLogger + PowerPanel LCD Display is both a powerful in-flight (or in-car) logger, and the world's smallest and lightest watt meter/bench monitor, all in one! And, no other logger offers anywhere near the range of features or sensors of the MicroPower!

http://eagletreesystems.com/MicroPower/images/micro-power-hand-small.jpg

[kookboy]

Pre-ordering the altimeter. That's what I've been waiting for. :)

[sbledl]

The airspeed sensor has got my attention. How are you implementing it? What kind of accuracy?

[skeppley]

Multi Expander and memory expander for me!!
Eagletree Rocks!

[sbledl]

Hi Bill,

What kind of accuracy for the new airspeed sensor? How are you implementing it? Pitot tube?

[billpa]

Hi Sbledl,

Yes, the sensor uses a pitot tube, and should have 1 MPH accuracy in the production version.

Regards,

Bill, for Eagle Tree

[morphs]

Does the speed sensor need to be exposed to the outside air, or can you plumb the pitot outside and keep the sensor inboard??

[billpa]

Hi Morphs,

The sensor includes a 3' rubber hose and pitot tube for plumbing outside the plane. But, come to think of it, the sensor is so small that you could most likely mount the into the airflow, perhaps with a short rigid extension.

Bill

[morphs]

Are these sensors still going to available on the 15'th??

[billpa]

Hi Morphs,

I apologize, but our date has slipped slightly on those (but not that much), due to a variety of factors. We are working on getting the exact date now, and will post it here (and email anyone with pre-orders).

Thanks for your patience!

Bill, for Eagle Tree

[Dondon]

Hi,

Can the servo current monitor also measure the voltage so we could see how much the receiver pack voltage dip in high current sink by the servo.

[Dondon]

Never mind. I just made a connector to series the flight pack with the micro logger to receiver to measure the total current use by all servos and voltage.

[lquick]

Hi Morphs,

I apologize, but our date has slipped slightly on those (but not that much), due to a variety of factors. We are working on getting the exact date now, and will post it here (and email anyone with pre-orders).

Thanks for your patience!

Bill, for Eagle Tree

Do you have any update on a shipping date?

Lloyd

[lquick]

Do you have any update on a shipping date?

Lloyd
I noticed on their web site it now says:
Pre-order Info! Ships approximately 21-May, 2007

[lquick]

I noticed on their web site it now says:
Pre-order Info! Ships approximately 21-May, 2007
Now says:
Pre-order Info! Ships approximately 26-May, 2007

[billpa]

Hi All,

We finally got it right with May 26. :-)

Sorry for the delays - we want to get these as close to perfect as we can. We're shipping starting Tuesday. Thanks so much for your patience!

Bill, for Eagle Tree

[lquick]

I got mine.

Lloyd

[Sal C]

I got mine.

Lloyd

Which sensor? Airspeed? How's it work? :)

[lquick]

Which sensor? Airspeed? How's it work? :)

On my first try not very well.

I hooked the servo current sensor between the ESC and the receiver. The servo current stayed at .02 for the entire flight.

The speed sensor readings only showed up at high speed, and read only 2.97 Avg.

The Alt. read from -368 to 60 feet.

It looks like I have a lot of work to do to get good reading.

The voltage, current, rpm, and temp. worked great, as before.

Lloyd

[billpa]

Hi lquick,

Sorry to hear you're having issues with the new sensors. First, I want to make sure that you've updated your windows application to 5.53, and updated the micropower firmware to 4.91?

Please see below on the individual sensors:

"I hooked the servo current sensor between the ESC and the receiver. The servo current stayed at .02 for the entire flight."

Is it possible you are not logging servo current? This is under "tools, choose parameters to log in the recorder."

"The speed sensor readings only showed up at high speed, and read only 2.97 Avg."

The speed sensor should read from 9MPH upward. Also, is the "2.97" from the chart average?

"The Alt. read from -368 to 60 feet."

Something is definitely wrong here. Can you confirm you did the calibration step for the altimeter?

Could you also email me the .FDR file you collected from the flight? Please send to support2@eagletreesystems.com.

Regards, Bill for Eagle Tree

[lquick]

Hi lquick,

Sorry to hear you're having issues with the new sensors. First, I want to make sure that you've updated your windows application to 5.53, and updated the micropower firmware to 4.91?

Please see below on the individual sensors:

"I hooked the servo current sensor between the ESC and the receiver. The servo current stayed at .02 for the entire flight."

Is it possible you are not logging servo current? This is under "tools, choose parameters to log in the recorder."

"The speed sensor readings only showed up at high speed, and read only 2.97 Avg."

The speed sensor should read from 9MPH upward. Also, is the "2.97" from the chart average?

"The Alt. read from -368 to 60 feet."

Something is definitely wrong here. Can you confirm you did the calibration step for the altimeter?

Could you also email me the .FDR file you collected from the flight? Please send to support2@eagletreesystems.com.

Regards, Bill for Eagle Tree

Bill,

Thanks for your fast response.

I sent the .FDR file as you requested.

I down loaded 5.53 and installed it now. and updated the micropower to 4.91.

Servo Current was chosen as a parameter.

Ave. speed was from the chart.

I did the calibration and it was confirmed. I will do it again, now that I have 4.91.

Lloyd

[Sal C]

Where is version 5.53? All I see is a beta 5.56. Also link for the firmware update? Am I missing something obvious?

[Sal C]

Ok, I found that the firmware is included in the update but I only see 5.12 and 5.56 which is Beta...

[billpa]

Hi Sal,

Sorry for the confusion. The correct version is 5.56. We will be releasing 5.5x as an official release version very soon.

Regards,

Bill, for Eagle Tree

[Sal C]

Thanks Bill I did the update and added the new sensors. On the bench the airspeed seems to work, I blew on the pitot tube slightly from a distance and I got a reading (I know it doesn't take much to damage one of these - at my job I work with static pressure sensors - HVAC field). Now to get this thing installed in my plane, can't wait to try it. Won't be flying today (45 mph winds) or tomorrow (high winds forecasted again).

[morphs]

I received my airspeed and altitude sensor today. I need to remotely locate the static sensor, so I will be sealing a tube under the heat shrink as instructed. My question is, do you recommend a specific type of sealant?? I don't want to use anything that could harm the board, or electronics if they came into contact with the sealant. Can I just use regular vinegar based silicone, or some goop??

Thanks,
Jon

[Sal C]

I had a few flights today with my Depron Skyray using the new airspeed sensor. It worked well (see graph). From previous doppler speed tests I had max'd at ~ 60mph and the Eagletree sensor clocked me at 78mph. The doppler readings were from video and they weren't high speed dives whereas the Eagletree readings came from high straight dives. I'm inclined to believe they're correct. Awesome product guys, the Micropower has come a long way in a short period of time...

[bgijsber]

Last week I received the alititude sensor for my e-logger. At the first flight it seems that the sensor was drifting. During the flight today this was again the case. I have attached a picture showing the 'drift'.

I use the altitude sensor is an electric glider. At the red circle I landed and the plane was on the ground for 2 minutes. At the blue circle I launched again. The green circle is my ending altitude.

At the first flight the drift was negative. It seems to be caused by temperature. It was cold at the first flight and hot at the second.

Did I do somthing wrong with the calibration? Is this just normal, and should I wrap the sensor in insulation material?

Thanks,
Bart

B.T.W.: I am very happy with the e-logger!!

[billpa]

Hi Ggijsber,

Thanks for your purchase. If the unit was calibrated, I would not expect that much drift, unless the temperature change was enormous. It looks like you saw about 50 feet between the flights.

I am confused by one thing. Did more than 22 minutes transpire between when you first and last flew? There do not appear to be the multiple sessions shown on the graph, that should appear each time the unit is turned off and on.

If there were more than (say) an hour between the flights, barometric pressure could have easily changed enough to explain 50 feet. But, the logger should handle that, because it normally creates a new "session" each time you stop and start it, and it should zero the altitude for each session.

Let me know if you were indeed powering the unit off and on during the day, or if the entire flights were recorded in a continuous 22 minutes. Then we can figure out how to proceed.

We are going to be 'tweaking' the firmware soon to further reduce temperature drift regardless of how the unit is calibrated.

Regards,

Bill, for Eagle Tree

[bgijsber]

Hi Bill,

Thanks for reply-ing.
I was one recording. After landing I did not disconnected the power from the logger.

Regards,
Bart

[billpa]

hi Bart,

That is definitely not barometric pressure change, then, if it took place over 20 minutes.

We have just further improved the altitude calibration algorithm. With this new algorithm, I'm able to hold a heat lamp near the sensor with very little drift. Probably the only altimeter on the market that can claim that. :-)

If you want to try it, just download 5.58 from our website, update your firmware, and repeat the cal process just as described in your manual.

Let me know if you have any other issues!

Regards, Bill for Eagle Tree

[bgijsber]

Hi Bill,

Thank you! I will give it a try this weekend (if the weather permits :) )

Regards,
Bart

[bgijsber]

Hi Bill,

The weekend the weather was not good enough to try, but the weather this afternoon was great. I still see 'drift'. What I have done is to tape a temp sensor to the alti sensor. So you can see the relation between them.

Red circle: plane on the ground

Thanks,
Bart

[billpa]

Hi Bart,

Thanks for posting the images. It looks like the drift is much less than before, but not yet perfect. Is the unit displaying feet (english) or meters?

Also, can you confirm that you recalibrated with 5.58 or later, and that the LED was solid during calibration?

Regards,

Bill, for Eagle Tree

[bgijsber]

Hi Bill,

The drift defenately seems to be better! The unit was recalibrated with the 5.58 release. The calibration was doen by puting the unit in the refrigerator (7 degrees celsius) and then let it heat up to room temperature (23 degrees celsius). The units are in meters and celcius. I have not watched the led, but the LCD display signaled 'calibrating' and ended normally. I did not had my temp probe attached during calibrating.

Does it make a difference if i recalibrate it from 50 degree celsius back to room temp?

Thanks for all your help,
Bart

[billpa]

Hi Bart,

Thanks for the update. I am still very surprised about the level of drift you are seeing. I am worried that we may have a firmware bug that is not calibrating perfectly under certain circumstances. We will definitely fix it if so!

Yes, I would suggest trying the calibration from 50 degrees back to room temp to see if it further reduces the drift you are seeing. Let me know what you find, please.

Regards, Bill for Eagle Tree

[bgijsber]

Hi Bill,

I just did the recalibration from 50 degree celsius to room temp (28). Test static test I did so far shows big improvement. Less the 10 meter for almost 10 degrees celsius temperature change. Unfortunately the wind is blowing to hard to go out flighing this evening, but I will keep you updated.

Thanks again for your great support.
Bart

[billpa]

Hi Bart,

That's great news. It also matches with a couple of other reports we are seeing, even though when we use the cold to hot calibration here we see extremely good results. We will continue to examine the calibration algorithm to further improve it.

Regards,

Bill, for Eagle Tree

[billpa]

Hi Bart,

We have discovered an issue with altitude calibration when logging at less than 10 hz. If you install version 5.61 and update your firmware, then recalibrate (per the instruction manual) I suspect your drift will dramatically reduce (assuming you are logging at less than 10 hz).

Regards, Bill for Eagle Tree

[bgijsber]

Hi Bill,

You are right, I do log at less then 10Hz (4 samples / second). I will test flight the new software (just did this morning a life test with the old software, with same results as urlier). Unfortunately I am on business travel for more then a week so I will not be able to test the new version before july.

Regards,
Bart

[Al Offt]

Hi all,
I got the memory expander, airspeed and altimeter expanders for father's day and had a chance to try them out using my car. I attached the pitot tube to the car's side-view mirror and had the powerpanel (on the dashboard) display both speed and altitude in real time.

I'm quite pleased with the results. The (calibrated) altimeter started out at -4 ft and ended up at the same altitude at the starting location after driving around for about 12 minutes. I was also surprised that the "altitude" of our house was higher than other locations that I thought were higher.

At speeds above 25mph, airspeed was slightly higher than observed on the car's speedometer but I would expect air moving the longer distance around windshield to move faster than the car's speed. Ambient wind speed was very light.

Really fine sensors. Hope to put both in my acrobatic plane to fly this weekend.

Alan

[steve ypsi mi]

At speeds above 25mph, airspeed was slightly higher than observed on the car's speedometer but I would expect air moving the longer distance around windshield to move faster than the car's speed. Ambient wind speed was very light.
I have a hand held unit that did the same, I held it out the window and it was off by about 5 MPH to much at 40 MPH
I just ordered the E loger this morning after reading as much as I could about the 2 brands on the market I know about and only the bare e loger, going to think about the speed sensor .
I have a radar but its hard standing there when a model is coming at 60 MPH, I was hoping the speed unit they offer works the same most of the time. I know from the old boat speedometers they worked by water pressure and I have a GPS which is accurate and the boat speed gauge was a couple of miles per hour higher which is fine, as long as they are wrong the same ammount every time because I can use the radar to double check it