I have come here for some help with a personal project. I have been flying and operating RC model aircraft over the past 40 years. Currently I fly turbine powered jet models and I have installed a smoke system on a few. During a recent visit to a model airshow I watched a model turbine jet flying with a smoke system that would pulse the smoke. When I enquired about it and how it was done (as there are no ready mixers or programming available on our radio systems for such a pulsing) the answer I was given, simply left me more confused.

Here is what I have; a smoke pump powered by between 6.0 to 9.9 volt and controlled like a servo which is given a signal to turn on and off via the receiver from the transmitter signal. I am having two thoughts. Either I need to pulse (on/off/on etc the power supply side or I need to pulse the signal from the receiver to the pump.

Any suggestions please?

 

Pulsing the power supply side with a slow PWM circuit would be easiest but it would just have one pulsing rate or speed. Done from the controller it could have a variable rate.

 

I have come here for some help with a personal project. I have been flying and operating RC model aircraft over the past 40 years. Currently I fly turbine powered jet models and I have installed a smoke system

Is it a model F4 Phantom?

 

Pulsing the power supply side with a slow PWM circuit would be easiest but it would just have one pulsing rate or speed. Done from the controller it could have a variable rate.

The single pulse rate sounds fine, what sort of timing can I expect - 1 sec on, 1 sec off? Even less will be fine.

Thanks for the input.

 

Is it a model F4 Phantom?

No not one of my scale models - just want to do it on a sport model.

 

Look at this and see if it is something you could use.
http://www.circuitdiagramworld.com/led_circuit_diagram/Headlight_Flasher_555__2956.html

With surface mount components and miniature relays it could be made very small and lightweight.

 

Fantastic, I think I can make that work with some help from my local electronics shop. I am pretty good wgen it comes to a 'monkey-see-monkey-do' project and my soldering skills are not bad.

Thank you, will let you know how it goes and post a short video when I get it working.

Cheers for now.

 

If you're good at kludging together devices. You could put the servo to work on a variable resistance (potentiometer) and control the speed or spacing of the smoke from the RC controller

 

No not one of my scale models - just want to do it on a sport model.

The F4 was famous for leaving a pretty conspicuous smoke trail.

 

Is it a model F4 Phantom?

Oh, SNAP!

Nice callout to the 60's. The lead sled.

ak

 

Oh, SNAP!

Nice callout to the 60's. The lead sled.

ak

The one in IDFAF service was named "Kurnass" (Sledgehammer) - someone on a Usenet group who constantly boasted of being a Jew accused me of using offensive language.