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What did you do rocket wise today?
- Thread starter BeerorKid
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arconhi
Well-Known Member
Wow!! Nice collection. Over 50 in these photos alone.
Finally, made some progress on my BT-80 F-104... planning for 29mm and will work with 2.6" or BT-80. I am going to cut fins from 2mm and 3mm plywood to see the weight difference. Leaning towards 3mm due to that fragile tail stabilizer. Came up with my best modular weight system so far, I think.
Worked out an issue with the Mar'rallang prototype.
Tried to fly it last week, but it was binding severely on the rod. Thought the rod was bent, but checking the launch lug setup showed something had moved in final glue-up.
A better system for alignment is needed. Anyhoo... double sided sticky tape on some 120 grit on a skewer seems to have sorted it out. Slides down the rod quickly without a motor installed.
This image shows poor initial assembly happening nearly a year ago.
Already had ideas for the next prototype, including simplifying the nose cone internal somewhat.
Hopefully she'll get some air in the next few days.
Cut and papered some fins for the Irukandji. Rethinking the scoop design for something more... I dunno, smoothish?
Salvaged the weathered Brocket nosecone for an unnamed as yet gooney idea.
Tried to fly it last week, but it was binding severely on the rod. Thought the rod was bent, but checking the launch lug setup showed something had moved in final glue-up.
A better system for alignment is needed. Anyhoo... double sided sticky tape on some 120 grit on a skewer seems to have sorted it out. Slides down the rod quickly without a motor installed.
This image shows poor initial assembly happening nearly a year ago.
Already had ideas for the next prototype, including simplifying the nose cone internal somewhat.
Hopefully she'll get some air in the next few days.
Cut and papered some fins for the Irukandji. Rethinking the scoop design for something more... I dunno, smoothish?
Salvaged the weathered Brocket nosecone for an unnamed as yet gooney idea.
Added orange vinyl to Little Joe
I got the lander down from the ceiling so I could attach the larger landing pads. Dusted it, carefully. I built this before I started on the Forum. I took the nose cone off and thought this is too heavy. 1lb heavy. I put a different nose cone on and balanced it. Needed the heavy one after all. It's probably the most elaborate rocket I have built. It's a 3" LOC BT. 38mm mmt. 1/4 ply fins. The large balls are 6" Styrofoam. The center section is 29mm tube with 1" plastic ball halves top and bottom. The individual domes have a small loop to hang it from. I left them on and put a bamboo skewer between the loops. The nose cone is a 3" dome. I'm not sure it will ever fly.![20230530_231015[2595].jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/rocketryforum/data/attachments/500/500471-30a2c73a7790e0b21fdd52f5d367081e.jpg "20230530_231015[2595].jpg")
Bring isopropyl alcohol, 91% (or better if you can get it). You can rinse water away water, and then the alcohol evaporates quickly.My new feeling about Bong water landings leans toward challenging myself. How fast I can disassemble, dry out, reassemble and return to service my JLCR and/or tracking tag? And in my case.......I get to test my skills at least once every launch!
It's enough to drive a person toTrying to order over $1500 worth of motors. They are rare down here currently. Website for the supplier has a broken "contact me" link
Just putting it in perspective, we pay about 2.4 times the $USD cost (including shipping in the USA), but in $AUD. If the exchange rate is miserable there may be another fee on top of that. So a K695 is $403AUD. A pack of D15-7T (3 motors) is $74.40AUD. That is $16USD per D motor reload.
Nope.
https://www.google.com/search?q=lan...TF-8&safe=active&ssui=on#imgrc=0OFQYug5IDtJgM
It would provide a good starting point for a relay box system.
I think you shouldn't bother cutting the 2 mm ones. If you lean toward 3 mm, trust yourself. Taking off 1/3 of the fin mass will be what fraction of the total rocket with motor mass? Not enough to fret about. Just go with 3 mm.
lakeroadster
When in doubt... build hell-for-stout!
Talked my circle of friends into holding the Razorback for internal glue fillets.
And broke up a fight between the upper centering ring (C.R.) and the Gorilla in the room. These two just don't get along at all.
And broke up a fight between the upper centering ring (C.R.) and the Gorilla in the room. These two just don't get along at all.
I guess it gets boring up there in the mountains at times!
lakeroadster
When in doubt... build hell-for-stout!
SpongeBob Tested... SpongeBob Approved
Fixing Der Lawn Dart.
Some more progress on the BT-80 F-104. Took @jqavins advice (thanks) and stuck with 3mm plywood which has a nice solid feeling at this scale. Main body tube is about 5cm too long since I am just mocking up parts but longer tube might be worth it for stability improvement.
Fuel pods are BT-50 scale and AIM-9 missiles are BT-5. Should I setup the AIM missiles to allow a mini engine in there? Would be cool if you could launch them with electronic ignition after main engines finish lifting main body.
Fuel pods are BT-50 scale and AIM-9 missiles are BT-5. Should I setup the AIM missiles to allow a mini engine in there? Would be cool if you could launch them with electronic ignition after main engines finish lifting main body.
My unsolicited opinion is that it doesn't look right. I'd go with the proper proportions and fix stability with nose weight. It's a sport scale rocket, it doesn't have to be (and won't be) the highest possible performer; it has a worth of its own in what it is.
Even with tiny fractional-A motors, differential thrust if only one lights could be bad with the tubes that far off center. If you were to do that, it would be worth sacrificing a prototype to the rocket gods to see what happened before selling it as an option with your name and potential liability attached to it.
Edit to add: I love your Starfighter and really look forward to the BT-80 version. Sadly my finishing skills aren't worthy of this rocket, so I'll have to enjoy it vicariously through others here.
Yep, I love clusters! But, as @bad_idea noted there is lots of testing that needs to be done before you unleash them on the buying public.
You need to look at all the potential failure modes. What happens if only one motor lights? What happens if, in a three motor cluster for example, the end user fits it with 2 x B6-4 and one C6-5? What happens if they stick a booster motor in there by accident?
With one cluster in low volume production, one for testing and one on the bench, I do get concerned about the multiple failure modes available for clustering. We test prototypes usually to destruction - first get them flying and then see how many ways you can potentially stuff it up. Then list specific warnings against such catastrophes in your instructions.
All IMHO, of course.
Thanks - actually was thinking of the missiles launching off of the F-104 rocket (somewhat like sustainers launching off a booster) -- so potentially even more uncertain and a bit like the Starstreak build.
Old School Doug
Unwilling participant in the idiocracy.
Nothing wrong with that method at all. My go to is CRC electronics cleaner. A blast of compressed air, then a shot of CRC followed by another blast or two of compressed air and it's good to go.
YES!
Surprisingly I don't recall hearing if that's ever been done. Would be very cool, but also would be very hard to find and recover the missiles. I might try it anyway lol
Continuing experiments with papering Paulownia fins. I think I'm getting somewhere.
Placed two stock orders on hold when the Aussie peso dropped below $0.65 US.
Just delaying until it creeps up a bit.
Edit: And got inspired by a post in the FB control line group. Cogs be a tickin'.
Placed two stock orders on hold when the Aussie peso dropped below $0.65 US.
Just delaying until it creeps up a bit. Edit: And got inspired by a post in the FB control line group. Cogs be a tickin'.
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Cleaning motor casings and prepping the rockets that we flew at NSL last weekend. Camping on the Southern edge of the Pawnee National grasslands at Crow family campgrounds. Tomorrow we will move up into the Northern Colorado Rocketry club launch site for this weekends “Mile High Mayhem”.
I have pictures, but can’t post them until I get back to a real computer.
I have pictures, but can’t post them until I get back to a real computer.
NateB
Well-Known Member
I charged up some electronics and my firing system hoping I can launch a few rockets in the morning.
Oh, in that case, I'm all for it. Sounds like a glorious idea!
read more old rocket magazines
Tested three trackers and two receivers walking around my neighborhood with the receivers. Isolated a problem I'm having with one of the trackers.
Am I going to have to dust off my Rossi 15, SuperTigre X- 21 or the K&B21?........Continuing experiments with papering Paulownia fins. I think I'm getting somewhere.
Placed two stock orders on hold when the Aussie peso dropped below $0.65 US.
Edit: And got inspired by a post in the FB control line group. Cogs be a tickin'.
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Well, no. But you could post a picture of them. That would be nice. Especially the Super Tigre, 'cause you know...
I started looking at control line stuff after I did a swing test on Project Lila. Sweet memories.
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