Chemical Clocks

[dmis]

I’m sorry, but please clarify this for me because I thought I saw this in the rules but now I can’t find it- are we required to have some type of timer? Or isn’t it just for bonus points? Will we be penalized in any way for not having a timer?

It is for bonus points. Inherently, bonus points are worth the same as regular points, so you will be penalized in the sense that you don't get the points. But it won't be a violation or any penalty.

[aniSUKSatCHEM]

Is a zener diode or a capacitor in conjunction with a relay switch considered a "sensor?"

[dmis]

Is a zener diode or a capacitor in conjunction with a relay switch considered a "sensor?"

Would the zener diode be reading some chemical trigger? In general, i'd stay away from anything electrical being the result of your chemical timer based on the faq, as anything that senses is a sensor.

[scioly2012]

Has anyone managed to get a chemical timer to work consistently? I tried using the balloon inflating task with baking soda and vinegar, but that varied from taking 30 seconds to 10 minutes.... I don't even know if the chemical timer is worth it, I remember seeing something from Scott saying that chemical timers are a trap.

[PM2017]

Has anyone managed to get a chemical timer to work consistently? I tried using the balloon inflating task with baking soda and vinegar, but that varied from taking 30 seconds to 10 minutes.... I don't even know if the chemical timer is worth it, I remember seeing something from Scott saying that chemical timers are a trap.

They are definitely worth it, but should NOT be your first priority. They are very difficult to finish and consume quite a bit of time. (also, your baking soda/vinegar task, if done properly should not take that long)

[scioly2012]

Has anyone managed to get a chemical timer to work consistently? I tried using the balloon inflating task with baking soda and vinegar, but that varied from taking 30 seconds to 10 minutes.... I don't even know if the chemical timer is worth it, I remember seeing something from Scott saying that chemical timers are a trap.

They are definitely worth it, but should NOT be your first priority. They are very difficult to finish and consume quite a bit of time. (also, your baking soda/vinegar task, if done properly should not take that long)

:/ Ok thanks (I think it was mostly a problem with our balloon, but regardless that didn't work very well for our chemical timer).

[PM2017]

Has anyone managed to get a chemical timer to work consistently? I tried using the balloon inflating task with baking soda and vinegar, but that varied from taking 30 seconds to 10 minutes.... I don't even know if the chemical timer is worth it, I remember seeing something from Scott saying that chemical timers are a trap.

They are definitely worth it, but should NOT be your first priority. They are very difficult to finish and consume quite a bit of time. (also, your baking soda/vinegar task, if done properly should not take that long)

:/ Ok thanks (I think it was mostly a problem with our balloon, but regardless that didn't work very well for our chemical timer).

Re you using long balloons or round balloons? I think long is better.

[scioly2012]

They are definitely worth it, but should NOT be your first priority. They are very difficult to finish and consume quite a bit of time. (also, your baking soda/vinegar task, if done properly should not take that long)

:/ Ok thanks (I think it was mostly a problem with our balloon, but regardless that didn't work very well for our chemical timer).

Re you using long balloons or round balloons? I think long is better.

We were using round will definitely try long ones, thanks for the advice!!!

[Iwilsonp]

Has the consensus basically settled on using the balloon task as the chemical timer? (All except for Troy, who used a candle to expand a gas. Not sure what it triggered.)

I considered building a completely separate task, something along the lines of burning through a zinc wire with HCl for example, but in further analysis I'm not sure it's worth it, as, even if the balloon task if less reliable, you also get points for the time the balloon takes to expand, so it ends up making up for the fact that you have to set it shorter.

[radioactivated]

Potentially silly question: is dissolution of material in water a valid chemical process for a timer? It's not a chemical reaction in the strictest sense.