Loc N-Load Build Thread

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What's mudwet power ?

Midwest Power- yearly rocket launch we have the first weekend in November in Princeton, IL

This year we only got one launch day, and lots of rain otherwise.
 
Eric that is indeed a beautiful looking rocket! Happy New Year to you and your family. Same goes for all the rocket community. Greg Olson
 
This thing needs a brain!

The more "electronic rockets" I build, the simpler they get built! I'm a big of KISSS (Keep It Stupid Simple, Stupid!). This E-Plate/E-bay reflects that....simple and effective. As could be described in a kit's instructions........

Glue the plywood all-thread supports to the electronics plate using wood glue or epoxy.

Begin by applying glue to the puzzle piece end of the supports.

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Press the support into place until it fully seats on the plate. Repeat for all four supports.

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Smooth excess epoxy with a finger; creating a small fillet at the support/plate joint.

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When the glue is dry, lay out your electronics on the plate. Draw a centerline on the plate if desired to aid in alignment and centering. For sport flying, I'm a big fan of a pair of Missileworks RRC2+'s and Duracell 9V's. When they let me down, I'll let you know!:dark: Mark the mounting hole locations for the altimeter and outline the battery location in pencil.

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Drill holes as appropriate. I used a pair of clearance holes for #4-40 screws for altimeter mounting and a series of 3/16" holes surrounding the battery for zip tie passage.

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Using 1" long #4-40 machine screws, pass them through the altimeter, install a 1/4" nylon spacer, then through the plate. Note: backside of sled not shown in the following photo.

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Drop a 1/4" spacer on the exposed screws.

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Install second altimeter.

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Secure with a pair of nuts. PEM nuts work exceptionally well here and are preferred. Standard hex nuts will likely be bumping into terminal blocks and beepers here!:eyepop:

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Solder an extra 15" or so of stranded wire to the positive end of a 9V battery clip; cover joint with heat shrink tubing. Grab some double sided foam tape and a fresh pair of 9V Duracells.

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Snap a battery clip on the end of the 9V, apply a length of foam tape to the underside of the battery.

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Remove backing of foam tape, stick battery to board, secure in place with a series of zip ties. A few will tell you that the battery clip should be on the bottom (motor end) of the battery in case G's from liftoff try to dislodge the connection.

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Trim excess zip tie ends.

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Since this is a dual altimeter, dual battery setup, the flip side looks darn similar. I applied a sticker and used different color wire so we can tell the difference.:cool:

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Ready for wiring to the charges and installation into the Electronics Bay! I run the charges through the hole(s) in the bulkheads and directly to the altimeter. The hole is covered in tape to prevent ejection gases from leaking into the E-bay; a loop is made in the charges inside the bay so that if tugged, the charge wires won't harm the altimeter terminals. The negative battery lead is run directly to the negative terminal on the altimeter. The positive wire is "split"; the long lead previously soldered is run out a vent/arming hole in the wall of the av bay along with a second lead that is secured to the positive terminal on the altimeter. The altimeters are armed externally by twisting the wires together, wrapping the twist in a short length of electrical tape, and taped to the OD of the rocket OR tucked back into a second hole (allowing external disarming if necessary for any reason). Super simple...had a switch fail on me once; so no longer use them.

Hmm, now that this thing is partially prepped, I may just fly it this weekend....
 
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Getting down to the nitty gritty. Only a few minor details left to complete before the Load gets some air time. DJS is being mean and pressing me to fly this thing Saturday...I'm caving to the tremendous peer pressure!;)

Nose Cone Prep Work

We already covered the long cone in shiny silver stuff. Now it's time to optimize it for repeatable flights. I make two mods to the stock 5.54" cones for dual deploy rockets, typically. Here they are.

1. Add brass strips to the cone's shoulder. This helps shear the shear pins upon pressurization of the payload bay. Plastic pins in a plastic surface may lead to elongation instead of clean shearing.

I like four #4-40 nylon screws as pins in the nosecone. Therefore, the cone's shoulder is marked off every 90 degrees (circumference/4).

27679225749_7ed473de79_c.jpg
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Thin brass strips (or aluminum...or any thin material harder than plastic) are cut into 1" x 2" strips using a tin snips. They're clamped into a vice where a pair of holes are drilled on each end of the strips.

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Out comes the Dremel and drill for a bit of grinding and cutting. The plastic eyelet is cut off the base of the cone, the areas of the base of the cone where the brass will lay are roughed up, one side of the brass strips is roughed up, and two holes are drilled in the base of the cone. The resulting puzzle pieces ready for epoxy.

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A small amount of Rocketpoxy or Proline 4500 is mixed up and applied to the roughed areas of the cone. I find that these two epoxies form a solid bond with many plastics; but they do need some surface area in order to work well.

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Brass strips are applied, rough side down to the desired locations. The holes drilled in the strips should fill with epoxy as pressure is applied, forming a rivet which helps hold everything in place.

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Apply a few pieces of tape over the strips to secure in place.

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Wrap in more tape if necessary. Electrical tape works nicely here because you can put a decent amount of pressure on the strips being bonded due to the stretchy nature of the tape.

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Allow epoxy to cure. Remove tape. I like to sand down the edges of the strips and any excess epoxy by hitting the bonded areas with a palm sander briefly. Only takes a few minutes and leaves a nice smooth surface!

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2. Take a short length of Kevlar or nylon strap and pass it one of the holes and out the other in the base of the cone drilled previously. Tie the ends together and you have a solid attachment point for the nosecone. The little plastic eyelets tend to pull free with a good tug, whereas you'd have to rip the entire base of the cone off with the two hole method. No photos of the loop, currently.

Almost there...:)
 
Getting down to the nitty gritty. Only a few minor details left to complete before the Load gets some air time. DJS is being mean and pressing me to fly this thing Saturday...I'm caving to the tremendous peer pressure!;)

Nose Cone Prep Work

We already covered the long cone in shiny silver stuff. Now it's time to optimize it for repeatable flights. I make two mods to the stock 5.54" cones for dual deploy rockets, typically. Here they are.

1. Add brass strips to the cone's shoulder. This helps shear the shear pins upon pressurization of the payload bay. Plastic pins in a plastic surface may lead to elongation instead of clean shearing.

I like four #4-40 nylon screws as pins in the nosecone. Therefore, the cone's shoulder is marked off every 90 degrees (circumference/4).

27679225749_7ed473de79_c.jpg
[/url][/IMG]

Thin brass strips (or aluminum...or any thin material harder than plastic) are cut into 1" x 2" strips using a tin snips. They're clamped into a vice where a pair of holes are drilled on each end of the strips.

39426156942_7af724dbb7_c.jpg
[/url][/IMG]

Out comes the Dremel and drill for a bit of grinding and cutting. The plastic eyelet is cut off the base of the cone, the areas of the base of the cone where the brass will lay are roughed up, one side of the brass strips is roughed up, and two holes are drilled in the base of the cone. The resulting puzzle pieces ready for epoxy.

27679228039_d929d2d171_c.jpg
[/url][/IMG]

A small amount of Rocketpoxy or Proline 4500 is mixed up and applied to the roughed areas of the cone. I find that these two epoxies form a solid bond with many plastics; but they do need some surface area in order to work well.

39426157912_34b61f4785_c.jpg
[/url][/IMG]

Brass strips are applied, rough side down to the desired locations. The holes drilled in the strips should fill with epoxy as pressure is applied, forming a rivet which helps hold everything in place.

27679229479_fd0255c622_c.jpg
[/url][/IMG]

Apply a few pieces of tape over the strips to secure in place.

27679230189_53d07aab37_c.jpg
[/url][/IMG]

Wrap in more tape if necessary. Electrical tape works nicely here because you can put a decent amount of pressure on the strips being bonded due to the stretchy nature of the tape.

27679231129_d46197c46f_c.jpg
[/url][/IMG]

Allow epoxy to cure. Remove tape. I like to sand down the edges of the strips and any excess epoxy by hitting the bonded areas with a palm sander briefly. Only takes a few minutes and leaves a nice smooth surface!

27679231879_c6aa54860a_c.jpg
[/url][/IMG]

2. Take a short length of Kevlar or nylon strap and pass it one of the holes and out the other in the base of the cone drilled previously. Tie the ends together and you have a solid attachment point for the nosecone. The little plastic eyelets tend to pull free with a good tug, whereas you'd have to rip the entire base of the cone off with the two hole method. No photos of the loop, currently.

Almost there...:)

Eric,
Do you counter sink those strips into the cone shoulder at all? Or is the fit into the tube loose enough that you don't need to?
When I did this to my IRIS, I had to make them level with the cone shoulder to keep the fit the same.
Awesome build BTW... I might have to venture North Saturday :horse: :horse:
 
Eric,
Do you counter sink those strips into the cone shoulder at all? Or is the fit into the tube loose enough that you don't need to?
When I did this to my IRIS, I had to make them level with the cone shoulder to keep the fit the same.
Awesome build BTW... I might have to venture North Saturday :horse: :horse:

In this case, I didn't counter sink. The cone was a slightly loose fit and thus made them "proud" of the OD of the shoulder. In other cases as you mention, I've ground out enough material to make the plates relatively flush with the cone's shoulder.

Hope to see you Saturday! Got the "K-Load" stickers done...

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Definitely like the long cone, boat tail version better; but this will do for the first flight on a K load. More color to be added post maiden voyage....assuming it survives intact!
 
Looks great! Can't wait to see it! (assuming I'm not wandering the field somewhere, looking for my starburst)
 
K load spotted in the wild today. It had a great flight!

IMG_2034.jpg
 
djs how did Eric's flight go? It was -20 here this morning so I just stayed home. Does WOOSH have a Jan. launch planned?

Se ya
Gary

I hear you Gary. I spent all week working in the cold. I decided I didn't want to play in it too...
Hoping for mild temp (and winds!) next weekend at QCRS to maiden my Wild Thang Extreme.
 
Gary- I think it was a K400. Temps around zero most of the day.
 
In this case, I didn't counter sink. The cone was a slightly loose fit and thus made them "proud" of the OD of the shoulder. In other cases as you mention, I've ground out enough material to make the plates relatively flush with the cone's shoulder.

Hope to see you Saturday! Got the "K-Load" stickers done...

27722952409_4c270ddd3e_c.jpg
[/url][/IMG]

Definitely like the long cone, boat tail version better; but this will do for the first flight on a K load. More color to be added post maiden voyage....assuming it survives intact!

Eric very nice build. How did the flight go at Bong today? Is that a LOC kit?

Gary
 
K load spotted in the wild today. It had a great flight!

View attachment 335677

Espionage! What kind of dumb@ss exposes bare hands to that cold of weather.:facepalm:

Eric very nice build. How did the flight go at Bong today? Is that a LOC kit?

Gary

Thanks Gary! Missed you and look forward to seeing you and Miki in the warmer months!!!

First flight went well! A clean boost on an Aerotech K400 Classic, apogee of 3165', and a nominal dual deploy recovery, landing about 150 yards from the pad under a bi-color chute!:wink: It was indeed COLD...as Glen said, temps around 0 without the wind chill, but it was a great winter day to fly!

I hear you Gary. I spent all week working in the cold. I decided I didn't want to play in it too...
Hoping for mild temp (and winds!) next weekend at QCRS to maiden my Wild Thang Extreme.

See you next time, Adrian! I saw King Viper III parts by Tim's trailer, by the way....

What did you pop its cherry with ?

Eric

Aerotech K400 Classic. The combo was...well...classic in many aspects!

I wish I could have been there, but alas, have a large project at work...

I missed being harassed by you Mark! Catch ya next time!

Wow, do those RRC2's look lonely on that giant board!

Indeed! Super simple setup and room for expansion if the mood is right!:cool:
 
(Edited to include a more detailed Flight Report)

The airframe took its maiden voyage on Saturday, Jan 6th at Da Bong in southeast Wisconsin. Many thanks to Frank, Bob, Kevin, Peggy, and crew for setting up the range in -8 degree weather and putting up with us rocket nuts! Aside from the cold....and it was COLD...it was a perfect day for flying. Sunny skies and low winds that died down as the day progressed!

The first flight was in K-Load configuration: that is short cone and "normal" (no boat) tail. Chosen motor was the relatively new, yet really old Aerotech K400 Classic. Aerotech's Classic propellant is a re-issue of the original Aerotech "no frills" low metals motors, which produces a clear-ish flame with mach diamonds visible, and low smoke. I like it!

Here she is on the pad. Cold, but shiny!:wink:

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Ignition. She lit right up easily.

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Ascending. Nice clean flame in the cool, crisp air.

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Nearing burnout. I like this shot because the smoke only appears some distance from the rocket...much like airliners up in the thin air.

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The snub-nosed 'Load coasted to 3165' where the dual RRC-2+'s did their thing deploying the drogue. After falling to 1000', the 84" main blossomed. Backup charge was audible and visible at 800' AGL.

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Nearing touchdown shy of the tree line to the south.

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Happy landings in the snowy grass.

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With flight number 1 in the books, the short nose gets swapped for the long, the motor mount adapter gets replaced with the boat tail, and we'll add some red color and final trim. Stay tuned....
 
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See you next time, Adrian! I saw King Viper III parts by Tim's trailer, by the way....

Ooh... I better start weighing the parts that I have so I can whip up a sim for motors! And a chute...
Tim D will be happy that it will live to fly again. Somehow :dark: I managed to get a 3rd 54/1706 case, so.... Three K185's???
 
Ooh... I better start weighing the parts that I have so I can whip up a sim for motors! And a chute...
Tim D will be happy that it will live to fly again. Somehow :dark: I managed to get a 3rd 54/1706 case, so.... Three K185's???

I like it! That should give her a great ride...talk to me sometime about reliable cluster ignition of White Lightning propellant....if you like!:wink:

Love the mach diamonds! Great photos!

Thanks Quake! One of those rare days when the camera is cooperating!
 
I like it! That should give her a great ride...talk to me sometime about reliable cluster ignition of White Lightning propellant....if you like!:wink:

Oh, don't you worry sir, I WILL be talking to you before the first flight... Heck, maybe before the final reassembly...
 
With Flight #1 in the books, a few details and loose ends need to be done in order to finish out this build thread. Thus, this post is a bit of a hodge-podge of odds and ends to call the N-Load complete!

Recovery Harness

So many ways to skin a cat! In general, I tend to use tubular nylon for recovery harness; bought in bulk with tied ends...old habits die hard. Recently, there was a thread about good knots for rocketry, so I thought I'd post the following. I became familiar with bowlines in the boating world, but have been tying the "Fisherman's Knot" shown below since the "Why Knot a Knot?" article in HPR many moons ago. I like how they tighten themselves upon pulling, yet can be untied fairly easily. Laminated from the article long ago, I keep the following in the Range Box just in case. The Fisherman's Knot is tied on the ends of the harness, the Figure 8 tied anywhere in between.

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First up the ends. Fisherman's Knot

Going on the basis that a picture is worth a thousand words: lots of pictures and little wordage:

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Behind:

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Around the back and over:

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Around back again:

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To the front:

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Pull through the X you just made:

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Tighten. It's a very adjustable knot....

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Secure the loose end with tape. Not necessary, but keeps things tidy.

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Protect the cord with Nomex. Slide in place.

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Keep the Nomex where you want it by securing with a few wraps of tape. Electrical tape placed near the nylon knot works well here.

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And then a Figure 8 for the "In-Betweens"

In this case, I want an attachment point for a drogue chute mid line. From the bottom up, the 35' cord is divided roughly as: Booster: 25' of tubular nylon, drogue, Middle Airframe.

Super simple, make a peak in your line where the desired attachment is:

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Make a figure-8 and pull tight.

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Though Quick Links are great for rocketry, they're non-value-added weight. To keep things light, I usually omit them unless "necessary". Here's one way to do it...

Take that looped loose end of your desired chute.

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Pass it through your newly created Figure 8 loop.

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Make a Big O!

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Pass your chute through the Big O.

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Pull tight and Bazinga, you have a chute attached without the need for additional hardware.

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For the Main Chute, I use a different sequence to get it all to fall in a straight line. From bottom up using 25' of cord: Payload Airframe, 18' of cord, Nose cone, 7' of cord, Chute. If you leave the chute in the middle of the cord, the cone swings around in circles looking all silly...not a fan!:p

Reposting the following photo to show the sequences referenced above.

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Of course, there's so many excellent options for recovery today! Sewn loops, Kevlar, nylon, etc. This is just one way of doing it!
 
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Final notes on Electronics

I'm a big fan of keeping things simple and error proofing wherever possible. To that tune, when I wire up charges, I like to run them directly to the altimeter. Additionally, I mark each charge on the cardboard and the connection end as to what it is. For example, the charges in the N-Load are marked Apogee and 1000' for one altimeter, and Apogee +1s and 800' for the other altimeter. WHY? Because I run more powder in the backup charges! IE: If I put 4.0 grams in the Apogee charge, I'm going to put 4.7g in the Apogee + 1s charge. Labeling on both ends makes it simple to ensure connections and charge sizes are as intended.

Example: (though not a good one, as you can't tell that the apogee event is really the APG +1s charge)

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Wires are simple passed through the small (~5/32") holes in the bulkheads.

Payload section:

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And Apogee charges just aft of the E-bay. Both are taped off in masking tape to seal the holes. Alternately, clay, epoxy, hot glue, or other hole-plugging material may be used.

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As Forrest once said: and That's all I have to say about that...
 
Boat Tail

....And finally, the main feature that makes this the Loc-N-Load is the boat tail. Can't fit the 98/15360 hardware without it!

I spent very minimal time filling and sanding the boat tail. As shown earlier, one quick coat of thin epoxy to solidify the paper surface, one layer of spot putty, a little bit of sanding, and I'm calling it good! Consulting the popular vote, blue was the choice color for the rear of the rocket.

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A scrap piece of paper was wrapped around the tail and the edges of the cone were marked with pencil to get a rough shaped pattern for the vinyl covering to be used. The vinyl was cut oversized and applied to the tail. With a little bit of heat applied, the vinyl wrapped right around the aft edge of the cone.

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Top and bottom edges were trimmed flush and the cone was complete! Yay!

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Stick that cone on the tail and see how she looks:

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RED!

Great feedback stated that the N Load should have some red it in. Who am I to disagree? Red was added as a shadow to the lettering, boundaries for the alternating silver/blue bands, and as stripes on the fins. Unfortunately, the red was applied late night, and I haven't had the opportunity to grab a decent photo of the thing since completion. In the meantime, oddly lit indoor photos with poor backgrounds!:cyclops:

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And next to my all-time favorite 5.5" ship...the Magnum...for size comparison.

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I'd like to extend a Thank You to everyone for the feedback and comments along the way! With that, the Loc N-Load is ready for its next mission. Current plan is for a nice gentle ride on an Aerotech N1000W at Airfest.

Until next time...or next build:wink:...
 
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