Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Manufacturer: | Xavien |
Brief:
Here is a couple of new timers from Xavien, at www.xavien.com . The XSSRT-1,
'Xavien Single Stage Rocket Timer'. This is a 1 second to 63 seconds single
event timer. I tested this one for future use in air starting. I also have the
XDSRT-1, 'Xavien Duel Stage Rocket Timer'. This one is a 1 second to 63 seconds
dual event timer. I used this timer wired in as back-up for altimeter ejection.
They both come with an easy to read 7 page manual and a 1 year warranty. Their
website at www.xavien.com has the manuals for these in pdf files. Bonus!
Specifications:
XSSRT-1 Single Timer
XDSRT-1 Duel Timer Specs
Setting the timer:
There are six DIP switches to set the delay timing. The dual event has two separate banks of switches. Here is a breakdown of the switch positions and their corresponding delay.
Switch # Adds:
Each DIP switch adds seconds to the total. For example: if you have switches 1, 2 and 3 on, you'll get a 7 second delay. It's actually very simple and easy to do. Just flip a switch to add time.
In Use:
I put them in my Prometheus; a 12 foot tall, 7.5" scratch built rocket with a central 54mm and four 38mm motor mounts. For this first flight, I used a K1050 in the center and air-started four Pro 38 J330's. I used the duel event timer as a backup for deployment. The rocket went somewhat horizontal just before the four motors lit. This threw off the calculations on when to deploy the chutes. When using a timer, you have to calculate the flight based on motor burn time and assuming a straight boost. If the rocket doesn't go straight, the events happen sooner than you calculate. Thus, the altimeter deployed the drogue and the main but the duel timer did light its ejection charges.
I used the single event timer to test its ability to light 4 Davyfire
igniters. As I put the rocket together at the field, I decided not to use the
timer to air-start the motors because the air-start system that was built into
the rocket was mounted and wired much better. I also didn't want to put two
igniters in each motor in fear of clogging the nozzles. I wired four igniters
outside the rocket and tested its ability to light four of them. Although I
didn't have them in the motors, it did light all four igniters.
Summary:
Limitations:
Advantages:
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
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