Maybe it was a typo, and he meant "short ton."

MarkII

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SAM # 0011

I gotta agree that using the Quest Q2G2 igniters makes a huge battery source unecessary. I lit 4 at once with the Estes 4AA battery controller. It used the light bulb continuity light so I basically pressed the button then put the key in when I was ready to launch... I've gotta get some of those LED bulb conversions that Fred talks about!

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Scott

NAR #32070

Or just get the proper Quest Launch Controller....

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Shrox

Master of the Dark Art of Model Rocketry

www.shrox.com

I've got at least 8 of them. Truth be told, my favorite launch controller is the MRC Concept II one that Bill designed. I still use the one I got while working for him in the early 90s.

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Scott

NAR #32070

Hey Scott that "other" controller you mention.....wasn't that from when you and Bill worked together a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away ?


"I" like lots of Quest stuff , I don't care for the Quest controller !

"I" really do like the new R2D2 ignitors by Quest ! Great product !




Jim

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Jim Filler
NARHAMS # 139
NAR CB - RCPC

I was just concerned about proper voltage.

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Shrox

Master of the Dark Art of Model Rocketry

www.shrox.com

If you ar looking for a cheap way to release a 'short ton' of current a disposable (single use) camera should do the job, the capacitor in that will store a pretty terrifying amount of charge for the flash. Normally up to around 1500v, if you have an old one kicking about it is worth having a look at it.

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Luke

The easiest thing to do is get one of those car battery jumper packs they sell at various online stores, and most local automotive stores. Harbor Freight and Northern Tool, among others, have them relatively cheap.

These have a sealed lead-acid gel cell in them that is quite portable, since it's encased in a plastic casing with a molded in handle, and comes equipped with the charging and monitoring hardware built in, along with some HD power cables and clamps, and most have a cigarette-style lighter plug that you can easily plug into for power to a launch controller, though I usually just use the jumper cable clamps clipped onto the battery charger style clamps my launchers are outfitted with from when I popped the hood of the car for access to the car battery for launches.

The nice thing about these are, they pull double duty-- you can charge them in the car and leave them in your vehicle trunk when your done, so if you ever leave your lights on or something, you can easily boost off your own car, in addition to having it for launching rockets. That's always a nice thing to have.

Here's a few pics of my setup. Later! OL JR

Attached Thumbnails

   

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The X-87B Cruise Basselope-- THE Ultimate Weapon in the arsenal of Homeland Security and only $52 million per round!

At what amperage??

There's more to getting ignitors to ignite than just the voltage-- in fact, excessive voltage isn't really a good thing anyway. These are low-voltage devices, not high voltage!

It takes WATTAGE to heat the ignitor up to ignition temperature of the pyrogen. WATTS= volts x amps. You can have a TON of voltage, but if you don't have any amps, you're not going to be delivering the wattage necessary to heat the ignitor. If you have a TON of amps (high discharge rate battery with low internal resistance, and BIG, SHORT lead cables going to your ignitor, then you don't need much voltage to do the job. The best solution is a middle ground-- 12-18 volts at moderate amperage capability (decent size wire to reduce resistance, good battery capable of delivering that power at decent discharge rates (C rating).

Later! OL JR

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The X-87B Cruise Basselope-- THE Ultimate Weapon in the arsenal of Homeland Security and only $52 million per round!

If I may mimic Shrox: "No one's liking G. Harry Stine's relay-type firing system idea..." (a description and schematic are on pages 228 and 229 of the 7th Edition of the "Handbook of Model Rocketry").

This system uses a second battery (located at the launch pad) that is connected to the igniters via very short leads and is switched into its circuit by means of a relay that is activated by any standard launch controller. Because the relay battery's leads are very short, it need not be a huge "powerhouse" unit to fire clusters even of old-style nichrome "hot wire" igniters, so it can handle numerous clusters of Estes Solar Igniters and Quest Tiger Tail, Tiger Tail II, Q2, or Q2G2 Igniters.

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Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
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NAR #54895 SR