H13, Mini-Magnum, and a Micro-Rail

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Buckeye

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This build is geared around the new, 29mm, Aerotech H13ST-Plugged DMS motor. 15 second burn! Whoot!

The rocket is the 1.6” LOC mini Magnum. I added a payload section to house a deployment altimeter (PerfectFlight MAWD) for an apogee event and also to house a tracker (Featherweight). Rough simulations indicate an altitude of about 8,000 ft!

Motor retention is the Estes 29mm screw-on retainer.

I plan on single-deploy only and a speedy descent back to earth, so I want a sturdy aft end of the rocket. I filled the narrow fin can volume with Gorilla Glue. This is like a poor mans expanding foam, but it is easier to pour and has a much longer working time. The Gorilla Glue foamed up more than I expected, and I had to Dremel away the hardened foam so that I could install the aft centering ring.

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1010 buttons would be ridiculously large on this small tube. I thought about mini-buttons, and then dismissed that, too. I’ll go all in on micro-buttons!

The micro-buttons are merely attached with a #2-56 nylon screw, but seem plenty solid.

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The micro-rail will work nicely. I got a 2-pack of 10mm Maker Beam rails (1500mm long each) from Amazon. The beauty of these rails is that they slide perfectly into a slot on a standard 1010 rail, so it is easy to adapt a typical launch pad. The Maker Beam rails are also threaded on each end, allowing the two pieces to be joined with a short length of M3 threaded rod. That’s 10 feet of launch guide goodness, and this low thrust motor is gonna need it.

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The micro-rail will work nicely. I got a 2-pack of 10mm Maker Beam rails (5 ft each) from Amazon. The beauty of these rails is that they slide perfectly into a slot on a standard 1010 rail, so it is easy to adapt a typical launch pad. The Maker Beam rails are also threaded on each end, allowing the two pieces to be joined with a short length of M3 threaded rod. That’s 10 feet of launch guide goodness, and this low thrust motor is gonna need it.

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Nice, what's your calculated speed at the end of the rail?
 
Nice, what's your calculated speed at the end of the rail?

63 ft/s with a 9 ft rail. 40 ft/s with a 4 ft rail. Mass is not final, yet. Also, some extra length needed for wind tip off. So, I think both lengths of Maker Beam will be prudent.
 
Very cool. I have 4 H13's and a few projects lined up for those. Trying to get my life back in order after a chaotic 2020 with a house reno and a baby arrival. Tomorrow my wife is headed out of town with baby for Galentine's day, so I have 2 days to work on the shop to get it cleaned back up and might do a little work on projects if time allows. :)
 
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