I am happy to say I plan on attempting Level 1 certification with another rocket.
This time it will be a Wildman Darkstar Jr. I will also avoid dual deployment and rely on an altimeter for deployment and motor backup.
I also am planning a record breaking rocket. I do not plan on posting to many details until I get certified and around that time I should have the rocket under construction.
Well I got off work early today! Thank you 4th of July! Oh and Happy 4th of July to everyone!
I had some time to lay down a few more layers of paint. Here is a hint below, and tomorrow I plan on getting the mask on the rocket and maybe start the final paint.
Well fortunately I got out of work early yesterday, so I had the chance to get all the holes finished on the g10. Then fitted the Ravens and switch, and the most important part the wiring.
So I got everything setup, then turned the switch to turn it on and nothing. Charged the battery, then again nothing. I determined the problem to be the screws I was using as terminals. I do believe they are black oxide which prevents the proper connection.
So I switched around a few screws and got everything to power up today. Then getting the zip ties with the proper tension to hold onto the all threads is really tricky.
After all of that I slid everything into the coupler, and turned the switch with success! As you can see in the first picture both Ravens are blinking the proper LED’s and the one that does beep was working perfectly.
The only thing left to do is clean up the wiring a bit, get it organized. Then it is ready to fly.
As promised, I added a Technique section with the shock cord attachment I will be using for the Type II rocket.
Also this last week I had time to get the bulk plates and all threads all cut and together. I also cut out the sled for the two Raven 3’s I will be using.
This Friday I am hoping to get the screw switches in the mail to finish the Av Bay.
So as this semester ends, I have been really busy with homework and trying to finish this semester out strong.
There has been no progress with Type II, but soon I will get everything going again. Since I have already built the Blackhawk and already know the layout and design of the rocket. I will pretty much be me recreating it and perfecting things I did not last time.
I will be running two Raven 3’s on board, one will be for deployment and the other will be for data gathering only. I want to test my first Raven that got damaged to see if it records similar data to the new Raven. It should not be an issue with room, as my last design had plenty of room within the AV Bay.
Hopefully I can turn this half way was useless Raven into a data collector. I am also trying to redesign how I want to hook up the charges to the Raven, last time I was planning on hooking them directly to the Raven then enclosing the bulkplates, this process was very difficult and dangerous as I had one charge blow. So I am thinking of just leading wires from the Raven through the bulkplates. Then closing the bulkplate, then using the ol’ twist and tape method. I might even try to find some small wire nuts.
Any thoughts?
In between homework, I decided to do some work on the Type II rocket. I sanded down the transition from the upper section to the lower section, this can be seen in the first picture. I then began work on the retention system for the shock cord in the nosecone, that is not pictured just yet, as I am going to document all the steps for anyone else that is interested in that design.
Type II
Will be the rebuild for my Blackhawk, it will have some modifications in the upper body tube to lengthen it and make it easier to pack.
