Tim's Universal Timer to fly in the finals at the Nats

[Tim Wescott]

My timer design that I did for Howard has made it to the finals tomorrow!  Yay!  Maybe I didn't waste this winter after all.

Oh -- and Howard built the plane, and flew the plane, and Igor's timer is actually running the plane for most of the pattern.  But the takeoffs and landings are courtesy of the TUT.

The timer is designed to do lots of different things, and to be easy to configure (that's the "universal" part).  In the configuration that Howard is using, it goes between the ESC and a Burger timer.  It hijacks the Burger timer output for takeoff (Howard wanted something slower and smoother) and landing (Howard wanted a high speed run right before engine cutoff).  It also drives indicator lights to show when it has hijacked the Burger timer signal, and to indicate the impending landing sequence in a way that allows the pilot to place the motor cutoff where he desires in the circle.

Howard could have chosen to have it detect a cutoff loop to initiate landing instead, but chose to use "FAI mode" for a variety of reasons.

Now, if we can just figure out just where one does want the motor to cut of with respect to the wind, or the best place in the circle to land, we'll be sitting pretty.

[Joe Just]

I have mixed emptions about this new item.  First, my Kudos have to go out to both Howard and Tim, but what's next?  Gryos and electric pulses to send the plane into a maneuver?  This work is way beyond any of my few abilities and again I have to offer a big Way to Go" guys!"  On the other hand I remember all the negative feedback when some of us were willing to try 2.4 R/C throttle systems in our Carrier planes.  With RESPECT to Tim and Howard, what to you other guys think of this system?
Joe Just

[Paul Taylor]

 

Way to go Tim!

Maybe turn on a pair of landing lights?

 

[Tim Wescott]

Maybe turn on a pair of landing lights?

As I've been saying to Howard from time to time recently, it's Tim's Universal Timer.

So, yes, landing lights could be arranged.

A better application may be on an IC-powered plane with retracts.  I can already sense the motor speed -- would you like the retracts to come down any time the motor stops?  I can do.

Or how about an IC-powered twin -- would you like the 2^nd engine to be killed when the first stops?  I can do!

[Tim Wescott]

Gryos and electric pulses to send the plane into a maneuver?

Personally, I would fight tooth and nail against that.  I'm not even sure I like the idea of stability augmentation, which the TUT hardware is capable of even though there's no software in place to make it happen.

[Crist Rigotti]

I have mixed emptions about this new item.  First, my Kudos have to go out to both Howard and Tim, but what's next?  Gryos and electric pulses to send the plane into a maneuver?  This work is way beyond any of my few abilities and again I have to offer a big Way to Go" guys!"  On the other hand I remember all the negative feedback when some of us were willing to try 2.4 R/C throttle systems in our Carrier planes.  With RESPECT to Tim and Howard, what to you other guys think of this system?
Joe Just

Read the rules Joe , then make your comments.

[Dane Martin]

very cool, Tim! i like the idea of retracts and lights easily added to a scale IC model! great job on the timer!

[Howard Rush]

I think that putting electronics in the pitch control would wreck the sport.  You will notice that the guys who actually know how to do autopilots and stability augmentation and can see the consequences of allowing that. 

[Howard Rush]

The TUT works a treat.  It's helping my takeoff scores and giving me information in flight through the indicator LEDs.  I expect the approach mode really to pay off in FAI.

[Robby Hunt]

Is Rabe mode engaged?

[Mike Keville]

Ugh!  Way too much electronics and R/C in CLPA these days.

Anyone?  Anyone?

[Tim Wescott]

Ugh!  Way too much electronics and R/C in CLPA these days.

Anyone?  Anyone?

No RC here.  And no one says you have to use it.

[Randy Cuberly]

Congradulations Tim!
Sounds like a really good and flexible gadget.  Personally I see nothing wrong with what it's capable of and it appears to be very useful in a non-intrusive way!
The IC potential really appeals to me!

Randy Cuberly

[Dave_Trible]

Paul finishes a well proportioned clover,  lands to nice applause from the crowd.

[Will Hinton]

First,  uuuhh Dave, cou;ld ya go back to the nats coverage thread instead of here?  You're confusing me.

Second, as long as the pilot is the one tweking the elevators for the manuevors, who cares what else is happening?  It's a test of FLYING skills when it all shakes out. 
Tim, it sounds really cool to me, especially with the other possibilties it might do for us.  As to the scale uses, sorry guys, rules specify, at least the last time I read them thouroughly, the options have to be excersized by the pilot, not automated.

[Tim Wescott]

As to the scale uses, sorry guys, rules specify, at least the last time I read them thoroughly, the options have to be exercised by the pilot, not automated.

I've already spoken with one scale guy who was investigating using a TUT to carry out a short timed sequence of events that are initiated by the pilot.  I shall have to read the rules myself, but I suspect that this use would be within them.

[Will Hinton]

If he initiates the option, that's okay, but as I remember, they need to be free from each other.  I'll do some reading again, I just finished the book I was in anyway, so why not?  With the approval of 2,4 r/c for this year, the whole picture was changed, but I gotta tell ya, judging the nats was a ball this year because of all the options we saw used successfully.  (Successfully is the key word here!)
It was a good move, at least in my opinion.