Modified Mantis Launch Controller

[dmgrime]

Bought a Mantis used a while back and it was starting to act flaky. I took it apart and found the little metal tabs on the arm and launch buttons had bent to the point they weren't making contact.

While I had it open I thought to myself ... maybe this could be better! I always had a bit of a mess with the long 30' coil of wire, and the clips never set well on my 7ah lead acid battery.

So I came up with a solution using an ammo box for a battery box, a duplex outlet with one side split circuit for hookup, and some cheap extension cords. Any heavy gauge 10', 25', or even 50' (if 10 or 12 gauge) can be used to extend distance to launcher.

Anyhow ... the internal wiring is the same, just using the cheap extension cord instead of the included wire and clips. Nicely, all the parts fit inside the box, including the battery to keep things organized and portable!

Thanks for looking!

 

[tightwad]

Nice job. It should work great for you. I like using extension cords and standing back farther, which makes it easier to track the rocket.

 

[dmgrime]

Thanks! Tested it out today ... worked like a charm. I really like that the 25' configuration fits entirely in the ammo box including the 7ah battery. Makes it quite portable!

 

[Steve Shannon]

That’s very nice. Be sure to vent the ammo box well or at least open the lid while charging to prevent buildup of hydrogen gas.

 

[dmgrime]

I have 2 batteries. I keep one on the conditioning charger and will swap out when needed. Thanks for the tip though, I hadn't thought of that!

 

[Joe Rocket 97]

Is that a battery for a home alarm back up?

 

[dmgrime]

Probably, yes. Got from batterymart.com for $15 (got 2 and a conditioning charger to mitigate shipping costs). Supposed to be 7ah AGM. Has worked great for 2 years so far!