What did you do rocket wise today?

[snrkl]

One of the more interesting launches from today. A guest member flying with us for the first time, with an Estes Black Star Voyager on its maiden flight...


The engine hook "hooked" the pad lead and took it for a flight.. The poor Voyager struggled to get altitude and ended up with a little damage after the return to earth...

Just one more reason for me to dislike engine hooks!!

 

[GrouchoDuke]

The engine hook "hooked" the pad lead and took it for a flight.. The poor Voyager struggled to get altitude and ended up with a little damage after the return to earth...

Just one more reason for me to dislike engine hooks!!

I've seen that happen with HPR rockets, except it's the igniter getting stuck in the rocket. I've stopped wrapping the igniter leads around the alligator clips to see if that cuts down on "the tug." I also make sure the pad leads are anchored some way directly underneath the rocket so that any pull is straight back along the flight path. I also really try to avoid ematches for starting motors 38mm or smaller -- my gut feel is their sharp & square metal edges like to wedge themselves in the motor internals before it leaves.

Here's one shot of a little bit bigger rocket having this happen last year.

 

[dhbarr]

I like to wrap the extra motor starter lead length around one of the launchpad legs. Similar to above it only pulls straight back, but prevents it from dragging the club leads away.

 

[Videolester]

Estes Interceptor is all painted and READY FOR DECALS !!

 

[Rex R]

one thing that can cause clip dragging is not following the instructions about the nozzle cap (aero tech), you're not supposed to jam it all the way onto the nozzle, just enough to hold the starter in position and no more.
Rex

 

[Nytrunner]

Agreed Rex.

I like to cut a hole in the cap and thread it through like the cesaroni caps, so the pressure of blowing the vented cap off helps pull out the igniter too

 

[prfesser]

Today I attempted to solder on the $2 practice-soldering-SMT kit that arrived yesterday
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5338413729&icep_item=232935855579

The kit has a dozen each of 1206, 0603, and 0402 random resistors/capacitors and two dozen 0805, for practice. I tried three of the 1206. I will try again tomorrow, after I purchase a couple pairs of +4 reading glasses and stack them, and use my magnifying desk lamp to boot. Them parts is SMALL... But I'm having fun, re-learning.

Best -- Terry

 

[Charles_McG]

I finished and tested another Quark. My fifth, I think.

 

[dhbarr]

Did a bunch of reading on seals, lubes, solvents; and oxidizer-rich environments.

 

[neil_w]

The kit has a dozen each of 1206, 0603, and 0402 random resistors/capacitors and two dozen 0805, for practice. I tried three of the 1206. I will try again tomorrow, after I purchase a couple pairs of +4 reading glasses and stack them, and use my magnifying desk lamp to boot. Them parts is SMALL... But I'm having fun, re-learning.

In my younger days I used to do 0603's pretty routinely.

Nowadays I don't get many opportunities to solder. My co-worker routinely does 0201s... those are insane. I still don't quite know how he does them so easily.

 

[Igotnothing]

CATO'd 2 Estes E12-8s. Fortunately the little carbon rocket had no damage. Both CATOs happened less than 20 feet off the pad. You would think after the first failed I would have the video running for the second.

 

[Nytrunner]

CATO'd 2 Estes E12-8s. Fortunately the little carbon rocket had no damage. Both CATOs happened less than 20 feet off the pad. You would think after the first failed I would have the video running for the second.

So what you mean to say is "Ugotnothing"?

 

[DRAGON64]

Launch my 3D printed rocket named "Falcon" on an Aerotech I180W.

This is my first attempt with an onboard camera. The electrical tape I used to secure the 3D printed shroud ended up getting into the frame despite me cutting it back. The new version will be using screws to secure the shroud to the airframe, leaving an unobstructed view of the launch.

Link to video:

That was a nice stable flight... no nausiating spin cam, very nice!

 

[ManiakMechanik]

Finished up my Crossfire so I started on my Goblin.

 

[DRAGON64]

Yesterday I sanded and primed my Estes Bull Pup (w/24mm mod), and I also sanded my Quest Harpoon. Today I finished the construction of portion of the XROX MK3A build. Now if I can get a clear (& dry) day, I will get some primer on these builds.

 

[krislhull]

CATO'd 2 Estes E12-8s. Fortunately the little carbon rocket had no damage. Both CATOs happened less than 20 feet off the pad. You would think after the first failed I would have the video running for the second.

And what spectacular CATOs they were!

 

[krislhull]

I introduced my 6 year old nephew to rockets today... He loved it! He loved being able to count down and push the button for one of my rockets!

 

[jqavins]

Just one more reason for me to dislike engine hooks!!

What do you use instead for LP? I've been using a method I read years ago (in Peak of Flight, I think) that was suggested for min diameter but I've been using for everything. It can't snag the leads, though that is something I haven't see happen myself, and it also looks better than a hook. (That is to say, one can hardly see it.)

 

[neil_w]

What do you use instead for LP? I've been using a method I read years ago (in Peak of Flight, I think) that was suggested for min diameter but I've been using for everything. It can't snag the leads, though that is something I haven't see happen myself, and it also looks better than a hook. (That is to say, one can hardly see it.)

And that method is...

 

[dhbarr]

What do you use instead for LP? I've been using a method I read years ago (in Peak of Flight, I think) that was suggested for min diameter but I've been using for everything. It can't snag the leads, though that is something I haven't see happen myself, and it also looks better than a hook. (That is to say, one can hardly see it.)

No block, no hook, tape only?

 

[jqavins]

And that method is...

Take a piece of piano wire. Put two sharp right angle bends in it to make three sides of a rectangle, a short side between the bends. For a min diameter 18 mm, the short side should be about 14 mm long for four fins and 16 mm for three fins, but for other rockets anything from about 10-16 mm is fine. For min diameter, place the short end about a half inch to an inch (mixing units, woo hoo!) below the end of the body tube and glue the long ends to the outside of the tube against the root edges of two of the fins, then bury them in the fillets. For other rockets, poke small holes in the aft centering ring and position the short end, again, about a half inch to an inch below the motor mount then glue in in place against the mount tube above the centering ring.

The rectangle is easily sprung to the side for inserting and removing motors, but otherwise lies off center across the bottom, holding it in place. It adds nearly nothing to the rocket beyond the motor dimensions.

 

[neil_w]

Good description, thanks. That does sound like a nice method. Got any pics?

 

[jqavins]

'Fraid not. All my stuff is in moving boxes. I'll see if I can find the article.

EDIT: Here it is. Page 6.

EDIT 2: Correction to the earlier post. The length of the short side of the clip should be approximately 15 mm for a three fin 19 mm OD rocket with 1/8" thick fins, and about 11 mm for four fins. In my previous computation I forgot to account for the thickness of the fins. The clip width is still not critical if the rocket is not min diameter.

 

[kuririn]

'Fraid not. All my stuff is in moving boxes. I'll see if I can find the article.

EDIT: Here it is. Page 6.

EDIT 2: Correction to the earlier post. The length of the short side of the clip should be approximately 15 mm for a three fin 19 mm OD rocket with 1/8" thick fins, and about 11 mm for four fins. In my previous computation I forgot to account for the thickness of the fins. The clip width is still not critical if the rocket is not min diameter.

Like this, from an old OOP Model Missiles kit, but for a MD rocket where the body tube is the engine tube:



Another method in the article is even more minimalist: Bend piano wire and put a tab on only one end. Bury the wire in a fin fillet, leaving about a half inch on the tabbed end unglued.

Or you can go old school and use friction fit. Completely invisible. But a PITA to remove.

 

[neil_w]

Could someone point to a source of the correct type of wire? There are *so* many different varieties. What weight and material?

 

[jqavins]

It's not critical. I like piano wire - also known as music wire - because it is not difficult to cut and bend, but not so easy that it won't hold it's shape, and is nice and springy. It's available in a several gauges, but the choice of gauge is not important as long as it's (oh, let's say) bigger than angel hair and smaller than spaghettini. You can get it in hobby stores, online sources, probably music stores, probably more places too. But you could also use pretty much anything that's not floppy, like non-stranded copper wire of 24 AWG give or take.

But enough of this distraction over what I use. I was trying to ask snrkl what he uses, since he stated that he doesn't use engine hooks. Friction fit? Teensy screw-on retainers? An utterly ingenious, world-changing retention device of his own making? Chewing gum? Tape? Kangaroo guano?

 

[kuririn]

For MPR/HPR, metal engine retainers, screw on or bolt on, are superior. That's why Aerotech ditched the engine hooks in their kits and replaced them with Aerotech screw on steel retainers some time ago. Plus engine hooks limit the length of the engine casing.

 

[Tobor]

Worked on the nosecone mod for my LOC Goblin. Before I hit the sack I will also do the first set of external fillets on the Goblin and the last set of injected fillets on my DarkStar Jr.

 

[krislhull]

Received a large shipment of motors from a Balsa Machining preorder from last fall...




A total of 17 motors, including my first 75mm, and my first L motors. Should be having some fun this year!

 

[beeblebrox]

The tried and true masking tape thrust rings work just fine, you are then not confined to one length motor. use 1/2" tape for 18-24mm motors, 3/4" tape for 29-38mm motors. 1" for 54mm motors, but only if average thrust is under 500nt, use screw on or other retainers for big and powerful motors. wrap thrust ring joint/aft end of motor tube with 3-4 wraps of tape to keep from ejecting. for 3 or 4 motor clusters bond in a 3-4" length of allthread 10/24 between the motors sticking out about an inch, use a fender washer and a nut to secure the motors...