9 Volt BatteryFirst of all, my apologies if this reply reads like a auto response because it sort of is as I have written this same reply a number of times. So if you'll be patient and read though this knowing that it was originally written and sent to a number of other people with the same issue perhaps we can narrow down what might be causing your launching issues. From what I read of your posting, I can almost 100 percent guarantee that you are not getting enough “current” to the starters and they are not getting hot enough to ignite the motors. And since I’ve had to explain to others, in almost every case this lack of available current is the direct result of not using a powerful enough 9V alkaline battery. I have talked with a large segment of consumers that are of the opinion that all 9V batteries are created the same…which simply isn’t so. I’ve also had consumers purchase the least expensive battery they could (often referred to as HD batteries, but they utilize a Zinc-Carbon chemistry) and they simply don’t have enough power to ignite our starters. So if you would, please read this the balance of this reply and see if what I suggest doesn’t provide a better launching experience. …and one more thing…I’ve sent this email to several consumers over the past few weeks and I’ve received a very high number of replies that with the battery change as suggested below, the customers had successful launches. However, if you do as I suggest and the launch controller still doesn’t work, let me know and we’ll try something else. I also wanted to let you know that I have launched literally hundreds of rockets using the little orange 9V controller (called the Astron II Launch Controller) here at the rocket ranch with a quality brand 9V alkaline battery and the only time I’ve had any issue with a launch failure has been when I’ve not inserted the starter into the nozzle of the rocket engine correctly or when I’ve tried to launch to many rockets without changing the battery. I’m not trying to make excuses, just telling you that the launch system that uses our 9V launch controller and our starters do work as designed.
Now for some background. One of the first things we need to advise you of is that our “starters” have been manufactured in the same manner for over 40 years, which equals quite literally millions of igniters/starters. Until about two years ago they all contained a pyrogen on the tip of the starter (then called igniters) that aided in the ignition of the model rocket engine even when the batteries were of low power output or weak from disuse. However, due to a Federal law that’s been on the books since the early 70’s, we had to remove that pyrogen tip and now our starters are coated with a type of white glue that holds the bridge wire (the thin little wire at the top that glows and gets hot enough to ignite the propellant) and without the pyrogen on the tip, it can take the starter a little longer to ignite the model rocket engine because there isn’t any extra “oomph” on the tip of the igniter. When we had the pyrogen tipped igniters, ignition was usually much quicker than it is today without the pyrogen, but if properly inserted into the nozzle and with a good strong battery in the launch controller, the engine will ignite….it almost has to.
The second bit of technical information to pass along is that our starters require at least 6V and 2.5 amps of current to get adequately hot enough to ignite our model rocket engines. Unfortunately, not all 9V batteries are created equal and through a series of battery tests we have found that even when a battery manufacturer advertise their batteries as “alkaline”, not all alkaline batteries are created equal. By way of example, I recently needed to test some 9V batteries for inclusion in a launch set we are looking to develop. To that end, I’ve been testing a few different brands of batteries including a leading manufacturer (Rayovac). We obtained 2 different sample sets of Rayovac batteries, both of which were advertised as 9V alkaline, only to discover that they each put out significantly different amounts of power. The first sample I tested is called a Rayovac 9V Alkaline Battery and looks like any other rectangle shaped 9V battery. The other sample is a called Rayovac Ultra Pro and looks almost identical to the first one except for the color of the battery case (one has some blue accent, the other black accent). I attempted to use both of these 9V batteries for a few days launching various model rockets and while the Rayovac “Alkaline” 9V can make our igniter glow and discolor the white glue used on the tip of the starter, it does not provide enough current (only delivers approximately 1.5 amps) to actually ignite the propellant and I did not have any successful launches. On the other hand, when I installed the Rayovac Ultra Pro I notice a major difference in power output (it delivers over 2.7 amps) and can ignite a model rocket engine every single time – usually in less than 1-2 seconds. And while they both are advertised as Alkaline batteries and they even look alike, they certainly do not perform alike...but the Rayovac 9V Alkaline is about a dollar cheaper than the Ultra Pro, but it isn't up to the task we need for igniting a model rocket engine.
My point to all of this is that the circuit design of any of our model rocket launch controllers is a fairly simple design without a lot of area’s (components) that can fail nor is the circuit so complex as to be unreliable. We have learned over the years that we’ve been in business, that keeping the launch system as uncomplicated as possible yields more successful launches, which hopefully keeps our customers happy as well. And usually when a consumers has a problem with launching our rockets, especially with the new starters, we can trace the problem back to the source of power…that is the battery. However, I have had a few launch controllers that just did not work and perhaps yours is one of them. But if you would, please try a high quality, name brand of super alkaline 9V battery such as any of those suggested below and see if you don’t have more successful launches. And if you need some extra starters to make up for the ones you wasted, send me a shipping address and I’ll send you some replacements to try with a different battery in your launch controller.
So please check the battery you are using first and if it's an HD or some kind of off brand battery, please try one of the following batteries:
• Fuji EnviroMAX (HOME DEPOT)
• Rayovac Ultra Pro (WALMART/AMAZON)
• Energizer Max (HOME DEPOT/WALMART)
• Eveready Copper Top (AMAZON/WALMART/BEST BUY)
Hard to diagnose from long distance but you will get all kinds of suggestions. Igniters are expensive so I know you need to find a solution so I'll take a stab at it. The newer igniters do not have the same amount of material on the end they used to have. I bend the wire just behind the glob to try and increase the exposed fuel to more igniter flame. Try not to wiggle the igniter too much, that can cause the igniter to move away from the fuel. Be real careful when hooking up the leads, too much wiggle then can do the same. It could be from using weak batteries. The igniter will burn but not energetic enough. Use fresh alkaline cells in the launch box, do not use rechargeable. When you use 4 of them you're down 1.2 volts from 4 alkaline cells. If you have the skills then you can chop up a nitro cellulose pingpong ball, dissolve it in acetone and dip the igniters into it. The mix should be gel-like so it sticks without dissolving the igniter head. This is semi-dangerous so be very careful and try only if you really think you can do it safely. I powder up the old style 4th of July sparklers and put a small amount of Super Glue on the igniter then dip into the powder. Once again, be very careful how you powder the sparkler. It doesn't have to be dust, tiny chunk is ok. I've used a paper bag and rolling pin and have also made a chump mortar and pistil from wood.
