This hardware project, in complement to my software project, FlightScope, will consist of designing and building a compact flight computer (FlightCore), as well as designing and building a rocket to house it on its first flight.
Hey everybody! Rocket CAD is closing in on completion! I’m still missing some pretty important aerodynamic pieces, but I’ve been able to get some good work done that I’m here to tell you all about!
If you’re new here, this is the hardware side of my big summer project, FlightScope. You can find my work on the software side of FlightScope here: https://stardance.hackclub.com/projects/13462
This week I made major progress on the rocket CAD.
The biggest improvement was on the FlightCore Avionics bay. The layout is much more finalized, as I’ve designed in for more stability and even added the power switch! Now I can actually turn this thing on, which is a nice step in the right direction
Beyond that, I’ve started fitting subassemblies together, getting a sense for packaging on the rocket. See some pictures of it at the bottom of the devlog :)
The biggest remaining task is designing the fins. Before I commit to a final shape, I’ll be running some simulations to find what allows for the best stability.
Thanks for making it this far!
If you’d like to follow along, check out the projects on GitHub or give me a follow!
FlightCore Repo: https://github.com/zombieking1555/FlightScope_FlightComputer
FlightScope Dashboard Repo: https://github.com/zombieking1555/FlightScope
Hey everybody! This cycle, I’ve shifted my focus from software to hardware. After getting FlightCore’s subsystem code into a good place, it was time to redesign the avionics bay around the actual components that will be flying.
If you’re new here, this is the hardware side of my big summer project, FlightScope. You can find my work on the software side of FlightScope here: https://stardance.hackclub.com/projects/13462
This week I designed the second revision of the FlightCore avionics bay in Onshape. See it in the video at the bottom of the devlog!
The redesign includes:
Now that the avionics bay design is mostly complete, the next step is to finish up the rest of the rocket CAD. Hopefully, I’ll also be ordering FlightCore avionics very soon so test-fit everything and begin validating the software on the actual hardware.
Thanks for making it this far! If you like what you see, check out the projects on GitHub or give me a follow!
FlightCore Repo: https://github.com/zombieking1555/FlightScope_FlightComputer
FlightScope Dashboard Repo: https://github.com/zombieking1555/FlightScope
Hey everybody, I’ve been on vacation and haven’t been fully locked on Stardance, but I’ve still been able to get some work in that I would love to share with you all.
If you’re new here, this is the hardware side of my big summer project, Flightscope. Find my other work in this project.
In this chunk of work. I have (for now) completed the subsystem code for FlightCore (my flight computer, powered by an RPi Pico 2). Here is a map of how the program works:
┌────────┐
│ LiPo Battery │
└────┬───┘
│
▼
┌───── ───────┐
│ Raspberry Pi Pico 2│
└──────┬── ───┘
│
┌─────┼──────┐
▼ ▼ ▼
┌───┐ ┌────┐ ┌─── ──┐
│ IMU │ │ BMP │ │ microSD│
│Accel│ │Altim. │ │ Logger │
└─┬─┘ └─┬──┘ └──┬── ┘
└── ──┼ ──────┘
▼
Sample Sensors (200 Hz)
│
▼
Pre-launch Ring Buffer
│
▼
Launch Detection Logic
│
▼
Flight State Machine
│
Boost → Coast → Descent
│
▼
Write Flight CSV
│
▼
FlightScope Dashboard
│
▼
Graphs • 3D Replay • Analysis
Flightcore is making some great progress on the software side, and here’s a picture of the fun I’m having in Onshape designing the avionics sled! Look out for that in the next devlog. Thanks for getting this far! I would love to see what cool things you guys are working on too. Leave a comment, and I would love to check out your projects!
Edit: I apologize for the attachment spam, I can’t find the option to delete them.
What’s up, guys! If you have been following my other project, FlightScope, the name of this project will ring a bell. This is the hardware extension for FlightScope, so I can get real data and actually test the app.
FlightCore has 2 main parts:
With all that out of the way, I’ll tell you what I’ve got done in this first chunk of time.
This project is full of challenges! To name a few:
I’m basically jumping off a helicopter into an ocean without knowing how to swim, but the great part about it is I sure will learn a lot and fast!
And that’s a wrap for devlog 1! As I’ve said, this project really does have me learning along the way. Any advice would be much appreciated! With that said, I’ll see you all in the next one.
See progress on the electronics sled:
