microTimer2 / miniTimer3 User`s Manual
Contents
1. E RA Wa EQ TREER O miniTimer with G switch trigger connection pads installed on trigger pads Installation and Connections The miniTimer should be mounted using the supplied 4 40 hex standoffs and hardware The smaller microTimer can be glued in place or restrained inside a piece of foam rubber Make sure that your mounting scheme does not preclude access to the program ming switch If you are using a G switch trigger make sure that the G switch is facing in the proper orientaion The microTimer has solder pads for battery igniter and trigger connections A smaller set of pads adjacent to the program button is provided for the connection of an optional piezoelectric speaker Use care when soldering to the board to prevent solder bridges or damage to the surface mount components The miniTimer uses screw down terminal blocks for battery and igniter connections Loosen the screw insert the wire and tighten the screw down If you are using stranded wire make sure that the individual strands are twisted tightly together so that they don t peel back and short to adjacent conductors It s a good idea to pull on the wires after they are clamped to insure that they are captured properly The miniTimer without G switch MT3T has solder pads for connecting an external trigger source Use care when soldering to the board to prevent solder bridges or damage to the surface mount components Important Observe p2. timing range timing accuracy operating temperature miniTimer 3 dimensions weight operating voltage operating current 1 second firing current 10 ms firing current 1 ms firing current continuity check current trigger timing range timing accuracy operating temperature 0 9 L x 0 77 W x 0 35 T 3 5 grams 4 8V to 10 5V 3 0V to 4 8V at half current rating 1 0 ma no continuity 3 0 ma w cont 9 4 amperes 21 8 amperes 39 5 amperes 75ua V normally open or normally closed 0 6 to 6553 5 seconds in 0 1 second steps 3 typical 0 C to 70 C 1 5 L x 0 9 W x 0 5 T 7 grams 4 8V to 10 5V 3 0V to 4 8V at half current rating 1 0 ma no continuity 3 0 ma w cont 33 9 amperes 64 5 amperes 97 6 amperes 75ua V normally open or normally closed 0 6 to 6553 5 seconds in 0 1 second steps 3 typical 0 C to 70 C Igniter Sources Estes Industries nrnna nao scan ina EST2301 Igniter 1295 H Street Penrose CO 81240 FireFox Enterprises sussa sas dada ELV Pyromag kits P O Box 5366 11612 N Nelson Pocatello ID 83202 208 237 1976 http www firefox fx com Luna Fecha EE EAE N E ASEN E O EEEE Oxral 148 Moon Drive Owens Cross Roads AL 35763 256 725 4224 http www pyropak com Daveyii tes saias aros ada ad Sao e E N28B N28F 7311 Greenhaven Drive Suite 100 Sacremento CA 95831 3572 916 391 2674 http www daveyfire com html electricinitiation htm
3. of recovery devices The timer is activated at liftoff After the programmed time interval power is provided to an ejection charge to deploy the parachute The timer provides a wider range of precise repeatable delay times than that which is available with the motor s built in delay Keeping an assortment of motors with different delay times is no longer necessary Since the motor ejection charge is not used the problem of delay blow by causing premature ejection is eliminated o Redundant deployment of recovery devices An altimeter or accelerometer provides the primary recovery system deployment and the timer ignites an additional ejection charge several seconds late as a backup in case of altimeter accelerometer failure Features O Easy to set delay time The delay time can be quickly set in the field and is reported numerically for confirmation after setup Audible or visual continuity indication The continuity of the igniter circuit is checked and reported while awaiting launch The miniTimer uses a built in beeper and the microTimer uses a space saving LED An external beeper can be added to the microTimer Post flight locater siren The miniTimer s beeper produces a warbling hi low siren tone after timeout to aid in locating your rocket The optional external beeper for the microTimer also performs this function Automatic trigger sense configuration The timer determines whether a normally closed tr
4. Do not touch circuit board traces or components or allow metallic objects to touch them when the timer is powered on This could cause damage to your timer or lead to premature ejection charge deployment or motor ignition Exercise caution when handling live ejection charges they should be considered to be explosive devices and can cause injury or damage if handled improperly Do not allow the timer to get wet Only operate the timer within the environmental limits listed in the specifications section Check battery voltage and polarity before connecting to the timer Always follow proper operational sequencing as listed in preflight checklist Operational Checklist E E Insure that power is OFF or battery is disconnected Connect external breakwire or install pull pin as necessary or confirm that G switch or other internal trigger mechanism is connected properly Turn power switch ON Observe proper powerup reporting of time delay setting This will also confirm proper battery connec tion and polarity Turn power switch OFF Connect igniter or ejection system to igniter leads from timer Turn power switch ON Wait for the powerup beep sequence to finish and verify that the proper continuity is present Launch Specifications micro Timer 2 dimensions weight operating voltage operating current 1 second firing current 10 ms firing current 1 ms firing current continuity check current trigger
5. QUICK DUTSE ssiri cenip a TES Frog series http www quickburst net Countdown Hobbies dealer 7 P T Barnum Sq Bethel CT 06801 1838 203 790 9010 http www countdownhobbies com Magnum Rockets dealer P O Box 124 Mechanicsburg OH 43044 937 834 3306 http www magnumrockets com Warranty All assembled Perfectflite products include a full three year 36 month warranty against defects in parts and workmanship All Perfectflite kits include a full three year 36 month warranty against defects in factory supplied parts Should your Perfectflite product fail during this period call or email our Customer Service depart ment for an RMA number and information about returning your product The warranty applies to the timer only and does not cover the rocket motor or other equipment This warranty does not cover damage due to misuse abuse alteration or operation outside of the recommended operating conditions included with your product Liability Due care has been employed in the design and construction of this product so as to minimize the dangers inherent in its use As the installation setup preparation maintenance and use of this equipment is beyond the control of the manufacturer the purchaser and user accept sole responsibility for the safe and proper use of this product The principals employees and vendors of the manufacturer shall not be held liable for any damage or claims resulting from any applicati
6. as desired and that the bulb comes on at the end of the time interval Using an igniter of the type that will be used in the real application but not installed in an engine or ejection charge will confirm that the battery has enough power to fire the igniter G switch equipped timers can be activated by swinging the rocket in a circle with the nosecone facing straight inward to simulate acceleration Igniter Selection Recovery Deployment Applications When using the timer for recovery system deployment the best choices for ejection charge igniters are DaveyFire N28B or Oxral ematches or Christmas tree bulb based charges PerfectFlite ECK6 These are low current devices that provide a short burst of heat to ignite the easily combustible black powder ejection charge Auxillary Motor Ignition When using the timer to ignite sustainer or airstart motors longer burning hotter igniters should be employed Normal Estes igniters can be used in the smaller black powder motors Composite motors work well with the DaveyFire N28F ematch dip the head in pyrogen for extra reliability or igniters made by dipping leadwires in conductive primer and auxillary pyrogen The DaveyFire match heads are too large to fit in the nozzle throat of smaller composite motors and therefore are generally used only in 38mm or larger motor sizes Aerotech FirstFire igniters can also be used but will require a more powerful and therefore larger battery Battery Guide
7. ds is fine If you use too much primer it will ignite with a pop when fired which can blow the second dip of pyrogen off without igniting it After dipping the leads in primer allow the primer coat to dry for several hours before proceeding When dry the igniter resistance measured between the 1 2 stripped lead ends should be in the range of 5Q to 20Q If the resistance is out of range cut off the dipped end and try again This shouldn t happen often achieving a good primer dip isn t hard Dip the primed end in pyrogen FireFox PyroMag Pyrogen or similar The pyrogen should be stirred and thinned as with the primer if it becomes lumpy try adding a bit of Methyl Ethyl Ketone to dissolve the lumps You will want to adjust the consistency of the pyrogen to match the desired application narrow igniters for smaller motors should be dipped using thinner pyrogen and bigger igniters will be created with a thicker consistency Dip the leads to a depth of approximately 1 wiggling the lead as you withdraw it from the pyrogen to keep a large lump from forming on the end Set the dipped igniters aside to dry overnight A Making dipped igniters Cautions Do not connect or install any igniters into rocket engines until rocket is out of the prep area and on the pad When retrieving a rocket that did not fire all of its motors remove the igniters from any live motors before handling or transporting the rocket
8. e LOV sated 2 8V 6 cell sub C NiCad e A TIN deriet TOV ates Dee cos dan 6 2V Igniter Fabrication Dipped igniters can be created easily in the following manner The resulting igniters will fire on a standard 9V NiCad battery drawing less than 2 amps of current You should test fire a number of igniters in a fireproof well ventilated area to perfect your fabrica tion technique before relying on them for use in flight A Prepare the leadwires For larger nozzle motors standard 24 gauge solid conductor twinlead is inexpensive and durable For smaller throat motors E11 E15 and even smaller the best choice is 30 gauge Kynar insulated wire wrap wire The wire wrap wire needs to be twisted into a two conductor cable before proceeding This is easily done by chucking two lengths of the wire in an electric drill and twisting until a reasonably tight twist is created Make up 10 or 20 feet at a time and cut it into 12 long sections for igniters Strip approximately 1 32 1 16 insulation from the active end of the leadwire the end that will be dipped and 1 2 insulation from the other end for connection to the timer Dip the active end of the leadwire in conductive primer FireFox ELV Conductive Primer or similar The primer should be stirred thoroughly before each dipping session and thinned with acetone to achieve a thick syrup like consistency You don t need much primer a small bead covering the stripped en
9. er is powered up while the program button is depressed a confirmation tone will be heard from the beeper the microTimer s LED glows instead Releasing the program button will stop the tone and prepare the timer for programming The time delay is then set by holding the button down for a time equal to the desired delay The beeper will produce a tone while the button is held down to assist in setting the delay When the button is released the beeper will sound a long confirmation tone followed by a sequence of beeps representing the saved time delay in tenths of a second If the delay is set to 1 6 seconds the beeper will beep out a single beep 1 followed by six beeps 6 or 16 tenths of a second 1 6 seconds The digit zero is represented by ten beeps and leading non significant zeroes are suppressed If the programming button is held down for less than 0 6 seconds the minimum time delay then the actual saved delay will default to 0 6 seconds Note The delay setting is from first trigger sense to output activation You do not have to adjust for the 0 5 second trigger safety threshold Normal Operation Mode If the program button is not depressed when the timer is powered up normal operation mode will be selected A long tone will sound followed by a sequence of beeps reporting the preset time delay as described earlier The beeper then emits a high low high low tone sequence as it looks at the trigger input to detect the norma
10. es have high internal resistance and should not be used in this application Use Ohm s Law I E R to determine the current demand of the chosen igniter If you are using multiple igniters in parallel for clustered applications the current demand of each igniter must be multiplied by the number of igniters used Once the total current draw is determined not to exceed the current rating of the timer an appropriate battery can be specified Choose a battery that will be able to supply the required current while maintaining the necessary voltage Note that even the low current ematches draw a lot of current at higher voltages due to their low resistance Common 9 volt batteries are not well suited for this application Igniter Type Resistance Firing Current Davey Pires anita LOO sx essere E 1 0A N28F ORDA RR DU RR LO PRO ara 0 5A ESPE Sala non semanas a ST era LOO E sesauesiesaes 2 0A BIPSEP It SO e RE ISO CE 4 0A Dipped ias asia O ENO E pr varies 0 5A to 2A Higher applied current will result in faster ignition and shorter duration of current flow Battery Type Nom V V 2A V 5A V 10A V 20A 9V alkaline osese o DR AR SAV aras EE hes hese 9V 7 cell NiCad DN Greener BON aki OOV nas ires 9V N6PT NiCad TIN siete 69V ouii FOV aiu 2 ON siaii 0 8V A cell 2 3AA NiCad 5 4V DEL cae 44V oenas RON siei 1 6V A cell 2 3A NiCad DAV arma SAV o AIN irer
11. igger switch e g breakwire or normally open trigger e g G switch is connected and configures itself accordingly False trigger filtering The trigger condition must be met for 0 5 second for the timing cycle to initiate This eliminates false activations due to trigger switch glitches or momentary activation of a G switch High current capability The timers can switch very high current levels refer to the specifications section at the end of this manual for exact numbers This allows the use of multiple parallel connected igniters for clustered airstarts High accuracy nonvolatile setting The user programmed time delay is derived digitally for repeatable drift free performance The delay setting is stored in nonvolatile EEPROM and is retained even with power off Small size light weight Allows for easy installation in virtually any application Mounting hardware is supplied with the miniTimer Operation When power is applied to the timer it will enter one of two modes depending on the state of the program button If the button is held down when the timer is powered up it will enter program mode to enable the setting of the delay time If the button is not held down on powerup normal timer mode will commence The program button is only sampled at powerup so pushing the button at any other time will have no effect on the operation of the timer Program Button Program Mode setting the delay If the tim
12. l untriggered state If the trigger switch is open during this period as in a G switch trigger the continuity check will report using a high pitched tone If the trigger switch is closed as in a breakwire the continuity check will report using a low pitched tone This feature allows the user to confirm that the trigger circuit is configured as expected prior to flight Note The microTimer s LED glows but will not differentiate normally closed vs normally open The continuity check tone will then be emitted until the timer is triggered In order to generate a valid launch detect the trigger condition must be met for a period of 0 5 second without interrup tion This prevents wind or vibration induced glitches from prematurely initiating the timing cycle When a valid launch condition is detected the timer will wait out the remainder of the time delay before applying power to the igniter circuit The igniter circuit is powered on for a period of approximately one second and then the beeper sounds the post flight siren Triggering Options The timer can be triggered by a normally closed shorted or normally open unshorted circuit connecting the two Trigger connection pads An example of a normally closed circuit is the breakwire which is simply a thin wire connecting these terminals ee together with a stronger piece of wire looped around the Internal wiring to timer T terminals Thin 32 36 guage b
13. lines Igniters are basically small electric heaters that consume a relatively large amount of power compared to the timer itself The battery must be able to supply enough power to fire the igniter reliably and consistently The timers incorporate brown out protection so that the battery voltage can drop to zero during firing without affecting operation of the timer In general if the battery you use can fire the igniter when connected directly it will work with the timer as well Make sure that the battery s voltage and expected current do not exceed the specifications listed at the end of this manual Calculating Igniter Current Requirements The current demand of a particular igniter battery combination can be determined relatively easily using Ohm s Law which states that current I is equal to voltage V divided by resistance R Igniter resistance is frequently specified by the igniter manufacturer and can also be measured with a multimeter set to a low resistance range Some representative igniter resistances are listed below The nominal open circuit voltage of the battery is easily deter mined but we must remember that the voltage will drop under load due to the battery s internal resistance If you try to draw 20 amps from a 9V battery the battery s voltage will drop to next to nothing NiCad batteries tend to have the lowest internal resistance and keep their voltage up well under load Nickel Metal Hydride NiMH batteri
14. microTimer2 miniTimer3 User s Manual Miniature digital timers for auxillary motor ignition or recovery deployment microlimer2 minilimer3 Perrectriite 15 Pray Street URL www perfectflite com Amherst MA 01002 Sales sales perfectflite com Voice 413 549 3444 Support support perfectflite com FAX 413 549 1548 Congratulations on the purchase of your new staging ejection timer Please read these instructions carefully before attempting to use the timer to insure safe and successful operation These timers can be used in a number of applications o Ignition of upper stages in multi stage rockets The first stage booster motor is ignited conventionally on the pad The timer is triggered as the rocket rises beginning its timing cycle After the user programmed interval coincident with booster motor burnout power is applied to the next stage s ignition system Electronic ignition of the upper stage allows for staging of composite propellant motors and the use of longer booster sections which are not generally suitable for conventional burn through gap staging techniques o Airstart ignition of auxillary motors in clustered rockets The main motor is ignited conventionally on the pad and the timer is triggered as the rocket lifts off After the programmed time interval additional motors in the cluster are ignited by the timer providing an extended burn time for greater altitude o Electronic deployment
15. on of this product If the purchaser and user are not confident in their ability to use the product in a safe manner it should be returned to the point of purchase immediately Any use of this product signifies acceptance of the above terms by the purchaser and user
16. reak wire Thick anchor wire secure bottom end to ground breakwire and fixed to the ground When the rocket leaves the pad tension from the heavier wire snaps the breakwire opening the normally closed circuit and triggering the timer A similar triggering method involves the use of a pull pin on a cord staked to the ground which is then inserted into a switching mechanism such as the normally open contacts of a miniature 1 8 phone jack When the pin is inserted into the jack it closes the switch contacts creating a normally closed condition When the rocket leaves the pad the pin is pulled opening the contacts and triggering the timer The triggering circuit can be made completely self contained no external connections with the addition of a G switch This device senses acceleration along its longitudinal axis and closes its contacts when the acceleration exceeds a specific threshold a 2G threshold is common in this application When the rocket experi ences 0 5 second of acceleration in excess of this rating the timer will be triggered Make sure that G switches are oriented in the proper direction one end as specified by the manufacturer will have to point in the direction of travel The miniTimer is available with or without a pre installed G switch The G switch equipped model MT3G has UP and AFT END designations printed on the board to specify mounting orientation oo OO DA e J Os ts f
17. roper polarity when connecting the battery If reverse voltage is applied the switching FET s body diode will conduct resulting in immediate firing of any attached igniters If power is applied before attaching igniters as is recommended in the operational checklist proper polarity will be confirmed by the power up beep or LED sequence Improper polarity will result in silence or no LED glow An external power switch can be inserted in the battery wire Make sure that it is capable of carrying the expected peak current of your igniter circuit Since the timer actually switches the igniter current on and off the power switch does not need to be rated for switching full load just carrying it PS 93 5 F s Igniter JE E A i Fo Power switch ral E alicia Trigger switch Cp MT3T only Trigger switch Battery Igniter Try to keep the wiring lengths to a minimum to reduce voltage drops due to wiring resistance The battery should be mounted as far forward as possible to improve the CP CG relationship for best stability Make sure that the timer battery and wiring do not interfere with the proper deployment of the recovery devices and keep the timer out of the path of corrosive ejection gasses Always test a new installation before launching Set up the timer normally substituting a dummy load such as a light bulb for the igniter Run through the checklist and confirm that the delay is
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search