[First Post] Made an easy (but powerful!) Launch Controller!

Hey there!

I've been interested in rocketry for some time, but only recently started getting into it more seriously. I had an Estes Electron-Beam launch controller that had started malfunctioning, and I decided I needed more umph if I was going to get into composite motors, so I built my own controller!

It's not very pretty, but the electronics are solid. I'm an EE student, so I understand electricity pretty well. I will be re-doing the box/casing later so it doesn't look like garbage. I will also be adding a fuse for the logic switches and a light/indicator of some sort to make sure the igniter is connected properly.

[YOUTUBE]e5NZ3xco4Ro[/YOUTUBE]

pick1e said:

Cool. Heavy duty aluminum stock makes it serious

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It's actually 26ga steel! I was using it for bulkheads in certain "sweet" research engines, but I decided the blowtorch ignition method wasn't a good idea and re-purposed it. It was like $4 for a 24x12 piece iirc.

pick1e said:

Most people eventually go to a relay system-

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Hmm. I as mentioned, I'll be rebuilding this controller before too long. Maybe I'll keep it and put it down-range and make a small (wired) remote to activate the relay. Battery will be protected by the steel It's a 12V automotive relay though, so i might want to go to a 6v coil to not worry about voltage drop on the long run.

Welcome to the fun!

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Thanks