POLL, What type of launch pad and controller do you use?

I have a few custom controllers but most of the time I use my Quest pistol grip controller plugged into my jump starter, it's just so easy and convenient.

I made my own Launch Controller, cant post a pic right now but its in this forum unfer a thread called 'forget the shopping' ....my launch rod is a slightly modded Estes thing but I am planning on making something better as soona s I can scavenge some materials.

I used an Estes tripod launcher but found it unstable in long grass unless weighted down. I've made my own, starting with a block of oak I had in the garage. 24" long, 12" wide, 6" thick. Very heavy but with four 1/2" tubes at each corner, anchoring with four 12" spikes makes it very stable.
A baking tray (£1 from a local supermarket) screwed to the top gives a good heat resistant surface. Three holes drilled in the top (5" deep) allows me to fit three rods - 1/8" (3'), 3/16"(3') and 1/4" (6'6"). All bought from a local hardware store for £7. They're not stainless so need a bit of WD40 and grease to stop them rusting when stored.

Launch angle is adjusted by eye. No real, recordable accuracy but it's worked so far.

As for my launch controller, I'm currently making one using a Yuasa 12v battery fitted inside. My Grandson is the launcher so lots of "cool" factor in lights and arming switches. Completely unnecessary but good fun all the same. All encased in a plywood box.

SO.

Not sure where I picked this up but I like it.
Use it mostly for ground testing ex motors.
Also have a Pratt Hobbies sixpack. Nice unit.

My personal launch equipment is an AeroTech Mantis launch pad with an Impulse Aerospace Veri-Fire launch controller with 12v gel-cell.

I recently received one of the Estes Pro Series II Launch Controllers and that works pretty well. Hmmm....I may replace the Veri-Fire controller...

I use a homemade launch controller. Runs off 12V. Sometimes I use a Gell Cell, but more recently I use a 3S 11.1 Volt LiPo battery, 2200 mAh (2.2 Ah) that is a common battery for many electric R/C planes and electric sailplanes

Usually use a homemade pad of a type that matches the kind of models being flown, like a Rocket Glider Tower for R/C Rocket Gliders.

Have also been using a homemade PVC pipe pad for all sorts of flying even though I had made it originally just for rod launched small to medium rocket boosted gliders. But it's also been used a lot as a regular pad for anything I fly that uses a 1/8" lug.

The commercially made pad I've used most has been an Aerotech Mantis pad.

Below, a pic of the PVC pipe Glider Pad, before it got painted. I later added 4" extensions to the 90 degree elbows on the outer legs, making it possible to tilt the pad easily since the legs and the 90 degree elbows are plug-in, not glued. That is another reason I like the pad so much for general use, it is so easy to put together, disassemble, and transport. And tilting takes seconds, nothing to unscrew or tighten.

- George Gassaway

From Heavenly Hobbies. $39.99

https://store.heavenlyhobbies.com/01-003-0009.html

I'm making a launch pad soon with 8' aluminum rail.

JP

thobin said:

I have a Jaw Stand pad and an AT launch controller.....


TA

Click to expand...

Me too!

My interlock controller was autographed by our resident celebrity CJ ... so it rocks!

Now have a HF jumper batt for power ..and can use as onsite phone charger with the 12v accessory socket.

Kenny

You said it's fairly inexpensive. How much did it cost?

Greetings cbrarick of Wildman CT

On February 27, 2014 you wrote, "My club uses the world-famous CATOmatic, which ran half LDRS 31."

You also wrote that, "It's reliable, fairly inexpensive" so naturally my question is "how much did it cost?"

Brad

Well, I have two pads. The first is an old Estes tripod that I use for little stuff.

The second pad is an Impulse Aerospace Quad Pod- personally, I think they are great pads. I do not think they are made anymore though. Neither has seen much use the last 3-4 years though as my flying has been limited to club launches and equipment. I also have a 1010 rail for it along with a 1/4", 3/16", and 1/8" stainless rods.

I am in between controllers although for little stuff I just use a battery and wire usually.

Antique FSI controller and launch pad for smaller rockets. 5 foot steel rail for mid-to-large projects and a 15' steel rail for the big stuff. And, no, my rails aren't 10-10 or 15 - 15 or anything like that. It's 2 steel 1" angle iron that I used allthread to space apart mounted on a tipping stand. The blast plate counterbalances the weight for easy one man operation. I'll be refurbishing it for a planned project later this year...I hope

I use the Astron Launch Control System on Page 87.

https://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/nostalgia/69est086.html

The handset, casing, button, safety key and interior connections are the same ones I was using in 1969.

I've soldered all the connections and replaced the bulb, zip cord, clamps and clips several times now. I changed the power supply from cable clamps to a cigarette-lighter plug I plug into my portable battery-booster pack for a jolt of 12V power.

But I'm still pushing the same launch button I was using 45 years ago.

As backups/alternates, I have a couple of the Estes Solar launch controllers and a pretty heavy-duty launch controller outfit I picked up a decade or so ago. I guess if the 1969-vintage system ever poops out, I will swich over to that one.

For my main launch pad, I have a photo tripod combination rigged to acommodate up to 3/8" launch rods. Handles pretty much everything I have. I got tired of crawling around on the ground with Porta-Pads and having legs bust off.

Custom steel launch pad. Aerotech launch controller.

I have a few. I used to use a Pratt controller until it's batteries gave up the ghost. I also have a BMS Mighty-D but don't like the fact that the hand piece is just a detachable button. I've also hacked an Estes Electron to swap out the incandescent for a colored LED and to have a connector for an external battery pack (4 C cells)

I use a custom controller:
[video]https://i.imgur.com/2ZYAkJh.gifv[/video]
and a custom launch pad:

Howdy Friends,

I too have a bunch of well used launch controllers in my stable, but they are frankly all getting rather dusty. They are: Estes, Quest, and Aerotech controllers.

I've also built my fair share of home-made launch systems from single pad systems to a couple of 12 pad systems, and one 16 pad system, all the typical hardwired analogue systems. They too are all gathering dust, in the junk heap, or scavenged for parts to try and keep each other running a bit longer.

Then I got tired of having to repair my club's home-made system for the umpteenth time! Many of you have been there too. And it was my system and it still needed constant repair work. It used relays at the pads and all the bells and whistles but it took constant maintenance to keep it running.

Then in 1991, I got into serious high power rocketry and started traveling around the country from the east to west coasts and north and south borders. And being the curious fellow that I am, I started to study club sized launch systems. I was shocked that nobody was building anything any better than the homemade systems that I'd built. Only one club had a decent system any better than the analogue systems that I'd been building for years. It was the Kloudbusters group in Argonia, Kansas. But according to the article they put in the old Tripoli HP mag, they spent $30K to build their system and another $10K to get it working well. Nothing personal, but I thought there's got to be a better was that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Not many clubs can afford $40,000 for a launch system.

And in that mode of thinking Wilson F/X was born. It is a digitally programmed system so ALL communications between all pads and the controller (wireless or hardwired) go thru the same two wires. It has relays at the pads so battery power is not wasted in transmission. There has NEVER been a single fused relay in a Wilson F/X pad box. It is flash-bulb continuity checking safe. Now all banks of pads can have their voltage read remotely. WFX controllers comes in three forms: 64-pad, 128-pad, and the ever popular ARMAGEDDON SWITCH.

Check us out at www.wilsonfx.com to see how things operate.

And Wilson F/X launch systems are selling across the country too. Right now there are 16 clubs, both Tripoli and NAR, across the USA (including one in Australia) who are using Wilson F/X launch Control Systems.

three clubs have 8 pad WFX systems
one club has a 13 pad WFX system
two clubs have 17 pad WFX systems
one club has a 19 pad WFX system
one club has a 25 pad WFX system
three clubs have 32 pad WFX systems
one club has a 33 pad WFX system
one club has a 36 pad WFX system
one club has a 38 pad WFX system
and lastly...
two clubs own 64 pad WFX systems

8 of the 16 clubs own at least a pair of WFX Wireless units.

That's Wilson F/X controllers and pad boxes for 446 separate pads for an average of a 27.8 pad system per club.

8 of the clubs have systems with 25 or more pad boxes. And they are ALL expandable to larger systems.

More clubs (three) own 32 WFX pad systems then any other size, but there are also three groups that own 8 pad systems. But two of the WFX 8-pad "club" systems are owned by event/school groups (CANSAT and Wisconsin-Rockets for Schools) neither of which is really a "club" per say. And when you add in the two 64-pad club systems, and the 38, 36, and 33 pad systems, you get a slightly better focused idea of what size systems "clubs" are buying.

So the typical club sized system is 32-pads and larger with 4 to 8 banks of pads as pretty normal.

And there are more clubs across the country who are checking Wilson F/X out very carefully.

Gotta be honest here, nobody has anything even close in value, size, or expandability. And when you add in the 10 year warrantee against manufacturer malfunctions, it ought to be a closed issue.

If you club is looking to replace your old system, Wilson F/X is the way to go.

Brad, the "Rocket Rev.," Wilson

I've always built my own controllers and pads. Other then some ground testing, I haven't used anything but the clubs equipment in years. The club has a wireless controller and several wireless pad boxes. The pad boxes are self contained units that can be used as step stools if needed. They have a fold up antenna, storage for the 5 clip wires that run to each pad and a storage area for the AC cord that powers the built in battery charger.
The club also has a couple of Pratt Hobbies 6-Packs for LPR.

I have the Estes PortaPad and standard E launch controller and a Mantis Launch Pad with Interlock Controller.

I'm planning to get a 1010 rail to use with a Rockwell Jaw Stand soon as well.

I built my own pad using the ProRail design by John Coker, and will use a ULS-M1 from Pratt Hobbies for my launch system (Hybrids).

We have had a lot of success with the relay based controller by Dog House Rocketry. We have several of the units for our mid and high power pads. The owner, Bill Cann, is the same person that designed the launch controllers for MDRA. See -
https://doghouse.blastzone.org/launch-system.html

Randy Regan
https://www.sevra.org

Sure Estes Porta Pad and Electron Beam for low power. DIY PVC pad with a 4' x 1/4" stainless rod for mid power. I made a mid power controller that uses a relay at the pad and the same 8 AA cell power pack at the pad is used for the relay signal. Having the relay and the batteries at the pad lets the controller light anything, even with a long run of controller wire. I haven't figured out how to add continuity check though. More to do.

I put together a small LP and MP 6 pad rack for the Boys and Girls club out this way.
To test continuity the controller uses super bright LEDs for easy viewing in sunlight. There is also a piezo buzzer that is engaged when the system is armed. The system is ematch safe.
I used 40 ft of 9 conductor 18 gauge wire used for car audio to connect the pads to the controller, so it is nice and flexible, and can still give the current needed. It is attached via a surplus 12 pin waterproof plug and matching jack with cover.
For igniting clusters I have as a backup if needed a relay and external battery that I made back in the 80’s.
The metal tripod was lying around from my old video days (it supports 75 - 80 pounds as I recall). I used Ryobi keyless chucks (got all 6 new for $20 on Ebay) which can be quickly adjusted for any size rod (from 1/8 inch to beyond 1/2 inch). They are mounted to aluminum angle.
I decided to use Banana jacks and plugs to allow me the ability to change the igniter wires as needed, and for neater storage. They also use 18 gauge wire.
The blast deflectors are stainless sheets that were cut to size and bent. They were free, as they were spares my buddy had laying around his barn. J
Here are some pics:

imghttps://flic.kr/s/aHskcZ2R5Z/img

Greg

Aerotech controller with a gel pack starter for a controller, homemade
PVC launchpad with a blast deflector that is a grinder wheel. Also possess an electron beam.

Mike

Jaw stand with a 1010 rail , 3s lipo and the AeroTech controller previously owned by CJ !

Best stuff, and cobbled together cheaply.

Kenny

I have more Estes stands than I do controllers (due to receiving the cast-offs from a school) so I built this to use with them:



But then I decided I wanted a four-position stand, with the rod ends above eye level for safety, so I built this:



Despite the cords, this is a 12 volt system; I talk a lot about how I decided to do it this way on my page here:

https://rocketry.gonnerman.org/launchsystem.html

The four position controller is drag-race-capable and powered by 12 volt UPS batteries:



I've since repainted it flat black and added number stickers for the positions.

I use Estes E Porta Pad and E Controller for my huge rockets such as Vagabond and Magician and the Estes standard launch pad and Electron Beam controller for my smaller rockets. I purchased the metal launch rods from Lowes because they are longer and one piece instead of sections. I use rechargeable batteries for the controllers and keep them fully charged. Always have successful launches with them. I have 1/2 dozen controllers I accumulated from yard sales that I use for back up just in case, but never needed to use except for batteries getting low after multiple launches.

I havent invested in a launch controler yet.

I built my own using various parts I had laying around.

The controller runs off of 4 internal 'C' cell batteries. Or I can flip the DPDT switch and run it from any external power source. LED indicators show which source is selected.

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Mike

Aerotech Mantis launchpad, don't have my own controller so I go to clubs and events to launch.