Lighting a rocket for night launches

Hi All,

My son and I are new to this hobby and have had fun with maybe 10 launches under our belt. We have the opportunity to attend a night launch with out club. The rules are that the rockets must be lit from all sides, glow in the dark does not count, and it can be a first flight for the rocket.

My question is, is there a nice and simple (and cheap) way of lighting a rocket?

Thanks,

Brian

Quest Payloader with a glow stick, very cheap and dirty. Same rocket with a kite strobe or bright light of some kind. There have even been rockets with glow sticks clear mylar taped around the outside of large frame rockets like a Sumo or the like. Just tape them on parallel to the airframe.

LED's baby !!! If you want to get away cheap, go to a CVS or something like that. They have --on occasion--cosmetic displays. They trash them when they are sold through. Just go ask for one. The battery packs are big and bulky --made to last a long time--cut it off and use small pancake battery !

Check party stores, wall mart, dollar stores. They are getting lighted Halloween decorations/accessories in. Many of those are cheap and, with a little imagination, and be repurposed into lights for night rockets. Look for items that use LEDs and small watch-type batteries. Some can be used to replace the nosecone or just put into a clear payload section.

If you plan on strapping glow sticks to your rocket, check the balance point (Center of Gravity) of the rocket in it's regular flight configuration (including motor, wadding and all). When you add the glowsticks make sure the balance point does not move toward the back of the model. Forward is ok.

I don't know if it was a typo on your part, but is a good idea to test fly the model in daylight before it's night debut.

Have fun, night launches are great fun.

Don

Indeed it was a typo! Launches start at 5pm, so we can get a daylight test flight in.

Thanks for the help all. Going with a rocket with a clear payload and some LEDs.

Brian

I'm a huge fan of the LED light strips and rings that you can get on Ebay very cheaply. They DO in most cases require 9-12 volts for the brightest light. I use small rechargeable 11.1 volt LiPo batteries.

[video=youtube;_-lOunAl4hM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-lOunAl4hM[/video]

I keep wanting to make some circuit board fins, with LED's on them. Would be a super easy layout, just expensive unless I can talk about 20 of you guys into buying them.

HHaase said:

I keep wanting to make some circuit board fins, with LED's on them. Would be a super easy layout, just expensive unless I can talk about 20 of you guys into buying them.

Click to expand...

What about using double clad board (copper on both sides) and soldering surface mount LEDs along the leading/trailing edge. One side of the fin would be +, the other side -.

rokitflite said:

I'm a huge fan of the LED light strips and rings that you can get on Ebay very cheaply. They DO in most cases require 9-12 volts for the brightest light. I use small rechargeable 11.1 volt LiPo batteries.

[video=youtube;_-lOunAl4hM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-lOunAl4hM[/video]

Click to expand...

I concur.. it is about $25 with the lipo 5m LED strip and controller and there is nothing brighter for the money. And is as simple to hook up .. you could even use electrical tape in a pinch.

I have done saucers and my RED ALERT rocket..

https://youtu.be/6pCMnX78fzQ

Kenny

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0045H0L1W/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

These, in a clear payload section. Just be sure to test them out, you'll probably have to tape some buttons down to make them work for rockets.