Oxygen sensors?

xanatos

I'm looking for some small O2 and O3 sensors that can sense normal atmospheric concentration ranges. I know most cars have O2 sensors somewhere... not sure of their suitability for use in rocket telemetry. Suggestions/thoughts?

Thanks!

Dave X

RobotWorkshop

Hello Dave,

That is an interesting idea to use them on a rocket. There are a couple of concerns that come to mind though. One is weight. Most of the O2 sensors are about the size of a spark plug and may end up weighting too much for a model rocket (unless it is a very large rocket). The other is that I believe in order for the O2 sensor to read accurately they need to heat up first and don't start giving accurate vaules unless they are at exhaust temperatures. It was my understanding that some of the computers controlling the engine would just ignore the O2 sensor until it was warm enough to start producing valid data. Now this may have changed and perhaps some of the newer sensors don't need the heat and there may be some smaller sensors out there.

Robert

dandreae

We are working on a C02 sensor as we speak.· Please check· www.parallax.com website in the next few months.

Dave

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Dave Andreae

Parallax Tech Support·

sylvie369

Vernier makes an O2 gas sensor

http://www.vernier.com/probes/o2-bta.html

that may serve your purposes. Nothing for Ozone, though.

Note that the easiest way to use Vernier sensors with Stamps (and other micros) is to use an adapter of some sort. They sell simple breadboard adapters, which I have used:

http://www.vernier.com/accessories/access.html?bta-elv&btd-elv&template=basic.html

(the analog one should work with the O2 sensor)

but it looks like it might be easier to go with this cable:

http://www.vernier.com/diy/bb-bta.html

I used the analog breadboard adapter to bring the analog signals from light and temperature probes into a BS2pe MoBo, and everything worked as you'd hope.

I did fly their "Labpro" once, with an external high speed temperature probe. It's a pretty big, heavy·device to be flying inside a rocket, though. Building your own with Stamps or Propellers would save you the entire cost of the electronics in just a few flights by allowing you to use much smaller motors.



Robert - Dave is talking about a rocket that will be easily powerful enough to lift the kinds of things you're describing, though the warmup issue could well be a problem.

John R.

sylvie369 said...

Robert - Dave is talking about a rocket that will be easily powerful enough to lift the kinds of things you're describing, though the warmup issue could well be a problem.

For reference: A "Very Large" rocket in this context·would be something on order of 12"+ diameter by 6 feet+ tall.

Google "amatuer rocketry", "high powered model rocketry" to learn more.· These is not the "toy" Estes type rockets.· See also: http://www.tripoli.org/·and http://www.nar.org/

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John R.
Click here to see my Nomad Build Log

xanatos

Yup, that about describes it, although more like 10" diameter. If I had the funding, no doubt I'd be taking up the challenge to land something on the moon and send back live HD video!

Thanks for the info on the Vernier sensor - it looks very much like what I have in mind and the price is do-able. I'm going to need a very good recovery beacon!!!

Dave

sylvie369

Erratum: I was mistaken about that breadboard cable. It is terminated in a male BTA connector (for plugging into a Vernier data collection device), not the female connector you need to connect a Vernier sensor to a breadboard. If your goal is to use one of their sensors, you need the "simple breadboard adapter" I linked to, not the cable.

xanatos

Thanks Paul.

Dave