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What kind of models and/or lighting do people plan to use for the Night Launch at NARAM?
Some pics from the night launch at NARAM-48:
https://naramlive.com/naramlive-2006/naramlive/02saturday/nightlaunch.html
From NARAM-49:
https://www.naramlive.com/naramlive-2007/naramlive/02saturday/nightlaunch.html
Not NARAM, but photos I took at BRB’s night launch last year:
https://birminghamrocketboys.com/BRBGallery/main.php?g2_itemId=33622
The best model at our launch last year was Steward Jones’ “Chandelier” model, which had 7 very bright LED light units onboard. Two in each fin pod, pointed up and down, and one for the nose. Not only very visible on the pad, but visible for the whole flight since usually at least three lights were visible at all times (going up or down).
I got a number of good liftoff shots at that launch, as I had finally learned to do near the end of the NARAM-48 night launch shots I took. I used my camera’s strobe flash to get those shots. The compromise there was the camera shutter lag was a hair longer than normal due to the flash (not bad, but I noticed it). Of course, I had everything pre-focused before ignition or the shutter lag would have been terrible. And the flash limited the exposure to 1/500, but with darkness like that there was no way to shoot anything good at a higher shutter speed anyway. Some cameras may perform differently regarding flash and lag and night launches, so YMMV (I use a Canon S5-IS).
A YouTube video showing an LED “Finger Light” mounted into the base of a plastic nose cone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0TBRsmC8z4&feature=channel
One thing I did last year was to add about 18” of a clear tube payload section to a Baby Bertha. I placed simple white paper inside the clear tube, then had LED finger lights mounted in the top and the bottom of the clear tube. The lights shined up inside of that white paper and made the translucent paper light up, sort of like a weak fluorescent light tube. Which was sort of fitting since the source of the clear tube was what is sold to cover and protect fluorescent light bulbs (such as at Lowe’s and Home Depot).
Want to wire up your own LED’s, but do not know how to determine the correct dropping resistor value, or the proper schematic to wire multiple LED’s for the voltage you plan to use? Use this on-line calculator page to figure out the resistors and the wiring for the given values it asks for.
https://led.linear1.org/led.wiz
- George Gassaway
Some pics from the night launch at NARAM-48:
https://naramlive.com/naramlive-2006/naramlive/02saturday/nightlaunch.html
From NARAM-49:
https://www.naramlive.com/naramlive-2007/naramlive/02saturday/nightlaunch.html
Not NARAM, but photos I took at BRB’s night launch last year:
https://birminghamrocketboys.com/BRBGallery/main.php?g2_itemId=33622
The best model at our launch last year was Steward Jones’ “Chandelier” model, which had 7 very bright LED light units onboard. Two in each fin pod, pointed up and down, and one for the nose. Not only very visible on the pad, but visible for the whole flight since usually at least three lights were visible at all times (going up or down).
I got a number of good liftoff shots at that launch, as I had finally learned to do near the end of the NARAM-48 night launch shots I took. I used my camera’s strobe flash to get those shots. The compromise there was the camera shutter lag was a hair longer than normal due to the flash (not bad, but I noticed it). Of course, I had everything pre-focused before ignition or the shutter lag would have been terrible. And the flash limited the exposure to 1/500, but with darkness like that there was no way to shoot anything good at a higher shutter speed anyway. Some cameras may perform differently regarding flash and lag and night launches, so YMMV (I use a Canon S5-IS).
A YouTube video showing an LED “Finger Light” mounted into the base of a plastic nose cone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0TBRsmC8z4&feature=channel
One thing I did last year was to add about 18” of a clear tube payload section to a Baby Bertha. I placed simple white paper inside the clear tube, then had LED finger lights mounted in the top and the bottom of the clear tube. The lights shined up inside of that white paper and made the translucent paper light up, sort of like a weak fluorescent light tube. Which was sort of fitting since the source of the clear tube was what is sold to cover and protect fluorescent light bulbs (such as at Lowe’s and Home Depot).
Want to wire up your own LED’s, but do not know how to determine the correct dropping resistor value, or the proper schematic to wire multiple LED’s for the voltage you plan to use? Use this on-line calculator page to figure out the resistors and the wiring for the given values it asks for.
https://led.linear1.org/led.wiz
- George Gassaway
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