TEXAS TIMERS FOR ELECTRIC FLIGHT
Brushless motors are very different from the more conventional brushed motors that have been around for over a hundred years. They rely on a three phase power signal to run and control the speed. For our model airplanes, this power signal is provided by a electronic part called the Electronic Speed Control, abbreviated ESC. The ESC does all the heavy lifting, but it has to be told what to do and when. This is where the small board comes into play. For Free Flight we have two motor states. Off and Full Speed ahead. So, depending on whether the Micro E timer is on or off, the circuit board sends the appropriate coded signal to the ESC so it can have the motor do what we want. There is a microcomputer on this board that does all the complicated stuff for us. We just tell it whether we want the motor on or off and it takes care if the rest along with the ESC. The weight of the Micro E with wire connector and the board combined is only 10.9 grams. This is a Plug N] Fly (TM) system with no soldering.
SO, JUST WHAT DOES THE TEXAS TIMERS PRODUCT DO?
You set the Micro E for the motor run time you want. This time is fully selectable just as it is with the gas version called the Micro I. Any time from zero to about 20 seconds can be use. No complicated blinking lights, switches, or computers to set the time. Just do it like you are already familiar with. And, you can see the time just by looking at the scroll and disk position, exactly like you do it now with your gas or glow timer.
Why did we choose to use a mechanical timer for this new product? Are not electronics more modern and better? Yes, and No. Certainly electronics are fancy but are they better? We do not feel so. I am an electrical engineer and spent my whole career in the high tech semiconductor industry. And, no, I do not use a slide rule any more, I use an electronic calculator. But would I use a calculator if all it had were keys and no display? Certainly not! This is precisely the situation with all electronic timers we have seen. You push buttons and hope you get the result you want. With our mechanical timer, you can see directly the time you have set as well as quickly and easily change it to any different time, not just some preprogrammed time you can not adjust. You have the ability to use any motor run time from 0 to about 20 seconds. ON
What about precision? You got us there. We can not say the time is set to 4.945 seconds. Only that it is a smidge under 5 seconds. However, how many of our human timers can hit the stop watch with that precision? None. We still live with the human and the stop watch. We still have to use an eye to judge when the run stops. With electrics, sound is not really an option, particularly when there are gas power planes flying around us. So, in reality, we are working with a timing system that is maybe a quarter second accurate. Our mechanical timer is accurate and repeatable well under any human timing.
Certainly our product does take advantage of sophisticated electronics, where it counts, in the precise signals that must be sent to the ESC for correct operation and for DT, if you choose that model.
And finally, many of our customers are currently fliers of gas powered models and they are already well familiar and comfortable with the type of mechanical timer we use. Electric flight already has a lot of new things to learn, without struggling with a strange and complicated timer.
HOW DO OUR ALL PRODUCTS FUNCTION?
You set the Micro E for the motor run time
you want.
You hold the Push Button in for at least 1
second, and when you release it, the motor starts instantly at full speed.
You trip the Micro E just as you would any Texas Timer and launch.
Now, start chasing! Ahh, the wonders of electric flight.
HERE ARE A FEW BONUS FEATURES IN ALL OUR TIMERS
We have a safety feature so that just
accidentally touching the Push Button will not start the motor. You have to hold it in for at least one second before the motor
will start. You can hold it in as long as you want after that.
If after starting the motor, you change your
mind about flying. Maybe the wind shifted, you realized your DT was not going,
you don't like the air, etc. Simply tap the Push Button and the motor stops
instantly. Your timer setting is not changed. You just hold the button in for
at least a second and you are ready to go again.
The motor will not start if you have not set
the timer.
Opps, you launched and forgot to trip the timer. No fear,
after 25 seconds, the circuit board will automatically stop the motor. A potential
flyaway has been averted.
We have put all the electronics inside the fuselage, away
from rain and fingers. Everything exposed is rugged and durable. Only the push
button on the board is exposed. The timer
used is one with many years of proven history of reliability and accuracy. In
fact, the gas version is our highest volume product worldwide.
You can check the motor run time without actually starting the motor and draining the battery. Just time it until the wire jumps out of the scroll at the top. That is the stop time.
INSTALLATION
This will give you some idea on how the timer can be installed in your plane. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom for a nice variation. Click Here
OUR PRODUCTS
You can see our product use instructions for very detailed information on exactly how they work. This is only fair for you to see it before you buy. The pdf document is Here
We now have only one timer model in this series. Clearance priced.
Texas Micro E Model C
This is the top model with a fully integrated RDT which may be used with the Ken Bauer or Sidus System. Click Here for details and to order.