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Model Forum / General / Rockets / April 2009Copperhead igniter Question
I'm having a little problem with my copperhead ignitors. I've launched a few with them however a few never got off the pad :) Don't know what i'm doing wrong but i believe that my ignitor clips is pulling it down from the tape in my reload case. I want to try to delaminate the copper part of the igniter so I coluld use my normal alligator clips and maybe that will help. Just don't know how to delaminate them. Advice appreciated. Thx > I'm having a little problem with my copperhead ignitors. I've launched > a few with them however a few never got off the pad :) Don't know what [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Thx Perhaps you will get a lot of disagreement on this, but copperheads are the pits. I throw away any copperhead that comes with a motor and use my own igniter. They just don't work most of the time unless you have huge amps like a car battery. I make my own igniters, I don't sell them but would be happy to explain how you can make your own. Tom >> I'm having a little problem with my copperhead ignitors. I've launched >> a few with them however a few never got off the pad :) Don't know what [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > I make my own igniters, I don't sell them but would be happy to explain how > you can make your own. Copperheads can be used quite effectively *if* you know how to do the bic trick. Take a cig lighter and heat up the ends of the leads and the leads will magically separate therefor allowing you use the standard alligator clips that are on 99% of all launch systems. I've had a 100% success rate since going this route. Ted Novak TRA#5512 >>> I'm having a little problem with my copperhead ignitors. I've launched >>> a few with them however a few never got off the pad :) Don't know what [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > Ted Novak > TRA#5512 I have never had a problem making electrical contact just a problem with getting them to fire with low power ignition systems. I have to walk out to the launch site and need to keep the gear weight down. Tom > "§" <tdstr@foadspammer.com> wrote in message >>> [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > I have to walk out to the launch site and need to keep the gear weight down. > Tom I use a a old UPS 12v 7.2 amp battery for my launch system. Small, quite light will light copperheads and small clusters instantly. I've heard of folks using RC car nicads for their launch systems but never tried it myself. Ted Novak TRA#5512 >> "§" <tdstr@foadspammer.com> wrote in message >>>> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > Ted Novak > TRA#5512 Thanks Ted, I rigged an adaptor so I can use my battery powered drill pack. Maybe Copperheads are better now, I have been using my own igniters for years. Tom > "§" <tdstr@foadspammer.com> wrote in message >>> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Maybe Copperheads are better now, I have been using my own igniters for > years. I never would have thought of that, brilliant! I do the cat5/nichrome/Igniterman thing myself. Ted Novak TRA#5512 >> "§" <tdstr@foadspammer.com> wrote in message >>>> [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > Ted Novak > TRA#5512 Yea, I don't use nichrome. I use cat5 and space the bare ends the width of a sheet of paper. I dip them in a carbon slurry. When dry it makes about a 10 ohm resistance that burns up nice. I coat it with a mag pyrogen and dip in nitrocellulose. They keep a long time and are slim enough to fit in small motors. Tom I use dual RC car 7.2V NiCad packs in my home brew launch controller. It lights 4-motor BP clusters *instantly*. As for copperheads, well, they SUCK, and I think that opinion is almost universal. I've used the bic-trick on them and that seems to work well. My biggest complaint about them is they are not long enough. The weight of the clip leads tend to pull the them out of the motor. I always have to try to find a way to support the weight of the leads so that the igniter stays in the motor. My recommendation is to use the copperheads for garbage bag ties and buy a better igniter or roll your own. >> "§" <tdstr@foadspammer.com> wrote in message >>>> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > Ted Novak > TRA#5512 > Copperheads can be used quite effectively *if* you know how to do the > bic trick. Take a cig lighter and heat up the ends of the leads and the > leads will magically separate therefor allowing you use the standard > alligator clips that are on 99% of all launch systems. > > I've had a 100% success rate since going this route. I've had no problem with the masking tape method to hook them up. I am absolutely 100% on sport flights with Copperheads. I am 3 for 7 on contest flights, proving once again that the universe is against me. Brett > I'm having a little problem with my copperhead ignitors. I've launched > a few with them however a few never got off the pad :) Don't know what [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > and maybe that will help. Just don't know how to delaminate them. > Advice appreciated. Somebody else has already suggested you use something other than Copperheads -- that's really good advice. I had one of the igniter-making kits at one time (sorry, I don't remember which one; it seems like they've all got their supporters, but all look pretty comparable and much better than Copperhead) and indeed those igniters worked better for me. A second point is that I always found putting a vent in the nozzle cap made a huge difference. My most single cause of failure was the igniter being ejected the instant there was a little pressure in the case, before the motor actually ignited. A small vent cured that. Finally, you don't need to delaminate the Copperhead to avoid the connector (note -- I'm guessing it's far more likely that what you're seeing is the igniter ejection I mentioned a moment ago than the weight of the spiffy Aerotech clip, but I find alligator clips much easier to use). Just put two pieces of masking tape on the igniter, so you have an area on each side that's insulated. Now you put the clips on over the masking tape, so each clip only makes contact on one side of the igniter (I hope that's clear -- I'm really bad at ASCII art! Let me know if a figure would help and I'll draw one up and email to it to you). |
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