Close
0%
0%

Density Altitude Gauge

Density altitude is the altitude your air-dependent machine _thinks_ it is at.

Similar projects worth following
According to the FAA, density altitude is formally defined as “pressure altitude corrected for nonstandard temperature variations.” Why is it so important? Because the published performance criteria in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) are generally based on standard atmospheric conditions at sea level (that is, 59°F or 15°C. and 29.92 inches of mercury). Density altitude is one way to predict the performance of an aircraft in the real world.

The most common method today for finding density altitude involves calculation using either a circular slide rule called an E6B, or an electronic flight computer. A pilot enters their pressure altitude and temperature, and density altitude is given. Simple enough. Then why are there still horror stories about density altitude?

This project will take GPS altitude and integrate the inputs from three sensors (pressure, temperature, and humidity) to produce a real time density altitude display.

Why Density Altitude Matters

There are plenty of detailed explanations of density altitude on the internet, but you have to scratch the surface a bit to find out what it really means. This is what it really means:

Read more »

View all 9 components

  • Development Progress

    Neil McNeight06/19/2015 at 04:56 0 comments

    As I was casting about looking for the parts to make up this device, I discovered that Bosch had come out with the BME280, a new environmental sensor that combined pressure, humidity, and temperature and could communicate by either I2C or SPI. It was exactly the three measurements I needed, and in a package that is 3mm square! However, at the time I couldn't find anyone who had developed a breakout board. So, I made my own. I laid out the sensor footprint in Eagle, put it and two 0402 bypass capacitors onto a two layer PCB that is 0.4" square (only because I wanted room for all 8 pins), and sent it off to OSHPark. A week and $0.80 later (yes, that is eighty American cents, with shipping included!), I had three bare breakout boards. I have checked the layout, and everything seems to work, so I'm sharing the design through OSHPark. You can order your own here.

    Assembled BME280 Breakout Board

    Since then, I found that Embedded Adventures sells the MOD-1022, a breakout board with the sensor mounted and configured for an I2C interface at their website. Right now, I am using their open source driver with the Teensy LC I won a few weeks ago, along with an Adafruit color OLED I had lying around, to test out both the sensor and some performance enhancements to the SSD1331 driver for the Teensy.

  • Parts

    Neil McNeight04/25/2015 at 03:04 0 comments

    A couple of weeks ago I received my order from SparkFun with the HTU21, BMP180, and a small OLED display. I've gotten everything cobbled together, and a picture will be coming shortly.

    I've also been experimenting with running everything at 1.8 volts. Everything seems to be working fine, but I still have the OLED and '328 running at 3.3 volts. This has also spun off a couple of other projects for supplying 1.8 volts from various sources. More on that in the near future.

    Last week, I discovered that Bosch now has a single sensor that measures all three environmental parameters that I need. Nobody sells a breakout board for the BME280 yet, so I threw one together in Eagle and sent it off to OSHPark, and also ordered a few of the sensors from Mouser. I'll release the Eagle files once I've gotten the hardware in my hand and validate that it is correct.

View all 2 project logs

Enjoy this project?

Share

Discussions

Darren Enns wrote 07/07/2015 at 16:44 point

I'm impressed that you made your own breakout board!  Have you considered offering that service for others?

  Are you sure? yes | no

Neil McNeight wrote 07/08/2015 at 06:21 point

I hadn't, but I'm certainly open to the idea. Any suggestions for breakout boards that you'd want to see?

  Are you sure? yes | no

Darren Enns wrote 07/08/2015 at 15:47 point

Well, for now, the only one that I am interested in is one based on the BME280.  So far, I can find three different companies that make breakout boards for this -- the main one is: Embedded Adventures ($20 US + shipping).  It would be great if the male 'pins' were soldered on as well -- so it could more easily be attached to a RPi with just a few jumpers.  I would also wonder if some sort of 'weather-friendly' tiny enclosure would be reasonable (?).  Right now my RPi is inside a coffee can -- but in this way it is not completely exposed to humidity and temperature.  PS I am in Canada.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Similar Projects

Does this project spark your interest?

Become a member to follow this project and never miss any updates