Brian Whatcott wrote in
:

The radio modelers have developed a useful market for gadgets.
I bought a tach a while ago, and I keep meaning to mention it
here.

The price was right - around $25.
It's intended for measuring off two or three blade props.
In other words, it counts either two flashes or three as a revolution.

People apparently use it with reflective patches stuck on their props
Half inch numerals on an LCD display with a prop image (2 or 3 blade).
Battery lasts a long long time.

"Tower Hobbies Digital Mini-Tach"

I modified one of those some years back... worked quite well. Never needed
any reflective patches for the prop of a real aircraft... works just fine
in daylight.

The two mods I made we

1. Changed the internal clock frequency so that it read out in tens of
RPM. The stock model I bought (only one they had back then) read out in
hundreds of RPMs. [Lots of model aircraft have props that turn in the tens
of thousands of RPM.]

2. Made the sensor a plug-in. This gave me the option of using it as
originally designed (fine for a SEL single), or on a cable from within the
cockpit (for a twin, with the sensor taped to the wing).

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James M. Knox
TriSoft ph 512-385-0316
1300 Koenig Lane West fax 512-371-5716
Suite 200
Austin, Tx 78756
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