Roger Smith's Page

AKA: jadebox
Location: Oviedo, FL
Certification Level: L2 NAR/Tripoli
Club Memberships: NAR,TRIPOLI,ROCK,NEFAR
Favorite Rockets: Estes Omega
Biography:
Roger maintains RocketReviews.com.

Roger, and his wife, Bracha, have built and flown some of the furriest rockets of all-time. Their "Big Daddy Akavish" is a spider-themed high-power rocket standing about four-foot tall on its eight legs.

Favorite Quote:
Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.
Personal Home Page: http://www.payloadbay.com/
Club Home Page: http://www.r-o-c-k.org/
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/jadeboxroger
Google+ Page: https://plus.google.com/101533115429153572785
RocketReviews.com Pages:
Rocket Gallery
Flight Log
Flight Statistics

2025-04-06

Album - Events

Album - Saturn V Launched in Houston Astrodome

2025-02-17

The New JonRocket.com Trailer - Workbench

Build Entry
As I was just reviewing the entries in this build, I realized that I had failed to mention the workbench that I built into the front of the trailer. In addition to providing a convenient surface for working, it hides most of the electrical stuff from view. [More]

2025-01-26

The New JonRocket.com Trailer - To Do ...

Build Entry
We still have a few things to do. I want to add some lights to the back to help with loading or unloading at night. But the big thing we still need to do is to lift the trailer up a few inches. The new trailer sites a couple of inches lower than the old one. This causes some issues - including ... [More]

The New JonRocket.com Trailer - New Trailer Jack

Build Entry
Our old trailer was repurposed for use by our local club. Recently the old trailer's jack has gotten hard to crank. So, I used that as an excuse to replace the trailer jack on the old trailer with the one from the new trailer and adding a powered jack to the new trailer. Initial installation was ... [More]

The New JonRocket.com Trailer - Bling

Build Entry
We turned to our friend, Carolyn at Klages Kreations for vinyl decals. She created large logos and applied them to each side of the trailer and a large QR-code for the back. [More]

2025-01-23

The New JonRocket.com Trailer - Accessories

Build Entry
I added a fire extinguisher just inside the door. [More]

The New JonRocket.com Trailer -

Build Entry
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The New JonRocket.com Trailer - Power to the People

Build Entry
An outlet added to the front of the trailer makes it easier to plug things into the electrical system. [More]

The New JonRocket.com Trailer - Filling the Gap

Build Entry
One of the nicest accessories I added to the trailer is a " Door Slider Plate " which covers the gap between the trailer and the ramp. [More]

The New JonRocket.com Trailer - Smile

Build Entry
I added a Wyze camera to act as both a security camera and a backup camera. It's powered by a little 12v to USB "buck converter" adapter . I use the TinyCam Pro app to use the camera as a backup camera since it has an option to mirror the image. [More]

The New JonRocket.com Trailer - Awning

Build Entry
I don't have any pictures of the actual work installing the retractable awning because I was spending so much time installing the retractable awning. [More]

2024-12-29

The New JonRocket.com Trailer - Here Comes the Sun

Build Entry
I added three 100W solar panels to the top of the trailer. [More]

2024-12-25

The New JonRocket.com Trailer - Ooo La La

Build Entry
A major goal was to have a place for everything in the trailer -- organizing things to make it easier to load and unload what we need. I also wanted the layout of storage in the trailer to be reconfigurable to support any changes to our requirements in the future and to allow the trailer to be ... [More]

The New JonRocket.com Trailer - Motor Boxes

Build Entry
We sell motors from Estes and others at local launches. So, we needed a way to be able to store the motors between launches and to display them at launches. We also wanted to be able to easily bring them inside instead of leaving them in the trailer during hot or cold weather. I designed a simple ... [More]

2024-12-24

The New JonRocket.com Trailer - Electrification

Build Entry
The lights needed power. And we would need power for other things, so I built an electrical system into the trailer. Based on the way RVs are powered, the system provides power to 110V as well as 12V devices. Power is provided by three 100-watt solar panels or an external 110V source. The solar ... [More]

The New JonRocket.com Trailer - Which Switch is Which?

Build Entry
Lights need switches. So, I added a switch panel inside the side door. I started with a project box and a bank of lighted rocker switches . When I was a kid, I used project boxes for many little electronic gadgets that I made. But I was never very good at cutting holes in the project box lids for ... [More]

The New JonRocket.com Trailer - Then There was Light

Build Entry
Light is important in a trailer like this. Fortunately, LED lights are small, inexpensive, and easy to install. I used two different kinds of lights. I mounted 12V under-cabinet light strips on the roof spars along the length of the trailer. They work well because they provide a cool, bright light ... [More]

The New JonRocket.com Trailer - Love Handle

Build Entry
Next, we added a grab-bar handle beside the side door. The RV grab bar that we used folds flat against the trailer when not in use. [More]

The New JonRocket.com Trailer - Step By Step

Build Entry
The next thing we added was a fold-out RV step to make it easier to use the side door. The step bolts onto the frame below the door, but the bolt holes didn't line up with the frame on our trailer. So, I used an angle grinder to create copious sparks as I cut a piece of steel angle to fit between ... [More]

2024-12-22

The New JonRocket.com Trailer

Build
For the past twelve years, we have been using a 5-foot by 8-foot enclosed trailer when attending rocket launches. It has served us well, but we had started to outgrow it. So, we recently invested in a new 6-foot bv 10-foot trailer built by Diamond Cargo. We researched our options and shopped ... [More]

The New JonRocket.com Trailer - You Don't Know Jack

Build Entry
I replaced the trailer jack with a The Ultimate Trailer Jack . The new jack has a couple of nice features. First, it has a release pin that quickly drops the jack tube down. This makes it easier and quicker to lower the jack. Second, it allows you to raise the bottom of the jack higher than you ... [More]

The New JonRocket.com Trailer - A Blank Slate