Cliff. WTH? Go back and re-read Eric's reply.
To put it lightly it sounds like a crappy design and way too prone to
usability issues. Whoever designed it it lucky they haven't wound up in
court. CPSC would have a field day with something like this. Personally,
I'd take a sledgehammer to that thing before someone really gets hurt.
On Mon, Jul 6, 2015 at 1:04 PM, Cliff Sojourner <cls@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Eric, shut up, go to Hell.
There is no reasonable expectation for users to read a manual that isn't
at the pad and there isn't any reason to expect them to understand it in
107 degrees heat.
Launch control wiring has been the same for more than 60 years. Users do
not expect live wires. Ever.
This is a complete hazard and unacceptable risk to destroy the rocketry
community. Such a simple thing. Unnecessary.
I will protect my family and friends. My friends are the entire rocketry
community.
On July 6, 2015 11:41:16 AM MST, Eric Renger <ericrenger@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
--
It sounds like there is potential for user error.
RTFM is always a good policy, but as a person who used to write a lot of
M's, we know that not everyone will R T F'ing things. Generally, the best
policy is if the design will save the user from making mistakes if at all
possible, not the manual! In certain situations, I used to tell developers,
"You can't save this design with documentation. You need to fix the design
and save users from themselves."
The danger I see is that if a person is unfamiliar with the design and
procedures, and they assume there is NO WAY it can light the igniter unless
someone is actually pushing the button (or an equipment malfunction), then
it could result in disaster. If the design is such that after one launch,
the system is not automatically safe to hook up the next bird without
removing leads or some other steps to make it safe, there is a potential to
forget. Or there is a potential f or one group to leave the equipment
unsafe for the next group.
Of course, I'm saying all this without having ever seen this equipment
and not even a good familiarity with the usual club equipment, and i don't
know what kinds of procedures you had in place. It just sounds like the
system can accidentally be left in an unsafe state.
Eric
On Jul 6, 2015, at 11:05 AM, James Dougherty wrote:
Thanks Jack,
Yes, this is the correct sequence to make it work and what we did all
weekend.
If you want to kill yourself, here is what you do:
1) Don't remove the safety interlock on the transmitter
2) Leave the alligator leads connec ted to the Receiver, connect igniter
leads to motor
3) Turn on the Receiver - it will make a beep beep beep and then you'll
hear the igniter pop and the rocket motor light
And the unit will turn on and fire the rocket if you do this.
This happened twice - once when Mike and I launched a Mad-Dog and once
when Dennis/Aidan were flying.
I spoke with them, showed them the above steps (which ARE in the manual)
and we never had an issue.
Clear example where you need to Read The F***in manual (RTFM) :-)
-James
On Mon, Jul 6, 2015 at 4:49 AM, Jack Garibaldi <jackgaribaldi@xxxxxxx>
wrote:
James
Your sequence must be wrong if you are lighting igniters/rockets without
pushing any buttons
1. When you hook up igniter clips this wire should not be plugged
into the relay module
2. When you hook up relay module plug, your wireless relay module
should be off and the safety clip out
3. Now when you turn on Blue unit safet y clip is out now put in
safety clip
4. If unit now goes off no one is by the rocket and you have a an
issue with unit
5. Unit will not turn on unless this sequence is followed
Jack
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
