Electronics Bay

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I'm trying to figure out how to include my electronics telemetry payload in my rocket design within OpenRocket. I'm expecting the electronics to be around 500g but I'd like to somehow incorporate a hatch-accessed bay. Currently, my set up includes (in order from top to bottom): nose cone, recovery bay, and the main body tube. I had planned on using a bulkhead to divide the body tube into two sections so I can use the upper section as an electronics bay.

Has anyone done this before? How would the hatch-accessed bay affect the weight of my rocket?

I've also provided a picture of the rocket in OpenRocket so you can get an idea of what I'm looking at.

Thanks in advance for any help given.

Level 2 Rocket Design 01.jpg
 
As I see it...looks like you forgot a coupler to hold the 2 body tubes together.

That's where I would put my electronics.[in coupler] with bulkplates on each end held together with threaded rod.

Hold it in payload with some rivets.
 
Why would you put it in the coupler?

The coupler connects the two body tubes together. Without how would they stay together? Attached it an OpenRocket file of a simple 4" dual deploy rocket showing how I would build the electronics bay and how the various parts are simulated using mass components. I have named each mass component so it tells what it is. As I build the rocket then I will weight each component and enter the actual weights for a better simulation.

View attachment 4 inch Dual Deploy Rocket.ork
 
Here is a picture of how I do our dual deployment rockets. Electronics are in the coupler.

Ardticwolf2dd.jpg
 
Why would you put it in the coupler?

If it's a Dual deploy design this makes the most sense & is the simplest way to go. Your design does show 2 body tubes. How are they held together?

OK, lets back up a minute.

Are you trying to do dual de-deploy?

Are you just trying to fly some electronics in a motor eject rocket to gather data?

Please by a little more specific with the design and application of the electronics.
What are they?

PS I see this labeled as a L-2 rocket, ya need to add a 2nd launch lug and 2nd centering ring for the MM tube. They fly better that way.LOL
 
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No, I wasn't planning on doing a dual deploy.

I'm wanting to make an electronics bay within my body tube to gather data from the flight. I'm planning on getting a GPS, barometric pressure sensor, a SD Card Holder, and a memory card and put them all together on a protoboard to track my rocket. :D

Yeah, I've added a 2nd launch lug. I've attached my OpenRocket file for you all to see the changes I've made. By the way, the two bulkheads are just a way to illustrate the hatch-accessed bay that I want to have on this rocket. I got the idea from the book Modern High-Power Rocketry 2.

View attachment Level 2 Certification Rocket.ork
 
I didnt see the new file, but from your posts I'm guessing you want to have an electronics bay, but still do single deploy setup. The easiest way to do that is to use the motors ejection charge to eject the parachute. For the payload bay, split the rocket in the middle, using a coupler and a bulkhead to make an attachment point for recovery.
 
If I am understanding your core question to have OpenRocket compute the impact of the payload, simply create a mass object of the appropriate size and weight. One additional thought though as others have mentioned the coupler, are you planning to use motor ejection? If so, I am not sure how and where your chute is deploying based upon the OR image posted. I am on my ChromeBook right now so I can open the actual OR file.
 
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I have attached an updated image for those who are unable to view the OpenRocket file.

@DizWolf, the problem with creating a mass component with a weight that fix the payload is if I do make the hatch then how much does the door and everything throw the weight off?

Level 2 Rocket Design 02.jpg
 
The "door" shouldn't throw the weight off but I am still not seeing how this is going to work. If I am interpreting the OR file as intended, you have the electronic payload between the chute and ejection charge (motor). This would expose your electronics to the ejection charge. I think that you would find a conventional payload bay much more effective here and much simpler to construct.
 
I just reread the section of the book pertaining to the electronics bay. What they did is they inserted a coupler or similar sized tube into the main body tube. This tube also provides a mounting frame for the hatch door. I also thought about mounting the electronics to the bottom of the hatch door. If I made my electronics bay it this way would the coupler prevent the electronics from being exposed to the ejection charge?
 
I played with your file... Hopefully this helps some. Note that I didn't do it in the sim but the body tube would be split at the aft coupler. This would create a very traditional payload bay. Since you want to do the hatch, I added a coupler to the top as well for securing the hatch fore and aft. Note where the chute is now compared to the payload bay. The bulkhead (nose block) is sealing the upper portion of the body tube at the aft coupler. As such upon ejection the entire payload bay will separate with the nosecone still attached and the chute will deploy below it.

View attachment Level 2 Certification Rocket.ork
 
Short answer is no, it wouldn't protect the electronics the way you have it set up. You could make a duct to vent gas from the rear of the rocket to the front and isolate the electronics, but you'd have to find a way to keep the heat of ejection from roasting the bay

Splitting the body tube into two parts, the top being a payload bay, and the parachute in the lower section is the simple way to build this.
 
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So you're saying your design has 2 body tubes?

Yes. In theory you are giving the nosecone a really long shoulder and sticking your electronics in that shoulder. It is the most simple form of payload bay and used in rockets like the little Estes Payloader. This may help some:
modroc.GIF


And this video:
https://www.apogeerockets.com/rocketry_videos/rocketry_video_09.asp
 
:D I was thinking of it being a really long shoulder when I asked that. So why couldn't I just make my nose cone have a long shoulder to begin with? That'd take away the need of having a 2nd body tube. What do you think?
 
:D I was thinking of it being a really long shoulder when I asked that. So why couldn't I just make my nose cone have a long shoulder to begin with? That'd take away the need of having a 2nd body tube. What do you think?

No reason you couldn't as long as you have a way to access the inside of the nose cone. I built my Gizmo similarly to that where I have a 5"/54mm centering ring epoxied into the cone and the bulk plate secures to it with 6 bolts. Two pieces of all-thread extend from the bulk plate into the nose cone with a plywood sled attached to the allthread to hold a tracker.

Just remember that you are going to need vent holes near the base of the nose cone to allow minimally turbulent air to get to your sensors.
 
is it possible to add the hatch assessed bay into the shoulder? One of my friends put his electronics in the nose cone and he kept having to remove the nose cone each time he needed to get to it which at times was time consuming.
 
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