automatic openers

[Nikola 0]

Hello,

I need some information about automatic openers. I already found some about Vigil, Cypres and Argus. But I need an other working.

Openers like Vigil, Cypres and Argus activate at a fixed height. Unfortunately, I need a device that activates when a body reaches a certain rate of fall. It will be used in a recovery system for a UAV* (when the motor has a breakdown). So the opener has to be activated as soon as possible.

thanks...

*UAV = Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

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[MrBrant 0]

I'm not sure if any skydiving AAD's would work they way you have described.

I dont' believe any aad on the market would activate solely based on speed. (this would be very bad for freefall).

However, you might want to look at one called an FXC. there a little bit older, and purely mechanical. they "scare" alot easier than the newer versions, and the activation height is adjustable.

(i'm not sure what happens when you crank one all the way up - it *might* just work - depending on what your activation speed needs to be) Just don't make it descend too quickly

Edited to ask: What is your required activation speed? you may want to look into the "student" versions of the AAD's you mentioned above (cypres, vigil, etc).
They tend to have lower activation speeds, and their "firing" height is generally set higher - typically about 1100 feet (i believe).

[sundevil777 94]

A special application like you describe could be accomodated by the Cypres/Vigil/Argus if the manufacturer is willing to make a special version for you. It would be interesting to know how much money they would want for that special version. A special software version might be all that is required. They already make a military version of the Cypres, so that you can calibrate it while flying in a pressurized plane, etc, but I don't think it would be able to do what you want.

I think the thing that would be most scary from a manufacturer's viewpoint would be the possibility of this special version being used by a skydiver.

You want it to fire based solely on vertical speed, regardless of altitude, so a standard FXC would not do it for you either. Perhaps if you know the inner workings of an FXC it could be modified to only care about vertical speed, the mfg should be able to confirm this.

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[Liemberg 0]

Quote

Perhaps if you know the inner workings of an FXC it could be modified to only care about vertical speed,

Just cut of the control unit of an FXC - that would leave the valve opened permanently and should result in a pull as soon as the descent rate at any altitude exceeds the activation speed.

Presto.

"Whoever in discussion adduces authority uses not intellect but memory." - Leonardo da Vinci
A thousand words...

[Nikola 0]

Thanks guys for the information! I also have been contacted by a manufacturer who wants to help.

If it's not possible, it maybe can be done with an accelerometer detecting free-fall.

[377 21]

Just buy an old SSE Sentinel MK 2000. They are dirt cheap, typically about $30 because they no longer have SSE factory support.. They use cheap AA cells. Just short across the alt switch so that it thinks it's low, then any time the rate switch is activated you will get a fire signal at the output. No micrprocessor, no software, just two switches in series.

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