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Should I use a timer or an altimeter for electronic deployment ?

Either device is suitable for electronic deployment of a rocket's recovery system, however, there has been a tendency over the past few years for rocketeers to err towards altimeters as the prime electronic deployment system, with timers being used as the redundant back up system.

Altimeters are more expensive than timers, so, if you are on a limited budget, then a timer is the obvious choice for electronic deployment.

For a slight increase in cost, an altimeter provides a greater degree of accuracy, since a recovery system will then be deployed at the right altitude should anything go wrong in flight. If for instance, not all motors in a cluster light, then the rocket will not reach the altitude it was supposed to, consequently a timer would deploy the chute at the correct time, but at the wrong altitude (generally this would be at a lower altitude and at a faster deployment speed than would otherwise be the case). In this instance, an altimeter would still function normally, and would deploy the recovery system at the correct altitude.


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