RAM3 Frequently Asked Questions

RAM3 Size

Q. What is the size and weight of the RAM3?
A. The RAM3 is a heatshrunk PCB with the following dimensions:
Length = 20mm (0.79”)
Width = 14.5mm (0.57”)
Thickness = 7.5mm max (0.30”)
Weight = 2.2g ex lead, 2.9g including a 20cm (11”) lead

 

RAM3 Capacity

Q. How long does the RAM3 last when sampling at X samples per second?
A. There is no exact number of samples because it depends slightly on how many individual flights are recorded. A conservative number of samples would be 65000 which gives:

Samples Per Sec	Duration
1	18hr
2	9hr
5	3hr 30min
10	1hr 50min

 

Why is a Serial (RS232) Port Required

Q. Surely you can buy/offer the alternative USB interface when ordering from the manufacturers?
A. No they don't offer a USB version, as a USB interface is more complex than a serial interface. Putting the USB stuff on the RAM3 would increase its weight, size, and cost. Alternatively supplying it with a custom USB converter would increase the cost - and probably by more than £15 as the market is tiny.

 

RAM3 Not Connecting to the PC

Q. I cannot transfer data into the program. My USB to serial adapter is by datacom, and I have put it to port 5 as shown after the adapter installation set up. The Altimeter makes all the right noises, but the programme does not respond to accept the data - nothing appears on screen re downloading, then when I click on anything, it puts up 'programme is not responding', and then offers to send Microsoft an error message.
A. Either the USB to Com converter is not installed correctly.

Check this by:
Click Start | Settings | Control Panel | System
Click on the Hardware tab
Click the Device Manager button
Click the + next to Ports
Look at the list of ports, noting the COM port number. E.g. mine says ATEN USB to Serial Bridge (COM4)
Double click on the COM port device and check the status says "This device is working properly"

Or you are using the wrong COM port.
Fix this by either finding the com port number by doing the above, or simply try all the com ports from 1 to 9. Also check you have the RAM3 cable plugged into the correct port in the back of the PC. They aren’t usually marked very well.

Modem Sounds and Clearing the Memory
The RAM will transmit its data anytime the cable is plugged into it. The other end does not even need to be plugged into a computer. Often people hear the "modem" sound and report that it's communicating to the computer. Umm, no it's not. It has no idea whether the computer is listening or not. They hear the sound of data and assume that the computer's port is working.

Actually this is convenient as it means that the memory can be cleared without a PC being present - just power up the RAM3 with the serial cable connected, wait for the noise to stop, and then wait for a further 10 seconds before powering-down the device.

 

Opening .alt Altitude Files

Q. I installed the software, but cannot open the example .alt files
A. You can't double click on the .alt files, you need to start the FlightView program and then choose File | Open.

 

Emailing .alt Altitude Files

Q. How can I show my fiends the altitude trace of one of my flights?
A. You can attach the .alt file to an email and send it you your friend. However he will not be able to open it unless he installs the FlightView software. He can get this for free from www.soaringcircuits.com. Alternatively you could create a picture of the flight, and email him this graphic file. See below for instructions. Another alternative is to Export the flight from the FliqhtView software. This will create a .CSV file that will be readable in any spreadsheet program. Creating a chart of the flight in Excel only takes a couple of minutes.

 

Saving .alt Altitude Files as Graphic Files

Q. How do I save a RAM3 altitude trace as a graphic file?
A. To do this requires going through several steps in the correct order. You may have to repeat it several times to get the hang of it, however it is worth it as it works for all Windows programs. You will need a graphics program installed on your PC that allows you to paste in screen dumps from the clipboard. Microsoft Photo Editor, Photoshop Elements, and IrfanView (among many others) allow this.

IrfanView is shareware and is available free from www.irfanview.com. The wording below assumes IrfanView is being used, however all graphics program offer similar facilities.

1. Load the flight in FlightView, and adjust the pan and zoom settings to get the flight centred in the program window.
2. Press Alt-PrtSc. This means hold down the key marked Alt to the left of the spacebar and then tap the key marked PrtSc (or sometimes Print Screen) next to function key F12. This copies the window to the clipboard, but nothing changes on the screen when this happens.
3. Load the graphics program, IrfanView in this example.
4. Choose Edit | Paste from the menu. (In other programs the command is often File | New from Clipboard.)
5. You can optionally use Crop tool to remove the Windows title bar and any other parts you don’t want.
6. Use File | Save As to save the image as a .jpg file. You should set the quality to at least 70 to ensure the image is free of compression artefacts. When dome correctly the size shouldn’t be much above 50Kb, and the image can be emailed to anyone, even if they have a slow Internet connection.

Note: you can also use Edit | Paste in Microsoft Word to put the screen dump into a .doc file. However Word uses a very inefficient storage algorithm, and the resulting Word document will be rather big.

 

Long File Names and File Extensions

Q. I have used a long file name when I save - is this a problem?
A. There isn't a problem with the long file name, but there IS a big problem with removing the .alt from the end. The FlightView File Open dialog box no longer recognises it as a RAM3 data file and doesn't display it. You will have to use Windows Explorer to rename the file to include the .alt the end, then you will be able to see it in the File Open dialog box and reload it into FlightView.

 

PDA Compatibility

Q. Does the PDA software support Palm OS devices?
A. No. The PDA software only works with Windows PocketPC 2003, as used on HP iPaq and similar devices.

 

R/C Receiver Connection

Q. I notice a signal wire to the receiver - what is it used for?
A. The signal wire isn't used for anything. On my RAM3 I removed the rx cable and power it directly from a 50mAh lipo cell. That way I can easily move it from model to model to PC without any fiddling. There isn’t a weight penalty as the little cells hardly weighs more than the cable.