I know of two other people have used the StormCaster to carry an Aiptek PenCam camera. You can see their rockets at the following links:

http://home.earthlink.net/~tacquire/pencam/
http://www.seed-solutions.com/gregordy/Rockets/VideoRockets.htm

These rockets take short video clips by pushing the record button just before launching. My rocket takes still images by using an external controller to click the shutter button. I installed the controller in a tube coupler, which is mounted between the camera and the nosecone. The nosecone is secured by 2 screws to ensure that it does not come off during the launch and recovery. The StormCaster is shown expanded below. An elastic shock cord attaches the upper and lower body tubes, and an 18" parachute is attached to the shock cord.

The controller is shown below along with its circuit diagram. The controller gets it power from the 3.3 volts provided by the Aiptek camera. It is connected to the Aiptek camera by four wires for power, ground, shutter and mode selection. The controller is based on the Parallax SX chip, which is an 8-bit microcontroller. It uses a G-Switch to determine when the rocket is launching.

The camera and controller are inserted in the rocket as shown below. A sleeve was made out of currogated cardboard to hold the camera in the body tube. The sleeve is glued to the inside of the body tube so that the camera lens is postioned exactly at the opening in the tube. Two couplers and a cardboard spacer were glued together to hold the ciruit board in place.

Launch Log

12/30/2006, Hill Country Rocketeers Launch, Center Point, TX pictures

1. Estes D12-5. Excellent launch and recovery. However, the camera did not take any pictures during this launch. In fact, pictures that were taken before the launch were erased from the memory. The controller was not responsive.

2. Estes D12-5. The rocket weather-cocked into the wind on launch. The camera took 5 pictures during the launch. The best picture is shown here.

1/6/2007, AARG Launch, Hutto Hippodrome Field pictures

3. Estes E9-6. Good launch. The rocket weather cocked into the wind. Took five pictures. Two of the pictures are here and here.

4. Estes E9-6. Good launch. The rocket weather cocked into the wind. Did not take any pictures. The camera controller was unresponsive after the launch, but the camera retained the pictures that were previously taken.

2/3/2007, AARG Launch, Hutto Hippodrome Field pictures

5. Estes E9-6. Good launch. The rocket weather cocked into the wind. Took five pictures. Two of the pictures are here and here. I had added a 0.1 uF capacitor to the controller, but this caused the camera and controller to become unresponsive.

6. Estes E9-6. Good launch. The rocket weather cocked into the wind. I had removed the 0.1 uF capacitor, but the camera did not take any pictures. The camera controller was unresponsive after the launch.

3/10/2007, Alamo Rocketeers Launch, Gillespie Farm, San Antonio, TX pictures

7. Estes D12-5. Weather cocked a bit because I on a short 1/8" rod instead of a 3/16" rod. The wind brought it back into the pasture for a good recovery.

8. Estes D12-5. Used a 3/16" launch rod. The launch and recovery were good.

9. Estes D12-5. Good launch, but the parachute did not come out all the way when the rocket separated. The rocket wasn't a lawn dart, but it did hit the ground at a high speed and sustained some damage. The nosecone was driven into the body tube and it split the end of the tube. The booster appear to land on its side. One fin was partially popped out and the coupler had a dent in it. All of the damage is repairable. The camera only had two pictures on it instead of the 12 that were expected. The two pictures look good. Pix1 Pix2

4/1/2007, Amateur Rocketeers of Texas Launch, Meek Ranch pictures

10. Estes E9-6. First flight after being repaired. Weather cocked a bit in the 5 to 10 mph wind. Good launch and good recovery. Took 5 pictures on the ground and 5 in the air. However, the pictures are blurred because I left the focus set for short range after making the "flutter" video.

5/19/2007, Amateur Rocketeers of Texas Launch, Meek Ranch pictures

11. Estes E9-6. Good launch and good recovery. Took 5 pictures on the ground and 5 in the air. There were 3 good pictures from the air. pix1 pix2 pix3

6/2/2007, AARG Launch, Granger Lake pictures

12. Estes E9-6. Good launch and good recovery. Took 5 pictures on the ground and 5 in the air. There were a couple of good pictures from the air. pix1 pix2

13. Estes E9-6. Good launch and good recovery. Took 5 pictures on the ground and 5 in the air. There were a couple of good pictures from the air. pix1 pix2

8/11/2007, Tripoli Houston Launch, Hearne, Texas pictures

14. Estes E9-6. Good launch and good recovery. The camera controller was still programmed in the "kite" mode, where it did not use the G-switch. Took several nice pictures.

8/25/2007, Amateur Rocketeers of Texas Launch, Meek Ranch pictures

15. Estes E9-6. Good launch and good recovery. The camera controller was still programmed in the "kite" mode, where it did not use the G-switch. The rocket sat on the pad for a few minutes. It did not take any pictures in the air because the memory was already full by the time it launched.

16. Estes E9-6. The motor CATO'ed at the launch pad. The forward and rear closures were blown out. The rocket shot up in the air 20 or 30 feet when the ejection charge went off. The rocket sustained some damage. The shock cord and shroud lines were burned, and the nosecone was pushed into the body tube. The camera was not harmed. Even with all the damage I believe it can be repaired.

9/22/2007, Amateur Rocketeers of Texas Launch, Meek Ranch pictures

17. Estes E9-6. I repaired the damage from the CATO by reinforcing the top 4 inches of the upper body tube with fiber glass. I also added a new 18" chute and shock cord. Both the launch and the recovery were good. I got one nice picture on ascent, and one good picture on descent.