Estes Astrocam now available for individual purchase
- Thread starter RalPh8
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Cool.
$50.
wondering, is this an Off The Shelf camera with a specially Designed nose cone? If so, suspect those with 3D printers may be able to clone the cone and buy the camera for significantly less. A lot depends on the quality (image detail, ease of use and durability) of the camera, I guess.
might be a good way to attract kids into the hobby.
I hope it sells well.
they had a Wacky Wiggler launch set for a while, looks like no longer on the web site. Wonder why they didn’t release this as a kit by itself. with break away recovery that was a nice bird for a small field.
https://estesrockets.com/product/007308-astrocam/
https://www.amazon.com/Estes-1413-Flying-Rocket-Wiggler/dp/B075LPXHXG
$50.
wondering, is this an Off The Shelf camera with a specially Designed nose cone? If so, suspect those with 3D printers may be able to clone the cone and buy the camera for significantly less. A lot depends on the quality (image detail, ease of use and durability) of the camera, I guess.
might be a good way to attract kids into the hobby.
I hope it sells well.
they had a Wacky Wiggler launch set for a while, looks like no longer on the web site. Wonder why they didn’t release this as a kit by itself. with break away recovery that was a nice bird for a small field.
https://estesrockets.com/product/007308-astrocam/
https://www.amazon.com/Estes-1413-Flying-Rocket-Wiggler/dp/B075LPXHXG
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Ooh, good find! AC Supply for $29.99Ordered mineView attachment 454695
https://www.acsupplyco.com/estes-5325-astrocam-model-rocket-kit?search=Astrocam
The AC supply price is great. I picked up the kit after it came out as a birthday gift for my son and to give us another pad/controller to have as a spare. The fins on the rocket leave a lot to be desired and can cause more spin that most would probably like and the plastic fin can is heavy (relatively), so tweak as needed or build a new, more precise booster. I also grabbed and built a Multi-Rock kit to take the Astrocam nosecone on top of two stages. Have yet to launch it. Video quality isn't too bad but I've only launched it on an overcast winter day.
From that top picture it looks like the factory nose cone is 3d printed? Is IT?
Seems like cheap molded plastic to me.
It is injection molded. Lighter and stronger than 3D printed.
I've been flying one of these since the starter set showed up at the local Target store some months ago. Surprisingly good video.
I have looked, but have not found, that camera available elsewhere. Will probably pick up another from AC Supply just to have a backup.
The fin can is the press-together (no glue) version of the BT-50 fin can that takes the ARF fins and has an integral launch lug as is used on Ghost Chaser and Starship Octavius and a few other recent releases. The body tube is the same white pearlescent finish as seen on Alpha VI but is longer and is the same part as used in the Ghost Chaser.
Selling just the rocket is a good step. Next good step would be to sell just the nose + camera, and in BT55 and BT60 sizes. Then I’d buy in.
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Wish they would also sell the Interceptor E nose cone a la carte.
Sure would be nice if I could find the cam for my Astrocam. I've got the rocket, and even the USB port cover. Just no camera.
James Duffy
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As opposed to artisanal molded plastic, carefully selected and forged by a polycarbonate sommelier trained under a master at the Atelier d'Polymer?
Molded in the French Riviera?
Eue de Polycarbonate!
Eue de Polycarbonate!
There is still one floating over around these parts... The tube broke free of the nose cone and I swear the nose cone gained altitude!
The camera is a cheapo camera in a custom case. Fun to play with although the AVI format is ancient.
Someday someone is gonna figure out where Estes imports these cams from.
I bought the rocket for the cam and intend to tape it to many different rockets.
I bought the rocket for the cam and intend to tape it to many different rockets.
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Polymer Sommolier, nice.
To be a hit, Estes need to release additional nose cones in BT55, 60 and 80 sizes. I'm not interested as I don't have that many BT50 rockets any longer.
I guess I could tape the camera to the side of my rockets.
I guess I could tape the camera to the side of my rockets.
Here's the specs on the camera.
rbeckey
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Want to use the camera for a larger tube using the same NC. Thinking of an off-set centering ring to a larger body tube. Keep the camera on the outer edge. Custom shroud for transition? I know of a shroud calculator but how would the off-set effect that?
Perhaps a side mount booster like the Delta IV Heavy.
Perhaps a side mount booster like the Delta IV Heavy.
Seems like there's easier ways to mount a better camera on your larger rocket...
As a former kid who dreamed of somehow mounting an 8mm movie camera to the nose of my Estes rockets back in the mid '60s and who couldn't afford the Cineroc just a few years later, I am in awe that technology has now fufilled my dreams from over fifty years ago. And at a price I can afford----even if it ends up in a tree, I can still convince my wife that at less than fifty bucks, it is worth another shot.
As a "former kid" ???
Yeah----I may be a former, but I'm still here!As a "former kid" ???
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Certainly works. Just taping the camera to the rocket works pretty well and is a lot easier. I like vinyl electrical tape as it has some elasticity to it. Sometime a bit tricky to keep the buttons accessible.
I use 2 layers of masking tape which has surprising resilience plus easy to remove. Even with masking tape, I’ve torn off a couple decals.
I use the plastic shroud from Apogee but instead of taping the shroud to the rocket I use velcro. In the video Tim velcros the camera to the rocket then tapes the shroud to the rocket over the camera.
I velcro the camera to the shroud then velcro the shroud to the rocket.
Launch procedure: Push camera on shroud, turn it on, push shroud on rocket, launch.
The velcro holds very strong, it takes some effort to pull it off post launch.
Also I can use one camera and shroud on multiple rockets. Just have to attach the strips on each one.
Here's my 808 camera velcroed to the shroud on the left.
On the center and right is my clone of the Heavenly Hobbies "Hookworm" avionics pod with an Estes altimeter.
Same idea, one altimeter and pod that can be attached to multiple rockets.
Had to use a BT-30 instead of the original BT-20 because of the diameter of the Estes altimeter.
Camera w/shroud and altimeter in avionics pod attached to a Leviathan:
Hopefully this will give you guys some ideas.
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this will seem tangential, but hear me out.
i friction fit motors but I add an external tape wrap (around the extruded portion of the engine and the end of the motor mount for non-minimum diameter, or base of rocket [sometimes between fins] for minimum diameter.). So farm knock wood, no failures (only low power, no mid power and since I am L-0 high power is obviously off the table). Knock wood, no engine spitting, but I have had paint and sometimes e body tube paper peel off when I remove the tape. My solution is to place a wrap of clear tape (if painted and I dont want to mar the paint scheme) or a piece of Mylar colored tape (for pizazz) around the base of the motor mount. Then when I do a motor tape wrap, I am attaching tape to tape. It works just as well, but the outer tape wrap lifts cleanly off the underlying clear or Mylar tape, without damage to the underlying paint or body tube.
you could do the same for your camera, with a clear layer of packing tape around the rocket where the masking tape wrap will go. Caveat: not sure how well the packing tape will hold up to UV and time scourges, but it should keep the decals on.
I am impressed that @kuririn ‘s Velcro works, i expected it wouldn’t be strong enough. Only down side is that when you DON’T use the camera the rocket still has Velcro strips on it. Not a biggie.
I do want to try my camera in my Tank Killer rocket, it flies REALLY straight with no roll, so I should get good pics at least on the way up.
