A friend and I took advantage of the good weather to make a comparison of the new Estes StarTech starters to the current ones. We’ve all seen the video posted on the web, but I wanted something a little more quantitative, and he was more than happy to put the drag race function of the new HARA wireless controller to use in this task. We taped an old starter and the new StarTech starter to the side of a box and I set my GoPro to 720p/120 frames per second to record the action - pretty simple experiment.

The results are:

At the moment of ignition (t = 0 seconds), the old starter burns hotter than the new Startech.

However, 1 video frame (0.008 seconds) later, the StarTech is producing a prodigious amount of flame.

The old starter is dead after 57 frames (0.475 seconds).

The new StarTech is like the Energizer Bunny - it keeps going and going, still emitting sparks 232 frames after ignition (1.935 seconds) and finally dying at frame 354 (2.953 seconds).

So basically the new StarTech starters will torch the inside of the motor for a good 2 seconds and be hot for 3 seconds. I’d say that would light even stubborn BP motors. It also might singe the bottom part of a heavy, slow moving rocket as it gets going.

I have posted the video to YouTube here (StarTech starter is on the left).

You can get a smaller version of the video with the frame numbers added on the bottom from my ftp site .

I’m attaching a few stills from the video.

GH should like these starters

Attached Thumbnails

                 

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Bill Cooke
NAR #31312
TRA #19705
SAM #0001
Huntsville, AL

My rocket blog
My rocket fleet

What is the composition of the new ignitors? ie, what is the chemical at the tip?

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Clubs: BARC, MDRA

Estes General Manager Bill Stine has only said that it is an "exothermic compound."

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Roy
nar12605

Sometimes NO information is better than ststing the Obvious.

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When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, and HAVOC !

Just received my StarTech starters yesterday - I tried one with a Estes Solar controller (6v), and one with my 12v relay system. At 6v, they made a large glowing orange orb, but did not produce flame like Solar igniters. At 12v, they were definitely energetic, though just a hair slower than Solar igniters. They'll get the acid test to day - a 7 motor cluster with my 12v system.

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Paul
If we weren't all crazy, we would go insane - Jimmy Buffett
NAR #87246 www.wooshrocketry.org

Paul, anxious to hear how they do. I would prefer to save my remaining Quest Q2G2 igniters for 24mm and 29mm clusters, and use the new Startechs for 18mm clusters.

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Lee Reep
NAR 55948

Projects: Semroc Saturn 1B, Ken Foss Designs Mini Satellite Interceptor
In the Paint Shop: Nothing! Too cold!
Launch-Ready: Farside-X, Maxi Honest John, Super Scamp