We've recently announced our latest idea for a new and unique way of viewing water rockets in flight. Click on this article link to see the all new Water Rocket Chase Camera Project!
This Blog documents the various activities of the world record holding water rocket team known as U.S. Water Rockets. Using media aggregation technologies, we will be including videos and photos taken by the team and spectators of their water rocket launches as well as tutorials and instructions for building and flying water rockets safely. Additional information on where to find competitions and rules regarding our water rocket world records will also be discussed.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Water Rocket Selfies with a Chase Camera
We've recently announced our latest idea for a new and unique way of viewing water rockets in flight. Click on this article link to see the all new Water Rocket Chase Camera Project!
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
How to make your Water Rocket fly higher
We have added a new section to our website that contains the first in a series of articles which share many of the tips and tricks we have learned over the years that can help you make your water rockets go higher and/or make your water rocket go farther.
The first article in the series explains many of the weight reduction techniques which we have employed in the fabrication of the MSP430 based electronics payload and parachute deploy module of our X-12 advanced ultra high pressure water rocket. These weight reducing methods can be applied to any water rocket design to improve the performance by shedding unnecessary mass, which will cut down on the amount of wasted energy.
Accompanying the new performance tips article is a new water rocket video which shows how the new payload module is set up. The video also includes a step-by-step explanation of our water rocket arming and launch procedures, from rocket preparation through launch and landing.
Many people have been curious about what it takes to launch one of our advanced rockets, and we thought it would be a great place to show the process, because it ties in very tightly with the new reduced mass payload module. The video illustrates the very same launch procedures which were used to set most of our Water Rocket world altitude records.
Our performance tips section will be expanded over the coming weeks with additional articles and videos showing specific construction tips and launcher designs which you can use to your advantage in your own rockets.
The first article in this series is available now and can be found at the following link: http://www.uswaterrockets.com/tips/weight_saving/tip.htm
Accompanying the new performance tips article is a new water rocket video which shows how the new payload module is set up. The video also includes a step-by-step explanation of our water rocket arming and launch procedures, from rocket preparation through launch and landing.
Many people have been curious about what it takes to launch one of our advanced rockets, and we thought it would be a great place to show the process, because it ties in very tightly with the new reduced mass payload module. The video illustrates the very same launch procedures which were used to set most of our Water Rocket world altitude records.
Our performance tips section will be expanded over the coming weeks with additional articles and videos showing specific construction tips and launcher designs which you can use to your advantage in your own rockets.
The first article in this series is available now and can be found at the following link: http://www.uswaterrockets.com/tips/weight_saving/tip.htm
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
ServoChron Firmware and Documentation Updates
U.S. Water Rockets has released the newest ServoChron: the MSP430 LaunchPad based dual time delayed Servo controller for rocketry and other applications.
The newly enhanced ServoChron functions as a dual programmable delay timer that can move up to 2 servomotors between defined positions after a programmed time delay has elapsed from the moment a trigger input changes state. This functionality is intended for use with model rockets to deploy one or two parachutes at programmed intervals after launch has been detected. However, the device can be used in any situation where a servo needs to change position when some event triggers an input.
New in this version is an immediate trigger override input which can be used to read an apogee detect circuit (like a digital output from an external altimeter) and deploy the parachute immediately. Combine this feature with the built in timer feature and you have an apogee triggered servo deploy system with a timer backup.
The ServoChron will run on any MSP430 LaunchPad, including the early MSP430G2231 based versions. A custom software UART was developed for this variant which allows it to send the same diagnostic messages across the MSP430 Application UART backchannel while still driving the servos, just like the MSP430G2553 based Launchpad version.
A key feature of the ServoChron is the clever user interface, which allows the time delay and the servo positions to be configured without any external switches, and saves the configuration in the nonvolatile memory of the MSP430.
The software also includes an automatic polarity detect on the trigger input, so it will work with Normally Open or Normally Closed trigger circuits.
The ServoChron is demonstrated in a real water rocket launch and parachute recovery in the following video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uezqy85jiQ
Instructions for making a simple servo operated Parachute deployment system are shown in this tutorial video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqTKXXpD9IU
The configuration of the ServoChron is demonstrated in the following video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_C4v0zYUuY
Along with the newly improved firmware, we have also reworked all of the instructions and manuals to make them easier to navigate. The new instructions for assembly, programming, and operation of the ServoChron are available at the following link: http://www.uswaterrockets.com/documents/ServoChron/manual.htm
New in this version is an immediate trigger override input which can be used to read an apogee detect circuit (like a digital output from an external altimeter) and deploy the parachute immediately. Combine this feature with the built in timer feature and you have an apogee triggered servo deploy system with a timer backup.
The ServoChron will run on any MSP430 LaunchPad, including the early MSP430G2231 based versions. A custom software UART was developed for this variant which allows it to send the same diagnostic messages across the MSP430 Application UART backchannel while still driving the servos, just like the MSP430G2553 based Launchpad version.
A key feature of the ServoChron is the clever user interface, which allows the time delay and the servo positions to be configured without any external switches, and saves the configuration in the nonvolatile memory of the MSP430.
The software also includes an automatic polarity detect on the trigger input, so it will work with Normally Open or Normally Closed trigger circuits.
The ServoChron is demonstrated in a real water rocket launch and parachute recovery in the following video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uezqy85jiQ
Instructions for making a simple servo operated Parachute deployment system are shown in this tutorial video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqTKXXpD9IU
The configuration of the ServoChron is demonstrated in the following video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_C4v0zYUuY
Along with the newly improved firmware, we have also reworked all of the instructions and manuals to make them easier to navigate. The new instructions for assembly, programming, and operation of the ServoChron are available at the following link: http://www.uswaterrockets.com/documents/ServoChron/manual.htm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)