Which on/off switch for your avionics bay do you like the best and why?

[Hellraiser]

I've been looking at magnetic switch from Aerocon its very small doesn't weigh anything. anyone ever have any problems with them or recommend different switches?

https://aeroconsystems.com/cart/switches/magnetic-switch-with-led-indicator/

I have a stratologgerCF from Perfect Flight and would like a switch that doesn't need a hole n the air frame to turn it on and off
or does anyone turn their avionics on then assemble their rocket?

Thank you all!!

Brian

 

[Cl(VII)]

Those are the magnetic switches I use for all my altimeters, and I have had no problem with them at all. I have heard that over time they become harder to "switch". Kind of like the range decreases, but having not seen this myself I really can't speak to specifics.

Also, those are made by Featherweight, and can be bought directly from them for a little less I believe.

Never turn your altimeter on and then assemble the rocket. There is a chance you would trick it into thinking it lifted off, and the. You are left handling it when the charges go off. I arm mine once vertical on the rail, and before installing the igniter.

 

[Wayco]

I have been using those switches for several years and have over a dozen of them in different rockets. Work great if they are installed right, but I have had two fail after many flights.
Yes, you can buy them directly from Featherweight:
https://shop.featherweightaltimeter...E9DE.m1plqscsfapp06?productId=33&categoryId=1

 

[FredA]

duplicate deleted

 

[FredA]

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Switchcraft/50212LX/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMtHXLepoqNyVQ4%2fFgftbPXR4FG%252bEOkSl%252bk%3d

These switches work great.
You can use two to arm and safe the outputs of a four-channel altimeter and use redundant contact sets for the power.

Myself and my team mates have hundreds of flights using these with nary a problem.

Just require a little dab of epoxy on the bent tabs that hold them together.

 

[Banzai88]

I use the Schurter, the magnetics, and PCB screw switches. Different switches for different set ups. Get the large magnet when you order your first magnetic switch, it's worth it, and you won't find it any cheaper anywhere else.

 

[sl98]

Different switches for different set ups.

+1

If you don't want a hole to turn on/off you could consider the eggtimer WiFi switch. The trade off is it is heavier and bigger than the magnetic switch you are considering. I have one. Works great but may or may not fit your needs.

Another option is a micro-switch with pin plunger (only a $1.89 at local Frys). Just epoxy on a small piece of 1/8 launch lug and use a small dowel. Wire switch so when pin is depressed power is off and when pin is up power is on. I use this set up in small diameter AV bays. Pull dowel out to arm. Insert dowel to disarm.

 

[Coop]

The Featherweight magnetic switches work just fine--but can be difficult on some models to get to turn on at the pad. Even if you mark the airframe, there is, sometimes, a bit of waving the magnet around until you stumble across the correct combination of swear words to utter to the rocket before it changes its mind and starts behaving.

that said, I've used them on a few models, and will be using them again, where appropriate.

If at all possible, I like to use the shurter rotaries. Step bit makes installation easy.


Later!

--Coop

 

[Hellraiser]

I have been using those switches for several years and have over a dozen of them in different rockets. Work great if they are installed right, but I have had two fail after many flights.
Yes, you can buy them directly from Featherweight:
https://shop.featherweightaltimeter...E9DE.m1plqscsfapp06?productId=33&categoryId=1

Wayco,
Any idea what caused the failures?

 

[Hellraiser]

Anyone foresee any problems using the magnetic switch from Aerocon and the Perfect Flight Stratologger? What about using 2 3.7 volt lipo's wired in series to get to 7.4 volts and keep the 800ma?.

The mount for the stratologger is almost against the outside wall of the rocket, Does the magnetic switch take a special neodymium magnet ? I have ones laying around here at the house that go from 2 or 3 pound up to about 125lb. I like magnets and they are fun but I've had 2 1" sq by .25 thick leap from one hand to the same magnet in the other hand. and that had to be close to 2 feet and yes it did remove chunks of meat LOL. and break chunks of magnet off. But anyway are they a special one from them like that work with the pad locks?

Thank you all again!!!!

I couldn't have found a better more helpful group of people anywhere!!!

Brian

 

[Wayco]

Wayco,
Any idea what caused the failures?

One of them, I mounted too close to the edge. When I slid the sled in, it damaged a component on the board. Another one came bad from featherweight. I contacted them and they sent me another one.
The switch that Aerocon sells is a featherweight switch, and it does use the neodymium magnet, although I have turned it on with a magnetic screwdriver in a pinch. The large magnet you can buy with the switch is VERY powerful. Don't let it get near a credit card!
I just reviewed our list of rockets, and have 19 magnetic switches installed in various rockets. Most are flown monthly at the local launch.

 

[thomas]

I use this magnetic switch in all my rockets.
https://www.rocketronics.de/produkt/altimax-magswitch/
In comparison to the featherweight switch it is saver since you have to hold the magnet 1s close to the switch to turn it on. So you can not turn it off by accidentally waving a magnet close to it.

Btw. I cover the switch with shrink tube to protect it.

 

[dixontj93060]

I use this magnetic switch in all my rockets.
https://www.rocketronics.de/produkt/altimax-magswitch/
In comparison to the featherweight switch it is saver since you have to hold the magnet 1s close to the switch to turn it on. So you can not turn it off by accidentally waving a magnet close to it.

Btw. I cover the switch with shrink tube to protect it.

Do you know if they ship to the US??

 

[thomas]

Anyone foresee any problems using the magnetic switch from Aerocon and the Perfect Flight Stratologger? What about using 2 3.7 volt lipo's wired in series to get to 7.4 volts and keep the 800ma?.

Wiring Lipos in Series can be pretty dangerous. You should not do that. Get a 2s lipo, its noting than 2 1s lipos in series but you can balance both 1s lipos while you charge them together.

I do not really understand what you mean with keep 800mA.
Both the featherweight magnetic switch and the stratologger can handle several Ampere.
You can use any magnet with the switch, the stronger the magnet the larger the range.

 

[thomas]

Do you know if they ship to the US??

Yes they ship in the US, the guy who sells them is a TRA TAP, his username here is Louis.

 

[dixontj93060]

Yes they ship in the US, the guy who sells them is a TRA TAP, his username here is Louis.

Great, thanks for the link. Even with shipping, these are much more reasonably priced than the Featherweight switches.

 

[crossfire]

No switch. Just use twist and go method. It has never failed me in 25 years of HPR

 

[woferry]

I use the Featherweight magnetic switches on all of my rocket electronics, very happy with them, and haven't had any fail for me yet. I've used them to power Eggtimer/Eggfinder units, StratoLoggers (SL100 and SLCF) as well as EasyMini's, and will be using it for illumination power on my night launch rocket when I get that far with it. I've always used a 2s 950mAh LiPo (Turnigy Nano-Tech) with all my electronics. I still recommend a hole however, for 3 reasons:

1) Easier to know where to swipe the magnet.
2) Can line the hole up with the LED on the magnetic switch for visual confirmation that you successfully turned things on/off
3) Barometric altimeters need ventilation anyhow, so I make this hole one of the altimeter's static ports and let it do double-duty.

The only place I haven't succeeded with #3 is my Nike Smoke, where the electronics are in the nose and I can't get the magnetic switches close enough to the side-walls of the cone at its base where I put the vent holes (since my opening into the nose is a good bit smaller than the nose itself), so I needed two holes farther up for the Eggtimer TRS's two battery connections. These are still marked with holes, but I'm going to plug them with a clear epoxy to make them translucent but not ventilation points.

I have experienced the 'chatter' with these switches, where sometimes swiping you get a quick off->on->off, or on->off->on. With the StratoLogger things aren't so bad since it's pretty much always making noise when powered, so as long as you can hear it you can tell if you succeeded (it's harder with the SL100 because its cap keeps it running a few seconds after power is lost, so you need to keep listening for a while). Other altimeters aren't nearly as noisy so without seeing the LED it would be much harder to tell if it's on or off. They're also more sensitive to passing the magnet in one orientation relative to the PCB than the perpendicular orientation, so take note of how you have the switch oriented for any given rocket and you'll have better luck turning it on/off the first time. I can't always orient mine the same way for space/wiring reasons, so some rockets I have to pass the magnet along the rocket length-wise, other ones around the circumference, if I go the wrong way on a given rocket I find they're harder to activate/deactivate.

 

[mpitfield]

The Featherweight magnetic switches work just fine--but can be difficult on some models to get to turn on at the pad. Even if you mark the airframe, there is, sometimes, a bit of waving the magnet around until you stumble across the correct combination of swear words to utter to the rocket before it changes its mind and starts behaving.

that said, I've used them on a few models, and will be using them again, where appropriate.

Later!

--Coop

lol I feel your pain :bang:

I do like my featherweight magnetic switches but I typically turn them on an off in one wave of the magnet, at least a couple of times, on the pad until I get it right.

 

[Adrian A]

I do like my featherweight magnetic switches but I typically turn them on an off in one wave of the magnet, at least a couple of times, on the pad until I get it right.

Three techniques will help make it work more predictably:

1. Move the magnet slowly, around 1" per second
2. Move the magnet it 1 direction along the rocket. This will help prevent toggling the switch on and off accidentally. If the altimeter doesn't turn on after the first pass, pick up the magnet away from the rocket and do another vertical pass a little off to whichever side you think is closer to the switch
3. Practice the above when the av-bay visible so you get a feel for what works best before you get out to the pads

 

[rharshberger]

I prefer Missleworks Screw switches, and make my own guides to pilot the screwdriver tip into the screw head, of course now that Missleworks has the APE screwdriver guides available I plan on ordering all my new screw switches with one.

 

[dixontj93060]

Great, thanks for the link. Even with shipping, these are much more reasonably priced than the Featherweight switches.

Went ahead and bought 5 of these. Will be nice for a couple min. dia. builds and a few NC resident electronics designs also. Great deal!

https://www.rocketronics.de/produkt/altimax-magswitch/

 

[g zilla]

No switch. Just use twist and go method. It has never failed me in 25 years of HPR

+1 so easy to set up and never failed yet

 

[mpitfield]

Three techniques will help make it work more predictably:

1. Move the magnet slowly, around 1" per second
2. Move the magnet it 1 direction along the rocket. This will help prevent toggling the switch on and off accidentally. If the altimeter doesn't turn on after the first pass, pick up the magnet away from the rocket and do another vertical pass a little off to whichever side you think is closer to the switch
3. Practice the above when the av-bay visible so you get a feel for what works best before you get out to the pads

Thanks Adrian,

I would be the first to admit this is likely a user issue and I have a lot of room for improvement. However muttering expletives while standing on a ladder with my ear up to my rocket straining to hear my altimeter beeps has been part of my repertoire up to now.

 

[blackbrandt]

I'm curious, has anyone run into problems with bricking the altimeter due to the magnet? I've always thought you were supposed to keep magnets away from electronic devices...

 

[Hellraiser]

Wiring Lipos in Series can be pretty dangerous. You should not do that. Get a 2s lipo, its noting than 2 1s lipos in series but you can balance both 1s lipos while you charge them together.

I do not really understand what you mean with keep 800mA.
Both the featherweight magnetic switch and the stratologger can handle several Ampere.
You can use any magnet with the switch, the stronger the magnet the larger the range.

Thomas,
Thank you I had no idea about hooking the lipo's together and the danger that could cause. Nor did I know about the 2S lipo's!!! What I know about electricity is which side the big prong goes in when you plug stuff in. Wired in series would the batteries not put out a total of 7.4 volts and still be 800mah? wired in parallel would they not still be 3.7 volts but have 1600mah? As I said what I know about electricity could be written on the end of a needle........

Thank you sir!

 

[Worsaer]

I'm curious, has anyone run into problems with bricking the altimeter due to the magnet? I've always thought you were supposed to keep magnets away from electronic devices...

No. Not the same. Keep magnets always from magnetic media, hard drives, etc. There is no risk to altimeters.

 

[blackbrandt]

So the flash memory on the altimeters is not affected by altimeters?

 

[mpitfield]

So the flash memory on the altimeters is not affected by altimeters?

Not yet :wink:

 

[Steve Shannon]

Thomas,
Thank you I had no idea about hooking the lipo's together and the danger that could cause. Nor did I know about the 2S lipo's!!! What I know about electricity is which side the big prong goes in when you plug stuff in. Wired in series would the batteries not put out a total of 7.4 volts and still be 800mah? wired in parallel would they not still be 3.7 volts but have 1600mah? As I said what I know about electricity could be written on the end of a needle........

Thank you sir!

1600 mAh either way, but in series the ability to deliver current is the same as one while the voltage doubles. In parallel the voltage is the same as one battery, but the ability to deliver current doubles. A or mA is current; mAh is the current times the time.