DX3 - How does NC attach?

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Alan R

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Building a regular 2.6" cardboard Madcow DX3. Was following along the instructions, but there's nothing there about how you attach the nose cone.

The DX3 has a payload section, the shock cord attaches to the bulkhead at the base of it. Nose cone in the top. But what do you do with the nosecone?

Just confused. This is my first rocket with a separate payload-section. Curious how to proceed.

I haven't glued in the coupler yet. I'll wait for input. Suggestions appreciated.

IMG_20191210_174243086.jpg
 
Are you doing dual deploy with altimeters? or just a single deploy using motor eject and no electronics?

Nevermind, I see that you have the bulkhead already glued in your pic.
Easiest solution would be to just glue the nosecone to the payload tube. If you think that you might be changing to dual deploy at a later date, just wrap some tape around the nosecone shoulder and get a somewhat tight friction fit. Nylon shear pins work too, but more work.
 
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for now it's just a single deploy. Thought I might try adding gps and dual deploy in the future, but that's ... in the future.
 
thought about it while i made dinner. The bulkhead forms the base of a sled for electronics, the other end of which is attached to the NC. (?)
 
thought about it while i made dinner. The bulkhead forms the base of a sled for electronics, the other end of which is attached to the NC. (?)

Yes, if you have an ebay, you would have eyebolts on both ends on the coupler.

If the bulkhead weren't glued (as in, I could still cut it off) what were you going to suggest?
Then I would not glue the nosecone in. I would use either a friction fit w/ some masking tape or shear pins. Get a few flights in, and decide if you want to go the dual-deploy route with an ebay, and then attach the nosecone with a shockcord.
There are a few tutorials on this forum for installing shear pins, but in your case they would only be used for holding the nosecone in place for now.
Tape is easier and should be plenty to hold the lightweight nosecone. A couple of strips around the shoulder, and just slide it into the payload tube. Some others on this forum also like to use electrical tape around the outside of a body tube to create a line between paint colors. In your case you could (after painting) install the nosecone and run a line of tape around the tube/nosecone to keep it in place.
https://www.rocketryforum.com/threa...ss-kit-build-starts.45666/page-13#post-463990
 
it is very simple to make your rocket both single and dual deploy. for single deploy use the coupler as just that, a coupler with ne AV bay. i install blind nuts with a ply plate on the inside for either steel screws, single deploy. Or nylon screws to be used as shear pns for dual deploy. The NC can be attached with a screw eye into the molded base, or like to cut it off and make a removable ply bulkhead with a eye bolt in it.
 
That nosecone actually friction fits pretty tight at the moment. Probably just tie it to the bulkhead with some of that kevlar string I have laying around just so it doesnt go falling off somewhere down range. Murphy's Law of rocketry of course.

I shall peruse ebays and payload sections whilst I consider paint design. And I already have several nice colors of that plastic tape.

Thank you very much for the response.
 
it is very simple to make your rocket both single and dual deploy. for single deploy use the coupler as just that, a coupler with ne AV bay. i install blind nuts with a ply plate on the inside for either steel screws, single deploy.

I finally see what you and @richP were saying. Need to clarify. This would probably only be used a single deploy, because the ebay would be only gps and altimeter. The dual deploy would be of the jolly logic type if I ever get one.

Maybe a few years in the future I would get to the point of using altimeter-fired deployment charge, but by then I would also have an L2 cert rocket designed specifically to do that.
 
I flew my L2 with a single deploy rocket using JLCR. the coupler can secured with steel screws so that it is not ejected, this also makes it removable. For DD you can then install shear pins on one side so that it ejects the now, AV bay, to come down on drouge and then blow the NC off to release the main.
 
I attached mine with plastic rivets. Friction-fitting, no matter how tight, inevitably comes loose. Your backup kevlar string isn't a bad idea.
 
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