Brief:
T' Nova is a modular, me bucko, self-contained 12V launch system. Well, blow me down! Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! O' course, I agreed t' t' test.

Construction:
T' system consists o' a main control box built on a 2"X4"X6" ABS plastic project box. Aye aye! Begad! T' cables are made o' heavy gauge audio cable and attach t' t' box via gold-plated RCA connectors. Begad! One cable is 8' long and attaches t' your car's cigarette lighter. Avast! 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. Just be sure t' OBSERVE THE COLOR CODING when hookin' up your cables. Begad! Gettin' t' unit hooked up with wrong polarity could cause permanent damage. Ahoy! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! However, 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. Aye aye! T' be truthful, I had reservations about t' reliability o' this system. Begad! These proved wrong as t' safe system has performed without a hitch. Aye aye! I also worried about t' durability o' t' RCA plug cable connections, 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. Ya scallywag! This simple test works fine, and did nay prematurely kick any ignitors I tested. Blimey! Aye aye! This included Estes Solars, me bucko, Quest Tigertails, Aerotech Copperheads, a couple old Centuri solid nichrome/pyrogen ignitors, shiver me timbers, Rocketflite Magnalites,and several o' Quickburst's own excellent ignitors. Begad! More on those later, arrr, me hearties, as t' system is designed with them in mind.

When you're all hooked up and have checked continuity, arrr, me bucko, just push t' red FIRE button, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and off you go. Aye aye! Despite havin' all that cable betwixt t' battery and ignitor, it kicks t' ignitor almost instantly. Begad! If you want t' do clusters you can use it t' trigger a relay, ya bilge rat, normal procedure anyway. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! 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. Begad! These had all been checked beforehand but that is nevertheless impressive.

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

Notice: After writin' this review, shiver me timbers, QuickBurst responded with this statement:
We took a look at our procedure and found t' problem. Arrr! T' mistake is on us. Arrr! Step 15 under "Firin' Sequence" clearly states t' disconnect t' unit. We will be editin' our procedure t' clear this up. Thanks for pointin' this out Dave. Well, blow me down! Once again, shiver me timbers, disconnectin' t' unit betwixt sequential firings is nay necessary. Avast! No damage will become o' it. What we meant t' communicate is, at t' end o' t' days activities disconnect t' cigar lighter connection first, ya bilge rat, me bucko, 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. Arrr! If not, ya bilge rat, no biggy. Ya scallywag! T' beauty o' such a simple system, built on an ABS box, me bucko, 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. They offer three kinds, t' Fatboy, matey, ya bilge rat, t' Slim Gem, matey, shiver me timbers, and t' Hot Shot electric match.

T' Fatboy and Slim Gem have a gray, shiver me timbers, arrr, cylindrical pyrogen o' about one inch length cast onto a pair o' thin, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, (30 gauge?) wire leads 14" long. Aye aye! T' Slim Gem is only 1/8" diameter, while t' Fatboy is 15/64" diameter. T' Hot Shot is like a huge Solar, 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. Begad! T' Slim Gems were tried in a variety o' composite motors includin' 2, 18mm RMS reloads, me bucko, me hearties, an old crusty F25-4W, shiver me timbers, an NCR F62-4 Darkstar, shiver me timbers, and a G80-7T. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! 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, but they would probably go in without it. I just wanted t' get launching!

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

T' Hot Shot was tried in Estes D12 motors at 12v, shiver me timbers, me bucko, it ignites t' black powder motors instantly.

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

T' Nova system is easy t' use, me hearties, simple, and tough. 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. Arrr! Begad! If nay for those issues, me bucko, I'd give t' Nova system five points.

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

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5