Flight Tag

FlightTag is a small and lightweight alitute logger for low altitude amateur rocketry up to 10 Km / 33,000 ft.

Operation

Powering and shutting down device

To turn on the device, simply press and hold the button for 2-3 seconds. Once it’s ready to use, it will blink rapidly, letting you know you can release the button.

The LED will flash slowly at 1Hz, indicating that the board is in an idle / non-logging mode. During this mode, the board is ready for configuration, data retreival or firmware update.

Recording flight

To start recording flight data, press and hold the push button for 2-3 seconds while in the idle state. The yellow LED will turn solid as it performs preflight calibration and then blink rapidly to show that the device is in flight/recording mode.

It will record the key flight details of maximum altitude, acceleration, and duration. After the flight, press and hold the button for 2-3 seconds to stop recording.

For more information on how to view data and manage the device, please refer to the NavLink software documentation.

Physical Parameters

Mass

All boards regardless of configuration will have a mass less than 15g. This will include both the PCBA, and on-board battery (with charging).

Dimensions

All boards regardless of configuration will have dimensions no greater than 45 x 18 x 18 mm.

Operational Temperature Range

Material and electrical part selection limits the temperature range the device can withstand to 0 °C – 60 °C ambient dry air - this corresponds to a derating of 30%. The limiting factor is electrical components with a maximum service temperature of 85 °C. Operation beyond these limits cannot be guaranteed, and it would be at risk of the user to do so.

Ingress and Humidity

Electronics operating under any humidity for sustained periods cannot and will not be guaranteed for this device. No form of ingress protection has been provided, so exposure to damp and/or wet conditions may harm the device – user discretion should be used.

Shock and Vibration rating

All boards will be operational up to a shock rating of 50 G (490.5 ms^-2), for a period less than 1 us. Withstand vibration levels is 50 G (490.5 ms^-2) at 1 kHz. All electronic components match or exceed these ratings.

Electrical Parameters

Input voltage

Input charging voltage is limited to 5 V ± 3%, i.e., 5 ± 0.15 V. This range is tighter than the BC1.2 USB battery charging specification to ensure device compatibility and function. Nominal device function cannot be guaranteed for Input voltages beyond the above limits.

Input current

The device includes a 50mA Lithium Polymer (LiPo) battery. It’s designed to charge safely within a specific range and will automatically stop charging when the battery reaches 4.20 volts. The device should not be unattended for any period of time whilst the device is charging.

ESD

Internal transient event protection has been implemented on the USB only. All active components have internal ESD protection, with a minimum of 4 kV human body rating (touch rating), and machine model rating of ≥ 400 V. User input is only expected to be via the USB connector, if an enclosure is to be provided there is no guarantee the device will be protected by such ESD events. ≥ 20 kV/mm insulation will be provided around the enclosure as a protection.

Battery

Please keep in mind that putting too much pressure on the device, especially the battery, can be dangerous and might lead to a fire risk.

Sensor outputs

Barometric and inertial measurements are available for altitude detection and recording. Barometric pressure measurements are suitable down to 260 mBar which, depending on atmospheric conditions during launch, corresponds to ≈10,100 m (33,000 ft). The device should not be exposed to > 2.5 MPa. This will cause permanent damage to the device.

Inertial measurements are limited to ±16 G in linear motion and ±2000 degrees per second (dps) in angular velocity.