Level 2 Build - Madcow Level-2 via Apogee Components

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kevinkal said:
Grats on your new record Kevin! How did the tracking and recovery go?
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Well Kevin. I forgot my radio, but the GPS did ok. Not dead to it, but in the area enough to find it on the other side of some trees, missing a small deep stream by 5 foot. At least it wasn't pines or cows this time!!!
 
Cows... check.
Pines... check.
What's next .... ( ) ?

I noticed you drew 3A on both your StratologgerCF charges.. that's generally what I see with a single cell LiPo and the cheap Ematches I found on Amazon. Sometimes that setup hits 5A... I guess it depends on the Ematches' bridge wire.
 
Handeman said:
If you were 16 lbs, you were the heaviest too. I came in at 13.0 lbs and I think Ben was in the 14.7 lbs range.
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Maybe it was 13. Honestly I don't remember. I cannot believe I was heavier than you guys as I looked like a baby next to both of you. I probably have it wrong. Dont' have the motor to weight it now. :( Guess we'll just have to do it again and WITH the camera this time! No matter how it worked out, absolutely enjoyed today and will fly with you guys any day Jeff!!
 
kevinkal said:
Cows... check.
Pines... check.
What's next .... ( ) ?

I noticed you drew 3A on both your StratologgerCF charges.. that's generally what I see with a single cell LiPo and the cheap Ematches I found on Amazon. Sometimes that setup hits 5A... I guess it depends on the Ematches' bridge wire.
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Fresh 9V batteries installed last night.
 
kcobbva said:
Thanks Rick! I also launched one that I know you would appreciate. (Apogee Saturn V) A John Glenn Tribute.
View attachment 307048
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Love the V. What motors do you fly that baby on? I have a little Estes Mercury Redstone that needs it's first flight.. and just like you the passing of John Glen is motivating me.
 
Heyyy,, super cool flight Kevin,,
good for you man...
I would love to go out Fox hunting with you,,, anytime...

Teddy
 
kcobbva said:
Thanks Teddy. If I fly this thing on the L1000 sitting in the basement, we might get that chance at LDRS!! :)
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Cross your fingers and think positively in the past tense...
Hey,, that flight at LDRS went fantastic,, didn't it... lol...

Teddy
 
kcobbva said:
So a new personal best today on a Cesaroni K500 to 6,362ft. No camera today. Apparently it decided to sleep in when I left this morning! Nuts!
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Nice. That rocket has been a good test bed for you, and keeps on ticking
PM on the way, have some questions.
 
kcobbva said:
Fresh 9V batteries installed last night.
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You know I'll be flying the same batteries at LDRS as I flew at BatttlePark this weekend. If you want to change them, I can't argue, but I change the 9V when the altimeter reports less then 9V. One of the experienced fliers told me this weekend he flies them as low as 8V. When I changed my batteries this last time when they got below 9V, they were three years old (i write the install date on the batteries). That was 13 flights over 3 years. I prefer flight tested batteries to unproven ones, no matter what the voltage is. That's just me.
 
Handeman said:
You know I'll be flying the same batteries at LDRS as I flew at BatttlePark this weekend. If you want to change them, I can't argue, but I change the 9V when the altimeter reports less then 9V. One of the experienced fliers told me this weekend he flies them as low as 8V. When I changed my batteries this last time when they got below 9V, they were three years old (i write the install date on the batteries). That was 13 flights over 3 years. I prefer flight tested batteries to unproven ones, no matter what the voltage is. That's just me.
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I definitely respect your experience Jeff. I'll seriously consider doing that! I know I have to break the seal each time to disconnect the leads with the magnetic switches as I understand they pull a continuous small draw from the cells, but have often wanted to use, but was very hesitant from using, used batteries even after only one flight. I'll hold and fly them next time!
 
Hope you guys are flying nice and straight out there. Finally got my Level-2 out for what OpenRocket told me would be a 7,777 ft flight on a K675. When I downloaded my RRC3 I was a little surprised by the 9,140. No big deal, improperly sized access holes, cold weather, some other fluke. Then I download my BRB900 - 9,173 ft. I'm happy but a bit concerned my sim is so far off. I weight it before each flight and override the values in OR. On my last flight it was accurate within 10'.

Curious if you what altitude your sims say with a K675?
 
mlrtime99 said:
Hope you guys are flying nice and straight out there. Finally got my Level-2 out for what OpenRocket told me would be a 7,777 ft flight on a K675. When I downloaded my RRC3 I was a little surprised by the 9,140. No big deal, improperly sized access holes, cold weather, some other fluke. Then I download my BRB900 - 9,173 ft. I'm happy but a bit concerned my sim is so far off. I weight it before each flight and override the values in OR. On my last flight it was accurate within 10'.

Curious if you what altitude your sims say with a K675?
Click to expand...

That's higher than my sim as well. I need to bring down the Cd in my sim, as I'm generally 8 to 12% higher than the simulation results. My Open Rocket simulation shows 7,117 with a CTI K675 (2010 N-sec). I'd guess that my actual altitude would have been around 8,000. Actual data for a K1103X was 7,339' when the simulation shows 6,611'. What altitude does your sim show for an Aerotech K1103X?

Could you post your altitude plots on the K675?
 
mlrtime99 said:
..Finally got my Level-2 out for what OpenRocket told me would be a 7,777 ft flight on a K675. When I downloaded my RRC3 I was a little surprised by the 9,140. No big deal, improperly sized access holes, cold weather, some other fluke. Then I download my BRB900 - 9,173 ft...
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What was the launch weight?
 
What was the local air temp during that launch? Your simulation is set to 59°F. If the temp was higher (say in the 70s, or more) that will result in a higher apogee.

Do I understand that your simulation model's launch weight is 6,153g, but the actual weight was 6,583g? That's a big difference.
 
So the final flight was 9490ft. Temp was set the to the most accurate site the night before and retested. Weighed it and ensured the actual weight and balance was reflected in the override. As I understand Rocksim, you enter the weight without the motor; as when you "Load" it takes that weight into account. Am I incorrect in this? Sims still showed around 10900. All in all a successful flight and was happy with the outcome. The ONLY thing that occurred was a short between the ground and the rocket! Namely..ME! I either failed to close the quick link or didn't screw it together tight enough. When the main ejected apparently the nosecone separated and landed prior to the rocket. All electronics are good. The rocket apparently decided to use the nosecone GPS as a tracking device itself as it landed about 2 or 3 feet away from the nosecone. Talk about LUCK, and a wake up call. Anyway, very pleased with the outcome overall; and a lot of fun flying at LDRS!
RumbleBee LDRS Flight.jpg
 
Correct re: weight. Sims don't account for winds aloft, and surface finish (i.e., Cd) is very difficult to model correctly. I have had the same rocket/motor combo go to very different altitudes on different days. Also, I think motor specs are required to be within 10% of measured values, so motor may have been slightly underpowered. Or maybe the rail was a little clingy. Who knows? Sims are great, but they're just sims.
 
Bat-mite said:
Correct re: weight. Sims don't account for winds aloft, and surface finish (i.e., Cd) is very difficult to model correctly. I have had the same rocket/motor combo go to very different altitudes on different days. Also, I think motor specs are required to be within 10% of measured values, so motor may have been slightly underpowered. Or maybe the rail was a little clingy. Who knows? Sims are great, but they're just sims.
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You are correct about the rail. It was really black and sooty; but come on, it was Sunday and there was a TON of flights before mine on that rail. No fault of the site (I sure wouldn't sit down at night cleaning rails between days) just part of the drill. While I have the 808 camera shroud in my rocksim design, it probably has a lot to do with actual drag as well. None the less, I'm really happy with the outcome.
 
kcobbva said:
You are correct about the rail. It was really black and sooty; but come on, it was Sunday and there was a TON of flights before mine on that rail. No fault of the site (I sure wouldn't sit down at night cleaning rails between days) just part of the drill. While I have the 808 camera shroud in my rocksim design, it probably has a lot to do with actual drag as well. None the less, I'm really happy with the outcome.
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Do you only have yours modeled in RockSim or OR as well? I wouldn't mind comparing OR models just for giggles.
 
Just went through all 238 posts again. Bought mine in Dec 2012, should start next week on it. We've moved 4 times in the last 5 years and nothing happens quickly when you're disabled.
 
hobie1dog said:
Just went through all 238 posts again. Bought mine in Dec 2012, should start next week on it. We've moved 4 times in the last 5 years and nothing happens quickly when you're disabled.
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Best of luck. it's a pretty straight forward project as I recall and a really great flyer.
 

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