Turning off electromagnet

Paradox21
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Re: Turning off electromagnet

Post by Paradox21 »

fleet130 wrote:2 relays? Wait until you get a hundred or so. Then you'll have wires EVERYWHERE!
Why would you have 100 relays in a 10 step Mission Possible? If I had that many, surely I would devise some organization system.
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Re: Turning off electromagnet

Post by starpug »

Paradox21 wrote:
fleet130 wrote:2 relays? Wait until you get a hundred or so. Then you'll have wires EVERYWHERE!
Why would you have 100 relays in a 10 step Mission Possible? If I had that many, surely I would devise some organization system.
I believe fleet is an electrical engineer, so he's accustomed to dealing with lots and lots of relays
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Re: Turning off electromagnet

Post by fleet130 »

Technician, not engineer. I've worked on equipment with hundred of relays. The most I remember in something I designed and built was 48 DPDT and 2 15? position stepping relays.

I find it's more reliable and takes much less space to implement a well-made electrical control than a mechanical one. Of course there are instances when mechanical is simpler. If you have both in your bag of tricks, you can always choose whats best for the task at hand. If you only have one option, you're stuck with it.

And yes, its always a good idea to have a system for routing & identifying the wires, relays & other components. Use small pieces of tape marked with an identifying number/letter on both ends of each wire. Label all the components (Relay1, Relay2, Sw1, Sw2 , PB1, etc.). Make a diagram of the circuit with all of the components/wires labeled. This can turn finding a problem from almost impossible to fairly routine.

When routing wires, don't take the most direct route. Route the wires together in bundles around the outsides of the space where they won't interfere and to make access into the device easier. Bundled together, wires support each other and reduce the occurrence of breakage due to being bumped, vibration, shifting during transportation, etc.

One other consideration is power distribution. The neatest devices were wired just like the wiring in a house. One central battery supplied all of the power for the entire device. Two wires (one for positive & one for negative) were routed around the entire Mission device to distribute power. Whenever a transfer needed power, it just tapped in to the two wires.

Under the old Mission rules, electricity was a major player in a Mission's design. I've seen many devices that used 20 or more relays.
Information expressed here is solely the opinion of the author. Any similarity to that of the management or any official instrument is purely coincidental! Doing Science Olympiad since 1987!
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