Brief:
T' Nova is a modular, arrr, self-contained 12V launch system. Ahoy! This test is a result o' me bein' asked t' beta-test one o' Quickburst's early production units by its owner. I got t' torture t' controller without thought o' its survival, and if it survived got t' keep it. O' course, ya bilge rat, I agreed t' t' test.

Construction:
T' system consists o' a main control box built on a 2"X4"X6" ABS plastic project box. Ahoy! T' cables are made o' heavy gauge audio cable and attach t' t' box via gold-plated RCA connectors. Ahoy! Ahoy! One cable is 8' long and attaches t' your car's cigarette lighter. Begad! T' other is 92' long and has gator clips at t' end t' attach t' your ignitor.

Flight:
Instructions are clear and concise. Setup couldn't be simpler. Avast! Just be sure t' OBSERVE THE COLOR CODING when hookin' up your cables. Gettin' t' unit hooked up with wrong polarity could cause permanent damage. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! However, me hearties, me hearties, with t' color codin' and labelin' on t' box it would be just about impossible t' get it wrong if you follow instructions.

T' unit is very simple t' safe with t' RCA plug setup. T' be truthful, I had reservations about t' reliability o' this system. These proved wrong as t' safe system has performed without a hitch. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Blimey! I also worried about t' durability o' t' RCA plug cable connections, me bucko, but these too performed with no trouble.

When t' power leads are correctly attached an LED betwixt t' connectors glows red.

A green LED is attached t' a button for continuity testing. Blimey! Blimey! This simple test works fine, me bucko, and did nay prematurely kick any ignitors I tested. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This included Estes Solars, Quest Tigertails, Aerotech Copperheads, me bucko, shiver me timbers, a couple old Centuri solid nichrome/pyrogen ignitors, matey, me bucko, Rocketflite Magnalites,and several o' Quickburst's own excellent ignitors. Arrr! More on those later, as t' system is designed with them in mind.

When you're all hooked up and have checked continuity, ya bilge rat, just push t' red FIRE button, and off you go. Despite havin' all that cable betwixt t' battery and ignitor, it kicks t' ignitor almost instantly. Arrr! If you want t' do clusters you can use it t' trigger a relay, matey, normal procedure anyway. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Blimey! I did test it with clusters o' two Solars and two and three o' Quickburst's Slim Gems; successfully.

In static testin' I burned over 100 ignitors in one afternoon with a failure rate o' zero. Avast! Aye aye! These had all been checked beforehand but that is nevertheless impressive.

After ignition, arrr, Quickburst recommends removin' t' safety key and detachin' t' power leads. Ahoy! There is possibility o' damage t' t' box if it's left energized. Aye aye! Begad! T' key I don't mind, me bucko, matey, but hookin' and unhookin' t' cables through a long day o' launchin' does NOT appeal t' me.

Notice: After writin' this review, matey, QuickBurst responded with this statement:
We took a look at our procedure and found t' problem. Well, blow me down! T' mistake is on us. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Step 15 under "Firin' Sequence" clearly states t' disconnect t' unit. We will be editin' our procedure t' clear this up. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Thanks for pointin' this out Dave. Aye aye! Begad! Once again, me bucko, disconnectin' t' unit betwixt sequential firings is nay necessary. No damage will become o' it. Ya scallywag! What we meant t' communicate is, at t' end o' t' days activities disconnect t' cigar lighter connection first, this will prevent possible damage t' t' unit and t' car's or whatever power source.

I plan t' add a switch betwixt t' hot power lead and t' main circuit on me Nova and have suggested t' t' manufacturer that he do t' same. If not, me bucko, no biggy. Well, blow me down! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! T' beauty o' such a simple system, built on an ABS box, me hearties, is that it's rugged but easy t' modify if you so choose.

As Quickburst designed its system t' use with its ignitors, these were thoroughly tested too. Begad! They offer three kinds, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' Fatboy, shiver me timbers, t' Slim Gem, and t' Hot Shot electric match.

T' Fatboy and Slim Gem have a gray, arrr, me bucko, cylindrical pyrogen o' about one inch length cast onto a pair o' thin, matey, (30 gauge?) wire leads 14" long. Avast! T' Slim Gem is only 1/8" diameter, shiver me timbers, while t' Fatboy is 15/64" diameter. Blimey! T' Hot Shot is like a huge Solar, matey, but needs 9v-up t' fire.

I don't fly big enough motors t' confirm t' usefulness o' t' Fatboys, but can assure you t' Slim Gems and Hot Shots work well. T' Slim Gems were tried in a variety o' composite motors includin' 2, 18mm RMS reloads, shiver me timbers, an old crusty F25-4W, an NCR F62-4 Darkstar, arrr, ya bilge rat, and a G80-7T. Ahoy! T' Slim Gems were installed in t' 18mm RMS at assembly.

I did a bit o' judicious filin' t' get them into t' RMS and F25, matey, but they would probably go in without it. I just wanted t' get launching!

These ignitors burn HOT, arrr, and brought t' composite motors up t' ignition temp/chamber pressure rapidly. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I think they are faster than Copperheads and certainly much more reliable.

T' Hot Shot be tried in Estes D12 motors at 12v, me hearties, it ignites t' black powder motors instantly.

Overall, me hearties, I can recommend t' Slim Gems for their intended purpose without reservations. Aye aye! T' Fatboys are recommended based on t' performance o' t' Slim Gems. T' Hot Shot electric matches work very well kickin' off black powder motors, me bucko, but it will have t' fall t' someone with an altimeter system t' test them as they are intended t' be used. Ya scallywag! Best o' all, you get a dozen (of any o' these ignitors) for TWELVE BUCKS!

T' Nova system is easy t' use, simple, and tough. Avast! My only complaints are about t' disconnection o' t' power leads (admittedly a personal preference) and t' computer-generated labels look like they could wear off in time. If nay for those issues, matey, I'd give t' Nova system five points.

That said, I put this setup through a wringer with repeated setups, shiver me timbers, me hearties, teardowns, matey, and ignitions in a very short period with no problems. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' only sign o' wear is soot coverin' t' vinyl boots on t' gator clips.

It is VERY inexpensive. T' whole system with box, leads, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and sample ignitor pack is only $65. If you want a good, basic, me bucko, matey, functional launch system get this setup!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5