🚀 go-pugleaf

>I am looking for some info on how to design a computerized firing  
>sequence.  Any sort of direction to find info would be just as helpful,  
>such as books, magazines or if anyone has designed one of their own.  

With an IBM-compatible it would be realitivly easy.  There are cards out there
that let you control electronic switches from software.  I remeber seeing one
from JDR Microdevices that had about 24 channels, if I can remember correctly.
The Macintosh is a different story.  I have yet to see some kind of a 
peripheral device for the Mac that lets you control external things. If anyone
know of something like this please fill me in.

If you want several rapid sequences of pyrotechnic devices, I would suggest
you use one channel for each sequence and a 555 timer/decade counter/power
transistor or relay array circuit close to the devices.  When the main
switch is thrown by the computer software the 555 cycles the decade counter
and the squibs, another term for ignitors.  Having this device close to the 
pyrotechincs will save you a lot of wire and you can use a smaller gauge
because the battery can be close also.  You would only need one set of wires
from the "control site" to the shooting area for each sequence. Small guage
would do fine here because all you are doing is letting the 555 know that it 
is time to start counting with this pair.  From the 555/decade device the 
power transistors will feed current to the squibs through larger gauge wire.
It would also be easy to control the speed of the sequence with the 555.

You may want to ask the guru's that read rec.pyrotechins about this.  A lot of
them shoot display's part time and know a lot about using squibs, electronic
ignition etc...

later                                                              - Dan

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             Daniel Joseph Rubin     rubin@cis.ohio-state.edu 
     
                       GO BENGALS!      GO BUCKS!