Clustering ignition , lets get real
 

Everywhere i read , it is reccomended to use a "Car Battery" for cluster ignition. Granted this is probally a gaurenteed way to assure you get a good crisp ignition.
In messing around i fired 2 igniters off of the POS estes 4 aa battery rig , which worked fine . and im sure after 2-3 trys it would not
I really dont feel like lugging a car battery around and was thinking of just using some 9.6 (or whatever the RC NiCads ) are these days .
Or another thing i had pondered was taking the cordless flash light , that came with my Drill and converting that. Just make a custom light connecter , dont even have to destroy it

Im just looking for an easy way to bring a controller out

Moderen rechargeables can dump a **** ton of current to the point of being one of the most controlled items for air shipping , fedex is terrified of them .

Thoughts Ideas and general Harassment welcomed

The problem with 4AA batteries is that you will often get one to ignite a fraction of a second before the other, causing ignition failiure on the second one. Also, if you try to cluster more than two motors, you often won't have enough juice to get even one to ignite, much less all three or four to ignite simultaneously.

You don't need a car battery, but a 12v source is much more reliable. Lawnmower batteries, hobby gel cells, 12v and 18v drill packs, 10 cell ni-cad and nimh RC packs, etc. all will do an admirable job on clusters and are much more portable than a car battery once it leaves the car.

One often neglected source of lots of voltage is an old rechargable screwdriver ni-cad battery.

I have I think 4 of the 18v units for a bunch of tools.

It wouldn't be hard to make something to use all of that power.

The Quest Q2G2 igniter is excellent for clusters, but you must use the Quest Launch Controller as the voltage is different, but very, very reliable.

Two rechargeable 7.2 volt NiCd packs (the kind they make for R/C cars) will be MORE than adequate.

And for REALLY MORE than adequate, I lug around a Black & Decker jumpstarter. It has an auto power port (aka cig. lighter socket) that I plug my Pratt GObox into. Also has some other features which may be of use out on the range, and I have absolutely no worries about running out of juice.

A Quest controller with the EBC (External Battery Connector) will work great for clusters. It does not draw much current when the safety key is inserted for continuity check (10 ma) but when you hit the launch button it dumps as much sa the battery can supply through the not-too-thin wires (they seem to be thicker than Estes wires). Use a good alkaline lantern battery with the EBC and you can ignite a huge number of Quest Q2G2 igntiers instantly or at least 4 Estes igniters semi-quickly.

You could also use a small portable battery of your choice for even more amperage: gel cell or lead-acid scooter or alarm system battery, 7.2V NiCad R/C battery pack, etc.

PLease don't say "**** ton."

Yeah...kleen up the language for all of us here with virgin ears/eyes.... :rolleyes:

Actually John, I was surprised to see that on this forum even though I don't think anything here expressly forbids it...

Now if this was Newton's 3rd forum, that would be standard fare and quite tame.

Is that a metric measurement? :confused: :D