I think streamers seem like a good way to go but CAN you put a chute in a min dia BT micro rocket? What size and material works well?
Second question...is there an Altimeter that would work in a teeny treskelion size rocket? ( min Body Tube)
Chutes are absolutely usable. I normally use Teflon streamers but on some models a chute just makes sense. in the first two photos below show a 3" silver Mylar chute deploying from a minimum diameter T2+(.281") Body Orbital Transport mother ship.
Unfortunately I don't have any photos handy of 4, 5, 6 and 8" Mylar and DryCleaner bag chutes for micro models. Just never thought to take any.
Last weekend I fly one of my micro cluster models. this 2-to-6 motor cluster called the Cosmic Cluster flew on 4-MMX-II motors ejection a 12" x 1/4mil mylar chute from it's BT-20 lower section. Unfortunately as usual with even micro cluster I didn't catch the models recovery as I was watching where it landed
There are a couple different materials that have proven over the years to work well in micro's.
#1: is 1/4Mil Silver competition mylar. This stuff packs very tightly and opens very well when Talc baby powdered before flight.
#2: 1/4mil Clear DryCleaners bags: generally need to put a few scribbles with a permenant Marker on these chute to aid visiblily but other then that work and Pack about as well as the competition Silver Mylar chute. They also require a good dusting with talc babypowder before folding.
#3: 1/2-to 1 mil mylar colored giftwrap mylars: most Party stores carry Gift Wrap mylar in 2x3foot sheets. these DO NOT pack nearly as well has the thinner mylars and are usable only in Larger body micro T3(.375")diameter and larger.
For shroud lines I use ONLY 13lb 2strand Kevlar thread with Silver adhesive backed Monokote (thinnest of the Monokotes) 3/8" x 3/8" or 1/2" x 1/2" squares as tape discs.
the trick to using the kevlar and tape discs is to tie a simple overhand knot about 1/2" from each end of the shroud line then form a horseshoe bend that rests on the adhesive side of the disc. This is then burnished down on the top side of the chute canopy. Once placed they will not come off and the knot prevents the line from being pulled out.
Altimeters are another situation: There are only two commerically available Altimeters that can fit in a T4(.448") diameter body tube. They are Polish unit from Adrel that is very accurate powered by a very small and Light weight Lipo cell. but takes awhile to get here.
The other is a Pico Altimeter P1. Unfortunately this one requires 4.5V (3- 1.5v button cells) Heavy and bulky.
Currently there are No altimeter that will fit a T3(.375") Tiny Triskelion size or smaller models.
To be honest; even the Very Light weight Adrel Alt-LED Polish Altimeters 2.0g mass with battery would be hard for a single MMX-II motor to lift in a single motor T4(.448") Diameter model. Both have to reach launch detect altitiude so these altimeters will be much better in Micor Clustered models
