Seems to be a new item of interest at the Estes Education website...the Thrust Stand!

https://edu.estesrockets.com/products/thrust-stand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46Hedi5FaI8

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turbofireball
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SAM 0278

If it's anything like the launch controllers I have, it won't light anything.

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Bill Eichelberger
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http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Mini Aero-Dart, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc - Starfighter Scorpion

Unflown: F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Jayhawk, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II, Microsonde 3 Payloader, Aerobee 300, Cyber III, Scrambler

This pretty interesting. If you buy the Thrust Stand, you need Vernier GoDirect Force and Acceleration Sensor. This will cost you an additional $119 (https://www.vernier.com/product/go-...ration-sensor/). This is really the heart of the test stand. In the video it looks like Estes provides a 3D printed box to hold the sensor and an adapter to attach the engine mount to the sensor.

The software displayed in the video appears to be a web-based application called "Graphical Analysis" (https://graphicalanalysis.app). You can also download a standalone copy of the software from https://www.vernier.com/downloads/graphical-analysis/ This application is free in its basic form. And from reading the description on their web page, it offers just very basic analysis features. The upgraded version will run you $149 per year for a single site/unlimted seats. Some schools may found this a worthwhile option. Not sure how the data is stored. You might be able to import the data into something like Excel or LabPlot and perform data analysis as well.

There are full lesson plans available for download from the Estes site. It is designed for high school grades 11-12.

This is one thing that has been missing for a long while from model rocketry. Most folks interested in this tend build their own, using either an Arduino or Raspberry Pi (I am currently working on an Arduino version as I always wanted to have a test stand). This is the first time I have seen a company try something like this. It will be interesting to see how well it does.

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I would like to see the sensor mounted on something less springy than a Porta Pad II, but the bits to adapt a motor mount to the sensor would be very useful.

I would want to have a way to export the data to some other software before springing for the sensor. More research is indicated...

added: on pages 74-75 of this manual: https://d1zt81d93mquk0.cloudfront.n...manual_v5.8.pdf it appears that a simple export to .csv function is available. I downloaded the Mac version of the free application and while I have no data, that option does show in the file menu.

further added: I downloaded the "ball toss" sample from here https://www.vernier.com/support/ga4/#experiments into Vernier Graphical Analysis and was able to successfully export a .csv file.

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Bernard Cawley
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Haven't played with the software. What data points are included in the CSV file?

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Time - it looks like it was set to 20 samples/second, position, velocity and accleration. File attached. This is the default name for the file....I did not change it in the export dialog.

Attached Files

csv-export.csv (5.2 KB, 6 views)

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Bernard Cawley
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One other thought: I sure hope that the actual sensor and software work better than that PocketLab Voyager that Estes Education was promoting and even selling awhile back.

I bought one and flew it a few times. I found the interfacing software clunky and the device itself incapable of providing data at even half the claimed sample rate. I got in some email conversations with the company that makes/sells it and was promised software fixes and maybe even newer faster hardware. It never happened....and I've not gone back to bug them in a couple of years.

Added: It looks like Estes is still selling those PocketLab things. *sigh* https://edu.estesrockets.com/produc...s-classroom-kit

I suppose it can be used to do some experiments but it does not do what the makers say it does the way they say it does. https://www.thepocketlab.com/store/pocketlab-voyager-2

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Bernard Cawley
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KG7AIE