Open Source Delta 5 Race Timer to Time Drone Races

By on February 12, 2019
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The Delta 5 Race Timer is an open-source multi-node timing system that uses the video signals from FPV vehicles to determine when they cross the start/finish line.  The heart of the system is a Raspberry Pi, and each node has a dedicated Arduino Nano and RX5808 module.

The Arduinos are themselves connected to the Raspberry Pi over I2C, allowing the Pi high-level control over the receivers while it serves up a web-enabled user interface. As a bonus, the Pi can do much more than simply act as a fancy stopwatch. The races themselves can be entirely organized and run through the web interface.

The Raspberry Pi runs the Raspbian OS, and the Delta 5 system uses a server component written in Python.

Delta 5 Race Timer features are:

  • The system hosts its own web server which is used to control the system, no additional software is needed, any device with a web browser can connect
  • Automatic calibration; the system sets triggers at the start of each race
  • Manage pilot names, assign them to heats, and after each race save the results to a local database
  • Supports the standard 40 FPV video channels

About Luca Ruggeri

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