Energetics Safety Circuits

[jsdemar]

One thought is to bring an LED or e-match with you and hook that up to the leads as a check instead of the spark test. Hooking up the igniter first is not a bad idea but there is the chance of it going off when someone else is testing something. I think the best approach is to insert the shorted igniter into the rocket and secure as necessary, then move the leads a bit away (as long as possible), confirm the leads are off and then hook it up. Keep your hands and face as far as possible from the potential exhaust and fins during the whole process.

Hooking up the igniter outside the rocket is not a good idea. Larger igniters can form a large fireball and throw off hot debris for quite a distance... such as on your hands and face. Plus, it could start a fire with dry grass around.

I've made a simple buzzer that won't go off with just the test current. I use this to test the launch system after setting it up. It could be used to connect to the clips to check if the (poorly designed) launch system has a stuck relay.

All these post should be pared off and put in another thread like was done earlier (on energetics). We're no longer talking about hotel rooms!