RRC3 Quick Start Guide
Contents
1. RRC3 Rocket Recovery Controller 3 Quick Start Guide A simple Buy it and Fly it out of the box altimeter guide by CJ Hendricksen Revision 1 02 Missile Works Corporation PO Box 1725 Lyons CO 80540 www missileworks com Preface The RRC3 unit is ready to fly DD dual deployment duties as it comes right out of the box providing a drogue event at apogee and main event at 500 ft AGL This is your simple guide for the I want to fly it now and read the User Manual later individual So if you want to fly it right now read on Overview At apogee highest point of the rocket flight the RRC3 will fire a drogue charge to separate the rocket airframe if drougeless and or deploy a small drogue chute to stabilize the airframe components during their free fall Then at 500 ft it will fire a main charge to deploy your parachute It s ready out of the box To change the deployment settings see the Dio Switch and Pushbutton Operations section of the RRC3 User Manual The RRC3 is a barometric based altimeter it needs to sample air to take its readings and function correctly It must be solidly mounted in an avionics bay with vent holes in the bay to sample air pressure as the rockets travels up ascent and down descent The RRC3 will beep out continuity before flight telling you all connections are GO for flight and upon landing will beep out your max altitude There is also an LED that blinks in conjunction wi2. Always check the battery voltage before installing amp before each flight Even new batteries can be defective and have sub par voltage Connections Connections on the altimeter are by means of screw terminals which raise and lower a tiny set of vice jaws Strip your wire ends NO more than 1 4 Place the bare wire end into jaws and snug down the screw Now give a light tug on the wire Congratulations If your wire remains in place you have just averted the number 1 failure problem with altimeters and electronic deployment oose wiring Using the pull test on EVERY connection you make will assure successful and safe flights Be SURE to connect the positive on your battery to the terminal screw on altimeter marked BAT Then do the same for the negative terminal screw DO NOT REVERSE THE POLARITY The RRC3 does have built in polarity protection to prevent damage to components should you accidentally connect the battery backwards Carelessness Go Fever and reverse polarity are the most common problems with fliers causing damage to their units Take your time and don t be one of them 33 5mm 3 92 e 0 DOL 9260 wus ee gt ano NIWA le 9h wep zp gt l O e a WWHDONd tP E Z FA SHUOM ZISSiL xny q Lo _ 92 64mm 3 21 32 All the RRC3 terminals are clearly labeled BAT and BAT Connect power from your battery here SWITC
3. as a backup altimeter with any other brand make altimeter to provide redundant altimeter recovery Mounting the RRC3 The RRC3 needs to be mounted solidly on a Sled Wood or fiberglass is fine Mounting hardware utilize standard 4 40 size machine screws and nuts Insulated Washers or Standoffs can be found at Missile Works or big box stores like Lowes Home Depot Ace Hardware etc The RRC3 can be mounted in any direction on the sled There is no forward or aft orientation It may also be mounted on one of the bulk plates in the avionics bay DO NOT USE VELCRO to mount the unit This may cause static discharge problems and damage to components Pg 1 The RRC3 should be mounted above the sled a minimum of 1 8 on standoffs or insulated washers The barometric sensor mounted on the bottom of the altimeter has tiny holes in it to sample air They must NOT be blocked by mounting too tight on the sled If you can slip a credit card between the bottom of the RRC3 and sled you re good to go Batteries The RRC3 is designed to be powered by a standard 9 volt alkaline You can use any battery in the 3 7 10 volt range but there are other considerations when using these alternate battery types These considerations are covered fully in the User Manual Batteries must be mounted solidly in a battery box zip tied etc If using a battery clip it is advisable to use several wraps of electrical tape around battery and clip before securing it to the sled
4. H Your power switch wire connects here rotary on off twist and tape DROGUE Low current e match for first charge that fires apogee MAIN Low current e match for second charge that fires main parachute at 500 ft AUX Used for staging air starts etc Read the User Manual for details Vent Holes Vent holes in avionics bay allow the altimeter to sample air pressure Here are some 3 hole example sizes typically used for simplicity A 38 mm by 6 in 3 x 1 16 holes B 54mm by 7 in 3 x 1 8 holes C 3 in by 9 in 3 x 5 32 holes Pg 2 D 4in by 12 in 3 x 3 16 holes E 6in by 18 in 3 x 1 4 holes Make sure when drilling holes they are clean and clear from fuzz and debris for smooth clear airflow Locate your vent holes equally spaced around the avionics bay in a single circumference If you want more information about proper venting sizes refer to the RRC3 User Manual section on Static Pressure Ports Reading the Beeps Blinks When you first power up the RRC3 it will beep for 5 seconds After that the altimeter goes through several power up tests and initialization steps Once these tests and initialization are complete the RRC3 beeps continuity readiness pre launch and after landing will beep out the altitude On the pad with your ejection charges connected to the drogue and main terminals you will have the following beeps blinks for continuity everything is hooked up correct and GO for flight Drogue only 1 beep rep
5. eating every 5 seconds Main only 2 beeps repeating every 5 seconds Drogue and Main 3 beeps repeating every 5 seconds for Dual Deploy No charges 1 Long beep ride along only and nothing hooked up After flight and upon landing the RRC3 will beep blink your maximum altitude Example 2650 ft 2 beep beep pause 6 beep beep beep beep beep beep pause 5 beep beep beep beep beep pause 0 long beep pause low buzz long pause beeping complete The RRC3 repeats this sequence until you turn power off Ejection Charges and E matches The RRC3 is designed to be used with low current electric matches These include Daveyfire Oxral MTEK JTEK or low current motor igniters like the Quest Q2G2 Another common mistake made with altimeters and electronic deployment is crossing up the drogue and main connections Always double check your wiring to verify the drogue and main connections Final Assembly Testing Once you ve got your ejection charges connected to the altimeter and your av bay is assembled it s always a wise idea to pre test for continuity and avoid any surprises on the pad when the rocket is assembled and launch ready Be sure that prior to performing this test that you re safely clear of people vehicles or other flammable materials Safety glasses and other personal protection are also recommended Be sure the charges are facing away from you and others and then power up the altimeter to assure everything is opera
6. th the beeps if hearing is a problem By drilling a hole in the airframe over the LED you can SEE continuity before and SEE altitude after flight Be advised the new RRC3 is equipped with a LOW tone beeper for those of us with high frequency tone loss The RRC3 also has 3 sockets on it for connecting external devices LCD Connects a portable LCD programming terminal to the RRC3 This LCD terminal can be used before flight to program and review settings and after flight to read your flight data COMM Hook up to a computer for uploading data for use with a full featured graphing app using a USB IO board It can also be used for auxiliary boards like GPS or Telemetry gear AUX Used for an expansion igniter board with timers and other electronic devices that need control All these connections and their operations are covered in the RRC3 User Manual The RRC3 has built in mach immunity If you don t know what this is don t worry about it It s just one less setting to fiddle with that guarantees no problems during your flight if you approach or pass through Mach speeds A full explanation is covered in the User Manual Other useful things you may want to do with your RRC3 include 1 You can use the RRC3 to deploy just a main parachute at apogee if you re flying single deployment 2 Just send it along for the ride to measure altitude doing NO deployment duties using motor ejection for deployment 3 Use it as the main altimeter or
7. ting as you intend In Summary This Quick Start guide is not a substitute for the full User Manual It s intended to provide a quick but complete enough overview on how to install operate and understand using the RRC3 If you adhere to these basics steps that are outlined you ll have a high probability for pulling off a successful dual deployment flight Thank you for choosing Missile Works Visit our website at www missileworks com for all your deployment hardware and avionics system needs Pg 3
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