Does anyone have a clue as to what g-forces the various Arduino products can tolerate? The TARC rocketeers that I mentor have an entry in SLI (Student Launch Initiative) where eventually they will get to launch their 4" x 12’ rocket from the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. They want to use an Arduino as part of the required scientific experiment but we’re wondering just what g-forces the Arduino can withstand. We could probably use one of the smaller ones with SMDs rather than a chip. Thanks for any information anyone can provide, Dave Cannell
In my experience using similar construction in a battlebot, quite a few. If you use an Arduino with all soldered parts you’ll not have to worry about the chip working its way out. The typical Battlebot hit is 10 - 15Gs.
That said, if you have a shield plugged in you will want to bolt the shield and Arduino together. There isn’t a lot of mass in the shield generally but if your rocket starts to spin along its vertical access the centripetal force can be pretty impressive.