It’s about time for the second launch of the SUFO capsule. I have dusted off the original capsule, electronics, and tracking equipment. Everything is in working order and tested great. I made a few improvements to the original SUFO-1 after learning from the first launch.
The main problems were the failure of the cutdown module (due to a loose wire) and a lot of time spent searching for the capsule in the woods. I added a 100dB 2-tone piezo buzzer from Radio Shack that sounds like a siren to make the capsule easier to find. I also combined the buzzer and cutdown module into a single unit powered by a separate battery from the rest of the electronics. This unit is mounted in the capsule, except for the actual buzzer and the heating element that cuts the balloon free. The wire to the cutdown point was lengthened to reduce stress from the capsule bouncing around.
This flight will capture pictures just like the first flight. However, I also found a cheap HD video camera to record the entire flight. The Kodak PlaySport ZX3 is a very light HD camera that comes pretty cheap on Amazon (I bought a refurbished model). I tested a friend’s Flip camera, but it ran pretty hot and shut off after about 45 minutes even though it had plenty of memory and battery left.
The SUFO-1 “only” reached 94,740 feet. I was really hoping to break 100,000 ft. The SUFO-2 will use a 1500g balloon instead of a 1200g balloon. The amount of free lift will also be lowered slightly by controlling the amount of helium in the balloon. The combination of these two items should put the SUFO-2 over 100,000 ft with the drawback of having a longer flight time.
The balloon has arrived and everything is fully tested. Now I just need a free weekend and good wind patterns. Check back here for a launch date announcement soon.
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