[TriEmbed] Rocket derby help

[Scott Hall]

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Having done much model rocketry in my life, and having constructed launcher
systems I have some points you might want to consider:

I've never seen or built a system using a 6V lantern battery.  Almost always I
have used a 12 V sealed lead-acid battery like those in UPS systems or an old
car battery.  You want an inrush current of near 10 amps for a few milliseconds.

Regular 24-ga CAT-5 wire can handle about 750 mA (0.75 A) continuous at 12 V
with plenty of headroom.  I used to do radio-station control systems on 25-pair
22-ga telephone wire where the currents were regularly 1 A at 12 V.  For rocket
igniter purposes, CAT-5 is more than adequate.

With the amperages you measured, they are way too low.  If you put a 100-ohm 5 W
resister in place of the igniter and measure the current when you press a button
for a few seconds, you should see around 120 mA (0.120 A).

It sounds like if you replace the battery with a 12 V rechargeable sealed
lead-acid battery, all your woes will be solved.


-- 
Scott G. Hall
Raleigh, NC, USA
ScottGHall1 at GMail.Com

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