Vent holes - can I have just 1

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Pyropetepete

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How many holes should I have. Can I have just the one?

AV bay is 4'' dia, 8'' long, ST100 is the alt being used.

I got an altimeter sled by Landru13 that uses a singe switch mounted on the inside.
 
The Stratologger SL100 says you can have 1 or you can have 4. The size of each depends on the rocket diameter.

strat.png
 
The problem with only one hole is the potential for self-sustaining pressure oscillations inside the av-bay. Think about how your ears feel when you're driving down the road with only one window open.


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Okay so what if I did the 1x 8mm hole for access to do the switch and then 3x normal ones? Can you do to many?
 
You want an equal sampling of the atmosphere around the altimeter. One hole for smaller rockets is fine because they usually don't go too fast (think about driving with one window down but you are only going 20 miles an hour). For a four-inch airframe, I'd go with the recommended three. Four probably wouldn't hurt. Someone else can answer as to the dangers of having too many.
 
Okay so what if I did the 1x 8mm hole for access to do the switch and then 3x normal ones? Can you do to many?

That should be fine. You could probably get away with one large one for the switch and two normal ones spaced evenly around the airframe.

Note that it is possible and even probable that just one would be ok...but I view it as an unnecessary risk.

Also note: I have the dual-alt version of the same sled. I have two holes on one side that are the same size as the ones around the av-bay. They don't need to be 8mm for switch access. You just need to be able to get a 1/8" flathead screwdriver through there. I seem to recall that mine are 3/32".

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I fly single hole vents on most of my av-bays, mostly for simplicity and ease of turning on electronics. Never had a problem, including on Mach1+ flights.
 
In drilling my airframe and coupler I made a mistake and drilled a 6 mm hole for the plastic rivet all the way through. Little rattled to say the least. However Just checked it and if I mount the sled at the bottom it's not an issue, it lines up perfect for access with a screw driver to turn the switch on and off. Bit of a result for a mistake.

So I'm now tempted to add a total of 4 smaller holes just too even it all out and make sure it'll work properly.
 
Hello all

I have made my ebay with the idea that my switch included was not going to work. My initial thoughts were to leave the switch's hole open as a vent and drill 2 evenly spaced holes around the bay with the vent hole being the third (Just use twist and tuck for the altimeter). However with further reading I think that leaving the switch's hole open is a bad idea. It's too big :y:

I have come up with a way to make the switch work. But this would leave me with 2 vent holes. NOT optimal. I thought I could drill 3 more evenly spaced holes centering the switch between 2 of them. This would give me a total of 5 vent holes all 5mm. I'm thinking this might be too much as well.

I could epoxy in the first 2 holes and just drill the 3 but that would take a bit of time,, and time is running short lol

Any thoughts?

Chris

vent holes as drilled now 5mm.

20150224_093354_zps3ookbv9t.jpg


and the switch hole.



 
With a switch hole that large, I have to assume the switch will fill the hole and the actual area where air can pass through would be much smaller.

The calculations for vent hole sizes is to get enough air through the holes to give accurate readings without a lot of delay. If the hole area is too small, the rocket will reach apogee, but the air has not flowed into the bay enough yet to equalize the internal pressure with the external. The rocket will arch over and start down and when the increasing external pressure matches the internal pressure, the altimeter will sense apogee and fire.

Having over sized holes just ensures that air will flow fast enough to keep the internal and external pressures pretty much the same. The issue with large holes is that crosswinds can cause pressure variances on the pad. That is where multiple holes come into play. Having many holes reduces the effects of cross winds on the internal pressure in the bay.

I think there is a very large variation of acceptable vent hole sizes. Usually from the calculated sizes up to volumes much larger.

Having a large hole for a switch or larger then recommended vent is not going to make a lot of difference unless you get very large. The hole pictured above would be too large unless it is mostly filled with the switch face so air flow through it is significantly reduced. If that's the case, I wouldn't worry about it. Just don't put the baro sensor on the altimeter directly behind a vent hole.
 
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