VidRoc - Was Quest Icarus

[bcdlr]

I have some pictures to show of the shroud and camera.
I used a two pin header off of a motherboard and a shorting jumper as my switch. This will hang out the top of the payload tube, you'll put the jumper on to 'turn on' the camera and put the nosecone on (yes, it will have a shock cord - just in case).
The string is kevlar to pull the camera board out of the payload tube and I tied the shorting jumper to that so I wouldn't lose it.
The shroud was constructed and then sanded to fit the tube. I wrapped a piece of sandpaper around another tube the same size and sanded the shroud till it fit perfectly.
[BTW this is the payload tube of the Quest Icarus - with a D motor mount]

 

[bcdlr]

Here's a view of the camera board and camera. Velcro to mount camera and a velcro strap to hold battery.

 

[bcdlr]

Here's a picture of the tube with the camera installed. I put a 2-1/2" foam block / spacer in the bottom of the payload bay (really dense, REALLY lightweight foam - out of a hard drive box). There would have been no way to get the camera in and out otherwise. It was a long way to the bottom.

 

[bcdlr]

Take a look at my web page for all the pics (bottom of the list)...
https://on30.home.insightbb.com/photo.htm

 

[DynaSoar]

Originally posted by bcdlr
Here's a picture of the tube with the camera installed. I put a 2-1/2" foam block / spacer in the bottom of the payload bay (really dense, REALLY lightweight foam - out of a hard drive box). There would have been no way to get the camera in and out otherwise. It was a long way to the bottom.

Nice job on the shroud.

 

[rokitflite]

Hey Dan!
That is looking real nice! I love the camera board, very neat. I see it is the 200mw camera you are using on this version. Did you make one of the patch antennas for it? I have been meaning to try a 200mw one with a patch. On future ones you should be able to use a much smaller mirror hood. If the camera lense is right to the edge of the inside of the tube you can get away with a 3/8" x 3/8" mirror. I got a bunch of small first surface mirrors off of ebay, let me know if you would like one.


I CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR ABOUT THE LAUNCH RESULTS!!!

 

[rokitflite]

Dan,
Your Grand Daughter launching the rocket on your video is just adorable!

 

[bcdlr]

Originally posted by rokitflite
Dan,
Your Grand Daughter launching the rocket on your video is just adorable!

Yeah, I love that. She's going to be five in October and the concept of counting backwards from five to launch the rocket has her stumped!
My daughter is a 911 dispatcher, second shift, so we have Maddie almost every day. And every evening when I come home, "Grandpaw are we launching rockets tonight?" Or, "Grandpaw are you working on your rockets tonight?" She loves to hang out when I'm working on them or out in the garage painting / sanding. It's been great.
Email me about the mirrors Scott.

 

[stevecarr]

Hey Dan,
Did the math on that antenna .
Looks really simple and small. Element spacing of 1.86".
Loop circumf. of 9 to 9.54".
That means at less than 24" you get a 12 element 1.2ghz antenna that will at least double the range of your camera.
Thats a fair guess without doing even more math, but you could go 2000' line of sight with 200mw easy.
I'll doo a mock up and post it. Can't wait till my camera gets here to tast it out.

 

[bcdlr]

Originally posted by stevecarr
Hey Dan,
Did the math on that antenna .
Looks really simple and small. Element spacing of 1.86".
Loop circumf. of 9 to 9.54".
That means at less than 24" you get a 12 element 1.2ghz antenna that will at least double the range of your camera.
Thats a fair guess without doing even more math, but you could go 2000' line of sight with 200mw easy.
I'll doo a mock up and post it. Can't wait till my camera gets here to tast it out.

What's the width of the pattern? Sounds great. Please post the design. Is the feed very difficult?
On another note I got my receiver back, actually a replacement, from Hong Kong! We're A-OK now. This is the best receiver yet, too.

 

[stevecarr]

Like I said I didn't do all of the math.
Quad antennas are fairly broadbanded.
To nail it down though the tx freq. of the camera would help.
All of my calculations are based on 1296mhz.
I have built several quads before including a dual band 2m/440 jobby. 6 el. on 2 16 on 440. Talk about some ears.
Feed point impedence of 52 ohms. Fed directly with RG8.
Since this is only a recieve antenna I'm going to tie the center wire to one end of the loop with the shield to the other.
5 bucks in parts. More later.

 

[rokitflite]

When I send you the mirror I will also send along Quest quick kit for you Grand Daughter to have for her very own to fly with Grandpaw! Don't let me read in some post that you took it, converted it to D power and won't let her near it!

 

[bcdlr]

Originally posted by rokitflite
When I send you the mirror I will also send along Quest quick kit for you Grand Daughter to have for her very own to fly with Grandpaw! Don't let me read in some post that you took it, converted it to D power and won't let her near it!

Well, she's tickled. We already made a Baby Bertha. She didn't quite understand how someone I talked to on the computer would know her though.
I PM'd you back.

 

[bcdlr]

Originally posted by stevecarr
To nail it down though the tx freq. of the camera would help.
All of my calculations are based on 1296mhz.

I'll have to see if they have a counter at work that goes that high. I don't have one that goes that high anymore...

 

[stevecarr]

Well how goes the building precess?
I like picture.

 

[havoc821]

Congrats! That is really turning out great! I never liked my mirror shrouds because they never fit the tube good, but today I did the exact same thing you did with yours by putting sandpaper on a tube and sanding it for perfect fit. Works out great and looks nice! I am almost finished with my Eye in the Sky 8! Yes, I know another one. This one is a 7 motor cluster. It is based around the BT55 tubing. The rocket is ~25" long. Core 24mm surrounded by 6 outboard 18mm! About 2500' with camera and 1 E9 and 6 C6s! I can't wait to hear how yours works out. Thanks for the camera also! It works great. I still need to get a switch soldered onto it like my other camera. Did anything I send you in those messages help out any with this rocket? If anything I hope you learned what not to do. I have plenty of those stories to pass around. Well, goo luck and keep us posted!

 

[bcdlr]

Chris, yes those letters helped. You know how it goes... you have your own idea how it works then you look at a half dozen other ideas and kind of synthesize your own 'plan' - That's what I've been doing all along.
Steve, I'll get some pictures. I have the fins glued on and I'm priming / filling the nose cone.
I had to sand the coupler a bunch to get it to fit the BT - the part that goes into the booster that ISN'T glued. I need to seal it with something. When it got real humid lately it got "fuzzy." Maybe just some clear varnish...
I'll post some pics soon.

 

[DynaSoar]

Originally posted by bcdlr
[BTW this is the payload tube of the Quest Icarus - with a D motor mount]

If you need to replace the booster, or just want a spare, I have an Icarus that lost its payload section. It has an E mount with removeable D spacer. Some minor exhaust burns around the bottom ring, but only cosmetic. With an E mount (24mm x 3.75") you can put an Estes E, or with the spacer, Aerotech or Apogee Es. The Apogee might make for a decent flight: 7.8 sec burn time.

It's a decent bird, but after six months of building everything I could, I've got more focus on some projects, and repairing this isn't on the list.

 

[rokitflite]

Hey Dan,
I have not forgotten you! I just found those first surface mirrors I promised you after an exstensive search! I should start a thread of "Whose workshop is the biggest disaster?" I would win. Anyway, I will be getting that mirror and the rocket I promised your Grand Daughter off to you this week! Sorry for the delay!

 

[stevecarr]

I'm still watching to.
Though my vidroc is on the shelf for a while behind other projects, but I did come up with this.

 

[stevecarr]

The missing element is where the coax goes.
After a little trial and error I found out 3 things.
1. The antenna works great.
2. Those cameras eat batteries.
3. They tend to heat up and fade to white after a while of use.
Maybe the tx antenna on the camera is not the best.
Anyway the antenna works quite well. More later.

 

[bcdlr]

Originally posted by rokitflite
Hey Dan,
I have not forgotten you! I just found those first surface mirrors I promised you after an exstensive search! I should start a thread of "Whose workshop is the biggest disaster?" I would win. Anyway, I will be getting that mirror and the rocket I promised your Grand Daughter off to you this week! Sorry for the delay!

We do get busy don't we? I was going to say especially in the summer or when school starts or around Christmas but it doesn't really matter. It's like every year older I get the more busy I get. I have four daughters, two are out of the house, one is out of HS still living at home so I only have one daughter still in school. The schedule hasn't improved yet. And my granddaughter is here almost every night as her mother is a 911 dispatcher on second shift (single mother).
Thanks for remembering us!

 

[bcdlr]

Originally posted by stevecarr
I'm still watching too.

Keep watching! It is DONE except for decaling and figuring out what exactly to do with the nosecone. I think I'll just drive a little sheet metal screw through the outside into the nosecone.
I don't want to lose the nose cone or more importantly the camera!!
I will post pictures when I get it decaled!
Steve, I like the antenna. When you get it all ironed out send me the design notes.
I've got a guy I work with harvesting right now. When he gets me a field cleared out I'll have a spot.
How big an area do you think I need to fly this in with a C11?

 

[rokitflite]

Hi Dan,
Well, I finally got your care package off. There is a mirror , the rocket I promised your Grand Daughter and some extra kits I threw in for the both of you (think of it as you are helping me clean house!) Let me know when it arrives!

 

[stevecarr]

I'm not familiar with that rocket. Are you going to fly with the camera or a dummy payload? The only problem with the C11 is that it is a fast motor, and will rip off the pad . I'd use an adapter with a C6. I think video with a slower burning motor would be better. Thats just me. When you get her going though try a D9 RMS in it that is a cool motor and the slower burn won't rip you mod roc to shreds. I've flown many of those motors in my rockets and they are impressive.

 

[rokitflite]

Speaking from hair raising experience, if the model weighs more than 4oz without the motor do not use a C6-3. The initial thrust is too low and it tips off as soon as it leaves the rod. It makes for a great video of you looking shocked as the rocket flies away from you parallel to the ground. Unfortunately it will be looking at the sky as you do the "Oh God Parachute Please Open In Time" dance.

 

[stevecarr]

See told ya I wasn't familiar with that rocket.