Looking for good large model rocket kit

[nap]

My name is Nick Pinckernell. I have just recently launched some small model rockets and very much enjoyed it. Being a programmer and technology enthusiast, I now naturally want to put a small payload in a larger model rocket consisting of a computer, barometer (which I can use to calculate altitude), camera, and other instrumentation like humidity and temperature sensors. All my electronics are custom, using IC’s from Motorola and Dallas Semiconductors/Maxim-IC. The computer is a Gumstix waysmall computer which seems perfect for this application.

I was wondering if there is a large model rocket kit that would be good for this. I’m looking for a rocket that meets these requirements: ~ 1 lb payload with an internal diameter of at least 1 ½ inches.

[Warren B. MusselmanModerator]

We should talk Nick, I have a Gumstix and GPS application I’m playing with.

Warren

[nap]

Sounds good, feel free to email me.

And yes, the GPS expansion looked intriguing.

[Ed Dawson]

Hey, I’d vote for a thread in the forums.

I too have played around with altimeters, and GPS devices. I’m curious which GPS chipset you are having luck with. Most that I have looked at have a very poor tolerance for shock and easily lose signal lock.

My initial playing around with Trimble’s Lassen chip was only fair for the boost and I completly lost data for quite while after apogee. The shock of deployment was too much. Also the inital boost really trough it for a loop. Here’s a link to my first Google Earth track.

[img]www.dawson.mesanetworks.net/Rockets/JDI GPS Track.bmp[/img]

I have looked at specs and talked with those within the GPS chipset industry and still have not found a truely robust option. Big Red Bee uses the SiRF chip. I am building a new one based on the Copernicus chip.

I also throw in a barometric pressure sensor and accelerometer just for fun.

[Bruce R. Schaefer]

Hey, I’d vote for a thread in the forums.

I second that, Ed. In electronics? I built transmitters that transmitted back spin rate, temp, acc., etc. in the late 60’s using the CB frequencies. Still have those. It’s always been one of my favorite things to do. Great strides were made in the 80’s for using hand-built computers to save data. Now, with technology so adavanced, so easy to use, and so available, a thread for schematics, plans, etc. could be added to the electronics section.

[Warren B. MusselmanModerator]

I’m using the SiRF chipset from Sparkfun.com. 20 channel. Still haven’t flight tested, but with the Maxstream RS232 chipset on ground tests I get 4-5 miles range from a moving car back to my house using a homemade 8 element Yagi.

Warren

[Mike Bennett]

Like Warren I have built and flown a EM-406 GPS module from Sparkfun along with the maxstream modems. Depending on which modems you use you can get 20 to 40 miles line of sight. The GPS module outputs TTL and the maxstream 9xends take that data right in. Here is my work with these units as well as a PIC based flight computer and MiniAlt project:
http://mbrocketry.com/projects/elec/tracking/track.html

http://mbrocketry.com/projects/elec/flight_comp/flightcomp.html

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