Custom Fiberglass Shroud for Micro Keychain Cameras

[patelldp]

Tired of zip-tying or duct taping those cool little cameras to the side of your rocket?

I have for sale one camera shroud for the Micro Keychain video cameras sold at Bayou Rat Rocketry (http://www.bayouratrocketry.com/).

This shroud is designed around a 3" body tube and fits the camera nice and snug. It is made of 4 layers of 8.7oz Fiberglass and US Composites resin, making for a very strong piece. The outside is not perfect (See the pictures), but it is nothing a little filler won't fix. The shroud has been wet sanded with 500 grit paper.

The method of attachment is up to you. My preferred method is to use a single 2-56 bolt to attach the camera to the rocket. Then, a series of bolts can be used to hold the shroud to your rocket. I purposely have not drilled the holes to allow the purchaser to mount it as they please.

This is the first one I am making available. I am capable of making many more, and would like to gauge the interest from people on this forum. I am making them one at a time, so I am not going to be cranking these things out very fast, unfortunately. If you don't get this one and would like one made, I'd be more than willing to start taking orders.

I'd like to get $20 for this shroud, shipped to your door (US only). Any "orders" for these parts I receive will be the same price.

Thanks for looking!

[patelldp]

Bump?

I have since made a second shroud out of FG, as well as a shroud with an external layer of 5.7oz CF and 3 layers of FG. $25 shipped for the CF model, $20 shipped for the two FG shrouds...

[PropellantHead]

All my rockets are 2.6" (or less) and 4". Any chance of a version for 4" rockets? i'd give you $20 for one of those.

[rocketspan]

Me too

[ClayD]

you should make a unit that can be easily assembled. (explanation to follow)

I just got a keychain cam on order, and have been contemplating mounting it. to airplanes, trucks, helicopters, and rockets.
velcro is probably great for 3/4 of my applications, but rocket, i am thinking about good ole duct tape

how easy is it to get the camera in/out of the shroud without removing it.
how easy is it to access the camera functions once on the pad.

to me it appears that it would be difficult to activate and ensure operation when opposed to a temporary attachment.

That is a nice shroud, and those are my inital questions looking at the photos.

[patelldp]

you should make a unit that can be easily assembled. (explanation to follow)

I just got a keychain cam on order, and have been contemplating mounting it. to airplanes, trucks, helicopters, and rockets.
velcro is probably great for 3/4 of my applications, but rocket, i am thinking about good ole duct tape

how easy is it to get the camera in/out of the shroud without removing it.
how easy is it to access the camera functions once on the pad.

to me it appears that it would be difficult to activate and ensure operation when opposed to a temporary attachment.

That is a nice shroud, and those are my inital questions looking at the photos.

Camera cannot be removed without removing the shroud. There really is no good way of doing it securely such that the camera is removable with the shroud in place.

The controls are accessible with a screw driver under the shroud. Just reach under and press the button.

I need to check to make sure that the shroud is easily applied to a 4" tube. I know that the camera fits under there and the shroud is slightly flexible. It should work, but I want to actually do it and post some pictures.

[patelldp]

I apologize for the late response. These shrouds WILL fit on a 4" tube, and will actually have more room for the camera. In order to get it to sit properly on the tube, I would recommend the following:

1. Devise your mounting scheme (preferably 3-5 holes around the perimeter of the shroud to accept 2-56 or 4-40 screws)

2. Drill holes in shroud.

3. Locate camera on rocket, and drill a single hole to allow for a 2-56 bolt to be threaded into the tube.

4. Affix camera to rocket

5. Locate shroud over camera and apply pressure so that the shroud fully engages the 4" tube. This will require a very small amount of deflection from the shroud, which will not cause it any harm.

6. With shroud pressed against tube, use a pencil to mark the holes you drilled for mounting the shroud.

7. Drill holes in tube and affix shroud to the rocket.

I currently have 2 shrouds ready for shipment. If anyone is interested I can have them in the mail as early as tomorrow.

[bandman444]

Do you still have the Carbon one? Think these could be flown to beyond Mach? Like how strong are they? How susceptible to vibration do you think it is?

[patelldp]

Do you still have the Carbon one? Think these could be flown to beyond Mach? Like how strong are they? How susceptible to vibration do you think it is?

I currently have 2 carbon shrouds. One needs trimming to its final shape, while both need additional layers of resin to fill voids. It is difficult to do a layup with carbon compared to glass because you cannot see bubbles through the cloth.

I do believe that these could make it through Mach. The susceptibility to vibration is dependent upon mounting method. If you are assuming faster flight, then I would recommend a more robust mounting method. Adding more screws will certainly help. The shrouds themselves are very stiff (picture 4x layers of 8.7oz glass, or approx 1/32" thick). My main concern with these shrouds and high velocity would be the fact it will make the rocket asymmetrical and most likely will induce a spin.

[patelldp]

Here is a picture of the two carbon shrouds, along with the mold.

[patelldp]

And here are the two Fiberglass shrouds.

Price is $20 shipped for the FG shrouds. $25 shipped for the CF. I will trim up the second CF shroud if anyone is interested in it.

All require some surface prep. The FG shrouds have some small pinholes that will be easy to fill. If you would like one of the CF ones and wish to show off the fabric weave, plenty of resin and wet sanding iterations await.

I was hoping to fly one of these two weekends ago, but unfortunately wind and snow stopped that from happening. I plan to make my first flight with one of these shrouds in March or April.

[patelldp]

So everyone is curious about how these things should be mounted to a rocket and how the controls are accessible when inside of the shroud. I took literally 10 minutes tonight and mounted a shroud to my rocket. These are the steps that I took (pictures outline each step).

1. Drill a hole appropriately sized for a 2-56 bolt to thread into. I used a 5/64" bit. This hole is for the attachment bolt for the micro camera. The bolt goes through the hole where the keychain comes attached to the camera and into the tube. In the picture a nylon bolt is used because I had one handy, but I would recommend steel for flights.

2. I measured the distance from the rear (lens of the camera) to the center of the bolt. This dimension is where I will be drilling an access hole in the shroud. This dimension appears to be approximately 1.875".

3. Then, locate an appropriately sized screw driver that you will use to tighten and loosen this bolt. In this case it is a little flat blade screw driver from Craftsman. Check the diameter of the screw driver and choose the size of drill bit that will just barely allow this screw driver to pass through. In this case, it's 9/64".

4. Using the previous dimension (1.875") and the drill bit size we determined, mark and drill a hole in the shroud.

[patelldp]

5. Just for proof, I took a picture of the camera attachment bolt through the hole I drilled. Lines up perfectly.

6. I then proceeded to sand all contact points (1/2" around perimeter of outside of shroud, 1/2" around perimeter of inside of shroud, and contact point on tube) with 100 grit sand paper. I then cleaned all sanded areas with a bit of acetone in a paper towel and allowed it to evaporate thoroughly.

7. I only have a picture of the aftermath of this step. I applied 3:1 Ratio US Composites resin to the contact point of the shroud. The shroud is contoured around the perimeter for 3" tubing, so it's easy to locate the contact area. With the camera in place, I located the shroud on the tube and pressed it to get good adhesion. I then applied several pieces of masking tape to hold it to the tube securely.

8. Here is a picture of the camera as seen from the bottom of the shroud. You can see that the buttons are very easily accessed with a screw driver while at the pad.

9. One last check that the screw is accessible through the shroud, which it is!

So how is the camera removed from this shroud? Very simply: put the screw driver through the hole, undo the bolt, and pull the camera out. How is it installed in the shroud? Place the bolt in the mounting hole, slide the camera in, and with minimal fidgeting you should be able to rethread the bolt into the tube. Very simple, thanks to Andrew Diehl for the idea!

So all that is left to do at this point is wait for it to cure. I plan to do an internal fillet with thickened epoxy as well as an external fillet that will mainly be for aesthetics.

Let me know what you think! I still have 4 available, 2x FG and 2x CF.

[eggplant]

I think they look better than the alternative, but it is just such a huge "lump" on the side of your rocket...

[Texas Rocketman]

Hello Dan:

I would like to purchase one of your fiberglass shrouds. Please let me know the price including shipping to Beeville, Texas 78102. I will be mounting it on a 3 inch diameter tube rocket.

Sincerely,

William Yates aka Texas Rocketman NAR# 94507

[blackbrandt]

Shoudn't this belong in the vendors and new products section?

[patelldp]

Shoudn't this belong in the vendors and new products section?

No, I am not a vendor.