If you launch rockets at a location with high elevation, such as some areas in Colorado and Utah, and your Chute Release has version 1.1 firmware on it, you should send it to us to update the firmware. For most people, this will not matter.
Chute Release doesn’t care how high your flights go, but it does care how high they START. The original limitation was 8000 feet (2438 meters) above sea level. This was just arbitrary, we should have made it higher, and it was easy to increase this to 10000 feet, which we’ve since done.
If you have version 1.1 and you try to launch at a location with a pressure altitude (which is affected by weather) of 8000′ (2438 meters) or above, your Chute Release will refuse to initialize. It will flash rapidly and turn off, preventing you from flying with it. Once you update to version 1.2 or higher, you will fine up to 10000′ (3048 meters).
How can you tell which version you own? When you first turn on your Chute Release, it will flash the firmware version right at the start. The first digit is shown on the battery display, the second digit on the altitude display. So it you watch, version 1.1 will flash the first battery light and the 100 feet (30 meters) display right at startup. Version 1.2 will flash the first battery light and the 200 feet (60 meters) display right at the start.
If you don’t fly at high elevation, don’t worry about it. You’re already good to go, even on very high flights!
