What new things does the hobby want to see?

[Brian Ditmer]

build instruction for Ebay kits (looking at you SMT)

 

[neil_w]

Two things:

1. Already mentioned separately, but I'm going to link them: a small-form-factor Chute release with integrated altimeter. In smaller rockets it can be some combination of difficult, inconvenient, or undesirable to try to squeeze in on-board electronics. A small form factor JLCR (fits BT55) would be great, but if I'm going to take advantage of the JLCR to fly higher, I'm also going to want an altimeter.
2. A camera designed and optimized for small rockets. All *small* rocket cameras are some manner of repurposed junky spy cameras.

 

[jqavins]

I guess this thread was meant to focus on "What new things products does the hobby want to see?", but I've got another kind of "thing".

In person lessons at club meetings. If a person's about to take on something new (like I'm supposedly about to take on glassing my first tube) and needs help getting going (like I haven't glassed that tube yet because I'm just sure I'll screw it up) well, yes, there's help available. One could ask here and get lots of advice, often too much. One can look for videos from Apogee, John Coker, and others. But nothing beats sitting in a room with someone who's good at it and is there to teach.

In my club and others, we have occasional build sessions, in which people get together to sit at tables and build their own separate stuff while chatting, sharing tools, and, yes, giving advice when asked. And maybe that's all I should expect. What I'd like, though, is planned, in person lessons. "Hey, rocketeers, next week Freddie Fiber be showing you how to glass body tubes. Get your tubes, 1 oz. cloth, laminating epoxy, and tools (see list below) and join us at our usual meeting location. Next month, Ellie Electronic will be help you build an eggfinder."

I'll bring it up with my own club. I bet there are other people who would like it if this sort of thing were to become common all over.

Already mentioned separately, but I'm going to link them: a small-form-factor Chute release with integrated altimeter. In smaller rockets it can be some combination of difficult, inconvenient, or undesirable to try to squeeze in on-board electronics. A small form factor JLCR (fits BT55) would be great, but if I'm going to take advantage of the JLCR to fly higher, I'm also going to want an altimeter.

A JLCR (or some future, smaller cousin) obviously has an altimeter inside. All that's needed is an external interface. I second the motion.

 

[user 35280]

Would a flatscreen be launched like a spool rocket? or would the motor be mounted / inserted in the base / stand?

Does it need to be turned on to launch successfully?

A flatscreen tv could be modified to launch like a rocket powered monocopter

 

[Mugs914]

A flatscreen tv could be modified to launch like a rocket powered monocopter

Yipes...

 

[DigBaddy]

Two things:

1. Already mentioned separately, but I'm going to link them: a small-form-factor Chute release with integrated altimeter. In smaller rockets it can be some combination of difficult, inconvenient, or undesirable to try to squeeze in on-board electronics. A small form factor JLCR (fits BT55) would be great, but if I'm going to take advantage of the JLCR to fly higher, I'm also going to want an altimeter.

Yes. Would love a chute release for BT50 rockets; especially those carrying smaller cameras I can easily put something with the Astrocam nosecone way up there (which is cool) but it'd be great to have that drop like a rock for a while before popping the chute. Sometimes a streamer just isn't enough whoa and still gets plenty of drift.

 

[dr wogz]

One can look for videos from Apogee, John Coker, and others. But nothing beats sitting in a room with someone who's good at it and is there to teach.

this is primarily my biggest beef with "online learning" these days. you can't ask a book or a video a question, or if they can explain it a bit differently. You're stuck with what they said. period.

A JLCR (or some future, smaller cousin) obviously has an altimeter inside. All that's needed is an external interface. I second the motion.

rumour has it.. of course this rumour has been around for a while.. (and I 3rd it!!)

 

[jqavins]

A flatscreen tv could be modified to launch like a rocket powered monocopter

No, no, silly. Three or four flat screen TVs are employed as fins.

rumour has it

Rumor? You set the thing to release at a particular altitude; how else could it possibly work?

 

[dr wogz]

Rumor? You set the thing to release at a particular altitude; how else could it possibly work?

Sorry rumour has it that a JLCR & ALT II (or III) will be in a combined package soon.. JLCR-ALT-IV

 

[mooffle]

Do you often launch microwaves & flat-screen TVs?

The camera I use has a tiny built in LCD, does that count?

 

[jqavins]

Sorry rumour has it that a JLCR & ALT II (or III) will be in a combined package soon.. JLCR-ALT-IV

Ah, well, that would be cool!

 

[alexzogh]

Seems like I touched a nerve there. Sorry. The notion of a screw-on retainer for 6 mm would be a joke, but I don't disagree about a wire retainer or some other solution. There should be a standard the moment another manufacturer expresses interest making in such engines, and I'd like to think there will be. As long as it's a one player market there's no reason for a standard.

There's a motor retention technique for minimum diameter rockets shown in Tim van Milligan's book that uses a piece of piano wire bent into three sides of a rectangle, two long sides and one short, where the short side goes over part of the bottom of the engine, staying clear of the nozzle of course, and the long sides are buried in fin fillets. I've started using that method on larger than minimum diameter rockets, with the ling sides going through pinholes in the aft centering ring. It seems like that should work nicely for MicroMax.

I'm a big fan of this retention method for minimum diameter rockets.

 

[Dave Pritts]

Chute release that comfortably fits BT55.

Ditto on a Chute Release for smaller tube sizes.

 

[bronicabill]

Do you often launch microwaves & flat-screen TVs?

All the time!

 

[jqavins]

In rockets? Or with catapults and trebuchets? (Y'know, that might be just as much fun as pumpkins.)

 

[dr wogz]

I could picture a 'skeet / clay pigeon device' to shoot flatscreens.. something to impart a lot of 'spin'..

 

[RocketRev]

I'm a big fan of this retention method for minimum diameter rockets.


View attachment 472089

I hadn't seen this one before. Very nice idea from Tim at apogee.

 

[OverTheTop]

Can you throw a flat-screen TV like a discus? Could be an Olympic event.

 

[boatgeek]

Can you throw a flat-screen TV like a discus? Could be an Olympic event.

It's a new Scottish games relay event. The first person throws a flat screen TV like a discus. The second person then tries to nail it with a caber. Points for hitting the flatscreen and for distance.

 

[Mugs914]

BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Thanks a lot @boatgeek, I just sprayed coffee all over the screen!

 

[Mugs914]

Not to mention that I clicked on a thread that asked "What new things does the hobby want to see" and got:

"...a new Scottish games relay event. The first person throws a flat screen TV like a discus. The second person then tries to nail it with a caber."

Yup, I'd like to see that!

Oh man, I'm still laffin'...

 

[SecondRow]

Spray paint that repels bugs.

 

[0011001100]

Not videos like this:


Specifically around the 55 minute mark.

 

[DAllen]

A Flightsketch Dual Deploy altimeter. I would buy 2 right now if they were available.

-Dave

 

[jqavins]

Why Flightsketch? With several dual deploy altimeters on the market, what makes you want one from Flightsketch in particular?

EDIT: I went and looked at the FS web page to see if I could answer the question for myself. I can't, but I did see that they have exactly what you're asking for in beta test. FlightSketch Sport. If you're one of their beta testers you can get one for free.

 

[curtisheisey]

1) Echoing the theme of several posters for increased guided decent
a) keep rockets from drifting off small fields
b) Maybe honing back to origin point
c) increased safety against ballistic trajectories (maybe on the ascent too)

2) More pyro-less deployment options
I work with college teams and having BP on campus can be an issue. More pyro-less deployment options (inexpensive and reliable) would be welcome.

 

[dr wogz]

2) More pyro-less deployment options
I work with college teams and having BP on campus can be an issue. More pyro-less deployment options (inexpensive and reliable) would be welcome.

And harder if you are in Canada (and a few other countries!) BP is closely guarded, and requires a firearms permit in most cases, to obtain..

I started workign with a few teams, and yeah, CO2 systems are popular!

 

[jqavins]

Now you've got me internally brainstorming other ways to do that. Spring loaded separation/ejection with solenoid release? Or springs with hot wire to melt through plastic retaining pins or screws? Non-pyro forms of chemical gas generation (e.g. rapid combustion that is not considered pyrotechnic for regulatory purposes, or other types of chemistry entirely)?

 

[Scott_650]

Now you've got me internally brainstorming other ways to do that. Spring loaded separation/ejection with solenoid release? Or springs with hot wire to melt through plastic retaining pins or screws? Non-pyro forms of chemical gas generation (e.g. rapid combustion that is not considered pyrotechnic for regulatory purposes, or other types of chemistry entirely)?

John Beans of Jolly Logic talked to the Rocketry Show guys when they did an interview show with him a couple years ago about a servo/solenoid pop open “fairing” for recovery as a natural progression from the Chute Release but I’ve not read or heard anything about it since then.

 

[boatgeek]

Now you've got me internally brainstorming other ways to do that. Spring loaded separation/ejection with solenoid release? Or springs with hot wire to melt through plastic retaining pins or screws? Non-pyro forms of chemical gas generation (e.g. rapid combustion that is not considered pyrotechnic for regulatory purposes, or other types of chemistry entirely)?

John Beans of Jolly Logic talked to the Rocketry Show guys when they did an interview show with him a couple years ago about a servo/solenoid pop open “fairing” for recovery as a natural progression from the Chute Release but I’ve not read or heard anything about it since then.

The TARC team I mentor experimented with spring ejection for altitude control. It was pretty difficult for them to make it reliable. It would probably be easier with a commercial altimeter, but they were also rolling their own there.