pudidotdk Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 (edited) So after making a single cue firing box from a flash camera circuit with succes I decided to make a box containing 12 circuits.They are really easy to work with as single units (solder on a fire switch, a load switch and make a shooting wire output), but troubles arise with simplicity when I want to control all circuits with a single on/off key-switch and the circuits to get their power from one set of batteries.I was suggested using either relays (which are gonna be really energy consuming to keep the circuit on) or triacs - not sure how the latter work.Does anyone have any suggestions on what to use (and how to wire it) to make this on-off key make all of the 12 'fire!' switches to not fire when the key is turned to off? - pudi Btw I etched my first PCB for the cue slabs that are gonna hold the matchheads. Using 25-pin male/female parallel ports to connect. These have no electronic components in them but I thought they were okay for a first try http://imgur.com/a/AYJpI#X7Etm Edited March 23, 2011 by pudidotdk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Updup Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I was suggested using either relays Relays wouldn't be difficult at all, in fact you don't need then, all you would need is 12 buttons or switches (one more if you need a loading switch) and you’re on/off safety key.I I'll post this picture, but I'm not sure if I have it quite right, if you can post the schematics of your 1 cue system, I'll give you an updated schematic that will do everything you want it to. Do you want a continuity check on it aswell? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagabu Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I made a camera flash firing box last year after reading all about them being used to light off e-matches and I found that the switches would weld the contacts together when used to fire the circuit. I ended up salvaging some robust 300v, 10A push button switches to keep the contacts from sticking. Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogue Chemist Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I made a camera flash firing box last year after reading all about them being used to light off e-matches and I found that the switches would weld the contacts together when used to fire the circuit. I ended up salvaging some robust 300v, 10A push button switches to keep the contacts from sticking. Just a thought. Was the fire switch in series with the capacitor? I have had no issues with firing when the fire switch is soldered to the flash trigger connections, using the flashbulb remaining in series as the HV switch. 3 strands of fine steel wool with a NC coating is a great bridge material, with no other pyrogen needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WSM Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 So after making a single cue firing box from a flash camera circuit with succes I decided to make a box containing 12 circuits.They are really easy to work with as single units (solder on a fire switch, a load switch and make a shooting wire output), but troubles arise with simplicity when I want to control all circuits with a single on/off key-switch and the circuits to get their power from one set of batteries.I was suggested using either relays (which are gonna be really energy consuming to keep the circuit on) or triacs - not sure how the latter work.Does anyone have any suggestions on what to use (and how to wire it) to make this on-off key make all of the 12 'fire!' switches to not fire when the key is turned to off? - pudi Btw I etched my first PCB for the cue slabs that are gonna hold the matchheads. Using 25-pin male/female parallel ports to connect. These have no electronic components in them but I thought they were okay for a first try http://imgur.com/a/AYJpI#X7Etm Good work pudi. If your goal is to supply DC power to several discrete CD (capacitive discharge) units; i.e. one for each firing line; and you want to use one battery to supply them all, I suggest putting a diode in series with each CD unit to prevent backfeed to the array. Another option is to feed several circuits with one CD unit and switch the output lines (again with a diode on each one for the same reason). If you can get a robust charging circuit and reduce the physical size of the photoflash capacitor, your recharge time will be MUCH shorter and will work very well for a multi-shot system. If you need more details, let me know. WSM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts