Club Equipment Update
Let's discuss updating/augmenting CENJARS equipment. GO!
There were a few questions in earlier conversations about the supplies we have. These are round numbers. I hope I don't get audited.
Motors:
1/2 A 40
A 100
B 50
C 50
Make it Take its - over 200
Equipment vision: We have 2 controllers with 6 pads each and a single controller/pad. I would like to see the 2 controllers dedicated to 1/8 and 3/16 rods.
The wires should probable be switched out so there is a straight run from controller to pad with no additional plugs etc. Need to determine the best gauge wire to do this. Each run should be about 25 feet. NAR regs call for 15 feet, but I think that is way too close.
We have 1 1/4 rod. I don't think we need another but there has been some competition for it.
We have 1 1010 rail. There was a lot of competition for this with the TARC teams. The club is getting some competition for using this as well. We definitely need one more, two would be better.
It would be great to have another controller to handle the 1/4 rod and the rails.
The stand we have is fairly easy to use. One thing it lacks is a way to manage the tilt from side to side. I used a hammer to prop up one leg to get is close to level.
Home Depot and Lowes no longer carry the stand. It is available on the web, about $100.
BTW, all the pads have holes in the legs now and we have a full supply of 8" spikes to hold things in position. Nothing should blow over unless we really shouldn't be launching.
A few years ago we did get a grant from the NAR to buy the stand and rail. There is a $250 limit per section per year.
Did I dump enough info on you?
Charlie
Quote from Ckirlew on April 11, 2023, 8:35 pmEquipment vision: We have 2 controllers with 6 pads each and a single controller/pad. I would like to see the 2 controllers dedicated to 1/8 and 3/16 rods.
The wires should probable be switched out so there is a straight run from controller to pad with no additional plugs etc. Need to determine the best gauge wire to do this. Each run should be about 25 feet. NAR regs call for 15 feet, but I think that is way too close.
Launch controller. One single panel with optional bank selection could handle a number of pads. I've looked into a suitable panel. I have the STEP file for 3D design. Jeff Myers has offered his CNC to cut the panel. Most sites use simple and easily maintainable/obtainable CAT-5 cabling. There are 8 conductors in a CAT-5. One could be common and 6 for pads. I'd like to see selectable pads and a single launch switch. Oopenional jack for a hand solenoid or foot switch could be added. CAT-5 would connect to a box at the breaks out to zip cord with clips.
We have 1 1/4 rod. I don't think we need another but there has been some competition for it.
1/4" SS rod is cheap. How to mount it is the question.
We have 1 1010 rail. There was a lot of competition for this with the TARC teams. The club is getting some competition for using this as well. We definitely need one more, two would be better.
NAR has been leaning toward rail for F and G motor flights, so we should definitely have more than one. Whenever I'm at a launch, there's another rail pad.
It would be great to have another controller to handle the 1/4 rod and the rails.
The BIG launches, with all their pads, control he launch from a single control panel.
The stand we have is fairly easy to use. One thing it lacks is a way to manage the tilt from side to side. I used a hammer to prop up one leg to get is close to level.
The Rockwell Jawstand has a "polar" coordination system. Tilt (altitude) from 0º (horizon) to 90º (zenith) and azimuth from 0º to 360º. There's no position above horizon that can not be realized.
Home Depot and Lowes no longer carry the stand. It is available on the web, about $100.
I see them offered on websites from time to time for less.
BTW, all the pads have holes in the legs now and we have a full supply of 8" spikes to hold things in position. Nothing should blow over unless we really shouldn't be launching.
Walmart, I know because I lost my popup's tent spike last year, has heavy duty Colman tent spikes.
A few years ago we did get a grant from the NAR to buy the stand and rail. There is a $250 limit per section per year.
I could build a nice controller for about half that. 😉
Did I dump enough info on you?
Enough to get the conversation started and more.
Personally, I would say we should look towards the following, in my order of priority:
- Augment engine stocks as Charlie recommends. I would say we could use 1/2A, B, C's to get to 100 each as a starting point for the season ahead. Can order from AC Supply, if Hobby Lobby doesn't have bulk packs in stock. Perhaps Rocket ship games can also supply for similar prices?
- Buy or fabricate 1 each launch pads for 1/4" and 1010 rail (bases that can handle either a rod or rail?). Can we use an off the shelf unit and replace or extend the legs for better stability? But to utilize them better, we should get some kind of cheap and easy controllers (2-4 single units) on a temporary basis such as an Estes pro series or even just an E controller, until the next item is ready.
- Replace the 2 controllers with one updated unit as Brian is suggesting. Then the one existing controller he rebuilt, if needed, can be used for the 1/4" and rail pads. Of course, if Brian makes one unit that can launch say up to 24 pads, than that's all we need, but the 6 pad controller can be used for smaller scout and demo launches.
- Build another launch rack for 1/8" and 3/16" rods. As we have seen attendance increase, there are sometimes lines waiting for these rods too. If the above controller can handle this and the other rods and rails, that would be ideal.
Costs for all this? Available funds? I don't know, but as we seem to be willing to do much of the work ourselves, I would think we can get quite a lot done. I feel like we could be putting a lot on Brian though. But he has the tools, and know-how for the harder stuff. We can discuss division of labor once we decide what we're doing.
I think we should apply for a NAR grant as soon as possible for any or all of this. Anything we get is money we don't have to come up with. I'm not too familiar with the process, but I don't think it's very difficult???
We also need to come up with some help for Charlie with this additional equipment. Storage & transportation is a lot to ask of any one person and their garage and vehicle.
I totally forgot about something. Jim Z should have a third controller and pad that he was using with RadRock. I hope it is still available.
Battery: As a ham radio guy, I have a lot of batteries for operating radio equipment in the field. I can bring a 20-amp/hr 12v Lithium Iron Phosphate battery to the launches. Not only would this backup the SLA batteries you're curently using, the nice thing about this particular battery chemistry is that it's comparitively light and it can supply 12v practically until the battery is exhausted, it doesn't linearly drop to 11v or 10v as the battery gets tired.
I think we are ok with batteries. We really only need one at a time and we have 2.
Is anyone volunteering to buy more motors?
And just to make this more fun, I would like to replace the wire holders we have with something like a cam cleat. Most that I have found are $15 apiece and up. That makes them too expensive in my mind since we need a minimum of 18. I did find some for $3 apiece. That's doable. But another thought would be can we (we as in Brian) 3D print them? Or maybe we can use jam cleats. Thoughts?
I'm very much willing to order the motors, but before I do I'd need:
1. Official oky doky and agreement from the board (at least someone besides myself) that I will get reimbursed.
2. Agreement from the equipment manager that what I am suggesting is reasonable. Do you recommend quantities more or less than what I suggested? I don't want to act unilaterally and stick the club with something that isn't needed, or pass on something that is.
My comments were only my thoughts and suggestions. I've heard mostly crickets since I posted them (until now, I literally received a single word in reply). I feel like I said something wrong that killed the conversation just as it was getting started. If anyone has other thoughts or disagrees with me, I promise I won't pout or cry. 😇
Quote from Ckirlew on April 16, 2023, 10:15 amAnd just to make this more fun, I would like to replace the wire holders we have with something like a cam cleat. Most that I have found are $15 apiece and up. That makes them too expensive in my mind since we need a minimum of 18. I did find some for $3 apiece. That's doable. But another thought would be can we (we as in Brian) 3D print them? Or maybe we can use jam cleats. Thoughts?
Let me think about it and look into that.
Going back and reviewing the numbers I provided on motors, I approve as equipment manager. It looks like a couple of boxes of Bs and Cs would be all we need right now. Not sure how many 1/2 As we go through. I don't think it would hurt to have another box.