Tomy timers

[avfuelerict]

I was curious if the tomy timers many on here use for timing parachute release mechanisms have to be modified in any way to slow them down. I am not having a whole lot of luck in finding a good timer. All the ones I have found to date work well in the toy, but once removed unwind in about a second. Any guidance?

Thak you.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I was curious if the tomy timers many on here use for timing parachute release mechanisms have to be modified in any way to slow them down. I am not having a whole lot of luck in finding a good timer. All the ones I have found to date work well in the toy, but once removed unwind in about a second. Any guidance?

Thak you.

You need to find the kind of toy that doesn't walk or hop... those toys rely on gravity pressing against the "legs" to keep them going at the right speed. You pick them up and the legs go like mad in a second or two. Some wheeled toys do the same thing and they will just spin the wheels fast for a second and run out of spring. The best toys are ones that don't move around. I have some that look like butterflys that flap their wings and the speed doesn't change much with the clockwork part ripped out. I have seen some that time for a while and then "jump". Those would be perfect because they release a big spring force. I spotted one of them (looked like a frog) in a gift shop, but it was close to $10.00 and I put it back on the shelf!

[avfuelerict]

10 bucks for a toy frog you intend to disect . I'd put it back on the shelf as well.

Thank you for giving a better idea as to what to look for. Good thing it's easter time, as there are a lot of these types of toys available around here now.

[U.S. Water Rockets1]

10 bucks for a toy frog you intend to disect . I'd put it back on the shelf as well.

Thank you for giving a better idea as to what to look for. Good thing it's easter time, as there are a lot of these types of toys available around here now.

You could also look for toy boats with a propeller on the back. They make them for kids to play with in the pool or bathtub. Those toys have good timers that run at a constant speed under all conditions.

[Jelo]

A radio controlled servo works nice too, and is more reliable

[marksmandcs]

I use tommy timers on my rockets. I have been flying them since 2003 with not one failure. I will get a picture on here if needed. I use a thin heated wire to melt a slot through the body of the timer into what i call the "ticker" that does the mechanical timing. i open the timer and cut any material that may interfere with the mechanics. I then use a key like piece made out of PET that slides into the "ticker" that has a fishing line that connects it to the launcher. The key stops the timer so you can wind it up. When the rocket launches, the key is pulled out of the timer. This has worked flawlessly for years.

[U.S. Water Rockets]

I use tommy timers on my rockets. I have been flying them since 2003 with not one failure. I will get a picture on here if needed. I use a thin heated wire to melt a slot through the body of the timer into what i call the "ticker" that does the mechanical timing. i open the timer and cut any material that may interfere with the mechanics. I then use a key like piece made out of PET that slides into the "ticker" that has a fishing line that connects it to the launcher. The key stops the timer so you can wind it up. When the rocket launches, the key is pulled out of the timer. This has worked flawlessly for years.

People would probably be interested in what type of toy works best for a tomy timer mechanism and how much you have to pay for them.

[marksmandcs]

I wish i could remember what they came out of. I remember one of them was a tiger that rolled around. They were old toys out of a happy meal so i doubt they are still around. I do know that here in the US there are book stores and other places that have small wind up toys near the registers with the timers in them. I've seen small robots,space ships, walking animals, etc. They all should work as a timer, but it would be up to the rocket builder to select the one that was most compatible with their deployment mechanism. I use the wind up knob as the output and cut off the other output shafts.

[marksmandcs]

They can't be much more than a few dollars here.

[longpaddle]

Dollar stores are perfect for finding tommy timers toys. Locally there are two or three in my area they all have a kids toy sections and all the toys are cheap and simple. I've found lots of wind up cars, and a swimming fish that has a great little timer thats super small and light.
I normally pay one to two dollars per tommy timer.

[U.S. Water Rockets1]

The question most people ask us is which toy makes the best timer. We don't have a huge amount of experience with them because we have our own electronic systems. We steer people toward using toys that roll like cars, or toys that jump after a delay. The ones that walk along seem to rely on gravity to meter out the spring force, like a clock. It stands to reason that the timing can get altered by the G-forces of the rocket.

[longpaddle]

The toys I've had the best luck with are wind up cars, wind up fish (moves it's tail back and forth)and wind up birds, (flapping wings)
I have a 3yr old son, so I'd buy two or three different ones at $1 to $2each and the ones I didn't rip apart he plays with. Once you find one toy that works well, buy two or three for future rockets. Under ten bucks total experiment but I've got timers for three or four rockets at $1 to $2 each.

[SaskAlex]

I'd like to second the reliability of a tomy timer. I'm very skeptical that a timer in good condition that was wound properly would ever fail. The challenge is in the other mechanical aspects of the system.

I always used to get my timers at the dollar store. They always seemed to come in different wind up toys, but they all had exactly the same timer inside. Unfortunately, I haven't seen any wind up toys in my local dollar stores for a long time. I have been using the same timers for quite some time, but if I ever destroy them I'll need to find a new source.

For anyone at a total loss to find some, http://www.texastimers.com has some listed under "plastic clocks". It's not the cheapest source, but the timers appear to be exactly the same as all the ones I've ever used, except for a small difference in the shape of the housing. I've never bought from them before, but I will if I ever need more timers and can't find any locally. They also have some nice plastic scrolls to go on the winder shaft that could be used to make different types of release mechanisms.

Alex

[U.S. Water Rockets1]

I'd like to second the reliability of a tomy timer. I'm very skeptical that a timer in good condition that was wound properly would ever fail. The challenge is in the other mechanical aspects of the system.

I always used to get my timers at the dollar store. They always seemed to come in different wind up toys, but they all had exactly the same timer inside. Unfortunately, I haven't seen any wind up toys in my local dollar stores for a long time. I have been using the same timers for quite some time, but if I ever destroy them I'll need to find a new source.

For anyone at a total loss to find some, http://www.texastimers.com has some listed under "plastic clocks". It's not the cheapest source, but the timers appear to be exactly the same as all the ones I've ever used, except for a small difference in the shape of the housing. I've never bought from them before, but I will if I ever need more timers and can't find any locally. They also have some nice plastic scrolls to go on the winder shaft that could be used to make different types of release mechanisms.

Alex

Hey Alex! Thanks for the information about the best timers. We've been getting a lot of good feedback on our ServoChron low cost electric servo timer, but obviously the mechanical timer is a great choice for many people. Just about anything you develop for a Servo will apply to a tomy timer, so the work people do on one deploy will easily translate to another.

Have you been working on your multi-stage rocket at all? You were so close to setting a new record, we figured you would have it in no time. Hopefully, you will be able to make another attempt soon.

[SaskAlex]

Have you been working on your multi-stage rocket at all? You were so close to setting a new record, we figured you would have it in no time. Hopefully, you will be able to make another attempt soon.

No, I kind of put that to rest after the last launch I posted here last year. There is a bit of damage that needs repair, and I just never got around to it. It was really cool to launch that rocket, but also a lot of work. I really only went to two stage rockets because breaking that record was a lot more feasible. I honestly think that if I put the same amount of effort into a single stage rocket, it would out perform that. I didn't really get around to any rocketry this summer due to a lack of time. I might get back into it next summer. I do have some ideas for another single stage and a two stage rocket. Not sure which I'll tackle first.

Alex