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This was the first launch of a new Aiptek Pocket DV II digital video recorder. I've been waiting to launch this for some time, until I had the new dual deployment using the PIRM2 perfected. Now that all was working well with the deployment, it was time to get the video cam in the air.
Here is a picture of the camera mounted in its cradle.
The rocket was the same fiberglass rocket that has flown in the past four launches. I did have a problem though, when I built the rocket originally, it was designed for the video camera cradle. After having reworked the rocket for the new electronics module and the PIRM2 dual deployment, I had to move the coupler section from the upper body tube to the lower body tube. So now the camera cradle no longer fit into the lower body tube. So I reduced the camera cradle bulkheads to fit inside the coupler, as opposed to inside the body tube. It made for a much snugger fit, but looked like it should work.
I also made a new main parachute, it is 60" in diameter as opposed to 39" on the old one. I thought with the video payload it might behoove me to bring it in a little softer. The motor was the same LW-1 I have used in the past several launches, I made a two grain .88 lb load, slightly more propellant as the rocket with the camera payload was about one pound heavier than in the previous flights.
Bill was on hand to help set up the launch pad. The rocket had been prepped the night before so it was quick work to get ready to launch. The camera was started by means of two small holes in the back side of the body tube in the payload bay. The first hole is next to the power on switch, the power on is indicated by a chirp from the camera, which can be heard from outside the rocket. Next, the video button is pressed from the second hole, by peering through the first hole you can see the camera is recording by a green flashing video light.
The rocket is then mounted on the rail, the igniter inserted into the motor, the launch detect magnet is placed in its proper position and the main power for the timers is turned on.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and ignition!
Liftoff! It was a little windy, but with the low altitude we were flying the rocket to I didn't see any problems.
Here is motor burn out, you can just see the rocket above the smoke trail.
I counted as Bill followed the rocket with the video camera, at about 9 seconds the drogue chute deployed. I continued counting anticipating the main chute.
Right on time the main chute deployed and opened.
We watched as the rocket landed quite some distance from us. The rocket landed a good 1/3 mile, due to the windy conditions and the larger main chute. We packed up the launch system and drove out to where the rocket had landed. The timer buzzer could be heard as we approached the rocket. It was clear the rocket had landed safely with no damage. Once back to my van I looked into the hole on the body tube at the video camera, as expected, the camera was now turned off. The camera can shoot about 8 or 9 minutes of video, when the card is full, it turns itself off.
Once home, we really wanted to see the in flight video, so I set about breaking down the rocket to remove the camera. To my dismay, the camera cradle would not come out of the body tube. The lower bulkhead of the cradle had moved below the coupler section, and the edge of the coupler was not allowing the bulkhead past it. After much poking, prying and prodding, I finally pushed the cradle into the body tube as far as it would go, then used a small drum sander to smooth and taper out the bottom of the coupler. The camera finally came out.
We quickly moved inside to load the video on my computer. When I brought up the files, I was confused, there were some 19 video files on the camera card, none of them over 50 k in size. That wasn't a good sign. The first short video was the one shot when I first mounted the camera into the rocket in my shop. It turned out perfect. The next video should have been the launch, about two minutes of pre launch on the ground and then the flight. But the second video was only one second long, and had a pure white screen. Although from the audio you could hear the wind, the sound of the timer buzzer and some rattling sound from the shroud lines. So it seems the second video was after parachute deployment.
The remaining 17 videos were from when we were trying to remove the camera from the body tube. Evidently we were were hitting the video button as we moved the camera around inside the body tube. I tested the camera, thumping it and shaking it, turning the record on and off, but I couldn't reproduce the affects seen in the flight. The only thing I think could have happened is that the record button was pressing against the body tube. But that still doesn't explain why there was no video of at least the time it was on the ground recording.
Other causes of video failure are remote, the batteries fit snugly in the camera, and are horizontal so they shouldn't come loose. The memory card I suppose could come loose, but that seems remote too. I'll fly again and see what happens the next time.