White tip Estes Ignitors

mrichhcirm said:

Just goes to show that careful technique is what really matters.

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That's it, exactly!

As I noted in the Q2G2 thread, I've had no more issues with the new ones than the old using everything from the little 9V handheld controller that comes in the new Estes launch sets up through heavy-duty club systems.

The new starters look to be bare nichrome with a clear dip to protect the thin bridge wire.
As long as the nichrome tip touches the black powder far up in the nozzle an engine will ignite.
One advantage of the Solar igniter style is the stiff wires that allow you to insert the igniter without bending up the thin bridge tip.

I was flying MicroMaxx engines for a while. The MMX igniters are bare nichrome and don't burn in half with my 6 volt Estes controller.
I re-used the MMX igniters in 13mm, 18mm and 24mm engines.They just take an extra half second to "start" the engine.

I have plenty of the Quest Q2G2 igniters, saving them for clusters or models like the Point where getting the clips connected is hard.

flew this weekend. new packs of 1/4 and 1/2 A's. The 1/4 A's had the black tips and the 1/2 A's had the white tips. Didn't use the white tips as the boys were done after 2 flights on each of their rockets. I did notice that the leads were substantially thicker than my older igniters and because of that the plugs didn't fit as well into the nozzles. All the spent igniters though had intact bridges after firing, which is not something I think I've seen before.

mjennings said:

All the spent igniters though had intact bridges after firing, which is not something I think I've seen before.

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I've noticed this plenty of times when using the Estes controller with 13mm motors. Especially when the batteries are not new. I just take the igniter and put it back into the next rocket. As long as the bridge wire isn't broken and it touches the propellant, it will fire just fine.

My record is 5 launches on a single igniter.

Because I am cheap and will reuse them as long as I can, I have over 100 packages of igniters more than I have motors to use them in.

BobH48 said:

I've noticed this plenty of times when using the Estes controller with 13mm motors. Especially when the batteries are not new. I just take the igniter and put it back into the next rocket. As long as the bridge wire isn't broken and it touches the propellant, it will fire just fine.
My record is 5 launches on a single igniter.
Because I am cheap and will reuse them as long as I can, I have over 100 packages of igniters more than I have motors to use them in.

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I'm cheap too, especially when they charge $1.00 or more for an igniter!

From an old blog post . . .

"Here it is - the
IGNITER THAT REFUSES TO DIE!



Today marks the tenth MMX launch on this igniter. The only way I seem to break these things is when the toothpick retainer is pressed into place.
I'll keep reusing it until breaks or burns through.
Needless to say, I have lots of extra new Micro Maxx igniters in my range box."

I ended up using the same igniter two more times in 13mm engines until it burned through.
The four AA batteries probably weren't fresh.

I'll have to give the reuse a shot, I try to find the little plastic plugs and I've reused several on multiple occasions, I reuse wadding sheets too when I recover them.

I've got a fair amount of experience using the old IgniterMan dip kits from my first life as a rocketeer. Sadly, those have all left orbit and passed beyond the veil.

Is there an equivalent that would do well for a dip with the new starters to improve their reliability to the point of confidence in 5 and 6-motor clusters? (Note: I'm not at all interested in getting into a discussion of mixing my own pyrogen from household and nuclear submarine ingredients)