Reminder no. 99 to turn on your electronics - $700 rocket destroyed yesterday

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billdz

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A beautiful $700 rocket was lost at yesterday's launch when the owner (not me) forgot to turn on his electronics prior to the flight. It was a large rocket on a K motor so it made a sickening whistling sound as it descended and then a loud thud as it lawn darted about 1200' feet from the pad. The owner looked for 3 hours but never found even a trace of the rocket (mostly shrubs and high grass at this field).

So just another reminder to be careful and turn everything on before launching.
 
OHHHHH that is so bad...
Was it soft ground and a fiberglass rocket? He could have been looking for a hole in the ground to dig the rocket out of....

I know most folks don't like the pull pin switches for turning on electronics, but there is an advantage; its hard to walk away from the pad with a "Remove Before Flight" ribbon hanging from the rocket!
 
I have attached a ribbon to my rocket with masking tape as a reminder. Of course once you forget to arm your electronics once I doubt you'll forget again.


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I'm more apt to turn on my electronics than insert my ignitor. Don't remember the last time I flew a rocket without electronics.

From the Ether...
 
I have tried a lot of switches but the RBF pins are my favourite. Very difficult to forget. I don't use anything else now.

Also, all electronics should be on before inserting the igniter, in case it takes off when you clip onto the launch system.
 
I'm more apt to turn on my electronics than insert my ignitor. Don't remember the last time I flew a rocket without electronics.

From the Ether...

Exactly!! . When I was just starting out with electronics in 1998(ISH) , rocket R&D Arcas on a SU aerotech 54mm I140T with no ejection charge , I learned the hard way to always arm your electronics first . A bad launch controler at a club launch with a hung open relay fired the igniter as soon as i hooked up the leads . Thank fully it took about 2 seconds to light off . I had a great up close and in person veiw of a beautiful flight straight up , and straight down almost as fast . ALWAYS ARM YOUR ELECTRONICS FIRST!!!!!!!

Eric
 
No doubt that as soon as your rocket is vertical, before the igniter goes in the motor, arm the electronics.

I try to find the new folks at launches in an attempt to assist them. This is one of the main points I try to instill upon initial use of electronics.


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Inserting the igniter is the last thing I do. I ALWAYS wait for those three little continuity chirps before I put that igniter in. Still, its a shame to hear about someone losing a rocket over a simple mistake any of us could make.

I am going to suggest to my club that our pad manager verify electronics are armed before everyone leaves the pad. Not just to prevent the loss of a rocket, but no one wants to have a high power rocket lawn dart anywhere near people or vehicles.
 
I always connect my igniter to the launch system before I insert it into the motor. That way, if it goes off I'll just be surprised and have to get a new one. I won't have a motor going off in my face.

Edward
 
I always connect my igniter to the launch system before I insert it into the motor. That way, if it goes off I'll just be surprised and have to get a new one. I won't have a motor going off in my face.

Edward
Seems like it touching the leads together to test before hooking to ignitor is standard practice and much safer than inserting an ignitor into a motor that is connected to a launch system.

From the Ether...
 
Seems like it touching the leads together to test before hooking to ignitor is standard practice and much safer than inserting an ignitor into a motor that is connected to a launch system.

From the Ether...

That’s what I do and recommend. If a relay is stuck the leads will definitely arc. Connecting the leads to the uninserted igniter would be fine also and tests the continuity circuit as well, but I would disconnect the igniter before inserting the igniter.
 
My Dad does it. Pilots do it. NASA does it.

I wonder why more people don't do it. It's not a "crutch". It's not just for newbies.

Modern High Power Rocketry 2. (Appendix 8)

Just do it.
 
Seems like it touching the leads together to test before hooking to ignitor is standard practice and much safer than inserting an ignitor into a motor that is connected to a launch system.

From the Ether...

Flick them to see if one can create a spark. See a spark? Ya's gots a fused relay and a no go. Nonetheless, one should'a
turned on the electronics before they got to this step.

That's a sad thing to see and I'm sympathetic towards the flier. Haven't done that yet myself but I'm standing on shoulders of giants. Screwed up on motor deployment with shearpins and undersized charge but the GPS tracker
gave a good "last fix" over the "fincan sticking out of the ground". Got a flyable rocket back.

Probably won't make that mistake again unless they get out of flying. Kurt
 
Seems like it touching the leads together to test before hooking to ignitor is standard practice and much safer than inserting an ignitor into a motor that is connected to a launch system.

From the Ether...

Better still, have a pad box that tests for a shorted relay before connecting to the igniter. Our club launch system has this on each ignition channel. If the relays are shorted, then a red LED warns you.

Use common sense procedures to avoid not arming electronics as mentioned by other respondents: use a check list and have the LCO ask the question before pressing the launch button.

I learned this lesson the hard way when I trashed a PML Explorer in a dual deployment configuration. I forgot to arm the electronics. It actually came in horizontally from about 5000’ which was quite bizarre to watch.
 
I always connect my igniter to the launch system before I insert it into the motor. That way, if it goes off I'll just be surprised and have to get a new one. I won't have a motor going off in my face.

Edward

Very bad idea. If some idiot at the LCO desk hits the button while you are inserting the wired igniter, you may get your fingers burned off.
 
Very simple checklist at the pad:

  1. Rocket is upright.
  2. Turn on electronics.
  3. Continuity beeps good.
  4. Insert igniter.
  5. Attach leads.
  6. Walk away.
 
Very simple checklist at the pad:

I always remind myself (and tell other people) to go from "least dangerous to most dangerous"

So the first things are stuff like taking pictures of the rocket, arming cameras, etc
Then av bays
then motor stuff

With the understanding that the bottom of the list is where I can get hurt the most, and I want to minimize the amount of time that I want to be around the rocket after it's done.
 
I use a slightly modified version of the already posted approaches:

  1. Rocket is upright.
  2. Turn on electronics.
  3. Continuity beeps good.
  4. Touch leads, watch for sparks
  5. Unplug leads at pad box
  6. Insert igniter.
  7. Attach leads to igniter.
  8. Attach leads to pad box.
  9. Walk away.

The distance between rocket and pad box is not very big, but it is better than having my hands and face next to the nozzle when I finish the connection.


Reinhard
 
I use a slightly modified version of the already posted approaches:

  1. Rocket is upright.
  2. Turn on electronics.
  3. Continuity beeps good.
  4. Touch leads, watch for sparks
  5. Unplug leads at pad box
  6. Insert igniter.
  7. Attach leads to igniter.
  8. Attach leads to pad box.
  9. Walk away.

The distance between rocket and pad box is not very big, but it is better than having my hands and face next to the nozzle when I finish the connection.


Reinhard

I like that idea, if they use banana plugs for the connection to the box then it's easy. Most of the ones I've seen use terminal lugs though, so disconnecting the box isn't always practical.
 
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