Difference between revisions of "Rocket computer"

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(rocket-mounted accelerometer)
(yet another rocket computer)
 
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* [http://www.jbgizmo.com/page13.html directional antenna for inexpensive pocket radios]
 
* [http://www.jbgizmo.com/page13.html directional antenna for inexpensive pocket radios]
 
* [http://www.jameco.com/Jameco/PressRoom/rocket.html "Radio Locator Beacon for Flying Objects"] by Dan Gravatt 2009 "It weighs about an ounce with its 12-volt A23 alkaline battery ... 9/16" inches wide to fit inside an Estes BT-20 tube ... If the spring-loaded terminal of the battery holder is "down", when the rocket launches the acceleration will cause the battery to compress that spring, turning off the transmitter."
 
* [http://www.jameco.com/Jameco/PressRoom/rocket.html "Radio Locator Beacon for Flying Objects"] by Dan Gravatt 2009 "It weighs about an ounce with its 12-volt A23 alkaline battery ... 9/16" inches wide to fit inside an Estes BT-20 tube ... If the spring-loaded terminal of the battery holder is "down", when the rocket launches the acceleration will cause the battery to compress that spring, turning off the transmitter."
 
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* [http://spritesmods.com/?art=rocketlogger "Rocket acceleration logger"]: ATTiny13 logging data from a 3-axis acceleration sensor -- a Freescale MMA7260 scavenged from an off-brand Wii Nunchuck -- to a 32KByte 24C256 EEPROM. All the electronics much smaller than the small Li-ion battery powering it. It survived the trip and a fall into mud (with no parachute!).
  
 
[[User:DavidCary|DavidCary]] is designing a "small rocket computer" that can fit inside an off-the-shelf small model rocket, rather than requiring a "high powered model rocket".
 
[[User:DavidCary|DavidCary]] is designing a "small rocket computer" that can fit inside an off-the-shelf small model rocket, rather than requiring a "high powered model rocket".

Latest revision as of 01:45, 29 November 2012

What kind of electronics are small enough to fit into a small hobby model rocket vehicle? Long and skinny, to fit in those rocket tubes.

DavidCary is designing a "small rocket computer" that can fit inside an off-the-shelf small model rocket, rather than requiring a "high powered model rocket". One that is as narrow as a 13 mm "mini engine", narrower than a 14 mm AA battery, much less a 18 mm "standard engine".

ideas:

  • accelerometer to log the accelerations during flight.
  • pressure sensor to measure barometric altitude
  • beeper to help find it
  • ...
  • What other electronics would be useful to put into a small hobby model rocket?
  • ...

Once has measured the maximum barometric altitude (and other data), how should it communicate that to us? Some communication options are:

  • Re-use the direction-finding beacon as a RF Morse code transmitter. Use ordinary radio to listen.
  • Put little blinky lights on-board -- blink out Morse code, or use a binary-clock-like lightbar or miniature 7 segment LED display.
  • Put a tiny LCD display on-board.
  • Drop the rocket computer into a "cradle" with a LCD display.
  • Put a standard socket on-board. Plug a cable between the rocket computer and a standard laptop. RS232 on RJ11? RS232 on TRRS plug? Micro-USB?.