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Solenoid Gimbal Test Rig

A project log for Project Rockoon

Actively stabilized model rocket by means of a motor gimbal, originally designed for launching a rocket from a high-altitude weather balloon

julian-costasJulian Costas 07/30/2016 at 15:400 Comments

I'm working on creating a test rig for the solenoid gimbal so that I can calibrate the program before putting it on an unrestrained rocket. First I had to consolidate all the electronics onto a perf board.

I started with this rat's nest:

And ended with this:

I fixed this to the gimbal with a transitional piece and some screws:

And I covered it with a shipping tube and a paper towel tube that I found:

Now I just have to add batteries and a way to suspend/restrain it, and I should be ready for the first test.

Adding in the mass of the batteries, the whole thing is almost 275g, weighing in at about 2.7 newtons.

This is a little more than double the recommended take off weight for this size engine.

However, looking at the time-thrust curve for the Estes C6 Engine, I should still have positive lift for the duration of the engine burn. It's not a huge amount, and won't be suitable for an actual flight. I'll definitely wanna go for a D, E, F, or even a G engine when I fly this unrestrained. But for testing purposes, it should be enough to help calibrate the gimbal.

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