Systems
About Systems
The systems team started with finding a way to easily collect data for our experiments. Our experiments included finding which effects different materials had on temperature, where the ozone starts and stops and what happens when entering the ozone layer. We decided on using an Arduino UNO because it is easy to work with, low power, and would handle our sensors. Connected to the Arduino UNO via serial is a Raspberry Pi zero which takes the sensor data and formats it into a spreadsheet on the micro-SD card. The sensors we picked were 3 TMP-36 for measuring temperature and a VEML-6075 for measuring UV-B radiation. These sensors were all connected to the Arduino UNO.
Construction Process
Construction began with a testing phase where all connections were made on breadboards and individual systems tested individually before being soldered together. Programming also was done individually; one person worked on the Raspberry Pi zero code program and one person worked on the Arduino program. The Arduino program was developed and compiled using the Arduino IDE. The Raspberry Pi program was developed and compiled on the Raspberry Pi itself using the GNU g++ compiler and the GNU vim console text editor.
Complications
During construction we ran into a few problems one of which was wire managing the wires which we solved by using some zip-ties. Another issue we had was getting the UV sensor to communicate with the Arduino. The issue was caused by the SDA and SCL pins being swapped. After the launch we noticed that the micro-SD card had been filled completely by pictures taken by the Raspberry Pi camera. The data was also not formatted using the proper time stamp so it was edited but during the editing process the UV-B data was altered significantly and the original file was lost.
The Moore Airborne Modular Data Acquisition Unit (MAMDAU)
Overview
The Moore Airborne Modular Data Acquisition (MAMDAU), previously known as The Moore Flight Computer (MFP), was originally designed by Ian and Stephen Moore in 2019 as a data collection system on a high altitude balloon. The MAMDAU has three different temperature sensors for testing insulation and a small temperature for monitoring specific experiments. UV-B, UV-A, UV-Index, Ozone, and Radiation are also recorded.
Schematics for Raider I Systems:
Key:
- 1 = VEML 6075 UV Sensor
- 2,3,4 = TMP36 Temperature Sensors
Raider I Launch vehicle Blueprint
List of parts used in raider I Systems
Eagle Flight Computer
Description: This is the Eagle flight computer that comes with the high altitude balloon. It is equipped with a GPS receiver for tracking its flight and a pressure sensor.
Data collection: GPS Location (Not a tracker), pressure sensor
Power Usage: Uses 3 AA batteries. These will last for up to 15 hours
Price: $300
MAMDAU Flight Computer
Description: This is the flight computer which was capable of collecting all of the information from the various sensors on the Raider I.
Raspberry Pi: We used a Raspberry Pi Zero due to its small form factor.
Arduino Uno: We used an Arduino Uno due to its small form factor and because it was used to interpret signals from the sensors to be sent to the Raspberry Pi
Price:
- Raspberry Pi Zero: ~$10 (Depends on where you buy it)
- Arduino Uno: ~$29 (Depends on where you buy it)
UV Sensor
Description: This UV Sensor would detect, as it sounds in the name, UV Radiation levels as we head up. This data would show us, in combination with the pressure and spot tracker, where and when the UV Radiation is strongest, and at what altitudes.
Data Collection: UV-B, UV-A, UV-Index
Operating Voltages: 1.7V-3.6V
Price: $7
Raspberry Pi Zero Camera V1.3 Mini
Description: This was our “Marshmallow Shot”, it was a tiny raspberry pi camera that was glued onto the top of a plastic cup, looking in that would capture a marshmallow, which we hoped to see if the marshmallow fried or at least got warm when exposed to all that radiation, but the camera shot failed due to being covered by glue while being attached.
Data Collection: Took pictures in '.jpg'
Sensor: 5 megapixel OV5647 sensor
Price: $20
Double-A Battery Pack
Description: A battery pack that would supply the power to all of the sensors and modules on Raider I.
Price: $7
List of Cameras used in Raider I (not including pi camera)
2x Ape-Man (Ground and Up shot)
Description: We had two Ape-Mans. One was facing downwards towards the Earth as we sent it up, and the other had faced upwards toward the sky, along with being aimed at the weather balloon. And our big goal with the upwards facing camera was to capture the weather balloon popping.
Model: Apeman A80 4K Actioncam
Camera Resolution: "4K" (Actually 1080p)
Power Usage: 3.7v (90 Minutes on a full charge)
Price: ~$50
Go-Pro (Horizon Shot)
Description:This was our first horizon shot, it was the shot that captured what we call the “money shot” it was a wood cut-out of our school’s logo.
Model: GoPro Hero 7 Black
Camera Resolution: 4K 30FPS
Power Usage: 4.40v (~2 Hours on a single charge)
Price: $250
Cannon (Failed Horizon Shot)
Description: This was our second horizon shot, it was supposed to be the shot that captured the scenery outward into the distance, but instead either died or got exposed to too much radiation on the way up as it lost our footage.
Model: Canon IXUS 190
Camera Resolution: 1080p Full HD
Power Usage: 3.6v (Lasting around 5-6 hours on a single charge)
Price: ~$200
Trackers used in RAIDER I
GPS: In the first Raider flight, the purpose of the GPS is to locate the payload in altitudes in between 0-10,000 feet. The GPS synergizes with the Spot Tracker to give us complete altitude coverage.
GPS used: TK102B
Bandwidth: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz
Working voltage: DC 9 – 58V
Radio Service: TCP/IP
Working temperature: -20℃ - 55℃
Spot Tracker: The Spot Tracker is used for high altitude tracking and was utilized during Raider I. The one flaw it has is when the Tracker flips upside down, the Spot Tracker does not work.
Device Model: Spot Trace
Bandwidth: 1611.25 Mhz - 1618.75 Mhz (4 Channels)
Working Voltage: AAA Energizer (3x)
Radio Service: TCP/IP
Working Temperature: -33 C to 60 C
REsults and what we learned
This launch taught us that we need to have better wire management and a higher capacity micro-sd card. We could lower the resolution to avoid the micro-SD card filling up or lengthen the interval at which pictures are taken but we cannot sacrifice the quality of the image. We also learned afterwards that we could remove the Arduino and connect all the sensors directly to the raspberry pi zero.
With our supplied data we are able to come to valuable conclusions that will help not only us but also the community. Internally, this data will allow us to gain hands-on experience with our sensors and the output they provide. In any first launch there are bound to be problems, and in ours they were indeed abundant. Our ozone sensor provided unusable results for an as of yet unknown reason, but from this we learned the importance of sensitive calibration and testing before operations begin. Additionally, our tin foil temperature sensor also contributed unusable data for almost half the flight, although it rectified itself soon after. With the lessons learned from developing these sensors, we will help the community in developing their own HAB without the need to go through the same arduous development process. Our experiments provide the backbone to Raider I and Project Horizon. We hope you enjoy learning about the exciting world that is space just as we did through our experiments.