Transolve P6-K Altimeter Kit

Transolve - P6-K Altimeter Kit {Component}

Contributed by Drake "Doc" Damerau

Manufacturer: Transolve
(Contributed - by Drake Damerau - 10/12/04)

Brief:
T' Transolve P6K is a peak reportin' dual deployment barometric altimeter. Avast! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It is t' same altimeter as their P6 model, but in kit form. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It measures 1.4" x 4" x 1.2" and weighs 1.1oz without t' required 9V alkaline battery. Begad! Blimey! Just as it's sister model, shiver me timbers, it has dual deployment, with a selectable main deployment at 400 or 800 feet or an optional chip with 600 or 1,200 feet main deployment. T' P6K has peak reportin' t' a range o' 25,000 feet with 100 foot accuracy. T' on-board beeper signals continuity, matey, me bucko, altimeter status, and peak readout in feet. Well, blow me down! Blimey! For t' speed demons, ya bilge rat, matey, it has a programmable "Supersonic Inhibit Delay" (SID) for 5, 10, or 15 seconds that is changeable usin' jumper blocks. This allows it t' be used for any supersonic flight. Begad! Blimey! It's a rugged design, capable o' firin' any low current e-match or flashbulb. Begad! Blimey! With low power usage, it is capable o' sittin' on t' pad for several hours. Arrr! Blimey! This unit is also capable o' triggerin' Transolve's air-start board timer for staging, air-startin' motors, me hearties, or other timer dependant events. Avast! Blimey!

Transolve P6K altimeter

Construction:
T' kit includes t' printed circuit board, me hearties, shiver me timbers, a bag o' components, low current LEDs for testing, arrr, a switch, and two sets o' instructions. Begad! One set of instructions if for buildin' t' unit and t' other is for its operation. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! It even comes with enough solder t' complete t' project. Well, blow me down! Don't worry if you have never built an electronic project. Begad! T' instructions contain information for solderin' your first project. Avast! T' smallest surface mounted components have already been installed for you, so t' steadiest o' hands is nay mandatory. Begad! Blimey! It took me less than 1/2 hour t' assemble and test me unit.

T' instructions take you through t' buildin' process by first explaining which components are which. It then tells you which components t' solder first and which ones require special attention.

Even if you are a newcomer t' solderin' electronics, me hearties, this kit will nay be too difficult and should take you a little more than an hour t' assemble. Arrr! You will need t' buy or borrow a solderin' iron. Ya scallywag! You may also want t' practice on some thin speaker wire or bell wire but you will need extra solder for this. Ya scallywag! If you make a mistake, arrr, you can send it t' Transolve and they will repair it for a listed $5.00 t' $10.00.

I purchased t' optional air-start board with me P6K kit. Avast, me proud beauty! I found that the instructions t' wire t' P6K t' t' air-start board were missing. Begad! I sent an email regardin' t' subject and I received with a very quick and friendly response. Well, arrr, blow me down! Apparently I be t' first customer t' buy t' two units and discover the missin' instructions. Transolve has since added this t' t' P6K instructions.

Flight:
I test flew t' P6K in a scratch built rocket that has a 54mm central motor and four 38mm outboards. Ahoy! Avast! I used t' P6K for deployment as well as triggerin' the air-start board. T' altimeter is designed t' trigger t' air-start timer at 300 feet for safety. Aye aye! Aye aye! I used t' included relay and two 9V batteries t' light all four J330 motors. Begad! All four motors lit with authority right on cue.

Summary:
With a retail cost o' $58.00 includin' shipping, t' price o' t' Transolve P6K is considerably less than comparable models.

PROs: Rugged and inexpensive.

CONs: Larger and heavier than some altimeters

Comments:

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K.A.B. (July 15, 2007)
Transolve gives excellent customer support. When I broke the relay they sent me a new one free of charge. I had a recovery malfunction and the rocket was all but destroyed. Surprisingly the P6k was still in one piece except the beeper came apart. Transolve again sent me the part free of charge. I have to say this is one excellent product and one excellent company. I am well pleased.
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S.B. (January 4, 2008)
The kit went to gether easily and the support has been excellent. I have used the P6K on several flights with some success, but I cannot recommend it for anything complex or critical. The unit I used in my Level 3 attempt failed with premature deployment. In analyzing the data from the other altimeter it looks like the P6K was fooled by transitory pressure changes. According to correspondence with the developer of the unit, it uses a very simple algorithm which only samples every 1/2 second and which fires the apogee charge immediately upon receiving a sample that indicates that the rocket is descending. For lower, slower flights it works fine, but for mission critical stuff, I can't recommend it.

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