Nose Cone Payload Bay Help

[Bruiser]

I am building a D-Region Tomahawk over in the scale forum and need help with figuring out how to do the nose cone/payload bay. I recently bought a Jolly Logic altimeter and I would like to put it in there so that A) no worries about tangling with the JLCR and B) need nose weight.

Here is what it looks like now. At 10.5 inches it's pretty long. The "payload" length is 4.75 inches.


I don't really have much experience with payload bays or altimeters. I had an JL altimeter once before. I attached it to the nose cone, launched it and when I recovered the rocket, the altimeter was gone to never be found. I'd like to do better this time

I did find this picture of a mod someone did in their build but I really don't understand what I am looking at.


Can somebody help me with understanding this bay or perhaps something else entirely? I'm open to ideas

Thank you,
-Bob

 

[Art Upton]

See this post:

https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/estes-2037-d-region-tomahawk.183184/#post-2520293

 

[Bruiser]

That's my build thread

K'Tesh just posted there confirming what I thought. It looks like it all just friction fitted together. That just doesn't seem secure to me so my brain wouldn't accept it. I thought I was missing something. Maybe I can do something similar, but more secure. I don't want to buy another JL Altimeter because the nose cone falls off and it falls out. They're not so cheap

-Thanks,
-Bob

 

[Art Upton]

That's my build thread

K'Tesh just posted there confirming what I thought. It looks like it all just friction fitted together. That just doesn't seem secure to me so my brain wouldn't accept it. I thought I was missing something. Maybe I can do something similar, but more secure. I don't want to buy another JL Altimeter because the nose cone falls off and it falls out. They're not so cheap

-Thanks,
-Bob

Just put a small R/C airplane screw into the cardboard thru the plastic nose cone. I do that on all my rockets that have a payload bay; only using larger self tapping screws on larger rockets then the rocket you are working on.

Make an alignment mark so the screw can't hit the electronics.

 

[Voyager1]

I would recommend the nosecone avbay kits from MAC Performance Rocketry. You just cut the base off the molded NC and fit the bay in. It has a threaded rear closure with tether ring. I’ve used them on all my current rockets.

https://macperformancerocketry.com/products/pinnacle-nosecone-bay-kits

 

[thzero]

That's my build thread

K'Tesh just posted there confirming what I thought. It looks like it all just friction fitted together. That just doesn't seem secure to me so my brain wouldn't accept it. I thought I was missing something. Maybe I can do something similar, but more secure. I don't want to buy another JL Altimeter because the nose cone falls off and it falls out. They're not so cheap

-Thanks,
-Bob

Try losing a JL chute release. But on this, looks like they cut the nose cone along one of the detail lines, then stuffed a coupler tube in there. You could do the same, and use either plastic rivets or small bolts screwed into the coupler. Just drill some holes, soak the crap out of the holes and surrounding tube with CA, then tap it if using bolts and then screw it together. bolts might even add to scale look?