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Sequencers

--Have been googling around to find the little inverter/sequencers for blinking various strings of electroluminescent wire for an artsy-fartsy project. What I can't find are robust ones capable of running more than short lengths of the stuff. What I'm looking for is a 12-v driver that can sequence 3 channels, each of maybe 30ft of EL wire. Any pointers appreciated.

--
        "Steamboat Ed" Haas         :  "Hold on! we\'re passing                
        Hacking the Trailing Edge!  :  through the moronosphere!"
                          www.nmpproducts.com
                   ---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---
Reply to
steamer
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Project time!

How about a sequencer that can handle LEDs, some hefty transistor switches, and some plain old EL drivers?

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" gives you just what it says.
See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html
Reply to
Tim Wescott

Ed,

If you've found a cheap, light-duty controller that meets your timing and sequencing needs, consider having it drive relays instead of EL strings. Then drive your EL strings from the relays.

That would be much quicker (and probably cheaper) than rolling your own from scratch.

Good luck!

Tom

Reply to
Tom2000

--Hey I like that! Thanks for the idea!

--
        "Steamboat Ed" Haas         :  "Hold on! we\'re passing                
        Hacking the Trailing Edge!  :  through the moronosphere!"
                          www.nmpproducts.com
                   ---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---
Reply to
steamer

--Oops followup question: the sequencer output is around 400hz AC; will this cause any problems with a relay?

-- "Steamboat Ed" Haas : "Hold on! we're passing Hacking the Trailing Edge! : through the moronosphere!"

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---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

Reply to
steamer

Probably, unless it's specially designed for 400Hz; if there were such a beast it would be a specialized aircraft relay from the 60's or 70's.

You could rectify the AC with a little bridge and use that to feed the relay -- it should work well. Just what you need for a rectifier and associated circuitry depends on whether the relay you use is mechanical or not. For a mechanical relay there's a good chance that you could just use a bridge and count on the relay coil's inductance to smooth the current out sufficiently; for a solid-state relay you'd probably need a bridge, filter capacitor and loading resistance.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" gives you just what it says.
See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html
Reply to
Tim Wescott

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