Nichrome Wire Test
(Payload Cut-down Test)
On January 19, 2014 Kevin Nichols (KA7OFR) conducted a test of how well nichrome wire acts as a cut-down mechanism for our high altitude balloon flights. Here are his results. Video and stills provided by Kevin.
- Wire was 10.5 mil dia from a hair dryer
- Wire was 1″ long, CD welded to two leads.
- Fresh Duracell 9v battery, on 12″ clip leads used to provide current
- The same nylon braided cord use for our balloons was tested.
- payload weight was 10 lbs.
- Separation took about 2 seconds between application of battery power to release.
The following video can also be viewed at YouTube: https://youtu.be/A_gthivH21c
Or skip the fluff. The raw video and stills are shown below. Click on an image for a hi-res version.
Wire Thickness
Wire with leads
Wire with zero Amps
Wire with 1.77 Amps
Wire with 2.15 Amps
Wire with 2.76 Amps
