Here are minutes of our meeting on Thursday -- please just reply with, or let me know, any corrections -- thanks!:
Phoning in: Yorke Brown (Dartmouth) and Karun Thanjavur (UVic) (regrets from Arnold Gaertner (NRC) and Cordell Grant (UTIAS-SFL))
Yorke reported that construction of the new gondola is continuing apace: the remaining mechanical parts (the plastic components) are on their way to Dartmouth for assembly by Yorke and Cynthia, and the printed circuit boards have now been redesigned. Yorke prefers that we limp along with a single DNT transceiver on board for the next few flights, but we all definitely agree that having a second DNT on board is the way to go for the medium- and longer-term future. The order for the new parafoil still needs to be completed (the owner/manager of Sea Breeze Parachutes in Florida is on vacation, but he'll be back soon), and the newly-designed PC boards need to be fabricated and populated, but other than that we should be able to fly again rather soon. Yorke updated his software so that it can run with either the old Ocean Server attitude sensor or our new CH Robotics attitude sensor (the latter includes MEMS gyros, in addition to 3-axis accelerometers and magnetometers, in order to better detect pendular motion of the gondola), and also to re-add the automated cutdown ability.
Karun reports that the goniometric test stand is complete in the UVic machine shop, which should allow us to get goniophotometric measurements in either or both of spherical and cylindrical coordinates (Karun's cartesian-coordinate photometric test stand has been operating for about a year, and he used that to make his recent measurements at http://projectaltair.org/public/karunfiles/IntSphCalib/June2014eps/June2014eps.html.) The new test stand will be especially useful for automated spherical-coordinate measurements of the small solid-state isotropic light source we have been testing. The UVic machine shop will then make some enhancements/modifications of the portable payload attitude calibration test stand that we bought a few months ago. Karun is also starting to make progress on Zemax-based computational modelling, and Divya and Ryan are making progress on Angora (FDTD open source) based computational modelling.
Also on the computational modelling front, I reported that I'd made some progress with simple semi-analytical models of diffuser-based light sources, which I'll send around when in a more complete state (I've shared progress so far with Yorke, and am still working on a couple more aspects and cross-checks of this simple zeroth-order calculation-based, as compared with numerical model-based, approach, and then will send it around for the next meeting). I've also gotten a commitment from Dale George to send us a quote for making (for delivery sometime in the next year) a single superpressure balloon (specs of which I gave to Dale: spherical, 4 meter radius when fully inflated, 25 um thick polyethylene and/or PET skin + flexible ribs, maximum operating delta P = 2.5 kPa) for testing. And I'm starting to investigate radio telemetry (in order to learn and become capable in the topic), specifically for a system for possible future flights in Europe/Asia/Australia, where the 910 MHz licence-free frequency that we use in in the Western Hemisphere is used by emergency services in Europe/Asia/Australia, and so we would need completely different telemetry there. Two possible frequencies for use on that side of the world are 433 MHz and 145 MHz, both of which are in HAM radio bands (there are, at present, no good licence-free bands for long-distance drone control in Europe/Asia/Australia, so we would operate via HAM). I'm taking the Canadian HAM radio exam (which gets me licensed for these bands in Canada and the U.S., for testing/operation of this new telemetry here -- then to operate it in Europe/Asia/Australia, one would then need licenses there too) next week, and am buying a couple of test kits (http://embeddedwirelesssolutions.com/ews_rfm23bp_433mhz_development_kit and http://www.lemosint.com/radiometrix/radiometrix_details.php?itemID=802) that I can start to test out in NH later this month, once I have my Canadian HAM licence.
That's all I remember, please send things that I forgot. Next telecon will be in two weeks as usual, on Thursday, August 14, but will begin 1/2 hour later than the usual time, i.e. at 3 pm Eastern time rather than at 2:30 pm Eastern time (as I'll be getting off a flight at 2:50 pm Eastern on that day, from the CALCON conference in Utah to JFK, on my way back up to Boston and NH, for what we plan to be more ALTAIR flights then). So talk again in 2 weeks -- I'll send a reminder the day before as usual.
cheers, thanks all! justin
On Thu, 31 Jul 2014 00:59:52 GMT, Justin Albert wrote:
> Hi, > > Telecon tomorrow (July 31) at our regular time of 2:30 pm Eastern time > (11:30 am Pacific, 20.30 European). Discussion items include: progress > toward new gondola and flights, light source modelling, goniometric and > pre- and post-flight calibration, nanosat and new laser module design, > computing/website, grant applications, recap of schedules. A reminder of > the CSA project timeline is attached. > > Here's the dial-in info: If you are calling in from Canada or U.S.: > 1. Dial Toll-Free Number: 866-740-1260 (U.S. & Canada) > 2. Enter 7-digit access code: 5082741 followed by the # > > If you are calling in from elsewhere: > 1. To locate International Toll-Free Numbers go to > http://www.readytalk.com/intl (enter 7-digit access code 5082741) > 2. Dial toll free number from web link > 3. Enter Passcode: Enter 7-digit ACCESS CODE: 5082741 followed by the # > > Here's the tentative agenda: > I) Construction of new gondola and payload, robustness improvements, next flights > II) Light source studies and modelling, pre- and post-flight calibration, and goniometric calibrations > III) Nanosat, new integrating spheres, and multicolour laser module designs > IV) Computing/website > V) Grant applications > VI) AOB > > Talk to you all tomorrow, > justin > > Attachments: > http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2012/11/12/18.02-43361-Schedule-20120702_hqp.pdf >