Rocket Test Stand V2
This is the rebuild. The first stand did its job right up until it didn't — the data all lived on an SD card that turned into fragments strewn across the lawn along with the stand. Version two is about making sure that can never happen again.
The latest design features logging thrust data from a 10-kilogram strain gauge, where the data is read by a microcontroller. Most of the changes between the original design and the new one center around a bigger load cell to capture higher peak thrusts in rocket motors, as well as a redundant real time telemetry system streaming straight to a computer so that even if the motor catastrophically fails, all data collected up until failure is still logged.
Other changes include adding a key for a more secure launch circuit as well as a much longer cable. I also will move all the electronics below the test stand with a blast shield over it so that no electronics will hopefully be harmed this time around. The motor mounting plate and machined bushings from the first stand were robust enough to salvage, so those carry over into the new build.
Work in progress — photos and test data will be added as the build comes together.
See Rocket Test Stand V1 for the original design.