Volirium Flytec Balloon Live Sensor User manual

Firmware FS.04.17 Date: 2021-05-13
User Manual
http://balloonlive.org

Balloon Live Sensor User Manual Page 2
Firmware FS.04.17 Date: 2021-05-13
Contents
Contents ..............................................................................................................................2
General Information .............................................................................................................3
Disclaimer ............................................................................................................................3
Firmware Version.................................................................................................................3
Support ................................................................................................................................4
Warning ...............................................................................................................................4
Imprint..................................................................................................................................4
First steps ............................................................................................................................5
Device overview ..............................................................................................................5
Package contents ............................................................................................................6
Charging the built-in battery.............................................................................................6
Battery endurance ...........................................................................................................6
Operating elements .........................................................................................................7
Using the Balloon Live Sensor...........................................................................................10
Turning on the Balloon Live Sensor...............................................................................10
Turning off the Balloon Live Sensor...............................................................................10
Function mode switching ...............................................................................................11
Display unit switching ....................................................................................................11
Changing function mode settings ..................................................................................12
Altimeter function...........................................................................................................13
Barometric pressure ......................................................................................................13
Clock..............................................................................................................................13
Memory usage...............................................................................................................14
Accessing files on the SD card ......................................................................................16
Removing and inserting the SD card .............................................................................17
Working with recorded track files ...................................................................................18
Upgrading the firmware .................................................................................................18
Bluetooth Connectivity .......................................................................................................20
Connecting the Balloon Live App with the Balloon Live Sensor.....................................20
Connecting Bluetooth serial devices..............................................................................23
Connecting a PC using USB serial ................................................................................24
Troubleshooting .................................................................................................................25
Writing the recorded track fails with message “Sd Err” ..................................................25
The Balloon Live Sensor doesn’t turn on.......................................................................25
Upgrade of the firmware failed.......................................................................................25
Balloon Live Sensor firmware upgrade freezes device..................................................26
Turning on the Balloon Live Sensor shows “E SEAL”....................................................26
Other problems..............................................................................................................27
Technical Specifications.....................................................................................................28
Firmware history ............................................................................................................28

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General Information
The Balloon Live Sensor (BLS) is a special sensor developed by the FAI Ballooning
Commission (CIA) together with Volirium AG (Flytec Balloon) to provide a common GPS
receiver and logger to be used in competitions and special performance flights. It is equipped
with a high-precision GPS receiver and barometric sensor to achieve the best possible
comparability between pilots.
The Balloon Live Sensor is complemented by the Balloon Live App running on iOS and
Android, and together they are the successor of the FAI Balloon Logger that was used over
many years in balloon competitions to record flight tracks, pilot declarations, and marker
drops.
The Balloon Live App provides a secure live data feed into the watchmefly.net platform
where authenticated event officials can easily access the performance data from each pilot
while it is happening. This tight and secure integration of the sensor, the app and the cloud
platform watchmefly.net allow a much faster scoring of competitions while ensuring the
privacy and integrity of the data from the sensor to the scoring official.
Besides the integrated functionalities, the Balloon Live Sensor can also be used as a
position source to any electronic device that can receive position data through Bluetooth
connections. Finally, the Balloon Live Sensor can record GPS positions at predefined
intervals to a track file that is written to the SD card in the device. The track will be written in
the internationally agreed .IGC file format with a digital signature to allow integrity checks of
the provided track.
Disclaimer
While the Balloon Live Sensor has been carefully developed and tested, neither Volirium AG
nor the FAI Ballooning Commission can be made liable for any kind of malfunction of the
device or damage while using it. All activities using the device are always performed in the
user’s responsibility.
Firmware Version
All information in this manual is based on the firmware (software) level as of the publishing
time of this document, as outlined in the document footer. This manual may not be updated
for newer firmware releases if function has not been changed.
The most current documentation and firmware can always be found on
the download page of the Balloon Live project at:
https://balloonlive.org/downloads/

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Support
User support for the Balloon Live Sensor is initially provided through the Balloon Live project
of the New Technology Subcommittee of the FAI Ballooning Commission. First source of
information should always be this user manual and the FAQ on the Balloon Live home page
https://balloonlive.org. For any questions that cannot be answered from this manual or the
FAQ, support can be contacted via e-mail to: [email protected]. All user support is
provided by volunteers on a time available basis, so response times can vary.
Hardware support is provided by Volirium AG (Flytec Balloon) and their local representatives.
Warning
The Balloon Live Sensor does not contain any user serviceable parts. The device should
not be opened by the user, except for the SD card cover held by the large screw. Opening
the Balloon Live Sensor case will render it useless for competitions as the encryption key of
the device will be deleted automatically. The Balloon Live Sensor needs to be sent in for
repair to assign a new encryption key, which is not covered by warranty.
The battery cannot be changed by the user. In case the battery needs to be replaced due to
very low capacity, the Balloon Live Sensor needs to be sent in for repair.
If the battery is physically damaged (e.g. due to outside force), the entire device is not safe
for shipping. Support should be contacted immediately to discuss further steps.
Imprint
The Balloon Live Sensor has been developed by the FAI Ballooning Commission which also
provides user support:
FAI Ballooning Commission - Balloon Live
Av. de Rhodanie 54
CH-1007 Lausanne
Switzerland
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: https://balloonlive.org
Hardware manufacturing and hardware support is provided by our partner Volirium AG
(Flytec Balloon):
Volirium AG
Hans-Reinhard-Strasse 1
CH-6048 Horw
Switzerland
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: https://www.flytec-balloon.com

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First steps
Device overview
Front view
Rear view
No
Description
On/Off Button (on top side)
Status icon bar
Function mode icon bar
Value display
OK/mode/config button
Buzzer
Selection up button
Selection down button
No
Description
Micro USB socket
SD card cover screw
Serial number
Velcro pad
SD card cover
SD card (below cover)

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Package contents
The Balloon Live Sensor comes with the following parts:
•Balloon Live Sensor device
•SD card for track recording (inserted into the SD card slot)
•Velcro strap to attach the device
•Lanyard to secure the device
•Pouch for protection when the device is not in use
•Micro USB to USB-C adapter for charging and data transfer
A charger is NOT included in the package to keep the price low and to avoid unnecessary
electronic waste as any standard USB based charger can be used.
Charging the built-in battery
Before using the device for the first time, the built-in lithium battery should be fully charged.
To charge the battery, a micro USB cable needs to be inserted into the socket on the rear
side of the Balloon Live Sensor and then connected to a USB power source. The package
includes a micro USB to USB-C adapter in case no micro USB cable is available. Either a
USB charger, e.g. a wall plug charger or a computer with a USB port can be used as a power
source. Charging the device can take several hours, depending on the battery status. While
the battery is charging, the battery status indicator will keep moving. The battery is fully
charged when all segments of the battery status indicator are visible without any further
movement.
Battery endurance
The built-in battery provides around 20 hours of run time when new and used in
temperatures above 15°C while being connected to the Balloon Live App and an additional
Bluetooth serial device.
The run time on a single charge will be reduced if further Bluetooth devices are connected,
in low temperatures or when the battery has gone through many charging cycles. In these
conditions it is recommended to regularly charge the device between flights in a competition.
For competitions with long duration flights it is also possible to use the Balloon Live Sensor
with an external power supply attached while it is turned on.
Note: When the device is not in use and turned off, the battery will very slowly lose its charge,
the same way other electronic devices do too. It is recommended to charge the battery at
least every 6 months to keep it in good condition.

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Operating elements
Display
The LCD display shows the status of the Balloon Live Sensor. The display is divided into
three parts.
The top part of the LCD display contains the status icon
bar where information about the current device status is
indicated:
Symbol
Description
Battery status indicator
A fully charged battery is indicated by four visible segments within the
battery symbol. If no segment is visible, the battery is empty and needs
to be charged immediately or the device should be turned off to save
the data that is currently stored in memory. Data in memory may be
lost if the battery discharges further!
The battery charge segments are activated from left to right in a
repeating cycle while the device is being charged.
GPS status indicator
The signal strength and quality currently received by the GPS receiver
is indicated by several segments within this symbol. In limited
reception areas not all signal strength segments will be visible and it
is recommended to improve the placement of the device to get an
unobstructed view of the sky.
Track recording indicator
This symbol is steadily visible while the device is recording GPS
positions to internal memory. This symbol keeps flashing when
automatic track recording is selected but no takeoff was detected yet.
Balloon Live App connection indicator
An established connection with the Balloon Live App will be indicated
by a steadily visible symbol. When no connection with the Balloon Live
App has been established then this symbol keeps flashing.
Bluetooth serial connection indicator
An established connection with one or more Bluetooth serial devices
will be indicated by a steadily visible symbol. When no connection with
a Bluetooth serial device has been established then this symbol keeps
flashing.
Acoustic variometer indicator
This symbol will be visible when the volume for the acoustic variometer
is non-zero.
SD card inserted and write indicator
The check mark in the icon will be visible when an SD card has been
inserted correctly and has been recognized by the device. The

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Symbol
Description
placement of the SD card needs to be verified when the check mark is
not visible. The double-sided arrow in this symbol indicates ongoing
write activity when the track is written to the SD card from memory at
the end of a track recording.
Confirmation request indicator
This symbol will be visible if the device is asking for confirmation for
various actions, e.g. when turning the device on or off. To confirm the
action, the OK/mode/config button needs to be pressed shortly
within a specified time frame, usually within 5s.
The middle part of the LCD display contains the function
mode bar where the currently selected function mode is
indicated (not all symbols are currently used):
Symbol
Description
Altimeter
The value shown on the LCD display indicates the current altitude.
Variometer
The value shown on the LCD display indicates the rate of ascend or descend.
Barometric pressure
The value shown on the LCD display indicates the barometric pressure at the
current altitude.
Ground speed
The value shown on the LCD display indicates the speed over ground as
measured by the GPS.
GPS location
The value shown on the LCD display indicates the latitude or longitude of the
GPS position.
Clock
The value shown on the LCD display indicates the current time in the
configured time zone.
Memory usage
The value shown on the LCD display indicates the percentage of the used
memory while a track is recorded.
Audio settings
The value shown on the LCD display indicates the currently selected volume
level in percent for the acoustic variometer.

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The lower part of the LCD display contains the value
display for the currently selected function mode:
Each value will be displayed with its current unit in the
top row. In addition to values, there are some very short
messages that can be displayed as well for different
functions.
Buttons
The Balloon Live Sensor has 4 buttons to be operated by the user. The On/Off button
can be found on the top side of the device. A short press on this button will initiate either a
power on or power off sequence, which is described below.
The front side features three buttons as the main user interface:
The left button is the OK/mode/config button.
It is used to confirm actions (OK), for example when the device is turned on or
off.
It is also used to select the desired function mode by pressing it shortly multiple
times until the desired function is indicated in the function mode bar.
Lastly it can also be pressed for a few seconds to modify the configuration for the
currently selected function mode.
The center button is the Selection up button.
The unit of the displayed value for the current function mode will be changed or
the volume is increased when this button is pressed. In memory usage mode it is
used to start a track recording.
The right button is the Selection down button.
The unit of the displayed value for the current function mode will be changed in
the opposite direction or the volume is decreased when this button is pressed. In
memory usage mode it is used to start a track recording.

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Using the Balloon Live Sensor
The following topics describe how the Balloon Live Sensor can be used with all the available
functions. The function descriptions will use symbolic graphics of the LCD display where the
corresponding display content will be shown. Some operation
modes will show flashing symbols or values on the display. Such
flashing symbols are indicated by yellow symbols in this manual,
e.g. the time will be flashing while the time zone of the clock is set.
Other symbols that are regularly flashing are the symbols for
inactive track recording or no Balloon Live App or Bluetooth serial
devices connected, as in the example on the right.
Turning on the Balloon Live Sensor
The Balloon Live Sensor is turned on by shortly pressing the On/Off button on the top of
the device which will prompt the user to confirm that the device should be turned on. The
OK/mode/config button needs to be pressed within 5 seconds for confirmation, otherwise
the device will be turned off again, in case the On/Off button was pressed unintentionally.
After confirmation the device will show the device serial number and the currently installed
firmware (software) version, each for a few seconds, before the initial function mode
(altimeter) will be activated and the device will start searching for GPS satellites.
Turning off the Balloon Live Sensor
The Balloon Live Sensor is turned off by shortly pressing the On/Off button on the top of
the device which will prompt the user to confirm that the device should be turned off. The
OK/mode/config button needs to be pressed within 5 seconds for confirmation, otherwise
the device will not be turned off, in case the On/Off button was pressed unintentionally.