Missile Works - RRC2 (Rocket Recovery Controller) {Accessory}

Missile Works RRC2 (Rocket Recovery Controller)

Missile Works - RRC2 (Rocket Recovery Controller) {Accessory}

Contributed by Nick Esselman

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Published:	2010-11-13
Manufacturer:	Missile Works

T' Cannonball Works RRC² (Rocket Recovery Controller) was me introduction into electronic deployment. T' cost o' t' unit and t' programmability are what drew me t' t' product. That introduction, though, has been excitingly frustratin' due t' me own mistakes. However, t' product is provin' t' be a success despite me influence.

T' RRC² is 5.9" x 1.3" which allows it t' fit into a 38mm tube. Some o' its main features include:

Two channels for flexibility. Avast! Blimey! Use Channel 1 for apogee and then Channel 2 for a programmable ejection at 1000' / 800' / 500' / 300' or use both channels at apogee for redundancy
Mach Flight Inhibitor t' prevent false deployments due t' t' effects o' flyin' at mach
Status LED and Audible reports o' testin' and continuity
Audible reports o' peak altitude
Built in testin' modes t' ensure operation
Screw-down terminal connectors for t' two channels and t' on/off jumper
Positive retention 9V battery holder

RRC2

T' instructions are insightful and fully illustrated. Arrr! They give clear set-up, testing, me hearties, matey, and operation guidance as well as rocket configuration examples. Well, blow me down! They also provide formulas t' establish your static port diameter and ejection charge requirements. Arrr!

I did feel that they lacked in givin' guidance in t' buildin' o' an electronics bay, however, me bucko, when I e-mailed Cannonball Works they sent me clear instructions. Aye aye! Blimey! I would suggest appendin' their standard instruction set. Begad! Blimey! I have included t' steps for t' benefit o' those readin' this review. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' procedure and pictures are courtesy o' Cannonball Works.

Use a coupler tube (I used 8") for t' electronics bay and cut 2 birch dowels (about 3/8" dia) so they are .25" shorter than t' overall coupler length. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty!
Drill and mount a #6 threaded insert into one end o' each dowel. Avast!
Epoxy t' dowels inside t' coupler section .125" from t' end (180 deg apart). Well, blow me down! Blimey!
Permanently epoxy one o' t' bulkheads t' one end o' t' coupler, matey, arrr, arrr, flush against t' ends o' t' dowels (the ends without t' brass inserts). Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!
Place your coupler section (glued bulkhead end) into t' upper body tube (main parachute) compartment t' t' coupler midpoint. Ahoy! Blimey!
Drill your static port hole and fastener holes. Begad! Runnin' t' calc's for volume and port sizing, me bucko, a 0.1" hole size (single) should be used. Use a recommended 3/64" port (smaller is better). Ahoy!
Drill (2) 1/16" holes for payload fastener screws. Ya scallywag! Begad! Note t' alignment o' t' dowels before you drill holes. Ahoy! Arrr! You'll be able t' align t' coupler by linin' up t' static port hole when you re-insert t' payload bay. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! <picture>
Remove t' coupler. Begad! Epoxy (2) 2-56 blind nuts into t' coupler section into each 1/16" hole. Aye aye! This will hold t' coupler captive t' t' upper body tube and will allow you t' remove it t' prep t' electronics and deployment charges. Aye aye!
Drill holes in t' loose bulkhead plate that align with t' threaded inserts on t' dowels. Avast, me proud beauty! This bulkhead be t' removable end, shiver me timbers, me hearties, allowin' access t' t' electronics and wiring.<picture>
Cut a small piece o' 1/8" ply as a mountin' back-plate for t' altimeter. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It should slide in underneath t' dowels which hold it captive in t' electronics bay. Arrr! <picture>

I used this method and it worked perfectly!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Attempt #1 - Vikin' 7 - My very first experience with electronics. Avast! I was very excited and got out t' t' pad and loaded it up and pushed t' launch button. Ahoy! A puff o' smoke, then a pause, then VROOM! off t' pad on a G80-7. I had picked t' G80-7 because me RockSim had this ejection at apogee. Ya scallywag! Begad! I had t' RRC² unit set up for a main 'chute deployment at 300 feet and be relyin' on t' G80-7 for t' drogue deployment. Ya scallywag! Well, me bucko, shiver me timbers, t' flight be picture perfect, matey, straight as an arrow. Ahoy! Beautiful all t' way t' apogee and t' drogue deployed. Ya scallywag! Avast! We watched it fall and fall and fall and bam! Yep, I forgot t' arm t' electronics.

Attempt #2 - THOY Snipe - This time it was serious. Avast! I had endured t' humility o' nay armin' t' RRC² at our NOVAAR launch. Begad! Begad! Now was t' time t' correct t' situation. Aye aye! T' RRC² was set up for both primary and secondary deployment. Arrr! It be wired and beepin' at launch. Blimey! Up went t' Snipe on 3-E18's. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Just before apogee, ya bilge rat, t' initial charge fired. T' momentum o' t' ejection at t' mid-section also popped t' nose cone o' t' upper section thereby deployin' t' main chute. Arrr! As I chased this across t' field, at about 300 feet I heard t' secondary channel discharge. Then this rocket drifted into a tree, arrr, me hearties, 60 feet up, matey, where it stayed for four attempts over a 5 week period. I did get it back though.

Attempt #3 - THOY Snipe - I really wanted t' have a successful flight and felt good about another attempt in me (rebuilt) cluster rocket. Again I armed t' unit and everythin' seemed ready. Ya scallywag! This time t' main charge deployed perfectly at apogee. Arrr! It fell on t' drogue until at 300 feet t' secondary charge blew t' nose cone off. Avast! But guess who had moved t' main chute t' another rocket t' use? Yep!

Attempt #4 - Vikin' 7 - I did everythin' right this time. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Tested, me bucko, loaded parachute, tested for continuity, prepped motor, me bucko, armed and placed on pad. Just before launchin' I listened for 3 beeps o' continuity check from t' RRC². Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! This time I be usin' a G80 that I had removed all t' ejection BP from and set t' RRC² up for both primary and secondary deployment.

Again, t' Vikin' be excellent comin' off t' pad on t' G80. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! It was angled more this time due t' some wind. Aye aye! Blimey! As it arced at apogee it then continued downward for about a second and then ejection. Begad! Blimey! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well t' drogue deployed, me hearties, but I also recognized t' entire upper section descendin' toward t' ground absent o' t' rest o' t' rocket. Avast! Blimey! T' electronics bulkhead pulled right through t' two mountin' screws, ya bilge rat, jerkin' on t' armin' wire and damagin' t' electronics.

So, I haven't had a successful flight, me bucko, however, t' RRC² has performed as I have heard t' charges. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! So no penalties are allowed when someone doesn't load a parachute or has a nose cone too loose. Begad! It has been a great learnin' experience.

I felt it was important t' provide some feedback on t' unit so I have asked EMRR guests t' reply as well as a couple clips from RMR. Blimey! I have added those comments below. Arrr! Ahoy! Based on t' fun I have had and t' experiences below, FLIGHT/RECOVERY, ya bilge rat, is rated as 5 points.

Overall, matey, with all t' features, t' price, shiver me timbers, t' durability and t' fun, me bucko, I give t' RRC² an OVERALL ratin' o' 5 points.

UPDATE 11/01:
While I didn't seem t' get it together in me above attempts, arrr, I did rate t' RRC2 a "5" based on t' fact that I felt all t' failures were me own doings. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Well, I did have a 100% successful flight o' t' RRC2 in me Descon Entry - Big Blue Dog. Avast, me proud beauty! A successful flight t' 1562 feet on (2) G80's. It was great and a good feelin' t' finally make t' "process" work.

ADDITIONAL INPUT:
"T' RRC2 has many nice features, arrr, like audible status reporting, which is important when it is buried in t' bowels o' a rocket where it cannot be seen, and it smartly reaches flight READY after power on. T' only thin' I don't like about t' RRC2 be t' heavy (compared t' t' 12v battery used by Adept) 9v battery - make sure it won't fall out o' t' holder durin' boost or bad things will happen. T' battery can get quite heavy under 10-20 Gs. Well, blow me down! Note that most electronic recovery controllers use one or more 9v batteries. Begad! T' Adept and P5 are t' exceptions." (D.R.)

ADDITIONAL INPUT:
"I'm new t' rocketry as well, and it really is simple t' use. It also had duel deployment which I used on me very first flight and it worked perfectly." (D.S.)

ADDITIONAL INPUT:
"I ordered, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, arrr, then used a RRC2 last month at Whitakers and it worked perfectly. Ya scallywag! Jim has rolled all t' best features into this quality product." (E.)

ADDITIONAL INPUT:
"It's fairly simple, matey, arrr, and works quite well. My personal preference would be t' have a recordin' altimeter like t' AltAcc, arrr, but for t' loot Jim Amos's stuff is very hard t' beat. Avast, me proud beauty! I've flown it numerous times (15?) and it successfully deployed each and every time. Avast! I use flashbulb based charges generally. T' only thin' I don't like be t' On/Off jumper. Arrr! Begad! I wish it were a switch in addition t' t' jumper for a little more flexibility. Ahoy! Avast! Some folks have reported battery problems with t' 9-volt comin' out o' it's connector, but they must nay have used t' hold-down bracket t' strengthen it. Ahoy! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Mine's got past Mach and up t' 7000 feet with no problems at all." (R.S.)

ADDITIONAL INPUT:
"Likes: A very nice, low priced, me bucko, barometric chamber tested unit. Begad! T' simple on-board diagnostics are a nice feature. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Reliable and tough (within reason...). Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I like t' multiple options for main deployment (apogee,1000',800',500',300'), ya bilge rat, and mach inhibit delay (0,4,8,12 seconds). Avast, me proud beauty! This unit does what it advertises, me bucko, and does it well .

" Dislikes: Could be smaller, although thar are many larger units out there... Ya scallywag! It is designed t' fit in a 38mm coupler.

"Flight experience: Flew a pre-production unit as a payload (without active deployment) at LDRS last summer at t' Salt Flats t' 15,500 feet. Ahoy! I should have used t' RRC2's deployment, arrr, because t' rocket was still goin' up at high velocity when ejection occurred. Arrr! Everythin' survived. I have flown a production unit several times, and I don't fly high power rockets without it now. I use it in a couple o' "mid-power" rockets that have room also. Ya scallywag! I have dropped it fairly hard and it survived fine (long story...). Ahoy! It flexed at least 1" in t' middle (it hit t' mountin' plate) as did t' 1/4" threaded rod and aluminum mountin' plate. At LDRS this year I had a motor blow-by, and t' unit did nay fire t' main charge - because t' rocket did nay reach 500 feet (the main deployment altitude I had chosen). Ya scallywag! T' unit was beepin' out 392 feet when we recovered t' rocket. Avast! Aye aye! As you can see, me hearties, I have put it through a few rough flights, and it has taken them all and worked perfectly. It has also had quite a few more "nominal" flights, and has also performed flawlessly each time. Blimey! Several other local flyers also use t' RRC2, me bucko, and we haven't seen it fail. Begad! Begad! It is a great unit for general sport flying. Arrr! I would prefer a recordin' unit for many uses, but they are more expensive, arrr, and require even more setup time (you could build a Milliway's altimeter kit and get around t' price problem, arrr, and it all fits in a 29mm tube, arrr, but that is more work...) If your project exceeds t' capabilities o' t' RRC2, then you should get somethin' that can handle it (recording, shiver me timbers, matey, remote control, me hearties, accelerometer...), but if you need a reliable 2-stage deployment altimeter, me bucko, shiver me timbers, this is it." (T.W.)

ADDITIONAL INPUT:
"It is a stand alone barometric altimeter . Ahoy! Avast! It handles either 2 stage recovery or can be programed t' fire a main charge while usin' t' second channel for a back up . Ya scallywag! Uses standard 9 volt battery & comes with battery hold down hardware (No more hard t' find batteries). Excellent users manual/instructions (11 pages) They walk you through everythin' you need t' know in order t' t' use t' altimeter correctly with no less than 13 illustrations (recovery design , me bucko, me hearties, buildin' & selectin' ejection charges, & how t' mount it in your rocket). Well, blow me down! 4 different main deployment altitudes (via 5 position dip switch) and a user selectable mach time out function. Aye aye! Built in testin' mode for inputs (makes sure all switches work) and outputs (tests ejection charges). Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! On board terminal blocks for connection ejection charges . Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! No more pesky wirin' harness'. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' price was very reasonable!!! ($90 dollars S&H US). My first altimeter (ALTS 2-50k) was more than that back in 1996, $99.

"Draw back: I would like it t' have a apogee delay settin' . Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Let's say you're doin' a L3 and you don't want t' kill your rocket with an over dose o' Black powder . Aye aye! T' settin' would allow you t' select maybe 2 or 4 sec delay after apogee.

I have flown me RRC2 three times with excellent results! Blimey! First flight I used it as a back up t' me regular altimeter (ALTS 25). Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I didn't get a readin' because I thought it wasn't workin' properly. Ahoy! Blimey! It turns out that it gives off a long beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep in betwixt each report cycle . I guess that's what you get when you don't fully read t' directions. Any how second flight be @ NY Power in me Magnum Twin on a J 570 & 3 F62 Dark Stars. Ahoy! Blimey! I had t' main set t' deploy @ 500 ft (which it did) Altitude: 2,828 ft . Ya scallywag! Blimey! Very user friendly even for t' beginner. Avast! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I own several other altimeters and I was thoroughly impressed. I give it 2 thumbs UP!!!" (J.D.C.)

Other Reviews

Missile Works RRC2 (Rocket Recovery Controller) By Al Casper
Missile Works - RRC² review is provided courtesy of: Missile Works Rocket Recovery Controller Features, Setup, Operation and Evaluation By: Al Casper The Missile Works RRC2 altimeter is one of the most attractively priced units available to the high power rocket community; my unit was under $100 including shipping. The size (Fig-1), simplicity, features and price contributed to ...

Comments:

R.A.F. (October 1, 2000)

You have to be careful using it in hybrid rockets that vent to the atmosphere, Rattworks and Hypertek. The RRC2 is barometric arming, and it uses a historical barometer First In First Out buffer for determining launch. There is no G-switch. So if the tube and/or altimeter bay is pressurized by the N2O vent and it bleeds off it will fire the deployment charge. The unit is pretty sensitive so it doesn't take much pressure to do the deed. Happened to me last launch, I was filling the nitrous tank on the motor and the vent was cocked a bit. Some snuck into the airframe and triggered the baro unit. Bloop .... and the nosecone and chutes were on the ground in a pile. This failure is pilot error and not a fault of the unit itself. Other than that, it's robust, relatively inexpensive, fairly compact, and a no-brainer to use successfully. The review from the guy who hasn't used it successfully is kind of off-putting. Wasn't there someone out in rocketland that had used if 50 times with only a couple of glitches rather than being 0 for 4?

T.E. (April 1, 2001)

I have the PML Co-Pilot version of the altimeter and it works great as well. Two perfect flights at Whitakers. One in a PML Nimbus and one in a modified VB38 Extreme. Very easy to use and seems to be very accurate. Both flight readings were within 150 ft of RocSim / Altmark predictions. Main deployment seemed to be right on the money on both flights.

W.G.K. (July 1, 2001)

If you are looking for a first altimeter, it is hard to beat the RRC2. It has screw down terminals, user selectable main deployment, audible status reporting, very thorough instruction manual. The battery holder works very nicely, and the altimeter board mounts easily. And the price is only $90, what a bargain!

J.J. (December 28, 2001)

I just wanted to say that I ordered a RRC2 (rocket recovery controller)on 12-19-01 and received it on 12-24-01. I opened it up as soon as it came and checked to see that it was in good condition, which it was. I read the directions about three - four times so that I would know them perfectly. After I read the directions I pulled out a few electric matches out so that I could test the unit. It worked great for the test. I have not yet tested the unit in a rocket, but I am planning on doing so very soon. I guess what I am getting to is this unit seems very simple to me (a 14 year old that has never used electronics in his rockets). I would really recommend this unit because of how easy it is to use and because of it's great price of around $90.00

S.D.H. (January 6, 2002)

I just ordered my second RRC2. I have been in rocketry for a little over a year and have only recently entered the electronic phase of the hobby. I met and talked with a couple of guys who were already into electronics and they recommended a couple of units and I picked the RRC2. The main reason I chose it was the audible arming verification it offers. In the instructions Jim kindly gives a formula for determining the vent hole sizes and when I figured it, I thought I had made a mistake because they seemed too small. I contacted Jim and got a prompt reply which verified the size that I arrived at. I have found that Jim offers the best in customer follow up and service. My unit has performed flawlessly and has given me complete confidence in electronic recovery. I now put an electronics bay in every rocket I construct. I like the idea of having two RRC2 units because it allows me to prepare a couple of rockets without having to launch and disassemble one in order to reinstall in another. I was so impressed with Jim and his electronics, I purchased a Digifire wireless launch controller and it also has performed flawlessly. If you're looking to get into electronics, and want a dependable unit that has some of the best illustrated instructions, along with the best customer service, I would contact one of Missle Works' dealers and make a purchase. You will be very pleased and cut a lot of time off of the electronic learning curve. No more chasing rockets for a mile on the high altitude flights is a great reward as well as watching your unit deploy it's second event close to the ground (which is easily programmable).

J.G. (March 4, 2004)

I got the Missileworks RRC2 for Christmas from my son. He noted that he ordered it late and got it right on time. And Missileworks actually saved him money on shipping. I have not put it in a rocket yet but have tested it with my home-made electric matches. These matches are made from Cat5 solid core wire and 30 gauge nichrome wire. They are dipped in home-made pyrogen made from black powder and nitrocellulose lacquer. The unit had no problem firing these in dual deploy configuration and also in redundant appogee mode. My ignitors typically read 1.4 ohm approx. I wanted to make sure that when I use it, the unit will function properly. At my work I am regularly involved in quality control. Say a raked it over the coals so to speak. The unit performed flawlessly on Duracell #1. It fired 14 ignitors without fail. I let the battery sit about a week and it lit ignitor #1 then it failed to light ignitor #2. (Mains) I checked battery with a digital multimeter. It dropped below 5 amps in 2 seconds. I replaced the battery and tried again. I used another 10 ignitors without fail and have officially certified this unit A1 ready for launch! Make sure you use a new battery! The instructions are great except make sure you do not use the 2 amp battery draw standard stated or you are asking for trouble. Insure you have over 5 amps. I have also purchased the Pet2 timer and had similar results with my testing regime. Both units have excellent construction and will be VERY high over Pennsylvania next week! Overall rating 5 of 5!

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