RP2040-Powered Rockit Flight Computer Features Altimeter and Accelerometer
Designed for small model and water rockets, the Rockit flight computer offers some impressive capabilities for just $45.
Finnish engineer Dan Invents has launched a customized RP2040-based Rockit flight computer, designed specifically for small model rockets and water rockets, offering impressive capabilities through a tightly integrated five-gram circuit board.
Aside from the low-cost RP2040 MCU, there inexpensive flight computer sports an MS5637-based altimeter and accelerometer that can measure up to 22.6g along the main axis of the rocket. Additionally, there is a built-in 500mA Li-Po charger with charging status indicator LEDs. The 2MB SPI flash storage for storing CircuitPython code can be expanded through the microSD card slot.
“Rockit comes with the firmware already installed. The firmware can be easily uploaded by pressing the button while connecting Rockit to a PC with a micro-USB cable. To upload the firmware, you can simply use the Arduino IDE as this board will be recognized as a Raspberry Pi Pico," Dan Invents writes.
Featuring Raspberry Pi’s in-house silicon tape out, the high-performance RP2040 microcontroller is at the heart of the flight computer, giving the board flexible digital interfaces. The 16-position rotary switch helps adjust the user settings of the servo motor’s start and end position. Rockit is also equipped with a compact 4KHz piezo buzzer located right beside the accelerometer and pressure sensor.
Feel free to write your own firmware if you do not wish to use the pre-loaded software that comes out of the box. The schematics and firmware for the Rockit flight computer are made public, while the fully assembled board is available on Tindie for $44.99.
