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Author: tariq.ahmad
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Episode 349: Raspberry Pi Selfie Rocket

 

Clem takes a selfie of himself from as far away as he can possibly do.  He’s planning on putting a Raspberry Pi and a camera onto a rocket and film himself from up in the air.  The steeper the angle, the better he looks.   

 

To take a selfie from a hundred meters away he’ll make his own camera using a Raspberry Pi, the camera module, some additional electronics, and a laptop that will be the ground station to control the whole contraption. B4-4 rockets will be used to push the contraption. B4-4 means class B rocket with 4 seconds of thrust and 4 seconds delay until the secondary charge fires.  To push the rocket 100 meters in the air he’ll need to calculate the force needed to be exerted by the rocket motor in relation to the weight of his final rocket.  You can simulate the flight with dedicated software like “openrocket” on Linux.  Clem 3D prints a rocket design from Thingiverse using PLA.

Anonymous

  • What a great episode! Looking forward to your future projects -- and intos by the immortal Ben Heck!

  • in reply to mayermakes

    Dude, you know it's gonna be EPIC! I'm stoked about that vacuum forming machine. I've been wanting to build one for a while now!

  • in reply to airbornesurfer

    thanks Matt, can't wait for your next video!

  • Awesome job, Clem! Looks like e14P is off to a great start!

  • Geesh Clem,  It's not rocket science!

     

    I think you can drop the second parachute 'engine' to reduce weight. You can design it so that as soon as the rocket is high enough to catch the downward wind drag and release the parachute! Overall tall and thin will gain more altitude I vaguely remember , kinda like a dart ratio that is unstable on ground needing a guide!

     

    Great job Clem, haven't seen a rocket like this in years! Brought back fond memories!

  • in reply to DAB

    Thanks DAB!

    Well there was a strap between sections..but it ripped....
    the altitude and thus motor selection was determined by legal requirements.

    If i have the chance to launch it in a less restrictive Area ,i might try it again with a stronger charge.

  • Great episode.

    Brings back lots of memories when I played with rockets back in the 1960's.

    Back then we used a film camera and a two stage rocket.

    Our science teacher wanted to get a picture of the school from the rocket, so he let a bunch of use enthusiasts out of study hall to launch the rocket.

     

    The first stage went well, but then the second stage sputtered and delayed just enough for the rocket to tip over. When the second stage ignited it drove the camera directly into a tree, smashing it to small pieces.

    We reported the result over walkie-talkie to the teacher and we heard his near tearful reply for us to gather up the pieces and bring them into him.

     

    First time I ever saw a teacher cry at school.

     

    Moral of the story, make sure you have all of the rocket components working BEFOR you make your camera test.

    I cringed when Clem launched the first time without a trial run to verify that his parachute worked.  Classic engineering mistake.

    He should also attached a lanyard between the stages so that the parachute would bring both sections down safely.

    Finally, the small motor was insufficient to get the rocket to a good altitude. Since he already has the rocket made, I suggest he use the next size motor.

     

    Overall, you brought a smile to my face.  Welcome to element14.

     

    DAB