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GoPro Hero3+ Silver

Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2014 8:51 pm
by Blenderite
Just got a GoPro Hero3+ Silver!!! Can't wait to find a suitable launch site and get some good footage!!! Anyone else ever put a GoPro in their water rocket?

Re: GoPro Hero3+ Silver

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 12:03 am
by U.S. Water Rockets
DogLover wrote:Just got a GoPro Hero3+ Silver!!! Can't wait to find a suitable launch site and get some good footage!!! Anyone else ever put a GoPro in their water rocket?
We had the very first GoPro and the GoPro 2 back a while ago. We never flew either of them because they were so expensive and quite fat and heavy for the rockets we were launching at the time. We recently did launch a Hero3 that belonged to someone else, and they subsequently launched it on a rocket belonging to someone else, who crashed it. It quit working after that incident.

Re: GoPro Hero3+ Silver

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 2:44 am
by bugwubber
A go pro went for a ride on one of the water rocket bobsleds on that race we did last winter. I haven't seen the footage yet though.

Re: GoPro Hero3+ Silver

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 4:26 pm
by RaketfuedRockets
I'm a big fan of the GoPro Cams.
They have an amazing video quality.
Check out this video from SPN water rockets, the onboard video was shot from a GoPro:
[youtube][/youtube]
Cheers
Julian from Raketfued

Re: GoPro Hero3+ Silver

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 4:27 pm
by RaketfuedRockets

Re: GoPro Hero3+ Silver

Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 7:11 pm
by Blenderite
My plan will be to have it in the housing, which should help protect it should the parachute fail. After all I have seen people drop them from thousands of feet and survive in the housing so it should survive a lawn dart right?

Also I am thinking that if I don't put it in the front but in one of the gaps between spliced pairs, that should help to reduce the risk.

Re: GoPro Hero3+ Silver

Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 1:22 am
by U.S. Water Rockets
DogLover wrote:My plan will be to have it in the housing, which should help protect it should the parachute fail. After all I have seen people drop them from thousands of feet and survive in the housing so it should survive a lawn dart right?

Also I am thinking that if I don't put it in the front but in one of the gaps between spliced pairs, that should help to reduce the risk.
Yes. The mistake most people make is to put the gopro "naked" in an abusive environment. It's not as strong without that outer case to protect it. Many people assume the case is only for underwater photography.

You are also correct, the camera itself is light enough and has little mass, so it will bounce and survive a fall from great heights, but if you attach it to something it can cause problems. The object you connect it to may have a higher terminal velocity as it falls, meaning more energy at the moment of impact. Also, if the object is on top of the GoPro when it hits, the camera will not bounce and the full impact force will be felt by the camera and since the object on the top can have a lot of mass, the camera can be crushed under it.

Re: GoPro Hero3+ Silver

Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 6:34 pm
by Blenderite
Yeah that is why I was thinking I should mount it as low as possible in the rocket, so it is farther away from the lawn dart impact zone. I have seen a lot of rockets bend around half way after a hard landing so that should provide a little bit of springiness to cushion the landing for the GoPro.

Re: GoPro Hero3+ Silver

Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 8:39 am
by Jamie5335
Hello Doglover,

We own a GoPro and the footage is great! We use it for the Slow Motion as the rocket takes off. The versatility of the camera is handy as you can shoot in lots of different modes. Though I am not brave enough to put it on the rocket yet! In the case, mounted near the end of the rocket, I am sure it would be fine. The footage would be awesome! I hope you enjoy it, we are looking forward to the results, please share your experiences!

Re: GoPro Hero3+ Silver

Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 4:37 pm
by U.S. Water Rockets
DogLover wrote:Yeah that is why I was thinking I should mount it as low as possible in the rocket, so it is farther away from the lawn dart impact zone. I have seen a lot of rockets bend around half way after a hard landing so that should provide a little bit of springiness to cushion the landing for the GoPro.
In that case you would intentionally want the rocket to kind of crumple all up on impact like they tend to do. The camera near the back of the rocket would be saved by the cushioning effect of the rocket. It would be like the "crumple zones" they put on automobiles to prevent injuries to the occupants.