Joker050608
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2013
- Messages
- 449
- Reaction score
- 0
Where do i send money for the 54mm version of these?????? Want them asap. Pretty please??
I asked nicely....
I asked nicely....
I have to take things one step at a time, but a 54mm version will be forthcoming after the 38mm version is proven. Or at least that is the plan.
That's great to hear. Any plans on price yet?
Well, yes, but I have no idea for 54mm yet. I hope to have more info on this in the next couple of weeks. Have to form the LLC, start the Etsy shop, send some to a vendor, agree on vendor pricing, deal with accountant, etc. And before I can make 54mm guides and see what the time/material realities are I have to build a new printer.
I didn't start this process with the idea that I would be making more than one or two sets, but I'm in up to my neck now . Having fun though.
Here's Stan MacDonald's rubber band powered 'fly-a-way' rail guides on a 4" M-powered rocket at BALLS...it works great.View attachment 253001
Flew an AMW Purple Parrot kit yesterday using Bill's flyaway railguide prototype AMW has.
Photos here.
Worked great! G80 Skidmark to 2000+ft.
I had a chance to test Bill,s 38mm guides Saturday at Princeton IL. They work sweet, can't wait for the 54mm & 3" versions.
Mike
I do understand that in the case of Mr. MacDonald's guides the buttons can be made to spin and act as a sort of roller bearing, but I am not sure that in actual practice that operates as intended most of the time. I've seen a LOT of rail buttons out there with a LOT of wear on them that shouldn't occur if they are spinning.
In addition, the hinge provides good, positive retention of the rocket within the shell.
As for the problem of fin strike, it should in reality be a non-issue. When the guides spring open, they are moving in the same direction and at the same speed as the rocket. There is not a substantial difference in velocity and in the event that the guides glance off of a fin it will be with minimal impact force.
I too see lots of rail buttons with the button worn. Often a result of the screw too tight so as to not allow the button to rotate and even when loose, if the button is in contact with both sides of the rail, that is traditionally done with two rocket mounted buttons, which direction would they 'spin'? On the guides Stan makes. they are pulled to one side and roll on one side of the rail reducing or eliminating wear...depending on the Gs at liftoff.
I think your design does this nicely for 'small' rockets and perhaps two could be used for larger/longer rockets.
With a single guide they are moving about the same speed until release off the rail, and since yours is mounted right above the fins, the fins may actually help push them out of the way. With longer rockets, when the upper fly-away releases from the rocket, they may be a few feet above the fins and vertical acceleration of the guides stops at release off the rail (actually they begin deceleration) while the fins are accelerating with the rocket.
I'm not knocking your design, I think it is great for 29-75mm rockets, maybe even larger, and I plan on making some for the student teams I mentor (just last week they tore out a rail button on their 8 foot long rocket and we had to quickly install another.
Rick
Something I thought of was 24mm sizes. Wildman's BH24 is really, really too small for rail buttons, but really, really too big for a rod. It's also a pretty inexpensive rocket to put together a tower for. Fly away rail guides could help this rocket quite a bit IMHO.
Nate
Just exactly what will be the 38mm tubing diameter the initial guides will be compatible with? If my cardboard LOC tubing is undersized, I can throw a wrap of glass cloth just proximal to the fincan so no big issue to me. Kurt
Do you have any plans to try to produce a 29mm set? You may be able to just scale it down in your CAD program to the right size, as long as your wall thicknesses don't get too small. I'm working on a 29mm min. diameter rocket that fly-away rail guides would be perfect for!
Something I thought of was 24mm sizes. Wildman's BH24 is really, really too small for rail buttons, but really, really too big for a rod. It's also a pretty inexpensive rocket to put together a tower for. Fly away rail guides could help this rocket quite a bit IMHO.
Nate
I am not yet sure if I will have Blue Tube/Magnaframe or PML phenolic sizes. If I get a ton of requests, then yes, but otherwise it would have to be a $pecial order thing, probably with some increase in price./QUOTE]
1 vote for 38mm Blue Tube.
NikeMikey
Enter your email address to join: