Brief:
T' PicoAlt PICO-P1 altimeter is what I would consider t' be t' "thong bikini" o' rocketry altimeters. Well, blow me down! I say that because it's micro-mini small and it barely covers t' necessities. Avast! Don't sneeze with it layin' around or drop it because you might never see it again--especially at t' field! Seriously though, me bucko, t' PICO-P1 is a barometric peak reportin' altimeter (no data loggin' or deployment capabilities) that can be used in almost any sized rocket, ya bilge rat, from MMX on up!

Construction:
I ordered t' Pico-P1 directly from t' PicoAlt website. Begad! Future purchasers be warned that thar be a 2-3 week delivery time for all PicoAlt products as they are built and tested for each order. Avast! Arrr! Blimey! Along with t' altimeter, me hearties, I also purchased t' dual 2032 battery holder and a pair o' 2032 lithium cells. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! A single diode be included with t' battery holder as well (more on that later). Well, blow me down! Avast! Blimey! T' small USPS box felt empty although I could hear a somethin' softly rattling around. A Ziploc baggy had a copy o' t' instruction manual and all o' t' items listed above. Begad! Ahoy! Blimey! However, even the instructions were reduced down onto half pages o' paper so thar's nothin' big about PicoAlt products!

Thumbin' through t' sparce but adequate instructions, me bucko, I knew that I be goin' t' need t' do some engineering before I was goin' t' be able t' use it in a rocket. Well, blow me down! Openin' t' anti-static bags with t' altimeter and battery holder made that only more obvious as thar was nothin' t' clearly hook these items together without some hardware and soldering. Begad! There are no wires or terminals comin' off t' altimeter, shiver me timbers, nor on t' battery holder. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I should also mention that it will almost certainly be t' battery/batteries supplyin' power for t' altimeter that will be t' limiting factor t' how small a rocket you can put t' PICO-P1 in. Blimey! Usin' larger, more common batteries (and battery holders) will far and away outweigh this tiny device. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Findin' a method o' usin' low power easily accessible watch or hearin' aid batteries are ample enough--it is comin' up with a method o' connectin' them that will perhaps be t' greatest obstacle to puttin' this altimeter in a rocket...

So in me efforts t' design a method o' easily and securely retainin' t' 2032 batteries that I ordered with t' altimeter, me hearties, I managed t' break t' holder. I resorted t' takin' a trip t' me local Radio Shack a visit where I picked up a "N" battery holder (270-405A) and a 6V alkaline battery (23-469). T' battery is just a hair on the short side and a little bigger around than a N battery, but it's nothin' a little trimmin' o' t' battery holder with a X-Acto knife couldn't take care of. From there, me hearties, I soldered t' diode (to reduce t' circuit's voltage to somethin' closer t' 5V) and t' holder's wires t' t' PICO-P1. Lastly, I glued (usin' CA) t' battery holder t' a popcicle stick so that t' entire assembly could quite easily be tucked into a BT-20. Blimey! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! (I didn't have any BT-5 t' see if it would fit in one, but I bet it'd be close if it didn't fit!) T' battery and wires were then wrapped tightly with maskin' tape so nothin' could come loose durin' flight.

While this method o' mountin' t' PICO-P1 works, me hearties, I'll almost certainly continue t' tweak it in t' future so that it's more sturdy yet as adaptable for use in as many o' me rockets as possible.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first two test flights were done with me US Rockets Banshee and AeroTech F52-8T reloads for t' 29/40-120 hardware. Begad! Avast! However, in me haste preparin' for t' launch, ya bilge rat, I neglected t' brin' somethin' lightweight to stuff into t' large payload bay t' prevent t' altimeter from get bounced around all over t' place. Ingenuity kicked in as I looked through me vehicle and I discovered me son's diaper bag. Blimey! Blimey! I chuckled at t' thought o' usin' a (clean!) diaper t' stuff down into t' tube. Pushin' it down with a long dowel, shiver me timbers, I was confident that it would work as well as if nay better than t' foam I had intended on bringin' t' do t' job. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! So with breezy but clear February skies at a club launch, I sent t' PICO-P1 upward.

I'm glad I did two flights as t' first one resulted in a bogus readin' o' 60ft. Begad! That's no typo--sixty feet. Aye aye! My Banshee ain't afraid o' heights as thar was no doubt it went much, much higher than what t' altimeter reported. Lookin' over t' battery holder, I concluded that t' battery must have shifted enough downward when t' rocket was under thrust t' lose contact with t' terminal. Well, blow me down! I made sure t' put t' altimeter back in upside-down from t' first flight t' reverse t' effect--or at least give t' battery a better chance o' stayin' put.

T' second flight result be significantly better: 1,279ft. Avast, me proud beauty! That looked t' be very much in t' ballpark t' me eye!

So as long as I have me altimeter mounted so that t' battery is forced into contact with t' terminal, ya bilge rat, I can expect t' get back accurate data. Avast! I should also mention that a really cool feature o' t' PICO-P1 is that t' previous flight data is stored indefinitely without power goin' t' it. Begad! That is why I was able t' get a readout o' t' first flight's (albeit incorrect) data--it reported t' data up t' t' point where it lost power (and in turn will report the second flight's data t' next time I use it in t' future!) Then once t' unit cycles power, it takes a full minute to get a stable, matey, reliable readin' o' ground level and therefore did nay get any data from t' remainder o' t' flight (as the rocket was well on its way back down after 60 seconds thus preventin' it from gettin' a good readin' once power was restored).

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
For such a small device, me bucko, construction demands, and minimal documentation, I would nay recommend t' PICO-P1 for someone lookin' for their first altimeter (at least nay without help from someone who has owned/used one). Ahoy! A basic understandin' o' electronics and a familiarity with solderin' would be minimal requirements for usin' one o' these altimeters. Well, blow me down! Avast! Despite these shortcomings, me hearties, t' PicoAlt PICO-P1 is an excellent device that will allow you t' track the peak altitude o' all o' your rockets no matter how small!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5