Tritium altimeter

[Hellis 0]

Just found it and wanted to share it.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aonsquared/tritium-skydiving-altimeter

[Joellercoaster 6]

Is it necessary? No.

Is it a step forward? I'm not sure about that either. Maybe, if it means other jumpers can more easily see what your altimeter says. But that's marginal.

Is it cool? Hell yeah. Interested to see if it gets backed, and I hope it does.

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

[Glitch 0]

No offense, but when I look at my alti, I don't want to have to 'think' about wtf my altitude is. Besides, I don't need another battery sucking device requiring periodic feeding. Night jumps would be "interesting" as well.

Randomly f'n thingies up since before I was born...

[pchapman 261]

Ah, the name of a crowdfunded altimeter project. Nothing to do with radioactive materials for passive night lighting.

Nice idea they have but just a bit crude in the current era of more advanced electronics and displays. Having just 1 light per 1000 ft, with no labelling, is a bit coarse. (Although then they have the under canopy heights too) And a 10 hour battery life is annoying, despite LED's obviously sucking up power.

[Hellis 0]

I read in the FAQ that they might add labels to the LEDs.
Not sure it will make it easier to read with labels though. Then you would have to first "find the LED" then read the number.
Beeing a (proud) metric , it's not for me.
And I really dislike analouge altimeters, I like to read displays.


Yeah, it should be radioactive!
And the slogan should be: "What will kill you first? Lack of altitude awarness or the radioactivity"

[Hellis 0]

Joellercoaster

Is it necessary? No.

Is it a step forward? I'm not sure about that either. Maybe, if it means other jumpers can more easily see what your altimeter says. But that's marginal.

Is it cool? Hell yeah. Interested to see if it gets backed, and I hope it does.

It is cool.
I'm not a fan of analouge instruments. And this is kind of a hybrid.

Once the microcontroller that I'm looking for is in production I will start building a altimeter/visual warning-thing. Just for fun, but in my opinion will be better than this. (if I get it to work )

[councilman24 36]

Wrap smaller LEDs around a traditional analog, or even digital, altimeter to give a fast reference might be more useful. Doesn't need to be as bright and I certainly want to know my altitude to higher precision than 1000'.

Of course the fast reference should be looking at the ground. It even states that to tell if it's in freefall or canopy mode look at the ground.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[stayhigh 2]

solution to non-existing problem?

It be nice to put led lights around the analog so that it flashes on pull time just for the AFF student altimeter.

Most of the advanced skydiver rely on audible for freefall, and only uses altimeter for canopy flights. Those who only uses altimeter for canopy flights, they want precise numbers so they can swoop, meaning they want digital.

I think the visual altimeter is one of the least important equipment in whole skydiving set up. I much rather jump only with audible with swoop beeps than the visual altimeter.

Bernie Sanders for President 2016

[3mpire 0]

Quote

Doesn't need to be as bright and I certainly want to know my altitude to higher precision than 1000'.

You could, using RGB LEDs, have the 1000 foot LED fade from green to yellow to red to off as the 1000 foot distance is covered.

I agree on the brightness, it is far too bright. Maybe at high noon you need it that bright, but it seems a photocell could be incorporated into the design to modulate brightness based on ambient light around the unit.

This to me isn't a serious product, though. It's a kinda cool thing that at best would be a tertiary alti on a mudflap mount or something that would be useful for a quick glimpse but wouldn't really replace a real visual alti or audible.

It's got the "hey look at me i'm like iron man watch me fly through the sky" factor which is cool for impressing tandems I guess :D

Cool project though! I hope he gets funded merely for the experience of taking a prototype into production. Maybe with that experience and some lessons learned a more useful/practical product might be created, which is what the whole thing is about

[Hellis 0]

3mpire

I agree on the brightness, it is far too bright. Maybe at high noon you need it that bright, but it seems a photocell could be incorporated into the design to modulate brightness based on ambient light around the unit.

I believe there is.
Scroll down and look at the youtube video.
Not sure it's a photocell but something like it.

[3mpire 0]

cool! I watched the video on my phone so it wasn't easy to see detail on exactly how it's implemented.

[xpug 0]

One suggestion to the creator - to make it easier to read at a glance, the LEDs denoting altitude that you've already burnt through should be turned off.

From the pics, it looks very hard to distinguish where you actually are as the bright green and blue compete for attention and are very similar.

[Zlew 0]

councilman24

certainly want to know my altitude to higher precision than 1000'.

Agreed. 500 feet graduations for things like break off is pretty common

[JohnnyBoulder 1]

xpug

One suggestion to the creator - to make it easier to read at a glance, the LEDs denoting altitude that you've already burnt through should be turned off.

+1

[ChrisD2.0 2]

Ok kids, time for some facts. I actually use this thing from time to time,....gee sumthin new to dropzone dot com an actual user review from someone who actually has used this under a wildly varying set of conditions, night and day.
Firstly, it does modulate it's intensity, very well I might add. It is a joy to use at night and can be seen in full head on sunlight, these facts are not the issue. Interpreting any thing other than 3500 feet are the issue. It is absolutely a fantastic device come pull time, NO ALTIMITER, noise maker, or visual comes close to telling ya it's pull time. This point isn't even debatable. Now the green time, freefall time up to pull time is a no brainer as well, during busy RW no issues. Do we really need to know exactly to a 1000 feet in a four way where we are? Usually NOT. Notice I said usually. The drawbacks come when it's time to decifer those middle altitudes if your really interested in that! Same issue under canopy when it switches into canopy mode. FOR ME I demand to know every 100 foot interval, and yes some of you would be correct to point out this isn't this devices strong point. IN OTHER WORDS tho shall not swoop with this. BUT we knew this when we made our purchase. These people are on to sumthing with this thing, it needs some tweaking, we knew this when we purchased it, and it needs a digital in the center as well. BUT the idea and color changes come pull time, well these folks really have hit on something that the other manufacturers "refuse" to incorporate into their designs. And yes the battery life needs improvement. All in all for those brave enough to make this purchase to support this tech it was a great decision, and yes we all for the most part were well versed in this devices limitations. I for one am proud to support this as at pull time no other device comes close to this things useful ness, the rest of the time, I have a back up. Glad to support them, they are really on to sumthin that would greatly enhance safety for everyone!!!

[ChrisD2.0 2]

Hellis

Just found it and wanted to share it.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aonsquared/tritium-skydiving-altimeter

The point was and continues to be, to find equipment that is safer, easier to use, and enhances skydiving.

Version 2 is out and is a nice addition.

Problem is so many refused to take into account the audience they speak too. I am still of the opinion that digital equipment has it's place BUT not for students. Students are overloaded once they step out the door for real. BUT students like to purchase the gear they see the big boys use. This is a major problem when the USPA has a magazine that is funded by advertisers. That fact alone, should be a big source of concern to anyone with a brain and buys into the phony USPA argument that in order to publish they need the subsidies. It is painfully apparent for the last 30 years that the USPA magazine is a source of profit for a few. It is not representative of an organization that is responsible to it's members. Problem is no one notices this and the relationship to student gear selection. In fact we have numerous gear representatives pushing, whatever upon students so that a few can make a buck. Over the years this has become accepted practice, however this is wrong and a backwards way of managing safety.

The Tritium is a great idea, works, but unfortunately many manufacturers haven't caught on to the benefits as of late.

Brett Bickford Did Not Commit Suicide.

He is the victim of ignorance and faulty gear. AND as in the movie: "12 Angry Men," of an ignorant and callous jury.

[billvon 2,379]

>You could, using RGB LEDs, have the 1000 foot LED fade from green to yellow to red to
>off as the 1000 foot distance is covered.

Should be pretty easy to do. Looks like they are using this display:

https://www.adafruit.com/product/1463?gclid=CjwKCAjwpKveBRAwEiwAo4Pqm7oHpfEc_-gjW4etg_Jm08px-N33rVnTazR3f1tHu6ZK2uE6l9D6ShoC3u0QAvD_BwE

Which supports such fading.

[ChrisD2.0 2]

billvon

>You could, using RGB LEDs, have the 1000 foot LED fade from green to yellow to red to
>off as the 1000 foot distance is covered.

Should be pretty easy to do. Looks like they are using this display:

https://www.adafruit.com/product/1463?gclid=CjwKCAjwpKveBRAwEiwAo4Pqm7oHpfEc_-gjW4etg_Jm08px-N33rVnTazR3f1tHu6ZK2uE6l9D6ShoC3u0QAvD_BwE

Which supports such fading.

Good call / posting.

One of the most dramatic things the early T did was just this color change, the ability to grab your attention is just dramatic. It is without question the most attention getting wrist device I and others have ever used. (Short of the super bright led in my helmet.)

Of course the big issue was the fact that this thing was / is a prototype and altitudes and interpreting the other altitudes is useless. Of course at night this thing is just insane, one of the best ideas I have ever used. Equal to the Military's leds wristpack from Garmin.

It is so insanely easier to read than any digital at pull altitudes, I am surprised no one has really utilized this tech?

I suspect like the site you linked too a digital display costs 2 bucks, and with out any real competition no manufacturer or experimenter is going to waste their money when they can convince the existing digital displays are just fine and dandy.

The Tritium is an experiment, that wasn't received very well by too many that never even used it. Ide imagine THAT didn't go over very well with any one contemplating investing in something leagues better than what we have too chose from at the present.

I wonder if I can adapt one of these rings for my cars turn signals?

Thanx

(that's not the display the tritium actually uses, btw. The link you posted looks about 50 times more sturdy that the actual led's on the tritium.)

Brett Bickford Did Not Commit Suicide.

He is the victim of ignorance and faulty gear. AND as in the movie: "12 Angry Men," of an ignorant and callous jury.