This page has been put together to discuss various integrations based on the U.S. Rockets (www.usrockets.com) line of rockets. I have had the pleasure of building various USR kits, and must admit that two of my favorite kits are the USR “BANSHEE” and USR “INTERROC”. They are both 2.25” diameter kits, which require you to build your own electronics bay since current off the shelf bays are non-existent for the 2.25” airframe. The USR kits are lightweight and rugged, allowing you to make modifications and still be able to fly with ease.

Building a 2.25” electronics bay:

FIG 1. Electronics Bay Parts

As you can see in Figure 1 the electronics bay is made of basic parts that are easily available. The following parts were used for this electronics bay:

QUANTITY:	DESCRIPTION:	SOURCE:
2	8/32” X 12” “Create A Bolt”	Home Depot
8	8/32” Nut	Home Depot
8	#8 Split Lock washer	Home Depot
12	#10 Washer	Home Depot
2	3/16” Eye Bolt w/nut	Home Depot
1	BT-22-5 (5” Body Tube)	U.S. Rockets (www.usrockets.com)
2	TC-22-4 (4” Coupler Tube)	U.S. Rockets (www.usrockets.com)
2	PP-22 (3/32” Disk)	U.S. Rockets (www.usrockets.com)
2	PP-22C (3/32” Disk)	U.S. Rockets (www.usrockets.com)
1	Terminal Block (ED1501-ND)	Digikey (www.digikey.com)

Step 1. “Construction of Endplates”: I sanded down the PP-22 so it would fit in the body tube of my BANSHEE. I then drilled a center 7/32” hole in both the PP-22 and PP-22C for mounting the eyebolt. Once the holes were drilled I placed wood glue on the disk and used the eyebolt to hold them together. I then drilled two 11/64” holes for mounting of the electronics sled. The last step was drilling two 1/8” holes for my terminal block, which will be used to connect an ejection charge. I then added some 5 minute epoxy and secured the terminal block wiring assembly into place. The finished end assembly looks like Figure 2.

FIG 2. End Plate Assembly

Step 2. “Construction of Electronics Bay Body”: For the assembly of the electronics bay body I used two TC-22-4 coupler tubes and one BT-22-5 body tube from U.S. Rockets. I cut off 1” of the BT-22-5 because I only wanted to have the bay to have an exposed length of 4”. With the simple method I used you could make the exposed part of the bay as little as you need without adding on too much height to your rocket. I then inserted the TC-22-4 into the BT 2” deep, this allows another 2” to be used for mating to your rocket. I did this to both sides, so the total length of my electronics bay is 8”, more then enough room for what I want to do. The finished electronics bay body assembly looks like Figure 3.

FIG 3. Electronics Bay Body Assembly

Step 3. “Construction of Electronics Sled Carrier”: The sled carrier is built using the “End Plate” assemblies as well as the 8/32” “Create a Bolt”. The finished assembly looks like Figure 4.

FIG 4. Electronics Sled Carrier Assembly

Step 4. “Construction of Electronics Sled”: The electronics sled is built using a section of 1/8” thick craft plywood that is 2” X 6”. I then added some 1/4" aluminum tubing to allow the sled to slide on the rails. I used 5 minute epoxy to secure the tubing to the wood sled. After the epoxy dried, I then drilled holes for 4/40" screws for mounting the 9V battery holder as well as the “XSSET-1”. If you notice in Figure 5, I placed the tubing on the same side as the electronics, this allows the battery holder to clear the inside of the tube. I also placed the 9V battery holder so during travel of the rocket, the battery will be pushed onto the contacts helping to insure good contact. I also used a countersink on the battery holders mounting holes, this allows the screws to be flush with the body.

FIG 5. Electronics Sled Assembly

Step 5. “Construction of Electronics Bay Assembly”: To complete the assembly you will need to put together all of the various assemblies. The completed electronics bay will look similar to Figure 6.

FIG 6. Completed Electronics Bay Assembly

U.S. Rockets kits with finished electronics bay:

USR “BANSHEE” and USR “INTERROC”

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