The Bertha Cam - adventures in flying digi cameras!

[Steve]

Is your rocket-camera rigged so that it is suspended horizontally below your parachute(s) during it's descent?

Stephen

 

[pinter75]

Hi,

Yes the cam stage is rigged so it points down when descending. So far the D12 ejection has blown the chute each time. The last flight the cam descended with 50% of the cords attached (hence the blur and spin in the photos). The original method of attaching the chute was a cord from the front to the rear of the stage, with the chute attched in the middle. The cam stage would rotate around this point making blurry pics.

I have now tried attaching the chute differently.

 

[Mike]

Maybe you could use Kevlar as the parachute lines, that would stop then from burning through.

Is there any sort of elastic shockcord to protect the parachute during a fast opening?

 

[pinter75]

Kevlar is one idea, I am trying a longer booster to see if that helps. Also I am looking into baffles & wadding.

Where can I get Kevlar thread? Is it an online thing only?

Steve.

 

[Mike]

Steve,
Apollo 11, a UK based mail order vendor sells Kevlar, his website is https://www.apo11o.com He also sells everything you need to scratch build, tubes, nosecones etc.

Kevlar is about 10p a foot from Apollo 11, sounds a lot but its useful stuff.

HTH

 

[pinter75]

HI.

Here is an update on the new booster stage (the other being lost as it came down - maybe I'll find it, but it was getting pretty busted up).

Slightly longer than the old stage, with newer wider fins. The old design did fly nice and straight tho'.

As for mounting, yes the chute has some elastic to buffer any speed openings. I have also looked at making a "Parachute Pusher" This thing plops infront of a few sheets of wadding and will hopefully push the chute and further buffer any excess ejection charge?

Chute pusher - good idea or bad?

Ready for painting.

RockSim design (no chutes added when I took the screen cap).

Steve.

 

[sandman]

The Chute Pusher idea seems sound enough but I would be concerned about it "cocking" in the tube.

Would it be too difficult to add a tube coupler to the engine fscing side?

Or...would it be worth "wasting" an engine in a static "ground test" of the pusher?

sandman

 

[pinter75]

Hi,

There is enough clearance so it travels straight through. I have done a few simple blow tests and it pops out each time along with the cam stage.

I may have to do a little more thinking when I need to add a shock cord to the booster stage.

Blue stuff - wadding.

 

[sandman]

Looks like you have taken care of that nicley!

sandman

 

[n3tjm]

WOW! What did you use to do these drawings and animations?

 

[Mike]

I thought your drawings were great but the animation was even better!

 

[pinter75]

Hi,

Kevlar has been sourced I got Fly Fishing line stuff, cool as it comes in NEON colours.

Here is a proposed chute attachment. 3 lines go to the back of the cam stage and 3 to the front. Anyone know if my cute lines are too long - will that tangle easily?

Sorry about the amount of stuff in the photo, The only thing I have to put the open chute on is a telescope.

A close up of proposed attachment points, As soon as I work out a safe length - they will be fixed into place.

Steve.

 

[pinter75]

Yippie, Chutes deployed, nice glide down and a camera full of pics

Here are 3 of the best.

Steve.

 

[cydermaster]

Very, very good photos Steve. Your hard work has paid off.

I like the 1st one the best.

 

[pinter75]

Thanks It has certainly been a fun journey, 5th time lucky, ironicly the camera worked everytime, it has been the recovery that was the problem.

Things to try:

1). Camera pointing down the side of the tube.

2). Video! that will be my next project - thank goodness for the current heatwave!

Steve.

 

[SwingWing]

I got some digital camera shots today too! My pencam looks thru a clear payload section and it is getting scratched up and the left side of the pix are blurry.
I am going to modify to take pix looking down the BT too.

 

[SwingWing]

My Pencamroc doesn't go real high. It flys on a 3-C6 cluster.
After talking to Jetra2 I think I am going to move the Pencam payload to my new 24mm Deuces Wild!

 

[Mike]

Great pics Steve,
Looks like the two attachment points for the parachute really helped, glad all those trips to the field paid off for you.

Jim, it'll be great to fly onboard with a deuce.

 

[sandman]

Steve,

Fantastic pictures!

The only thing I would concider as a change (since it works so well) is a change to a better parachute material, like ripstop nylon. Don't change anything else!

You want to protect that payload with a little more insurance than a plastic chute!

We want to see more of those nice pictures of the English countryside coming.

Sorta reminds me of the opening shots on "Heartbeats"
You just have to get a steam locomotive chugging away in the backround.

sandman

 

[pinter75]

Any one got any ides of where I can get a nylon chute from in the UK, I have had a look but found nowt.

Steve.

 

[cydermaster]

Deepsky do them. I'm planning to get some when I next order.

Its worth sending Andy an e-mail, asking his opinion as to which 'chute to buy.

HTH

 

[pinter75]

Click here to find all the pics from the flight that worked.

 

[graylensman]

okay, i might not be original here, but... those pix are way cool!!!

A small suggestion: i'd like to see one from the pad just before liftoff, facing toward the launch controller- sort of a portrait of the rocketeer.

 

[pinter75]

Here are a couple at liftoff.

I have not actually ever launched this rocket. I am the man who starts the timer on the camera.

Steve.

 

[loopy]

That's really cool - but we need a better shot of the girlfriend...lol

Loopy

 

[pinter75]

The bertha cam has been upgraded to fly video capture now.

If you are interested?

Steve.

 

[womblegs]

Been reading a few of the older threads and came accross this one.
Would you be willing to email or post a circuit diagram of the modifications you made on the LED kit?
Not sure if this has been asked but, does the camera have its own battery or do you run it off the timer battery to conserve weight?

Gareth

 

[gerbs4me]

awesome pics
that camera takes really good pics.

 

[pinter75]

For all those how asked this is a pic of the timer I used on the VGA pencam. 1.3MP Pencams need 4-5 seconds to refresh after each pic, so you will only get a few pics on each filght.

In the UK it is based on the Velleman Minikit- metronome or dual LED flasher from Maplin. All the other stuff is from Maplin too.

Steve C.

 

[Mike]

Steve, did your parachute rig help stop the spinning during the recovery?