Circuit Wizardry
Rocketry
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All-Aluminum Thrust Vector Control: A Journey
It’s been nearly a year since I first conceptualized the idea for HORIZON I. A thrust vector controlled rocket, with on-board electronics monitoring and adjusting the rocket’s course. One of my biggest struggles during this time has the thrust vector control mount itself – the hardware that actuates to move the rocket engine. Why Aluminum?…
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The Launch of HORIZON I
HORIZON. A rocket ten months in the making. Today was the day that I would finally launch. I would finally be able to say that I built a successful thrust vector controlled model rocket. Or so I thought. Just a quick recap on the internals of HORIZON: Avionics HORIZON uses my very own STARLIGHT rocket…
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TVC Hardware: the sister to STARLIGHT – The ultimate TVC gimbal
This is a bit of a shorter blog post, as it expands on my previous article. In one of my previous articles, I mentioned that I was going to be using an open-source TVC gimbal that I did not design myself. This, however, turned out to be a rabbit hole that was incredibly tedious, and…
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The hidden layer of HORIZON I: Software struggles
In the beginning, I simply wanted to build a self-stabilizing model rocket. This turned out to be a much more difficult task than I was prepared for. From PID loops to sensor fusion & integration, writing the thrust vector control (TVC) software was a huge struggle. There were many obstacles in my path to my…
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STARLIGHT is now available for purchase!!
After many months of work refining and touching up my development board STARLIGHT, I’m pleased to announce that it is finally open for pre-orders! This is another huge milestone in my journey, launching my very first original product. The board does not come with firmware already installed, this is a development board targeted towards model…
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From hobbyist to design engineer: The story of STARLIGHT
The design of STARLIGHT represents a massive leap in my technical ability, and a huge milestone overall. However, I didn’t start from nothing. You may wonder what prompted me to begin designing my first circuit board? The beginning of STARLIGHT It all goes back to December of 2022, during a vacation to Oklahoma to visit…
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Starlight: The Ultimate Model Rocket Control Board
This is the story of Starlight, my model rocket control board. That’s right, at 16 years old, I designed a circuit board from scratch. And it works – beautifully. On the first revision! It’s my magnum opus thus far, and signifies a huge leap in my technical ability. So here’s the story of my circuit…
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Explosive Chemistry – How I cooked my own rocket fuel for my model rocket, and how you can do the same
Everyone loves explosions. Whether you’re the sort of person who enjoys setting off explosions, or you’re simply in awe of the kind of power that can be released from a chemical reaction, explosions are captivating for everyone, whether we admit it or not. What better way to give your model rocket some flare than by…
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The Story of my Model Rocket, Horizon I
This is the story of how I built a model rocket from the ground up. From the electronics to the airframe to the 3d printed parts, this rocket has taken me six months so far, and is still a work in progress. Read on to learn how I got to this point, and how you…
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Recent Posts
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