Mobile open rocket?

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NTP2 said:
It lets you do the stuff that you normally do with a print out eg CP CG
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Or just a picture of the Sim on your mobile phone? Not trying to discourage you from doing a cool project just pointing out that it maybe more work then you're expecting.
 
NTP2 said:
If I’m got openrocket then I am cheap and don’t want to spend 400$ on a tablet :)
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If you have Open Rocket you're cheap, but $400+ for a phone, no problems.... ;)​
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CalebJ said:
I guess I'm confused then. If you're not running new simulations from the mobile device, what does this really give you?
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Seems like just printing the data out would work.​
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Fleet Sheet 10-17-2023.jpg​
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lakeroadster said:
If you have Open Rocket you're cheap, but $400+ for a phone, no problems.... ;)​
​

Seems like just printing the data out would work.​
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​
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Right, that's what's confusing me. You've already generated the entire data set by running the simulations, so what's accomplished by creating a Python script to extract the data?
 
I just looked and it turns out that getting python to run on IOS is NOT easy. not to mention that when I tried to look at the file to figure out how it works I discovered that it might be encrypted? It looks like a hex editor will be needed and I AM NOT going near that. So I will leave it for someone who knows what they are doing. :)
 
NTP2 said:
I just looked and it turns out that getting python to run on IOS is NOT easy.
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Coulda told you that but just as well for you to discover it on your own. :)

NTP2 said:
not to mention that when I tried to look at the file to figure out how it works I discovered that it might be encrypted? It looks like a hex editor will be needed and I AM NOT going near that. So I will leave it for someone who knows what they are doing. :)
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The ORK file is just a zip file, and the XML file is inside.
 
A couple years ago, I started thinking about a similar idea. I didn't have any desire to design/visualize rockets on my phone, I just wanted to run a simulation like I do with Thrustcurve but using OpenRocket and my pre-defined rockets (from Ork files). The plan I had was develop a REST-like API that would allow me to execute an OpenRocket model on a server and return the results of the sim. The front end would initially be a website but any other tool could also be used to develop an alternative front-end, including a mobile app.

I did develop a rough iteration of this using the flask (Python) as the backend and executing the simulation using OrHelper (https://pypi.org/project/orhelper/). This worked well enough and then I lost interest given that Thrustcurve gives a "good enough" answer, a Microsoft Surface on the range isn't hard, OpenRocket was undergoing significant updates, and I'd rather build rockets than a website.

I believe (although I could be wrong) that many of the internals of OpenRocket have changed in recent versions and OrHelper may no longer work. If I restarted this I'd keep the same infrastructure but look at other options for scripting OpenRocket on the backend (potentially by working with OpenRocket teams to create a commands line interface) and probably use FastAPI for the backend.

Both Flask and FastAPI are Python libraries and easy to learn use. The front-end would probably require Javascript.
 
tHoagland said:
I believe (although I could be wrong) that many of the internals of OpenRocket have changed in recent versions and OrHelper may no longer work. If I restarted this I'd keep the same infrastructure but look at other options for scripting OpenRocket on the backend (potentially by working with OpenRocket teams to create a commands line interface) and probably use FastAPI for the backend.
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orhelper ended up needing very little modification to work with current OR. I filed a PR against it with the needed changes a while ago, see here: https://github.com/SilentSys/orhelper/pull/9

The documentation is 'way behind, referring to OR 15.03 and Java 8, but that's easy to compensate for.
 
Dugway said:
The most simple answer is to invest in a Windows-based tablet. The MS Surface Go 3 can be had new for as little as $399. I use mine as a nightly e-reader, as well as a browser and it has no issues running RockSim at the field. I assume Open Rocket would run just as well.
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Or a Chromebook for under $150. That's what I use at the field. OR works fine on it.

Hans.
 
I don't about OR , I use rocksim Print sim results for my rockets. When I go flying I chose the rockets I'm taking and grab the sim sheets for them and bring them with.
 
I'm not sure what all the hub bub is all about. Why do you need to run sims in the field?

If you keep a log of what motors you've flown and how high they went in that rocket, or sim results with the smallest to largest motors that fit a rocket and maybe 2 or 3 in-between, you can easily estimate altitude of what a non-listed motor will do based on it's and the logged/listed motors Ns are. You only need a table that takes up half a 11 x 8.5 sheet of paper. You don't need any kind of exact estimate, ±500 ft should do fine, ±1000 if you're going over 8K to 10K. And when would you need this anyway? Only if you can buy and fly a motor you didn't anticipate from a local vendor at the field, and then, only if it's going to tickle the waiver. Other than that, you should have all your sims before you leave home.

Sorry, but to me, this whole thing seems like another TRF down in the weeds tech thing that has little practical real world use. I think @James Keller in post #17 asked the right question. Running sims in the field is just a waist of flying time in my eyes.
 
The only reason I can think of to run sims in the field is if you need to use a motor you have not run the sim for and need to select a delay. Had that happen at the June launch in Dalzell, SC. Didn't have OR to run the sim and the first delay ended up putting my FiberMax nose-first in the dirt, 'cause the delay was too long.

Of course, now I'm running electronics on most of my rockets, so don't need to.
 
John Kemker said:
The only reason I can think of to run sims in the field is if you need to use a motor you have not run the sim for and need to select a delay. Had that happen at the June launch in Dalzell, SC. Didn't have OR to run the sim and the first delay ended up putting my FiberMax nose-first in the dirt, 'cause the delay was too long.

Of course, now I'm running electronics on most of my rockets, so don't need to.
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I agree with that, sorry about the lawn dart. Been there, done that.
I'm thinking that if anyone has sims or actual data of previous flights (you can't be a rocket scientist if you don't take notes!) and the delay times that worked or what the needed adjustments were, they should be able to estimate the altitude on that new motor and what delay time they need very accurately, at least as accurate as a delay setting will get. It may take more work and math then just running a sim, but if they're using actual flight data, a manually calculated estimate should be more accurate than a sim since they are using actual flight data.
Again, why is anyone using a motor they didn't do a sim on before they left home? Something they picked up from the local vendor? Maybe they should take the motor home and fly it at the next launch after they've done a sim and determined the delay needed.
 
Handeman said:
I agree with that, sorry about the lawn dart. Been there, done that.
I'm thinking that if anyone has sims or actual data of previous flights (you can't be a rocket scientist if you don't take notes!) and the delay times that worked or what the needed adjustments were, they should be able to estimate the altitude on that new motor and what delay time they need very accurately, at least as accurate as a delay setting will get. It may take more work and math then just running a sim, but if they're using actual flight data, a manually calculated estimate should be more accurate than a sim since they are using actual flight data.
Again, why is anyone using a motor they didn't do a sim on before they left home? Something they picked up from the local vendor? Maybe they should take the motor home and fly it at the next launch after they've done a sim and determined the delay needed.
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I was trying to re-certify L1 and had folks donating motors to help.

From this point onwards, it's electronic deployment.
 
Back in the day I had a program on a Palm Pilot (remember them?) that could calculate delays and had a motor database.

There was a mobile version of thrustcurve that quit working because nothing stands still in the phone software development space. Be nice to get off that hamster wheel but I don't see it happening any time soon.
 
John Kemker said:
From this point onwards, it's electronic deployment.
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I use electronic deployment for pretty much everything these days. It's freeing to not need to think about delays at all. Just grab a motor with enough thrust, put it in a rocket and let her rip.
 
Handeman said:
I agree with that, sorry about the lawn dart. Been there, done that.
I'm thinking that if anyone has sims or actual data of previous flights (you can't be a rocket scientist if you don't take notes!) and the delay times that worked or what the needed adjustments were, they should be able to estimate the altitude on that new motor and what delay time they need very accurately, at least as accurate as a delay setting will get. It may take more work and math then just running a sim, but if they're using actual flight data, a manually calculated estimate should be more accurate than a sim since they are using actual flight data.
Again, why is anyone using a motor they didn't do a sim on before they left home? Something they picked up from the local vendor? Maybe they should take the motor home and fly it at the next launch after they've done a sim and determined the delay needed.
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I adjust the drag to make previous flight sims come out right. That makes for very accurate projections for future flights.
 
JoePfeiffer said:
I adjust the drag to make previous flight sims come out right. That makes for very accurate projections for future flights.
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...and this is something that someone could theoretically do at the field, after first flight.

I don't comprehend why some folks are reflexively arguing against the idea of mobile OR. It would be nice to have. Of course it is possible to live without it, and it is not *essential*, but it would be nice. And if I had my druthers it would be full functionality. Fiddling with designs is fun, I'd love to be able to do it when I'm out and about and bored, or when I'm on vacation only with an iPad but not a proper computer.

I mean, it's not gonna happen any time soon, but why wouldn't we want it if we could get it?
 
neil_w said:
...and this is something that someone could theoretically do at the field, after first flight.

I don't comprehend why some folks are reflexively arguing against the idea of mobile OR. It would be nice to have. Of course it is possible to live without it, and it is not *essential*, but it would be nice. And if I had my druthers it would be full functionality. Fiddling with designs is fun, I'd love to be able to do it when I'm out and about and bored, or when I'm on vacation only with an iPad but not a proper computer.

I mean, it's not gonna happen any time soon, but why wouldn't we want it if we could get it?
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I'm definitely not against the idea of a functional version of OR for the phone. Just struggling with the approach that was presented here.
 

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