Super Dx3 Junior level 1 Cert.

I was lucky enough to be able to pick up a super DX3 kit from Madcows great black Friday. I came home from school today and I guess Santa decided to deliver some of my gifts early this year.


This is my first build thread on here but I hope to keep things exciting. The beginning will be kind of slow because i have a lot of things going on in school right now but i will try my best to keep posting. I plan to build it mostly stock put am going to glass the fins. I included the removable altimeter bay in the purchase. I am open to any tips and advice on what I should do. Now that is over with lets get started.

You want tips?

Take enough pictures to make a blamed GIF of the build. Then everybody will be happy!



Seriously, have fun! I will be watching closely!!


Matt

I was able to get the sled put together with some 5min epoxy. I have to wait until tomorrow so I can go get some more glue to attach the 1'' tube for the E-bay. inside I plan on using my new Eggtimer altimeter with a 7.4V Lipo. I also purchased a switch of amazon that lights up green which will look cool.I was able to attach all of the hardware. I am planning on drilling a hole through the 1'' body tube and attaching the switch outside of the E-bay. It is a locking push button switch so there will be no problem with the G-forces messing with it. As you can see there is very little room left after the altimeter and battery are mounted on the board. You requested pictures so here they are I will not slack off with the pictures. I promise you that.:surprised::surprised::surprised::no::no::no:

Is that Carbon Fiber?

Good luck with it. I certified level 2 with this rocket built it stock too, no glassing the fins
either..

No its just a sticker on the battery that looks like carbon fiber. I don't know why they would do that but whatever. I m glassing the fins because I plan on dropping it on a smaller chute and what to protect the fins against any damage.

Just saying, you might want to put the switch on the sled. No fishing for wires that way. If you install the switch on the switch band, then you will have problems with removing the bay.

Matt

I planned on soldering on jst connectors on the switch and the Eggtimer so when It comes to removing the sled I can just disconnect the jst connectors and remove it.

today I was able to drill and sand the hole for the switch. I also dry fitted everything but the fins together and everything fits well but the nose cone could use a little work with some Bondo. I am waiting for my epoxy to come in the mail so I can start putting together the motor mount. so far everything is going well. As of now I am thinking of painting the body black with green fins and nosecone combined with some pretty cool decals that I'm going to contact mark about in the near future.

Throw some CA on the edge of that hole to get rid of the fuzzies...
Matt

that's another thing I have to get some more of I used the last I had of it on it but it wasn't enough I will be taking a trip to a hardware store sometime this week.

The DX3 is a good little 3FNC. I've flown mine once on an I180skid.

Good luck with the Jr. L1.

Alex

Even better, find someone else with a Super DX3 and challenge them to a drag race... Perfect way to cert.

I'm liking the drag race idea I will have to see about that.

today I was able to put some Elmers wood filler thinned with some water and filled the spirals? All of a sudden I cant remember what they are called! I also was able to fiberglass the first side on the bulkhead and two centering rings. tomorrow I hope to get the rest done. I will start glassing the fins after I get some peel ply from aircraft spruce. As for the Ebay I drilled 3 pressure ports with a 5/32 drill bit. Next up is a lot of sanding! on the last photo you cant really see it but there is fiberglass on them.


-Connor

The build looks good , one tip this what I have learned . Don't take anything personal. Do what you like and ask questions about what to do next . Always thinking what could you do next and do it in your time frame . You will hear some tell you your not ready for this or that . But you know when to go forward . But don't rush your self ,but think when I'm 18 I can do your L2 . But do it when your ready . Alway think and learn what can be done next . So when it time for anything else you should have some of the skill to do it . What I'm saying learn what you can whenyou can . And go for it .

I wouldn't use peel ply for the fins. It'll give you a texture that you'd either need to coat or sand heavily (both actually). You can use parchment paper instead. It leaves a good, smooth finish, ready for paint. Glassing the CR's definitely wasn't necessary, but it doesn't hurt.

Looking good so far.

Alex

However, the waxy coating on the wax paper will need to be washed off with soap, or else you won't get a good bond.

Just my experience.


Matt

blackbrandt said:

However, the waxy coating on the wax paper will need to be washed off with soap, or else you won't get a good bond.

Just my experience.


Matt

Click to expand...

That's why you use parchment paper. Not wax paper.

Good point.
:blush:

Thanks for the tips I will use parchment paper for the fins. As for the centering rings and bulkhead I know it wasn't really necessary but I just said what the heck and went along and did it.

chris m said:

The build looks good , one tip this what I have learned . Don't take anything personal. Do what you like and ask questions about what to do next . Always thinking what could you do next and do it in your time frame . You will hear some tell you your not ready for this or that . But you know when to go forward . But don't rush your self ,but think when I'm 18 I can do your L2 . But do it when your ready . Alway think and learn what can be done next . So when it time for anything else you should have some of the skill to do it . What I'm saying learn what you can whenyou can . And go for it .

Click to expand...

I understand that there are some mixed emotions about teens and level 1. I get that people are trying to protect the hobby by keeping anything that may cause a problem out of it. This is part of the reason I am doing a build thread so anyone who has a negative feeling against it can mention what I can do differently to fix the concerns they may have.

conman13 said:

I understand that there are some mixed emotions about teens and level 1. I get that people are trying to protect the hobby by keeping anything that may cause a problem out of it. This is part of the reason I am doing a build thread so anyone who has a negative feeling against it can mention what I can do differently to fix the concerns they may have.

Click to expand...

I can't speak for the masses, but I think getting young people involved is a great thing for our hobby. My mixed emotions with youth on this forum (high school or younger) come with how well they show maturity. If your contributions are solely based on stick a bigger motor in it and offering up advice on items or techniques you have never tried or experienced, I'll be hard pressed to spend time offering up advice. Based on some ( note some) of the youths behavior on this forum ( ripping on vendors, and asking for free stuff all of the time) my son isn't allowed to have an account here yet. The examples they set forth are / were horrible( I'm glad to say some of the kiddies have taken there ball and went home). There are exceptions and those exceptions are obvious in there content. There are some youth here I learn from ( AKS) is one who comes to mind. I'll probably try making some carbon fiber tubes based on his contributions to the Forum.

So far, I'm impressed with how you have presented yourself here and will look to add some encouragement and when applicable some tips to consider.

My first piece of advice- don't even consider a drag race for your cert flight. I hope that was a joke on your part. I hope you know why it's a bad idea. If not send me a PM and we can discuss there.

My second piece of advice- asking a question is ok and encouraged if asked appropriately. I work with interns in my job and encourage asking a question. How to ask a question is the key. Show us you've made an effort to answer your question by doing some research first. So for example, instead of saying " whats a good motor retention
method"? Its easy to assume you've made no attempt to self educate and I'm gonna ignore your request more than likely. If I see a question that for example says something similar to " I've been looking at aeropak retainers, as well as slimline and Estes retainers, is there one that works better than another for a Bullpup? I'm gonna see you made an attempt to see what's out there and if I have some experience I'm going to respond with some input.

Keep up the good work and good detail in your build thread.

conman13 said:

I was able to get the sled put together with some 5min epoxy. I have to wait until tomorrow so I can go get some more glue to attach the 1'' tube for the E-bay. inside I plan on using my new Eggtimer altimeter with a 7.4V Lipo. I also purchased a switch of amazon that lights up green which will look cool.I was able to attach all of the hardware. I am planning on drilling a hole through the 1'' body tube and attaching the switch outside of the E-bay. It is a locking push button switch so there will be no problem with the G-forces messing with it. As you can see there is very little room left after the altimeter and battery are mounted on the board. You requested pictures so here they are I will not slack off with the pictures. I promise you that.:surprised::surprised::surprised::no::no::no: <img src="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156058"/><img src="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156059"/><img src="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156060"/><img src="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156061"/><img src="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156062"/><img src="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156063"/><img src="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156064"/>

Click to expand...

It looks like your just doing a mock-up on your AV -Bay so it's hard to tell your final plan but a few things to consider ( in case you haven't thought of it):

- when you put your sled on the all-thread, you want to try to make sure you avoid having room for it to shift back and forth as damage can occur in flight. It appears your sled isn't confined from movement as it is shorter than coupler. I have used plastic spacers on the all thread from the hardware store to help when sled is shorter than coupler.

- I would recommend cutting some slots for zip ties in your sled to keep battery from shifting in flight

blackbrandt said:

Throw some CA on the edge of that hole to get rid of the fuzzies... Matt

Click to expand...

Great advice, works well. I would also add you might want to consider doing this on your airframe where your AV-bay coupler goes into lower and upper airframe. Make sure you are in an area with good ventilation.

conman13 said:

today I was able to put some Elmers wood filler thinned with some water and filled the spirals? All of a sudden I cant remember what they are called! I also was able to fiberglass the first side on the bulkhead and two centering rings. tomorrow I hope to get the rest done. I will start glassing the fins after I get some peel ply from aircraft spruce. As for the Ebay I drilled 3 pressure ports with a 5/32 drill bit. Next up is a lot of sanding! <img src="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156243"/><img src="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156244"/><img src="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156245"/><img src="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156246"/><img src="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156247"/><img src="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156248"/><img src="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156249"/><img src="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156250"/><img src="https://www.rocketryforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156251"/>on the last photo you cant really see it but there is fiberglass on them. -Connor

Click to expand...

- not sure what kind of directions are included on this kit ( since it is a Madcow, I'll bet there quite clear) but I'll mention this anyway. Consider your placement of your AV bay vent holes to be in between your fins and not in line with them.

-as you select your motor for your flight, are you considering using motor eject as a back-up with your AV-bay? There are numerous opinions on this. On my L2 cert I elected to have it as a back-up. I didn't need it but felt a bit more confident with it , as it was my first DD flight and had something gone wrong that I couldn't simulate in ground testing, there was a chance that the entire rocket wouldn't be destroyed since it was able to at least split apart and not come in ballistic.

On any flight I do, I always leave EVERY charge in. I see no reason for removing charges. In any flight I do, all altimeter ports are full, and the motor is always set to full delay if I am using an altimeter. This allows me to have more smoke to see.


Matt

There are two nuts on opposite sides of the sled that are keeping it in place. But great advice you should never leave a sled with any capabilities of moving around.

Yes I will be leaving the charge in the motor. I plan on using an aerotech h123w and go low and slow for my cert. For the certification it says that juniors cannot is dual deploy for the certification process. Can anybody confirm this?

I cannot get a picture right now, but I can shake my altimeter sled and there is no rattling. Reason being, I took a 1/4 inch long section of angle iron 1.5x1.5 inches and attached one to each end of my altimeter. The eyebolts tighten down against these, and the sled doesn't move.


Matt