AerobTec Altis v4 User manual

AerobTec Altis v4
Recording / Competition Altimeter
AerobTec Altis v4 User Manual 1

Table of Contents
1.Specifications..................................................................................................................3
2.Introduction......................................................................................................................3
3.How it works....................................................................................................................3
4.Hardware description.......................................................................................................4
onnectors of your Altis v4............................................................................................4
Mounting in the aircraft...................................................................................................5
onnection for data logging only...........................................................................5
ompetition connection with internal BE ............................................................5
onnection with external BE ...............................................................................6
onnection for telemetry.......................................................................................6
USB connection.....................................................................................................6
5.Altis v4 screens...............................................................................................................7
Initialization screen.........................................................................................................8
F5J screen......................................................................................................................8
User defined screen.......................................................................................................8
Do not disconnect screen...............................................................................................8
USB mode screen..........................................................................................................8
6.Work with Altis v4 in the Altis Flight Manager..................................................................9
Altis v4 window...............................................................................................................9
Downloading data...........................................................................................................9
Settings...........................................................................................................................9
Firmware update..........................................................................................................12
Firmware types.............................................................................................................13
Backup firmware...........................................................................................................13
7.Warning..........................................................................................................................13
8.Product Registration......................................................................................................14
9.Revision History.............................................................................................................14
10.Notes...........................................................................................................................14
AerobTec Altis v4 User Manual 2

1. Specifications
•Memory: 3.9MB (more than 15 hour record with 0.1s sample rate)
•Sample time: 0.1 – 25.5s (user selectable in 0.1s steps)
•Dimensions: 20 x 33 x 6.5mm
able length approx. 10cm
•Weight: 8g with JR cable
•Power supply range: 4 – 12.6V
•Logging:
◦altitude
◦voltage
◦temperature
◦throttle
•onforms to all existing competition rules (FAI F5J, ALES, etc.)
•Records multiple motor runs per flight
•OLED display (configurable screen)
•Telemetry support for Jeti Duplex EX® and Multiplex® M-Link
•Upgradeable firmware
•AerobTec Altis Flight manager software for Windows
2. Introduction
The AerobTec Altis v4 is a barometric altimeter designed especially to record the altitude of R/ aircraft
during flight with additional competition features. The unit has very small dimensions and a low weight.
The v4 senses barometric pressure variations caused by altitude changes of the aircraft. The altitude is
then calculated from pressure data and stored in the internal memory of the device.
The included system allows you to connect to a personal computer with a Windows (XP or higher)
operating system via USB. The supplied program will not only read the information from the device and
save it to the computer in various formats but it can also display the information in an advanced graph and
process the flight information in many other ways.
This altimeter has functions based on FAI F5J and Altitude limiting competitions (ALES) rules so it can be
used for these competitions.
The device and the software also provide some other complementary functions such as temperature,
throttle or voltage measurement and recording.
3. ow it works
The Altis v4 uses a modern, fast, digital pressure sensor which allows it to sense very low pressure
AerobTec Altis v4 User Manual 3

differences. This gives the unit an altitude resolution smaller than 0.5m with sample rates as low as 0.1s.
Since atmospheric pressure changes over time, these changes will affect your measurements. For this
reason, long term measurements may not be precise enough. However, the altitude for short term flights,
which are common in R/ aircraft, can be recorded very precisely.
The measured altitude is stored in the high capacity internal memory with which allows approx. 15 hours
of recording with the fastest sampling rate (0.1s).
After the Altis v4 is connected to a power supply, it will initialize in the first 3s. During initialization, the
reference altitude and a zero throttle level are measured. Note: It is necessary to keep the throttle on
your R/C transmitter turned off during this phase. It is recommended to set the initial altitude
before each flight by disconnecting and re connecting the power supply.
4. ardware description
Connectors of your Altis v4
Your Altis v4 has 5 connectors. They are shown in Fig 1.
IN – input signal from the R/ receiver. Power to Altis v4 is provided from
the receiver via this connector
OUT – output signal to ES (Electronic Speed ontrol)
USB micro – onnects the Altis v4 to a computer via USB
OM A, OM B – Molex connectors for connection with telemetry equipped receivers as well as
future additional features
Wire color Signal
brown Ground
red Positive power supply
orange R/C signal
Table 1: olors of the connector wires
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Fig 1: Connectors of your Altis v4

Mounting in the aircraft
Since Altis v4 uses atmospheric pressure for its measurement, it has to have open access to the outside
atmosphere. It must not be completely sealed inside the fuselage or other box. As most standard R/
aircraft are not fully sealed, it is usually not necessary to do any special modifications for installation. The
Altis v4 can simply be put in a free space inside the fuselage.
If the unit is mounted outside the aircraft, the location must be carefully considered. The unit must be
mounted away from the airflow caused by the propeller.
Avoid mounting your Altis v4 on parts of the plane that might become hot during operation.
Connection for data logging only
If the Altis v4 device is used purely as a logging device, connect the device to any free receiver channel as
shown in Fig 2. The signal polarity must be observed as shown in Table 1.
Competition connection with internal BEC
For competition use (like F5J FAI, ALES, etc.) the JR input cable has to be connected to the R/ receiver,
and the JR ES cable has to be connected to the output connector on the main measuring unit board.
See Fig 3. The signal polarity must be observed as shown in Table 1.
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Fig 3: Connection scheme for competition use (ESC - electronic speed controller, HRO -
throttle receiver channel)
Fig 2: Connection scheme for data logging only (FREE – free receiver channel)

Connection with external BEC
If you use a separate power source for your receiver or a battery eliminator circuit (BE ), you should
make sure to separate your power supply from your ES and the Altis v4. This is done by disconnecting
the red wire from the ES connector. This is not usually necessary for “Opto” ES s. The disconnected red
wire must be insulated to ensure that it does not cause any short circuit or other problems. See Fig 4.
Connection for telemetry
Some radio systems provide telemetry functions. These functions allow wireless transmission of certain
data from the aircraft during the flight and display it on your Tx or monitor screen. The Altis v4 has OM A
and OM B connectors reserved for this purpose. Use a Molex/JR telemetry cable (sold separately) to
connect your Altis v4 to the telemetry input of your receiver. See Fig 5.
USB connection
When you wish to download your logged data to a computer or change the settings of your Altis v4,
connect the Altis v4 using a standard micro USB cable (sold separately) to a computer with Windows XP
(or newer) operating system. See Fig 6. When you connect your Altis v4 for the first time, the computer
should install the drivers automatically. You need to have the Altis Flight Manager program installed in your
computer to display any stored data and make changes to your settings.
AerobTec Altis v4 User Manual 6
Fig 4: Connection of Altis v4 with BEC
Fig 5: elemetry connection

5. Altis v4 screens
The Altis v4 is equipped with an OLED display with great visibility in sunlight. There are several screens
displayed when you use the device. These screens are shown in Fig 7.
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Fig 6: USB cable connection
Fig 7: Various screens: a) Initialization screen b) F5J screen c) User defined screen d) Do not
disconnect screen e) USB mode screen

Initialization screen
When you connect the device to your aircraft, the Altis v4 informs you about the 3s initialization phase by
displaying the initialization screen. This screen also shows the firmware version and the serial number of
your device.
It is not recommended to disconnect the device when you see this screen.
F5J screen
This screen shows the firmware version and the F5J height as specified by FAI F5J rules.
The F5J height is indicates by 3 + 1 digit number. If there is no F5J detected or the motor was restarted, -
- - . - is shown on the screen instead.
User defined screen
This screen allows you to choose which information you would like to display on the screen. Please refer
to page 12 for more information.
Do not disconnect screen
When logging data, there are times when it is dangerous for the device to be disconnected. If the Altis v4
is disconnected at these times there is a danger of losing all your data in the device. This is indicated by
the “Do not disconnect screen”. Do not disconnect the device when you see this screen!!!
It is not recommended to disconnect the device during the initialization screen, too.
USB mode screen
When you connect your Altis v4 to a computer, the device stops its competition and logging functionality
and provides its data to the computer. This data is indicated by the USB mode screen.
AerobTec Altis v4 User Manual 8

6. Work with Altis v4 in the Altis Flight Manager
The AerobTec Flight Manager (AFM) is a P application for Windows which allows you to communicate
with Altis v4 and other devices made by AerobTec and to display and process the flight data recorded by
them.
Altis Flight Manager can be downloaded from http://www.aerobtec.com/support/download/
Note: There is a separate manual for AFM. However, the following pages describe how to set up your
Altis v4 according to your needs.
In order to connect to the device click Tools > Device or Device icon on the toolbar. A window will appear.
See Fig 8. hoose Altis v4. AFM then automatically connects to your Altis v4. If there is more than one
Altis v4 connected to your computer, you will be asked to choose which one you wish to connect. When
connected, Altis v4 screen window will be displayed.
Altis v4 window
There are two parts of the window. The upper part shows general information about the device – its
firmware version, serial number and used memory.
The bottom part of the window is used for settings.
Downloading data
In order to access the logged data from your Altis v4, use the Download button. Once the data is
downloaded, you can close the Device window and work with the data.
Settings
There are many possible configurations for the Altis v4. You can set your Altis v4 according to your needs.
This is done by using the settings tabs in the bottom part of the window.
There are several tabs:
Logging Settings (Fig 9) – Here you can set how you wish to store the flight parameters to your device
memory. The basic parameter, Sample time, determines how frequently the parameters will be logged.
You can set which parameters you wish to log. You can log altitude, temperature of the device (note: the
device is usually several degrees warmer than its environment), input throttle PWM (signal from the R/
system) and the voltage on board (the voltage Altis v4 is powered from).
AerobTec Altis v4 User Manual 9
Fig 8: Device choosing window

Note that the more parameters you log or the lower the sample time is, the more memory it consumes.
However, there is memory enough to log about 15hours of data when logging all available parameters with
a Sample time of 0,1s. With different settings you can log up to several days of data.
You can choose also a trigger type – this determines when your device starts logging. There are the
following options:
•Always on – Data logging begins once the device is initialized
•R trigger – When Altis v4 is connected to a receiver channel controlled by a switch on your R/
transmitter. You will activate the logging manually by turning this channel on. Note that this option
is not available for some of the competition settings.
•Altitude trigger – The device starts logging when the plane reaches a certain altitude. It is possible
to set your desired altitude.
Competition settings (Fig 10) – There are several pre-programmed standard competitions. You can
simply choose the one you want from the ompetition Type list. This choice sets the proper values of all
necessary parameters.
Of course, you can customize the parameters according to your needs. For example, you can set a motor
switch at certain altitude or at certain time.
At the bottom of the ompetition Settings tab there are Safety and Training settings. Allow Emergency
Motor On has the following function:
In some competitions it is not allowed to switch the motor on again during the flight. However, you may
want to have the ability to switch the motor on again in an emergency situation. The user can choose to
enable this or not. If enabled, when the motor is switched on for an emergency the Altis v4 restarts the
recorded F5J height and it is recorded so it can be shown on the flight graph.
Sometimes during training it is not practical to reset your Altis v4 to start a new flight each time you land
AerobTec Altis v4 User Manual 10
Fig 9: Logging settings

and launch again. In this case there is the option: Allow Competition Restart. It makes the device
behave as if it has just been initialized (only for the competition settings) when your plane’s altitude drops
below 8m.
AerobTec Altis v4 User Manual 11
Fig 10: Competition Settings
Fig 11: Screen settings

Note: there are several types of firmware. Some firmware types will not allow certain setting changes.
Refer to the Firmware types chapter for more information.
Screen (Fig 11) – Your Altis v4 has an OLED display. There are several screens that can be shown on the
display. They are described in the Altis v4 screens chapter. (See page 7). The Screens tab allows you to
choose the between the F5J screen or User defined screen. In the User defined screen there are 6
possible lines of text which can be displayed. You can select the displayed parameters for each line.
Com A/B ports (Fig 12) – You can assign a function for the selected port. urrently there are telemetry
options. These ports are reserved for other future uses.
Firmware update
When your computer is connected to the Internet and AFM is connected to an Altis v4, AFM compares the
firmware version of your Altis v4 with the newest currently available firmware and offers to update the
latest firmware for your Altis v4 if necessary. To update the firmware, click the OK button when AFM offers
you this option or you click Update Firmware button (See Fig 9) on the main Altis v4 window. The Update
Firmware window (Fig 13) lets you choose the firmware you wish to upgrade. If you want to choose a
firmware version which is not in the list, you can choose one from a file or search for new firmware on the
web.
Once you choose the firmware, click the Update button. The new firmware is then prepared for update in
Altis v4. Remove your Altis v4 from USB and connect it again when instructed. Then the update process
starts. It should take up to 2 minutes.
Once the new firmware is updated, the Altis v4 should appear as a logical drive in your computer (for
example as F:). DO NOT DISCONNECT Altis v4 from the computer before this.
When the update is complete you can connect your Altis v4 to the AFM again.
AerobTec Altis v4 User Manual 12
Fig 12: COM A / COM B and elemetry settings

Firmware types
Note: there are two firmware types. One of them is marked, “F5J”. This firmware complies exactly with
FAI F5J competition rules and no other options are allowed.
The Firmware marked, “Standard” allows more setting changes, including settings for F5J competitions. It
is recommended to use this firmware type during training and ordinary flights. However, this firmware type
is not allowed for use in certain competitions. It should be specified by the organizer of the competition,
which firmware is allowed.
Backup firmware
If the firmware updates fails or if the process is interrupted, the device tries to update the firmware again
until it is successful. Once finished, your Altis v4 appears in the computer as a USB removable device
again.
If this does not happen or if the first start of the new firmware is not performed from USB, a safety function
is activated and backup firmware is written to your Altis v4. Note there is no indication of this state on the
screen and the screen is blank.
In this case, follow the firmware update instructions to update a new, valid firmware.
7. Warning
It is not recommended to supply your whole aircraft via the Altis v4 device, however it is possible. The best
choice is to use an external BE circuit or separate power supply.
When manipulating the device and plugging or unplugging the device, do not push the display and the
area bellow it. It is recommended to hold Altis v4 on sides.
Do not mount the Altis v4 device on aircraft components which might be hot in operation (ES , batteries)!
Do not touch the Altis v4 device to a metal surface, as this might lead to shorting of the power supply and
R system may fail.
Do not put the Altis v4 in water, fuel or other liquids!
Before flying with the Altis v4 always perform a range check!
AerobTec Altis v4 User Manual 13
Fig 13: Firmware update window

Do not disconnect the Altis v4 when the, “Do not disconnect” screen (See Fig 7) is shown on the display.
It is not recommended to write any of your own files or directories to the Altis v4 when it shows as a
removable drive in your computer. This might lead to corruption or loss of any data on the device.
8. Product Registration
If you did not purchase the product directly from AerobTec please mail following information to
[email protected]. By registering your products you will be informed about updates and notifications.
Name :
Address* :
Country :
Phone* :
Email :
Product :
Serial number o product :
Date Purchased :
Where did you purchased your product? :
* this information is not obligatory
An alternative option is to register at http://www.aerobtec.com/support/products-registration/
9. Notes
•This manual is based on fimware version 1.2 and Altis Flight manager version 3.0.
•Note – Altis v4 was partially developed using Atollic TrueSTUDIO®
10. Revision istory
Rev. 1.0. (April 2013)
•Initial release
AerobTec Altis v4 User Manual 14