Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- projects:ava [2011/10/06 20:57] – upu
+++ projects:ava [2016/09/08 14:48] (current) – Removed link to HAB Supplies. upu
@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 High Altitude Balloon Project
-Based in West Yorkshire run by Anthony Stirk 2E0UPU.
+Based in West Yorkshire run by Anthony Stirk M0UPU.
-==== Hardware Overview ====
+==== Overview ====
-AVA is effectively an Arduino just on a custom PCB. Using Arduino boot loader and developed in Arduino enviroment. The GPS on the AVA V1.0 board is an [[guides:inventek-ism300|ISM300F2-C5-V0004]] surface mounted on the board. Temperature is read using DS1820's (internal and external). Transmission is via NTX2 at 10mW RTTY 50 baud with a 425hz shift. Payload contains a Canon A560 camera running one picture every 10 seconds and a [[http://www.aee.com/en/productshow.asp?sendid=52|AEE MD91]] micro video camera with about slightly over 5.5 hours storage with external power on a 8Gb card. Power for the video is via 4xAAA batteries.\\
+Project AVA covers a variety of boards and launches I've done.
+^ Date     ^ Mission ^ Balloon^ Payload^ Altitude^ PCB ^
+| 01/10/11 | Ava| Hwoyee 1600 |1600g| UnKnown > 34km | Ava  |
+| 31/03/12 | Ava2| Hwoyee 1600 |1500g| 38257 | Ava2 |
+| 14/03/12 | pAva| Hwoyee 1600 |65g| 43337 | picoAva |
+| 14/03/12 | uAva| Hwoyee 1200 |1000g| 39997 | µAvaNut |
+==== Ava ====
+My first launch was on a very sunny day in October. Due to relative inexperience we didn't put enough gas in the balloon and it ended up floating out to sea. Additionally the GPS failed due to interference from the small video camera. Recovery was initiated by boat and despite the failure of all the electronics due to salt water the pictures were spectacular.
+Full write up here : [[http://ava.upuaut.net/?p=155]] , here [[http://ava.upuaut.net/?p=185]] and here [[http://ava.upuaut.net/?p=212]]
+==== Ava2 ====
+Ava2 was a total resign of the PCB and was launched along with Dave Akermans Cloud payload. The mission was to test the new design of PCB and to fly a heated U/V filtered camera. The camera was a total failure with bad steaming up however the new PCB performed perfectly and was tracked from launch to landing. Recovery from a tree was interesting. Full write up here : [[http://ava.upuaut.net/?p=286]]
+==== pAva ====
+[[http://ava.upuaut.net/?p=295|pAva]] was another prototype board this time using the RFM22B and the chip antenna to create an ultra light (5g) PCB tracker. As there was a possibility of float we fit 2 AA batteries which would have powered it for 36 hours+. However pAVA climbed to over 43km before the balloon failed. The decent took a few hours as the balloon split and acted like a huge parachute. In the end pAVA took the 4th highest altitude in the world for an amateur balloon. pAVA was kindly recovered by Dave Akerman from a field full of wet triffids. See [[http://ava.upuaut.net/?p=315]].
+==== uAva ====
+Testing the µAvaNut PCB and flying a GoPro camera this was another sucessful flight. Unfortunately the Gopro footage wasn't perfect as the lense again steamed up. Won't be flying the case next time. Write up in the same article as listed above.
+AVA is always very pink.
+==== About me ====
+When I'm not launching pink boxes I am the technical director of an IT Consultancy in West Yorkshire.
-On the first flight the A560 camera managed to take 2800 pictures at one every 10 seconds, before the camera either exhausted its batteries or succumbed to salt water.
-AVA is very pink.