Mechanical (not magnetic) Apogee Detector

[Alien Space Agency]

Hi guys

Can anyone share their thoughts about this recovery system?
[youtube][/youtube]

How effective do you think this is?

[skysaber89]

This looks to be quite fascinating. I would love to see this tested. Mechanical apogee detectors are inherently less reliable, at least I would think this to be the case, because of the moving parts. This one seems very well thought out however. It very well could work nicely.
It does seem that it is adding a lot of unnecessary weight, though. It also cannot be used in WRA2 competitions as it is made from metal bits. That is my understanding of the rules, though I could be wrong.

[Alien Space Agency]

Yeah, I do think so as well. But if used for research, it would be perfect, especially if you don't know when to deploy the chute.

[addstogether]

It should be fine in WRA competitions I think if it was in its own plastic deployment bay separate from the pressurised components and therefore no metal parts in contact with pressurised rocket. Well that's my thought on it. I could be wrong however a quick email to find out might be in order.

[addstogether]

Have you thought of using threaded plastic rods instead of metal. These can be picked up from most hardware stores.

[Alien Space Agency]

The metal rods act as the contacts for activating the mech. I was thinking of arranging the contacts like a cage so no matter what orientation the rocket is in, as long as it tips past 100 deg, it will deploy. Here is a rough MSP drawing of my idea:

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The red circles are the positive terminals, and the blue, negative. The black circle is the ball bearing.

Kudos.

Maru

[motorcyclepilot]

I think US Water Rockets Air Command Rockets discounted all mechanical apogee detectors as unreliable. Since the rocket and the mechanism are in the same inertial frame, you cannot rely on gravity to trigger this device.

[Alien Space Agency]

The metal ball bearing is free to move around the mechanism. After burnout, the bearing moves up, once it tips over, it moves to one side and activates the servo.

[motorcyclepilot]

The metal ball bearing is free to move around the mechanism. After burnout, the bearing moves up, once it tips over, it moves to one side and activates the servo.

Yes, the bearing is free but why would it move "up" or to one side? Taking acceleration into consideration, the bearing would move up immediately after burnout when the rocket is no longer accelerating, not at apogee, causing an early chute deployment.

I was wrong about credit for testing of gravity mechanisms. It was Air Command Rockets. Sorry guys!

Here's a link to their test video: [youtube][/youtube]

Worth watching, as they have in-flight video of testing a gravity based mechanism.

If gravity based mechanisms were reliable then we would all be using them for apogee detection and deployment due to their simplicity and ease of construction.

[Alien Space Agency]

Well that problem is already taken into account when Dan was designing this. Actually the contacts are on the side, and not on the top. So no activation comes during burnout.

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PS. Before I came here ACR was my guide. So I more or less watched ALL their vids.

[addstogether2]

Yes Air Command's site has been a goto for many!