The alternative to not using a thermal breaker is to have the wiring melt with 100A from a car battery. It is a simple series component without the complexity (and failure modes) of an active circuit. Being a thermal device, it trips from a high current in less than a second. A 10A thermal breaker will handle 30A without tripping during the time it take to ignite an igniter.Yep, I thought about using a resettable fuse type device like a polyswitch. The specs on these devices are confusing at best. In a nut shell, it was the response time is that bothered me. 10+ seconds is a heck of a long time to have a direct short running through your relays. I was not sure that the device would trigger quick enough to protect the relays. Im glad you were able to get them to work, but I was not sure I could get one of these to function as intended.
Looks great. Is this unit set up for selecting 3 separate 8-pad field boxes? Does this correlate to heartbeat A, B and C? If so, how does one select between each bank of pads?
Dan
What does heartbeat A, B, C mean? I guess based upon what I read above that it is a check for a functioning Pad box A and B and the LCO box?
I may have missed it earlier, I just read this thread. Have you come up with a final price yet?
You didn't miss it. I've been avoiding the topic. I don't know yet if I would offer to build these to barter or sell. Lots of issues there to consider. But I'm not fundamentally opposed to the idea.
This thread is intended to inform--pass on a few ideas and concepts--and force me to document in pictures (for myself and others) what I have been doing these last few years. And also to entertain.
Building more of these would be easier, actually, since I wouldn't have to take so many dang pictures.
I would have to disagree on the price. There is only 1-2 other units out there. My clubs like my own are in dire straights and need a new system. We are currently looking at the options out there and they are slim.
Look at the cost of wire. 1500 feet is about $100-180 depending on the type. If you go with flat phone, it is near $100. if you go with plenum Cat5, it will cost $140-160 per 1000'. Wireless is a savings.
I just priced a fireworks system in a pelican box. $1300 to run 3 pad boxes that will control up to 18 pads per box.
Not cheap.
The reason I ask is that I am basically building a similar system. I'm using ATmega chips instead of PIC chips, but fundamentally the same concept. I'll be starting a new thread for it at some point in the future when I'm closer to having something to show everyone.
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