What did you do rocket wise today?

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West Systems 105/205 arrived . . . have 209 and 406 on order.
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Glued the RNWS shoulder ring to the inside of the nose locating it on the shoulder. Small steps . . .
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Tomorrow or Saturday the RNWS main tube will be glued. This is where the weighted and un-weighted cartridges will be inserted and the retainer ring screwed on to hold them in place. The weighted cartridge has the eyebolt for shock attachment. This weighted cartridge will be created towards the end of the build when I have a better idea on how the weight will be distributed.

Attached is a very early OpenRocket simulation file and report for the full size 7.5" Loc/Precision DoorKnob. This is a pre-production, certainly NOT ready for prime time simulation file. I hope to have it improved and peer reviewed in the near future . . .


Mark!

PS: Did I Mention the OR simulation is pre-production?
Mark, I have always been under the impression that only a very expensive type of epoxy would stick to Loc nose cones. In other words, West Systems and other similar epoxies would not. I have one each 4 inch and 5.5 inch RNWS's but cannot help to wonder and ask, how did your West Systems hold up with regard to the poly nose cone adherence?
 
used a lampshade that was hexagon shaped and traced around it so I can get a pattern for six holes in the mylar balloons that I'm using for the low power parachute. I put some blue painters tape around the lampshade so that I could run a sharpie marker all the way around it and that way I can take a pair of scissors and cut just outside the line and get myself a hexagon shaped piece of mylar. I used a paper punch to put the six holes in the mylar and then used the white paper reinforcement rings on both sides, so now I will get my wife to put in the white string shroud lines. Need to get some swivels, SS and ball bearing so that I can tie the shroud lines to it and that way I can clip the swivels to the nosecone and I should be in pretty good shape for very very little money in all these 8 parachutes. I need to get some more party balloons now, as I made eight parachutes and still need three more I believe to fully outfit all of the used rockets I bought off of the guy who was getting out of it.
 
What video did you send in the contest?

I sent in a compilation of my memorial weekend K motor flight, and my two cert flights-plus a few extra things. My biggest challenge was keeping the video under the contest's submission MB limit. The problem was that the original video was at least twice as long as the final one I eventually submitted. I had to cut half the unnecessary stuff out once I realized this was going to be an issue. But I got there in the end. Maybe we'll see an Estes HPR line someday... :).
 
More work on the VTS. Managed to get the flight computer talking to Mission Planner. I have lost hours over connections on this project, bluetooth and RF causing me grief. Not so much the actual link, but getting everything talking the right baud rate between the modules and RF-modems is far more complicated than it might seem. MP particularly has a problem with a persnickety BT stack which is what caused me problems the past day or so. Today it has been cooperating.

I wanted to get a 9600 baud serial stream from the GNSS receiver so I could feed it to the FC and also to a transmitter for downlinking to my Automatic Antenna Tracker. It will also provide a secondary telemetry location system in addition to my TeleMega. The GNSS was configured using its relevant application to 9600 baud. When the system was powered up, no talkies :(. Turns out the FC reconfigured the GNSS Rx to 250k baud unbeknown to me, which was NBG* for my telemetry and AAT, but great for the FC. So I determined I could get the FC to output the relevant NMEA sentences on another serial port and it would handle the speed conversion. There is a mechanism in the firmware already for that. After a bit more mucking around it turns out it did that nicely, providing me with NMEA sentences at 9600 baud, but the location data in them was zero :(:(. I suspect it is a bug in Ardupilot so I have flicked that onto the relevant forum for investigation.
NoLocData.png
I also discovered I had mounted the new GNSS receiver module inverted, which matters not for the location, but befouls the orientation of the 3dof compass on the same PCA. A few quick changes (four screws and a plug) and it is now in the same orientation as the previous compass which saves me having to mess with it again to get it right (assuming I had it right before, anyway ;)).

I want to get a mount for a pitot-static tube printed this week so I will have to design that this weekend too. Luckily it is a public holiday on Monday so I should get time to model that in SolidWorks.

I guess I need to finalise the tuning parameters and fly this thing before the year is out 🚀🚀🚀

* NBG = No Bloody Good
 
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OverTheTop: “I wanted to get a 9600 baud serial stream from the GNSS receiver so I could feed it to the FC and also to a transmitter for downlinking to my Automatic Antenna Tracker. It will also provide a secondary telemetry location system in addition to my TeleMega. The GNSS was configured using its relevant application to 9600 baud. When the system was powered up, no talkies :(. Turns out the FC reconfigured the GNSS Rx to 250k baud unbeknown to me, which was NBG* for my telemetry and AAT, but great for the FC. So I determined I could get the FC to output the relevant NMEA sentences on another serial port and it would handle the speed conversion. There is a mechanism in the firmware already for that. After a bit more mucking around it turns out it did that nicely, providing me with NMEA sentences at 9600 baud, but the location data.
I also discovered I had mounted the new GNSS receiver module inverted, which matters not for the location, but befouls the orientation of the 3dof compass on the same PCA.”

Well, duh.
 
After a bit more mucking around it turns out it did that nicely, providing me with NMEA sentences at 9600 baud, but the location data in them was zero :(:(. I suspect it is a bug in Ardupilot so I have flicked that onto the relevant forum for investigation.
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This looks like the GPS just doesn't have a lock yet. Wait longer or go outside maybe? (Does the GPS show good location data elsewhere the same time you're seeing 0s here?)
 
I sent in a compilation of my memorial weekend K motor flight, and my two cert flights-plus a few extra things. My biggest challenge was keeping the video under the contest's submission MB limit. The problem was that the original video was at least twice as long as the final one I eventually submitted. I had to cut half the unnecessary stuff out once I realized this was going to be an issue. But I got there in the end. Maybe we'll see an Estes HPR line someday... :).
You did good. And It would be nice to see Estes do High Power. Did you have an Estes Rocket in the video?
 
Hi there!

The forecast has improved quite a bit for Saturday. A bit cloudy but no wind. Sunday is now showing "scattered thunderstorms" though so I will probably just go on Saturday. Time is noon-5 PM.
Have a Great day John. We will be busy this weekend at home. Hope you get some photos and video's.
 
Estes Patriot with 808 camera on 5/15/2021. Next time we fly 808 will go up on Mid Power with a bigger rocket. Should get a more stable movie.
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Which 808 do you have? I know that formatting it per the instructions and using the recommended class sd card helps. I have the #32 which works best on a Class 4 SD card believe it or not.
 
Which 808 do you have? I know that formatting it per the instructions and using the recommended class sd card helps. I have the #32 which works best on a Class 4 SD card believe it or not.
It's the 808 Spy Cam I got from Apogee Components. It uses a 16 gb card. It amazes me how such a tiny camera can take great quality videos with sound and photos up to one hour. Im not to happy with the programming for the Month ,day and year. The instructions should be better. So I just left the year 2068 alone. o_O
 
Worked on some rocket road trip planning and a couple rocket designs. Talked with an old friend about aerodynamics. Read quite a few reports. Did some brainstorming about my future shop's layout.
 
This looks like the GPS just doesn't have a lock yet. Wait longer or go outside maybe? (Does the GPS show good location data elsewhere the same time you're seeing 0s here?)
Nope. Mission Planner places the vehicle on the map perfectly, so GNSS Rx is working as intended. Solution with up to 12 satellites. I am not as dim as I sim (you are not going to get that joke unless you are an Aussie ;)) . The FC is not transcribing the data to the sentences correctly I think.
 
Rebuilt the homebrew launch controller to trip a relay instead of holding the battery. Had a 4x AA battery holder in the pile of electrical stuff so that will work just fine to run that 5v relay on the end of 40' of wire. Using 2.5x5.5mm connectors between things. Will be able to run three igniter leads off the box with the relay. Just need to make a few more wires with clips.
 

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Launch report.

Estes Alpha, A8-3: Success. First rocket I ever built, making its annual anniversary flight. 24 years old and still flyable.

Estes Venus Probe, D13-4W reloadable: Partial Success. The up part was great on the reloadable D, but the ejection ripped the parachute off the booster, which core sampled. Some centering rings came loose and the skinny lower tube telescoped into the upper tube, but surprisingly there was little crumpling. The booster is definitely repairable.

Scratch Built Micro Der Red Max, Micro Maxx 2: Success. Up and down, streamer deployed, good flight.

Estes Baby Bertha (named Hummingbird), B6-4: Success. This rocket was built by my wife.

Rocketarium Cerberus, 3X B6-4: Success. Took three tries to get it off the pad, but all three motors lit and it flew much better than it did on three A's.

Madcow Torrent, H170M: Success. Good flight on an Aerotech white sparky. Probably the last flight of this rocket for a while as I am out of motors appropriately sized for it.

Estes Super Big Bertha, E16-4: Success. Nice to have a 29mm BP motor that didn't cato.

Estes Multi-Roc, B6-0 to A8-5: Success. Tried a two-stage flight without the glider first. Not sure if I would want to fly two-stage with the glider. Gliders that go too high have a bad tendency to just get lost.

Doorknob and Orbital Transport scrubbed due to time.
 
got my wife to tie the 48 knots in the end of the small shroud lines and finished the mylar party balloon parachutes for the Estes rockets for the grandkids. next I have to get her to install the parachutes on to some fishing swivels.
 
I received some rotary switches from Missile Works now that they are shipping again. I finished a rocket that has a unique paint job. At least for me. I was in Walmart looking a automotive paint when I saw a can of colored chrome. I bought two cans of the red. The paint comes out as a fine mist. Took 5 coats to get complete coverage. It is easy to put to much on and get crinkles. I had a crinkle problem around the fins. Waited two days and sanded it off. Reprimed the spots and was more carful. Still got two spots. I put it in the corner for two days and when I looked at it the crinkles they were small ripples. So I called it good. The rocket is a 2.6" with a 38mm mmt. It is 69" long and weighs 57 ounces with the two chutes. It is dual deploy. I put a coat of Turtle Wax spray wax on it and polished it. I'm calling it Chromium.20210609_123303[691].jpg20210609_123324[692].jpg20210609_123340[693].jpg
 
Nope. Mission Planner places the vehicle on the map perfectly, so GNSS Rx is working as intended. Solution with up to 12 satellites. I am not as dim as I sim (you are not going to get that joke unless you are an Aussie ;)) . The FC is not transcribing the data to the sentences correctly I think.
Dang. Well, bright side..."it's just software!?" ;)

Yeah, sorry. We're separated by a common language. ;)
 
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