How to put electronics / ebay in the nose cone

[Chad]

I got this idea where i get most of my ideas, from John Coker's website. The concept is put the ebay, and all that mass, as forward as possible so the rocket can be shorter while maintaining stability.

My setup isn't as near as elegant as John's but here's what I did.

1. I'm working with a 3" nose cone
2. Cut off the end while doing your best to preserve the little bands. I used a mitre saw, it worked just fine
3. I had some 54mm centering rings that weren't going to be used and it turns out they fit really well inside the nose cone. You push it in sideways and then pull it down to the shoulder
4. I cut and bonded some spare plywood across about a third of the centering ring and added the hardware. ( you can't see the JBWeld on the other side of the centering ring)
5. Then I sanded and cleaned the inside of the nose cone where the centering ring is going to sit. Then epoxied in the ring and made a fillet as best I could.
6. Finally, I made a sled that attaches with a washer and locknut, the shock cord goes underneath the sled nicely so there's minimal risk of ripping the ebay out during recovery.




Here's John's video of the right way to do it ( fast-forward to 8:55 )
https://www.jcrocket.com/plastic-nose-mods.shtml

 

[JohnCoker]

Thanks for the kind words. There is no one "right" way. I've learned more from improvements people have made to my ideas than what I learned initially on my own.

 

[mikebpd221]

I did something similar in my 2.6" dia Archer. I added a fiberglass nose cone to replace the plastic one from the kit and since it didn't come with a shoulder, a pair of 29mm centering rings and some motor mount tube worked to give the NC a purpose. I added a spare estes motor mount to the bottom of the tube. Then I repurposed a spent 29mm motor casing to hold an alarm and my JL Altimeter 3. Not a real electronics bay, but a good test bed for things to come. I've envisioned a GPS locator as my next evolution but the same set up could work as a modular nose weight system or in a head end deployment arrangement. All of the above if there's enough interior volume.