Brief:
Estes Electron Beam controller mod for 12 volts and 2 motors

Construction:

What you need:

• 2-Estes Electron Beam launch controllers
• A Dremel or equivalent rotary tool
• CA glue
• Wire cutters
• Phillips head screwdriver
• Soldering iron/gun and solder

Just reading this might not allow you to know what the heck I'm talking about, so I recommend having a launch controller in front of you.

What to do:

Remove both of the plastic plates on the bottom of the controllers that hold the batteries in. Set these aside. Take out the small brass plates in the back (needle-nose pliers make this very simple).

On one of the controllers, snip the wires about 1-2 inches from the controller and separate them. Set aside the rest of the wire. Remove the small light bulb (optional). Flip this controller over and open it up with the screwdriver. Strip both wires. Pull the shortened wires into the controller. Unscrew the foremost screw about half way and screw down the stripped ends. I twisted the ends and soldered them before locking them down, but this is unnecessary and may just cause some undue anger.

Now here's where you get to choose what to do next: my design utilizes both safety keys, but only one switch. If you want to use only one safety key, it's quite easy to bypass, but I won't include instructions. If you want to use both button switches, ignore this next step.

Remove the second interior screw and the brass strip it holds down. Remember those two brass plates you removed earlier? Bend one (or both) in half until there's about 1/4 inch (~6 mm) between the ends and place it between the lower brass strip and the one you just removed. Replace the screw.

All of the interior work is done, so you can close up the launcher.

Measure and mark off 5/16 inch (~8 mm) from the back of each launcher. Take your 'rotary tool' with a metal/plastic/ceramic cutoff wheel (either no.25024 or the heavy-duty type) and slice off that marked section. If you want, leave yourself some room for error. The point here is to have a straight cut with just enough room for the batteries.

Note: That Dremel that you have in your hands generates a lot of heat when the wheel starts cutting through the plastic. This causes the plastic to melt and re-form as a large mass around the cut. Don't worry, however, as you can just peel it off with your fingers.

Now that you've mutilated two perfectly good launchers, put the newly cut ends against each other and CA away. Cure time depends on the quality of your glue, but it should take about the same time as any other project. This joint is a bit flimsy, but I'll get back to that.

Search through the pile of junk on your table/bench/pizza box to find the two plastic battery-holder plates. Cut 5/16 inch (~8 mm) off of the back of each plate, but don't glue these. Test and make sure they both fit into the controller. We need something to hold them on, so that the batteries

don't fall out (trust me).

I used some of the old-style Estes rubber shock cord CA'ed to the plates to give tension, but this turned out only to be useful for keeping the plates together, not for holding the batteries in. Anyway, I went and got some Velcro out of the sewing box and CA'ed some on. I CA'ed one end of the hook-side onto the loop-side to make a hinge and to keep from losing one side. Now I can just peel off, insert batteries, and close. I won't say that this is the best or only way to keep your batteries in, It's just what I used. In fact, I thought of using a button-snap while writing this. Use whatever works for you.

Now we have a 12-volt launcher. We can alter it to fire more than one ignitor. I recommend a maximum of two, but you can have more if you use low-current ignitors like e-matches. Check

Flight:
Pass or Fail?

I ground-tested my launcher with clipwhips enough for two ignitors and I fired them both. Both ignitors fired at the same speed. It seemed a bit slow to me, But as long as they burn at the same speed I'm happy.

I say pass.

Summary:
Pros: 12 volt system, easy and quick to make, seemingly reliable, plenty of volts for Solar ignitors, cheap, size and shape?

Cons: Takes 8 AA's*, low amps, size and shape?, speed of ignitor burn

Overall Rating: 3 1/2 to 4

*I picked up 3-8 packs of Ray-O-Vac AA's at Kmart for 15 bucks and they came with a $10 rebate coupon. Look for these kind of deals and always buy batteries in bulk to save money.

Check out InfoCentrals Clipwhip to see how to use that spare wire that you still have laying around so that you can fire more than one ignitor. Once you've done that, you're done with your twelve volt Electron Beam. Go ahead and test it, it should give many-a-launch. The flimsy joint: since you already have plenty of scrap plastic laying around, choose a suitable piece and CA it to the joint. Remember, however, that this doesn't mean that you have to worry about dropping it.