Praise for Jolly Logic chute release

[blackwing94]

Got out to launch some rockets with the grandkids this morning. We launch in a middle school park/field/sports complex/YMCA near our house. We can get 1000 feet of landing space if we position ourselves correctly. Winds are usually from the South and we set up behind the Volunteer Fire Dept that's next to the field. We've only launched A-D motors from this park so far.

Today we tested our new Jolly Logic chute release. First three tests were with a Solar Warrior (D12), a Super Neon XL (E9) and a Cosmic Interceptor (E9). Chute release set for 300 feet. Clear sky, wind was 3-7 and light. We used nylon chutes, NOT plastic chutes. The chute release would not fit in the rocket if I bundled it with the entire chute. So I connected it around the base of the nylon chutes. The chute release worked great. All rockets landed within 50 yards of the launch site. Then we moved to a Ventris with an F26-6FJ, chute release set for 300 feet. Worked perfect. Last launch of the day was the Ventris with an F50-6T. Rocksim altitude estimate was 1200+ ft. Again, the rocket landed within 70 yards of us.

We launched other B and C and D motor rockets as well. Some of those landed farther away from us than did the rockets using the chute release. Watching your rocket tumbling down, you keep thinking "Isn't that 300 feet yet?". But the chute release worked every time. I think I'll move down to 200 feet next time. Also, I'll start using larger chutes to lesson potential landing damage. This device allows us to move up to mid power rockets where in the past, we could only launch low power with any expectation of recovery. Now I need to get an altimeter.

 

[GlenP]

...We launched other B and C and D motor rockets as well. Some of those landed farther away from us than did the rockets using the chute release...

so this begs the question, when will they shrink this wonderful device to fit smaller diameter tubes, like 24mm or even 18mm? Fitting one of those around a chute would be a challenge, but it could also wrap around a streamer too, right? (think "Streamer Release" for LPR) Might get too heavy for smaller LPR engines, but for C and D, this would help when launching on small fields.

 

[cwbullet]

Saw two flights today and it works great.

 

[FlyBoy]

Picked mine up today, should be nice for mini Wildman's.

 

[ksaves2]

so this begs the question, when will they shrink this wonderful device to fit smaller diameter tubes, like 24mm or even 18mm? Fitting one of those around a chute would be a challenge, but it could also wrap around a streamer too, right? (think "Streamer Release" for LPR) Might get too heavy for smaller LPR engines, but for C and D, this would help when launching on small fields.

Don't count on it unless the electronics, specifically a tiny strong servo motor could be counted upon to pull the pin release. Who knows, if John finds the right part, he might try to make the device smaller. Kurt

 

[tab28682]

I have a BT50 sized prototype of my RC Chute Sled ready to try at our next launch.

 

[FlyBoy]

Need to get another and go for my level 3

 

[Pat_B]

Our kids have been doing TARC and I'll usually bring out some projects of my own. I've been perfecting the Chute Release deployment. It's something that takes just a little practice, but boy is the CR so great for small fields. Here's video from this morning on a larger field but one that is surrounded by power lines. Deployment at 200'.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3lyg0wzkns5ance/Chute Release.mp4?dl=0

 

[Pat_B]

We're continuing to test conical chute design. This is a low drag guide chute that can be used with the Chute Release. This drag chute takes about 2-3 seconds to fully deploy, but then allows for a controlled descent prior to the CR taking over.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bwqg0z1omx1vnpo/Descent test.mp4?dl=0

 

[Bat-mite]

It is so cool to see all these LPR/MPR folks discovering dual deployment.

 

[TopRamen]

It's on my wishlist!

It would be the perfect thing for my SA-5 build, and since it will take me a few month to build it, I may save up for one.
The rocket is draggy, and will, according to sims, get up there faster than you would expect if built as light as possible without sacrificing strength.
It would be a long time before I could find a big enough field to fly it on a G80-7 SU, but with a chute Release I could have reason to got into reloads and fly it on something even better in the MPR spectrum like the G76.

 

[ksaves2]

Finishing up on a Rocketry Warehouse Formula 54 with a nose mounted EggFinder and use the Chute release for lower level main deployment. I just have to cut holes on the sled for the battery zipties as my forward thrustblock J&B is curing. did the aft one
yesterday. Nosecone can handle the longer 2.15db antenna. Am using three 2-56buttonhead screws to secure the nosecone to the coupler. I simply used a tap to thread the coupler for the screws. The couplers supplied with the RW projects seem to be on the thick side which I consider an advantage. One would need to be careful when torquing the screws but if I have a mishap, I have some 2-56 PEM nuts.
I've done some prototyping with the long 29mm motor and it might be feasible to get an I-200 to work. Kurt

 

[ksaves2]

Formula 54 shots:
Nosecone mount as there's plenty of space for an EggFinder and 1000mah battery.
I drilled and tapped the nosecone coupler and thrustblocks for the battery. The orange
tube is translucent so the Proline 4500 epoxy shows through. Not a big deal. When doing the MM, I assembled the motor mount with the shockcord and both rings pre-assembled. Epoxied it in place and made sure I didn't gunk any epoxy where the TTW fins were going to abut against the 29mm MM tube. I then put two parallel strips of masking tape along side the fin slots and
slathered the epoxy in. Stuffed the fin in after putting a thin line of the Proline on the root edge. Pulled the tape for a clean line to lay the fillets down later. Since the tubes are translucent, I could look up the MMT and see there was a nice root line of the Proline laid.

Yeah the buttonhead screws (3) are out in the breeze but the NC is generally thin and I don't believe it will take a countersunk screw well. Preliminary sims show 5700' with an I200 except I won't be able to find a 16 second delay to drill to 15 seconds so it's realistically out.
H250 is 4000ish feet and the H220 is 3700ish feet. Should go to outta sight land for awhile with the EggFinder riding along for insurance. The JLCR will do the main release chore and I may have it release at a bit higher altitude. Kurt

 

[smugglervt]

Flew my Argent and Ventris at our club launch yesterday on a couple of G53-7FJ and the JLCR worked perfectly both times, deploying the chute at 300' for about a 100 yard walk to retrieve.

 

[Danomite45]

I LOVE the 'Chute release!
members at my local club were talking about how expensive it was.
When I launched my ventris on a H115DM I didn't tell a sole that I had a chute release in it.
everyone just KNEW it was going to crash. The chute opened perfectly at 400 feet, :surprised:
Got those 'ol codgers rethinking the value of the release.
I think I will try my luck at 200 feet with my Squirrel Works Acorn with a yellow Dino Chute.
Lots of room in that big body tube for the <script id="gpt-impl-0.8313061866396797" src="https://partner.googleadservices.com/gpt/pubads_impl_82.js"></script>release.

 

[dhkaiser]

Things went mostly well with the Chute Release. First we launched the
Mammoth on a F15-6 and set the CH to 300ft. Worked well and looked
like we could set it lower. Next we launched a Majestic with a F15-6 with
the CR set at 200ft. CR released properly however this chute took longer
to unravel and opened at about 75 ft. No damage though.

Finally the Mammoth again with another F15-6 and CH at 300ft. Had
trouble igniting, took 4 tries. Then launch went fine and we heard the
ejection charge however it popped the nose cone but not the chute. Not
sure if it was a weak charge or the chute/CR got caught on the shock
cord anchor. Fell all the way to the ground landing on the top of the
body tube. Fins are fine and so might just shorten the BT. The CR did
release the chute however it was in the BT as well as the chute.

Chute Release work well on all 3 flights. Lessons learned, keep CR at 300ft, and check that the chute/CR is
loose in the BT.

 

[rstaff3]

Yes, this is my favorite rocket accessory by far! I had 5 successful flights on the Chute Release yesterday. 4 on nylon chutes, three of which were Estes PS2's. The 5th was a largish (24" ???) plastic chute. All opened rapidly. All were really loose except the Majestic. Here, the silly plastic shock cord doohickey kept the thing from going in far enough to fully seat the cone. I settled for slightly snug and the cone half seated (and masking tape to keep things secure). That worked fine too.

I set the alt. on the first flight to 300 and then went down to 200 for the next few. On the plastic chute I set it back up just in case. Our field drops off abruptly past the pads so in actuality I extra slop. On a flat field I'll start at 300 again and go from there.

Oddly enough, with weather cocking/rod angle, the wind and the terrain, I may have had shorter walks but had more climbing than if the rockets drifted further

I was glad I didn't, and probably will never, have to use the shorter bands. Swapping them seems annoying and if I had to swap them often I'd just buy a 2nd unit.

The only negative I have to say is that the nice foam filled box doesn't have a hole for my Altimeter3!

Thanks John for coming out with this thing!

 

[MALBAR 70]

Finally got a chance to use my Chute Release yesterday. I am quite impressed to say the least. I used it on a total of 4 flights the best being a Loc Cyclotron on a CTI H125. The rocket flew to about 1800 ft with a 9 second delay. The Chute Release opened at 400ft as planned and the parachute fully opened about 40ft later...Awesome!!

 

[Flyfalcons]

Four flights on mine now. It's a game-changer.

 

[EXPjawa]

I had four good flights with mine yesterday. Definitely opens up the possibilities of motor choice for a given site.

 

[ParrytheWind]

Big Daddy on an E18-4, and a Quad Runner on 4 Quest C6-5's flew this past weekend. The Chute Release worked great. I love not having to worry about drift.

 

[tOD]

Found my CR out in a cornfield where it's been since 12/20. Snowed on, rained on, frozen for days. Cleaned off the dried mud, charged it for a couple of hours, seems to be working just fine. Looking forward to using it in my NCR Lance Delta on an H97 in January