As I have mention in a previous posting, I designed a Rocket Launch System which I named the Missile Command System,  AKA the Launch-A-Rama (my wife’s name for it).  Launching rockets goes way back in time for me and the biggest frustration was not having a ignition system  that would actually launch the rocket when I wanted it to launch.  I quickly learn that the cheap two-cell plastic units had a high-failure rate.  Being an engineer automatically means you have to design and build some thing that works.  So that, I did.

My First Really Good Version of a Launch System

Because the old AA batteries in a plastic holder were never adequate, I designed the system around the 7.2 volt Ni-cad battery pack and a good Radio Shack developer box.  One good characteristic of the Ni-cad battery is that it can deliver high amperage output, much more so than lead-acid gel-cell or alkalinebatteries.  They are also rechargeable with a simple charger.  The 1500mah battery packs I used were commonly used with R/C cars and trucks and they were fairly inexpensive.  One additional feature I designed and included was that two rockets could be setup on the launch pad and launch one after the other.  The circuitry checkedthe continuity of the igniter and indicated that the rocket was armed and ready to launch.   This was a great systems and I used it for many years and as  a backup while I developed the new Missile Command System.  If you are interested in this design I think I still have the circuit schematic and the PC board layout.