Hello again!
After some months without publishing here we are again!
Today I bring a new project I've been working for months already: a water rocket with automatic parachute.
Making a water rocket is easy: put some water in a plastic bottle, add air pressure and release. It will fly fast and high.
But when you want also to fly higher, then the rocket can land quite catastrophic. There is where a parachute is helpful.
There are several issues to solve as you see in the video:
- Detect the moment that the rocket is at top altitude or just starting to go down.
- Deploy the parachute on time so it can save the rocket.
- Make it lightweight so it does not penalize the altitude.
- Leave room for the camera, battery and payload if needed.
I'll be updating this post as I produce more content for it. In the meantime check the video here, and don't hesitate to make questions.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://community.robotshop.com/robots/show/automatic-parachute-deployment-with-arduino