tripoli prefecture # 138rimworld.com/tripoligerlach/downloads/2014-04-01.pdf · tripoli tripoli...

www.tripoligerlach.org

JANUARY 2014 Vol 04 No 01

TRIPOLI PREFECTURE # 138

MAGAZINE STAFFEDITOR & LAYOUT:

GUEST EDITOR:

CONTRIBUTING STAFF:

OFFICE:

Tom Blazanin

Gary Rosenfield

Chris PearsonGerald Muex, JrJim CallahanTR Garman

Tripoli Gerlach748 Galloway DriveValencia, PA 16059

Tripoli Gerlach does NOT promote nor certify anyactivities presented here as safe nor appropriate toall readers of this Publication. Information is foreducational purposes only. Tripoli Gerlach, itsmembers & officers, the authors of articlespresented and the Tripoli RocketryAssociation, Inc.are not responsible for reader’s activities, conductor participation in the use and pursuit of any contentpresented.

DISCLAIMER

JANUARY 2014 Vol. 04 No. 01

TRIPOLI

Tripoli Gerlach was founded as National Prefecture#138 under the Tripoli Rocketry Association, Inc.Devoted to Research Rocketry and the Black RockDesert area of Nevada, we welcome all NationalTripoli Members, no matter their location orCertification Level.

Our Executive Officers are;

Tom Blazanin (003)Prefect

Valencia, PA

Dave Rose (7126)Treasurer

N. Huntingdon, PA

Deb Koloms (9021)Secretary

Watertown, NY

If you have anything to contribute in the way ofinformation, articles, photos or whatever, please sendthem to Tripoli Gerlach Headquarters. Visit our

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]


Tripoli Gerlach was founded as a National Prefectureunder the Tripoli RocketryAssociation, Inc. Devotedto Research Rocketry and the Black Rock Desert areaof Nevada, we welcome all National TripoliMembers, no matter their location or CertificationLevel.

Our Executive Officers are;

Gary Rosenfield (022)Prefect

Cedar City, UT

Tom Blazanin (003)Secretary

Valencia, PA

Dave Rose (7126)Treasurer

N. Huntingdon, PA

If you have anything to contribute in the way ofinformation, articles, photos or whatever, pleasesend them to Tripoli Gerlach Headquarters. Visit

our WebSite on-line at;

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]


TRIPOLI GERLACH NEWSPAGE 2 JANUARY 2014

ON THE COVER Our Prefect for 2014, GaryRosenfield does fly rockets as proven atHAMSTER DANCE III. A regular participanthe’ll be back for the 2014 festivities.Gary is also owner of AeroTech and RCS, both thelongest running suppliers of motors and supplies.He also provides us with some comment this issue.

PUBLISHED EXCLUSIVELY FORTHE MEMBERS OF TRIPOLI GERLACH

and anyone else interestedAll Content Copyright ©2014 by TRIPOLI GERLACH

www.compositepropellantbook.com

If you are in search of information on the design and fabrication ofRocket Motors, this is the book.

Orderdirect from the Professor.

Whether you’re new to ResearchRocketry or Experienced this book is a must in your library.

DAVE ROSE13385 Lincoln Way

N.Huntingdon, PA 15642Allow 7 to 10 Days For Delivery

Sorry No Orders Outside The U.S.

Make Checks Payable To:

First of all, I am honored to have been elected by themembership as the prefect of Tripoli Gerlach during the 2013annual member’s meeting. It was not something that I wasseeking, but was “volunteered” for it, so to speak. I hope toprovide a positive influence and help the prefecture in somesmall way during my tenure. However, that is not the subject ofthis short article.

Like a number of you, I participated in Hamster Dance thesepast two years. It has an attraction for me in that even with mybusy schedule I was able to pull together “something” for theevent. Big rocket projects have not been my “thing” lately, as Iam involved in plenty of long-term rocket-related projects atwork, so the idea of a small, quick research rocket project isappealing.

My 2013 entry was a modified AeroTech 1.9” diameter“Arreaux” kit, using a mid-range ‘H’ single-use motor forpropulsion. This is the same basic rocket I flew at the 2012Hamster Dance at the more “remote” launch site. Themodifications for 2013 included Acme conformal rail guides,removal of the stock motor retention components, an Estesscrew-on motor retainer and an Estes altimeter.

Despite using a somewhat higher-performance version of themotor used in the 2012 entry with an 86% solids propellant, Ionly scored second place in altitude, but won the “lightestrocket” award. Eric Cayemberg won the “Alpha Hamster”award for the highest flight of 13,030 feet. Eric’s flight washead and shoulders higher than the maximum altitude achievedby any participant at the first two Hamster Dance launches. Ohwell, it is supposed to be more of a “fun” event, although I couldfeel my competitive nature welling up inside. It became clear tome that Hamster Dance has morphed…into an alloutcompetition event. Next year will be different!!

So what do we have to work with? 5 pounds maximum liftoffweight, nonmetallic construction, single use motors…and ofcourse, some way to verify altitude.

That is actually a lot. Using modern construction methods andmaterials it is possible to achieve nearly full ‘K’ impulse andstay under the arbitrary weight limit. A minimum diameter ‘K’vehicle could attain up to 25-30,000’ altitude (unless the “newrules” being proposed for 2014 put the kibosh on suchperformance shots).

Asmall rocket capable of reaching that altitude should probablyuse dual deployment as well as a tracking device. Some of theflights at Hamster Dance 2013 were not recovered, perhaps fornot including these recovery features.

I’ve been thinking about what to build for the 2014 HamsterDance for several weeks, and then it finally hit me. I have a54mm carbon fiber kit purchased from Wildman several years

ago that I was planning to use for my Level 3 certification (longstory), but it became another one of those “Longterm Projects”that never got completed for various reasons. It’s been sitting ona Discount Rocketry plywood stand in my garage for nearly theentire time and was included in our move a year ago from CedarHighlands to Washington City. I also have anAcme fin can (wonat a rocket event) that fits the body tube, as well as a CurtVonDelius-made parachute and assorted avionics and othercomponents that can be put to good use in this rocket.

I am working on some new 54mm single-use motors and one ofthose will be ideal for the application. It uses a filament woundfiberglass casing, and a new high-% solids metallizedpropellant with a BATES grain geometry configured to create athrust curve as flat a possible for maximum average pressure,while taking into account significant erosive burning. A longsmoke charge will be included that should operate for up to 45seconds after motor burnout to maximize visibility at highaltitude.

Rounding out the design will be Acme conformal rail guidesw/fin can standoff, and some kind of motor retentionsystem…like an Aero Pack quickchange motor retainer. As Iwrite this Karl Baumann has suggested some trickmodifications that may get incorporated in the finalconfiguration to increase performance (can’t give away all thesecrets, right?).

Well, that’s my flight plan for 2014. Like I said, I’m not fond oflong-term projects and this one is a quite a bit more ambitiousthan what I’ve attempted in the recent past, even with the“scaled back” objective.

You may notice a layer of fine particulate matter on the rocketbody in the photo…that represents the time that this project hasbeen sitting, waiting for some motivation to finish it. So anyencouragement would be appreciated, and perhaps Tompublishing this article will induce a little peer pressure into theprocess.

As for the name of the rocket, I think “Dust on the Bottle” seemsappropriate.

See you there! – GCR

LONG TERM PROJECTGary Rosenfield

TRIPOLI GERLACH NEWS PAGE 3JANUARY 2014


Tuesday morning found us in Bruno's for breakfast andthen off for more adventures. Our goal was to find FishBack Mountain out near the "town" of Sulphur 40 somemiles up the east side of Black Rock. At night on thelakebed you can see the lights of Sulphur way off in thedistance. We headed out RT49 south of Gerlach. Knowalso as Jungo Road, Trego Road or the High Road it is arippled gravel gouge in the desert landscape.

Passing Trego Hot Springs we set ourselves for a longbouncing haul in search of Fish Back. We hadn't passedTrego Hot Springs for more than 20 miles when risingover a ridge we were surprised to see the Fish Backbefore us. It is quite large and impressive. We took somepictures but the morning sun was on the back side andfacing us so no details were readily available to ourcameras. We decided to continue on and return in theafternoon when the sun offered better lighting forphotos.

Among our other goals for the day was to find a sourceof rare Unobtainium to ship to Jerry McKinlay to haveparts made. We decided to head for Sulphur about 35more miles away and see if Unobtainium could be foundthere. As Sulphur grew near the multicolored hillsbecame live with the morning sun. We saw a rock"chimney" in the distance and hoped to get close enoughto get some good pictures. The road led us right past it! Itwas not a chimney but a high rock formation known asPulpit Rock. We hiked about half way up its base andfound the rest was not climbable, but the view was verynice. We didn't find the Unobtainium but found severalpieces of Unknownium. Pretty nice stuff!

We did a quick surveillance run about Sulphur andbegan to head back. Found a sign that said "Rosebud 10Miles" and since we had a few hours till afternoon weturned east. The roads running through the desert are notfriendly. While a car can traverse them - with care, you

TREKKING BLACK ROCK

Note Joe standing at the upper base of Pulpit Rock


really need a truck, or SUV ofsome type. And the higher thetruck and the stronger thesuspension the better. We onlyhad Dave's Blazer! What a ride.

As we drove we were surprised tosee the number of other driversout and about the hills. Even saw agroup of modern day prospectorsset up with a sleuth made of PVCpipe. They had a large watersupply and were digging theirhearts out and processing theirdirt. They must have foundsomething good there or theywouldn't have had such a goodcamp set up especially out innowhere land. They were realprospectors not like us RockMonkeys who collect pretty rocks thatgrabbed our eye

We soon came across an area called Silver Camel Mine.This was an area polluted with mine shafts. Some wereopen tunnels and some were fenced off which (dah)didn't stop us from getting in! Vertical shafts dropped 20- 30 feet straight down. One shaft we dropped a piece ofObsoonium, a bubble filled wanna be rock of Obsidian,and never heard it hit bottom.

We found several large chunks of Rose Quartz andUnknownium. The Unknownium must have containedStupiditite and Joe and Tom were soon going down intothe deep mine tunnels exploringwhat? - More Stupiditite! Severalof the mine tunnels are "safe" toenter, most are extremelyquestionable. (Note: Next yearbring flashlights, headlamps andrope). The entire area was anexplorers find. So many tunnels,so little time! Old miningequipment lay all about rusting inthe hot sun. Car parts and bodiesfrom as far back as the 1920s layeverywhere. Definitely a place torevisit.

Further down the road toRosebud we began to haveproblems. Tom, the map reader,got confused as it became hard tokeep track of all the roads veeringoff in all directions, Jason withthe GPS wasn't helping either.

Tom & Jason explore what soon becamethe Crackashowen Temple

authority and just drove where ever he wanted. Tommust have been exposed to too much Confusium downin the mine tunnel and began ranting about which wayto turn. Finally Dave ripped the map off Tom and toldhim he wasn't the map reader anymore and gave themap to Joe, who like Tom spent too much time in thetunnels and also being infected by the Confusium,wanted to just throw it out the window. Dave finallygave the map back to Tom under the conditions he wasnot allowed to look at the map and talk..

We never really found Rosebud but did find a placecalled Rabbit Hole which was a large intersection of dirt

Tom down in one of the Stupiditite mine tunnels


roads radiating everywhere. We founda rock cabin, or should say half a rockcabin. Closer examination concluded itmust be an old Crackishowen IndianTemple. (we'll have to explain it inperson).

Got several good photos here. Theview is forever, as with most places westopped at. There was a thickmarshland with wet water, green waterbut wet. When it was time to leave itwas a toss the coin decision as to whichroad to take. Dave would not let Tomopen the map book and we just headout.

Our destination was the return to FishBack Mountain. Everyone seem tohave their own opinion as to which wayFish Back was. Needless to sayeveryone was wrong. The Confusiumin the back rock box was radiating the whole car now!We stopped along the way to read that we were on the

Emigrant Trail at Rainbow Canyon.Aquick turn to the leftand we were facing a beautiful hill full of colors. We tooktime out to get away from the effects of the Confusium andget some fresh air. We climbed the easy hills and tookmore pictures. This canyon looks better in person than anyphotos can show and hiking its hills offered manyinteresting opportunities to enjoy want is Black Rock.

No sooner back on the road we spotted a dead critter andhad to stop again. It was obvious we were infected by morethan Confusium as we collected bones to build what wethought was a dinosaur. The Stupiditite was in charge! Itended up we rebuilt a cow!

In the shadow of Fish Back Mountain lay the little dry Lakechristened Area 6 ", the future site of HAMSTER DANCE 17/8

Rainbow Canyon with colors too good to be captured on camera.Note the Trekker in the lower forground


Back on the road to Fish Back, and everyone havingtheir own opinion, we were greatly surprised to top a hilland see the backside of Fish Back directly in front of us.We were all wrong! Racing toward Fish Back wediscovered a new dry lake, at least new to us, webaptized it "Area 6 ".Its a small size lake. If Black Rockis to HPR EX, Area 6 is to NAR Research! The goodthing was the pristine surface uncorrupted by offroaders.

Now we reached Fish Back Mountain. With the sun pastthe noon we had a good light providing the details of theBasalt columns that make up the top ridge and tail fin ofthe giant fish. As we hiked closer the details were mostimpressive. From a distance the columns looked typicalbut getting closer we saw the Basalt columns wereactually stacks of hexagon rocks. The hike to the top

7/8

7/8

was not hard and the view was something you have tosee. We found several eagle's nests and took time to takea group photo. Walking across the top of the ridge wedescended down the fish's head then on the bottomacross the meadow in front of it.

The trip to Fish Back was well worth it, even if that is allwe wanted to see.All the other adventures were icing onthe cake. We collected a ton of rocks and saw a lot ofthings people just don't think about, nor will they evenexperience. For all we saw and did next year still has awhole desert waiting for us. While we only put 111miles on the car today and our butts were draggingbehind us as we returned to Gerlach! We invite others tojoin us on our Treks but most Rocket People don’t comeout until the day before the launch begins. They'll neverknow what they're missing out on.

Fish Back Mountain, easy to spot, easy to get to and easy to hike.The view is outstanding!

THE TRIPOLI STORE

www.thetripolistore.com

Looking For TRIPOLI Apparel & Merchandise

VISIT US ON-LINE

Shirts • JacketsHats • Mugs

Clocks • LogosLicense Plates

Mouse Pads

www.tclogger.com

DATA ACQUISITIONMade easy

Basic units starting at $300Complete Systems just about virtually ready to go.


This document and all photographs and illustrations contained herein copyright 2011-2014by TR Garman and used with the author’s permission.

Aiptak and any other trademarks or patents are property of their respective companies.

IMPORTANT

Proceed at your own risk.

The information contained herein can cause damage toequipment and physical harm. Any warranties may bevoided.

There are many video solutions available on the markettoday, and many are suitable for use in high powerrockets or other high acceleration vehicles.

One solution is wireless video. Wireless video uses acamera and transmitter onboard the vehicle and arecording system on the ground. I began working withwireless video nearly a decade ago, and have tried anumber of different systems. A wireless system can be

INTRODUCTION

ADAPTING THE AIPTEK AHD

assembled that is both small and light, withcomponents that match the vehicle and expectedaltitude. Wireless systems have the advantages of realtime viewing, that is, it can be seen as it happens.Another advantage to a wireless system is thecustomization of the components. One disadvantage towireless systems is the limitation of the transmission.Wireless video typically has static/fuzz and droppedframes as a result of the transmission. Anotherdisadvantage to wireless is the video quality.Affordable wireless systems are not high definition.

The other solution is onboard storage of the videosignal (like a camcorder.) In addition to standardcamcorder type devices, there are a number of flash-based alternative solutions. These include pen cams,

FOR AERIAL USEby T.R. GARMAN

keychain fob cams and security cams (also known as“sneaky cams”.) I have tried a number of these devicesand have yet to find one that provides the image qualityand the frame size/rate that I prefer.Alternative types ofvideo have the advantage of very small size and lightweight however, and they are improving every day. Youmay find one of these micro cams to be the best solutionfor you. I have yet to find a micro cam that produceshigh definition video.

In 2008 I stumbled upon theAiptekAHD+ 1080p flash-based camcorder. It is small and lightweight andproduces an image quality and size and frame rate that Ifind more than acceptable, especially for the price.Small and light is a relative statement. Compared to afob cam, the Aiptek is larger and heavier. Whencompared to a higher quality video camera however,theAiptek is light and small.

TheAiptekAHD+ video camera produces Hi Def videowith very good results at a reasonable cost. In order touse theAiptek camera onboard a rocket or other vehiclecertain modifications should be made. Some of themodifications might be considered as required andsome are optional.

Illustrated below is a relative comparison of videoformat sizes. NTSC video (older 4:3 TV) whenrecorded onto video tape or digital storage gives animage size of 640 x 480 (same as a computers VGA) or720 x 480.

High Definition TV or HDTV allows for the smallersize of VGA, known as 480p. but one of the strengths ofHDTVis the higher resolution images that it supports.

720p captures an image of 1280 x 720 pixels (pictureelements or just “dots”). 1080p is 1920 x 1080 pixels.

The images shown below are reduced in size. As anexample, this page is about 600 pixels wide. Higherresolution means a sharper picture.

In addition to the size of the image is the number ofimages that are captured each second. NTSC videostores 30 frames per second (fps) and HDTV supportsthe 30 fps rate, in addition, the 720p mode HDTVsupports a frame rate of 60 fps.

After a number of successful rocket flights withunsuccessful video, I determined that the battery hadlost contact, causing the video camera to lose power. Itseems that lost power means lost video with thiscamera. It became clear to me that the battery needed tobe secured to the camera.

The battery supplied with the Aiptek camera is a singlecell Lithium Polymer battery and is more than sufficientfor the needs of onboard video. The battery connects tothe camera via 3 spring contacts that are soldered ontothe main system board of the camera. It is these contactsthat need to be modified to ensure that power is not lost.

A solution that I came up (I’m sure there are many) is touse a hobby servo extension cable. Clipping the cable inthe middle gives 2 smaller wires with matingconnectors. Because the battery in the Aiptek camerahas 3 terminals, the servo extension with its 3 wires is agood match.

In addition, the servo extension provides a means todisconnect the battery without having to desolder thewires.

Since I have used this modification, I have had 100%success with this video system.

In addition to the battery, there are a number of otherthings that require consideration in order to mount andshoot video in a rocket or similar vehicle.

One thing is the power and record buttons. In order toshoot video you need to be able to turn the camera onand start and stop the recording of the video. A verysimple method is to drill holes in the body tube and pokeat the buttons with a screwdriver or a stick. After doingit this way myself, I wanted a better way.

All of the push buttons on the Aiptek camera aremomentary contact type buttons. This means that theyare effectively spring buttons that make contact whenyou push down and break contact when you releasethem. This means that the buttons can be “extended”without removing the original buttons.

MODIFICATIONS

ADDITIONALMODIFICATIONS

VGA640 x 480

HDTV720p1280 x 720

HDTV1080p1920 x 1090


The video must be transferred from the camera to acomputer in order to view or edit the video. In order todo this, either the bottom of the camera must beaccessible to remove the flash card, or there must beaccess to the USB port in order to plug into the camera.The USB port must be accessible in order to charge thecamera’s battery as well.

The final consideration is the screen. While it ispossible to use this camera without being able to see thescreen on the launch pad, it is much easier to use if youcan. The back part of the camera (around the menu andmode buttons) lights up blue when the camera ispowered on and flashes when the video is recording.Being able to see the screen is very helpful. In additionto knowing that the camera is recording, you can checkthe settings (focus mode, recording mode, etc.)

A poorly mounted camera can result in poor qualityvideos or even damage or a lost camera (there are anumber of my cameras still out in the woods due to poormounting.)

The most basic method is to cut a hole in the side of thebody tube and slide the whole camera in. The cameracan be slid out in order to power it on and to startrecording and slid back in prior to launch. A piece ofclear packing tape around the rocket and camera willsecure it well enough for reasonable video. It willhowever cover over the microphone grill, causingreduced audio quality. In addition, it can be difficult toget the exact camera position that you want while tryingto load a rocket on a launch pad. And the tape needs tobe removed once the rocket has been recovered in orderto stop the recording and transfer the video. Also, the fitof the slot for the camera must be tight enough to holdthe camera in place, but loose enough to allow removal.

I have tried this method and I highly recommend a morepermanent method for mounting the camera in a rocket.

Another consideration is the plastic casing of thecamera which is not required for recording of video.Removal of the casing is a significant weight savingswith a damage risk. The casing is highly shock resistant.I recommend replacement of the casing to avoiddamage.

In addition to the Aiptek camera, there are a fewadditional items that are necessary. These are listedbelow. The brand or make of each of the items in notimportant. I am not endorsing any particular product.

MOUNTING

ADDITIONALITEMS

An SD flash memorycard is required in orderto store your recordedvideo.

My preference is toshoot at 60 frames persecond (fps) whichprovides more picturesthan normal (30 fps) atthe lower image size of7 2 0 p . U s i n g t h i ssetting, a 4 gigabytememory card will storeabout an hour and ahalf. The 8 Gb cardshown will record about2.5 hours of video.

A servo extension wireis required for thebattery modification. Alonger extension thanthe one pictured (6”)can be used, but morewill be cut away.

This was purchased at alocal hobby shop.

Small pushbuttons arerequired for the powerand record buttonextensions.

The required buttonsa r e k n o w n a s“momentary contact”pushbut tons . Tha tmeans that when thebut ton i s pushed,contact is made. Whenthe button is released,contact is broken.

These were purchased at a Radio Shack, #275-0004.

Hookup wire is required to extend the pushbuttons to thedesired position. The length of the wires depends uponyour particular installation.

The wire used is about 26 or 28 Ga, although it is notlabeled as such. 30 Ga wire may work although it has not


been tested. Larger gauge wire will work fine but willadd unnecessary weight.

This was purchased at a local hobby shop.

On the top of the camera is a microphone/speaker cover.Hold the camera as if you are going to shoot video andplace your thumb on the cover. Apply light pressuredownward and pull the cover back. It will slide backabout 1/8 of an inch and then can be lifted out.

DISASSEMBLYOFTHEAIPTEK CAMERA

Notice the tabs on the bottom of the cover. Try not tobreak these if you want to reassemble the camera case. Ifyou do break them off, the cover can be glued back intoplace once the camera case is back together.

Remove the small phillips screw.

Remove the battery coverand the battery (if it hasbeen installed.)

Remove the 4 smallphillips screws.

At this point you canremove the battery side ofthe casing as seen in thisphoto. It should come ofeasily.

CAUTION!The capacitor located here is a 330 Volt photo flash thatcan give a substantial electrical shock. I can attest tothis. This cap is used only for the flash when the camerais used in “Still Picture” mode. It is unnecessary forvideo. My suggestion is to remove this capacitor.


Carefully clip one of the leads coming out of the cap. Trynot to touch the circuit board with the wire cutters.

The leads bend easily. Making sure not to touch the cap.Try not to touch the circuit board with the cutters or bothleads at the same time, clip one wire lead, then the other.

The battery spring terminal block can be bent backeasily. Bending it back and forth will break it off withoutmuch effort.

The red globs at either end of the terminal block areadhesive. It will stretch apart as the block is bent awayfrom the circuit board.

Once the battery terminal block is broken away, theextension wires can be soldered into place.

The servo extension wires soldered into place.

The wire can be a little shorter or longer than is shown inthe picture. If you make it shorter, make sure that thereis enough length to work the wires out of the casing. If


you make it much longer, it may be difficult to replacethe case (too much wire bunched up inside.)

The other end of the servo extension wire (with themating connector) soldered onto the battery. Careshould be used in order not to damage the battery.Replacement batteries are available however.

Remove the small phillips screw located here.

The rear button panel can be rotated and wiggled out.

Remove the remaining 3 screws that fasten the maincircuit board to the rear of the case.

There is one more screw in the lower right-hand cornerthat holds on the front panel.

This screw holds the front panel to the case.


The ports on the rear of the camera are mounted onto thecircuit board and fit through the case.

In order to remove the main circuit board from the case,carefully pry the side of the case away from the boardwith your fingers while lifting the board out of the case.

Once you have the board lifted out, be careful of themass of blue wires. This is the cable that connects thescreen to the main board.

The front panel lifts away from the main circuit board.

The flash can be pulled from its seat and removed. Theflash is unused for video, and if you removed the photoflash capacitor in the earlier steps (as recommended)the flash will not work. Clip the wires close to thecircuit board.

The screen cable connects to the main circuit board viathis connector.


Do not pull up on these wires! The connector can bepulled off the circuit board if pulled up with too muchforce.

Hold the blue wires with your fingers and pulldownward (as in this picture) while wiggling theconnector side to side a little. The pulling force shouldbe parallel to the circuit board.

The connector should pull out without too much force.

These two screws (shown better in the insert) are part ofthe screen rotation and must be removed.

Rotate the screen and wiggle the plastic bracket out ofplace.

Remove the two silver screws indicated.

The two sides of the casing can be separated andremoved. Rotate the screen back and forth while slidingthe hinge pin out of the socket.

Be careful with the blue wires.

The hinge can be rotated and worked out through thehole in the plastic casing.


Remove the four screws at the inside end of the screencasing.

Pry up the plastic covering the buttons with a small flatscrewdriver.

Remove these two screws.

Pry up the plastic covering the screen. The plastichousing has clips that will release with a little force.

Work your way around the screen casing and release allof the clips and the black covering will come free.

The screen will lift out freely.

The button on the bottom is labeled: ON-OFF-SW

This is the one we are interested in. We’ll not removethe original pushbutton, only solder onto its leads.


The lead indicated by the red circle is one that we solderonto.

The other solder point is the ground bar.

Here the wires have been soldered to the connectionpoints.

The Record button is indicated by the red circle. Press itto begin recording of the video. Press it again to stop.

The contact points for the record button are indicated bythe circles.

There are contact points on the top of the switch can beused if the points on the circuit board cannot be reached.If these points are used, the wires should be secured withhot melt glue or epoxy.


The extension wires have been soldered onto the switchcontacts. These wires will be soldered onto apushbutton switch to start and stop the recording.

The wires soldered onto the pushbutton. The polarity isunimportant, meaning that it doesn’t matter which wireis soldered to which terminal.

Both the power button and the record button are to besoldered the same.

The length of the wires depends on the installation.Longer wires make routing and mounting easier butcarry extra weight.

MOUNTING THE CAMERA

5.Ability to disassemble.

Proper mounting is an important step in achieving goodresults with your video recording. A good mountrequires a number of considerations to be addressed:

The ability to disassemble the entire payload unit is amatter of preference and perhaps rocket design. In the

1. Getting the image into the camera.

2. The screen.

3. Power and Record buttons.

4. Charging the battery and retrieving video.

This depends on the image that you want. I havemounted this camera pointing down along the rocket.With this view the camera has to be mounted with thelens outside of the rocket or with a mirror. Using a mirrornot only reverses the image left to right and top tobottom, but a mirror adds a great deal of complexity tothe design and installation. I do not recommend using amirror. Feel free to try on your own though.

While the ability to see the screen while the rocket is onthe launchpad is not absolutely necessary, it is extremelyhelpful. The Aiptek camera has blue indicator lights onthe rear panel that light up when the camera is poweredon and flash when the camera is recording. These lightscan be used in lieu of the screen, but the screen containsan array of information that I consider necessary forproper operation of the camera (battery level, recordingtime remaining, recording mode, etc...) As a result, Irecommend mounting the camera and screen so that thescreen is visible. A small hole (½” perhaps) drilled in thetubing may be sufficient to see the screen, although itrequires putting your eye right up against the rocket,which may not be easy when it is sitting on thelaunchpad. A larger hole provides better visibility,although the hole need not be as large as the screen itself.

The power and record buttons can be reached by use of astick or small screwdriver through a hole in the bodytube. I have tried this method and found that while itworks, it can be difficult to push the buttons while on thelaunchpad. For this reason, I have extended the buttonsto mount them on the side of the rocket. This makesoperation of the camera much, much easier. You maychoose another method however.

A USB port on the back of the Aiptek camera providesthe connection in order to charge the battery and totransfer the video from the camera to a computer. Unlessyou want to extend the USB port connection to the sideof the rocket, you will need to provide access to the USBport.

Back side of switch. REMEMBER these areMomentary Switches: press once its on, press again itsoff.


past, I have glued the pushbuttons on the inside of therocket tube after mounting the camera into the payloadsection. Again, this method works fine, but may requiretearing into the rocket if a wire needs to be replaced orthe memory card comes loose or requires replacement.The ability to disassemble any given part requires designconsideration and perhaps weight gain. It may be lighterto glue a part into place rather than use a couple ofscrews, but disassembly may be impossible withoutdamage to one or more parts. I prefer the ability todisassemble but you may prefer to save on design and

weight.

The design that I present here is a 4” rocket that hasflown on a J-720 motor (and other J motors.) I have yetto try it out on anything larger. Close inspection hasrevealed no indications of stress, and I intend to fly a Kmotor this coming year. A larger rocket or a rocketflown on a larger motor may require additionalreinforcements and design considerations.

6. Rocket requirements.

In this section I will illustrate the mounting method that Ihave used for this particular installation, the payload ofmy System 2 rocket. The System 2 is a 4” rocketconstructed of phenolic tubing. This method may not fityour particular needs, so I’ll try to explain things ingeneral terms rather than in exact dimensions.

I have tried a number of mounting methods. I have triedwith and without the plastic casing of the video camera. Irecommend replacing the case of the camera because ofits protective qualities. Removal of the casing provides anumber of advantages however. Removal of the casesaves on the weight of the camera, but also its size. Muchof what is hanging out of the camera is the case, soremoval reduces the amount outside of the rocket (ie.reduced drag.) But removal of the case requiresadditional protection for the camera be considered in thedesign.

I have also tried using a rigid plywood structure to holdthe camera in place. Plywood or some other rigidstructure provides a solid way of mounting the camera,but it can transfer shock to the camera if the payloadsection takes a hit while landing (or whatever.) While Iprefer the protection provided by Styrofoam, you mayprefer another method. I have also thought about using apolyurethane foam to encase the camera in the tube,

although I have yet to try this method. A fiberglassmounting method may provide the best balancebetween protection and weight. I’ll let you know aboutthat in version 2 of this document.

SYSTEM 2 PAYLOADMY INSTALLATION

AIPTEK CAMERA

POWER/RECORD BUTTONS SCREEN VIEWING WINDOW

The lens and upper section hangs out of the rocket.Notice that the top of the camera is not parallel with thebody tube. This is a matter of preference. With thecamera parallel, the rocket body will fill about half ofthe frame of the image. With the camera pointed out alittle such as this, the rocket is in about the lower quarterof the image.

The Power (marked “Video”) and the Record buttonsare attached to the inside of the body tube.As a result ofthe thickness of the body tube, the buttons sit below thesurface of the body, reducing the possibility of the


buttons being pushed by mistake.

The screen viewing window allows full view of thescreen from about a foot away. A smaller windowrequires the eye to be closer to the rocket. The window iscovered with a piece of thin styrene plastic that iscovered with clear packing tape.

Opening the payload section shows the grey couplertube and the yellow body tubing. The control panel

(with the buttons) is about 3/4” long body tubing.This shot (lower left) shows the cutouts in the bodytubing and coupler for the screen viewing window.

Below the nose and payload body tube have beenremoved. The Styrofoam block extends into the nosecone requiring removal of the bottom of the cone.The Styrofoam block consists of 2 halves. The upper

section of one half isremoved to access the USBport.The USB port is accessedbehind the plastic coveringon the camera.

The shot below shows othercomponents that I havemounted into the payloadbay: an altimeter and alocating squealer. These are

not necessary for the video, but I have found a numberof rockets as a result of hearing the squealer. And I like


to have as much flight data as possible, so an extraaltimeter is preferred. The switches for these aremounted with the camera control buttons.

The control panel with the switches is screwed intoplace. The orange pushbutton below the control panelactivates the squealer when the parachute charge blowsthe payload section off of the rocket.

Removal of the screws reveals the wiring and the slotcut for the control panel.

To remove the block of Styrofoam, the control panel isfitted through the slot in the coupler tubing as the blockis pulled out of the coupler tubing. The rear of thecontrol panel is a piece of dummy material (shown inthe insert of the bottom left photo) that surrounds the

section of the tubing that is not covered by the controlpanel. Here it has been removed.

The Styrofoam block removed from the payloadsection. The wires for the camera, altimeter andsquealer all connect to the buttons on the control panel.

The Styrofoam blocks have been separated and thevideo camera can be seen.

The camera encased in hot melt glue and Styrofoam.Epoxy can be used also. Far less glue could be used withbetter cutouts in the Styrofoam.

The battery has been glued into the case of the cameraand the battery connector has been glued to the battery.The wires run under the camera to the screen side forconnection to the control panel.


The coupler tubing and relative locations for the cutoutsfor the camera, screen view window and slot for thecontrol panel.

Here is the cut-out for the camera

1 7/16”

1 7/16”

The cutout for the screen viewing window. The screenviewing window can be much smaller as preferencedictates.

1 3/8”

1 3/8”

The cutout for the control panel. The cutout extends 3”around the coupler tube.

½”

PAGE 22

The screen side of the mount. The hinge mechanism forthe screen was not replaced in this installation. I wantedto reduce the size of the viewing window but still be ableto see the screen from a short distance so I mounted thescreen in this fashion.

JANUARY 2014 TRIPOLI GERLACH NEWS

The payload section body tube is 5” long.

The screen viewing window is 1-3/8” square. It iscovered with thin clear styrene sheet and held in placewith clear packing tape.

This payload section for the System 2 rocket is the 7thcamera payload that I have designed and built for a 4”diameter rocket. I have attempted to incorporate designelements that I have learned from earlier designs. Someof the elements have been described earlier, ie:extension wires for the control buttons, camera angle,screen visibility, etc. Some of the elements aresomewhat more subtle. The System 2 camera payloadsection has a body tube that is shorter than the previousversions (less drag), is completely encased withinStyrofoam (shock resistance) and has included otherdevices (altimeter and squealer). The button controlpanel makes it easy to get the onboard systems up andrunning on the launch pad.

The System 2 is certainly not the last word in designhowever. No doubt that there are ideas that couldimprove on the design that I have not hit upon.

1 5/16”

I encourage all who read this to incorporate any designelements and ideas into their own designs.

Additional time put in beforehand in design andconstruction means less time and thought required at thefield.

AIPTEK UPDATETHE LED

PWR

REC

The main purpose of the Screen Window is to see andconfirm camera operations. You can eliminate all of thisby tapping into the Camera’s Operations LED. This islocated on the top of the camera on the board whichcontains the camera’s joy stick.

While the camera is disassembled solder two wires acrossthe LED next to the joy stick. The blue and red wires showwhere to connect.

Feed these to an LED next to the Power On button and theRecord button. When you Power on the LED is solid red,hit record and it blinks red confirming operation. This canmake a clean and simple installation.


Galileo Galilei was the first to demonstrate that bodies ofdifferent mass fall equal distances in equal times. He didthis very dramatically by dropping a light and heavy ballfrom the Leaning Tower of Piza before an assembly ofstudents and skeptical faculty of the University of Pisa.The balls reached the ground at the same time, therebyprovingAristotle's physics wrong.

Galileo wasn' t the f irs t to do this. Flemishengineer/mathematician Simon Stevin (1548-1620) did theexperiment. Even earlier, the 7th century Byzantine scholarJohn Philloponus (John the Grammarian) described theexperiment in detail, in language that leaves no doubt that hehad actually done it.

To make matters worse, Galileo probably didn't even do theexperiment himself, at least he never claimed he did. Nodocument of the University of Pisa mentions it, nor does anyother independent source. The story was likely a fictionalinvention of Vivani, Galileo's pupil and biographer. Galileodid describe such an experiment, and used it when arguingagainst Aristotelian mechanics. The myth still shows up intextbooks. It should have died when Lane Cooperdemolished it in a pahmphet titled Aristotle, Galileo, and theTower of Pisa (Ithica, 1935; Kennakat Press, 1972).

Glass windowpanes in old houses are thicker at thebottom because glass is a liquid that which flows slowlyunder the action of gravity.

This multiply mistaken unfounded assertion has even creptinto textbooks and physics lectures. It is true that

windowpanes in old houses have varying thickness due tothe glass manufacturing process used. In some cases thewindowmaker chose to install them thicker side down. Butthat practice was not universally used. When old buildingshave window panes thicker at the bottom, it was probablycustom or preference on the part of the builder. Many oldbuildings have panes where the thick sides are oriented invarious ways.

This myth is the misleading assertion that glass is a liquidthat flows slowly.There's some validity to this, for glass doessometimes flow, but so slowly and so little that in the timesince the old glass was made, you'd not get anywhere nearthis much thickness difference, or even a noticeabledifference.

If the assertions were true, the amount of thickness observedin houses of the 18th century should be, on average muchless than that observed in buildings of the 15th century. Butthat is not the case.

The thickness variation is observed in glass made by aprocess in which a layer of glass is flattened by rotation ofmolten glass on a flat surface. The resulting thickness variesfrom center to rim of the wheel. When cut into pieces, eachpiece has a thicker edge. A professional window-makermight choose to orient the thick edges the same way, foresthetic reasons. Also, we have an intuitive feeling that asolid object is more stable if its heavy side is down.

Modern glass for windowpanes is made by floating moltenglass on a liquid surface, which produces a very flat surface,and very uniform thickness.

THINGS TO MAKE YOU SMARTEROR AT LEAST THINK


The invention of the

is closer to the invention

than it is to the

Handgun (16th century)

of the Atomic Bomb

invention of Black Powder(20th century)

(9th century)

tripoli prefecture # 138rimworld.com/tripoligerlach/downloads/2014-04-01.pdf · tripoli tripoli...

Documents