What a Generic Timer is for
Many ECU functions react to what's happening right now: rpm, throttle, speed. Sometimes you need to know how long something has been happening instead. That's the Generic Timer's job. It starts counting when a condition you choose becomes true and keeps counting until a reset condition clears it. That elapsed time becomes a channel you can use elsewhere.
Where we use them most:
- Drag racing launch programming. Start a timer when the car leaves, then use time since launch to shape boost, timing or other outputs through the first seconds of the run.
- Delays on custom functions. For example, waiting a set time after a condition is met before switching a generic output, so a brief blip doesn't trigger it.
The settings
Name
This is how the timer shows up when you search for channels anywhere in NSP. Name it for its job, like "Time Since Launch", so it's obvious when you find it in a table axis or a log.
Start Condition and Reset Condition
Both are built the same way, from three parts:
| Part | What you choose |
|---|---|
| Select | The ECU channel to watch |
| Maths | The comparison to make. There are six: =, ≠, >, <, ≥ and ≤ (shown in NSP as words, such as Greater Than Or Equal To) |
| Value | The number the channel is compared against |
When the start comparison becomes true, the timer runs. When the reset comparison becomes true, the timer clears and is ready to go again the next time the start condition is met.
A worked example
Say you want a timer that counts from the moment the car starts rolling on a drag pass:
- Start: vehicle speed, greater than, a small value just above zero.
- Reset: vehicle speed, equal to, zero, so it rearms once you've stopped.
Pick your start threshold carefully. Set it too low and noise from a wheel speed sensor at a standstill can trigger it. Set it too high and your timer starts late.
A timer with a reset condition that never comes true will only work once per key cycle. Check your reset in the logs as well as your start.
Related tools
Timers are one of the Nexus generic functions. They work alongside generic conditions, a pause condition that can hold the count, and generic output tables. If you're planning launch logic for a drag car, book a free consultation and we'll help you map it out.
