Mad Rocketeer
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- Nov 30, 2009
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Flew some Micro-Maxx rockets with a friend and 4 kids (one of them mine). I lost one on a three-way drag race. Found the two standard sized rockets, but lost the little one. We hadn't arranged ahead of time who would track which bird. Live and learn. I bought two of the blow-out sets, so I still have 19 rockets left.
I know there are some real fans of Micro-Maxx here. That's really what convinced me to buy these. I noticed two things though.
1.) These puppies fly a lot higher than advertised. At least it looks that way. No way I could fly them from my back yard, etc. I thought they'd go maybe 100 - 150 feet up. Looked like a lot more than that. They're small, so it could be partly illusion, but even so they went a good deal higher than I expected or would like to chance on a tiny field.
2.) The igniters are a royal pain. Darn near an imperial pain. I got a flight out of about one in three. Can't remember the last time a solar igniter didn't perform for me (assuming the clip hadn't come loose or something like that).
Bending out the wires at the base is tedious but no large hassle. What's difficult is keeping the igniter positioned while getting the clips hooked on and getting it inserted properly in the motor. I had to lie flat on the ground to hook them up, and I still couldn't see the end of the motor when the rocket was near the igniter. Raising the igniter to hook it up higher usually made the clips fall off. Etc. Round and round. I could prep, launch, and retrieve three or four standard rockets in the time it took to get the Micro-Maxx stuff wired up, burned through with no launch, wired again, picked up where it fell, wired again, un-squash the nicrome wire loop, put back on, unshorted, picked up again, wired again, inserted again, and finally launched.
When they go, they're fun, even though they're pre-built. I look forward to making some pen rockets and eventually Micro-Maxx clusters. (Would flash-in-the-pan work well for Micro-Maxx clusters?)
I could add tape to the igniter holders to make that tighter and less prone to falling out. Heck, I could even tape the igniter to the holders/pad each time, though that would be more time-consuming.
What's really needed is a better way to wire these puppies up. My thought was this. Critique and let me know if I'm on a better track here. I could:
A.) Pull the nicrome wire out of the plastic. (Would it break or slide out?)
B.) Stick the loop of wire into the motor just like a solar igniter.
C.) Secure the wire in place with tape, a tiny bit of wadding, or maybe a toothpick, making sure the wires don't short. (Maybe modeling clay would work here.)
D.) Use a clothes pin or similar as a stand-off to make sure the rocket doesn't touch the pad. (I might need some sort of micro-sized blast plate too, since the usual igniter module won't be under it.)
E.) Wire the rocket up and let it go.
There really needs to be a better way. Is this it?
Thanks.
I know there are some real fans of Micro-Maxx here. That's really what convinced me to buy these. I noticed two things though.
1.) These puppies fly a lot higher than advertised. At least it looks that way. No way I could fly them from my back yard, etc. I thought they'd go maybe 100 - 150 feet up. Looked like a lot more than that. They're small, so it could be partly illusion, but even so they went a good deal higher than I expected or would like to chance on a tiny field.
2.) The igniters are a royal pain. Darn near an imperial pain. I got a flight out of about one in three. Can't remember the last time a solar igniter didn't perform for me (assuming the clip hadn't come loose or something like that).
Bending out the wires at the base is tedious but no large hassle. What's difficult is keeping the igniter positioned while getting the clips hooked on and getting it inserted properly in the motor. I had to lie flat on the ground to hook them up, and I still couldn't see the end of the motor when the rocket was near the igniter. Raising the igniter to hook it up higher usually made the clips fall off. Etc. Round and round. I could prep, launch, and retrieve three or four standard rockets in the time it took to get the Micro-Maxx stuff wired up, burned through with no launch, wired again, picked up where it fell, wired again, un-squash the nicrome wire loop, put back on, unshorted, picked up again, wired again, inserted again, and finally launched.
When they go, they're fun, even though they're pre-built. I look forward to making some pen rockets and eventually Micro-Maxx clusters. (Would flash-in-the-pan work well for Micro-Maxx clusters?)
I could add tape to the igniter holders to make that tighter and less prone to falling out. Heck, I could even tape the igniter to the holders/pad each time, though that would be more time-consuming.
What's really needed is a better way to wire these puppies up. My thought was this. Critique and let me know if I'm on a better track here. I could:
A.) Pull the nicrome wire out of the plastic. (Would it break or slide out?)
B.) Stick the loop of wire into the motor just like a solar igniter.
C.) Secure the wire in place with tape, a tiny bit of wadding, or maybe a toothpick, making sure the wires don't short. (Maybe modeling clay would work here.)
D.) Use a clothes pin or similar as a stand-off to make sure the rocket doesn't touch the pad. (I might need some sort of micro-sized blast plate too, since the usual igniter module won't be under it.)
E.) Wire the rocket up and let it go.
There really needs to be a better way. Is this it?
Thanks.