Igniters are pressed into the engine nozzle with a plug. The igniter wires are then bent straight down, directly underneath the nozzle.
Clips are attached.
The rocket is launched and the clips below are in a direct line and hit with flame and smoke!
TIP: Bend the wires to the side and connect your clips outside the engine casing, not in line with the nozzle flame. Your clips will stay clean and could last years longer!
In the 1970s we were told to connect the clips close to the nozzle as possible. Nichrome wire was the same diameter down it's entire length. A shorter length of wire would heat faster.
Now igniters have a very thin bridge wire at the bent tip. That thin wire tip offers less resistance and heats much faster than the plain old style Nichrome.
What impresses me more is using the pan/tilt handle of the tripod as a launch lead tie-off! If you haven't done, I think you might collect all the little side tips and tricks of using a camera tripod launcher...
ReplyDeleteHi Bob,
DeleteI tie the leads to the tripod arm to take any weight off the igniter.
The old Centuri launchers were the first to do this, I think. Later the MPC launchers had a "gantry".
Thanks for the idea, I might just do a blog post on tripod tips.