bandman444
Well-Known Member
Yesterday I had the scariest moment of my Rocketeering career.
I was attending ROC's ROCtober launch with the goal of flying two rockets. One, my Mega Mean Machine on a K590DT and my scratch built rocket Size Matters on a CTI L851W.
I hoped to fly Size Matters (referred to as SM for now on) in the morning and the MMM after lunch.
I start my morning by reinstalling the altimeters in SM's avbay. A Missleworks RRC2 and a Perfectflight MAWD. All goes well and I spend another half hour connecting all my wires, each altimeter had 3 sets of wires, 1) Battery 2) Switch and 3) Main Charge. After plugging them in I make sure all of the wires are snug and triple check my wiring.
The way I have the bay set up is that it is placed inbetween two aft end centering rings and two wires are run to the main bay to meet the e-match wires.
I spend another half an hour drinking water and putting together the "L" Motor.
Having that completed I go ahead and again look over the electronics setup. I check the voltage on both batteries and continue. I then complete the wires that would normally have an e-match and turn on one altimeter at a time. The RRC2 immediately goes into its single beeps letting me know it has on charge attached *check*. I turn it off and the MAWD on. The MAWD runs through its long opening sequence (Mach settings, main deployments, last flight apogee) then again gave me the one charge signal *check*. I turned everything off and now proceed with packing the chute, packing harness', and securing the motor. Finally I attached the ejection charges and put it all together. I walked to the RSO and then headed to my pad. I set it up on the rail (with some help) and once it is stood up I ask everyone around me to take a few steps back as I turn on the Altimeters.
I started with the MAWD and right as it turned on I knew it wasn't right. I did not go through its starting sequence and did not behave right. I would turn on for a second or two then make an almost clicking sound then restart and repeat. I turn it off and then inspect the wiring and find no faults. I spend about 10minutes at the pad and still no luck. (The RRC2 started up fine and works perfectly) I finally shut everything down and head back to camp. We inspect everything at camp and again it just is perfect. We undo the charges and again start the MAWD up. And guess what! It works fine! So we think that the e-matches are screwing them up. So we clear an area and with the e-matches in we turn them on. They work! Great! So we carry it back out to the pad set it up turn them on and yay! they work...
...well while the altimeters are beeping their "happy" song I start to insert the motor ignitor when all of a sudden the altimeters start screaming! They sensed launch! I yell at everyone to get back because soon they are going to think they are heading back down and pop the chute. I ran back waited a little bit, and then (possibly against my better judgment) run and shut off both altimeters. After letting my heart cool down I (again against better judgement) I decide that that is a fluke and turn on both altimeters, they work fine, install the motor ignitor check continuity then walk back to the flight line, half way back, we hear a POP and there is my nosecone 15ft in the air...
...ugh. Well at least they work.
Today just wasn't my day.
Now I had the option of just flying on the RRC2, but perhaps it is hard to understand, but $500rocket, $200electronics, $300 motor hardware, $200reload, priceless blood, sweat, and tears and I was not going to risk it all for no good reason!
So again I pack it up and bring it back to camp.
If you haven't been paying attention so far, now is the time.
I bring it back to camp and now assume the last failure was do to insufficient vent holes. So I drill 4 more and will do it all again. (It is now 1o'clock) after reviewing the electronics, I prepare to install the ejection charges. I triple check that the switches are off and even remove the batteries from both altimeters. I prepare the charges (rubber glove finger with black powder and one e-match). I connect one at a time and tape and seal them to the bay. I then start to load the first set of the harness when.
BANG!
The 4gram main ejection charge lights up. With my face less than a foot from the tube I immediately jump back to the ground. I am lucky that the second charge did not go off. I was wearing a blue sweatshirt that was now badly burned, I couldn't open my eyes. The hair on my head and my arms plus my eyebrows and most of my eyelashes were singed. But my eyes were my biggest concern. Two "health professionals" (firefighter and a physical therapist) come to help me. Everything felt like it burned, (think crazy sunburn). Some of my eyelashes had fused together, semi-sealing my eyes. I finally break the seal and get some help flushing my eyes out with water. My dad drives me to the nearest hospital (30miles away) to be sure I had not incurred any cornea scratches. The doctor said my contact saved my eyes and that he thinks without them it could have been a lot worst.
It was indeed the Perfectflights charge that went off and I believe it had to do with the loaded capacitor.
I would really like to have perfectflight take a look at it, because this is not the first time it has done this (it is the first time it has set a charge off though)
Again, the altimeter had NO battery attached.
My injuries could have been a lot worse. I for now on will never touch the charges unless I am wearing safety googles, and I highly recommend that if you don't already do, that you do!
The Mega Mean Machine flew perfect and will update that thread when I get photos.
When in doubt, be safe!
Bryce
I was attending ROC's ROCtober launch with the goal of flying two rockets. One, my Mega Mean Machine on a K590DT and my scratch built rocket Size Matters on a CTI L851W.
I hoped to fly Size Matters (referred to as SM for now on) in the morning and the MMM after lunch.
I start my morning by reinstalling the altimeters in SM's avbay. A Missleworks RRC2 and a Perfectflight MAWD. All goes well and I spend another half hour connecting all my wires, each altimeter had 3 sets of wires, 1) Battery 2) Switch and 3) Main Charge. After plugging them in I make sure all of the wires are snug and triple check my wiring.
The way I have the bay set up is that it is placed inbetween two aft end centering rings and two wires are run to the main bay to meet the e-match wires.
I spend another half an hour drinking water and putting together the "L" Motor.
Having that completed I go ahead and again look over the electronics setup. I check the voltage on both batteries and continue. I then complete the wires that would normally have an e-match and turn on one altimeter at a time. The RRC2 immediately goes into its single beeps letting me know it has on charge attached *check*. I turn it off and the MAWD on. The MAWD runs through its long opening sequence (Mach settings, main deployments, last flight apogee) then again gave me the one charge signal *check*. I turned everything off and now proceed with packing the chute, packing harness', and securing the motor. Finally I attached the ejection charges and put it all together. I walked to the RSO and then headed to my pad. I set it up on the rail (with some help) and once it is stood up I ask everyone around me to take a few steps back as I turn on the Altimeters.
I started with the MAWD and right as it turned on I knew it wasn't right. I did not go through its starting sequence and did not behave right. I would turn on for a second or two then make an almost clicking sound then restart and repeat. I turn it off and then inspect the wiring and find no faults. I spend about 10minutes at the pad and still no luck. (The RRC2 started up fine and works perfectly) I finally shut everything down and head back to camp. We inspect everything at camp and again it just is perfect. We undo the charges and again start the MAWD up. And guess what! It works fine! So we think that the e-matches are screwing them up. So we clear an area and with the e-matches in we turn them on. They work! Great! So we carry it back out to the pad set it up turn them on and yay! they work...
...well while the altimeters are beeping their "happy" song I start to insert the motor ignitor when all of a sudden the altimeters start screaming! They sensed launch! I yell at everyone to get back because soon they are going to think they are heading back down and pop the chute. I ran back waited a little bit, and then (possibly against my better judgment) run and shut off both altimeters. After letting my heart cool down I (again against better judgement) I decide that that is a fluke and turn on both altimeters, they work fine, install the motor ignitor check continuity then walk back to the flight line, half way back, we hear a POP and there is my nosecone 15ft in the air...
...ugh. Well at least they work.
Today just wasn't my day.
Now I had the option of just flying on the RRC2, but perhaps it is hard to understand, but $500rocket, $200electronics, $300 motor hardware, $200reload, priceless blood, sweat, and tears and I was not going to risk it all for no good reason!
So again I pack it up and bring it back to camp.
If you haven't been paying attention so far, now is the time.
I bring it back to camp and now assume the last failure was do to insufficient vent holes. So I drill 4 more and will do it all again. (It is now 1o'clock) after reviewing the electronics, I prepare to install the ejection charges. I triple check that the switches are off and even remove the batteries from both altimeters. I prepare the charges (rubber glove finger with black powder and one e-match). I connect one at a time and tape and seal them to the bay. I then start to load the first set of the harness when.
BANG!
The 4gram main ejection charge lights up. With my face less than a foot from the tube I immediately jump back to the ground. I am lucky that the second charge did not go off. I was wearing a blue sweatshirt that was now badly burned, I couldn't open my eyes. The hair on my head and my arms plus my eyebrows and most of my eyelashes were singed. But my eyes were my biggest concern. Two "health professionals" (firefighter and a physical therapist) come to help me. Everything felt like it burned, (think crazy sunburn). Some of my eyelashes had fused together, semi-sealing my eyes. I finally break the seal and get some help flushing my eyes out with water. My dad drives me to the nearest hospital (30miles away) to be sure I had not incurred any cornea scratches. The doctor said my contact saved my eyes and that he thinks without them it could have been a lot worst.
It was indeed the Perfectflights charge that went off and I believe it had to do with the loaded capacitor.
I would really like to have perfectflight take a look at it, because this is not the first time it has done this (it is the first time it has set a charge off though)
Again, the altimeter had NO battery attached.
My injuries could have been a lot worse. I for now on will never touch the charges unless I am wearing safety googles, and I highly recommend that if you don't already do, that you do!
The Mega Mean Machine flew perfect and will update that thread when I get photos.
When in doubt, be safe!
Bryce
