Rocket Rotary Switch Mount

thingiverse

Updated v2 - EXPERIMENTAL work in progress. Support structures for mounting a flat rotary switch onto a cylindrical rocket are being developed. STL is available for a 4" rocket with coupler. The SCAD has variables at the top for setting all parameters in mm (rocket outer diameter, rocket inner diameter, switch dimensions) and view options. Interior curve-to-flat surface provides full contact between the screw on the switch and the rocket body. It also serves as a washer, distributing forces across a broader surface area. The exterior features a flat-to-curve surface, leaving a gap that is filled by a sphere 1/4 the diameter of the rocket body. The goal is to provide an aerodynamic curve between the rocket body and the top edge of the rotary switch. Acetone smoothing on the outer mount is recommended to reduce drag. Updates have been made: The outer support was printed with the arch down. Test prints of both orientations gave much better results. You can sand the rafting on the inner side out to match the rocket profile more easily than you can sand down the outer surface, which should be smooth. A notch has been added at 45 degrees to account for the dimple in the rotary switch. This aligns 110 as OFF perpendicular to the rocket body and 220 as ON parallel to the body. The inner support was widened. 0.1mm was added to switchOuterDiameter and switchInnerDiameter to provide a bit of clearance. The parts are too tight otherwise. $fn=90 has been added to smooth out parts (the default was not liked). A trial with 180 was made, but it was too slow to build for tastes. Maths are still being worked on to account for the sphere cap accurately across rocket dimensions. The print view should work (export your STL from that view). Other views are for visualization and might be off. If an issue is encountered, a message should be sent. Aerodynamic simulations or wind tunnel tests have not been run yet to compare it with a simple exterior mount without support. A video of a tunnel test will be uploaded when v2 has been printed and assembled.