Dedicated Altimeter(s) For Each Rocket

[DRAGON64]

This has been discussed a number of times in the past, but I bring the topic back up again, as the prices of altimeters keep coming down. I was curious as to how many HPR fliers use dedicated altimeters for each of their rockets(?)

I used to fly one altimeter, and build similar Avionic packages that have the same moutning footprint for that altimeter. Over timer I would notice that the altimeter started to show signs of fatigue from being assembled/disassembled over and over across my fleet. For reference, my first altimeter, an RRC2 (Circa late 1990's to early 2000's) cost me a little over $100 I can now pick up two RRC2L altimeters at the same price... not to mention, the footprint allows for some crazy small builds.

My recovery as an HPR flier is marginal at .5% successful recovery (over many years). After re-evaluating the failures I had, I decided to make some key changes, including dedicated laundry (chutes and harness'), electronics and AV-bays. Everything stays together, and there is no sharing of components or accessories across my fleet. My failures were no all the same issue, and as I would fix one, another would pop up. Nonetheless, dedicated altimeters for each rocket goes a long way towards my piece of mind, and at todays prices makes sense to me.

Do you dedicate electronics in your builds?

 

[Titan II]

yes

 

[Banzai88]

Yes, every rocket has it own primary avionics package. 1 or 2 altimeters and 1 GPS transmitter in each that I expect to go over 10K.

I used to fly RRC2s or RRC3s, but have standardized on Altus Minis for my basic computers.

My GPS is the MW RTX, and I do have universal nose cone rings for 2", 3", 4+" nose cones, and a 'pod' that I can tie or tape to any recovery harness.

 

[Rocket86]

Yes. Dedicated altimeters and laundry for each. Each HPR has my standard GPS mount in the nosecone and I swap the Featherweight transmitters between them.

 

[rharshberger]

More and more I find myself dedicating altimeters to specific rockets.

 

[DragonRocketry]

No. I built electronic sleds that can be moved from one rocket to another based on dia.

 

[SolarYellow]

If you're keeping it simple... I think I picked up five Quarks on the BF sale this year, at $16/ea or something silly like that.

 

[firemanup]

I have dedicated alts for my more commonly flown stuff….

Too many birds to have dedicated for everything.

 

[Jay Dub 4009]

I have a fleet of about 7 quantums and two protons that i move around to the different rockets. Gives me the ability to be able to prep 3-4 rockets for a weekend and not have to move stuff around every rocket to fly.

 

[bobbyg23]

Right now everything I have is dedicated to the rocket. Laundry and electronics. I just asked this question a couple of days ago as I was assembling 3 more av bays. I thought to myself, "self, there has to be an easy way of using some altimeters in different rockets.," I am working on a system to get that accomplished so I don't have to buy more altimeters.

 

[KenECoyote]

Yes and no. In the beginning, I only had a few HP rockets and I built Eggtimer electronics, so I was able to just build new for new.
More recently I've built up more hp rockets and as I started making redundant systems, it makes more sense to move electronics as needed for simplicity, easier prep and standardization (and I'd guess reliability given it's a proven alt bay).

 

[green dragon]

no. Modular / swapable sleds - multiple sleds made up, canpick any to fit the rocket, if one fails, have backup ready. And , as noted, way too many birds to have dedicated altimiter / sleds .

 

[Kane]

Swappable avionics package was my grand plan at the beginning but found it way too time consuming and error prone. Every rocket has its own avionics. I do, however, maintain only two GPS transmitters that share a receiver in the same channel. One of them moves from rocket to rocket. The other is a backup.

 

[Rocketclar]

Much of my stuff is interchangeable. E.G. one of my 4" bays can be easily moved between a number of my rockets even those tubes made by different vendors. I use unique connectors so that I minimize errors in connections (between D and M). I usually fly this with a PerfectFlite Stratologger CF and a MissileWorks RRC2+ (or newer CL). Newest bays have Egg products as I like adding the telemetry module to the bay. (I hook my receiver unit into the clubs PA so that it gives out data in real time over the PA.) Several of my rockets are interchangeable.....several of my fin cans can have one of several different upper AF's all connected to my common ebay. I use the Eggfinders on moveable sleds that fit a number of NC's from 3" to 5" using a 54mm tube mount. Doesn't take me long to prep rockets.

 

[David Schwantz]

I hate swapping stuff around. I live in MN, Friday night can be perfect but launch day Saturday can be gloomy, windy, snowy. So I like to be able to grab whatever rocket fits the field that day. If I had to swap stuff out, I'd get half as many flights.

 

[Voyager1]

Yes!
In my DD rockets I have redundant altimeters from the stables of Eggtimer (Protons), Altus Metrum (Easy Minis), and Missile Works (RRC3 & RRC2L).
I also have separate FW GPS trackers for each rocket NC.

 

[DRAGON64]

I buy these cheap miniture plastic bins, and label each bin, with painters tape, by the rocket I am working on.



Each kit will get all of the items that will be dedicated to that rocket, and as I collect or change items, they get tossed into the bin as I build...



Chutes, shock cords, avionic sleds, recovery hardware, ejection canisters etc.



Not everything gets ordered at once, but a little bit at a time. Some items are Secret Santa items too.

I have been needing two altimeters for current on going builds, so I purchased them from MissileWorks, and based on recent chip shortages, I ordered a spare altimeter for a future all-3D printed rocket that I have been designing.

Should shortages be here to stay, I suppose I may have to "rob from Paul to pay Peter" and move altimeters around to other projects, only time will tell.

 

[Hobie1dog]

when the time comes for my second rocket with electronics it will have its own equipment.

 

[cwbullet]

Absolutely. It speeds setup time.

 

[teepot]

I have multiple av-bays from 2.6" to 4". All the rockets that use av-bay has one in it when I built it. I can swap an empty for a loaded one easy. I have 4 RRC3's an RRC2L and a RRC2. The 2's aren't in anything yet. And I have too many rockets for each altimeter. Same with chutes. I have at least one from 12" to a 72" Rocket Man 2.2 chute. I've decided to mostly use the RM 2.2 chutes to try to simplify things. Those I have each a 36", 48"and the 72". I'll add the 60" at some point.

 

[maddmaxx11]

I have one Eggtimer Quantum for each rocket. Why not at $40 each and they have more features and work just as good or better than the expensive pre-built altimeters.

 

[Handeman]

Since I seldom (every few years) open my av-bays, all the DD rockets have their own altimeters. Since I need to recharge the LiPo powering the MW T3 tracker and/or receiver almost every flight, I only have one of those and swap it between rockets. All the nose cones are built with internal tubes I can just slip the tracker into so it's quick and easy.

 

[mhanna]

Nope, 4 identical altimeters are prepped a few days before launch day. Each rocket does haves its own altimeter boards and I just mount the altimeters to them. I also use a pool of parachutes for the rockets. I know what size each rocket needs and grab that size. I have 3 or 4 of each size to choose from.

This started when my two sons and I were all flying high power with dual deploy. With over 40 dual deploy capable rockets its just not cost effective to have that many altimeters.

 

[green dragon]

photo of altimeter mounting sleds - for single 1/4" rod or dual rod mount ( spaced same as LOC ebays ) .

 

[Wayco]

Yes. Currently 45 dual deploy rockets ready to prep and fly. 28 are redundant with a Stratologger and an RRC-3 and everything that flys over 10k ft. has an Eggfinder in it. Most also have a mount for the Featherweight GPS and a dedicated battery in the N/C sled.
When we prep for a launch, we pick the rockets we want to fly, add ematches and black powder, check the log book to see if there is anything we need to addresss, (repack a chute or repair) add a motor and load it in the toyhauler.

Sharon (Hardline) and I made 131 flights, and burned 220,744 Ns this year.

More or less...

 

[DaHabes]

For Nose cone AV bays, I use Mach1/BadAss sleds that move between nose cones. That said, I use one nose cone for each size rocket (unless it's a scale model).

For RDD AV bays, I use one for each size rocket and move them between rockets. This minimizes hardware, minimizes testing, and keeps launch prep the same for each rocket to avoid brain fart mistakes. I also standardize on components - Eggtimer Quantums for primary, Eggtimer Quarks and a wi-fi switch for backup, Featherweight GPS for tracking.

 

[Zyzzyva1000]

I started with moving them around, but 2 things happened - I got lazy (and didn't feel like moving them), and I really enjoy building egg timer products. I still moving my eggfinder between rockets but posting don't move altimeters anymore. I move parachutes still though.

 

[Donnager]

I thought I would move them. But crippling one rocket to fly another seems to be backsliding a little. You have to change a working fully functional rocket into a rocket that "I'll have to fix that one before I can use it again......" In the future, if I want to fly it again, I will have to decide then to move it from another, or buy a new one. I find that "crippled" for me means "won't fly again for the foreseeable future", and I may scavenge more parts, making the return to service require a little more effort and take longer.

I do find I don't have all recovery gear duplicated. Most things smaller than 3" have their own stuff, and really big rockets have their own, but, 4" seem to get a lot of swapping. Heavy 4" gets one set, 4" cardboard gets another......

My bigger problem is whether I want to convert any that are non-redundant duty to redundant. My inventory of altmeters will increase....again.

In my consolidation efforts, I've managed to have two sets of 54mm airframes with two electronics bays that can alternate between each pair. Baby steps, I guess.

I spend a lot of time making cardboard electronics bays slip in and out smoothly without sticking, jamming, or having any tight spots, and they are usually fitted to a particular end of a particular tube. If there were Fiberglass bays that could be moved between ALL 54mm, 75mm, 98mm, 5", 5.5" 6" 7.5", I may do things differently. There is unfortunately, enough difference between brands and materials to make the task for interchange more difficult than I'd like.

I've been toying with an ejectable altimeter/main idea (54 or 75mm tube) that could be swapped between large rockets so that no electronics would be permanently attached, but that needs some more thought.

 

[Faroutspacenut]

I always thought I would have a few altimeters that I'd share between rockets, but over time realized that the needs of each build requires a slightly different approach... but for my ongoing L3 build I've been adapting the modular system that Steve Thatcher designed (thanks Steve) - and I really like how not only it keeps things neat and organized, but makes changing out components between carriers a snap. This one will have 2xStratologgers w/ a 9v carrier on the underside, and currently I have a featherweight tracker here, but might swap that out with an Eggfinder w/telemetry instead. (the christmas lights are 'cause I'm about to bench test the deployment channels). I'll probably still have a complete AV bay for each active rocket that is ready to fly, but the nice thing about this setup is I can change out components whenever I want without having to completely re-do the entire setup.

 

[dwinings]

Since Eggtimer altimeters are cheap and I like building them I generally use a dedicated altimeter in each rocket, In face I tend the build the eggtimers first then look for a new rocket for it., I have more altimeters then I have rockets to put them in.