Who makes a good tach?  
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All Forums >> RC Airplanes >> "1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes >> Who makes a good tach?
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Who makes a good tach? - 5/27/2008 6:43:59 AM   
Mr. Mugen



Posts: 5537
Joined: 3/24/2006
From: Ishpeming, MI, USA
Status: offline 		I have a hobbico I cannot seem to get a good reading with. I get readings all over the place. Nothing is consistant. It seems like the only way I can get good readings is to put a flashlight on the other side. What do you guy's use?

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RE: Who makes a good tach? - 5/27/2008 1:28:44 PM   
gcb



Posts: 2425
Joined: 10/24/2002
From: Port Ewen, NY, USA
Status: online 		Mine is a TNC, which is an excellent tach. Unfortunately, Tony sold the design to another company and I think they stopped making tachs.

Try shielding stray light from around the sensor with a tube or electrical tape or something of that nature.

George

(in reply to Mr. Mugen)
       Post #: 2

RE: Who makes a good tach? - 5/27/2008 1:39:01 PM   
combatpigg



Posts: 9830
Joined: 11/22/2003
From: arlington, WA, USA
Status: offline 		I used the same $15 tach for 20 years. It will give wild, unsteady garbage readings until you move into the light just right, then the readings will be more steady. If I made my living doing R&D on these engines I'd get a fancy tach, but the cheap one does the job I need.

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RE: Who makes a good tach? - 5/27/2008 1:49:26 PM   
rainedave



Posts: 5193
Joined: 7/21/2005
From: Greensboro, NC, USA
Status: online 		It looks like a company called Fromeco is now selling the old TNC tachs:

http://www.fromeco.org/Products/05FRCTNC/Default.aspx

David

(in reply to combatpigg)
       Post #: 4

RE: Who makes a good tach? - 5/27/2008 2:32:12 PM   
makoman1860


 

Posts: 36
Joined: 5/16/2008
From: Oshkosh, WI, USA
Status: offline 		I bought 2 of NEW TNC tachs from Froneco. Best unit bar none. Not cheap though.

(in reply to rainedave)
       Post #: 5

RE: Who makes a good tach? - 5/27/2008 5:24:13 PM   
lildiesel


 

Posts: 478
Joined: 11/18/2005
From: Cincinnati, OH, USA
Status: offline 		I use a black plastic 35mm film can as a light shield for the sensor on my tach.


quote:

ORIGINAL: gcb

Mine is a TNC, which is an excellent tach. Unfortunately, Tony sold the design to another company and I think they stopped making tachs.

Try shielding stray light from around the sensor with a tube or electrical tape or something of that nature.

George


(in reply to gcb)
       Post #: 6

RE: Who makes a good tach? - 5/27/2008 9:50:34 PM   
chevy43


 

Posts: 1023
Joined: 6/9/2006
From: Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Status: offline 		Are you doing it in the day or night? Night is tough! I can do it now but it isn't easy. If night, then read on the oposite side from the light bulb. Disregard all 3,600 rpm readings - they are just 60 cycle elcetricity reading on the tack. You will need an incandesent bulb. Florecents almost always make the tack read 3,600 RPM...

(in reply to lildiesel)
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RE: Who makes a good tach? - 5/27/2008 10:48:52 PM   
mtntopgeo


 

Posts: 189
Joined: 2/21/2004
From: Superior, MT, USA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Mr. Mugen

I have a hobbico I cannot seem to get a good reading with. I get readings all over the place. Nothing is consistant. It seems like the only way I can get good readings is to put a flashlight on the other side. What do you guy's use?



Been there, done that. The same manufacturer must make the Globee too. Piece of heat shrink over the photo cell, flat black paint on the prop, back to the sun, shade the unit from direct sunlight, read through the prop away from the sun, hold my tongue just right, skip around on my left foot, & hope that the planets are in correct alignment. THEN, when none of this works, bring everything into the semi-dark basement, & use the flashlight. Works every time. Anybody notice the similarities between this scenario & that of trying to get one of the sub-standard engines , (that the present manufactures are providing us with) to run as they should when we purchase them? We must be easy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ........................... George K.

(in reply to Mr. Mugen)
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RE: Who makes a good tach? - 5/27/2008 11:25:19 PM   
OzMo



Posts: 1439
Joined: 9/2/2002
From: OZark, MO, USA
Status: offline 		I am still using a heathkit tach!

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RE: Who makes a good tach? - 5/27/2008 11:48:52 PM   
av8rsodt



Posts: 370
Joined: 1/16/2003
From: Kernersville, NC, USA
Status: offline 		I worked with the guys that own / run Fromeco while I lived in Oregon, they primarily deal with the battery end of things for large
aerobatic planes. Great bunch of guys.

Yes, they did buy the technology from Tony and have begun to manufacture their own units. My understanding
is that they also made some improvements electronics-wise.

From what I have heard, these are the one of the most reliable tachs around.

Brian

(in reply to OzMo)
       Post #: 10

RE: Who makes a good tach? - 5/27/2008 11:58:09 PM   
av8rsodt



Posts: 370
Joined: 1/16/2003
From: Kernersville, NC, USA
Status: offline 		How are the Ace tachs?

I bought one at a swap shop last winter but have not used it yet.

Rainedav mentioned how to use a flourescent light to calibrate it.

Brian

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RE: Who makes a good tach? - 5/28/2008 12:32:38 AM   
Toad



Posts: 439
Joined: 12/3/2001
From: Hurricane, UT, USA
Status: offline 		Ive used my tnc tach at dusk, with very little light and it reads fine in bad conditions and I like the fact that you do not have to get it very close to the prop, you can read on the fromeco site what improvements they did to Tony's design, Great tach.

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speak 1/2a ?

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RE: Who makes a good tach? - 5/28/2008 1:50:10 AM   
rainedave



Posts: 5193
Joined: 7/21/2005
From: Greensboro, NC, USA
Status: online 		Brian I recently sold my 18yr old Ace Tachmaster II. It always worked well, but it was hard for me to read without my reading glasses, which I never seem to have handy when I'm running engines. It gave steady readings but the numbers were too small.

Make sure to point it at a fluorescent light and use a screwdriver to adjust the needle to exactly 3600. If I remember correctly, the needle post has a slot for a small screwdriver.

David

(in reply to Toad)
       Post #: 13

RE: Who makes a good tach? - 5/28/2008 4:06:14 AM   
Mr. Mugen



Posts: 5537
Joined: 3/24/2006
From: Ishpeming, MI, USA
Status: offline 		Well I ordered a tnc from airwild just now. I am sick of guessing....hell I just move it until I get the reading I want...haha.

Thanks for all the input once again. I appreciate it more than I could tell ya's here. Nothing like making informed purchases!!!

Kevin

_____________________________

Everything electronic runs on smoke.....if you let your smoke out, it''s dead! AMA#378033

(in reply to rainedave)
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RE: Who makes a good tach? - 5/28/2008 2:10:01 PM   
gcb



Posts: 2425
Joined: 10/24/2002
From: Port Ewen, NY, USA
Status: online 		A little history, hopefully accurate:
Tony C. made his tach for himself because he wasn't satisfied with what was available at the time. If you know Tony, he is a perfectionist, so he put in a lot of design work. Some of his friends wanted a good tach also and Tony started producing them on a commercial basis. Last time I spoke with Tony was when I ordered my tach. At that time, his eyesight was failing and he was relegated to flying large RC planes.

Tony sold his design to Fromeco who, as I understand it, maintain the quality built into TNC tachs. A wrinkle in the process was that the chips used in the TNC tachs soon became unavailable so a redesign was needed.

I tried to read some of the FROMECO advertisement but the font comes up too small to read.

One of the advantages of the TNC (and I assume FROMECO) is that you can take readings in about any light conditions and usually from as far as six feet away. Keeps you away from the prop.

I do not know what they cost now but mine was ~$115.00 some ten years ago...and well worth it.

Of course, this is just one opinion. Some other tachs may be just as good these days.

George

(in reply to Mr. Mugen)
       Post #: 15

RE: Who makes a good tach? - 5/29/2008 4:03:04 AM   
Mr. Mugen



Posts: 5537
Joined: 3/24/2006
From: Ishpeming, MI, USA
Status: offline 		I paid 95 bucks + shipping. I feel if it is as good as you's say it will pay for itself fast. ( I have no doubts in you guy's and your opinions what so ever). It sure is nice to have a group of knowledgable fella's like you's to help a fella out. Once again thanks guy's. Your advise is taken to heart everytime.

Kevin

_____________________________

Everything electronic runs on smoke.....if you let your smoke out, it''s dead! AMA#378033

(in reply to gcb)
       Post #: 16

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