Microcontroller-powered missile launch controller

posted Oct 14th 2008 3:25pm by Joshua Wright
filed under: misc hacks, tool hacks

[Josef Jahn] has posted a detailed guide on building a microcontroller-based launch box. Constructed from an Atmel ATMega168 and powered by a 12V rechargable lead gel battery, the launch box is fully portable and includes a number of safety features. Going the extra mile on what could essentially be a simple push button launcher, he added three safety switches, a sixty second after-launch timer and a beautiful (not to mention rare) PLED display complete with dramatic status messages. Check out a video of the launcher in action after the break.

Comments [35]

tagged: launch, microcontroller, model rockets, pled

Reader Comments

Oh god. Want this so much. Just want to hook it up to EVE Online or something. Looks like my next project hath been decided… :p

Posted at 2:33 pm on Oct 14th, 2008 by James Harrison

It would be 9001x cooler if a key was required to unlock the button to launch. Or if there was a glass cover was on the button that had to be unlocked with a key or broken with a small device of persuasion to launch.

Just an idea.

Posted at 3:04 pm on Oct 14th, 2008 by Obnauticus

Hate to be critical, but did you mean OLED not PLED. I might be ignorant, but I’ve never heard of PLED displays…

Posted at 3:07 pm on Oct 14th, 2008 by Fwirt

I really want to own something that would necessitate using this.

Posted at 3:07 pm on Oct 14th, 2008 by Insipid Melon

pled is polymer LED, oled is organic LED. Different yes, but still very similer LCD style displays with better back light and available colors.

Posted at 3:13 pm on Oct 14th, 2008 by r.O.

well the pled link goes to wikipedia’s oled page. hmm…

Posted at 3:16 pm on Oct 14th, 2008 by andrew

is there a tutorial about making something similar?

Posted at 3:44 pm on Oct 14th, 2008 by matt

every car should have one of these… even if it’s not equipped with missiles ;-)

Posted at 4:34 pm on Oct 14th, 2008 by sly

PLED is Polymer Light Emitting Diode, it is similar in construction to an OLED and as a matter of fact it’s actually listed in the OLED wiki page a few columns down

Posted at 6:04 pm on Oct 14th, 2008 by Josh

oled/pled have backlight? ;)

That is just sick, now what is he launching already?

Posted at 7:49 pm on Oct 14th, 2008 by nubie

This needs to be hooked up to my power switch.
Then, after initiation, a voice that sounds like a female talking into an intercom will count down, and a whirring noise will become ever louder as the timer gets closer.

The lights will dim a little, there will be a loud noise, and then the computer whirrs to life.

That’s what needs to happen, every time…

Posted at 8:17 pm on Oct 14th, 2008 by _Matt

@_matt

What? Knoppix’s “Intiating startup sequence” isn’t good enough for you?

Hahaha…it blasted through my earbuds at my soundcard’s maximum volume…my roommates got a laugh out of that!

Posted at 8:57 pm on Oct 14th, 2008 by jbot

You should put the switches in a different order just to make it a little trickier to get the right sequence. other than that it looks like a lot a fun. it would ammuse me for about an hour and a half.

Posted at 10:21 pm on Oct 14th, 2008 by Josh

I feel like such a nerd. The beauty of this project made my knees a bit wobbly. I’m totally going to wire up my jeep with something like this. I’ll likely use a keyswitch instead of button, though.

Posted at 11:30 pm on Oct 14th, 2008 by Jack

[startQuote]That is just sick, now what is he launching already?[endQuote]

What ever the hell he wants!!!

Posted at 11:35 pm on Oct 14th, 2008 by supernova_hq

@jbot
I don’t know what Knoppix’s startup sound is, so I’m downloading a live cd.

Does it sound like it should belong with this project?

I always wish my computer had a really beefy power switch, and sounded like a jet engine spinning up…

Posted at 12:06 am on Oct 15th, 2008 by _Matt

What I am launching? Well this of course: http://www.vimeo.com/1966383

Posted at 12:59 am on Oct 15th, 2008 by Josef Jahn

I will be adding this device as a supported peripheral in the next GMod update.

Posted at 1:01 am on Oct 15th, 2008 by Garry Newman

@Fwirt: It really is PLED, not OLED. They are similar in principle though. Sadly, all PLED production was halted some time ago, and there are *no* PLED displays being produced anymore :(

Posted at 1:01 am on Oct 15th, 2008 by Josef Jahn

All those switches, that have to be turned on in the right sequence and everything, and a single faulty transistor, relay, of little software bug could still cause a lot of trouble.

IMHO, this is just a gadget, nothing more, because the circuit that actually switches the output isn’t designed properly. You should at least have 2 relays wired in series, and build in protection for sticky relay contacts.

There is even a chance of the circuit closing if you drop the thing in just the right way, because of the single mechanical relay.

Nicely done, but that part of the circuit needs some attention if you really want to do it properly.

Posted at 2:25 am on Oct 15th, 2008 by Sparky

@Sparky: There’s a very simple and foolproof way of ensuring that neither a sticky relay contact nor any software problem can cause a premature launch:

Switch 1 removes all power from the device. It is a safety switch that you will have a hard time toggling by accident – and even if you can do that, you still have to have a software failure and/or a problem with the relay *at the same time*.

So really, I see no problem there. Of course you could use a second port of the controller to switch a second relay. But the most important safety feature is the ability to physically remove power and thus override any individual software or relay problem.

As it is now, you should only enable switch 1 if you are ready to launch, just as you disable the safety of a gun only when you’re about to fire.

Posted at 4:25 am on Oct 15th, 2008 by Josef Jahn

Rare PLED display? Huh?

I can buy them from several places. how the hell is something that is readily available rare?

I have some rare ardunio kits I’d like to sell for top dollar!

Posted at 6:57 am on Oct 15th, 2008 by fartface

@fartface:

Quote from http://www.osddisplays.com/pled.php

“Recently several of the world’s largest PLED panel manufacturers have announced their withdrawal from PLED production because of financial reasons. The withdrawal of these suppliers will have a direct effect on the availability of critical components that sustain OSD’s PLED module production.”

Quote from http://www.lcdforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=17963

“Due to our PLED (Polymeric Light Emitting Diode) supplier announcing that they are no longer going
to be manufacturing this technology, we, Matrix Orbital, hereby submit this letter to inform you that we
must discontinue all of our products that use PLED technology.
…
Please note that PLED technology will be discontinued throughout the entire industry. It does not only
affect Matrix Orbital.”

If you have any links to places where I can get monochrome PLED (not OLED) character and/or graphical displays, please do post them!

Posted at 7:18 am on Oct 15th, 2008 by Josef Jahn

Would be nice if it needed two keys to be used on it simultaneously just for the thing to turn on. Then use the three switches or 2, and make the two keys turn it on.

Posted at 7:52 am on Oct 15th, 2008 by Emanuel

This is kindof cute. I think if I were to build something like this I’d have added a keypad to enter a password (PIN), and a microphone to check the voice print.

Keys as mentioned above are a great idea, but like modern cars, don’t forget to add some kind of passive RFID system (different from the one from TI that was cracked a few years ago).

And one more thing – a local destruct mechanism to punish those who misuse the device. Poison gas, perhaps; we don’t want to harm the device.

Posted at 8:09 am on Oct 15th, 2008 by snide

excellent looking interface! I can integrate this into a project i have now.

Could you possibly add some extra info?
- post the software
- list the sources/part #s for the switches, covers, and button
- what were the considerations in picking the PLED? Was it easy to use?

Harnessing the power of the internet, does any other reader have a reliable source for PLED displays? Do they all take a lot of power? I need a day-time readable output.

Thanks for the great write-up. Slick project!

Posted at 8:31 am on Oct 15th, 2008 by bearsinthesea

@bearsinthesea:

I’ve posted the sourcecode, along with answers to your questions, here: http://www.playspoon.com/forum/index.php?topic=33

Posted at 9:18 am on Oct 15th, 2008 by Josef Jahn

I agree in part with sparky. If you dropped the device the relay may (although nearly impossible) trigger. However this could easily be overcome by using Solid State Relays.

I know this would never happen but i was just wondering, is there any safety device in place in case the device did develop a fault? I mean if for example water got in the unit and shorted the relay contacts making it activate?

Posted at 6:01 pm on Oct 15th, 2008 by joer

@joer: As I said above, the first main switch removes all power. You can drop it as much as you like, you can short-circuit the relay, as long as you don’t switch on the first safety switch nothing will happen.

For the box to launch prematurely, you have to have TWO failing components: The relay AND the first safety switch. So there’s no single point of failure.

Also, I think you guys should keep things in perspective: This box is meant for model rockets. What if water gets into your “Estes” ignition trigger and shorts the contacts? What if you drop that “Aerotech” launch box, it falls apart (which it does quite easily) and the right pieces of metal come together? There’s definitely an end to what you can prevent. The idea is to not have a single point of failure, i.e. don’t rely solely on a relay, don’t rely entirely on software, always require at least two different actions to be taken for a launch to happen (i.e. not just one single pushbutton)

Posted at 12:55 am on Oct 16th, 2008 by Josef Jahn

To make this project a little more interesting I would add a keypad, to enter in launch codes of course. I think I missed something about the output of the box, what type of signal is required to launch the rocket?

Posted at 8:34 pm on Oct 17th, 2008 by kurf

Wow, I can just picture using one of these to turn on my computer, especially for my laptop while going through airport security, or while sitting on a plane and bringing out the box. Time to make my own

Posted at 7:59 am on Oct 24th, 2008 by Desiredefx

pls i want to be part of this forum

Posted at 2:12 am on Feb 16th, 2009 by Opasina

i want to do something on rocket control but i have no circuit, pls help

Posted at 6:05 am on Feb 17th, 2009 by Opasina

I want to such a make a missile launch controller. It’s my dream. This blog help for me.

Thanks

Posted at 6:46 am on Apr 28th, 2009 by Jahir Kamal

WOW, I would love to buy one of these! Any chance you are building them to sell?

Also would be nice to have a launch timer. Press the button and a countdown starts.

Posted at 3:35 pm on May 17th, 2009 by Marc Schlesinger

Microcontroller-powered missile launch controller

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