Hi All,
I've received quite a few emails lately from folks that are trying to decide on which timer to buy for their latest stunter. The basic question now is "which of the top stunt pilots are flying with the KR Governor timer system"? I therefore thought that I should provide some clarity on this forum seeing that the readership base is so large.
The simple answer is "I don't really know"! I've sold over 1600 systems to date so it's not easy to track. When I started out on this project back in 2008 and it began to impress quite a few people, I put it into production, and I was told by one of the highly experienced stunt people that it is too cheap, and that the top pilots would not buy it as such. My answer was....who cares? There are only a handful of top pilots and thousands of sports fliers out there! The target for my system was to offer an alternative to glow engines for getting started in C/L stunt, seeing that it was becoming more and more difficult to find good engines for our hobby/sport. I also figured that it would certainly be easier for a beginner and of course the lack of noise would permit flying in noise sensitive area's like sports fields, parks etc.
A few of the better stunt pilots gave me some good feedback and said that my system flew a competitive pattern but was a bit soft in response time in hard corners, so I found a way without any external devices like accelerometer's, gyro's etc., to add some boost with my variable one-way gain system. This is some extra feedback gain in the hard corners and climbs. This made the system much more competitive and since then I have had many good comments from some of the world's best stunt pilots. Unlike Igor's active regulator system, my system cannot back-off rpm on the downhills. Does it make a huge difference anyway? No, not really, but I will add that my comments are only true for most of us mortals. For the guys in the Top 10 to 15 at world champs level, I believe that all of the small benefits add up, so yes.........an active system can make a beneficial difference if you and your model can make use of it.
I have also been asked why I simply don't add an accelerometer to my system seeing that it uses the lower cost esc's without their own governor system? There are two good reasons why I don't do this. Firstly, my friend Igor has done this very successfully already. Just btw, Igor also helped me a lot in developing my system. Secondly, I don't have a clue how to program such a system!
Basically my system works really well as it is for the vast majority of sport and fun models from big right down to the 1/2A stuff. The other unique feature that shuts down the system when the prop is jammed for whatever reason, is a real bonus and prevents burning out the electric stuff in most cases. I've also been asked if using a governor system is really necessary for the Babe Bee or 1/2A models?Well,not really and you can use a simpler timer.....BUT....even these small models fly so much better with a governor and of course that feature of shutting down the system when you hit the deck (yes it does happen!) is a real bonus.
I'm now out of serious competition at 69 years of age, and recently I have developed some .15 size trainers, and fun models like WW2 combat fighters. For this application I use my Compact timers that fit nicely under the Velcro strap that holds the esc and timer. You can see this in the pics below. The Velcro straps go right through the fuz and also hold the battery in place. If you hit the deck, ( do I have to keep mentioning this??) then the timer and esc just come loose with mostly zero damage. All of these models use a .15 size electric package consisting of a 1400 Kv motor that weighs around 75 grams, 30 Amp esc, 1300 ~1500 mAh 3S 25C battery, and APC 8 x 6 E prop. I made them out of an extruded foam called Isoboard that we get in Darkest Africa that's similar to Depron or Blue Foam. I cover everything with medium weigh model tissue (teabag tissue in my case) and white glue. All parts are cut on my cnc foam cutter. If anyone wants more details on these models or my timer system then feel to ask as many questions as you like on this forum or by means of a PM.
Keith R
Topic: Clearing up some KR Governor timer questions (Read 2094 times)
