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Joined 2003
SMPSU is a Switching Mosfet Power Supply Unit. It's a pretty simple device, involving 2 mosfets, which switch your DC into AC at high frequency (around 100kHz). The reason for the high frequency is that it makes the power transfer through a transformer much easier, so you won't require a huge 50lb transformer. After the DC is switched to AC, it then goes through the transformer to provide whatever voltage you want to supple to your amp. It then goes through a rectifier, and a couple caps are put on the end for fitlering it back to smooth DC.
Hey faith blinded, greetings as a fellow pyrotechnician from Huntsville, AL -about 20 mins from Pyropack in Owens Crossroads. 2 batteries in series would be more than enough juice to fire most any electric match. The pyropac zero delay matches will ignite with around 50ma. You can easily fire them with 1 AA battery. So you will probably get hundreds of shots from those batts as the load is relatively small and for a very short amount of time. And with a small load, you probably wont get much voltage drop over 100ft of wire. Pyropack uses regular modular phone cable for thier runs and has no problems with it, but you might want to stick with the 18ga wire for durability. So are you moving up from the venerable nail board?
lolx...he ain't powering amps DcibeL...SMPSU = Switch Mode Power Supply...alot more efficient than your regular 7812...check out national's parts at http://www.national.com/appinfo/power/webench/
You can put in what current and voltages you want...and it will generate a suitable circuit for you...cool huh??
I haven been messing with pyro stuff...so I'm not sure what you really need...do those pyro matches have specs for them?? maybe you could put them here and we'll see what we can actually do...
You can put in what current and voltages you want...and it will generate a suitable circuit for you...cool huh??
I haven been messing with pyro stuff...so I'm not sure what you really need...do those pyro matches have specs for them?? maybe you could put them here and we'll see what we can actually do...
Well I have all of the Pyro catalog except the part with the E-Matches and wicking. Thats the part I need LOL.
Off the top of my head, I'm pretty sure it only takes 60-70 mA to fire one of these electronic matches. I did a little quick math and figured none of the parallel circuits on this board will pull more than 2.0 Amps.
So the guy that designed it in the first place was going for way overkill on most of his parts. Since I'm going to avoid all that and use 12V to control relays, instead of 24V runnin right through my switches and buttons, I think I can save a considerable amount of cash buying lower rated items. Then it will only be LEDs, resistors,relays, and diodes on my 24V portion of the box.
imix500: hello my pyro friend. I'm using a design very similar to the advanced desing on http://www.pyrouniverse.com . I think I have a little better understanding of DC circuits than he did, and I'm moving things around and adjusting them to what I think they need to be. With the help of all the electronics whizzes around here of course. I'm gonna stick with the 18 guage thermostat control wire runnin to my slats. I had considered phone wire, but I don't want to risk a delay when firing 4 or more cues at once.
This is actually the first firing board I've built. I'm one of those jack of all trades that likes to do everything myself. My carpenter/cabinet builder buddy is going to build the enclosures and I'm doing the electronics. Obviously we could have gone with a much simpler system, but I figured since I could understand the circuit, I could build it. Not sure what you mean by a nailboard. Sounds like a slat to me. My slats will be ur simple square box with sets of bolts portruding through the top to hook firing wires to. By next year I hope to build an R/F board and avoid the slat wires altogether.
I'm supposed to help my uncle and some of his Pyro buddies set up a proffessional show for one of the small rich towns in the area at the end of the summer. It will be my first big proffessional show, so I'm hoping to learn alot. I've been setting off small personal shows with my Uncle since I was 12 yrs old, but he's never had an electronic firing board. Let me tell ya, firing 6 inch shells by hand can get scary. My show won't involve anything larger than 4" shells, so I mostly am doing this for the convenience. I want to be able to watch my own show lol. Safety is a big plus though too. Salutes can get scary even at 3 inches.
Feel free to drop me an email bro, I'd like to have as many pyro buds as possible. I just sent my money off to become a PGI member, and am hoping to go to the convention this year. I've been told about it for years by my uncle. I can't wait!
Off the top of my head, I'm pretty sure it only takes 60-70 mA to fire one of these electronic matches. I did a little quick math and figured none of the parallel circuits on this board will pull more than 2.0 Amps.
So the guy that designed it in the first place was going for way overkill on most of his parts. Since I'm going to avoid all that and use 12V to control relays, instead of 24V runnin right through my switches and buttons, I think I can save a considerable amount of cash buying lower rated items. Then it will only be LEDs, resistors,relays, and diodes on my 24V portion of the box.
imix500: hello my pyro friend. I'm using a design very similar to the advanced desing on http://www.pyrouniverse.com . I think I have a little better understanding of DC circuits than he did, and I'm moving things around and adjusting them to what I think they need to be. With the help of all the electronics whizzes around here of course. I'm gonna stick with the 18 guage thermostat control wire runnin to my slats. I had considered phone wire, but I don't want to risk a delay when firing 4 or more cues at once.
This is actually the first firing board I've built. I'm one of those jack of all trades that likes to do everything myself. My carpenter/cabinet builder buddy is going to build the enclosures and I'm doing the electronics. Obviously we could have gone with a much simpler system, but I figured since I could understand the circuit, I could build it. Not sure what you mean by a nailboard. Sounds like a slat to me. My slats will be ur simple square box with sets of bolts portruding through the top to hook firing wires to. By next year I hope to build an R/F board and avoid the slat wires altogether.
I'm supposed to help my uncle and some of his Pyro buddies set up a proffessional show for one of the small rich towns in the area at the end of the summer. It will be my first big proffessional show, so I'm hoping to learn alot. I've been setting off small personal shows with my Uncle since I was 12 yrs old, but he's never had an electronic firing board. Let me tell ya, firing 6 inch shells by hand can get scary. My show won't involve anything larger than 4" shells, so I mostly am doing this for the convenience. I want to be able to watch my own show lol. Safety is a big plus though too. Salutes can get scary even at 3 inches.
Feel free to drop me an email bro, I'd like to have as many pyro buds as possible. I just sent my money off to become a PGI member, and am hoping to go to the convention this year. I've been told about it for years by my uncle. I can't wait!
Yeah looking at the design it appears that he built it using whatever he could find at the local Home Depot. Nothing against that, I've had to rely on them for electrical parts many times. The nailboards were THE way to fire outdoor pyro and most all movie pyro for a loong time. Many diehards still use them today. It litereally consists of a grid of nails with a wire wrapped around each nail going to each device or group of devices. One side of all the devices are tied together and connected to the negative and the positive is connected to a length of wire. Then the operator just goes along and touches each nail with the wire completing the circuit and firing the device. Kinda simplistic but it works every time. Actually all the controllers we have, being the company, are Pyropack controllers that send 115v to a transformer where it is stepped down to fire the E matches. We also have a LeMaitre wireless firing system. We mostly do indoor pyrotechnics for theater and concert type shows. Oh, and we have a class B explosives license cause we use binary explosives.
Digikey and Mouser are regular supply houses. They have consistant inventory and reasonably high prices. Most of the other places you named are surplus places that get their parts under wholesale from bankrupt manufacturers, or manufacturers not needing stuff because it's for some product discontinued. Some places like MCM seem to have some surplus but mostly stuff they sell under their name. Also Jameco
The surplus places are the way to go- especially if you can find a lot at one place. BUT when the item is gone-it's gone for good, so get what you need at once.
Having discovered sometimes that a part I thought was perfect for my project wasn't, I sometimes will order one each of bunch of things from one place, and as soon as they arrive, order all I need if they are the right thing (and if they still have them!)
Shipping is always the problem- some places are much cheaper than others...
The surplus places are the way to go- especially if you can find a lot at one place. BUT when the item is gone-it's gone for good, so get what you need at once.
Having discovered sometimes that a part I thought was perfect for my project wasn't, I sometimes will order one each of bunch of things from one place, and as soon as they arrive, order all I need if they are the right thing (and if they still have them!)
Shipping is always the problem- some places are much cheaper than others...
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