Throughout your rocketry journey, you will find there is no end to the tools and techniques you pick up along the way. Finding just the right tool or just the right way of doing something is elusive, but we can learn a lot from the experience of others. I will try to post some of what I have learned and describe some of the useful tools I have found along my journey.
Glue, electronics bay for a high powered dual deploy rocket, CNC techniques, etc. Let me know in the contact page what you are interested in and I will try to post it here.
Man is a tool-using Animal. Nowhere do you find him without tools; without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all.
Motor preparation materials, e.g. lubricants, wet rag for cleaning inside of casing.
Tools for airframe assembly and inspection
Loose hardware (e.g. for motor retention, shear pins)
Internal Ebay Prep:
Insert batteries into holders and secure with zip ties/tape
Turn on computers and check primary and backup charge settings
Turn off computers
Check all wire connections
External Ebay Prep:
Connect switch wire mini-clamp connections
Insert Ebay sled into ebay coupler, put bulkheads in place and secure with 5/16-18 wing nuts and washers
Cut igniters to length
Insert igniters in terminal blocks and secure with set screws
Check continuity on all igniters
Pour black powder into charge well
Insert igniter head into black powder and insert dog barf until charge well is full and tightly packed
Securely tape off top of charge well
Place tape over bulkhead components (wiring and terminal blocks) to protect them from black powder charge
Secure Ebay to Payload bay
Attach end of main shock cord to nose end ebay u-bolt with 3/8” quick link
Feed main shock cord through payload bay and insert nose end of ebay into payload bay. Line up witness marks
Secure ebay to payload bay with #6-32 screws
Prep Nosecone tracker bay
Install Marco Polo / GPS Transmitter to nosecone bay sled
Install tracker batteries
Ensure Marco Polo/GPS transmitter is charged and turned on
Test connection to base station
Insert sled into Nosecone AV Bay and secure bulkheads with ¼-20 wing nuts and washers
Insert AV bay into Nosecone and line up witness marks
Secure AV bay to nosecone with #6-32 screws
Prep main parachute
Lay out parachute – inspect for damage
Fold parachute per manufacturer instructions for placement in deployment bag
Ensure parachute apex is connected to loop inside deployment bag with quick link
Insert parachute into d-bag carefully, ensuring shroud lines remain untangled and stretched out
Z-fold shroud lines into loops on outside of d-bag, leaving about 6” of shroud line loose in order to connect to shock cord
Connect parachute shock cord to nosecone u-bolt with 3/8” quick link
Connect pilot chute to deployment bag with snap link
Wrap pilot chute in nomex blanket
Connect main shock cord to nosecone u-bolt with 3/8” quick link
Z-fold main shock cord, securing every 10-15 feet with dental rubber bands.
Insert shock cord into payload bay, then carefully insert d-bag and pilot chute
Insert nosecone coupler into payload bay, line up witness marks and secure with 4-40 shear pins
Prep Drogue
Attach end of drogue shock cord to fin can bridle swivel with 3/8” quick link
Attach drogue swivel to middle shock cord loop with 3/8” quick link
Attach nose end of shock cord to u-bolt on ebay
Fold drogue chute neatly and then fold nomex blanket around drogue
Z-fold shock cord, using a dental elastic band every 10-15 feet
Insert shock cord and drogue chute in fin can
Insert ebay coupler into fin can and secure with 4-40 shear pins
Prep Onboard Cameras
Test each camera to ensure the batteries are charged and they can connect to app via wifi
Check all camera settings in app
Turn off cameras
Insert cameras into shrouds and secure shroud covers with 4-40 screws
Prep rail buttons
Determine if Unistrut or 1515 buttons will be used and install proper buttons with ¼-20 screws
Insert motor into MMT and secure with Aerotech 98mm threaded cap
Prep motor igniter
Tape igniter wire to small wood dowel so igniter head extends beyond one end
Lay a piece of tape on the table, sticky side up
Lay pyrodex pellet on tape with igniter sandwiched between them
Roll tape up until igniter head is securely taped between pyrodex pellets
Shunt igniters wires
Test to ensure assembly will still fit in motor nozzle, but do not insert assembly all the way into motor
Prep two of these igniter assemblies in case something goes wrong at the pad
Prep to go to pad
Ensure all electronics are off and igniters are not in motor
Ensure switch cover is removed
Fill out flight card
Items to bring to pad
Screwdrivers for switches
Switch cover and 4-40 screws
Igniter assemblies
Tape
Flashlight/headlamp
Go Pro-cameras
iPhone to turn on Runcam 2 Cameras and Eggtimer computers
Get rocket RSO’ed for pre-flight check and sign-off
At launch pad
With help, mount rocket on rail
Take photos!
Verify/adjust launch angle/trajectory
Turn on Switches 1 and 2 (battery connections)
Ensure battery connections are good, then turn on Switch 3 (primary computer)
Allow primary computer to go through pre-flight and ensure proper tones for continuity
Turn on Switch 4 (backup computer)
Allow backup computer to go through pre-flight and ensure proper tones for continuity
Connect to cameras with iPhone app and turn them both on. Ensure both are recording before leaving pad
Insert an igniter assembly in motor and secure with tape
Connect launch control leads to igniter wires and secure each with tape
Check continuity
Place Go-Pro Cameras and ensure they are on and recording
Give rocket final check to ensure nothing was forgotten
Return to LCO and place flight card on table
Wait for launch, video it and enjoy it!
Mis-Fire Procedure
Remove igniter
Turn off all the electronics. Verify none are active.
Recycle to “At Launch Pad” sequence
If the rocket has to be disassembled…
verify that all altimeters are in the off mode.
take back to the table and put in horizontal position.
remove nose cone first.
remove fin can shear pins.
Remove metal screws holding forward section on coupler section.
disconnect igniters from the terminal blocks on both ends of the eBay section
ebay can now be disassembled and inspected.
Tools & Techniques To Do list:
Center line tool Ferrules PEMs and Lumadyne CNC Range Box Snap Rings Cutting Kevlar Drilling holes in FG Permagrit files Durablocks Fin jigs Slot jig Smoothing end of FG tubes Washing/sanding FG Ebay construction 3D sleds and switch band placement Rail Button Rotalocs Internal and External fillets Tube Marking Guide Injecting epoxy using a long tube and stick Nomex blankets / protectors / deployment bags Motor assembly Delay trimming Grain bonding Vent Holes Switches Tracker tubes