What did you do rocket wise today?

[messedupryan]

Took a day off of work today, just because. I still can't sleep past about 5:30 in the morning, so I got some rocket time in early today!

I'm slowly putting these multi-part fins together, doing number 3 of 4 this morning. I

I'm also taking my first pass at trying to fill spirals, so I have spent the morning sanding, and sanding, and sanding... Something rocket-like is taking shape though

 

[Wally Ferrer]

Took a day off of work today, just because. I still can't sleep past about 5:30 in the morning, so I got some rocket time in early today!

I'm slowly putting these multi-part fins together, doing number 3 of 4 this morning. I
View attachment 458026
I'm also taking my first pass at trying to fill spirals, so I have spent the morning sanding, and sanding, and sanding... Something rocket-like is taking shape though
View attachment 458029

With all this sanding you mention, I was expecting to see the diamond airfoils on those fins... There's sanding, and then there's sanding! Still,

 

[messedupryan]

There's sanding, and then there's sanding! Still...

hahaha, I was being over dramatic for sure. Most of the sanding I did today was to remove the 2 rather ugly seams up either side of the nose cone.

 

[dr wogz]

Updated my 'Secret Santa' wish list!

(I have a standard list I send out.. Realized I may be a little too open / vague about my wants & wishes! So, pruned it a bit; Added some specific "kit" wants & removed most of the "case" wants..

 

[GrouchoDuke]

Finally got some time to do something rocketry related. Received my Naze32 flight controller (full version with magnetometer and baro) the other day and managed to get the antenna tracker firmware programmed into it today.

Wow, they still make Naze32s? That’s way plenty horsepower for what you’re doing. Sounds fun!

 

[tab28682]

Today is a priming and sanding day.

Heading to the DARS club meeting tomorrow as well as picking up some of John Pursley's wraps from a club member.

 

[sinbintd1]

I would guess many folks do a little rocketry work every few days. Maybe your work is not new thread worthy, but you might want to at least share with others.
If you feel like it, this can be a thread for that. On the arcade message board I visit they have a thread like that and it is nice.

1st post, Hello every one! I made decals for a memorial rocket for my mother in-law, (my contribution as I cannot be there). I also created multiple drone kits (more like Frankenstein kits) of Der V-3 and Phoenix (three of each) with D/E engine conversions included. Going to build one and if my directions are good will see if I can find buyers for them. Also working on a Starship enterprise 25th edition build (at the paint stage).

 

[GrouchoDuke]

Played with rocket designs, stared at electronics components shipping tracking info, started a 37 hour print to start building a new 38mm launch tower.

 

[teepot]

Today I finished my sort of oddroc. It is a 2.6" main BT with 3, 1.63" BT's as out riggers. It has a 38mm mmt. The mmt is at the rear of the 2.6" tube and mostly in front of the other tubes. It weighs 30 ounces with a parachute and is 69" long. I'm calling this one the SS Capella. Yesterday I finished the grid fin rocket. It's a 3" BT with a 38mm mmt. It has 4 grid fins and 4 strakes. I made the fins by making a frame of 1/8th Bass wood. Drilled holes and inserted 1/8th bamboo skewers. I attached the frame to a block of balsa and epoxied the fin to the BT TTW. I patterned it from the MOAB, Massive Ordinance Air Burst. It weighs 36 ounces with a chute and is 66" long. I'm calling this one BOAB, the Baby Of All Bombs.

 

[Devin Batten]

Finally finished the Loc Semper Fi. Can't wait to send it a mile high.

 

[DigBaddy]

Paint and primer afternoon. Also, there is only one correct green to use, ever.

 

[rbelknap]

Painted the mosquito that’s been sitting naked forever and a day:

 

[Wally Ferrer]

Painted the mosquito that’s been sitting naked forever and a day:View attachment 458285

Don't tell @DigBaddy , but that doesn't look like John Deere green...

 

[rbelknap]

Paint and primer afternoon. Also, there is only one correct green to use, ever.

That’s a good green. I’m also partial testors lime ice and occasionally mystic emerald (see the mosquito above)

 

[rbelknap]

Don't tell @DigBaddy , but that doesn't look like John Deere green...

Nope - mystic emerald on that one

 

[DigBaddy]

Don't tell @DigBaddy , but that doesn't look like John Deere green...

Durrr.... didn't read right. Ok, that looks good too

 

[RocketTree]

Was nice to get a half dozen launches in today.

 

[BrendanH69]

Got lots of build time on the 114% scale Thales Starstreak build project today. Worked mainly on the carrier core for the 3 Hittiles (Darts) and it's interface to fix it to the forward transition. Taped the 3 Darts, which have largely finished their basic build, into position on the mini rail guides to see how the final positioning is going to work out. Aft fin clearances are going to be tight!

Updated the built weights into OR to keep a track of weight and stability. Forecast final lift off-weight is 3.9kg incl. all motors.

Happy Easter everyone!

 

[RobertH3]

Going to prime Estes "The Shadow" after sanding down the clear lacquer fill/sealer. My son had this one when he was 12 and I'm doing a "retro repro" in 29mm MP / HP. 3/16" Sig 10 ply fins, BMS BTH-80 tube (great stuff), etc. Also a 29mm Big Daddy with Vanderburn fins - don't think I'll have issues with nose separation with a 29 in there.

 

[altertalk]

Went launching with my club, South East Virginia Rocket Association (sevra.org). But my videos are too large to upload. Yesterday was 4/3/21! Had an amazing Comanche-3 flight to over 2,000'!

 

[Wally Ferrer]

Went launching with my club, South East Virginia Rocket Association (sevra.org). But my videos are too large to upload. Yesterday was 4/3/21! Had an amazing Comanche-3 flight to over 2,000'!

Try using vimeo or youtube, maybe..

 

[Antares JS]

Finished my Boyce 1/100 scale Mercury-Atlas. Affectionately referred to as "Little Atlas" to differentiate from my Estes one. Flies on an 18mm C or D. Instructions say a B6 also works but it already weighs in at 4.27 oz with a C6-5 so I wouldn't try a B.

 

[heada]

Painted the nose and fins on a 3" Sandhawk, painted the brown forward canards on a 2.2" BBX (it's now done and ready for flight) and the center red section on a 1.9" LOC RAM. Also glued up the fins on a Der Big Red Max.

Really don't care for these fins but they'll be papered with japanese mulberry paper and thinned epoxy and then pressed between aluminum plates with 20kg of weight on top.

 

[GrouchoDuke]

Finished one launch tower bracket print. Started another. Worked on a rocketry app.

 

[Cl(VII)]

Finished one launch tower bracket print. Started another. Worked on a rocketry app.

View attachment 458472View attachment 458473

Excellent use of the bolts to add Z-axis strength to the final print. Do you use a captured nut and/or thermal insert, or do they just thread into the holes?

 

[GrouchoDuke]

Excellent use of the bolts to add Z-axis strength to the final print. Do you use a captured nut and/or thermal insert, or do they just thread into the holes?

Thanks Chris. They just thread into the holes. This is the 4th tower I've done this on & it works great to strengthen the EMT mounts. Without the bolts there, I'd expect to break the tower just moving it back & forth to launches. With them there, I've never broken one.

EDIT: it's not just added Z axis strength that I was worried about - X & Y too!

 

[Cl(VII)]

Thanks Chris. They just thread into the holes. This is the 4th tower I've done this on & it works great to strengthen the EMT mounts. Without the bolts there, I'd expect to break the tower just moving it back & forth to launches. With them there, I've never broken one.

EDIT: it's not just added Z axis strength that I was worried about - X & Y too!

Yeah absolutely, getting help in every direction. Most breakage ends up between layers, so I wrongly think of everything as adding Z-axis strength, even if it is really just protecting the layer bonding by preventing/guarding against shear forces.

 

[OverTheTop]

Wow, they still make Naze32s? That’s way plenty horsepower for what you’re doing. Sounds fun!

The v5 version of Naze32 runs a STM32F103CB MCU. Much more powerful than the original (ATMega328P IIRC). V5 is also currently superseded, but it is what the firmware for the AAT was designed to run on.

Rejigged my altitude/azimuth mount today to allow the continuous rotation servo on the azimuth axis. Got the microcontroller partly setup, with new firmware loaded and part way through the calibrations etc. Sketched up some parts for the mount, to print on the 3D printer later in the week.

 

[GrouchoDuke]

Yeah absolutely, getting help in every direction. Most breakage ends up between layers, so I wrongly think of everything as adding Z-axis strength, even if it is really just protecting the layer bonding by preventing/guarding against shear forces.

Good point. I broke one along a layer once (without a bolt in it) from a side load. All the strength please!

The v5 version of Naze32 runs a STM32F103CB MCU. Much more powerful than the original (ATMega328P IIRC). V5 is also currently superseded, but it is what the firmware for the AAT was designed to run on.

Very cool. I flew a quadcopter flight control in my L1 rocket along with a GPS and "receiver" probably running Cleanflight (2016, so whatever was popular then). I sent telemetry back to my Taranis r/c transmitter and wrote a Lua script to show the coordinates on the Taranis' display. It was a great tracker using parts I already had laying around.

I just dug up some pix of that setup. It looks like the board I used had an STMF303 on it, so it wasn't a Naze. Still, quadcopter parts!

 

[OverTheTop]

Nice setup with the GPS back through to the Rx.

My next challenge will be getting the GNSS data back from the TeleMega system and porting it to the AAT. It should be able to recognise the NEMA strings and figure out the location from that. That's one reason why I chose the U360GTS AAT, since it has support for many different GNSS protocols including autodetect.