EM Rockets Launched! Video!!
FastMHz, Sun Jun 11 2006, 05:34PMI launched my electromagnetic rockets "EMRockets" a short while ago and just finished editing together the footage. The footage shows induction launched rockets at progressively higher voltages...the higher the voltage, the more altitude, but also the more Gs, and therefore the rockets get destroyed
It's back to the drawing board to build a rocket that can withstand more than one full power launch...Rocket Launching
Re: EM Rockets Launched! Video!!
joshua_, Sun Jun 11 2006, 07:02PM
Neat! I saw that you got the true-to-form "four fins on the launch pad" afterwards :)
Very very cool.
joshua_, Sun Jun 11 2006, 07:02PM
Neat! I saw that you got the true-to-form "four fins on the launch pad" afterwards :)
Very very cool.
Re: EM Rockets Launched! Video!!
Marko, Sun Jun 11 2006, 08:47PM
Maybe you could make a rocket with engine that activates when rocket begins to 'fall' and continues proppeling
I guess you'l need to make bases of rockets tougher, tough.
Marko, Sun Jun 11 2006, 08:47PM
Maybe you could make a rocket with engine that activates when rocket begins to 'fall' and continues proppeling
I guess you'l need to make bases of rockets tougher, tough.
Re: EM Rockets Launched! Video!!
Quantum Singularity, Mon Jun 12 2006, 05:09PM
Looking good! Thanks for capturing the excitement on video and sharing with us! What software do you use to make your videos... yours always come out pretty good. To bad you couldnt get the rocket to show up against the sky when it launches on the zoomed-out video... wonder if you painted it black or something... but still I think the sky pretty much will wash anything small out.
Quantum Singularity, Mon Jun 12 2006, 05:09PM
Looking good! Thanks for capturing the excitement on video and sharing with us! What software do you use to make your videos... yours always come out pretty good. To bad you couldnt get the rocket to show up against the sky when it launches on the zoomed-out video... wonder if you painted it black or something... but still I think the sky pretty much will wash anything small out.
Re: EM Rockets Launched! Video!!
FastMHz, Tue Jun 13 2006, 11:50PM
I use Premiere for my videos..and yes, it's a legal copy
You can actually follow the rocket off the frame in my original source video but WMV distorts it enough to make it disappear I'll spray paint the next ones with neon paint. BTW, those were all launched from a 12v 5ah battery!
FastMHz, Tue Jun 13 2006, 11:50PM
I use Premiere for my videos..and yes, it's a legal copy
You can actually follow the rocket off the frame in my original source video but WMV distorts it enough to make it disappear I'll spray paint the next ones with neon paint. BTW, those were all launched from a 12v 5ah battery!Re: EM Rockets Launched! Video!!
Self Defenestrate, Wed Jun 14 2006, 01:30AM
As for the idea of strapping an engine to it, a mercury switch would work well. As the rocket slows down and reaches apogee, the mercury will fly up and complete a circuit to fire an engine. Common practice when staging engines electricly. Cool video, and may I suggest day-glo orange, shows up well in bright skys.
Self Defenestrate, Wed Jun 14 2006, 01:30AM
As for the idea of strapping an engine to it, a mercury switch would work well. As the rocket slows down and reaches apogee, the mercury will fly up and complete a circuit to fire an engine. Common practice when staging engines electricly. Cool video, and may I suggest day-glo orange, shows up well in bright skys.
Re: EM Rockets Launched! Video!!
Jasonr, Wed Jun 14 2006, 05:18PM
Nice project, any idea how high they are going? What ga magnet wire are you using? and how many turns? I see it is a dual layer coil?
nice scr's! btw
Jason
Jasonr, Wed Jun 14 2006, 05:18PM
Nice project, any idea how high they are going? What ga magnet wire are you using? and how many turns? I see it is a dual layer coil?
nice scr's! btw
Jason
Re: EM Rockets Launched! Video!!
FastMHz, Thu Jun 15 2006, 05:29PM
Unfortunately I don't know how high they're going...I need an altimeter, though I suppose I could listen carefully and time the launch until crashdown to estimate the height....what would the formula for that be?
The wire is 14awg magnet wire...same stuff used in all my other CGs and launchers. The only difference is that this coil is only 2.5" in diameter, instead of 3.5"....don't know how many turns...I just wrapped it until it was the right diameter as I built the coil for the aluminum slugs I'm using, which are 2.5" diameter and 3/8" thick. It is a dual layer coil, though I think I'm going to make a 3 layer one as the current is vaporizing the solder before I can fire the bank at full capacity. My 3.5" diameter DL coils had each layer in parallel...this smaller one has them in series.
FastMHz, Thu Jun 15 2006, 05:29PM
Unfortunately I don't know how high they're going...I need an altimeter, though I suppose I could listen carefully and time the launch until crashdown to estimate the height....what would the formula for that be?
The wire is 14awg magnet wire...same stuff used in all my other CGs and launchers. The only difference is that this coil is only 2.5" in diameter, instead of 3.5"....don't know how many turns...I just wrapped it until it was the right diameter as I built the coil for the aluminum slugs I'm using, which are 2.5" diameter and 3/8" thick. It is a dual layer coil, though I think I'm going to make a 3 layer one as the current is vaporizing the solder before I can fire the bank at full capacity. My 3.5" diameter DL coils had each layer in parallel...this smaller one has them in series.
Re: EM Rockets Launched! Video!!
Jasonr, Fri Jun 16 2006, 01:24AM
have you played with difffernt sizes and thickness AL? I am curiuos why so think of AL? and why you picked that thickness.
also I am thinking if where you soldered you connections if you were to twist them with a pliers and then solder them if they would hold up better. I saw that on your web site.
but this is fun enough that I might just build one. since I have a small 3.6kJ bank sitting right here.
Jasonr, Fri Jun 16 2006, 01:24AM
have you played with difffernt sizes and thickness AL? I am curiuos why so think of AL? and why you picked that thickness.
also I am thinking if where you soldered you connections if you were to twist them with a pliers and then solder them if they would hold up better. I saw that on your web site.
but this is fun enough that I might just build one. since I have a small 3.6kJ bank sitting right here.
Re: EM Rockets Launched! Video!!
Wilson, Fri Jun 16 2006, 03:07AM
The formula to calculate the total height displacement, using only a time is as follows:
S=ut+0.5at^2
u=initial velocity (m/s)
t=time (sec)
a=acceleration due to gravity = 9.8ms^-2
Now, you need the time it takes for it to fall from the apex of its flight, to the ground. u=0 at the apex of flight, so the formula becomes:
s=0.5 x 9.8 x t^2
Sub in the time in secs for an approximation (air resistance isn't considered here) of the total height in meters
Hope this helps,
Wilson
Wilson, Fri Jun 16 2006, 03:07AM
The formula to calculate the total height displacement, using only a time is as follows:
S=ut+0.5at^2
u=initial velocity (m/s)
t=time (sec)
a=acceleration due to gravity = 9.8ms^-2
Now, you need the time it takes for it to fall from the apex of its flight, to the ground. u=0 at the apex of flight, so the formula becomes:
s=0.5 x 9.8 x t^2
Sub in the time in secs for an approximation (air resistance isn't considered here) of the total height in meters
Hope this helps,
Wilson
Re: EM Rockets Launched! Video!!
Quantum Singularity, Fri Jun 16 2006, 02:10PM
Looking good! Thanks for capturing the excitement on video and sharing with us! What software do you use to make your videos... yours always come out pretty good. To bad you couldnt get the rocket to show up against the sky when it launches on the zoomed-out video... wonder if you painted it black or something... but still I think the sky pretty much will wash anything small out.
>>>EDIT: not sure where this came from, I didnt post this again??? Moderators can delete it please.
Quantum Singularity, Fri Jun 16 2006, 02:10PM
Looking good! Thanks for capturing the excitement on video and sharing with us! What software do you use to make your videos... yours always come out pretty good. To bad you couldnt get the rocket to show up against the sky when it launches on the zoomed-out video... wonder if you painted it black or something... but still I think the sky pretty much will wash anything small out.
>>>EDIT: not sure where this came from, I didnt post this again??? Moderators can delete it please.
Re: EM Rockets Launched! Video!!
FastMHz, Fri Jun 16 2006, 05:19PM
Thanks for the posts and formulas...I plugged in the estimated times from the video and found that the highest launch reached about 47.1 meters...minus resistance of course so it's a bit less.
To Jason: I picked those thicknesses only because that's what I got my hands on...nothing else. Once I got the aluminum slugs, I designed everything else around them. From my other ILs, I did discover that thicker aluminum is definitely better....e.g. hard disk platters are nothing compared to 1/8" al in terms of efficiency and energy output.
If you plan to build an EMRocket, PM me if you have any Qs about getting things to stay together during launch...mine aren't perfect, but they're much better than my first attempt.
I think I'm going to leave the solder connections as-is...it's a built in fuse, helping to protect my SCRs
FastMHz, Fri Jun 16 2006, 05:19PM
Thanks for the posts and formulas...I plugged in the estimated times from the video and found that the highest launch reached about 47.1 meters...minus resistance of course so it's a bit less.
To Jason: I picked those thicknesses only because that's what I got my hands on...nothing else. Once I got the aluminum slugs, I designed everything else around them. From my other ILs, I did discover that thicker aluminum is definitely better....e.g. hard disk platters are nothing compared to 1/8" al in terms of efficiency and energy output.
If you plan to build an EMRocket, PM me if you have any Qs about getting things to stay together during launch...mine aren't perfect, but they're much better than my first attempt.
I think I'm going to leave the solder connections as-is...it's a built in fuse, helping to protect my SCRs
Print this page