The phone application, InsaneRockets, records video, captures data, and helps with tracking down landing location when installed in a high powered (G and higher motor) hobby rocket.

Warning: Launching rockets with a phone onboard is risky and a mishap could destroy the phone!

Recommended older phone with barometer:

If you purchase your launch phone on the same carrier as your main phone, you can swap your sim card to it during flight. Then, use a friend's phone to view landing location! You can use an adapter like this to resize your sim card: https://www.amazon.com/MediaDevil-Simdevil-Adapter-Micro-Standard/dp/B00G26XWDI.

Essentials

• Android: Login to google and go to https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager. Make sure your phone is showing proper location prior to launch. This gives you a backup GPS location.

Hardware Limitations

• Prior to launching, if using your phone to assist in recovery with GPS, confirm your phone has a GPS - telemetry GPS derived by wifi will not operate in the field. Limitations may vary depending on the android device you have. These may include: Max Gs reported, inclusion of Barometer data, speed of instrument updates, and resolution of video/audio data.
• Gs: Known +/- Maxes: Pixel XL 1 - 16Gs, Pixel XL/2/3/4/4a/5- 16Gs, Nexus 5x - 16Gs, LG G5/G6 - 8Gs, LG V30 - 8Gs, Galaxy S7/S8/S9/S10 - 8Gs, Galaxy Note 9 - 8Gs, Galaxy S/S5 - 2Gs, Galaxy Grand Prime - 4Gs, HTC One M - 2Gs, Moto Z Force Droid - 16Gs, Moto G - 2Gs, Nexus 4 - 4Gs, Nexus 5/6 - 2Gs, Nexus 6p - 8Gs, BLU HD R1 - 2Gs, Xiaomi MI 9 - 8Gs.
  Phones released in the past 5 years are typically between 8 and 16Gs. The values of older phones usually are maxed on each axis at 2Gs.
• High Battery Consumption & More: Some phones consume much more battery and run hotter than others. It is recommended to at least review this section and then test to see how fast your phone battery drains over the span of an hour with Insane Rockets running. That way, on launch day, you are not in for any surprises.
  If you are worried your phone could overheat or your battery is draining fast, use these steps to reduce battery consumption:
  • Do not turn on battery saver: While it sounds great in theory, it disables the functionality of our App. Settings > Battery > Battery saver should be OFF, with Turn on automatically OFF as well. This option typically disables network traffic, it can disable gps type data as well.
  • Turn off Auto-update Apps over cell network: Open Play Store > Settings > Auto-update apps and either turn off or set to Auto-update apps over Wi-Fi only.
  • Turn off Sync: Recommended for very power hungry phones like the Nexus 4: Open Settings > Accounts > Your Account Name > Then tap your account. Turning these off will stop unexpected transfers from occuring on launch day. You can turn them back on after recovery.
  • Turn off Wi-Fi: This is really only necessary if you have cell service. Important - Make sure you go into Settings > Wi-Fi > Advanced and turn off Scanning always available, Network Notification for public networks and THEN turn off Wi-Fi. If this is not done, Wi-Fi is not really off.
  • Reduce abrupt bumps on phone when vertical: Every time a bump occurs when the rocket is vertical, a launch event could be triggered. While Insane Rockets will detect this as a false launch, CPU is consumed to capture video, audio, and data prior to realization of the false launch.

Quick Start

• Follow guide for registration and recovery by tapping here:
• Prepare you rocket for launch. As one of the last steps, start InsaneRockets and install the phone into your rocket's electronic's bay.
• From another phone, login to https://www.insanerocketry.com tap the Data button at the top of the page and navigate to your live rocket's map page. It should look something like this:
  
• Verify that the time is updating, that means the InsaneRockets is running. If the phone is horizontal, updates will occur once every few minutes. If the phone is vertical, updates will occur every few seconds.
• Android: It is normal for the screen to turn off. This conserves the battery and makes it less likely for a mishap. You can immediately turn the screen off by tapping the power button quickly - Don't accidently tell your phone to power off!
• Keep a close eye on battery life and record prelaunch by following instructions in Recovery Help.
• Launch & recover your rocket!
• Successful launch video footage will be in your photo album, where you take pictures and videos.
• Telemetry data is available by tapping the Data button on the main page and then selecting a file prefixed with the word launch.
• Testing: Simply shake the phone hard, while vertical and launch ready (portrait - this can be configured differently) to simulate a launch. You should see record: ON in the main screen. Once record turns back off, tap the Data button and you will see two files prefixed with the word bogus. That means that the application figured out this was not an actual launch, but simply a knock of the phone. You can view both the video and the data file by tapping them.
• Video Init Time: The amount of time it takes your phone hardware to start video recording. Shake your phone while vertical and launch ready to test. If this time is greater than 1.5 seconds, make sure to use the REC from another phone just prior to launch. REC is explained in detail in Recovery Help.
• Warning: Insure your phone has plenty of storage capacity to store launch video and data prior to each launch. Unexpected results will occur if storage runs out during a launch.
• Upload on landing: In settings, you have the option to automatically upload the launch's data file to Insane Rocketry and the video. For more information go to Settings.