I made a "thing" for ground testing...

[DAllen]

Face it, we've all been there done that for ground testing. Just run a long lead to a ematch and then short across a 9v. Yeah...not great. So I took an electrical box thingy and mounted a momentary switch with a 9v inside. Using a lead with alligator clips I connect to the ematch first then to two posts on the thing. Then set it off with the momentary switch...and the switch has a guard around it to mitigate accidentally bumping the switch.

I'm sure there will be someone to come along and tell me what I can do better/safer but for now this is WAY better than what I have been doing and I am thinking this is not the final version...

-Dave

 

[bad_idea]

I don't know if it's better or safer, but I just use an Estes launch controller since I already have one (actually several).

 

[Tractionengines]

Personally I really like using the Wi-Fi test screen that is in a lot of the Eggtimer stuff.

Button it all up like it will be for flight. No wires to run, or trip over. Just log-in to the module's network from my phone at a safe distance. Select the channel to test. And punch in the "code". You get a visual 5 second count down and "pop". All done.

Even if not flying the Eggtimer, it's useful for testing.

 

[Hobie1dog]

Living in a condo I really don't have any place at all to do any ground testing so I'm going to have to find somebody locally that has a setup where I can just take the rocket to their place and do it.

 

[Handeman]

Living in a condo I really don't have any place at all to do any ground testing so I'm going to have to find somebody locally that has a setup where I can just take the rocket to their place and do it.

Check with the club at where you fly. We have so many ground tests when we fly, we even added ground testing to our flight cards.

 

[Hobie1dog]

Check with the club at where you fly. We have so many ground tests when we fly, we even added ground testing to our flight cards.

I'm not the brightest light bulb in light store, I never thought about that

 

[John Kemker]

I'm not the brightest light bulb in light store, I never thought about that

Watt was that, Marty?

 

[cerving]

Personally I really like using the Wi-Fi test screen that is in a lot of the Eggtimer stuff.

Button it all up like it will be for flight. No wires to run, or trip over. Just log-in to the module's network from my phone at a safe distance. Select the channel to test. And punch in the "code". You get a visual 5 second count down and "pop". All done.

Even if not flying the Eggtimer, it's useful for testing.

I know people that fly PF or something other than Eggtimer, and they have one Quantum that they use for deployment testing. It beats Rube Goldberging some wire through your closed AV bay.

 

[Glasspack]

That little box with the switch is much nicer than touching wires to a battery.... and much "cooler".
I just use my Launch Controller................

 

[Handeman]

There's a few that have remote control, but most of the ground tests I've seen lately are at our launch site and they hook up one of the pad leads to charges and the LCO fires them off after the rockets have flown.

 

[rcktnut]

That little box with the switch is much nicer than touching wires to a battery.... and much "cooler".
I just use my Launch Controller................

+ 1 on the launch controller. I do all the testing of e-matches outside now also since I tested one in my basement and started a fire in a cardboard box of foam shipping peanuts that was 7 feet away from where the e-match went off. I never thought for one moment that that was ever possible.