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What did you do rocket wise today?
- Thread starter BeerorKid
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- Joined
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Reading TRF and waiting for pain med to kick in.
Whoops...that's for the "instead" forum. I guess the pain med has kicked in...
Whoops...that's for the "instead" forum. I guess the pain med has kicked in...
o1d_dude
'I battle gravity'
Received my Semroc Retro-Repro Cineroc Omega from Sirius Rocketry this morning and have already raved about the care taken in packaging the two kits.
Opened the Omega kit this afternoon and discovered that Semroc included only ONE sheet of laser-cut balsa fins so only two booster fins and two sustainer fins
After dinner Iclimbed up on my workbench to access the storage on top of the cabinets and pulled down my supply of Sig contest balsa from my years flying model airplanes. It seems I had only C-grain wood in 1/8” thickness and 4” width so I took out a sheet of 6.5 lb wood and traced the missing fins on it. This wood was from the days of 1/8”wood actually measuring 1/8” so I’ll need to sand a bit off to match the kit fins which are just a hair shy of the full 1/8” according to my mike...
-or-
I’ll just cut ALL the fins from that same plank and skip the thickness sanding. At a minimum, all the fins will weigh the same and have the same strength and grain pattern.
The balsa transition and the nose cone were unlike any I’ve ever seen before. It looks like those parts were cut on a maladjusted CNC router as the surface was “knobby”. That’s the only way I can describe it. I sanded as much as I could but had to stop before removing too much wood. I’ll have to use filler to bring the low ’divots” up to the correct profile.
Included in the kit were a sheet of decals and the distinctive colored fin decals for which the Omega is known. Reflecting on the fin decals...I’m not sure if those were water slide decals or press-on appliques.
Lotta weirdness going on with that kit but I’m going to muddle through as best I can. Have wanted the Omega for years.
Opened the Omega kit this afternoon and discovered that Semroc included only ONE sheet of laser-cut balsa fins so only two booster fins and two sustainer fins
After dinner Iclimbed up on my workbench to access the storage on top of the cabinets and pulled down my supply of Sig contest balsa from my years flying model airplanes. It seems I had only C-grain wood in 1/8” thickness and 4” width so I took out a sheet of 6.5 lb wood and traced the missing fins on it. This wood was from the days of 1/8”wood actually measuring 1/8” so I’ll need to sand a bit off to match the kit fins which are just a hair shy of the full 1/8” according to my mike...
-or-
I’ll just cut ALL the fins from that same plank and skip the thickness sanding. At a minimum, all the fins will weigh the same and have the same strength and grain pattern.
The balsa transition and the nose cone were unlike any I’ve ever seen before. It looks like those parts were cut on a maladjusted CNC router as the surface was “knobby”. That’s the only way I can describe it. I sanded as much as I could but had to stop before removing too much wood. I’ll have to use filler to bring the low ’divots” up to the correct profile.
Included in the kit were a sheet of decals and the distinctive colored fin decals for which the Omega is known. Reflecting on the fin decals...I’m not sure if those were water slide decals or press-on appliques.
Lotta weirdness going on with that kit but I’m going to muddle through as best I can. Have wanted the Omega for years.
Contact Sirius about the missing parts. Either they will replace it or refer you to Randy Boadway at Erockets/Semroc for replacement. Occasionally I've had that happen from various manufacturers, but not often. Maybe two or three times out of hundreds of kits.
o1d_dude
'I battle gravity'
Yes, I heard from Sirius and they referred me to Erockets but I ended up just cutting a complete new set of fins using a 1/8”balsa plank from my stash from the AMA Free Flight days.
Two sets actually. The first set was cut from 6.5 lb stock which was lighter than the factory fins so I cut a second set from 8 lb stock which was about the same weight.
Balsa and I are old friends. Such good friends that I have to wear a mask when I work with it, having become sensitized to the dust. Used to build hand launched gliders by the dozen as they tended to fly out of sight. Nowadays all the cool kids use foam and carbon fiber.
Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow...
Big day, bi-i-i-ig day! Attached a couple of handles to my ACME Rocket Launcher (battery box)! 
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GrouchoDuke
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o1d_dude
'I battle gravity'
Bought a nice 1/8” balsa plank at the LHS to cut fins old school style for my Semroc Omega clone.
The fins came out about the same weight as the laser cut ones in the kit but are much stiffer. Old AMA Free Flight guy can pick out some balsa!
Could have called up ERockets and asked to have the missing fin sheet replaced but this was quicker and is in my wheelhouse. Must have cut out a million ribs, stabs, fins, wing blanks during my active Free Flight years. Even put out a few kits of my own.
Sprayed my Astron Sprint XL nose cone a glorious bright yellow in the early evening after the temps dropped down a bit. Rustoleum Protective Enamel for the win!
Visited the West Marine store a picked up a G/flex Toughened Epoxy set. Found out about this stuff from watching the @OKTurbo youtube video series on constructing the SBR 3” Thor. I have the kit so picking up tips from the build videos is a good thing.
The fins came out about the same weight as the laser cut ones in the kit but are much stiffer. Old AMA Free Flight guy can pick out some balsa!
Could have called up ERockets and asked to have the missing fin sheet replaced but this was quicker and is in my wheelhouse. Must have cut out a million ribs, stabs, fins, wing blanks during my active Free Flight years. Even put out a few kits of my own.
Sprayed my Astron Sprint XL nose cone a glorious bright yellow in the early evening after the temps dropped down a bit. Rustoleum Protective Enamel for the win!
Visited the West Marine store a picked up a G/flex Toughened Epoxy set. Found out about this stuff from watching the @OKTurbo youtube video series on constructing the SBR 3” Thor. I have the kit so picking up tips from the build videos is a good thing.
Hit the V-2 with a little grey primer to check my fillets. They need some work, but how those moulded details start to pop.
Also, a box of two more Spacemonkey kits finally arrived. Yep. I may be addicted.
Can I go back to work now...?
Also, a box of two more Spacemonkey kits finally arrived. Yep. I may be addicted.
Can I go back to work now...?
o1d_dude
'I battle gravity'
Spacemonkeymodels, eh ?
Just what I need.
A DVD about the Me-163.
Thanks for sharing your addiction.
🛩
Just what I need.
A DVD about the Me-163.
Thanks for sharing your addiction.
🛩
Did you also tell them about the poor quality of the transition? Even if you're content to sand and fill and fix it yourself, they need to know how they're messing up.
(My phone failed to post the response above when I wrote it yesterday.)
Neil, your title is in jeopardy.
Nytrunner
Pop lugs, not drugs
Last night during HARA's virtual club meeting, I spent my mute time swapping bays and troubleshooting an RRC3. It took a knock when Long Tom landed hard with a tangled main and the last flight was corrupted.
I deleted the flight, used the diagnostic panel to check the outputs and sensors, and did a firing check on all the outputs.
Briefly ran into a settings read error, but a google took me directly to an old forum response by MW Jim instructing a default reset, and that fixed it!
Ill button it up with fresh matches and put it in H.A.P.I for a checkout flight
I deleted the flight, used the diagnostic panel to check the outputs and sensors, and did a firing check on all the outputs.
Briefly ran into a settings read error, but a google took me directly to an old forum response by MW Jim instructing a default reset, and that fixed it!
Ill button it up with fresh matches and put it in H.A.P.I for a checkout flight
Opened a downloaded RockSim file for the Estes Geo Sat LV. I recently found the instructions sheen in an old box. From that I learned what that old nose and payload section assembly is from (it's been in my odd salvage drawer for a few years) and now I want to clone the rest. The RS file is wonderfully detailed.
Andrew K (@BSNW) advised me that the rocket is overweight/underpowered on a C6, so I should either upgrade to a 24 mm motor mount or use only composite motors. Simulations confirmed that. It gets over 300 feet on a C6, but it's too slow off the rod.
I made a second copy of the RS file, then both A) upgraded to a 24×95 mm motor mount and B) added 13 mm mounts to the side boosters. I'd build it with the side boosters' aft centering rings far enough forward to put the plastic ends in for display and single motor flights.
A D12 gives plenty of speed off the rod, as does a C6 assisted by a pair of 1/2A engines (pretty much any of them). E9 + 2×A3 gets the apogee well over a thousand feet.
Andrew K (@BSNW) advised me that the rocket is overweight/underpowered on a C6, so I should either upgrade to a 24 mm motor mount or use only composite motors. Simulations confirmed that. It gets over 300 feet on a C6, but it's too slow off the rod.
I made a second copy of the RS file, then both A) upgraded to a 24×95 mm motor mount and B) added 13 mm mounts to the side boosters. I'd build it with the side boosters' aft centering rings far enough forward to put the plastic ends in for display and single motor flights.
A D12 gives plenty of speed off the rod, as does a C6 assisted by a pair of 1/2A engines (pretty much any of them). E9 + 2×A3 gets the apogee well over a thousand feet.
NateB
Well-Known Member
0-2 today.
Started with a Wizard on an A8-3. Great flight, but the elastic shock cord snapped at deployment. Also forgot to arm the altimeter on my phone before launching. Everything was recovered in tact, so it can fly again.
Next up was my Exiter on a B6-4. This also had a nice flight going up, reached apogee of 459'. This one also had the the kevlar harnes rip out from the epoxy on the inside of the airframe. No other damage, so it can fly again too.
The worst part is that I lost my Flight Sketch Mini. I was close enough to connect to it and download the data, but after searching the area where I had a Bluetooth signal for a half hour with no luck, I gave up.
I didn't end up flying my Trivecta, it wasn't a great rocket day.
Edit:
I didn't pack those small rockets any different than previous flights. Just a couple squares of Estes wadding, the streamer, and altimeter. The only difference was these were prepped for flight on Tuesdsay and I didn't get to launch them.
On the other hand, the rubber band type shock cords are a weak point and the Exiter has flown quite a bit. If I were building it again, I would have secured the Kevlar cord to the thrust ring rather than epoxy it to the inside using the same trifold paper technique with small cardboard rockets.
Started with a Wizard on an A8-3. Great flight, but the elastic shock cord snapped at deployment. Also forgot to arm the altimeter on my phone before launching. Everything was recovered in tact, so it can fly again.
Next up was my Exiter on a B6-4. This also had a nice flight going up, reached apogee of 459'. This one also had the the kevlar harnes rip out from the epoxy on the inside of the airframe. No other damage, so it can fly again too.
The worst part is that I lost my Flight Sketch Mini. I was close enough to connect to it and download the data, but after searching the area where I had a Bluetooth signal for a half hour with no luck, I gave up.
I didn't end up flying my Trivecta, it wasn't a great rocket day.
Edit:
I didn't pack those small rockets any different than previous flights. Just a couple squares of Estes wadding, the streamer, and altimeter. The only difference was these were prepped for flight on Tuesdsay and I didn't get to launch them.
On the other hand, the rubber band type shock cords are a weak point and the Exiter has flown quite a bit. If I were building it again, I would have secured the Kevlar cord to the thrust ring rather than epoxy it to the inside using the same trifold paper technique with small cardboard rockets.
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o1d_dude
'I battle gravity'
Bummer about losing your Flightsketch alt.
The old needle in a haystack problem and Bluetooth often has more range than advertised.
I bought a colorful pouch from Dinochutes with the idea of maybe being a bit more likely to find the FS in these situations but hope never to have to put it to the test.
Maybe a small streamer directly attached to the FS?
The old needle in a haystack problem and Bluetooth often has more range than advertised.
I bought a colorful pouch from Dinochutes with the idea of maybe being a bit more likely to find the FS in these situations but hope never to have to put it to the test.
Maybe a small streamer directly attached to the FS?
A metal detector could help with that, maybe...
NateB
Well-Known Member
Both are good ideas. When I replace the FS Mini, I'll definitely get a colorful pouch for it. The green PCB would be hard to see in the grass. I found the area it was in and could have even been on top of it without seeing it. Oh well, these things happen.
Yes, but isn't it nice when they can unhappen. It's too late for the pouch or streamer, but not for the metal detector.
How long do you suppose the battery lasts? It may not be too late for one of these:
How long do you suppose the battery lasts? It may not be too late for one of these:
NateB
Well-Known Member
I didn't know such an app existed. I'll go back to the park in a little bit and give it a shot. I cam remember the area the rocket landed in.
beeblebrox
8 C6-0, 12 D11-9, 20 D20-0, 20 E5-0, 3 Cinerocs
Visited AeroTech with a friend. Looked at their non-functioning backup generator to see what needs to be fixed. (A control board had let the magic smoke out...) Static fired an EX motor on AeroTech's test stand. Theoretical: H178. Actual H179.8 232 ns. 52 lb-sec ISP Delivered 210 sec.
Note: Phone camera did not switch to correct display... it's rotated 90deg. Test stand is actually horizontal.
Note: Phone camera did not switch to correct display... it's rotated 90deg. Test stand is actually horizontal.
NateB
Well-Known Member
A big THANK YOU for this suggestion. I went back to the park, still had a bluetooth connection in the general area where the rocket landed. The app you linked started shows a 20% signal strength and a short game of hot or cold led me to the FD Mini camouflaged in short grass.
o1d_dude
'I battle gravity'
Nate, you owe Joe a beer.
NateB
Well-Known Member
Sure do. If we ever meet at an event I'll have a beer, coffee or other drink of choice for him.
You're very welcome.
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