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Product development Blog

Using the Blue Raven's phone app to set up a 2-stage flight, simulate it, and fly

4/17/2023

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Above is a screen shot from when I was setting up a custom configuration for an airstart on the 3rd channel.    The other options are available by scrolling up and down.  Click on the "And" to select which flight event to check.
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Then I set up a simulation with accelerations and durations that match what I had seen in Open Rocket and RAS Aero.  I connected some resistors to the outputs for test purposes (ematches without BP are an even more realistic option).  During a Blue Raven flight simulation, the actual deployment settings you selected that are stored in the altimeter are used during the simulated flight, and the outputs really turn on as they would in flight also.  In this case, when the apo channel fires, it changes the simulated drag characteristics to be what you would expect for a small drogue or drogueless descent.   When the main channel fires, the settings shown above will change the simulated drag so that the terminal velocity is 20-30 feet/second.

In my rocket, I have the 3rd and 4th channels connected together for the airstart so that either channel can light the motor.   The third channel is set up to fire if the rocket has a straight flight and the speed drops down to my optimal airstart velocity.   The 4th channel is set up to fire if the flight has a tilt angle that is in the safe range, but large enough that I want to fire before it gets any worse, even if the velocity is still high.

The simulation tested out my flight settings just like I expected.   When I set the launch angle to 2 degrees, then the third channel fired first, as expected.   I could run the simulation with a larger launch angle to simulate weathercocking of the rocket when it comes out of the tower, and it would show the 4th channel firing first.
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After a total of about 20 hours of repair, testing and prep over 24 hours, the two-stage version of StratoSpear was back in the tower.
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