MarsaNet Gadget Idea Feedback - Apogee break detector

[jderimig]

Human eror.

The answer is connectors and cables. ( I was asking in the context of manufactured products)

Biggest reason for end of line failure,
Biggest reason for warranty repairs.

But you are right, get humans out of the production process and quality goes way up. (sadly for the future of manufacturing employment).

 

[DizWolf]

I haven't been watching, was there ever an update to display speed on the graph in the software?

 

[jderimig]

I haven't been watching, was there ever an update to display speed on the graph in the software?

No. What speed are you most interested in? Boost, descent, all equally interested?

 

[K'Tesh]

Wires?!?! :eyeroll: So 20th century tech......

So, we should be doing this with quantum linked particles? String theory filaments? Subspace fields?

 

[FredA]

And why Tarantino films on film....

BTW: Just back from seeing the Hateful Eight.
Saw it in the same theater Tarantino saw it just a few night ago -- largest Panovision screen in the US @ the Hollywood Theater (Portland)

Great movie - go see it....

 

[jderimig]

And why Tarantino films on film....

BTW: Just back from seeing the Hateful Eight.
Saw it in the same theater Tarantino saw it just a few night ago -- largest Panovision screen in the US @ the Hollywood Theater (Portland)

Great movie - go see it....

I did last night with my son. Loved it. Was DCP though. Thinking about driving to Cleveland (about 50min) to see it again in 70mm, only theater in Ohio screening in 70mm.

 

[DizWolf]

No. What speed are you most interested in? Boost, descent, all equally interested?

about equal, though if it's one or the other the boost isn't as interesting. Looking to compare drogue to main speeds, landing speed, etc.

If I ever shred anything and get the alt back it'd be cool to see where it all started coming apart, but lets not think like that.

 

[CZ Brat]

Has anyone said "just do a simple circuit to determine whether or not the rocket has separated"?

Two JST connectors. One side is affixed to the part to be separated, the other is affixed to where the altimeter is. The part to be separated (female) has the leads twisted together, therefore completing the circuit when the two parts are together and broken when the rocket separates. Put a 3 or 5 foot wire on the male side going to the altimeter so that you know the parts separated sufficiently far apart. The key is to make sure that neither side can pull free without breaking the circuit.

All you need is a connection to the necessary port on your altimeter. It really don't get any simpler than that

On the end of the AV Bay, have two electrical "finger" leads that make contact against the inside of the booster BT. Place a piece of foil tape on the inside of the BT, so the two leads are shorted. Make sure the foil extends up to the top of the BT so the leads are always shorted until the AV Bay completely slides out of the BT. Then have the input into the altimeter programed to sense for open circuit. Open circuit = separation. Closed circuit = un-separated. [/quote]

 

[alexzogh]

Hi John,

at at the risk of hijacking this thread, I thought I would hijack this thread.... :kill:

I would really like the gadgets to be more universal, which may require the use of a scripting language, or at least a Boolean operator / operand expression structure like ifttt. The idea of a wireless photosensor / detector is a great one, but why hard code it to apogee airframe separation, and main chute deployment? There are many applications for a photosensor. Could be way to detect proper separation for a multistage rocket, which, could script second stage motor start. Or, it could indicate proper main deployment and change the telemetry downlink to bias back to frequent gps data updates.... You get the idea. Think about the network and gadgets as a platform and micro services, rather then a set of discrete use cases.

Now that that's out of the way, I have other gadget ideas

1) update ematch gadget to an igniter gadget with a secondary power source (that will survive more then one use) for multistage, or air start rockets
2) 9 dof imu for interstage coupler to help determine whether a rocket is still pointed "up" to fire the next stage (could be combined with 1)
3) wifi (or Bluetooth) gadget to create local wifi network to arm and verify electronics via smartphone for those that wouldn't use telemetry dongle
4) siren gadget that goes off when motion stops, or it looses network connectivity (aid in retrieving parts)
5) sensor gadgets - temperature, humidity solar radiation, etc... Maybe even a gpio for sensors we can't envision today.
6) servo controller gadget. This would have many, many uses. Could be used as a latch release apparatus like the old spacetech srm to dual deploy out of a single deploy rocket. Or take photo's, enable video, release external boosters, etc... Anything you could dream up using an rc servo inside a rocket.
7) continuity gadget. This could enable the multiple tripwire scenarios others have come up in this thread

You get the idea.

 

[Kruegon]

But before reading Bill's idea, I had a simple one. On the AV Bay, have two electrical "finger" leads that make contact against the inside of the booster BT. Place a piece of foil tape on the inside of the BT, so the two leads are shorted. Make sure the foil extends up to the top of the BT so the leads are always shorted until the AV Bay completely slides out of the BT. Then have the input into the altimeter programed to sense for open circuit. Open circuit = separation. Closed circuit = un-separated.

What about a weak charge issue? Separates 2" on a 4" long coupler. No more finger contact, but not a successful separation.

 

[jderimig]

Hi John,

at at the risk of hijacking this thread, I thought I would hijack this thread.... :kill:

I would really like the gadgets to be more universal, which may require the use of a scripting language, or at least a Boolean operator / operand expression structure like ifttt. The idea of a wireless photosensor / detector is a great one, but why hard code it to apogee airframe separation, and main chute deployment? There are many applications for a photosensor.

Hi Alex, not a hijack at all. In fact the photosensor gadget concept is not tied to an event, it just 'serves' it light status when queried. The logic of what to do with that info will lie in the main flight computer which in this case will be the Marsa54L.

Now that that's out of the way, I have other gadget ideas

1) update ematch gadget to an igniter gadget with a secondary power source (that will survive more then one use) for multistage, or air start rockets
2) 9 dof imu for interstage coupler to help determine whether a rocket is still pointed "up" to fire the next stage (could be combined with 1)
3) wifi (or Bluetooth) gadget to create local wifi network to arm and verify electronics via smartphone for those that wouldn't use telemetry dongle
4) siren gadget that goes off when motion stops, or it looses network connectivity (aid in retrieving parts)
5) sensor gadgets - temperature, humidity solar radiation, etc... Maybe even a gpio for sensors we can't envision today.
6) servo controller gadget. This would have many, many uses. Could be used as a latch release apparatus like the old spacetech srm to dual deploy out of a single deploy rocket. Or take photo's, enable video, release external boosters, etc... Anything you could dream up using an rc servo inside a rocket.
7) continuity gadget. This could enable the multiple tripwire scenarios others have come up in this thread

You get the idea.

All great ideas, thanks. #s 2,3, and 5 have already gotten some mindshare already.

#3 i have already sampled a BT module for that which uses BLE instead of full Bluetooth, Advantage of BLE is that Apple IOS supports it openly without get special permission and blessing from Apple as is required with full bluetooth.

#2 will use a 6dof sensor (I have found magnetic data in these devices almost useless, perhaps i am doing it wrong).

 

[thomas]

Cant you have a sensor module in the nosecone and sample the signal strength between it and the av bay, first on the pad and if it decreases after apogee there was a separation.

 

[jderimig]

Cant you have a sensor module in the nosecone and sample the signal strength between it and the av bay, first on the pad and if it decreases after apogee there was a separation.

In theory yes, in practice difficult. I have set the power to the maximum level of the module to have a robust link of up to 60 feet. If someone has a shorter length separation event (10 feet for example) I can discern no loss of signal strength from RSSI data in the module. In free air the signals can be very strong at modest distances.