The use of electronic devices in FF models is nothing new. For a quarter century, tiny transmitters have enabled us to find models that would have otherwise been lost. With the life of a model extended from weeks to years, we could invest more time and money in each model, secure in the knowledge that it wouldn’t be lost at the first contest.
More recently, electronic timers have become more popular, replacing a fuse or clockwork timer. Electronic timers offer improved, down-to-the-second accuracy, but they can offer much more.
For events such as P-30, Old-Timer Rubber, and Hand-Launched Glider, all that is needed is a simple, lightweight way to activate the model’s DT. With the development of lightweight LiPo battery technology and small triggering methods, the weight of single-function electronic timers can compete with that of a fuse or viscous-type timer.
Some of these timers send a brief, electric current through a wire to burn a rubber band, releasing a line to stabilizer or wing DT. One commercial example is the BBT timer offered by Starlink Flitetech, available in one- or two-function versions.
Other slightly heavier timers, such as the Micro Magic timer from Magic Timers, and the one-function timer from Airtek Free Flight Products, use a microservo to release the DT line.
Where more than a one- or two-timer function is required, a servo or stepper motor is usually used to release lines for various automatic surface functions. These multifunction timers are often designed for specific events, such as F1B Wakefield Rubber, F1Q Electric, F1C Power, or F1A Glider.
On some of these timers, one or more buttons are used to program function times, similar to setting an electronic watch. An example of this type is the Simplicity timer from Andriukov & Kulakovsky Aeromodeling Products. The website contains detailed information about setting up and using the timer.
Other multifunction timers utilize an external device to program the timer. Examples include the SIDUS line from FFElectronics.com and Roger Morrell’s Black Magic series of timers from Magic Timers.
The use of an external programmer allows data such as automatic function timing and, in some cases, the amount of automatic surface movement, to be stored and quickly changed. Faust Parker points out that this allows settings for one model to be transferred to a similar new model, saving considerable flight-testing time.
Programmable electronic timers are widely used for F1A Towline Gliders to control wing flaps, wing wiggler, rudder, and stabilizer during tow, zoom launch, and bunt. These automatic functions are typically operated by three or four servos.
For more about the complex electronics used in a seemingly simple towline glider, see “F1A Mechatronics,” by Allard van Wallene and René Limberger, in the 2010 Symposium Report, available from the National Free Flight Society.
Electronic timing opens up other possibilities. At the 2013 Nats, Frank Perkins Jr. showed me a prototype electronic timer he had developed for his P-30. In addition to handling DT time, it also includes a built-in tracking transmitter and remote dethermalizer (RDT) functions.
The timer uses a pager motor fitted with an eccentric disc. When the motor shaft rotates, the disc releases a wire trip arm that, in turn, releases the DT line. Total weight is slightly more than 5 grams. Frank has also developed a 3.5-gram timer and tracker for his own use. (More details can be found in the July-August 2011 Free Flight, The National Free Flight Society Digest.)
Charlie Jones, of FAI Model Supply, recently demonstrated a prototype F1B pylon that included electronic timer, tracker, RDT, GPS, altimeter, and LED lights to improve model visibility in low-light situations. Altitude and GPS location information are transmitted to a wristwatch-size receiver. All of these devices run off of a single, tiny LiPo battery.
The pylon is being developed in conjunction with René Limberger of Favionics and noted Ukrainian F1A designer and world champion flier Victor Stamov. With Victor’s untimely death in August, the project has been put on hold.
Why would anyone need all of the bells and whistles? Certainly the decades-old record for tracking systems has proven them to be more of a necessity than a luxury. RDT allows a flier to bring down the model at the best time, not the preset time on the timer. This can be used to save the model from a crash, cut short a test flight, or prevent a model from DTing into trees or water by extending the flight.
For small-field testing, it could be considered a necessity. Like the tracking transmitter, a GPS transmitter can aid in quickly locating and retrieving a model.
An altimeter is perhaps most useful for testing. Which propeller gives the highest climb? Does this stabilizer setting give the lowest sink rate in the glide? An altimeter can replace guesswork with numbers. Some models only record peak altitude, while others sample at frequent intervals during the flight and graph height and flight time.
Some of the commercially available timers also allow other devices such as a tracking transmitter, RDT, or an altimeter to be added, operating off of the same battery. Stand-alone RDT and altimeter systems are also available from a number of suppliers.
Another way to bring electronics into FF is to add radio control. With the exception of one or two Old-Timer Duration events, using radio control is not allowed in FF contests, but for testing or sport flying, it can offer several advantages. As with RDT, using radio control can help keep a model within the safe confines of a flying site or even steer it back to the launch point. It can also be used to increase safety during initial testing.
One evening during last summer’s Nats, Jim Jennings Jr. was test-flying a new F1Q Electric model. The model was fitted with an electronic timer to control motor run and DT, but he had also added an RC receiver hooked to the motor controller and the DT servo.
While Jim launched the model, his flying buddy and designer of the Mutt E-36 kit, Scott Lapraik, handled the transmitter. More than once the model was saved by cutting power and employing DT, sometimes mere feet off the ground. But Jim points out that radio control is for test-flying only. “Once we get it trimmed, we take it out,” said Jim.
The initial cost of electronic timers can range from approximately $50 to several hundred dollars or more, depending on features and sophistication of the system. If you have a number of models that only require a simple, single-function DT timer, one cost-saving approach is to make the timers easily interchangeable, much as tracking transmitters are switched to the model being flown. For events such as F1A, F1B, F1C, and F1Q, it would be impractical to move a multifunction electronic timer from model to model, but ground equipment such as a programmer, battery charger, and RDT transmitter can be shared.
As with any new device, expect to spend some time learning to set and operate an electronic timer. For the simpler, single-function or E-36 timers, consider a printed cheat sheet in your field box or mounted on your model to help remember the setting sequence of button pushing. Battery management, field charging, and safe storage may be new skills for many FF modelers to learn.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2014/02
Page Numbers: 137,138,139
Edition: Model Aviation - 2014/02
Page Numbers: 137,138,139
The use of electronic devices in FF models is nothing new. For a quarter century, tiny transmitters have enabled us to find models that would have otherwise been lost. With the life of a model extended from weeks to years, we could invest more time and money in each model, secure in the knowledge that it wouldn’t be lost at the first contest.
More recently, electronic timers have become more popular, replacing a fuse or clockwork timer. Electronic timers offer improved, down-to-the-second accuracy, but they can offer much more.
For events such as P-30, Old-Timer Rubber, and Hand-Launched Glider, all that is needed is a simple, lightweight way to activate the model’s DT. With the development of lightweight LiPo battery technology and small triggering methods, the weight of single-function electronic timers can compete with that of a fuse or viscous-type timer.
Some of these timers send a brief, electric current through a wire to burn a rubber band, releasing a line to stabilizer or wing DT. One commercial example is the BBT timer offered by Starlink Flitetech, available in one- or two-function versions.
Other slightly heavier timers, such as the Micro Magic timer from Magic Timers, and the one-function timer from Airtek Free Flight Products, use a microservo to release the DT line.
Where more than a one- or two-timer function is required, a servo or stepper motor is usually used to release lines for various automatic surface functions. These multifunction timers are often designed for specific events, such as F1B Wakefield Rubber, F1Q Electric, F1C Power, or F1A Glider.
On some of these timers, one or more buttons are used to program function times, similar to setting an electronic watch. An example of this type is the Simplicity timer from Andriukov & Kulakovsky Aeromodeling Products. The website contains detailed information about setting up and using the timer.
Other multifunction timers utilize an external device to program the timer. Examples include the SIDUS line from FFElectronics.com and Roger Morrell’s Black Magic series of timers from Magic Timers.
The use of an external programmer allows data such as automatic function timing and, in some cases, the amount of automatic surface movement, to be stored and quickly changed. Faust Parker points out that this allows settings for one model to be transferred to a similar new model, saving considerable flight-testing time.
Programmable electronic timers are widely used for F1A Towline Gliders to control wing flaps, wing wiggler, rudder, and stabilizer during tow, zoom launch, and bunt. These automatic functions are typically operated by three or four servos.
For more about the complex electronics used in a seemingly simple towline glider, see “F1A Mechatronics,” by Allard van Wallene and René Limberger, in the 2010 Symposium Report, available from the National Free Flight Society.
Electronic timing opens up other possibilities. At the 2013 Nats, Frank Perkins Jr. showed me a prototype electronic timer he had developed for his P-30. In addition to handling DT time, it also includes a built-in tracking transmitter and remote dethermalizer (RDT) functions.
The timer uses a pager motor fitted with an eccentric disc. When the motor shaft rotates, the disc releases a wire trip arm that, in turn, releases the DT line. Total weight is slightly more than 5 grams. Frank has also developed a 3.5-gram timer and tracker for his own use. (More details can be found in the July-August 2011 Free Flight, The National Free Flight Society Digest.)
Charlie Jones, of FAI Model Supply, recently demonstrated a prototype F1B pylon that included electronic timer, tracker, RDT, GPS, altimeter, and LED lights to improve model visibility in low-light situations. Altitude and GPS location information are transmitted to a wristwatch-size receiver. All of these devices run off of a single, tiny LiPo battery.
The pylon is being developed in conjunction with René Limberger of Favionics and noted Ukrainian F1A designer and world champion flier Victor Stamov. With Victor’s untimely death in August, the project has been put on hold.
Why would anyone need all of the bells and whistles? Certainly the decades-old record for tracking systems has proven them to be more of a necessity than a luxury. RDT allows a flier to bring down the model at the best time, not the preset time on the timer. This can be used to save the model from a crash, cut short a test flight, or prevent a model from DTing into trees or water by extending the flight.
For small-field testing, it could be considered a necessity. Like the tracking transmitter, a GPS transmitter can aid in quickly locating and retrieving a model.
An altimeter is perhaps most useful for testing. Which propeller gives the highest climb? Does this stabilizer setting give the lowest sink rate in the glide? An altimeter can replace guesswork with numbers. Some models only record peak altitude, while others sample at frequent intervals during the flight and graph height and flight time.
Some of the commercially available timers also allow other devices such as a tracking transmitter, RDT, or an altimeter to be added, operating off of the same battery. Stand-alone RDT and altimeter systems are also available from a number of suppliers.
Another way to bring electronics into FF is to add radio control. With the exception of one or two Old-Timer Duration events, using radio control is not allowed in FF contests, but for testing or sport flying, it can offer several advantages. As with RDT, using radio control can help keep a model within the safe confines of a flying site or even steer it back to the launch point. It can also be used to increase safety during initial testing.
One evening during last summer’s Nats, Jim Jennings Jr. was test-flying a new F1Q Electric model. The model was fitted with an electronic timer to control motor run and DT, but he had also added an RC receiver hooked to the motor controller and the DT servo.
While Jim launched the model, his flying buddy and designer of the Mutt E-36 kit, Scott Lapraik, handled the transmitter. More than once the model was saved by cutting power and employing DT, sometimes mere feet off the ground. But Jim points out that radio control is for test-flying only. “Once we get it trimmed, we take it out,” said Jim.
The initial cost of electronic timers can range from approximately $50 to several hundred dollars or more, depending on features and sophistication of the system. If you have a number of models that only require a simple, single-function DT timer, one cost-saving approach is to make the timers easily interchangeable, much as tracking transmitters are switched to the model being flown. For events such as F1A, F1B, F1C, and F1Q, it would be impractical to move a multifunction electronic timer from model to model, but ground equipment such as a programmer, battery charger, and RDT transmitter can be shared.
As with any new device, expect to spend some time learning to set and operate an electronic timer. For the simpler, single-function or E-36 timers, consider a printed cheat sheet in your field box or mounted on your model to help remember the setting sequence of button pushing. Battery management, field charging, and safe storage may be new skills for many FF modelers to learn.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2014/02
Page Numbers: 137,138,139
The use of electronic devices in FF models is nothing new. For a quarter century, tiny transmitters have enabled us to find models that would have otherwise been lost. With the life of a model extended from weeks to years, we could invest more time and money in each model, secure in the knowledge that it wouldn’t be lost at the first contest.
More recently, electronic timers have become more popular, replacing a fuse or clockwork timer. Electronic timers offer improved, down-to-the-second accuracy, but they can offer much more.
For events such as P-30, Old-Timer Rubber, and Hand-Launched Glider, all that is needed is a simple, lightweight way to activate the model’s DT. With the development of lightweight LiPo battery technology and small triggering methods, the weight of single-function electronic timers can compete with that of a fuse or viscous-type timer.
Some of these timers send a brief, electric current through a wire to burn a rubber band, releasing a line to stabilizer or wing DT. One commercial example is the BBT timer offered by Starlink Flitetech, available in one- or two-function versions.
Other slightly heavier timers, such as the Micro Magic timer from Magic Timers, and the one-function timer from Airtek Free Flight Products, use a microservo to release the DT line.
Where more than a one- or two-timer function is required, a servo or stepper motor is usually used to release lines for various automatic surface functions. These multifunction timers are often designed for specific events, such as F1B Wakefield Rubber, F1Q Electric, F1C Power, or F1A Glider.
On some of these timers, one or more buttons are used to program function times, similar to setting an electronic watch. An example of this type is the Simplicity timer from Andriukov & Kulakovsky Aeromodeling Products. The website contains detailed information about setting up and using the timer.
Other multifunction timers utilize an external device to program the timer. Examples include the SIDUS line from FFElectronics.com and Roger Morrell’s Black Magic series of timers from Magic Timers.
The use of an external programmer allows data such as automatic function timing and, in some cases, the amount of automatic surface movement, to be stored and quickly changed. Faust Parker points out that this allows settings for one model to be transferred to a similar new model, saving considerable flight-testing time.
Programmable electronic timers are widely used for F1A Towline Gliders to control wing flaps, wing wiggler, rudder, and stabilizer during tow, zoom launch, and bunt. These automatic functions are typically operated by three or four servos.
For more about the complex electronics used in a seemingly simple towline glider, see “F1A Mechatronics,” by Allard van Wallene and René Limberger, in the 2010 Symposium Report, available from the National Free Flight Society.
Electronic timing opens up other possibilities. At the 2013 Nats, Frank Perkins Jr. showed me a prototype electronic timer he had developed for his P-30. In addition to handling DT time, it also includes a built-in tracking transmitter and remote dethermalizer (RDT) functions.
The timer uses a pager motor fitted with an eccentric disc. When the motor shaft rotates, the disc releases a wire trip arm that, in turn, releases the DT line. Total weight is slightly more than 5 grams. Frank has also developed a 3.5-gram timer and tracker for his own use. (More details can be found in the July-August 2011 Free Flight, The National Free Flight Society Digest.)
Charlie Jones, of FAI Model Supply, recently demonstrated a prototype F1B pylon that included electronic timer, tracker, RDT, GPS, altimeter, and LED lights to improve model visibility in low-light situations. Altitude and GPS location information are transmitted to a wristwatch-size receiver. All of these devices run off of a single, tiny LiPo battery.
The pylon is being developed in conjunction with René Limberger of Favionics and noted Ukrainian F1A designer and world champion flier Victor Stamov. With Victor’s untimely death in August, the project has been put on hold.
Why would anyone need all of the bells and whistles? Certainly the decades-old record for tracking systems has proven them to be more of a necessity than a luxury. RDT allows a flier to bring down the model at the best time, not the preset time on the timer. This can be used to save the model from a crash, cut short a test flight, or prevent a model from DTing into trees or water by extending the flight.
For small-field testing, it could be considered a necessity. Like the tracking transmitter, a GPS transmitter can aid in quickly locating and retrieving a model.
An altimeter is perhaps most useful for testing. Which propeller gives the highest climb? Does this stabilizer setting give the lowest sink rate in the glide? An altimeter can replace guesswork with numbers. Some models only record peak altitude, while others sample at frequent intervals during the flight and graph height and flight time.
Some of the commercially available timers also allow other devices such as a tracking transmitter, RDT, or an altimeter to be added, operating off of the same battery. Stand-alone RDT and altimeter systems are also available from a number of suppliers.
Another way to bring electronics into FF is to add radio control. With the exception of one or two Old-Timer Duration events, using radio control is not allowed in FF contests, but for testing or sport flying, it can offer several advantages. As with RDT, using radio control can help keep a model within the safe confines of a flying site or even steer it back to the launch point. It can also be used to increase safety during initial testing.
One evening during last summer’s Nats, Jim Jennings Jr. was test-flying a new F1Q Electric model. The model was fitted with an electronic timer to control motor run and DT, but he had also added an RC receiver hooked to the motor controller and the DT servo.
While Jim launched the model, his flying buddy and designer of the Mutt E-36 kit, Scott Lapraik, handled the transmitter. More than once the model was saved by cutting power and employing DT, sometimes mere feet off the ground. But Jim points out that radio control is for test-flying only. “Once we get it trimmed, we take it out,” said Jim.
The initial cost of electronic timers can range from approximately $50 to several hundred dollars or more, depending on features and sophistication of the system. If you have a number of models that only require a simple, single-function DT timer, one cost-saving approach is to make the timers easily interchangeable, much as tracking transmitters are switched to the model being flown. For events such as F1A, F1B, F1C, and F1Q, it would be impractical to move a multifunction electronic timer from model to model, but ground equipment such as a programmer, battery charger, and RDT transmitter can be shared.
As with any new device, expect to spend some time learning to set and operate an electronic timer. For the simpler, single-function or E-36 timers, consider a printed cheat sheet in your field box or mounted on your model to help remember the setting sequence of button pushing. Battery management, field charging, and safe storage may be new skills for many FF modelers to learn.
