Do I read correctly that this is a 2nd failed attempt at an L2? Crap...very sorry to hear this.
The first failure was in the test, I was so busy finishing this rocket and preparing for the trip to the launch that I didn't study at all, got very little sleep, skipped breakfast, [insert other excuses here
] and scored 44/50 (one I got wrong purely by not reading the question thoroughly enough, missing the "unlicensed" word in who a commercial manufacturer can sell a motor to). So I didn't do an L2 flight that day (but it was the rocket's first launch on the I280DM which went great, I flew that before taking the test as there was no way the first flight was going to be the J motor, I wanted a DMS so that I wasn't putting a casing in jeopardy on the maiden flight, though I flew with all the electronics since I wasn't about to not get data on that first flight). Second time I studied and passed (though I still misread a question and got one wrong due to that), and then the failed flight. So only one J motor burned, the J350W-∞. :wink:
I agree with some of the people here that it seemed a bit complicated for an L2 rocket, but obviously everyone has different goals. I also find it hard to believe that a tracker could cause that much interference with an altimeter... (Although I know they were just ride-alongs in this instance.)
Yeah, just ride-alongs that flight, so I don't see how any of that complicated the flight, it just added weight (and dollars lost on impact).
The SLCF and EM were to be the standard gear in that rocket, and the EF obviously for tracking. They're far apart from each other and absolutely no sign of interference in my testing. The A2/A3 were because I'm transitioning from the former to the latter, and like also having accelerometer data since the main altimeters are baro-only. Eventually the A3 will fully replace the A2. But as I've said before, I'm all about data. I've recorded every gallon of gas put in every vehicle I've owned for as long as I've owned them, so I have all the mileage data, etc. And I have a spreadsheet that tracks every battery-powered device I own and when I replace the batteries in each. So I'm certainly going to err on the side of more data collection rather than less. So far it looks like I *might* be able to recover data from the EasyMini and the A3, so I'm hoping at least one of those two will at least tell me how high it really went, and perhaps how fast it came down.
My only thoughts on the BP not lighting would be perhaps some sort of obstruction in the forward closure well? The fully-burned delay grain could suggest this.
The well was plugged... with solid BP. I assume that was from the impact, is there some other reason why it would turn into a solid ball just a few minutes after pouring it in? I'm positive the Synco lube was clear of the opening, I lightly grease the O-ring and outside of the insulator rather than the well itself and slide the whole thing in as a set with the spacer already sitting flat in the top of the un-greased well, so there should be no way to get grease anywhere near the opening. I did re-inspect the liner and there's no sign of a delay grain inside it, just the nozzle which wound up inside the liner.
Anyway, kit re-ordered this morning, the rocket will be built again.
Hopefully in time for Dairy Aire mid-May. This time I will put a bit less epoxy in the fin can assembly, and try to use some bondo rather than the ~3 coats of filler primer (5 cans of rusto) to get the outside smooth, so hopefully I'll be able to shave a few ounces off at least. And my previous configuration was going to be 2 e-matches but one charge well (since it was the e-matches I don't trust, not so much the BP), now it will probably be two independent charge wells since I really don't trust either at this point.