I bought a bunch of the long-lead Q2G2s from Nettie a while back, but I'm saving them for electronic deployment.

For BP clusters, I've had great success using Solars with a good, 12V setup. In fact, I've even launched a cluster this way using the DARS model rails, which aren't nearly as beefy as a relayer (regarding series resistance) but worked just fine.

That is, I'm thinking we can't always conclude the path resistance / battery output resistance is the culprit. There are many cluster failure modes, some of which are equally likely to occur with Q2G2's. Even with Q2G2's, the flier has some work to do to get the best chances of success.

In the case of Solars, some of the other failure modes include 1) ignitors falling out or not being inserted firmly against the BP grain, 2) shorts due to the many alligator clips in close proximity, 3) opens due to the not-so-reliable nature of alligator clips, and 4) shorts due to the exposed ignitor leads touching each other.

In the first case, I had a rocket where I used some old B6-0's with crumbling clay nozzles resulting in the plug not staying in. I shoulda backed off on that one, but thought (hoped) I had the ignitor solidly inserted. Wrong! (See fail pics here.)

Anyway, the Q2G2's have insulated wires and are thus less likely to have shorting issues (item 4 above). And, with the long wires, they can be twisted together (3) such that only one pair of clips is needed (2). So, as long as they stay in the nozzles, they should be better than Solars.

But, while Q2G2's avoid most of the clustering issues other ignitors pose, they still need to be used with care to ensure a good flight.

And, in the case of APCP clusters, there are other issues that Q2G2's don't solve. The ignitors still need to be dipped or otherwise enhanced in order to get all the motors lit reliably.


Doug


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