1.6" diameter--rail buttons or not?

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Thanks for the reply. I had someone in another group advise that it’s likely safe on an 8’ rail and probably ok on a 6’. I’m not sure what length my club (Oregon Rocketry) has.
I’m hoping to fly it this weekend and if I need to just use the launch lug, then so be it; I can see about adding a 3rd button in time for the next launch.
A third button may be challenging to add on that long of a BT now that it is built, unless you can put it into the forward CR (not sure where that is or if it is wide enough). Most 1010 rails I've seen at launches are 6', but on my personal pad I can go to 14' (for those sweet long-burn, low thrust motors). You could always buy a 4' or 6' 1010 rail section with connectors and add it to a club launch rail, so you have enough length, especially if you are putting a high thrust motor in it. I wouldn't trust a launch lug in that situation.
 
CRs aren't wide enough but that's ok. This whole project was meant to be a learning experience as I ease myself in to high power rocketry, and I'm willing to take those lessons in stride. I can just use F motors on the BBX.
 
Thanks for the reply. I had someone in another group advise that it’s likely safe on an 8’ rail and probably ok on a 6’. I’m not sure what length my club (Oregon Rocketry) has.
I’m hoping to fly it this weekend and if I need to just use the launch lug, then so be it; I can see about adding a 3rd button in time for the next launch.
We have 6, 8 and 10 foot 1010 rails at Brothers.

If it was my rocket, I would move the second button down toward the first and patch or cover the old hole. That would be the fastest way to address it.
 
Thanks Jack! I don’t have time to perform rocket surgery before this weekend. If the RSO allows, I’ll use the 10’ rail and if they determine it’s a safety issue, I will respect their decision and stick to the lug.
We have 6, 8 and 10 foot 1010 rails at Brothers.

If it was my rocket, I would move the second button down toward the first and patch or cover the old hole. That would be the fastest way to address it.
 
Hi everyone, I'm working on my second mid-power kit, the LOC Precision "park flyer" Black Brant X. It can allegedly reach >2800' on a G motor, and can handle an H motor as well (though I'm not yet certified). I plan on doing several launches with an F motor and eventually put a G in it. The kit comes with a launch lug. Would rail buttons be beneficial or would the increased drag not be worth it? The rocket's diameter is 1.6" and I seem to recall reading that buttons greatly increase drag on rockets under 2" in diameter.

My other question is regarding the buttons themselves, if I do end up putting them on--I have several from Erockets that include the button and screw but no nut. Do I need to go to my local hardware store and get a nut for each button?
I think either can work. Some years ago almost everybody used rods, now most mid power at our club seems to use rails.
 
What does your 1.6" BB weight?? LOC says 390gram (14oz).
Did you know LOC has Rocksim file that Open Rocket can use?
To get into higher power you really need to Sim the rocket. Speed off rail, Apogee, Delay times are obtained from the sim.
I just run sims using a 5 feet rod/rail. Even on an E28 (RMS 24/40 case) speed off rod is 19m/s (61f/s) which is fast enough. Apogee is 860 feet. This would be a good first flight.
An F (F39 or F67) put apogee at 1172 & 1460. A G is 2100 to 3000 feet.

I had the IQSY 1.6" park flyer and flew it on E's and F's. Gs went too high for our field even with Dual Deploy.

The upper rail button should be down near the CG but can work where it is on a 6 foot rail and light wind.
Loc tubes are thick so drilling a small hole and use a sheet metal screw (self-tapping) into the BT will work.
I've even drilled and tapped the LOC tube for button screw. Then a few drops of thin CA, let it set and re-tap the threads works great.
 
What does your 1.6" BB weight?? LOC says 390gram (14oz).
Did you know LOC has Rocksim file that Open Rocket can use?
To get into higher power you really need to Sim the rocket. Speed off rail, Apogee, Delay times are obtained from the sim.
I just run sims using a 5 feet rod/rail. Even on an E28 (RMS 24/40 case) speed off rod is 19m/s (61f/s) which is fast enough. Apogee is 860 feet. This would be a good first flight.
An F (F39 or F67) put apogee at 1172 & 1460. A G is 2100 to 3000 feet.

I had the IQSY 1.6" park flyer and flew it on E's and F's. Gs went too high for our field even with Dual Deploy.

The upper rail button should be down near the CG but can work where it is on a 6 foot rail and light wind.
Loc tubes are thick so drilling a small hole and use a sheet metal screw (self-tapping) into the BT will work.
I've even drilled and tapped the LOC tube for button screw. Then a few drops of thin CA, let it set and re-tap the threads works great.

Thanks for running the sim! I’m just starting to play around with Open Rocket.
My finished BBX weighs 12.1 oz without a motor and 1 lb 0.5 oz with a 29 mm G motor.
I’m not planning on using the G until I get a few successful E and F flights, so for the first few flights it’ll be lighter than that.
 
Yours built light at 12oz. Good for getting more speed off the rail.
Are you going with reloadable motors or single use?
 
A8B8E134-DAE7-4B3E-B1A7-81FC76F2B3F6.jpeg79D7BB30-EC3D-4730-BC63-96CFB6504982.jpegABE22858-82FA-4FD1-BBE7-E6F1FD7758C2.jpegSuccessful launch and recovery! I ran some simulations with OpenRocket before I left that showed 63 ft/sec with an 8 foot rod on an F20. The RSO asked about the buttons and I told him about the simulation, and he was fine with that. Aside from the wind, I couldn’t have asked for a prettier flight. It’s a good feeling, having months of work pay off. Thank you to everyone who gave me advice. Now it’s time to build a 3” Fusion for my L1!
 
View attachment 518874View attachment 518875View attachment 518876Successful launch and recovery! I ran some simulations with OpenRocket before I left that showed 63 ft/sec with an 8 foot rod on an F20. The RSO asked about the buttons and I told him about the simulation, and he was fine with that. Aside from the wind, I couldn’t have asked for a prettier flight. It’s a good feeling, having months of work pay off. Thank you to everyone who gave me advice. Now it’s time to build a 3” Fusion for my L1!

Why don’t you use your current rocket for a Level 1 flight? The Aerotech H128 or H165 should do nicely.
 
Why don’t you use your current rocket for a Level 1 flight? The Aerotech H128 or H165 should do nicely.

I thought about it but it looks like it'll go at least 3,500' with those motors and I want to make sure I get it back for the cert flight--the BBX blended in with the sagebrush when it landed yesterday. Maybe once I'm certified and have invested in a tracker I'll give it a go.

Also I bought a 3" SBR Fusion yesterday so that'll be my cert rocket :)

Thanks to OROC for making my first weekend rocketry trip enjoyable! Can't wait for NXRS.
 
I thought about it but it looks like it'll go at least 3,500' with those motors and I want to make sure I get it back for the cert flight--the BBX blended in with the sagebrush when it landed yesterday. Maybe once I'm certified and have invested in a tracker I'll give it a go.

Also I bought a 3" SBR Fusion yesterday so that'll be my cert rocket :)

Thanks to OROC for making my first weekend rocketry trip enjoyable! Can't wait for NXRS.
That sounds like a fine plan! Glad you had a great time in the sage. Think you will have the Fusion ready for NXRS?🚀
 
That sounds like a fine plan! Glad you had a great time in the sage. Think you will have the Fusion ready for NXRS?🚀

I'm hoping to, I think 3 and a half weeks is enough time (especially with the lessons I learned while building the BBX). But I also know not to rush things, so I guess we'll see. 🚀
 
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