Home made terminal blocks

Plywood boxes work well. I have seen several do that. On smaller rockets I use electrical tape.

I have also been know to use stainless steel aircraft lock wire to secure things. It helps also when securing a motor into a motor mount, if you have prepared the end of the rocket for this method.

I have used these.

Jim, those are neat! What do they call them and where do you get them, or do you make them yourself?

jim fustini said:

View attachment 92623 I have used these.

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What are those?

They are cable stops. You can get them at lawn mower shops .
automotive stores. Lowes Home depot. I have even seen very small (4-40 bolt ) ones at hobby shops for RC airplanes.

Yeah! Now I recognize them. I know exactly what they are. I presume the threads go all the way through. If so then I imagine you could run a bolt through the bulkhead from the inside with a wire terminal on it so that you can run the bolt though it. Then you secure it and screw the cable clamp on to it, and tighten it down. Then you can put the wire to an ignitor into the side hole and screw down the screw to secure it. Then you have a through the wall terminal that is easier than my method and quicker too! Least, that is what I am imagineering. The only thing I see different is that it could be easier, with my terminals, to release the wires coming from the altimeter in a hurry, if need be. Since I have made a bunch of my terminals, I will continue with mine and explore the other method further.

Bear ,
You are correct the threads do go all the way through.
Any part hand made is cooler . Any time I spend working on rockets is quality time to me.
That is part of the hobby. I get just a much enjoyment building and tinkering. As I do flying.

I found them Dorman Cable Clamps - Auto part stores.

Yeah Chuck, that is right. The photos looked like brass and they also come in anodized steel as I recall. The brass ones I think are smaller in size and the bigger ones for heavier weights of cable and wire, steel being used for greater strength. The brass ones should do a great job. It seems that if you had a piece of brass all thread, even though anodized steel would work, (watch out for corrosion created by the electrolytic action generated by dissimilar metals) you could take a 1" to 1 1/2" piece of the all thread. Drill a hole through the side so you could put a wire through it to your altimeter. A nut on one side of the hole and a thumbscrew on the other side, you could use this combination to secure the wire on the inside. On the outside of the electronics bay, the all thread is sticking though. You could screw a nut down, maybe with a washer and a lock washer on the all thread first, you would then have the all thread clamped down so that it does not move, while going through the bulkhead. Then you screw on a cable clamp and you have your terminal complete. Or you could use two of the cable clamps and a short piece of all thread and screw a cable clamp on to each side of the bulkhead/firewall. Then you get the same thing. I hope I am not rambling, my mind is racing.

You could also put a brass threaded rod between 2 of them. Or use a ring connector and brass screw through the bulkhead.

You just said what I was trying to say in the latter part of my previous response, only you did it better and made it understandable. I think I have an excuse, regardless of how lame it might be. Between comments I am reading a book on EMP's and trying to keep my wife from figuring out what I am really doing.

BEAR said:

You just said what I was trying to say in the latter part of my previous response, only you did it better and made it understandable. I think I have an excuse, regardless of how lame it might be. Between comments I am reading a book on EMP's and trying to keep my wife from figuring out what I am really doing.

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EMP's - Electromagnetic Pulse?

Yeah! Burns up anything electrical. Can come from a Coronal Mass Ejection, like the solar flare of 1859 that burned the wires off of the telegraph poles, or it could come from the detonation of a thermonuclear device high in the atmosphere. If it should happen, we might suddenly find ourselves back in the 1880s. No electricity, no electronics, no communications, no transportation. Aircraft falling out of the sky when the event takes place, and cars, trucks, and trains just stopping on the roads. Limited utilities, etc. Trying to learn if a permanent magnet might be damaged by one of these. Back in July, 1962 the U.S. government set off an air burst atomic device over the Pacific and Honolulu lost power for a while. (Called Starfish Prime) Of course they did not have the delicate electronics that we have today. Also wondering if there is some way to simulate an EMP to test what electronics will do and how to protect against such a threat. I just finished reading a couple of books this week about fictional accounts of these events. One book is called One Second After and the other is called Lights Out. They both have me thinking and wondering "What if?"

Another option, Make or use rod that is threaded on the OD, That way you could use a nut on either side of the bulk plate to secure the terminal better, Also just be sure not to OVER tighten the screw as you could snap the wire pretty easily.

Great! thinking outside the box Bear but for me I like the plastic terminal blocks.

Thanks for the compliment and I like the picture of the bulkhead. That bulkhead is great looking. It looks like machined aluminum with a blue anodize on it. (3036-T6?)It also looks like your blast caps are riveted in place, and I saw the plug for a trailer wiring harness below; is that for quick disconnect? What is the black thing below the U-bolt, where the wires come through, that is probably a gas-check of some sort? It also looks as if it has never been used. do you do custom work also?

I have been thinking about going down to the machine shop and making some eye-nuts out of Ti6Al4V,for weight and strength and to see how much trouble it would be. I know I can do it. the biggest problem is time. I am trying to make some other things right now that are a bit more complicated.

Thanks, The Av-Bay is for my VORLON 5, Its machined aluminum and custom anodized to match the kits theme, The Blastcaps are held down with SS Hex head screws through the bulk plate, As for the black part sealing the wires that's a carefully placed dollop of ProLine 4500 epoxy.

Yeah the pic was taken before it had flown, Its since flown but looks the same as the aluminum cleans up really easy.

I went to your link on the Vorlon 5 and looked at your handy work. I must say you do very nice work. It looks very clean and professional. I would hope to be that good.

Thanks B much appreciated, The V5 is one of my favorite rockets, I'll be flying it at Red Glare 13 in the fall.

The V5 is awesome. It is too bad it is not economically feasible to color anodize Blast Caps.

Chuck, Check out this website for how to get instructions and kits to do at home room temperature anodizing. I have done it before and it is not hard.
https://www.focuser.com/atm/anodize/anodize.html

I have thought about doing it. I have been trying to wrap my head around how much it would cost.

Gee, isn't rocketry fun? My R/C planes were never this complicated. (Close,but not quite.) Next we will learn how to phosphatize finishes, such as on a K-Bar and on some 1911s and then we are going to learn how to heat finish metals and then learn how to blue receivers and barrels. Won't this be fun?
Grainger will have power supplies and heating elements, so you might save money there. (Or E-bay or Craig's list) I have used de-ionized filtered water, so if you have a way to do that to tap water, it will help. You can use ice chests or 5 gallon buckets, or even aquariums for your tanks. If you are only planning on doing a couple of parts, it is probably not worth it, yet if you put the word out to other club members, they may have enough that they want done that it could be economically feasible. Just some thoughts, yet by the time you are finished, you could buy a new Dillon reloading press.

I have used these for pass through terminal blocks, slightly modified.

https://www.mcmaster.com/#cadinlnord/94070a153/=ipuri4

I put them in a lathe and drilled a small 1/16" hole about 1/4" deep in the head end of it. I then took 18 guage hook up wire (https://www.allelectronics.com/make...e/Cable/Stranded-Hook-Up-Wire-100-Roll/1.html) and soldered one end in that. I used hook up wire so that it would be flexible to connect to the altimeter.

On the side of the terminal block on the opposite side I used a brass nut to keep it tight to the bulkhead. I then had a brass washer above the nut, then I wrapped my e-match wire around the post, added another washer followed by a nut. It has been very reliable for me and an easy way to make solid pass through connections.

Edward

AlphaHybrids said:

I have used these for pass through terminal blocks, slightly modified.

https://www.mcmaster.com/#cadinlnord/94070a153/=ipuri4

I put them in a lathe and drilled a small 1/16" hole about 1/4" deep in the head end of it. I then took 18 guage hook up wire (https://www.allelectronics.com/make...e/Cable/Stranded-Hook-Up-Wire-100-Roll/1.html) and soldered one end in that. I used hook up wire so that it would be flexible to connect to the altimeter.

On the side of the terminal block on the opposite side I used a brass nut to keep it tight to the bulkhead. I then had a brass washer above the nut, then I wrapped my e-match wire around the post, added another washer followed by a nut. It has been very reliable for me and an easy way to make solid pass through connections.

Edward

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Prerry neat idea and another way to go. Thanks for sharing.

After reading comments, I considered what had been written and thought that I could combine the information and maybe come up with something that might be simpler to fabricate and do a better job. Here is my latest, maybe not greatest, but the latest. FWIW, I purchased double ended center drills Friday for $2.36 ea., in #1 size, which will work great on this terminal for when I drill the side holes in the screw. I am headed to ACE now to get some and try the idea out. I am also thinking I can get some of the rubber caps to go over this so I can attempt to keep this terminal clean. The caps may melt a little, but they are really cheap.

Bear,

That is a great way to make a terminal also. There is more than one way to skin a cat er bake a cake (I don't want to offend our PETA members).

PETA = People Eating Tasty Animals? Or does it mean something else? My Bible says that it is all to be food for me. (Guess I am being insensitive, not politically correct, and lack understanding. I think I will go back to rockets. Of course, the rockets do have a certain level of violence involved.)

BEAR said:

PETA = People Eating Tasty Animals? Or does it mean something else? My Bible says that it is all to be food for me. (Guess I am being insensitive, not politically correct, and lack understanding. I think I will go back to rockets. Of course, the rockets do have a certain level of violence involved.)

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Same here. I don't eat cat. I just want to clarify that before my wife or someone else reads this.

Actually, mountain lion is quite edible, as is bear. But maybe it depends on the size of the cat and how hungry you are.