relay launcher housing?

out of curiosity what are folks using to house the relay portion aka the pad box? I'm reasonably sure that I could build a box using a 1 x 6 in either pine or redwood for $30 (hinges etc extra)...if you have pics of suitable boxes I would like to see them. thanks,
Rex

I am building one now, and this is what I am using. There is a lot of room for everything https://www.homedepot.com/p/Cantex-12-in-x-12-in-x-6-in-Junction-Box-R5133713/202043349

Radio Shack Project Enclosure. Something like this:
https://www.radioshack.com/products/project-enclosure-7x5x3?variant=5717250885

I used an electronics project box. I think I bought it from Radio Shack.

at the moment I'm leaning toward using a small toolbox.
Rex

Small Ammo box.

A recent CATO reaffirmed this was a good choice -- toasted off the Sonalert and launch-wire pigtail when a flaming 98mm grain landed next to the box and flamed up the box bad.
Interior was just fine.
Surprisingly the Sonalert continued to function.

An all plastic box would have been a melted mess.

I'll have to take picture and attach....will try to do later tonight....

left out a word, a small metal toolbox. thinking that trying to attach brackets to a plastic box might prove troublesome(well that and heat damage). I think that I will not have to worry much about a 98mm grain at a low power launch but, you never know....
Rex

I bought a two pack ammo boxes at Costco for $20. One was 50 cal and inside was 30 cal

I bought a two pack ammo boxes at Costco for $20. One was 50 cal and inside was 30 cal

So did I.
Used the small one for my pad box.

Set is now $5 off...so $14.99 for both.

We use red plastic tool boxes from Ace similar to the photo. There're about 15 years old and still in good shape, just a little rust on the metal latch. We chose plastic because of the humidity here in north Florida.

Steve G

Rex,

I also built mine using a plastic tool box with a removable tray. It houses a 1200AH battery and four arm relays, one master relay and the launch relay, which; connects it all to ground for ignition.
Enables me to launch up to four models at once or any combination of pads I have armed. Also has continuity test at the box for each pad and a master power switch to disable the whole thing as you hook up igniters.

Look forward to meeting you again at another WOOSH event !!

Our Dog House Rocketry launch systems use the Sea Horse brand of enclosure (SE120, SE300). They are very rugged, yet "almost" reasonably priced. The downside is you need to buy/make a faceplate.

We also are working on a new/prototype single pad system that is based on the Plano 2-tray tackle box. Not as rugged as Sea Horse, but the flip top compartments make a nice place to put connections. I can post pics if anyone is interested. We just havent had the time/energy to go into production yet.

Hello Rex,

Here at Wilson F/X our target market is club sized systems. So what we use for enclosures is designed for that club-sized launch system market. We do make single-pad systems for individuals, but even these are designed to also plug into their club's Wilson F/X launch system in order to expand its capabilities. So we use the same kinds of NEMA certified enclosures as Mike in #2 of this thread. We see temps from 20 below zero to over 100 degrees. We see rain, dust clouds, snow, sleet, fog, blistering heat, etcetera!

About 99% of the enclosures that we use are NEMA certified enclosures designed to be used as outdoor electrical junction boxes. We use both Carlon and Cantex junction boxes because of the added variety of sizes available. But we didn't start out using them.

Back in the mid 1990's we used RadioShack project enclosures. But they don't seal well against the year round extremely hostile environment of the outdoors here in the upper Mid West. We used some plastic tool boxes for controllers, but gave that up as the only inexpensive way to make a face plate to fit inside the lid was to use plywood. Again, it worked great, but long term use in the outdoors degrades plywood and we wanted to build for longevity of use.

We have built a few custom controllers using Pelican cases, but machining an aluminum faceplate is very expensive. So we only do these for those with much larger budgets. This is the other 1% of the launch systems that we build.

Hope that helps.

Brad

Hard to beat the ammo boxes.
Made to be outdoors.
Cheap, flame and waterproof and have a built-in handle.

Plus, I find it easier to mount things in the steel - plastic tends to deform/tear unless you use a backing plate when drilling.
Plus a better ground plane for an antenna if you are building a wireless box.

Plus - not much else would take this kind of abuse and STILL BE 100% functional:

A 98mm grain landed right next to the box and sprayed right at it burning for a good 10 seconds.
All we could do is watch.....

My Range Box Relay system is almost all Radio Shack parts. I've used it on 2,3,4,5 and 6 motor clusters with small external 12v 7amp/hr gel-cell and larger clusters up to 12 motors with a 12v 26amp/hr gel-cell.

My Heavy Duty Relay Launcher is actually 3 relays in one at pad cabinet consisting of 2- 12V DPDT 10amp relays and a single 12v coil 40amp per contact DPDT power relay for launching my larger Up-Scale clusters.

Both have been with me for a good long while now always worked perfectly every time.







View attachment RangeBox Relay-a2c_Rev Drawing & Wiring_01-31-96 Rev.06-23-10.pdf

We used custom built boxes. The are about 12" x 12" and 14" - 16" high. Built from 1/2" plywood. The tops and bottoms are the full dimensions so they sit above and below the sides. You can stand on the boxes, they are that solid. The top is hinged with a latch and a drawer handle on top for carrying. The wood was varnished.

When open, the wireless antenna folds up. There is an On/Off Power switch, three receptacles, and a large push button for continuity. The box handles 5 pads so all 5 pad wires are lamp cord with clips and a plug and they all store in the box. The battery and a charger are also built into the box. Just pull out the charger cord and plug it into 120VAC to charge. All self contained.

good suggestions all, thanks. it so happens that I have one or more tool boxes that could be repurposed...after getting a larger box for rocket tools .
Rex