Arduino Primary Avionics Module (A-PAM) Files

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Arduino Primary Avionics Module (A-PAM) 

Read Me File
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Project Manual - Initial Release
27 December 2022

We are pleased to announce the release of the Arduino Primary Avionics
Module (A-PAM) Project Manual. This 66 page manual takes you step by 
step through the development and construction of the A-PAM. It 
includes sections on how to improve this version of the A-PAM, a 
complete code listing, a full parts listing, plenty of color photos
and illustrations. If you want to see how the system came into 
existance, interested in the thought process for the coding, or just 
want a better idea of how to build the project, you will find the
A-PAM Project Manual a valuable resource.

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Version 1.0.1 - Updated Release
14 December 2022

Realized we had not included a link to a project in the original release.
Royrobotiks (Niklas Roy) released an altimeter project on GitHub 5 years
ago. The code for incrementing the data log was used as an example in
our code. We had noted it where the code was used in the 
setupMicroSDCard() function, but forgot to include the link to the 
original code at the beginning of the A-PAM code. Nothing else has been 
changed in this release. We apologize for the oversight. 

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Version 1.0 - Initial Release
08 December 2022

If you do a search for model rocket electronic payload, you will see 
a lot of entries for medium to high power, large diameter rockets. 
Joe Barnard of BPS space has been doing some really fantastic stuff 
with electronics and rocketry – including thrust vector control and 
powered landings just like a Falcon 9 rocket. You can see videos of 
his accomplishments on his YouTube channel at 
https://www.youtube.com/c/BPSspace.  

These types of rockets are large, typically 80mm (3.1 inches) in 
diameter or larger. You may see videos of these rockets where an 
Arduino Uno board is contained inside. These rockets are flown in 
large open areas, including deserts and dry lake beds. These larger 
rockets also use larger propellants, typically in the High Power 
Rocketry (HPR) range of “H” and above impulse level. Not only do 
these motors require you to be certified in HPR before you can buy 
them, the motors themselves tend to be rather expensive. 

Now imagine the high school student interested in conducting 
rocketry related electronics project. It can be very discouraging 
to watch these videos and realize that you simply can’t do what they 
are doing because you don’t have the place to launch the rocket, you 
need a HPR certificate, it’s too expensive, or any number of 
barriers. I wanted to change that.

Another common factor among custom made electronic payloads is that 
often the payload is designed for a specific mission. This means 
that each time a new mission is developed a new specialty payload is 
needed. 

I have been involved in rocketry since the mid 1970s, but electronics 
is completely new to me. However, microcontrollers manufactured by 
companies such as Arduino have made modern electronics readily 
accessible. After playing with the Arduino Uno, Mega2560 and the Nano, 
I realized that these can be used in much smaller rockets, using much 
smaller and inexpensive motors. 

My goal was to develop a system that could be used by high school 
students. It would involve proven rocket designs that could be flown 
on school yards. That meant it needed to be small, much smaller than 
what you typically see. That meant fitting everything into a body 
tube with a diameter of about 42mm (1.65 inches), or about half the 
size you typically see. This would allow it to use “D” or “E” powered 
black powder motors.

I also wanted to create a system that could be reused, thereby 
reducing the need to constantly recreate new electronic payload 
designs. It would need to be flexible and upgradable. I wanted the 
design to be a starting point – one that students could take and 
modify to allow them to conduct real science. It also had to be 
inexpensive. 

With all of this in mind I began designing the Arduino Primary 
Avionics Module (A-PAM). The module provides a microcontroller, a 
data recorder and a status lamp. It is housed in a payload bay that 
is printed on a 3D printer. The CAD drawings are readily available 
on TinkerCAD (https://www.tinkercad.com/things/7pel9mfXqzs) to 
allow anyone to take the design and make it theirs. 

We are currently working on a Project Manual that will provide a
step-by-step guide on building, coding and using the A-PAM. Until
that manual is ready, we would encourage you to look at our 
Instrucable on “Project: Icarus” 
(https://www.instructables.com/Project-Icarus-a-Temperature-Sensor
-Model-Rocket). Here we used the A-PAM and connected it to a 
series of sensors along the body of a modified Maxi-Icarus model 
rocket. 

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The Rocketry Research Journal
Our main site is the Rocketry Research Journal. This blog and web 
site can be found at https://rocketryjournal.wordpress.com. Below we 
list what you can expect to find on this site. There is no charge for 
any of the information or software you find on the site. Please feel 
free to download our reports, software, technical manuals, etc.

Here’s What Is on the Site
The web site provides a portal to a number of the resources we have 
available. They include:
  *  The Rocketry Research Journal blog features articles on recent 
     projects, news from the world of rocketry (both full size and 
     miniature) and more. Check back frequently for the latest updates.
  *  The Austin Aerospace Education Network (AAEN) has been developing 
     the open source Flight Logs Database Program. The software can 
     track your rockets from initial construction, then track all 
     flights and record any maintenance needed or performed. It can 
     calculate altitude, record any 3D prints used on the model, store 
     the plans and even report CATOs to the MESS (Malfunctioning Engine 
     Statistical Survey) site. If you are a NAR member and looking at 
     completing your NARTREK submissions for the Bronze, Silver or Gold 
     levels, it can help with that as well. There’s even more the 
     software can do for you. Read more about it on the Flight Logs 
     Software page.
  *  View our Tech Reports. At the time of this report there a total 
     of seven reports available. They cover the basics of model 
     rocketry, an introduction to doing research, single station 
     altitude tracking, two station altitude tracking, how to adjust 
     your electronic altimeter to account for temperature changes, how 
     to use a spreadsheet to calculate altitude and tips on getting 
     started using an Arduino micro-controller.
  *  We have a section that focuses on the Arduino micro-controller and 
     how it can be used in model rocketry.
  *  We have a section set aside for 3D printing. Currently we have an 
     article on using 3D printing to build a Dyna-Soar Titan II model 
     rocket.
  *  There is a page for Model Plans. There are two plans currently 
     available, but more are on the way.

https://rocketryjournal.wordpress.com