The Blue Raven is in stock, and is now available in an even smaller 1" diameter form factor!   The phone app for the Blue Raven is now released through the Apple App Store and Google Play, under the name "Featherweight UI."  

Original Blue Raven Form Factor ($175)

Bottom view

Top View

New 1" Diameter Form Factor Option:

Easily access all of the powerful features of the Blue Raven from your own phone.

​​Lots of high-quality recorded data:
Example live data screen for prelaunch readiness checking
Example deployment setting screen for apogee channel
  • Know when your rocket is Go For Launch from your phone screen.  No more listening for beeps on the pad or peering into vent holes.
  • All the data from your flight is automatically transferred to your phone when you walk up to the rocket after it lands.
  • Easily modify the default deployment settings with screens tailored for easy access to the most common functions like low altitude main chute deployment, or go for the custom deployment setting screen to get full access to the 22 flight events and thresholds that can control each output channel.
  • A sophisticated built in test exercises all sensors and all outputs with a realistic simulated flight.  Verify that your e-matches work with your battery, verify your flight program, and view all the recorded data from your "flight" from your phone.
  • All recorded data can be saved as text files you can share or email with all the capability of your phone.​
  • The app provides over-the-air (OTA) embedded software updates to your Blue Raven hardware so that your Blue Raven can take advantage of all the new features and improvements as they become available.
  • ​500 Hz 3-axis High-Range Accelerometer,  +/- 400 Gs  
  • 500 Hz 3-axis HIgh-Resolution Accelerometer, +/32 Gs
  • 500 Hz 3-axis gyroscope angular rates
  • 500 Hz attitude quaternion
  • 50 Hz tilt angle, roll angle, and predicted tilt +3 seconds
  • 50 Hz vertical velocity, down-range horizontal velocity and cross-range horizontal velocity
  • 50 Hz barometric pressure and temperature
  • 50 Hz battery voltage and continuity voltage on each of 4 outputs
  • 50 Hz output current
  • 50 Hz high-precision temperature sensor
  • 50 Hz recording of all flight events used for deployment logic.
  • Flight summary data:
    • Maximum altitude
    • Maximum velocity
    • Max acceleration during motor burn
    • Max drag acceleration during coast
    • Max acceleration during each deployment event
    • Tilt losses during motor burn
    • Tilt angle at motor burnout
    • Horizontal velocity at apogee
    • Vertical velocity before main chute deployment and after main chute opens

Interface Software:

​Phone app distribution:
App release through Google Play and the Apple App store is complete
  • Android:   Search under "Featherweight UI" to install the latest release
  • Apple iOS:  Search under "Featherweight UI" to install the latest release

Beta test versions are also sometimes released through the beta test program before they are released through the stores.   To join the beta test program:
  • Apple iOS:  Go to the following link from the iOS device you want to use to install TestFlight and the Blue Raven app: https://testflight.apple.com/join/3HPI9h3W
  • Android:   The beta test program has currently reached its maximum capacity
Features currently available using the phone app (iOS and Android):
  • Watch live data for Go-For-Launch checks at the pad
    • Continuity voltages
    • Arm/Disarm status
    • Live values and health of all sensors
  • Set up each 4 channels with pre-made templates for common functions
    • Apogee drogue deploy
    • Main chute deploy
    • Apogee backup
    • Main Backup
    • Airstarts
    • Stage separation
  • Set up any of 4 channels with custom deployment logic configuration with dozens of options
  • Set up and run a simulated flight, now with simple rocket visualization
  • Ground test your deployment charges before the flight, while slow-motion video and high-rate onboard data are recorded.
  • Auto-download and display flight summary information
  • Auto-download high-rate (500 Hz) and low-rate (50 Hz) data to your phone
  • Share the high rate and low rate data as .xlsx files through all the data sharing methods available on your phone (email, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc)
  • Re-calibrate the accelerometers on your Blue Raven
  • Enable and disable beeps
  • Arm or disarm output channels
  • Auto-download and display of flight summary information
  • Review flight summary data from any previous flight
  • Review the deployment output settings from any previous flight
  • Save deployment output settings to an .xls file to share or review off-line
  • Name your Blue Raven
  • Connect with multiple Blue Ravens and easily switch the live display between them
  • Update the firmware in your Blue Raven from the phone app, over Bluetooth
  • Review graphs of 500Hz and 50Hz data on your phone​
  • Output current limiting to enable larger batteries without risk of damage in case of a short circuited load
Features not yet available, but planned to be added:​​
  • Improved Bluetooth connection pairing that gives priority to the owner

Now even more powerful and flexible, but still the smallest flight controller on the market.

  • Only 1.6" long by 0.8" wide.  Easily fits into 24mm airframes or couplers.
  • Drop-in replacement for any Raven4 installation, including mounting hole locations.  Compatible with all Raven av-bay accessories.
  • 3D inertial navigation:  6 axes of accelerometers and 3 axes of gyroscopes are combined to calculate the whole rocket 3D flight path and rocket orientation throughout the flight.  This provides useful insight like horizontal velocity at apogee, tilt losses during the motor burn, roll rate and angle, and enables safe ignition criteria for multi-stage flights.
  • Thanks to its 3-axis sensors and sophisticated inertial navigation calculations, the Blue Raven can be mounted in any orientation in the rocket, even flat!
  • Four 25-Amp outputs compatible with batteries from a single Li-Poly cell to a 16V pack. ​

Which form factor to buy?

Advantages for original Blue Raven form factor:
  • Compatible with all previous Raven accessories
  • All 4 outputs available via the terminal block
  • Compatible with batteries up to 9V
  • Compatible with conductive mounting surfaces
  • Fits into a 24mm diameter coupler

Advantages for new 1" diameter Blue Raven
  • Smaller footprint
  • Built-in magnetic switch allows simpler installation
  • Mounting holes are the ematch terminals for Apo and Main charges
  • Less expensive than a Blue Raven plus external magnetic switch
  • Two redundant Blue Ravens can be stacked onto the same threaded rods
  • Designed to fit a Featherweight GPS Tracker alongside the Blue Raven battery
Picture
1.0" Diameter Blue Raven installed flat on an example av-bay sled
Picture
Underside of example av-bay showing e-matches connected to mounting hardware.
Picture
1.0" Diameter Blue Raven with 29mm Av-bay Kit
Picture
Two Redundant 1.0" Diameter Blue Ravens and a Featherweight GPS Tracker in one 29mm diameter av-bay
Original form factor Blue Raven:  $175
New 1" diameter Blue Raven with magnetically-activated power switch:  $195
29mm av-bay kit for 1" diameter Blue Raven:  $25
Save $25 ​ on a Blue Raven when purchased with 2 Av-bays

Blue Raven Resources

quick_start_both_sides.pdf
File Size: 241 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
blue_raven_users_manual_september_15.pdf
File Size: 1384 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Picture
Raven 4 step file, to be replaced with Blue Raven step file.
Picture
Blue Raven fits into av-bay installation accessories like the 38mm av-bay.

Testimonials

​I just wanted to say thank you for making such a full featured flight computer with such an easily configured and wonderfully intuitive gui to go with it. I teach high school kids who have varying levels of tech capability, so the ease of use and especially the ease of data analysis post flight is a huge, huge benefit. I know hooking up to a USB and running a standalone program and digging through different menus seems pretty brain dead to those of us in the hobby already, but the simplicity with which the new raven app suite *just works* is really, really appreciated and makes it dramatically more accessible to younger teams. 

We flew a subscale staged flight this weekend, and had a failure where an ematch shorted to the body of a cable cutter. All was recovered safely, and with the tools in the app suite that clearly showed voltage drops and confirmed the logic conditions that the firing signal had been sent we were able to quickly identify both the problem and a convenient solution - I don't think that would have been nearly as easy with any other package. 

We've flown altus systems, eggtimers, perfectflites, and the little jolly logic a3's - after a few test flights with the BR I don't think I'd ever use anything else as the primary system, and I'm looking forward to adding a GPS system to the package. 

Thanks for a fantastic product, 
Hi:

We have several of your Raven altimeters. Absolutely love them! ​
These are amazing!  Flew my first dual deployment last weekend with your blue raven.  Wonderful product!  Thank you!
I got my NAR L2 certification yesterday in my Formula 98 fiberglass rocket with my Blue Raven altimeter!   I can't explain how stoked I am about this.

Checked afterwards and all 4 charges fired.   I used a J250W DMS motor, so I had the motor eject charge also as a backup to the backup.

I did download the data to my phone and will send the results to myself as a csv file.   This was very cool!
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