#rocketry #highPowerRocketry

I bench tested Black Widow's new electronics last week, and only three of the four channels fired. I went through the connections and they seemed OK, so I set up another test, moving the unburned match to another channel. This time, the altimeter showed that channel with no continuity, confirming that it was a bad match.

With a good match on that channel, all four channels fired just fine. Onward!

Video of test, showing the BlueRaven app: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTlh-1UFDhk

#rocketry #highPowerRocketry

I bench tested Black Widow's new electronics last week, and only three of the four channels fired. I went through the connections and they all seemed OK, so I set up another test, moving the unburned match to another channel. This time, the altimeter showed that channel with no continuity, confirming that it was a bad match.

With a good match on that channel, all four channels fired just fine. Onward!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTlh-1UFDhk

OK, I found some 1S 380mAH batteries rated 25C with current protection, so they should be able to deliver 9.5A if I'm capable of arithmetic on a Sunday. And they have Molex connectors, not JST-PH. Back in business in a couple of days. #rocketry #HighPowerRocketry

Awww... #EngineeringFail on my part. My overkill battery will in fact kill my altimeter.

"The largest lithium polymer battery that should be used with the Raven is 1S, 300 mAhrs, because larger lipo batteries can produce currents well in excess of the 22 Amp rating of the deployment channels in the event of an output short circuit, which can permanently damage the altimeter."

Better to find out now, but that's back to the drawing board on my sled. #rocketry #HighPowerRocketry #RocketSurgery

The battery is a 7.4V 1200mAH quadcopter battery, which is definitely overkill, but my motto appears to be "anything worth doing is worth overdoing" and I'm leaning into it. #rocketry #HighPowerRocketry #RocketSurgery

It's getting a new sled (which itself took 5 or 6 iterations to get right) and a new altimeter, the brand new Featherweight BlueRaven. I'm waiting on some wiring connectors which should arrive today. Also has my new favorite switch, the Lab Rat Rocketry pull-pin switch. #rocketry #HighPowerRocketry #RocketSurgery

My current project, since I've decided to stop feeling guilty about jumping around between projects, and just do what makes me happy at the moment. I'm refurbishing an old (~7 years old) rocket, Black Widow. This is my favorite kind of rocket to fly, 54mm motor in a 75mm tube. But it's had some usability issues that required some more iteration. #rocketry #HighPowerRocketry #RocketSurgery

This should be good enough. They only have to stay on for a few seconds. #rocketry #highPowerRocketry #rocketSurgery

I'm about halfway through my holiday break from work, and getting started on a new #rocketry project. This will be a (slightly nonstandard) LOC Forte and will be a testbed for the new radio-controlled gliding parachute system from Apogee Components. I'd like to eventually make an autonomously homing system out of it (as I think Apogee originally intended this product to be) but that's a very complex project further down the road.

#ModelRocketry #HighPowerRocketry

following up from the intro - here's a fun #HighPowerRocketry video from a few years back: https://youtu.be/oFaRjakf4to

Time for an #indroduction
I'm a scientist by education and engineer by vocation. Principal #SolutionArchitect at a major IT company. Used Linux since the early 90's and have experience with systems, networking and security

my hobbies are: #HighPowerRocketry including flying for arliss.org, #golf, #brewing and zipping around in a #mx5 with #bayareamiataassociation, not in any particular order

I've already messed up my reverse-chronological-order idea, so here's today's #highPowerRocketry #project post: Buster, my level 3 certification build from 2016. It's named after the crash test dummy from Mythbusters. This is the biggest rocket I've built, and the biggest one I'm likely to build. It's a lot of work (and expense) to fly! The launch photo was taken by my L3CC's wife, and unfortunately I don't know her name to give her proper credit.

More info on my wiki at https://danno.org/RocketWiki/index.php/Buster